Know

Introduction:

How would you define the word counterfeit? The dictionary defines it this way:

How would you define the word counterfeit? The dictionary defines it this way:

“Made in exact imitation of something valuable or important with the intention to deceive or defraud. A fraudulent imitation of something else; a forgery.”

Some synonyms would include: fake, bogus, forged, imitation, spurious, substitute, phony.

A counterfeit is not usually something that we desire to have. It is usually something that is looked down upon because it’s not genuine. If I were to pull out $100 bill this evening and give it to one of you, that person would probably be pretty excited, until I told them that it was counterfeit. At that point the excitement would be gone.

When it comes to counterfeits there are some that are pretty easy to spot. There are some forgeries that only a trained expert can detect. There are imitations that can fool every one of us.

Over the next several weeks we are going to begin on a journey through Peter’s second epistle. In this letter Peter desired to encourage the scattered, first-century believers to live authentic, Christian lives in order to counteract the phonies or the counterfeits who were creeping into the church.

Peter writes to this group of believers in order to encourage them to be alert. If there was anybody in the early church who knew the importance of being alert, it was the Apostle Peter. He had a tendency in his early years to feel overconfident when danger was near and to overlook Christ’s warnings. He would often rush ahead when he should have waited; he slept when he should have prayed; he talked when he should have listened.

Peter would eventually learn his lesson though, and now he wants to help us understand the importance of being alert. Peter wants to help us be able to expose “Counterfeit Christianity.” How can we tell if we are counterfeit and how can we pick out those who are counterfeit and may try to deceive us?

Going back to our idea of counterfeit, counterfeit money is a huge problem in our current society. If you work at a restaurant or something you are usually given a pen or something to mark larger bills with in order to help watch out for counterfeit bills. It is really only professionals who have carefully studied authentic currency that can detect the counterfeit - but even that takes a thorough investigation of how the money looks, feels, and compares with the original. Whether it is money, watches, purses, or Christians, nobody likes a fake — a counterfeit.

Peter, in his burden to help these young believers that God had brought into his life would seek to answer three questions for them in this letter:

1. What does an authentic Christian look like?

2. What does a counterfeit Christian look like?

3. What will the eternal future look like for both of them?

The answer to these three questions, especially the first two, will help “Expose Counterfeit Christianity.”

As Peter begins his letter, he is going to begin not by describing to us what a counterfeit looks like, but by describing to us what the authentic looks like. He is going to give us a description of the genuine or authentic Christian. The reason for this is because the best way to detect falsehood is to understand the characteristics of the truth.

In fact, when a federal agent is trained to detect counterfeit money guess what they are shown? They aren’t shown counterfeits. They are given genuine money and taught how to spot what is genuine. There are actually four steps they are taught to follow: Touch, Tilt, Look Through, and Look At.

Peter takes this same method in his letter. He describes to us first not what to look for a in a counterfeit, but what is true of a genuine believer. Look at as Peter begins this invaluable letter…

(KJV 1900)

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

As with most New Testament letters, Peter begins by introducing himself and his credentials. He says that he is a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.

He then states who he is writing to. Who is it that he is writing? Well, he is writing to those who have obtained or received the same precious faith that he had received from Christ. He is writing to those that are genuine.

Then in verse two Peter gives them a greeting. In this greeting he reminds these believers where true grace and peace comes from. These believers have been facing the bombardment of false teachers. They have been left to question what they believe and were taught. They were no doubt worn down and frustrated, and here Peter offers them the encouragement they need. He tells that true grace and peace is possible and it comes from this: it comes from a knowledge God.

The word know or knowledge is going to be used at least thirteen times in this short letter. Peter here is not referring to a mere intellectual understating of some truth, though that is included. He is referring to a living participation in the truth. This is an intimate and informed relationship. The deeper and the wider this knowledge grew, the more “grace and peace” would be multiplied in the life of these believers.

This idea of knowledge is going to be key in exposing counterfeits. There are certain things that we need to know if we are going to take a stand against false teachers. So after the introduction in verses 1-2, Peter begins to describe for us the first thing we need to know, and this is what the authentic Christian looks like. He is really describing for these people how they can know they are genuine.

When Joey Barrow was a teenager, his schoolmates labeled him the class sissy. At eighteen, while the other guys were involved in more “masculine” activities, Joey was taking violin lessons. One day, they called him “sissy” one time too many. Joey smashed the boy who made fun of him smack on the head with (you guessed it) his violin. It didn’t help. The story simply brought another round of laughter from Joey’s classmates.

One boy did not laugh. Big, strapping Thurston McKinney decided it was time Joey got involved in something with a little more muscle. Thurston exercised regularly at a local gym and asked Joey to come along. As always, Joey had his violin with him. “If you want to work out with me,” said Thurston, “you’ll have to rent a locker.” Locker rental was fifty cents. The only money Joey had was what his mom had given him for that week’s violin lesson. So Joey borrowed some gym trunks and some old tennis shoes from Thurston, rented the locker with his violin money, and put the violin inside.

The first time Thurston invited Joey to spar with him, Joey clobbered him. Flattened him. The dazed response of Thurston McKinney, himself already a Detroit Golden Gloves Champion, was, “Boy, throw that violin away!” With the money his mother had intended to finance weekly violin lessons, Joey kept a permanent locker. In five years, Joey Barrow would turn twenty-three and be the heavyweight boxing champion of the world!

The anthologies of athletics say little about Thurston McKinney, but he took Joey Barrow under his wing. Joey dropped his last name, Barrow, so his mother wouldn’t know the newspapers were talking about her son. The world knew for years before she did that sissy Joey Barrow had been transformed into the unbeatable “Brown Bomber,” Joe Louis.

Just as Joey Barrow was a transformed man, Peter points out to us that the first defining feature of a genuine Christian is transformation. Christian faith was never intended to remain static or unchanged. Christian faith is always adding something. It is always growing. Christians should be continually experiencing change or transformation in their lives. Growth is a defining feature of a true believer.

Why? Why is there constant change in the life of a genuine believer? That is kinda of the question that Peter answers for us here in verses 3-11.

The first reason change is taking place is because…

God’s Means for Spiritual Growth

Peter begins here by reminding us that the reason progress in the Christian life is so sure is because the means for this growth has already been provided. This growth is not entirely dependent upon us. Verses 3-4 may be some of the most powerful verses in all of Scripture. Look at verses 3 and 4…

(KJV 1900)

2 Peter 1:3–4 ESV

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

2 Peter 1:3–4 ESV

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

We could spend an entire message just looking at these 2 verses. These verses should bring to a true believer unending joy because they describe for us the sufficiency of our salvation. Peter is telling us that our spiritual maturity and growth was guaranteed at salvation. It is a sure thing that Christians will grow, and it is made possible by two practical factors. There are two things that we received at salvation that guarantee this growth. The first one is…

The Power of God

The Promises of God

The Believer’s Muscle in Spiritual Growth

The Peace of Mind from Spiritual Growth