A Rich Welcome
A Rich Welcome into the Eternal Kingdom
2 Peter 1:10,11
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Some years ago, during the late 1980’s, a Korean bulk carrier was crippled by engine trouble off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Caught in one of the violent storms which frequent that particular region of the North Pacific, the ship and crew was in peril of being plunged into the depths. Ocean going tugs were dispatched from the Port of Vancouver at the height of the tempest. The tugs, ploughing through the storm tossed waves, were to attempt a rescue of the crew and salvage of the freighter – if possible. Newspapers followed the progress of the tugs on a daily basis, and radio broadcasts monitored the progress on an hourly basis. Even when the tugs had a line secured to the crippled freighter, the outcome of the salvage was in question.
After many days of agonisingly slow progress against all odds, the tugs entered English Bay towing the listing phosphate carrier which was riding low in the waters. The picture of that crippled, battered freighter is a picture of the Christian who lives for the moment and who yet makes heaven – barely. She shall be saved, as it were, through fire. Masts broken, all flags torn, listing, towed into harbour under the power of another – such saints will be acknowledge as redeemed but with no rich welcome awaiting them. Rescued, but limping in on the strength of another. How different from the picture which the Apostle paints of the welcome Christians may anticipate and for which each should labour. It must always be our goal as believers in the Lord Jesus to strive to ensure that we receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Foundations for a Rich Welcome into the Eternal Kingdom – When you see a therefore, ask what it is there for. We are focusing on verses ten and eleven of the first chapter of Peter’s second letter to the saints of God, and the passage begins with that particular adverbial conjunction. The therefore points back to the preceding verses. Without investing an undue quantity of time reinvestigating those verses, it is nevertheless important to establish that there are two foundational thoughts which we must hold firmly in mind in order to fully understand the meaning of our text.
The first truth is that definite moral characteristics result from saving faith. You will no doubt recall that in the preceding verses we saw God’s provision to each believer to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. This is true because He has given … great and precious promises and through them we participate in the divine nature. Because we have been born from above, we reveal that second birth through particular moral characteristics.
We are not good in order to be His children, but because we are His children we are good. That one who claims a godly heritage will ultimately reveal that divine relationship through the manner of life lived out before the watching eyes of all mankind. Say not thou hast royal blood in thy veins save thou darest prove it by a holy life, was a common saying of the Puritans of old. The evidence of salvation is seen in the manner of life.
The need to emphasise this truth arises as result of the wealth of error disseminated in this day. Undue numbers of professed evangelicals have adopted the position that because we are saved by faith, we may live without regard to professed parentage. However, children of the Glorious King do not have liberty to dishonour their holy and divine father. That was the thrust of the progressive character anticipated in the lives of those redeemed by grace. Faith always results in evidence of its presence. James, you will recall, stated that faith without deeds is dead [James 2:24].
The second foundational truth is akin to the first. Whereas the first focuses on moral evidence of saving faith, the second focuses on ethical evidence of saving faith. This truth states: particular ethical considerations result from Christ’s promises. By this statement I mean to distinguish between conduct and conscience, between action and attitude. Whereas moral characteristics are those which are revealed in our actions, ethical characteristics are those underlying what we do. In other words, our ethics are the guiding principles for our actions. The seven Christian characteristics which arise from and grow in the soil of faith which Peter previously listed are seen through our actions, but underlying them are the transformed attitudes of redeemed men and women.
You will recall that Peter was concerned that Christians might become ineffective and unproductive in their knowledge of Jesus Christ. You may further recall that his concern was more pointedly that they might choose to be idle and thus prove unfruitful in their knowledge of Jesus Christ. In other words, though saved, they would not give evidence of being transformed by this knowledge of Jesus. Because they refused to walk with Him they would not become like Him. Because they shut their eyes to His glorious presence they would not be changed into His likeness as they moved through the world.
The foundation for all that follows, then, is that saving faith has an impact in our life. We cannot remain unchanged when once we have placed faith in Christ as Lord. Believers reveal the new birth both through their actions and through their attitudes. Children of the Heavenly King cannot disguise the divine parentage of the Lord God. The redeemed reveal their relationship to the Living God and to the Risen Son of God.
The Pressure for Making One’s Calling and Election Sure – It is the duty of believers to make their calling and election sure. Of course, we do not assure God that we are saved, but in these verses we are called to assure ourselves that we are actually redeemed. In fact, we are to be all the more eager to do so. This is the same word Peter used earlier in verse five and which he will use again in 2 Peter 3:14. The Christian life is a vigorous life which demands that we exert effort, which demands that we labour and strive to excel. There is no place for sluggards in the Christian Faith.
There are, insinuated into every facet of Christendom, men and women who appear to take great pride in their profession despite a glaring lack of evidence for conversion to the Faith of Christ the Lord. In a former congregation I numbered among the membership a man who was faithful to attend every service of the assembly, though he never read the Bible, never prayed, nor did he ever speak of Christ or his love for Him. He was a good man in many respects, but he gave scant evidence of being born into the Family of God. His wife would frequently question him, saying: “If you were travelling to Montreal, you would make preparation. If you were going to the States you would make preparation. You claim you are going to Heaven, but I have never seen you make any preparation. Are you sure you are a Christian?”
That dear lady was sufficiently concerned that she asked me to speak with her husband, asking especially whether he was a Christian. I was happy to do so, and as we spoke he told me what a good man he was. His father had built the Baptist Church in the little town where he grew to manhood in Quebec. He had been a deacon in that little church years ago. He stated that he had served his time and now intended to simply sit back and let others to the work. I reminded him that no one is discharged in time of war [Ecclesiastes 8:8] and we are yet engaged in a struggle against spiritual forces of evil [Ephesians 6:12]. He was unmoved by these arguments.
He then boasted of his involvement in the lodge, of his advancement both in the American organisation and in the Canadian organisation, of his faithful participation in the multiplied activities of the lodge, and of the many honours he had obtained for his service in the lodge. “That’s good enough for me,” he stated paternalistically.
“Sir,” I responded, “you are deceived. Your lodge membership will only condemn you and damn you since you cling to it. It is a poor substitute, a spider’s web which shall fail you in the maelstrom which must shortly come.”
He died alone, a pitiful, lingering death. His children were absent, as were all his friends from the several lodges in which he claimed fraternity. There was little hope that he ever trusted Christ beyond a perfunctory acknowledgement that Jesus existed and an equally thoughtless act of immersion as a young boy. There was no transformation in his life, no concern for the Faith, no evidence of love for Christ. If he was born from above, I fear he was stillborn. I preached that man’s funeral, and I could not speak a good word concerning his faith. So, I simply made pointed appeal to those in attendance to consider Christ who saves and to insure that they were themselves sure of their calling.
Perhaps that man was saved, but so far as anyone could see his life made no impact for God or for good. Multitudes of men and women profess to be born from above and occupy the pews of the churches of our land; yet tragically few ever give evidence of being born into the eternal kingdom. The plea of the Apostle remains that we be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. This life is too short to neglect this vital issue. The opportunities to serve Christ acceptably are too soon past. If we will make a difference, it must be now while it is yet day.
I wonder whether you struggle with your salvation? Have you ever questioned whether you were actually born into the Kingdom of God? It is not unusual to question our salvation, and some struggle valiantly against doubt and discouragement. I wish neither to discourage you nor to induce you to doubt; but I do say, with Peter, that it is a good thing to ensure that we possess both God’s calling and His election. It is healthy to assure ourselves through examining carefully our calling and election.
The word Peter employs, and which is here translated sure, is a word which in classical Greek referred to a warranty deed. In the context in which Peter uses this word, we learn that one’s godly behaviour is a warranty deed that Jesus Christ has cleansed him from his past sins and that he is therefore in fact called by and elected by God. This word is rendered by various terms in other places in the New Testament. It is translated secure [Hebrews 6:19], guaranteed [Romans 4:16], firm [2 Corinthians 1:7], courage [Hebrews 3:6], confidence [Hebrews 3:14], and in force [Hebrews 9:17]. The evidence that we are called is a godly life. The believer shows by his life and by his growth in the characteristics previously listed, that he is one of God’s chosen. If chosen, then he must be elect of God. In other words, a godly life and growth in Christian graces gives us great confidence.
The Procedure for Making Our Calling and Election Sure – We may assure ourselves of God’s call and election through comparing what we possess to that which God has promised. This process requires diligence, for we will need to make a close examination of our very selves, exploring both our motives and our labours. I will not make the means of examination complicated, but simply point you once more to the Word of God. The greatest means by which we may assure ourselves is through acknowledging that we are saved through faith and that we must therefore walk by faith.
It is a worrisome thought that some may conclude that we are saved by what we do. We are saved by faith, but because we are saved we will demonstrate that transformation through a life which is changed. This is especially clear in the verses which are so often cited from Paul’s encyclical, the missive we know as Ephesians. In those verses, which many have memorised, the Apostle to the Gentiles writes, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast [Ephesians 2:8,9]. Many Sunday School teachers lead their scholars to learn those verses. It is a tragedy that they fail to lead all believers to memorise the following verse: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do [Ephesians 2:10].
With this latter verse, the Apostle is stating that though we are saved by faith, that faith will never prove stagnant. Saving faith will transform us, change us, in keeping with God’s revelation. Another popular verse frequently committed to memory is Romans 8:28. You may perhaps recall that verse: we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Without doubt, this is a comforting verse, especially when we experience the pressures of life in a fallen world.
But have you ever gone ahead to commit the remainder of that passage to memory? Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified [Romans 8:29,30]. Those whom God foreknew are predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. If you imagine that this conformation awaits His revelation the second time, you have missed the very heart of God’s revelation. Woven throughout the warp and woof of the Word is this singular truth that saving faith is transforming faith.
We are saved by faith and we thus live by faith. Repeated throughout the Word is this statement that we live by faith. We live by faith, not by sight [2 Corinthians 5:7]. Again, we are taught that the righteous will live by faith [Galatians 3:11]. Because we live by faith, we will see the evidence of God’s effectual work in our lives as we are progressively changed into the likeness of Christ.
During our days in Dallas we made the acquaintance of a family which became fast friends to us. Ben was a rough and tumble preacher with a cowboy mentality, and Dorothy was a somewhat shy woman. They were from East Texas and showed in their speech and lifestyle the influence of that most rural of Southwestern culture. On several occasions Dorothy told of her struggles against doubt and the way in which she finally resolved her fears. She felt herself unworthy of salvation and often questioned whether God had really saved her. These doubts were no doubt exacerbated by a background among Pentecostal believers in East Texas. Dorothy had been raised to believe that she might possibly fall from grace if she did not hold on to the end. She knew she was not a strong woman, but she was extremely sensitive to the presence of sin.
So this poor, tormented woman continually vacillated between hope and despair. Under the characteristically persuasive preaching which marked Texas Baptists, she would often grow despondent, doubting that she was ever saved. All the statements in the world to “just believe” could not remove the question mark shadowing her heart. This yo-yoing of her spirit continued until a day in which she simply settled the issue. Weeping and praying for confidence, she simply grew tired one day and said out loud, “Lord, that settles it. I’m just gonna’ believe You. If you don’t keep Your promise, it’s too bad. If You can’t save me, then I sure can’t save myself. I’m just gonna’ quit worrying and live as a Christian.” From that point, she said on numerous occasions, she simply quit worrying and let God handle her fears.
Though coerced through despondency, there was great wisdom in that conclusion. The Christian is saved by faith and the Christian must therefore live by faith. However, faith is not a leap in the dark, for having begun by faith we will witness the constant evidence of a life in transition. That was Peter’s word which we explored last week. Because we are saved, we want to progressively and continually add to our faith the spiritual qualities of moral excellence, knowledge of Christ the Lord, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. More than that, we will see steady progress toward the incorporation of these precious elements in our life as we walk with Christ. As we grow in these Christian graces we become ever more confident in our calling and election. We will not then be more saved; but we will be more secure in our confidence and assurance in Christ.
You will no doubt recall that the First Epistle of John was written to give believers’ confidence, according to the writer’s declaration of intent given in 1 John 5:13. I write these things to you who believe in the Name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. What is interesting in the context of this message is that the matters to which John points are a focused expression of these Christian graces outlined by Peter. The Christian does what is right and endeavours to walk in the light with Christ. One born from above loves the brotherhood of believers. The child of God is sensitive to the presence of sin and no longer enjoys sinning. The believer is alert to the spirit of antichrist and thus is enabled to overcome the world. Above all else, that one born from above loves the Father and the Son.
What can be simpler than beginning by faith and continuing by faith; and the evidence of faith is that we are being transformed into the likeness of God’s Son. If we are unchanged since we professed faith in Him, if we are yet enjoying wickedness and living as though pleasing God were unimportant, then we need to consider what we have believed. We are in peril of deceiving our own selves in that case. Paul urged the Corinthians: examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test [2 Corinthians 13:5,6]? James also cautions do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says [James 1:22].
For the sake of completeness, permit me to state the issue once again. The procedure for making our calling and election sure is to commit ourselves to live by faith. The evidence that we live by faith is that we progress in the evidence of faith. As we see these Christian virtues expressed in ever greater measure we grow ever more confident in God’s effective work in our lives. We do not cease to labour to grow in Christian character, but we cease from worry and undue concern for our salvation.
The Promises for When We Have Made Our Calling and Election Sure – The heart of the message lies in this latter part of verse ten and in verse eleven. While we have great and precious promises from God which were reviewed in a previous message, two further promises are issued in these verses. The first promise is that we will be stabilised in grace, and the second is that we will obtain a triumphant entry into glory. Consider these two promises arising out of the act of assuring ourselves of our calling and election.
We are promised stability in grace. This is the first promise. Peter states the issue in this manner: if you do these things you will never fall. The word he uses, ptaivshte, signifies stumbling. If you make your calling and election sure, you will never stumble. There is no suggestion that a believer will lose salvation, for salvation does not depend upon one’s growth in spiritual disciplines. The thought is that one who endeavours to grow and struggles to honour God through increasingly displaying the spiritual characteristics listed will never be tripped up. Such a one will never experience a reversal. In short, such a one will enjoy spiritual stability.
We have all known those mercurial saints whose progress in grace and walk with Christ seems determined by the barometric pressure, the conditions at work, the time of day, or some other such foolish excuse. Their Christian character and their growth in grace is best described as appearing like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind [James 1:6]. One day they are up, the next they are down. We are forced to always treat such saints with extreme care because we never know how they will react to any given situation. Unless these fickle saints are established in the Faith of Jesus Christ, they will both stumble and cause many others to be tripped up.
If we but make it our priority to make our calling and election sure, however, we are forever freed from the fear of falling. If we strive to assure ourselves that Christ’s grace to us was not in vain, we shall be kept from stumbling. Have you ever noticed that the saints who are most assured in their walk with Christ and the most confident of God’s love toward them are also those who are most humble toward God? They are not arrogant. Quite the contrary, they are confident of His love despite knowing their own unworthiness. They magnify the grace of God and endeavour to demonstrate that His grace to them was not without effect.
We are promised a triumphant entrance into glory. This is the second promise given the one who makes his calling and election sure. Peter’s words promise that we will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Redeemed, we are assured of salvation. This truth is declared too often to ever admit that the Word may be somehow confusing. We cannot speak of eternal life if it can somehow cease because of our own folly. If Christ is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them [Hebrews 7:25], how can they ever be lost? Either Jesus is correct that no one can snatch His sheep from the Father’s hand [John 10:29], or He is in grave error. We are confident that those saved by grace will be kept by grace. Those who are saved will be ever saved and are assured of Heaven.
The manner in which they enter glory is another issue. Though we shall be eternally with Christ when this present life is over, it is possible that we shall be saved as one escaping through the flames [1 Corinthians 3:15]. You may have wondered about Paul’s words found in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. The redeemed have the foundation of Jesus Christ, but each one is building on that foundation, either providing gold, silver and costly stones, or providing wood, hay and stubble. Our work will be revealed at the judgement.
I have no idea of all that is entailed in that dramatic presentation, but I do recognise that some are given ample opportunity to enter into His eternal presence with confidence, receiving a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom. I also recognise that some will likely be ashamed at His coming [cf. 1 John 2:28]. It is quite possible that some will think it sufficient to claim salvation and never need to labour for the Master, but they only cheat themselves.
I am confident of better things in your case, however, things that accompany salvation [Hebrews 6:9]. I am not content to ignore the teaching of the Word, nor are you content to permit me to only hint at the application of the Word. Therefore, I trust and pray that we shall encourage one another to be all the more eager to make our calling and election sure. May I both encourage you to determine to walk by faith and to build on your faith, and to encourage one another to build on the faith God has given each one.
Final Salvation will be the Lavish Provision of the Divine Generosity. When Peter states that we who are saved and who have grown in grace will receive a rich welcome, his words might read more literally, the entrance will be supplied richly for you. In other words, God will take special note of us as we come into His presence. Jesus is seated on the right hand of God [Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 10:12], and yet when Stephen was dying, he rejoiced, seeing the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God [Acts 7:55]. The rich man died, and in hell, where he was in torment, he looked up [Luke 16:23]. Lazarus also died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side [Luke 16:22].
It is interesting to note that he uses the very word he used to encourage us in verse five. There we saw that we are to generously and eagerly add to our faith the various spiritual qualities listed in verses five through seven. Having done this, Christ Himself will lavishly and readily supply us a rich welcome into His eternal kingdom. He stands to receive His faithful witness. He sends His holy angels to escort the poor, loving saint into His presence. He provides wonderfully for those who love Him.
When Paul was writing the Corinthian saints, he quoted Isaiah:
No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him
[1 Corinthians 2:9].
Though I cannot say with certainty what it shall be when I enter glory, I know that it will be more than I deserve. Salvation is all of grace. Heaven is all of grace. My welcome into the eternal kingdom is all of grace. With the whole of the ransomed church of God, I shall stand before that eternal throne singing:
You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being
[Revelation 4:11].
With the whole of the blood bought Body of Christ, I will at that time fall down before the throne and casting my crown before His feet I shall sing a new song to Christ my King:
You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth
[Revelation 5:9,10].
I will not long dwell on the failures of this life, for I shall know as I am known. There, in the eternal kingdom, I shall perfectly praise my Sovereign. Now, I confess that I do not serve Him as I should. I have not arrived. Maturity is a process and not a plateau, and I am still moving toward that goal of being conformed to the likeness of His image. There, I shall be complete in Christ. Sin shall be fully conquered and death will be no more. Every shackle will be broken and I will be free in Christ. As the old Negro spiritual declares, in that day I shall proclaim: Free at last! Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last!
Do you believe this? Are you saved? Is your life being transformed? Do you anticipate a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? Dear people, one day I shall be ushered into the presence of King Jesus. There, I shall stand and give an account of my service to His people. I shall tell how I endeavoured to faithfully deliver His Word to you, the people He entrusted to my care. On that day I shall lift these hands and declare that they are innocent of your blood, for I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
You have heard this day that faith must not be thought stillborn. You have heard that faith must be active and it must serve as the rich soil in which every Christian grace is sown and nurtured. You have heard that it is expected of the child of God that he will grow toward maturity in Christ throughout his lifetime. You have heard that you are responsible before God to be a worker and not a shirker. Now, act on the knowledge which God has provided you. Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed [Hebrews 12:12,13]. Amen.