Intro to 2 Peter

INTRO

-Welcome, turn to 2 Peter, page 1,843 in our Bibles.

-Starting anew series on 2 Peter, not just because we went through 1 Peter, but because we need to know how to grow in grace.

-What does that mean without getting “christenese” that is what I’m hoping we can figure out a little bit today but also through this 10 week study of this letter.

-Before we get into that, I want to do a quick mental exercise. If you have notes, use the back to write, if you have a phone use the notes to write this out. You won’t share this with anyone but it will be good for you to look at especially as we look at the text this morning.

If you knew you were about to die, who would you write to and what would you write down?

Why do I ask this? Because this letter is should carry that kind of weight when we read it. This is in your notes to help you remember the context that we are reading in. Because the Bible was written for you but not to you.

Who wrote it: Apostle Peter When: 64-68 A.D. while in Rome (Nero is ruling and blaming christians for everything) Who to: Christians everywhere Why: To remember the truth as false teachers were trying to deceive them

So Peter writes this final letter before his cruel death. Church history claims that he had to watch his wife crucified before he was crucified upside down because he was not worthy to be killed in the same way as Jesus.

I share that because this is the soberity and sincerity we should approach this letter, like all of scripture, to take it seriously and to let us grow in Grace.

PRAY

BODY

English Standard Version Chapter 1

1Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

-What Peter is doing here with just his introduction is brilliant.

In his quick introduction he is showing his humanity and his authority

What does that mean?

His humility because he calls himself Simeon, which is the name his father gave him at birth. But also using the name that Jesus gave him, Peter. He then also says he is a servant of Christ (humility) but also an apostle (a sent one, someone commissioned by someone greater). He is reminding them he is a guy just like him. Puts his pants on just like them. But he was also given authority through Christ’s commission. So for the false teachers to shut up.

This is for us because even though we are human God has give us authority.

This matters to us because we are called to partner with God in what he is doing on this earth. Yes, we are human, and you can sulk in that if you want, but you can also remember that he has called us for communion with him. To pray, to share the Gospel, to make the disciples.

But Josh, that is Peter! You can’t compare us to Peter!

-But then he says something so profound, so important, yet so quickly that it would be easy for any of us to miss if we don’t slow down and read what he just said. Let’s read it one more time

English Standard Version Chapter 1

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

We have an equal standing with Peter because of the righteousness in Jesus .

Hold on Peter, you may have forgotten yourself in your old age and many prison escapades! No. This is the gospel. The cross brings a level playing field for everyone to be accepted by faith.

-When God looks at Peter and then when he looks at me, he sees the same thing. THIS IS IMPORTANT.

-In order to grow in grace we need to see ourselves the way God sees us.

-How do you view God’s view of you? Angry? Disappointed? Frustrated? loved? Accepted?

-How do we see ourselves this way? Through faith. Not through striving or white knuckling. Repentance.

This helps in all of life, not just theological, doctrine mantra. This helps you grow in prayer, reading the word, relationships, walking in love, mental health, etc.

Let’s keep reading because there is more good news.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

So just to make sure we are all on the same page, it would be good to define grace and peace because some of you have heard those words a lot, and some are just hearing them for the first time. So what do they meant without getting into a weird christenese language?

Grace means: Favor, acceptance, liberty, gift.

-What is the favor and acceptance that we have in Jesus? His righteousness! He paid it all. You don’t have to try and strive for anything because of what Jesus did. This is the good news of great joy!

Peace means; wholeness, tranquility, harmony

Anyone need wholeness in their life? Harmony in their relationships? Tranquility? Peace, that Peter is talking about, is not the absense of conflict. If you read through Acts you see that the apostles were not vacationing on the beach and listening to Francis Chan sermons. They were living in lots of conflict, but they still had peace. How? Look at Romans 5 with me.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Peace with God, that comes through you striving? Through your good and moral life? No, this is is the Gospel that we all need every day to have the peace. So how do we get this grace and peace?

-It comes from knowledge of Jesus. Knowing Jesus, and to go a little deeper with this word, to have precise and correct knowledge.

Grace and peace are experienced when we have the correct knowledge of Jesus which comes through the Word of God.

-Josh, we know were you are going with this. Read the Bible. Don’t be so legalistic man, me and Jesus are cool! I don’t need that.

-Josh, stop making me feel bad because I don’t do this. I’m not trying to make you feel bad, I’m trying to point you to the source of grace and truth!

-Stop looking at yourself for salvation, look to Jesus and you will experience true grace and peace.

Growing means improving, moving, not in a striving way but in response to the grace that God has given us in Christ.

If you want to grow in prayer, know Jesus. If you want to grow in witnessing to others, know Jesus. Growing in grace is knowing Jesus until He returns or until he takes you home.

I want to close with the words of Paul in Philippians 3 where, Paul could be counted as a superhero christian. He did a lot for Jesus. He could have coasted or just relied on his damascus road expereice. But listen to this man’s passion that I believe it is worth all of us pursuing.

English Standard Version Chapter 3

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Straining Toward the Goal

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

May this be our desire as well.

ENDING