For Sure: 2 Peter 1:3-11 [Bridge 3/21/21]
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 8 viewsNotes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
You may have seen the video, but in 2015 there was a distance funner for Oregon University who started to celebrate before he reached the finish line. He slowed up and started to motion for the crowd to cheer his victory. The problem was that there was another guy coming up behind him from the University of Washington, and rather than slowing up to celebrate or resigning himself to a 2nd place finish, he kept running full speed and ended up winning the race.
"I thought I was by my self, like, far in front of the second guy," Pepiot said. "I saw [Simon] on the screen, I tried to pick up, he just got me on the line. I'm not proud of myself right now, but it's a good lesson for me, I think, not to do this in the future. Next time I'll just run the whole final stretch and celebrate in the victory lap."
Celebrating too soon can be disastrous for a sprinter, but so can constantly looking over your shoulder worrying about who might overtake you. The safest place for a runner to be is giving it their all with their gaze locked straight ahead.
Christian, we must be careful that we aren’t letting up or slowing up in our relationship with Jesus. We must be careful not to think heaven’s in the bag, so what does my earthly life matter. If you want to feel secure in your relationship with Jesus the safest place for you to be is running the race with your gaze locked on Jesus the whole way.
Body
Body
Did y’all know that God wants you to be sure about your salvation and confident in your relationship with Jesus? In fact, did you know that His word says He’s done everything necessary for you to have that certainty and that confidence?
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.
His divine power
Jesus’ divine power?
The divine power of the Father?
Connection to him who called us?
has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness
life = eternal life or temporal life?
godliness
through the knowledge of him who called us
knowledge = saving knowledge that now sanctifies
called us to his own glory and excellence,
In Jesus we see most clearly the manifestation of the glory and excellence of God
John 1:18
Let’s revisit that idea of “the knowledge of him” for a minute. Ask yourself, what is the nature of the knowledge? The Bible helps us answer this question in Matthew’s gospel.
Matthew 7:21–23 (ESV) — 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
The knowledge that saves us is more than a head knowledge, more than a profession, more than action, it is a knowledge that leads to relationship with Jesus. It’s not just us knowing Jesus but Jesus knowing us. Much like your relationship with your best friend, it involves time and effort and purpose and communication and love. This is the knowledge that has to undergird our salvation. And it’s this that must drive everything else about our Christian walk.
P1: Ensure Your Drive for Godliness is a Drive for Jesus (vv. 3-4)
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.
By His glory and His excellence He has given us these “very great promises”
2 Peter 3:1-9
His promises are salvation and being with Him
“so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature”
2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
“having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
First: Are y’all pursuing godliness?
Second: Are y’all pursuing godliness because in this pursuit you are really pursuing Jesus?
Do you want to be consistent in your DBR so your leader will think you’re more godly?
Do you want to pray more because you feel like that’s what Christians are supposed to do?
Do you want to have victory over a sin in your life because you’re just tired of fighting it and feeling guilty?
OR
Do you want to be in the Word because in the Word we hear from Jesus and encounter Him in the most real way we can this side of eternity?
Do you want to pray more because you want to communicate with your Savior, you want to worship Him, you want to thank Him, you want to express your love for Him and dependence on Him?
Do you want to have victory over that sin because it grieves you that your sin put Jesus on the cross and you don’t want it anywhere in your life anymore?
Y’all, is your drive for godliness about a drive for Jesus? If it’s not, you’re using a hockey stick as a snow shovel.
Illustrate: Digging out Amanda’s car with a hockey stick. Not really doing much of anything.
Y’all if you want to be secure in your salvation a genuine love for Jesus is essential. If you love Jesus, you want to be like Jesus, and thus you’ll live your life in pursuit of Jesus.
Illustrate:
You’re not going to sign up and train for a marathon if you don’t actually want to be a marathon runner.
You’re not going to go to the gym and lift weights if you don’t want become more muscular.
You train for what you want to become.
My Dad gave me my love for baseball, and since he taught me to love the game I’ve just fueled that love and increased that love more and more every year. If you are a Christian God has given you a love for Jesus. Are you fanning that into a greater passion for Him? If so, you’ll find yourself growing daily in your confidence in your eternal security.
We’re talking about certainty in your salvation tonight, and one of the key evidences of that is this: do you love Jesus and is your love for Him producing a greater godliness in your life?
[END POINT 1]
So you want to increase your pursuit of Jesus, or you want to know what it really looks like to pursue Jesus. Peter helps us out because that helpful thing about pursuing Jesus is that it shows up in our lives.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
The Bible actually gives us way more information than we think it does. When we bemoan a lack of confidence and security in our relationship with God it isn’t because the Bible doesn’t help us. This passage and others like it lay out pretty clearly what the redeemed life should look like.
“For this reason”
The reason that God has given you everything necessary for life and godliness
That God has granted you the very precious promise of one day being with and like Jesus
The reason that God has provided a way for you to escape the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
God has provided such an incredibly strong foundation, and He’s given us the blueprints and provided the materials and the tools and the Holy Spirit as our General Contractor.
“For THIS reason, make every effort to”
You don’t have to make an effort to grow physically, but you do have to make an effort to grow spiritually.
2 Peter 3:14
It’s such good news to me that we find verses 3-4 before we find verse 5. This effort, this desire that translates into effort, isn’t something you can drum up by yourself. It is part of what God provides for us in Christ for life and godliness.
Some of y’all may be frustrated that you’re not where you wish you were spiritually, but you’re not making any effort to grow spiritually.
You say you want to be godly, and you talk about how you want to read your Bible more, pray more, and sin less, but you aren’t willing to put in the spiritual sweat equity to realize those goals.
So much of your security in Christ has to do with where you are investing your efforts: are you making an effort to pursue Jesus or are your efforts redirected after idols?
“make every effort to supplement your faith ”
supplement = supply beside; furnish
P2: Realize that Pursuing Jesus Shows Up in Action (vv. 5-9)
Let’s walk through this list with a particular focus on how each of these are an extension of our relationship with Jesus.
Supplement with...
Faith
Imperative, non-negotiable
Work of God in us (Eph 2:8-9)
Kept in us by God (1 Peter 1)
Virtue
Upright character
Integrity (Daniel 6)
Philippians 4:8 whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things
Pure
Moral
Godly
1 Peter 2:9 - the excellencies of the God we serve we want to see more of in ourselves
Knowledge
Knowledge first and foremost of God
But also the practical wisdom of a godly life
Christian, don’t be afraid to bring Jesus into your classrooms, into your studies
Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions
He’s the God of all knowledge and there is no danger in pursuing knowledge but even the potential of bolstering your faith!
Self-control
1 Cor 9:27 I discipline my body and keep it under control
Gal 5:23 Fruit of the Spirit
2 Tim 1:7 God gave us a spirit of self-control
Such a key component of what the Lord has provided for us is the ability to be self-controlled
This is the ability to say no to yourself
Little things (sleeping in; entertainment; food)
2 Peter 2:19 Whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved
Philippians 3:19 - their god is their belly
Steadfastness
Patience; endurance
This is the ability to persevere
Hebrews 3:6 if indeed we hold fast our confidence
Hebrews 4:14 let us hold fast our confession
Hebrews 6:18 to hold fast to the hope set before us
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope
Revelation 2-3 to the one who conquers
A key component of our security is simply that, holding fast, enduring, persevering in the faith
Godliness
piety
Not a state, but character
1 Timothy 4:7-8 train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way
1 Timothy 6:11 But as for you…flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
2 Peter 3:11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness
But again, in Jesus, you have already been given all that you need for this pursuit!
Romans 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin
Romans 6:11 So you must also consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus
Brotherly-affection and love
Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection
Hebrews 13:1 Let brotherly love continue
1 John 4:19–5:1 (ESV) — 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 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. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
If the response you have to all of this is, “Yes, but how much of these things is enough?” you are missing the point.
These are the attributes that make us more like Jesus, so we should want as much of their presence in our lives as we possibly can get.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
Y’all the Christian life isn’t a flatline straight up from the moment of conversion. It’s a gradual, progressive, march toward Jesus.
It has its ups and downs, but the trajectory is there.
Like Peter says, “these qualities are yours and are increasing”
Is that true of your life?
A life characterized by these things is a life that should produce a confidence in us that we are in Christ because a life characterized by these things doesn’t come naturally.
Do you see these things in your life?
[END POINT 2]
10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.
2 Peter 1:5 - For this very reason, make every effort
2 Peter 1:10 - Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent
You cannot work for your salvation, but you can work for your security.
Since the danger exists that spiritual blindness might exist in the person who is lazy in his walk, Peter wants his readers to double-down their efforts in spiritual disciplines and upright living in order to be doubly-certain that they are truly in Christ.
In this way, “you will never fall.” You will never fall away from Christ. It’s safe for you to diligently pursue godliness because it will keep you from falling away.
This effort to confirm our position before the Lord isn’t a one and done scenario. Every day of the Christian life is another opportunity to “be all the more diligent to confirm [our] calling and election.”
P3: Daily Determine to Devote Yourself to Loving Jesus Most (vv. 10-12)
Objective assurance
Subjective assurance
Both are in view here, but I believe Peter’s emphasis was on the believer’s subjective assurance.
Do y’all realize that you have the power to live in such a way as to enjoy a confidence about your standing in Christ?!
Sin will always rob you of this confidence, this certainty, all the while playing on the theme of God’s grace.
20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
Y’all, if you are struggling with confidence in your relationship with Jesus and you’ve been putting out the welcome mat for sin in your life, I’m not at all surprised that you have doubts.
Jesus will not reside with sin; He can’t, and He won’t.
If you want nearness to the Lord, you have to have separation from sin.
If you want nearness to the Lord, you have to hate what He hates and love what He loves.
We know from Matthew 7 that there are those who will die and stand before Jesus hoping He will welcome them into heaven only to hear Him tell them to depart. Peter didn’t want that to be any of his readers, and God doesn’t want that to be any of us.
You guys, here’s where I want to bring this full circle for a second. Jesus gives us everything necessary for life and godliness. You know what’s foundational to that? A love for Him. The only sustaining motivation for us to daily devote ourselves to Christ is a love for Jesus.
Love Jesus most. Love Him. Don’t miss that this is about a relationship with Jesus. Love Him, pursue Him, and enjoy a confident security in Him.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
When you run in a race, the safest way to make sure you cross the finish line in first is to run hard the whole way. That’s what Peter’s saying about our relationship with Jesus.
Application Questions:
How confident are you in your relationship with Jesus on a scale of 1-0?
If someone were to look at your relationship with Jesus and your relationship with your boyfriend/girlfriend/best friend, how would they be similar/different? Based only on watching you for a month, which relationship would they say you value more? Why?
If God has given us everything necessary for life and godliness how should we understand our responsibility to grow in godliness?
Look again at the list in verses 5-7. Which of these do you see most in your life? Which of these do you find that you struggle with the most? How are you actively seeking to improve in that area, and how will that further your relationship with Jesus?
Would you say that your relationship with Jesus is a priority in your life Monday through Saturday? When life gets busy (or stays busy), how do you make sure to prioritize your pursuit of Jesus daily?