January 7, 2024
Morning Service

As we closed in on the Christmas season, we completed our study on the I Peter.  In that letter Peter warned us that trials, persecution, and suffering would be a part of our journey with Jesus.  His warning was about how to react to pressures coming from outside the church.  Here is his second letter he warns of the internal opposition that was occurring with false teachers from within the church itself that he now saw as a threat as well.  In his first letter he speaks of us receiving a “living hope” through Jesus’ resurrection and urged us to walking as “obedient children not conforming ourselves to former lusts.”  In his second, he again commands us to work diligently in pursuing a life of righteous living by building upon our faith as we move forward following Jesus.  As we will see, the Lord had made Peter aware that his time was short as he wrote this letter.  His martyrdom occurred sometime between 64 and 66 AD, so this had to be only slightly earlier.  His tone reflects that fact as he speaks with urgency speaking in a very direct manner.  As we read this keep that fact in your mind.  Everything Peter tells us in this letter are things that he feels we desperately need to know. The three chapters of this book are broken up into 3 separate categories.  Chapter 1 offers some guidance for the growing Christians.  Chapter 2 explores the dangers these young believers will face from false teachers.  In Chapter 3, Peter encourages them with a hope for the future of Christ’s return.  Let’s begin our new favorite book in the Bible.

2Pe 1:1-2 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: (2) Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,

            Peter humbly describes himself as a “bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ.”  A bondservant is one who enters into s bondage willingly totally giving himself to his new master.  Peter has willingly given over the full control of his life to Jesus, but he was called and chosen to be an apostle by Jesus.  This is a very humble description of a great man of the faith who both pursued Jesus, and was pursued by Jesus.  Think of that for a moment as the same is true for us as when we begin to pursue Jesus we find out He was already pursuing us!  He writes this letter to “those who have obtained like precious faith with us through Jesus.”  This would include all believers, not only his Jewish brothers as he now fully understands that the invitation to salvation is truly to “whosoever believes.”  He asks for “grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”  This means our blessing from God can be multiplied the better we know God and understand Him.  In verse three now, he builds on the depth of this knowledge we have been given.

 

2Pe 1:3-4 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, (4) 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.

            Peter assures us that God has given us everything we need “that pertains to life and godliness.  It is His blood that initially cleanses us of our sins opening the way for us to begin our walk with Him. We then receive the Holy Spirt and He is with us constantly guiding and protecting us along the way. Jesus also now sits as our High Priest at the right hand of God always making intercession for us. God’s plan for those who accept Him as Lord and Savior is one for success, not failure.  He has given us “exceedingly great, and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.”  Once saved God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, empowers us with all we need to grow into the children He designed us to be.  He has given us His Word as the map we need to follow and shows us what we need when we need it.  All that we need is there, it is up to us to know it and apply along our journey.  Peter now encourages us to get to work building upon our faith following these steps:

 

2Pe 1:5-9But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, (6) to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, (7) to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.  (8)  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (9)  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

 

            Peter encourages us to give diligence (great effort, not just going through the motions, making it a priority) to growing in Christ.  Each of us have been given a foundation of faith and it is now up to us to build on it.  Upon faith we need to add virtue into our life which can be defined as living a life of moral excellence; not only hearing and believing God’s Word, but putting it into action as a doer.  He then says we need to add knowledge.  We need to strive to not only follow Christ, but really know Him; creating a close relationship with Him.  God has invited us to such a relationship of not only serving God, but know and love Him as well.  Next we must add self-control to our lives which means to “control one’s passions.”  This actually comes by surrendering our will to the Spirit’s guidance and obeying His voice (becoming a bondservant).  That self-control develops perseverance or patience to endure times in our lives that are very difficult.  It is only through trials that we are able to build patience/perseverance so James tell us to take joy in them knowing God is doing something in us

 Peter now calls us next to godliness which is living a righteous life in reverence of God.  It becomes our way of life; putting Him first in our lives.  Brotherly kindness is the next layer as it naturally follows the quality of living a righteous and godly life.  By following Jesus faithfully, we learn life is not about us alone, but about those around us and caring and serving them as family.  Finally, Peter concludes our growth list with the crowning jewel; love.  Love should be our primary motivation for following Christ.  We cannot call ourselves a Christian or a Jesus follower and not love God and love those around us.   The two cannot be separated.  Everything we do must be done in love (I Cor. 16:14).  He then tells us if we are not diligently pursuing these things in our lives, then we are “short-sighted, blind to the fact that our sins are forgiven.”  Growth needs to be something we are always pursuing.  He begins verse 10 with “therefore” as he now builds on this idea of being short- sighted or blind in our walk.

 

2Pe 1:10-11 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; (11) for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

            Peter here is warning us of becoming complacent in our faith.  He encourages us to be diligent (again urgency) to remain doing our best to build upon our faith this list of attributes.  Often times we begin serving God as we would a sprint of 100 yards; we go as fast as we can and then stop.  Our walk with Jesus is not a sprint, it is a life-long marathon.  We don’t have to be running full speed all the time, we must set a pace that keeps us always diligently moving forward and never stopping or regressing.  Virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, and brotherly kindness are not things that come to us overnight.  They are things we may work our lifetime to attain; one step at a time.  Peter tells us that as long as we are moving then we will “never stumble” and there will be a prize waiting for you at the finish line.  “Enter in My good and faithful servant into the joys of the Lord!”  Stay strong every day and don’t grow weary in well doing.  Stay the course, keeping your eyes on the prize.  Peter tells us how he is doing just that in his final days.

 

2Pe 1:12-16 For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.  (13)  Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, (14) knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.  (15)  Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.  (16)  For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

            Though his time is short (notice verse 14), Peter will not stop pointing others to “the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”  He will stay on task fulfilling his calling as an apostle (one who has been set or a messenger) of Jesus.  He will continue to remind us because he knows we have short memories and need reminded.  That is one reason we meet three times a week and open God’s Word and study together through it.  We need to be reminded, encouraged and challenged to continue to run the race that is set before us with patience and endurance.  He finishes verse 16 restating that these things he speaks of are true and he saw them with his own eyes and experienced being with Jesus while He was here among us.  These are not “fables” or just stories, our Bible tells us the truth, the whole truth and nothing else.  It is up to us to seek a closer walk growing in our knowledge of God and our faith in Him.

 

Thank You Lord for freely giving to us all that we need to follow You faithfully.  Create a desire within us to build upon our faith these attributes to be pleasing in Your sight.