Rejoicing in our Blessings

Introduction

Good morning, My name is Michael Kelly. I am honored to have been invited to speak here today.

I serve at First Baptist Church of Norfolk as the Lifegroup Director. I have the honor of discipling many of our small group leaders.

Not only do I serve there, but I am also in the Navy going on 18 years. With Sailors in the Navy, most of us move around the country every 3 years. That, however, is not my story. I came to Norfolk in 2012 and have now been here over 10 years which has been a blessing to our family.

We strive to Take Notice of the Blessings God Gives

Message What I would like to talk with you about this morning is about looking at how we have been blessed.

We are blessed with a place to live, food to eat, and clothes to wear.

Today we are going to look at how God has blessed us from the point view of Peter. Looking at Second Peter 1:1-15. If you join me we will read this passage:

1. God blesses us by informing us in His Word

One of the highest and noblest functions of a man’s mind is to listen to God’s Word, and so to read his mind and think his thoughts after him.John Stott

When we look at Peter’s text, we see that God made a point that we know how we have been blessed.

2 Peter 1:1–4 (ESV)

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

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, 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.

Ways that Peter shows we are blessed: (1-4)

Jesus gave us all things that pertain to life and godliness

Knowledge of Him

Given exceedingly great and precious promises

partakers of the divine nature

Faith brings a man empty to God, that he may be filled with the blessings of God.John Calvin

At my previous Navy command, I had to travel a lot. They say knowledge can be a blessing. In this case it was. I was shown in a tool. The American Express Platinum Card. That was the tool, but The tool was an opening to blessings. Access to lounges, sleeping studios, and food…free food. But it wasn’t just that, it was a community of people who got to enjoy this.

The only way I understood this tool, this blessing was by reading the benefits.

The only way we understand God’s Word is to read it.

 At the end of the day, living the Christian life requires us to deeply and profoundly give up on ourselves and trust God and his Word.

Mark Dever

God blesses us by informing us in His Word, and :

2. God blesses us by allowing us to respond to Him.

God will respond to our efforts to know Him.4

A. W. Tozer

How you respond to God’s promises determines what God will do in your life.

Warren W. Wiersbe

2 Peter 1:5–11 ESV

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 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. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

For this reason add:

to your faith - virtue

to virtue - knowledge

to knowledge - self-control

to self-control - perseverance

to perseverance - godliness

to godliness - brotherly kindness

to brotherly kindness - love

If these point to any inadequacies, know you are not alone.

This takes work. It does not happen by accident.

Promise: For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Response:

Be diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble

If I want to learn, I must continue to read and observe, daily. It doesn’t happen on accident.

If I want to become more like Christ, I must be with him everyday. It doesn’t happen on accident.

Perseverance is the badge of true saints. The Christian life is not a beginning only in the ways of God, but also a continuance in the same as long as life lasts. It is with a Christian as it was with the great Napoleon: he said, “Conquest has made me what I am, and conquest must maintain me.”

Charles Spurgeon

God blesses us by informing us in His Word,

God also blesses us by allowing us to respond to Him. Finally,

3. God blesses us by giving us purpose in our obedience

2 Peter 1:12–15 ESV

Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

Stagnation is not God’s plan. Those of us here have been called according to God’s purpose,

Called out not to be spectators in His plan, but to be active in His plan.

We’re not called just to work for God. We are called to work with God.

John Ortberg

The purpose of salvation, whether Paul’s or ours, is to display God’s grace, power, and patience and produce a true worshiper of God (John 4:21–24). It is for His glory primarily, our benefit is secondary.

John F. MacArthur

Peter understood his time on Earth was coming to an end. However, he did not imply that what He was sharing would soon be forgotten.

Moreover, he took it as his responibiblity to share the Will of God with others.

APPLICATION:

I would like to give you just 3 applications from this text today.

Stir up those around you in the joyful obedience of the Lord

Pass on these blessings to your families today

Be careful and make ever effort to leave a legacy.

What has God called you to recently?

Where do you need to adjust in obedience?

Who is God leading you to leave a legacy with?