II Peter 1:1-4
The responsibility of Grace
“Would you open your Bibles with me to...”
2Pet. 1:1 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:
2Pet. 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
2Pet. 1:3 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,
2Pet. 1:4 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.
Pray
Into
√ Peter's purpose
The main purpose of Peter's second letter, like that of his first, is to establish and build the faith of those who have trusted in Jesus - even as the Lord had commanded him.
“…and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” - Luke 22:32
He does so with the message of God's Grace.
1st Peter - the sufficiency of God's Grace
2nd Peter - the responsibilities of God's Grace
That is, no person can claim that God's Grace can keep him while willfully disobeying God's law of Grace.
Ex. I can do anything I want to do because God's Grace will cover my sin!
Both Paul and Peter reject that position and call Christians to use God's Grace, not as a license to sin, but as a motive to serve!
√ A second purpose
To equip Christians against Satan's most powerful weapon - deceit (false doctrine).
1st Peter - dealing with perils threatening the spiritual life of the Church from without - persecution.
Comes as a lion - easy to discern because it's an attack on the physical plain.
2nd Peter - dealing with perils threatening the spiritual life of the individual believer from within - false teaching and sin.
Comes as a serpent - difficult to discern because it's an attack on the spiritual plain.
Both messages are needed today as the world moves ever closer to the return of Christ…
…bringing with that glorious event the last desperate attempt by Satan to destroy as many people as he can.
Ap. We're living in the Last Days - Satan has his eye on you - Peter tells us how to protect ourselves from Satan's attacks!
God's Servant (vs. 1a)
2Pet. 1:1a 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:
√ A bondservant
Peter's second letter begins almost exactly as did his first, with one notable addition, he adds…
"bondservant" (NKJV)
…to his introduction!
"Bondservant" ("servant") = doulos doo'-los; a slave
That is, Peter identified himself as one who was owned by another, one who did not follow his own will, but rather, his Master's will.
Peter had come to the place in his life in which he finally realized that the greatest calling in life is to do the Lord's will!
We know that wasn't always the way Peter lived his life! The Gospel accounts are full of Peter's attempt to do it "his way"; to be the center of attention; desired the greatest authority, etc.
Now, near the end of his life, at the height of his apostolic authority, Peter viewed himself as Christ's servant first…
…and His apostle second!
He'd come a long way since he and the other disciples had argued over who was the greatest!
Ap. Whatever else God calls you to do, remember, you are always a servant first!
Whether you're the next Billy Graham, or the next senator
from
…you must always remember that you're a servant of the Lord first!
Because an arrogant, self-important, esteem of oneself does not reflect the mind of Christ.
Ex. First qualification for ministry here at Calvary Chapel!
When looking for leaders, men and women who can be trusted with title and authority, we look for those who want to serve others.
“But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant."
Matt. 23:11
We're all called to be a servant of God.
√ God's gift to you
Note the next part of vs. 1…
"To those who have obtained like precious faith with us"
That is, the audience to whom Peter is writing are those, like us, who have believed in Jesus for salvation.
What we miss in our English translations, however, is that God's Grace, which was the theme of Peter's first letter, is also the prevalent theme of his second!
"obtained" = lagchano lang-khan'-o
"To obtain by lot"
That is, the salvation, which we have received, was not earned, it is a gift!
Peter drives the point home by describing our salvation experience as being just like his (and the other apostles) with the words…
"like precious" = isotimon ee-sot'-ee-mos
"honor, or value"
It's a word used to describe foreigners who had been granted the privileges of citizenship…
…equal to those who were native-born!
The point? Peter is telling us that the faith given us by God is no different than the faith that he and the other apostles had been given!
Believers stand on an equal footing with one another.
No second-class citizens in the KOG!
Each of us granted faith of equal honor and privilege by God.
In short, Peter reminds us that we are all saved by God's Grace. Not one of us earned our way, not one us deserves God's gift of salvation.
Ap. Beware of those who claim to have "special revelation"
Peter will spend a whole chapter in this letter dealing with false teachers and lays the foundation for his instruction here in vs. 1 by refuting the doctrine of Gnostics.
Beware - they're still with us!
Ex. Christian Science, Mormon, to name a few
So, you have the same gift of faith - the same salvation - the same gift of God - that Peter had.
God's Son (vs. 1b)
√ Jesus is God
2Pet. 1:1b 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:
This part of Peter's introduction is also very similar to his first letter in that he affirms the deity of Jesus.
Note vs. 2 of 1st Peter…
"…elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:"
In his first letter Peter mentions each member of the Trinity and their unique ministry to humankind.
A less than blunt way of communicating the mystery of God - One God manifest in Three Persons.
But, when he gets to his second letter Peter is now concerned with the false teachings that were threatening the spiritual health of the Christians to whom he was writing.
Ex. That Jesus was not God in human flesh (Gnostics)
So, the "fisherman" in him comes out and declares the mystery of the Trinity in such a plain way that you can't miss his meaning!
"by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ"
Please understand that the Greek here is very clear - Jesus is being described as both "God" and "Savior".
Ap. A great text for sharing with your J.W. visitors as they haven't changed it in their New World Translation.
Other proof texts for the deity of Christ which they haven't changed.
John
And…
Titus
So, the Bible is clear that Jesus is God in human flesh!
God's Blessings (vs. 2)
2Pet. 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
√ Grace and Peace
If you're familiar with the New Testament then you'll recognize these this benediction, or greeting.
Grace = Greek salutation
Peace = Hebrew salutation (shalom)
Peter, Paul, and the other apostles adopted both as a means of communicating that God's message of Grace was to all people…
…both Jew and Gentile.
But, more than just a greeting to open a letter with, please note that it is Peter's blessing for the lives of those who would read his letter!
That is, that you and I would experience God's Grace and Peace in our lives!
In fact, that His Grace and Peace would be multiplied in our personal experience!
Sounds great! Who here wants to experience more of God's Grace and Peace?
Note that Peter tells us how we can make God's Grace and Peace a reality in our lives.
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,"
Do you see that? We gain God's Grace and Peace through a personal relationship with Jesus!
As we grow in our knowledge of Jesus, His Grace and Peace become more and more a part of our experience!
So, if you want more of God's Grace and Peace in your life (and who doesn't!) then get to know Jesus better!
God's Word (vs. 3-4)
2Pet. 1:3 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,
2Pet. 1:4 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.
√ God's Word is sufficient
In addition to God's Grace and Peace, Peter tells us that all that we need for life and godliness is gained by the same means…
"through the knowledge of Him"
That is, all that a person needs to know to live in a way that is pleasing to God, and in a way so that they can get along in life…
…is found in His Word!
Remember, Peter is writing to strengthen and encourage Christians against the spiritual conflicts from within.
Ex. False doctrine and temptation to return to sin
What has God given us to combat these enemies of our soul?
His Word!
Please note that Peter tells us in vs. 3 & 4 that God's power, His promises, and all that we need for life and godliness, are found in the Bible!
In short, God's Word is sufficient for every problem that we face in life.
Tells us how to please God and experience satisfaction
Tells us how to interact with other people
Tells us how to handle our time, talent & treasure
Tells us how to raise our kids
Tells us how to have a great marriage
The truth is that the Bible is God's instruction manual for life!
The problem is that most people don't read it!
Look with me at one more section of scripture.
2Tim.
2Tim.
Everything you and I need to know to be a man/woman of God…
Complete
Thoroughly equipped for every good work
…can be found in His Word!
Ap. False doctrine all around us
Ex. Rise of cults and false religion
It's no coincidence that the rapid rise in false religions and cults in the last 150 years is directly paralleled by a decline in the knowledge of God's Word.
The Church today is weak and ineffective because by and large most Christian churches don't teach the Bible any more.
Ex. Most seminaries only require one semester of Bible for pastors! Hey, if the pastor hasn't read the whole Bible how can he teach the people in his church!?
Ap. Hey, do you want…
To experience more of God's Grace and Peace?
To be better able to handle the pressure and stress of life?
To be a person whom others like to be around?
To be a better parent, spouse, etc.?
To protect yourself from Satan's attacks - false doctrine?
…it's yours for the taking!
Get into His Word.
Close
√ Can I challenge you today?
Without raising your hand let me ask you a question…
"Have you ever actually read through the Bible?"
…you've seen this morning that everything you need and want is in it - so the question comes to mind - why haven't you?
Pastor Raul writes in people's Bibles…
"This book will keep you from sin, sin will keep you from this book."
I want to challenge you to read through the Bible this year! It will change your life - guaranteed!
If you've already read through it - I'll bet you're not an expert yet - so read it again!
√ The Bible is God's defense against false teachings which are designed to rob you of the work of God's Grace in your life.