GROWING IN GRACE - MORE THAN JUST FIRE INSURANCE
2 Peter 1:1-4
Text
NIV
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: 2. Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
OPENING PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you and ask that your name be hallowed in our lives. That by the power of your Holy Spirit you would grip us with your majesty so that our lives will cry out “you are Holy!” we look to the work of your Son, Jesus, and the assurance of your call of salvation knowing by His life and death and resurrection we can come boldly before you and receive grace and peace. In the name of your son we pray. Amen!
INTRODUCTION
I have noticed over the years that companies often have personalities as distinct as people do. This was true of one company in particular that I used to have as a client. It had a rather crass and vile personality actually; which is why they are no longer a client of mine. I was always amazed at the things the people who worked there said and did. I remember one day sitting in their warehouse, working on a problem workstation, listening to the men and women brag about their latest exploits. For me, I found the conversation to be sad and degrading for those involved. One of the main participants in the conversation was a man I will call Jon.
Jon was boisterous and crass talking about everything from his sexual exploits to where the best location on the internet to get pirated music was. Others joined in with Jon for awhile but eventually it was time for everyone to get back to work. After a couple of minutes I realized that the only person left in the office with me was Jon.
I took the opportunity to engage Jon in conversation while I was working. We talked about many things, and after a while the conversation turned to God and church. I remember my surprise when Jon told me how he went to church, and how he had said the prayer. Thinking about the conversation which I had just over heard, his next words sent a chill down my spine. He told me he still went at least once a month to “keep up his fire insurance.”
The same day that I had this conversation with Jon, I read psalm 90 as a part of my daily Bible reading. I found it to be in vivid opposition to my conversation with Jon. In this psalm, Moses surveyed his life and observed that man was given a span of 70 years, or, if God was gracious, 80 years. He ended his prayer with the petition, "Who considers the power of your anger and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom" (Psa 90: 11-12, ESV). Moses desired to live his life in faithfulness to his Lord and he wanted the Israelites to share that desire. At most, man is given but 80 years on this earth. Moses knew that men would have to appear before God and give an account of how they had spent those years. Thus his desire and prayer was that during his time on earth, and later when he stood before God in eternity, he would have a heart filled with wisdom, a faithful heart that had applied God's wisdom to the reality of daily living.
These words of Moses need to be heard by Christians today. Believers who have a deep desire to remain faithful are being encouraged to compromise their faith. Many voices, both from the world and even from within the church, seek to seduce Christians away from the path of righteousness and faithfulness and join them instead on the road that leads to destruction. Many are told that the gospel is only about salvation, and has nothing to do with a godly life. How can we who want to remain faithful to our Lord survive in a corrupt world? In his second letter, the apostle Peter, writing to Christians in Asia Minor, addresses this very question. Here we will find words of encouragement, a note of warning, and a ring of hope to sustain us until Jesus returns.
On the Day of Pentecost in 33 A.D., Peter, by the power of the Holy Spirit, preached the gospel of the resurrected Lord Jesus to Jews who had come to Jerusalem from Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (modern Turkey). As a result, many of these Jews came to Christ. Upon their return to their homelands they became a new spiritual community. They shared their possessions, ate the Lord's Supper and worshiped together. The apostles Peter and Paul later ministered separately to these new communities of believers. Around 63 or 64 A.D., Peter visited Paul, who was then a political prisoner in Rome. Shortly before the great fire which destroyed the city on July 19, 64 A.D., Peter wrote his first letter to these churches in Asia Minor, warning them of the coming spiritual, political and social persecution they would suffer under the Emperor Nero. The apostle sought to encourage them during the coming season of suffering.
A year later, Peter himself became a political prisoner in Rome. During his imprisonment, the apostle penned his second letter to these Christians, whom he addressed as "aliens." This time the apostle did not refer to pressures and suffering they would face from outside the Christian community; instead he focused on problems which would arise from within their own ranks. The book breaks down into three divisions: first, the apostle stresses the fact that they need to remain faithful and grow spiritually; secondly, they need to be aware of false teachers; and thirdly, they need to be aware of the second coming of Christ and the mockers who would deny that future event.
We can see that nothing has changed during the two thousand years that have passed since Peter wrote this letter. Every Christian struggles with the temptation to unfaithfulness in this corrupt world. Believers are tempted to believe the false teachers who promise freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; and they are tempted to doubt, in their practical experience, the second coming of Jesus.
Therefore, to live a godly life with eternal hope, we need a gospel that is more than just fire insurance.
We need a gospel that . . .
BODY
I. We need a gospel that is for every believer.
Let’s take a look at our text, 2 Peter chapter one, starting with verse one:
"Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,"
How often have you skipped over these words at the beginning of an epistle? I know I have many times. Yet, the way Peter introduces himself is important: "servant and apostle of Jesus Christ." The term apostle carries authority: He represents and speaks for the living Christ. But Peter is not eager to point out this authority. "Apostle" comes second, not first. He first describes himself as "servant," or "slave." There was a vast difference in status between a lord's ambassador and his slave. Peter identifies himself as both, but puts "slave" first and in this way shows that he does not want to use his position as apostle to put him on a different plane than his readers. Peter learned from Jesus who said " The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves" (Luke 22:25-26, NIV).
Peter continues the same humble tone in the rest of verse one: "To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours." The point of this verse is to put the readers on the same spiritual level as the apostle. Three things in this second half of verse 1 emphasize the spiritual equality of all believers before God. First, depending on the translation, is the phrase "as precious as ours" or "equal standing with ours." Second, the word “Received” or "obtained": "to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing." This word, obtained, is used only three other times in the New Testament and in each case refers to obtaining something not by effort or merit but by lot (Luke 1:9; John 19:24; Acts 1:17). So the very word Peter chooses illustrates how futile it would be for any of us to boast in our faith. It came to us by God's choice, not by our effort. Then the third way of emphasizing the equality of believers in faith is to point out that what gives our faith value and distinction is Christ's righteousness, not ours. It says we have faith "through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." The phrase may mean that our faith came "by his righteousness" (as the means of faith), or that our faith is "in his righteousness" (as the object of faith). In both cases the effect is to stress that Christ's unswerving faithfulness to do right is what we depend on, not our own righteousness. Therefore, we do not boast in our faith, for we "obtained" it as a gift and its foundation is not our righteousness but Christ's.
It is believed that Peter’s readers were second generation Christians. They had never seen Jesus; they had never heard him or touched him. They had not seen his glory nor witnessed his death and resurrection, yet they had placed their faith in the belief that Jesus was God incarnate, the Savior of the world. Peter is making the point that all believers Stand on the same footing, and rely on the same gospel. He is not writing to those who are on a different “spiritual plane” but to each and every one of us. No one’s faith is of greater value, for we all received if as a gift. This also means that his message is meant for every one of us. For we all come to the gospel the same and we are all sustained by the gospel the same; by the saving work of Christ. We all have "a faith as precious as ours," if indeed our faith is in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ and not in our own.
Therefore, to live a godly life with eternal hope, we need a gospel that is more than just fire insurance.
We need a gospel that . . .
II. We need a gospel that is full of power.
Peter goes on in verse 2 to say; "Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." This is not a merely an empty introductory form. It is a statement, or prayer, of what Peter really wants to see happen because of his letter. We can tell that this verse is not just empty form because the letter ends on the same note ( 3:18): "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." He pictures grace and peace as something that comes to us from God. They are not ours by nature or by right. They come to us from outside ourselves, and Peter desires that they might come in great measure.
Another thing to notice in verse 2 is that God's grace and peace are multiplied in or through the knowledge of God. Peter cannot get past his second sentence without exposing one of his deepest convictions: namely, that knowing God is the means by which his grace and peace become large and powerful in our lives. If you want to enjoy God's peace and be the aroma of his grace in the world, your knowledge of him has to grow. Grace is not a mere deposit. It is a power that leads to godliness and eternal life. And where knowledge of the glory and excellence of God is missing, grace does not flow. The channel from God's infinite reservoir of grace into and through our lives is knowledge of God. We do not study the Scripture for its own sake, but because through it comes the knowledge of God and through that, grace and peace are multiplied in your heart in the church and in the world. In the next two verses of our text Peter builds on this connection now between knowledge of God and the power of grace.
The Greeks in that first century day sought after the knowledge of God in two ways. First, they sought him by philosophical speculation by the power of thought; using their finite minds they tried to discover the infinite God. And second by mystical experience they tried to gain knowledge of God by looking inside themselves. Peter, however, says here that the way to grow in grace is by growing in knowledge of his Son Jesus. To know the Son is to know the Father. And this is not speaking of knowledge on a philosophical or an emotional level, but rather knowledge on a spiritual level. The more we grow on a spiritual level the more we grow in the grace and peace of God and his Son.
Continuing on to verse three, Pete’ states; "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." Let's breaks this down a little. A gospel that is full of power for believes has three things. First its goal is that we obtain life (eternal life) and become godly people. Second, the source of this life and godliness is from divine power. Last, the means by which this power produces this life and godliness is through knowledge of God.
Peter is aiming at two things: eternal life and godliness; moral and spiritual transformation now and hope for life in the age to come. If you look in chapter two you can see how deeply he is concerned that some in the church are living very corrupt lives. And there is a close connection for Peter between godliness and eternal life. You can't have the one if you reject the other. In chapter 2 verses 19-20, he says of the false teachers, "They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved. For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first." In other words, if the way of godliness is rejected so is the hope of eternal life. So Peter forbids us to turn our faith into a fire insurance policy for escaping hell while our lives remain unchanged. The hope of life and the way of godliness stand or fall together.
Second, the way of godliness and the hope of eternal life do not lie within our own power to produce or attain. Therefore, Peter says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness." This is a humbling sentence. When it comes to life and godliness we must have everything provided for us from outside. Of course, this does not mean we are passive. As was read in the scripture reading today, Paul says, "Work out your salvation … for God is at work in you" (Phil. 2:13, ESV). But it does imply that we could never be godly or attain eternal life if we do not rely on divine power.
The Christian faith is not merely a set of doctrines to be accepted. It is a power to be experienced. It is a tragic thing to ask people if they know the Lord and have them start listing the things they believe about the Lord. Believing things about Jesus Christ will not save anyone. The demons are the most orthodox believers under heaven. It is divine power that saves. If the power of God does not flow into your life and make you godly you are not Christ's. "All who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14). The mark of sonship is divine power. And the mark of power is godliness; which means a love for the things of God and a walk in the ways of God.
And Peter says that divine power has been granted to us. Who is the us? We all are which is what Peter has made clear. This word is not just for those on a “higher spiritual plain” this is for every believer. Power is given to those who rely on Christ's righteousness. But how is this power experienced? How does it become active in our lives? That is what we see in the last part of verse 3; "through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." As in verse 2 grace is multiplied in the knowledge of God, so in verse 3 divine power is granted through the knowledge of God. This gives us a good definition of grace. God's grace is a free power that works in us for our good. And the way it becomes active in our day to day life is through our knowledge of God and one fact about God in particular; that he "called us by his own glory and goodness." But this is not a mere fact about God if you know it as applying to yourself. It is power.
Therefore, to live a godly life with eternal hope, we need a gospel that is more than just fire insurance.
We need a gospel that . . .
III. We need a gospel that is based on promises.
And now finally let’s look at verse 4; "Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." This verse is a restatement of verse 3. It makes the same point, but the "knowledge" and "godliness" of verse 3 are interpreted for us in verse 4. The knowledge that leads to life and godliness is said to be the knowledge of God's precious and very great promises. And so we learn that the only knowledge of God that carries saving power is promising knowledge. The knowledge of the glory and excellence of God (in verse 3) gives power for godliness only if it communicates to us the happy promise that we are called and included.
Then notice that just as in verse 3 the knowledge of our call to glory empowers for life and godliness, so in verse 4 the promises of God liberate us from corruption and give us a share in the divine nature. The godliness of verse 3 is spelled out for us negatively and positively. There are two things that we need above all others: 1) to be liberated from the power of sin that corrupts and destroys out life, and 2) to be united to God in his likeness (Eph. 4:23). And God teaches here what we so desperately need to know: that this liberation from sin and likeness to God come by knowing and trusting his precious and very great promises.
John Calvin, the great French reformer and theologian (1509-64) has written:
For the knowledge of God is the beginning of life and the first entrance into godliness . . . He [Peter] makes God the author of this knowledge because we never go to him except when called Hence the effectual cause of faith is not the discernment of our minds but the calling of God And he speaks not of the outward calling, only which is in itself ineffectual, but the inward calling effected by the hidden power of the Spirit when God not only sounds in our ears by the voice of man, but draws inwardly our hearts to himself by his own Spirit.
If after a week of rain a gloomy child wakes up on Saturday morning and sees the glorious sunshine calling him to play outdoors, new power flows into his spirit; but only if he really can go outside. If he were sick and couldn't play, the beauty of the day and the fun of his friends outside might make him miserable. The knowledge of the glory of God must be promising if it is to carry power. We must know it and believe that we are included -- that the promises are ours, that the call is to us (cf. Eph. 1:19).
Notice in the last part of verse 4 that corruption comes "by passion" or "lust" or "desire." This means that the battle against corruption is fought on the field of our desires or passions. Sin makes its attack by holding out promises to us for our happiness: if you lie on your income tax return, you will have more money and be happier; if you divorce your spouse, you will be happier; if you brag about winning the game, you will be happier; if you don't upset your relationship with your neighbor by sharing Christ, you will be happier, etc. To overcome these promises we need the luscious carrot of God's promises hanging clearly in front of our noses.
CONCLUSION
If we listen and take hold of the wrong promises we will not, at the end of our life, be like Moses with a mind of wisdom but instead end up like Oscar Wilde. Here is how Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), the Irish poet, dramatist and critic, described his life as he looked back over the years:
The gods had given me almost everything but I let myself be lured into long spells of senseless and sensual ease . . . tired of being on the heights, I deliberately went to the depths in search of new sensations. What the paradox was to me in the sphere of thought, perversity became to me in the sphere of passion. I grew careless of the lives of others. I took pleasure where it pleased me and passed on. I forgot that every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character, and therefore what one has done in the secret chamber, one has some day to cry aloud from the rooftop. I ceased to be lord over myself. I was no longer the captain of my soul, and did not know it. I allowed pleasure to dominate me. I ended in horrible disgrace.
What an incredible contrast to what Peter desires for his readers, for us. Jesus Christwas their means of escape from "the corruption that is in the world by lust." In the words of the apostle Paul, our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin" (Rom. 6:6).
Very practically I think this means we must day by day go to the Word of God and search for great promises. Fix one or two in your mind and hold them there before you all day. And use them to overcome temptation to sin and to incite you to daring acts of righteousness and love. Unless we enter our day armed with one or two precious and very great promises we will be utterly vulnerable to temptation. But if we hold before our eyes the astonishing things God has promised us now and in the life to come, his divine power will be present and we will escape corruption and be conformed to the image of his Son.
To live a godly life with eternal hope, we need a gospel that is more than just fire insurance.
We need a gospel that . . .
- Is for every believer.
- Is full of power.
- Is based on promises.
BENIDICTION/PRAYER
(Hebrews 13:21-22) May the God of Peace who brought up from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord through the blood of the eternal covenant equip you with every good thing to do His will, and work in you that which is pleasing in His sight though the power of Jesus Christ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen!
© Copyright 2006 Derek Perdue
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