Making every effort
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Introduction
Introduction
Last week we began 2 Peter with an introduction.
This week as I was reading back over chapter 1 one of the things that stuck out to me was the centrality of Christ in this chapter and the glory of Christ that is seen in this chapter.
v.1 He is our God and Savior
v.2 Grace and peace is multiplied to us as we know our Lord Jesus
v.3 His divine power has...
we have been called to His glory and excellence
v.4 read and comment
v.11 talks of the eternal Kingdom of our Lord
v.16 speaks of His power and His coming and His majesty
v.17 read and comment
v.19ff. He is the One to whom all of the OT points
Two common marks of false teachers and it could be either/or or both/and
They have an unbiblical understanding of humanity
They minimize the Person and the Work of Christ
We see neither of those as we walk through chapter 1
I. Divine Power and Promises Granted to Us
I. Divine Power and Promises Granted to Us
As we pick up after the introduction and the greeting from last week we begin at v.3
I. Divine Provision
I. Divine Provision
His divine power has granted to us
His is referring to Christ
us is referring to all Christians
So, Christ’s divine power has granted, bestowed, given to us
So first of all we see right out of the gate the foundation of grace.
We have been given this, we are debtors, we have not earned this, this is not something that comes natural to us, but it is His Divine Power
What has His divine power given to us?
all things that pertain to life and godliness
Life
life seems to be a clear reference to spiritual life, to eternal life. Adam by his weakness gave us death and Christ by His power gives us life.
So this is more than just the idea that one day we are going to heaven. That is true but much more brothers and sisters, we are spiritually alive, we have been born from above. We once were dead to God, dead to spiritual things but by His divine power we have been given life.
I like the translation better, all things necessary for life, He has given us everything that we need for life
He has given us a sacrifice
He has given us a victorious resurrection
He has given us His Spirit to apply His Work to our lives, He has given us new hearts,
Godliness
godliness is dependent upon life, that is without spiritual life there is no godliness
So He not only gives us life but we are also transformed so that we are made like God.
Notice it is Christ’s divine power that is the source of our life and our godliness.
We are reminded that our salvation is rooted in Christ, it is rooted in His grace to us, He is the one who gives to us.
We are reminded that we cannot obtain life and godliness in our own power, we can’t do that for ourselves and we can’t do that for anyone else
All of us are dependent upon Christ’s powerful working in our lives
But also notice that v.1 tells us how this divine power flows to us.
Everything needed for life and godliness flows to us through the knowledge of Christ who calls us to His own glory and excellence.
So what is he saying here, lets just step back and get a big picture of v.1 maybe with an illustration, maybe that would be helpful
So imagine i have a huge debt that I cannot pay, and I am just financially dead if you will
But there is someone who is filthy rich, they have more money than they could ever spend
Well lets say that this person befriends me and get to know this person and this person says hey I will pay your debt for you and give you enough money to really begin to get ahead.
Their money is what paid my debt and get me ahead if you will, their money granted this for me but I got access to their money if you will through knowing this person who graciously befriended me and took me in as a friend
Peter is saying that we have come to know Christ not because we pursued Him but because He called us to Himself and on the basis of this relationship with Christ He has given us everything necessary for eternal life and godliness.
It is through knowing Christ that we have access to His divine power that grants us life and godliness
That is grace but it is even more than that
It is His grace that calls us to His own glory and excellence, that is that calls us into a relationship with Him.
So here is the picture, we did not know Him, we were cut off from power and life and godliness and then by His grace He calls us to Himself and now we know Him, His power, life, and godliness.
I want to talk about this call, maybe when you think of this call you think that Jesus’ call is like an party invitation that you can either accept or decline
But that is not how the Scriptures refer to the call of God in Christ Jesus, His call is effective, it is awakening, it creates faith.
as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Roma
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
There are many more verses that we could look at but this is just a small sampling.
I say that because I want to emphasize the grace that is in this passage brothers and sisters.
What Peter is saying is this
You were separated from Christ, you did not know His glory, His excellence, you were blinded by Satan, by sin, and by the world.
But Christ worked powerfully within you, He opened your eyes to your sin, to your wickedness, He opened your eyes to see His glory, His excellence, His beauty; He made Himself known to you. But not only has He made Himself known to you, He has also powered out His power in your life so that you have everything necessary for living a godly faithful life in Him.
v.4 of course this verse is connected to v.3 with the phrase, by which or whereby
The idea is this, it is by His glory and excellence that He has given to us His precious and very great promises so that through them we....
I know this can get complicated, trust me, I know, but this is my understanding
When saving us Christ called us to see His own glory and goodness or glory and excellence which moved Him to give us precious and very great promises,
Promises that lead to us becoming partakers of the divine nature and escaping the corruption that is in the world
God’s glory and goodness is the cause of His promises of redemption and restoration that are given to us as He calls us to Himself and as we come to Him He works powerfully in our lives to give everything necessary for life (spiritual, eternal) and godliness.
Brothers and sisters we should be in awe of the grace of God as we try to consider this passage.
Let me point out some things that are clear from this passage
No life, no godliness without His powerful work within us
No life, no godliness without His powerful work within us
No knowledge of Him if He does not call us
We could not escape the corruption of this world without Him
So life, godliness, knowing Him, escaping the corruption of this world is all of grace brothers and sisters; we have nothing to boast in except the grace of God in Christ Jesus, that much is clear from this passage.
There is more that we could address here
Through His promises we
become partakers of the divine nature
He is not saying that we will become divine but that we will share in the divine nature in that we will morally perfected, we will share in the moral excellence that belongs to God (v.3)
We will share in the moral qualities of Christ.
But brothers and sisters, when does this happen? Is that now or is it just later?
Certainly this process will reach its consummation in the future, for only then will all of God’s promises be fulfilled, we will not be morally perfected until Christ returns but brothers and sisters even now believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and we are being transformed into the image of Christ.
We begin to know God and be changed by Him at conversion.
We also
have escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire
No doubt we will escape the corruption of the world at our death or at the second coming of the Lord but again I believe that Peter is operating in the already but not yet schema.
As believers we have already escaped the world’s corruption but the full realization of this will not take place until the day of resurrection.
These are the promises of redemption and restoration, to redeem us from the corruption of the world and to restore us into His image.
Think of His precious and very great promises
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
These promises that find that consummation in the return of our Lord
.
II. Make Every Effort
II. Make Every Effort
v.3 and 4 remind us that a life of godliness is rooted in God’s grace, rooted in God’s power and promises given to us.
This truth of what God has done for us in Christ precedes the imperative that we see in these verses.
Peter says, because of the truth of v.3 and 4
We ought to make every effort, we ought to give it all that we have.
There is not the hint of passivity here.
We ought to give it all that we have to grow in these virtues.
I don’t think that there is any major point to be made in the order of these virtues other than it is interesting that this list of virtues begins with faith and ends with love.
Every virtue in the Christian life find their source in faith, in trusting God, and the climax and culmination of such faith is love.
He goes from faith to virtue or goodness
Greek word areta which speaks of moral excellence, excellence of character
Goodness to knowledge, knowledge of God and His ways are necessary for the Christian, we are to grow in our knowlege
Knowledge to self-control, self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
self control to steadfastness
steadfastness or endurance is one of those Christian virtues mentioned multiple times
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;
Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Then steadfastness to godliness
And again we are exhorted to godliness, to living a godly life, a life that is like God.
Brothers and sisters we are given everything necessary for godliness and yet we are to pursue godliness
Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
1 Tim.
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began
And Peter uses this word again
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
And godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love
These last two virtues focus on love.
Brotherly affection is used elsewhere in biblical exhortations
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
1 peter 1:22 and 3:8
And then love
This is the supreme evidence that one is a believer
This is the goal of Christian instruction
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
It is the most excellent way according to Paul in and 13.
Love sums up all other virutes
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Love of brothers and sisters in Christ is evidence that we know God and that we love God
Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Oh brothers and sisters the grace of God makes us a people of faith, a people of goodness, a people of knowledge, a people of self control, a people of steadfastness, a people of godliness, and people of brotherly affection, a people of love.
Brothers and sisters, our faith is proven by our good works.
God’s grace should motivate us to grow in these virtues.
How are you doing? Are you making every effort?
Are you encouraging others?
III. Godly Virtues Necessary for Entrance into the Kingdom
III. Godly Virtues Necessary for Entrance into the Kingdom