Growing In Grace
2 Peter Chapter
1:1-11
As we have just
spent several weeks in the study of the first Book of the Apostle
Peter, we saw that the Book of 1 Peter was devoted to the remedy for
suffering Christian Persecution. That remedy being we must have the
"mind of Christ"!
Today as we begin
our lessons in the Book of 2 Peter, we will see how Peter looks at
the subject of God's "Grace".
Peter will teach us,
by the Holy Spirit, that above all, we can know the Word of God and
we can rely on what God says as the truth!
*****2Pe 1:1 Simon
Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have
obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God
and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
Simon Peter the
chosen Apostle of Jesus Christ, still realized in his older days that
he was nothing more than a servant of the Lord.
All that truly love
the Lord will still come to Him on bended knees!
To be a servant of
the Lord is to realize that we are no more than slaves who have been
purchased from the slave market of sin and we have a new Master.
We that know the
Lord on a personal level, are all bondservants by law to the God of
all "GRACE"!
In fact I am a
willing slave to the Lord Jesus Christ, He is my new Owner and the
only Owner I will ever have!
Who is Peter writing
to? To all those who are willing slaves to the Lord Jesus Christ, but
slaves because we have "FAITH" in the price that Jesus
Christ paid for our freedom.
Jesus Christ paid
for us to be free and it cost Him His own life!
Not only was Peter a
slave such as you and I and all believers, he was also a chosen
Apostle of Jesus Christ.
Those Apostles
chosen by the Lord were His messengers of the New Covenant of God!
Which is the New Covenant of "GRACE".
We know that "GRACE"
is the unmerited favor of God shown to sinful people.
In reality, God's
Grace is the richness of God's "GOODNESS"!
It is this
"goodness", this "grace", that we as Christians
are to share with this lost world just as did the Apostle Peter, the
servant of God.
Psa 145:7 They
shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall
sing of thy righteousness.
Psa 145:8 The LORD
is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great
mercy.
Psa 145:9 The LORD
is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
It is these same
ones who have that like precious faith, filled with the Holy Spirit,
who are to take part in restricting sin in this world!
2Th 2:7 For the
mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will
let, until he be taken out of the way.
Every lost soul that
returns to the Lord, has removed the sin he once had and walks in a
New Life.
There is a little
less sin in this world every time someone accepts the Lord Jesus
Christ as their personal Savior!
These things come by
the knowledge of the truth of God!
*****2Pe 1:2 Grace
and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of
Jesus our Lord,
How do we show God's
grace to others? We accept every "born again" child of God
into our Church family, no matter the history of their old life!
This is the
difference in living under God's grace than being in God's grace.
If they are a child
of God, then they are our brother or sister in Christ!
As Christians we
have all received the undeserved favor of God. We cannot earn God's
favor. We absolutely do not deserve any of the things God so freely
gives us, but through His Son He will give us all a little part of
Heaven!
The only thing we
deserve from our God is "judgment"!
These are the exact
same things we are to do for all our Christian family, except to
"judge". All judgment will come from the Lord.
God has made it
possible for us to experience His "grace" rather than His
"judgment"!
What is so great
about being in the grace of God?
Rom 8:1 There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
It is in our body
where we can feel the loving grace of God by the things that He does
for us.
Php 4:19 But my God
shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ
Jesus.
It is in our mind
that we can have that peace that cannot be understood by this world!
Rom_15:13 Now the
God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may
abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Php_4:7 And the
peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus.
The Lord Jesus
Christ not only gives us these things upon our faith, but He actually
multiplies them!
He gives us an
abundance and then gives is us even more!
Jesus does this so
we can share that grace and that peace of God with everyone we come
in contact with!
We cannot receive
these things until we know the Lord as our Savior and these things
are added as we learn more about Him!
If Jesus Christ is
your Lord, then He is your God!
Jesus Christ is life
and the giver of life!
Jesus Christ is God
and the giver of godliness.
Jesus Christ is
righteous and the giver of righteousness.
If you have any
gift, then it came from God.
All things necessary
for life are given by the Lord Jesus Christ!
*****2Pe 1:3
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that
hath called us to glory and virtue:
We should have no
fear in this world because the Lord has already given to us all
things that are necessary for our salvation.
There is nothing
related to our eternal life with Him that He will hold back!
God has given to us
all things necessary for our "spiritual life" and He will
never take any of those things away from us!
We cannot lose our
salvation once we have truly accepted that Jesus Christ is the
Messiah and our Savior!!!!!!!!!!!!
We must not be
deceived by those who teach something different from this truth.
The gifts of God are
eternal!!!!!!!
He has called us to
glory:
God has revealed
Himself in a glorious blessing to those who love Him!
Rom 8:18 For I
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the
earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of
the sons of God.
God has revealed His
entire program to the Church!
Gal 3:22 But the
scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of
Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23 But before
faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which
should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore
the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might
be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after
that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26 For ye are
all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
God has called us to
virtue:
Virtue can best be
understood as living under the powerful influence of the Lord Jesus
Christ!
Virtue is the good
life that comes from being Christians in the complete will of God.
Gal_6:14 But God
forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Php_4:8 Finally,
brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever
things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be
any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
We cannot know what
living for Christ is all about, unless we study the Scriptures!
It is only in the
Scriptures that we can learn of the great and precious promises given
to us as gifts from God!
*****2Pe 1:4
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that
by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped
the corruption that is in the world through lust.
These are powerful
Scriptures and we need to take heed to what they say!
God's promises are
His assurance that we will receive His blessings!
God's promises are
divine: Which means they come from God our divine Creator, who by the
way was the Lord Jesus Christ.
God's promises are
suitable for all our situations as believers.
God's promises are
clear!
God's promises are
certain!
When we understand
the promises of God and live accordingly, we will be partakers of His
divine nature!
Eph 4:21 If so be
that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is
in Jesus:
Eph 4:22 That ye
put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is
corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be
renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that
ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness
and true holiness.
This is the only
means of escaping the corruption of this world and this corruption
comes by our own lust and our foolish pride!
1Jn_2:16 For all
that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the
world.
These are the things
that we as Christians must flee from, to escape the corruption of
this world!
The seed of
corruption is caused from sin and by the Lord Jesus Christ we are
made free from sin!
The Grace of God
comes by His divine power, His resources are infinite, and His
promises are sure and since He can never die His promises cannot
expire!
When we have that
peace of God because of our faith and the multiplied grace of God
because of our faith, then and only then can we grow in the Lord!
*****2Pe 1:5 And
beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to
virtue knowledge;
In short virtue is
the effect that knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior
has had on our lives. So if we add to this virtue Peter is saying
that we are to have that same effect on all others.
We should be so much
like Jesus Christ that others want to be like Him to!
Virtue is the very
best part of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is His eternal being!
The three virtues of
each Christian are bound up in faith, hope and charity.
1Co 13:13 And now
abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these
is charity.
Our own virtue must
be based on all the things of Jesus Christ!
Being diligent means
to must guard ourselves against any defilement!
Heb 12:15 Looking
diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of
bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Being diligent means
we must search our heart to be sure of our confession of faith.
Psa 77:6 I call to
remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and
my spirit made diligent search.
Every Saint of God
must have diligence!
2Co 8:7 Therefore,
as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge,
and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in
this grace also.
2Co 8:8 I speak not
by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to
prove the sincerity of your love.
The one most
important thing is that we know without a doubt that we are saved and
are "Born Again"!
Then and only then
can we add to our virtue, knowledge!
Knowledge is a gift
of God by the Holy Spirit as are all gifts. Knowledge is closely
related to wisdom and refers to our ability to properly understand
the truths revealed in the Scriptures.
The knowledge of God
is possible because He has revealed Himself to us and it requires our
faith, the grace of God, the peace we have in knowing God and then
our own virtue in being like Christ Jesus.
The sanctification
process of each saint of God is a step by step process and is
processed and led by the Holy Spirit who dwells within each of us.
It is after this
knowledge that we are able to temperance.
*****2Pe 1:6 And to
knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience
godliness;
**Temperance means
we have the power within ourselves to defend our faith and virtue in
the Lord. We have self-control over the acts of our body!
Temperance means we
have mastered our passions that would lead us to sin! Temperance
means we have realized that the "grace" of self-control
comes because of the presence of the Holy Spirit who lives within us
and who is our strength.
By the Holy Spirit
we can have control of our rebellious desires!
I used to drink and
smoke and commit other sin, but I just do not want to anymore,
because I have temperance.
These things also
work for me, because I also have patience!
**Patience. There is
what we call inactive patience and active patience. We must have
active patience!
We cannot just sit
back and put up with the trials of life, taking them one by one as
they come!
We must stand up and
face the trials of life head-on! We must conquer the trials of life
and make them useful for us and not be against us!
We must understand
that God allows the trials of our life so we can grow and be strong
in the defense of the "Gospel".
Heb 10:35 Cast not
away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of
reward.
Heb 10:36 For ye
have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye
might receive the promise.
Heb 10:37 For yet a
little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Heb 10:38 Now the
just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall
have no pleasure in him.
Heb 10:39 But we
are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that
believe to the saving of the soul.
Jas 1:2 My
brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Jas 1:3 Knowing
this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Jas 1:4 But let
patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire,
wanting nothing.
We must remember
that all our trials borne with patience, will end in triumph!
Rom 2:7 To them who
by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and
immortality, eternal life:
to continue our
Christian growth having added temperance and patience we must then
add godliness.
The Lord would not
have put these things in a specific order if it were not the best for
us!
**Godliness includes
all things necessary for our Christian life!
1Ti 4:8 For bodily
exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all
things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is
to come.
1Ti 4:9 This is a
faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
Whatsoever is needed
for life is given to us by Jesus Christ and the Lord longs for us to
have an abundant life.
This life that is
given to us is to be lived the way God intended and God intended for
us to live godly lives!
Godliness means we
are to live in awe of our Creator and our Lord!
Godliness means that
we are so aware of God's presence in our lives, that we live as He
would live in our circumstances.
Even after this God
says we still need to add some things.
*****2Pe 1:7 And to
godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
We must possess that
brotherly kindness. The very special love that exists between
brothers and sisters in a loving family.
These are brothers
and sisters who truly cherish one another.
This is to be what
family is all about.
It is to be the same
for all our Christian brothers and sisters in Christ!
Those who have
brotherly love have been "Born Again" by the Holy Spirit,
and therefore we all have the same Father.
The great example of
this is when Mary the mother of the Lord, when the Holy Spirit came
upon her and she was overshadowed and she was with child, the baby
Jesus.
Each of us, the
children of God have a new Spirit that binds us to one another in a
love greater than all families because we have become the family of
God!
We may not even know
all our brothers and sisters in Christ, but these are the ones we
will spend eternity with!
We have a new
Spirit, we have a new Family, because we are bound together by the
Holy Spirit into "Brotherly Love" for one another!
1Jn 3:14 We know
that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the
brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
But there is even
more we cannot stop here we must add Charity!
In our English
language we do not have a definition of love that comes close to the
love of God. That word "Charity" is the closest word that
even comes close to what the love of God really means.
Charity is the
greatest of the three Christian graces.
Faith, hope, and
charity!
How can we describe
charity?
1Co 13:4 Charity
suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth
not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 Doth not
behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth
not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7 Beareth
all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all
things.
1Co 13:8 Charity
never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail;
whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be
knowledge, it shall vanish away.
Charity is as close
as we will get to perfection upon this earth and then only if we
include all these other things that Peter has mentioned in these
Scriptures.
Col 3:12 Put on
therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,
kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Col 3:13 Forbearing
one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel
against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Col 3:14 And above
all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
If we cannot do our
best to show the love of God, then we are failing in our walk with
the Lord!
If we have that true
love of God in our hearts, but for some reason this does not show in
the way we live and the way we give, then we need to try harder!
The Agape love of
God loves regardless of feelings, (whether we feel like loving or
not).
The Agape love of
God loves even if that person does not deserve our love.
The Agape love of
God loves even that person who is utterly unworthy of our love.
The Agape love of
God, gives and gives and gives and does not stop giving love!
What did Jesus say?
Mat 22:37 Jesus
said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is
the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the
second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these
two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
All the Word of God
is about the love of God, and we are to be God's example of His love
for one another!
These are all the
things that are to be in us if we are God's children.
*****2Pe 1:8 For if
these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall
neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
When it is all said
and done, all these things are the "fruit" of the Holy
Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Php_1:19 For I know
that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the
supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
These things must be
added to our lives and not only that, but these things must "abound"
in our lives!
This is the answer
to the question, "what does it mean to grow in Christ Jesus"?
We have to grow and
grow and grow, reaching out for the perfection of Jesus Christ!
Psa 1:1 Blessed is
the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth
in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psa 1:2 But his
delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate
day and night.
Psa 1:3 And he
shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth
forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and
whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
As we continue in
this Psalm, we see these words:
Psa 1:4 The ungodly
are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Psa 1:5 Therefore
the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the
congregation of the righteous.
Psa 1:6 For the
LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly
shall perish.
*****2Pe 1:9 But he
that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath
forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
What is the bleak
picture of all those who do not grow in Jesus Christ?
Remember Peter is
writing to the Church.
When we do not grow
in Christ, we become Spiritually blind!
Short sighted in all
the things of God!
Where is the
modern-day church? Short sighted in the truth of God!
We will lack in the
true purpose of why God leaves us here after He has saved us!
It is possible for
us to be forgiven of our sins and not be in the will of God and not
growing in Christ!
In fact this
describes many a house of God today!
When we were first
saved, we had a clear vision of seeking the things of God, but
because we have not grown, we have lost that vision and in reality,
are of very little use to the plan of God! Many will even hinder the
plan of God!
When we forget that
we have already been purged from our old sins, we are just one step
away from returning to those sins!
It is impossible
that we have not seen good Christians who have neglected to grow in
Christ and have lost their understanding of the truth of God!
Walk the streets of
America and you will see they are everywhere!
Heb 6:4 For it is
impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of
the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have
tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6 If they
shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they
crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open
shame.
It is in our best
interest to make sure that we have been called by the conviction of
Holy Spirit, and have answered that call with true repentance and
true faith!
*****2Pe 1:10
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling
and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
2Pe 1:11 For so an
entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting
kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
What is diligence?
The Apostle Paul
said it like this:
Php 3:13 Brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto
those things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus.
Php 3:15 Let us
therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing
ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
You see, if we do
all these things just as the Holy Spirit has revealed them to the
Apostle Peter, we cannot fail in our walk with the Lord and we will
be in the perfect will of God the Father.
If we have truly
elected to be in the family of God, we will not have a problem in
seeking all these things for ourselves.
Most all of us have
stumbled in our Christian walk, and if we want to stop stumbling then
here is God's answer!
If we have been
coming up short in our walk with the Lord, then here is God's answer!
If we have been
falling when we should have been running the race of God, then here
is God's answer!
If we live a life of
sorrows, then we can make this life we have to be a joyful life if we
take these things just as they have been written to us and act on
them with diligence!
God makes these
things easy for us, because this is the reason the Holy Spirit is
living inside us!
We must need to be
diligent in seeking these things!
Our walk with the
Lord requires our personal effort!
Our salvation is the
gift of God, after we have shown faith and this first bit of faith,
He will even provide.
After accepting the
Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, it is then we begin that
race that the Apostle Paul so speaks of.
Abundance means
riches. We will live a rich Christian life, not in monetary gains,
but Spiritual gains here on earth and then enjoy the riches of Heaven
that cannot even be described!
The reality of these
things is that they are eternal!
The Kingdom of God
is real!
Mat 25:34 Then
shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world:
Mat 25:35 For I was
an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36 Naked,
and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison,
and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37 Then
shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an
hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Our life in Christ
can be the best life we have while we are still living and then we
will go to live in the actual home of God!
Amen
Let's us pray!
