Sermon Tone Analysis

Standing On The Promises

2 Peter 1:1-11

“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2 Peter 1:4

Before we come to our Scripture reading for today, let us come to the throne of grace in prayer.

“God of all grace and truth, help us to experience a deeper knowledge of Your great love for us.

Help us come into a greater knowledge of Your great grace and peace.

In Jesus’ name, Amen”

2 Peter 1:1-11

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

10 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, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.[i]

Grace and peace be yours in abundance!

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Peter writes this letter around 67 A.D. to warn the early Christians about false teachers and to encourage them to grow in their faith and knowledge of Jesus.

Do you want to grow in your faith and knowledge of Jesus?

It is interesting that Simon Peter uses both of his names when opening this letter.

He uses the name his father gave him and he uses the name that Jesus gave him.

Peter was known as “Simon son of John” when Jesus found him casting nets on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

After Peter confessed Christ as the Messiah, Jesus gave Simon, son of John, a new name.

Jesus called him Peter, Cephas, the rock.

Jesus then declared that He will build His church through Peter.

We all know the rest of the story, how Peter denied knowing Jesus--not once but three times--during Jesus’ trial before Pilate.

After His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus found Peter on the shores of the Sea of Galilee once again.

After a hearty catch of fish and an early morning breakfast, Jesus redeems His friend, Peter.

Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?”

Each time Peter says, “Jesus, you know I love you.”

Jesus then restored Peter, the rock, and used Peter to build His church.

Peter now calls himself a slave (doulos) of Jesus Christ.

To be a slave in those days meant that the slave was the property of the master and was at the disposal and service of the master.

So What?

An early “so what” that we can take home from these first few verses is that no matter how far we have gone, despite what you have done, God’s grace goes farther than our sin and redeems us from our past.

A second “so what” is that grace and peace can, and will, abound to us when know Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Peter is a great example for us of God’s redeeming love: A man who denied Christ three times in one night is restored into friendship and Christ begins to builds the Church upon this ROCK of a man.

Fast forward to 2019: We are living in dangerous and confusing times.

The world has gone haywire.

Are you looking for grace and peace in your life?

Then this series is for you!

Divine Power Through Knowledge of Jesus!

How often have we had doubts and fears?

How often have we felt like we could not possibly accomplish anything of importance?

Our good friend Peter tells us --- His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Notice what Peter is trying to teach the early church: We have been given divine power!

We have been given everything we need in order to live our life with godliness.

How do we get this divine life and godliness?

We get it through knowledge of Christ; through Christ’s glory and goodness.

I don’t know about you but that is GOOD NEWS for me.

The word Paul uses for knowledge is (epignōsis) and is translated “to increase in knowledge or have the full knowledge”.

In the New Testament, knowledge is characteristically considered personal knowledge.

In 2 Timothy 1:12 Paul does not say, “I know what I have believed,” he says, “I know whom I have believed.”

(2 Timothy 1:12)

Do you know whom you have believed?

Peter teaches us that if we know Jesus, we will have grace and peace.

If we know Jesus, we will have everything we need for life and godliness.

Not because of anything of our own that we possess but because of Christ’s glory and goodness.

God has grasped us with His love through Jesus and this knowledge is what will give us everything we need to live a life of godliness.

We will be filled with grace and peace.

I find great comfort knowing that Christ’s glory and goodness is what gives me a godly life!

STANDING ON THE PROMISES

Dr. Judson labored diligently for six years in Burma before he baptized one convert.

At the end of three years, he was asked what evidence he had of ultimate success.

He replied, “As much as there is a God who will fulfill all His promises.”

Dr. Judson knew his success did not rest in himself.

His success rested in God.

The result?

“A hundred churches and thousands of converts answered his faith.[ii]

An elderly Christian was in much distress as he lay dying.

“Oh, Pastor,” he said, “for years I have relied upon the promises of God, but now in the hour of death I can’t remember a single one to comfort me.”

Knowing that Satan was disturbing him, the preacher said, “My brother, do you think that GOD will forget any of His promises?”

A smile came over the face of the dying believer as he exclaimed joyfully.

“No, no!

He won’t!

Praise the Lord, now I can fall asleep in Jesus and trust Him to remember them all and bring me safely to Heaven.”

Peace flooded his soul, and a short time later he was ushered by the angels into the light of God’s eternal day.[iii]

Walter Baxendale, a very good friend to D.L. Moody, shared a story one about the promises of God.

“Turning over a volume of valuable autographs, I came across the bold, manly signature of my old friend of many years, Dwight L. Moody.

Underneath was his favorite text, which he calls up in an emergency.

The text was Isaiah 50:7–“For the Lord God will help me.

Therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint; and I know that I shall not be ashamed.”[iv]

Moody stood on the promises of God.

He knew his help was not in himself but in God.

In Bunyan’s great allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, the incident is related of how Christian decides to leave the Main Highway and follow another Path which seemed easier.

But this Path leads him into the territory of Giant Despair who owns Doubting Castle.

Eventually he is captured by Giant Despair and kept in a dungeon.

He is advised to kill himself.

The Giant said there was no use trying to keep on with his journey.

For the time, it seemed as if Despair had really conquered Christian.

But then, Hope, Christian’s companion, reminds him of previous victories.

So it came about that on Saturday about midnight they began to pray, and they continued in prayer until almost morning.

Now a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half-amazed, broke out in passionate speech, “What a fool am I thus to lie in a stinking Dungeon, when I may as well be at liberty.

I have a Key in my bosom called Promise that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle.”

Then said Hopeful, “That’s good news.

Good Brother, pluck it out of thy bosom and try.”

And the prison gates flew open.[v]

Christian stood on the promises of God.