NOVEMBER 11, 2012
· Peter's primary concern was to counteract the work of false teachers and the immoral life-style which resulted from their teaching.
· In this text, Peter tells us of the graces that should be added to our faith.
· As Christians, we are to make a strong human effort to expand qualities in our lives which have been given us by Christ's power.
· To appropriate the gift of Christ into life is an obligation and requires our best efforts in cooperation with God's grace and power.
1. DEFINE YOUR EXPERIENCE (2 PETER 1:1-11)
1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
· Not all believers can be apostles, but all can be and are servants of Jesus Christ.
· God gives special honor to His servants.
· It is clear that Peter is less interested in where the believers lived than what they had in common - a " faith of the same kind as ours "
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
· This is the desire or wish of the apostle, who knew that grace is a gift from God and that peace flows from grace.
· It is increased to us, or multiplied, through “knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”.'
· The bible teaches that that knowledge comes from the scriptures!
· You can sit under good teaching and preaching; but, there is no substitute to personal study of God’s word!
· If I wish to know Jesus Christ as my Saviour, I must have an intellectual and an experimental knowledge of Him.
· By reading the Scriptures I learn about His birth, ministry, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and the promise of His return.
· However, I must also know Jesus Christ through the personal experiences of answered prayer, the strengthening of faith, the evident blessings of the Lord and the assurance that I am doing the will of God.
· Like Enoch, who daily walked with God, I confide in Jesus and thus know Him more and more.
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
· This is an amazing statement, for it tells us that all things that we need for life and godliness is given to us by the Lord Jesus through His divine power.
· By obeying God's will in our lives we practice godliness and experience the possession of eternal life here and now.
4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
· The reason that God grants His promises to us!
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
· Peter now lists the progressive qualities the Christian must have to lead a spiritually productive and effective life - faith heads the list.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
· Our lack of enthusiasm will eventually lead us to doubt that we were ever really saved.
2 Corinthians 13:5
5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?
NASB
10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
NASB
· In these verses (5-11), the apostle comes to the chief thing intended in this epistle.
· To excite, to encourage, to motivate the readers to advance in grace and living a holy life!
· This is necessary for spiritual growth for we have already obtained faith and been made partakers of the divine nature.
· If we would make any progress in religion then we must be very diligent and determined in our efforts!
· Those who are slothful in the business of spiritual growth will make nothing of it
2. DEFER TO EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY (2 PETER 1:12-18)
12 Therefore, I shall always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. 13 And I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you may be able to call these things to mind. 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased" — 18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
NASB
· Peter informs us that he is about to leave his physical body and enter the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ
· But before he departs, he wants to be absolutely sure that we know the truth.
· Knowing that he would not be with them much longer, he felt called upon to stir up these saints to grow in grace.
· The contents of this letter serve as a reminder of the truth of God's revelation.
· We are sometimes lulled to sleep, as if we are living in peace while the spiritual warfare against Satan and his cohorts is raging all around us.
· The time to waken our minds comes at least once a week on the Lord's day when God, through His servants, addresses us in the worship service.
· Another time is when we quietly study the Scriptures, alone in a quiet time, to learn of God's Truth and will for us individually.
· Peter wanted to make us conscious of the authority and importance of God's Truth.
3. DEPEND ON INSPIRED SCRIPTURE (2 PETER 1:19-21)
19 And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
NASB
· For Peter, Scripture is God's revelation to man and not man's description of God. For him the written Word of God is indisputably trustworthy.
· Generally speaking, Peter is referring to the entire Word of God. God was able to transmit His complete will and Word through the men who wrote the Scriptures.
· Mature Christians have long since passed the stage when they wanted the Bible proved to them.
· No Scripture is to be interpreted apart from other references to the same subject. While it is wonderful to have one marvelous verse of Scripture, if it tells a great truth, there will be at least two or three verses and usually a whole chapter on it somewhere in the Bible.
· The Holy Spirit directs each seeking believer into a clearer understanding of Scripture.
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