Staying on Target
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Everything we need...
Everything we need...
Last week we started into the book of 2 Peter. In this book he warns against false teachers, so I’ve called this series, “Staying on Target”.
I hope that after today’s message we leave encouraged and inspired knowing that we have everything that we need to live as Christians.
Let’s read,
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:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life 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, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Introduction
Introduction
We know that Peter wrote this to Christians that were under his care. He made it very clear that he was a slave “meaning one who is subject to the will and wholly at the disposal of his master. Peter used the term to express his absolute devotion and subjection to Jesus Christ.” (LANTC)
and an apostle: an eye-witness of Jesus Christ. He was one of the twelve. He was called to preach the gospel, this message about Jesus Christ to the Jews , where Paul was called as the apostle to the Gentiles.
Peter wanted those to whom this letter was read, to know that their faith was just as precious as his. It cost the same price to redeem you as it has me, the precious blood of Jesus.
Everything we need...
Everything we need...
Today, I’d like to look at the promise that we have been given everything we need for living a godly life in Christ Jesus.
Peter starts out in verse 3 by saying,
His DIVINE power...
His DIVINE power...
This is speaking of Jesus’ divine power.
“Divine” translates theias, which is from theos (“God”)
Gangel, K. O. (1985). 2 Peter. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 864). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
This word is only used three times in the New Testament, twice in 2 Peter 1:3-4.
According to Strong’s Concordance
A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (2304. θεῖος)
2304. θεῖος thĕiŏs, thi´-os; from 2316; godlike (neut. as noun, divinity):—divine, godhead.
To make it clear, Peter had no qualms with referring to Jesus as God. 2 Peter 1:1
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:
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.
Jesus was fully human and He was fully God. When Jesus was beaten at the whipping pole, when He was nailed to the cross, He experienced all the pain and the agony that was common to any human. He had no advantage because He was God.
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
There is only one other place in Scripture where divine is used in this form. It’s in the book of Acts.
In Acts 17, Paul had left Beria to be safe from some radical Jews from Thessalonica. He travelled and came to Athens, which is the capital city of Greece.
While in Athens, Paul came across huge amounts of idol worship. I’m not sure if it’s Grade 7 or 8, but in schools we study Greek mythology.
In their eyes, they were very spiritual people, they worshipped all kinds of idols as well as were willing to discuss new philosophies and ideologies, so while Paul was there, he was talking about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. For some this was ridiculous and for others it was an intriguing new teaching.
The Apostle Paul describes this in 1 Corinthians 1:22-24
Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
So while Paul was in Athens he came across a altar to an “UNKNOWN GOD.” Paul said, “I’m going to tell you about Him.
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.
God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
We as Christians believe that Jesus was not just a man, but He was also God.
His Divine POWER
His Divine POWER
“Power” (dynameōs)
Definition -(miraculous) power, might, strength
(Strong’s Concordance 1411)
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Jesus Christ has given you everything that you need for a godly life. The NKJV puts it this way.
as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
His divine power, ability, might, and strength has given us everything that we need that pertains to life, spiritual vitality, and godliness. 1 Peter 1:15
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
To be holy means to be set apart. We can strive to holy in everything we do, and we can call others to moral excellence, but it’s not about your ability to be holy and godly; it is about Christ’s power working in us.
I came across a quote that was very telling. This is what it said,
Life Application New Testament Commentary (Growing in the Knowledge of God / 1:3–11)
Salvation does not depend on positive character qualities and good works; rather, it produces those qualities and works. A person who claims to be saved while remaining unchanged does not understand faith or what God has done for him or her.
As Christians, everything we need is available to us.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Because Jesus is all powerful, we have everything we need for living a godly life in Christ Jesus. Psalm 34:8-16 says,
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.
Through the knowledge of Him
Through the knowledge of Him
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.
In Hosea’s day, the people were destroyed for lack of knowledge. There wasn’t a Bible in every house. There wasn’t the same access to God’s word that we have today. Our knowledge increases as we spend time in prayer, as we spend time in God’s word, and as we invite the Holy Spirit to make God’s word alive to us.
It’s not enough to hear the word and do nothing about it. James 1:21-26
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror
and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.
The Holy Spirit teaches us through the Word of God. He makes God’s word come alive. As we read and hear the word of God, we start to grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you long to know Christ and the power of His resurrection? Romans 8:11
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
We have everything we need for living a godly life in Christ Jesus through our knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and goodness.
Great and precious promises
Great and precious promises
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.”
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.”
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
What has God promised in Christ?
He has promised salvation, the forgiveness of sins.
He has promised healing, By His stripes we are healed.
He has promised the power of the Holy Spirit for witness and for victory in our lives and power over the devil.
He has promised to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory.
He has promised to be our shield and protector.
He has promised that He is coming back again.
He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. He has promised that one day we will spend eternity Him in Heaven.
And the list can go on and on.
He has given us great and precious promises so that,
you may participate in the divine nature...
you may participate in the divine nature...
so that you can be Partakers in the divine nature.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
He who called us also empowers us to live a victorious life in Christ Jesus.
The way of life winds upward for the wise, That he may turn away from hell below.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, why have we been given all this?
by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
We are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end leads to destruction, We have no reason to be on this path. We have been washed by the blood of Jesus. We have been redeemed from the curse because Jesus has become a curse for us.
All this comes through our knowledge of Him. We need to know who we are in Christ. When Satan attacks us, he isn’t going to tell us our rights as Christians. It’s imperative for us to grow in our knowledge of Him, and as we grow in our knowledge of Him, We will also grow in our love for Him.
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
We all make choices everyday that affect our lives. We can choose to follow Jesus. We can choose to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives. It’s not our will power that gives us victory, it’s our willingness to be obedient to the Holy Spirit.
We can choose to follow our flesh. That comes easy, but as we listen to the Holy Spirit, He changes us to make us more like Jesus. It is here that we escape the corruption of the world through lust.
We live in this world, but this isn’t our home. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, let’s keep our eyes fixed on what is eternal. 1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
Amen. Let’s pray.
Benediction
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.