Peter

Disciples

2 Peter 1:3 “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

How many of us are thankful to be called this evening?

I could be doing a lot of things but I was called. Amen!

But what are we called to do?

Matthew 28:18–20 “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

We are called to Discipleship

We called to teach these disciples.

Paul Says

2 Timothy 2:2–4 “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.”

They were called to pass along the teachings.

Paul Speaks to being a solider for Christ. But there is another individual that we find in scripture that was a disciple of Christ.

The Rock

2 Peter 1:1 “This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.”

2 Peter 1:4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

Share in His divine nature?

Peter is on another level. Denied Christ A curse on me if I’m lying- I don’t know the man!

1 Peter 4:1–2 “So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.”

2 Peter 1:5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 9“But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

The grower will grow

10 So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.

1 Peter 4:7 “The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.”

2 Peter 1:19–20 “Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding,” .”

2 Peter 3:13 “But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.”

2 Peter 1:11 “Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”