2 Peter 1:2-4 Appropriating
the Promises
Read V.1,2 – I Love that Grace & Peace
be multiplied in the Knowledge of God & of J.C. our Lord
A)Been
rightfully said that Grace is who God is &
Peace is the result of Knowing Him –
B)
The more a
person Grows in the Knowledge of the Lord – the more they find that to be True
/
1)
Grace is the Conduit thru which all of the Blessings & resources of
God Flow
C) The Longer you walk w/ the Lord – the more you
comprehend that it is not about what we do that matters / it is all about Him / what He has
done /
1)
What
He is doing – the gifts and resources He has provided
thru His
Grace & the– The
RESULT IS peace is multiplied w/ in me
I read a story about some artists who were
commissioned to paint a picture of peace. One artist depicted peace as an
absolutely calm and tranquil sea lying under the moonlight without a ripple on
the water.
But the one who won the prize pictured a turbulent mountain
waterfall, a cataract, with its noisily plunging waters. But half-hidden behind
the waterfall, in the midst of
all the thunder and tumult, was a bird's nest w/ a mother bird
sitting quietly and serenely on her eggs. That was
peace.
That is the
picture of the person who is growing in the Grace & Knowledge of the Lord
A)But if you are still under
the Law & trying to earn the blessings of God by your own works
& efforts
1)
You
are going to be a man or a woman who is
not at peace w/ yourself or w/ other Christians /
B)And You will not have peace in the mist of
Turbulent situations – because you will interpret –
the Trial as a Indication you are not in favor
w/ God
So Peter begins
here – by saying let Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of
Jesus our Lord,
A)We pointed out last week that the major theme here
in Ch. 1 is Grow
MLJ – gives this Key insight
concerning 2 Peter – Two Crucial things are at the
heart of this letter – 1st is that you know what you believe / the 2nd
is that you add to it and grow in it, increase it
B) To put it another way
- Make sure
that the foundation is in place and then Build upon it !
1) Key to this book then is to Grow in our Knowledge of who Jesus is/ who you are in HIM and what that Means to our lives on a Daily Basis
C) L.J. Continues noting that – Peter illustrates
that there have been certain things done for us & there are certain things
we must do
1)
V.3,4 Note what have been done for us – v. 5-11 mark what we are
to do
D) Key point to note is this
– Before He
exhorts us to do anything – we need to First realize what has been done for us
/ given to us
1)
Focus
of our study this morning – Pick up in v. 3
3as 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, 4by 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.
Notice what Peter declares – that thru His –DIVINVE POWER –
you & I as Believers have been given everything we need for Life &
Godliness
A)Everything that you need to experience REAL LIFE /
ABUNDANT LIFE & TO LIVE GODLY
B) Word – Godliness is translated – true worship –
or worth ship
1) Everything that you need to
live a life – that would declare the worthiness of God – has already been given
to you
C) Now note this – it doesn’t say that it will be given to you
or it might be if you are good enough – it says it has been given to you
A)Jn.14 – Jesus announced Leaving – going to the
Father – mansions
1)
The
Holy Spirit – He will lead you in all things / He will teach you all things – He is the agent of God’s Divine Power
C) So when You are Born again – the H.S. comes to
live inside of You
1)
Indwelt
by the Holy Spirit – and all the blessing of God – are available to you – they
are at your disposal –
D) They
just need to be discovered & Appropriated
A)Denise awakened her that morning – Happy Birthday
– Amy thru here arms around Denise and said All right I am Ten Yrs old
B) Now here is the thing – when Amy was born
–everything that she needed for living Physically speaking – was given to here
1)
It was all there in that
Little Body /
all given to her at her birth / Problem is she is a baby / doesn’t know how it
all works
C) So the need isn’t to find some new body part to stick on / not another eye or nose
or 3rd & 4th arm -
she has everything she needs
1)
She
has it all and what she simply needs to do is grow
/ - Learn to use & appropriate what she has been
given
D) The same is true of us – when we are born again we are GIVEN all that we need
that pertains to life & godliness
1)
We
just need to come to Realize what Has been given to us & Appropriate it into our lives
Now this seems so simple but a lot of Christians don’t get
this & so they spend yrs searching for the Key that will unlock the door to
Living
A)They are still trying to find a combination ON THE PAD LOCK to Godliness So they search & read books & study this & that
B) Failing to realize the WONDERFUL thing that Peter
says here – it has already been given
1)
Everything
that we need for Living Godly & enjoying life to
the Max has already been given
C) We don’t need Tony
Robbins – tape series – Awakening the Giant w/ in
1)
We
don’t need to read the self help books
that are out
D) All we need is to Understand what has been given
& appropriate it to our Lives – we just need to
Grow - GROW HOW?
Notice what Peter
says here this is the Key – all that has been given that pertains to life &
godliness is discovered in the Knowledge of Him
A)It is all discovered in the Knowledge of Him – Who
Jesus is / what He has done & what He wants to do in & thru our lives
B)So
each morning as I get up & open my Bible that is what I want to Know –
looking for – what does this say about Him
1)
What does it say about – Who He is /
what He has done / and what
He is seeking to do in my life & thru my Life & WITH
my life
C) That is the focus of my morning devotions - / when I
pick up a book on spiritual growth – I want to know what it teaches about Jesus
1)
So
if it doesn’t teach me about Jesus / doesn’t emphasis who He is & what He
has done- chuck it
C) Good book
Kay Smith recommends J. Oswald
Sanders –
“Christ Indwelling & Enthroned”
So Everything that we need has already been given & it
is discovered in the Knowledge of Him – The word Knowledge = Intimate Knowing
A)Experiencing of Christ in our Lives
B) See some only know
Christ as Savior – never move beyond that
1)
Here
is one – do a study on the names of Christ – realizing each name / Title – part
of his work / His place in my life /
WW. Names of Jesus
C) Discover Christ as the
Good Shepherd – what that means
1)
As
a shepherd He is going to lead me & take care of me / he watching out for
me – He will discipline me when needed
D) Do I know Christ as my
Shepherd – and do I walk in that reality
1)
Can
I say like David The Lord is my shepherd I shall not
want - I have need to no
other – No one else & nothing else
E) Do I Know Christ as My
High Priest – what does that mean – what role does He play in my
life as my High priest
Peter
says all that we need that pertains to life & Godliness has been given to
us – & is discovered in the Knowledge of Christ
A)Then Peter says – v. 4 Thru which we have been
given EXCEEDINGLY great & Precious
Promises
B) So Along w/ the Knowledge of Him – we come to understand that there are promises Galore for us – In Christ
C) Paul Sheds some light – 2 Cor. 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen,
to the glory of God through us.
Now an English Pastor by the Name of Dr. Herbert Lockyer –
has written a Book entitled all the Promises of God
A)In it He states that there are 7,487 promises from
God to man & Paul says that those
Promises are Yes
In Christ Available to
the Believer in Christ
B) 2nd Home work assignment – do a study on the
Promises of God – what some are & what it means to walk in they / stand
upon them
1) Wed. Bob H. - I want to do a Series sometime on the Promises of God – connect them to Jesus discover – How they are Yes in Him
C) So we have been given Exceedingly
great & precious Promises – that are all yes & Amen in Christ
- they just need to be Appropriated
Think of it this way – It is said of the Child Prodigy – He
has a lot of Promise – Gifted – talented – Question Will He use it
A)Said of Dante Culpeper Rookie
QB for Minnesota – He has a Lot of Promise – all the tools – So
far he is using them
B) But the same thing was said of Ryan Leaf – all the tools – tons of promise everyone thought SD was brilliant for moving up in the draft to get him
1)
Many
put him ahead of Peyton Manning – but up to
this point – that all it is – Promise that is unused – not appropriated
C) How many Christians Live the same way- all they
need to live life to the fullest / to live Godly has been given to them
1)
Plus
Great & Precious Promises that are all Yes in Christ
D) All is available in
Christ / thru Christ / but they never experience that type of living
because they don’t appropriate the Resources
1)
They don’t walk in the Truth & the Reality of the Lord
Everything has been
given to us for what Purpose ? V.4b That we might
become partakers of the Divine Nature
A)You could some up what Peter
is saying in these verses in this way :
The object of
this Life, what we are to be striving
after is TWO FOLD
1st –
to KNOW GOD / 2ND TO BE LIKE HIM
B)The Chief desire isn’t to have certain experiences /
it is not to acquire certain gifts & blessings / it is not to become more
astute /
1)
The
Chief Pursuit is that of Knowing God / becoming like Him/ Phil 3
Now
here in Phil 3 Paul is talking about his Background who he was before He met
Christ – quite a resume
5circumcised the
eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the
Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6concerning zeal,
persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law,
blameless.
A)Now Paul’s whole Identity was wrapped up in His scholarship – He was the Quintessial Pharisee
B) Bo Knows football / Bo Knows Baseball / Paul Knows the Law / Pharisee
thing – He had it down – But was still lacking
7But what things were gain to me,
these I have counted loss for Christ.
C) Paul
says I counted it all loss for Christ – Here the Key
8Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain
Christ 9
D) Key to Paul’s Life I want
to grow in my Knowledge of Him
V.9 and be found in Him,
1) No
longer found in me – myself – I want to be found in Him
E) V. 10 I want to Know Him –
Power … / fellowship … sufferings
1) I want to Know Him in every way possible
12Not that I have
already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold
of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13Brethren,
I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14I
press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Now here Paul compares himself
to a runner / Winning Athlete / Pressing forward toward the prize
A)“I press on = “I follow after” and it carries the idea of intense endeavor. The Greeks used it to describe a hunter eagerly pursuing his prey.
B) We might use it of a Strong safety Chasing down a running back
C)A man does not become a winning athlete by listening to lectures, watching movies, reading books, or cheering at the games.\
1) He becomes a winning athlete by getting into the game and determining to win!
D)The same zeal that Paul employed when he persecuted the church he displayed in serving Christ
Now the point of what Paul is saying here doesn’t have to do
w/ Salvation but w/ desiring Christ & wanting to be like Christ
A)It is the appropriating of
all that God has given us in that endeavor or wanting to Know Christ more &
to be more like Him
B) The Bible calls this
Sanctification – at the heart of Sanctification is to Know Christ & to be
like Christ
C)Paul gives us a good
description of this Process in Phil Ch. 2
Verses 1 – 11 Christ work – in
Salvation – Humility
V.12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in
my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling;
A)Therefore Because of what Christ has done for you
– you work out your own salvation – SANCTIFICATION w/ fear & trembling
B) The word work = to carry out to the goal speaks of effort & Diligence / and focus
– Picture of Olympic runner/swimmer – finish line
1)
In
other words this process of growing in the Lord & becoming more
like the Lord is not a casual pursuit
Phil 3:14 14I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward
call of God in Christ Jesus.
Now here Paul compares himself
to a runner / Winning Athlete / Pressing forward toward the prize
A)“I press on = “I follow after” and it carries the idea of intense endeavor. The Greeks used it to describe a hunter eagerly pursuing his prey.
B) We might use it of a Strong safety Chasing down a running back
C)A man does not become a winning athlete by listening to lectures, watching movies, reading books, or cheering at the games.\
2) He becomes a winning athlete by getting into the game and determining to win!
D) The Words Fear & Trembling speak of a
Vigilance and a Reverence / a Caution & a Circumspection about our
Sanctification
1)
It
simply means taking Seriously our Walks w/ the
Lord
D) Not taking anything lightly that might slow us
down or hinder us in the growth process
So
the Lord gives us some things to do/ not for our salvation but for our growth
A)But at the same time v.13 God is working in us – How
B) First of all God is working in us to supply us w/
all that we need to Live life to the fullest & to walk in godliness
1) He has given us the H.S. to Convict our Hearts & instruct our minds and to Empower
us in our walks & service
C) The H.S. convicts the heart / Instructs the mind &
empowers the will of the Christian who is submitted to God & desiring to
Grow
D) He has given us
the Word – thru which the Spirit of God works in us to Convict /
instruct & Strengthen the Believer
1)
Thru
the word He has given to us – Promises that we can stand upon
E) He has given to us gifts
that we can use in the process
1)
He
has enlightened our hearts to be able to
discern spiritual things
F) He continues to show
Grace & mercy in the times when we falter
1)
He Promises to walk w/
us thru every valley / face every Giant
The word Works – in v.13 is the Word –Energize – That is what the H.S. does in the life of the submitted Christian – Energizes Him
A)So in v.12 we have Human responsibility and in v.13 we have the Divine ennablement
B) This is not a let go & let God type of Mentality that is
being advocated
1)
But rather a partnering w/ the H.S. – in God’s Plan & purpose
for our lives a submitting to His leading / and
a Depending upon His power
C) To walk in the way
that God has called us to & enjoy the life that He has given to us
WW. There are two extremes to avoid here: (1) “I must do it all” and (2)
“God must do it all!” The first describes the activist, the second the
quietist, and both are heading for failure. “Let go
and let God!” is a clever slogan, but it does not fully describe the
process of Christian living. What quarterback would say to his team, “OK, men,
just let go and let the coach do it all!” On the other hand, no quarterback
would say, “Listen to me and forget what the coach says!” Both extremes are wrong.
The Christian runner with
the spiritual mind realizes that God must work in him if he is going to win the
race. (John 15:5). “Without Me you can do nothing” God works in us that He might work
through us. As we apply ourselves to the things of the spiritual life,
God is able to mature us and strengthen us for the race. (1 Tim. 4:7-8) “Exercise thyself rather unto godliness!” Some Christians are so busy “dying
to self” that they never come back to life again to run the race!/ But others are so sure they can make it on
their own that they never stop to read the Word, pray, or ask for the power of
the Lord.
These
2 verses go together – can’t single out either one & put it by itself
because then you end up going in to the extreme in one direction
A)If you single out v.12 – becomes a work of the flesh – trying to take the work – that has begun in the spirit & be made perfect in the flesh
B) Two things are the
result of that mentality – One is PRIDE
and legalism because of the areas where I am able to have some victory
in the flesh
1)The other is shear condemnation & frustration
because of the areas where I am consistently failing
C) Some times I might
even ignore the areas where I am failing & only focus on the areas where I
am having some degree of improvement
1)
My whole walk w/ God
& my inter action w/ others is based on my performance – I keep telling myself I am doing better
But
if I only focus on v.13 – Hey God is working in me both to will & to do for
His good pleasure – if I take that to the extreme – also problem
A)Because I can take
areas of my life ,that I know are not right & conclude I don’t need to
worry about this – God will deal w/ when He is ready
B) Suddenly the excuse
that I have for why I am still struggling in an area is because God hasn’t
given me the Desire yet to do that
C) Example : Here this
often People say – I just don’t have a
desire to get into the word – but I am praying for God
to give me that desire
1) That mentality ignores the fact that God instructs
us to Study to show ourselves approved unto God - a
worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth
D) It ignores that the Lord says – that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek after
Him
1)
And
that only those who seek after Him w/ their whole hearts are going to find Him
/ Those who hunger & thirst after righteousness filled
E) God tells us to be
Diligent like soldiers & disciplined like athletes
Listen
there are a lot of days that I wake up in the morning where I don’t have a
desire to read my Bible / rather read paper / go to gym
A)But I have disciplined myself that the first thing I do each morning is to make a cup of tea & sit down to read
B) Now because the Lord
is gracious He speaks to my heart even when my attitude & desire isn’t there
1)
And what I have found
is that my desire for the word grows the more I get into it
C) Opposite of eating Physically – not full
/ but more Hungry
1)
Now if I waited around
for the Lord to give me a desire for the word / I might not ever read my Bible
D) God is not going to
supernaturally pick me up out of Bed & sit me at my desk & put the
Bible in my hand
Another
example – I hear at times/ Conflict – I can’t forgive him / her so I am praying for a desire to forgive – is
that Biblical
A)Yes & NO – Yes in the sense that I realize that in my flesh I have a hard time loving someone who has wrong me
B) But No – because
Jesus said to love your enemies / do good to those
who hate you/ Notice there
is action in that Love & do good
1)
So I am going to set
out to at the very least –in submission to God – go thru the motions of Love /
C) And
the Lord meets that action w/ EMOTION – suddenly there is a love
there in my heart for that person & I Know it is a supernatural thing
1)
There is a
responsibility on my part to act – trusting that the Lord is going to meet me
in the Process
D) This is made clear that I
have a part to play by v. 14 & 16 Do all things without complaining and
disputing,. v.16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run
in vain or labored in vain.
Think of it
this way –not the greatest – illustration but ok
A)Lets say that the goal for me is to get to S.D. – now that is not going to happen by osmosis – not think S.D. & I am there
B) And I am
not going to walk – there / never make it w/ my Hip
1)
So God supplies the Car / supplies the gas / supplies the Power /
supplies full dummy proof instructions on how to get there
C) Now All I have to do is use the resources that God has
supplied & follow the instructions that He has given & I am going to
make it to the goal
1)
Now where the analogy
breaks down is – it fails to show all that God does in the heart during the
Journey to transform my life along the way
D) But at the same time
– the idea – of I am just going to get in the back seat and go along for the
ride – isn’t biblical either
1)
Ignores the fact
that God instructs us to present ourselves to Him as
a living sacrifice / and to allow the word to Transform our minds
E) Both of those things
– imply that I need to daily submit myself to Him and that I need to get into
the word
1)
There is action on my
part
Back
to 2 Peter rap this up – so the Lord has given to us all that we need for life
& Godliness / found in the Knowledge of Him
A)Learning to appropriate what He has given & walk in & stand in the promises that are ours in Christ
B) The more that we do that the more we are becoming Partakers of the Divine nature / the more the new nature is seen in us instead of the Old
1) For that reason our lives stand in stark contrast to the natural man we are escaping the
corruption in the world that comes thru lust
See the natural man lives after
his own Lust – lust = DESIRES
A)See the natural man doesn’t ask the question is it right / is this good / is it godlike / is it pure / is it elevated / is it spiritual
B) No the natural man
simply asks the question / Do I like it / Is it good for me
1)
He is governed by his
desires / by that which pleases him & that which caters to the lower nature
Seventeen
I'm a 15-year-old, and I want to know how far you think a
girl my age should go with her boyfriend of four months who she really cares
about. How far, sexually, does the average 15-year-old go?
Obviously, there is no rule book for 15-year-olds
that states exactly how far you should or shouldn't go. The bottom line is that
what you do sexually at 15, 16 or even 20 really depends on how you feel and
what's right for you, no matter how long you've been going out with your
boyfriend.
C) Went on to talk about – STD’S and Condoms etc – but that is the advice of the natural man – what is right for you
D) The man who has become a partaker of the Divine nature – lives by a completely different Standard – what does the Lord say
1) That is what I want to do
Which mentality describes you ? –
A)Are you growing in the Lord
/ & godliness ? are you enjoying life to the fullest by appropriating what
the Lord has already given
B) Or are you making EXCUSES about why you are not where you know that you should be w/ the Lord
1) Thru His divine Power He has given us all things ….. of Him