1 John 4:4 - You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
Romans 5:20 - The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more…
Romans 15:13 - Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 20:28-31 - Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
“Second Peter (along with Jude) is viewed by some as the ‘dark corner’ of the New Testament. As a result, it is not often preached, studied, discussed, or quoted. The book is even neglected in scholarly circles, where critics dismiss it as a pseudonymous (forged) letter, unworthy of serious study. But the church of Jesus Christ ignores this epistle at its peril. After all, Peter wrote it to help believers face a world filled with subtle spiritual deception. Knowing that his death was imminent (1:14), the apostle wanted to remind his readers of the truths he had already taught them, so that those truths would continue to safeguard them after he was gone (v. 15). Peter also knew that the deadly threat of false teachers loomed large on the horizon; he wanted to expose the apostates in order to expel their demon doctrines from the church.” (John MacArthur, Commentary on 2 Peter and Jude, p. 1)
2 Peter 1:12 - Therefore, I will 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.
3 truths to remember and apply diligently to grow in godliness and avoid false teaching
I. Remember You Have Received the Same Kind of Faith – vv. 1-2
v. 1 – a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ…
A. By the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ
2 Peter 1:1 - …To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ…
This immensely important doctrine of imputed righteousness is at the very heart of the Christian gospel. Salvation is a gift from God at all points. Both the faith to believe and the righteousness to satisfy God’s holiness come from Him. On the cross Christ bore the full wrath of God against all the sins of those who would believe (2 Cor. 5:18–19). Those sins were imputed to Christ so that God could impute to believers all the righteousness that was His. His righteousness fully covers the redeemed, as the prophet Isaiah beautifully expresses it, “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isa. 61:10) (John MacArthur, p. 23)
2 Peter 2:1 - But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
B. Grace and peace multiplied in knowing God
2 Peter 1:2 - Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord…
“Therefore the knowledge is not simply intellectual (knowing things about God and Jesus), or even personal in the sense of having met someone, but knowledge that results in ethical living.” (Peter H. Davids, The Letters of 2 Peter and Jude, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, 165-166)
II. Remember You Possess All the Resources Needed for Growth in Christ – vv. 3-4
2 Peter 2:1-2 - But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned…
A. The source of your growth
v. 3 – His divine power
v. 3 – by His own glory and excellence
Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
B. The extent of your provision
v. 3 – has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness
Ephesians 1:18-20 - I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places…
C. The purpose of your resources
v. 3 – life and godliness
v. 4 – you may become partakers of the divine nature
v. 4 – having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust
D. The means for you to grow
v. 3 – through the true knowledge of Him who called us
2 Timothy 1:12 - For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.
v. 4 – He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Ephesians 1:13 - In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise…
John 10:28-29 - …and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
Hebrews 13:5 - …I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you…
2 Corinthians 5:8 - …we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
Psalm 23:6 - Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
III. Remember Your Responsibilities to Grow in Godliness – vv. 5-15
A. Apply all diligence
v. 5 – applying all diligence
v. 10 – be all the more diligent
v. 15 – I will also be diligent
B. Supply and increase the needed qualities for growth in your faith.
2 Peter 1:8 - 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.
C. Make certain his calling and choosing you
2 Peter 1:10-11 - 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; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
D. Call to mind the truth you have been taught by others.
2 Peter 1:12-15 - Therefore, I will 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. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.
Good morning, Faith. I would invite you to turn with me to 2 Peter 1. The only way to wet our spiritual appetites is to read verses 1-15, which will set the framework for our exposition of God’s Word to us this morning.
Most of you may be familiar with the backdrop of Peter’s letter and his circumstances for writing the things that he did, but I want to provide a brief summary for you so as to get things started and then provide for us some contemporary implications in terms of how this plays out in in our day in age.
Let me start off by reminding you that the Apostle wrote his letter under the fires of persecution because of he and the church’s faith in Jesus Christ.
And as a consequence of their faith in Christ alone, the church was severely persecuted and scattered – but that’s not all – not only did you have false the fires of persecution taking shape outside the church you had the infiltration of false doctrine from within the church.
So Peter calls them to action to live their Christian life with steady persistence, and whatever you do, don’t toss out your confidence in Christ due to the perplexity of the pressures you are facing from those who are seeking to overthrow your faith in Him.
In our contemporary setting, most notably in our secular market place, it’s inevitable that we’re going to find ourselves stepping into a smorgasbord of ideas/ideologies that are, in all intensive purposes, against what the Scriptures teaches on an array of matters pertaining to life and death – how to live one’s life or what is the purpose to life itself – what is truth – to each is own, ad infinitum.
Our world is incredibly pluralistic, yes? And the children of pluralism, apart from the divine revelation of Scripture, produce unregenerate ideas or thoughts that we would categorize as the spirit of the age. Scripture however, calls it something else. The Apostle described this kind of thinking the “course of this world.” (Ephesians 2:1-2)
That is to say, the unregenerate world is headed toward a particular course or trajectory because of where its thinking is taking them…
And this thinking is antithetical to the divine revelation of God’s Word – it is apposed to the face of Christ. And as a footnote to that, the Apostle John described the course of the world’s thinking in his day as coming from the spirit of the antichrist, from the Grk word Anti – meaning “apposed” or “in place of.”
In other words, this kind of thinking is apposed to Christ. This kind of thinking is apposed to the words of Christ. This kind of thinking if apposed to the divine revelation, that is the Word of God.
…so I hope that our thinking and behavior approximates what the Word of God teaches in matters pertaining to life and godliness. Because if our thinking and behavior doesn’t reflect that kind of growing lifestyle, then may I submit to you today that God will not allow you to live in two worlds.
You will either reflect a life that is seeing eye to eye with Christ, or you will reflect a life that is apposed to the face of Christ.
“Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
In other words, our way of living is chain linked to our thoughts. This is by design. Good and proper teaching will have its affect. False teaching too will have its expected results too.
So where are you and I in all of this? I say all of that to say this: Can we agree that one of the
greatest dangers facing any Christian, or any Christian family, or any Christian church – is the
possibility of adopting some form of false teaching? Again, the kind of thinking that is apposed
to the face of Christ?
Recently the Gospel Coalition published an article entitled
“Transformation of a Transgender Teen”
It began like this…
Eva was in a church luncheon when she got an email from her 12-year-old daughter Grace.
(Their names have been changed.) “Mom and Dad, I need to tell you I’m not actually a girl,”
she read. “My pronouns are they/them.”
Eva couldn’t breathe. She felt like she’d been punched in the gut. She hadn’t seen this
coming—in fact, a few months before, Grace had shared on social media her belief that God
created people male and female. Back then, Eva was sure that statement was going to earn
Grace—who attended a progressive public school—some social problems. Instead, it seemed
to blow over right away. “I would’ve gotten bullied,” said Grace, who is now 16. “Instead,
they decided to reeducate me. I got invited to groups where all they wanted to talk about
was the transgender stuff. Over the course of a few months, I decided I was going to be
agender. And then I ended up deciding I was a boy.” Grace was experiencing what is often
called “rapid-onset gender dysphoria,” in which friendship groups begin to experience similar
gender questions at the same time. One in five Gen Z Americans now identify as LGBT+,
double the number of millennials (one in 10) and quadruple the number of Gen X Americans
(about one in 20). A surprising number of them—40 percent of Gen Z and millennials—also
identify as religious. Increasingly, Christian pastors, youth pastors, and parents are fielding
questions and declarations from young people examining their own gender or sexual
orientation.
Perhaps some of you may be thinking that you would rather discuss in church about anything in
the world other than topics like that…
Well, I would rather not talking about it either. But when the course of this world enters the
church we cannot bury our heads individually or corporately as a church and hope discussions
like this will go away.
And this is just one of the many ideologies swirling around in our culture, and there comes a
time in which issues like this must be addressed to God’s people in the church to warn them
against embracing the kind of thinking from the world that is against Christ and the teachings of
His Word, and knowing how to properly respond to false teaching is one of the privileges and
responsibilities of every follower of Jesus Christ.
We are not to embrace the course/trajectory of this world. We are not to embrace the false
teachings of this world. We are not to embrace a false way of Living that runs contrary to the
teachings of Christ – we are to embrace the truth.
Our theme for this year has been Hope for Everyday Life…you might say, David – how is
that…hopeful…especially with an introduction like that? Well, if you have been born from
above, it follows that the course and trajectory of your thinking and living changes as a result
such that the Apostle John could say to God’s people that…
1 John 4:4 - You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because
greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
Romans 5:20 - The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but
where sin increased, grace abounded all the more
Romans 15:13 - Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
That is to say, once the Spirit takes residence in us upon salvation, it’s He who alters the course and trajectory of our lives.
Why? Because…
1 John 5:4-5 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”
Now, if that describes you, then it follows you won’t follow the spirit of the age – you won’t follow the course of this world because you follow a different course – a different trajectory by which God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. So…
Be an overcomer, you are heaven’s heir,
And a crown of life you may ever wear;
So with courage press the battle to the gates,
Till you gain the prize which in heaven waits.
With the time we have remaining, we have a new series we are introducing to you this
Morning called Growing in Grace and Knowledge
So what I want to do is organize these verses around that key idea of being reminded by this
dear apostle facing imminent death. Yes, Peter wrote this from prison…and he is waiting to die
for his faith. He’s allowed to write, but he doesn’t write concerning his own circumstances, but
warning the church against false teachers that have crept in unaware.
This is not too different from Paul’s admonishing before his death when he warned God’s
People
Acts 20:28–31 - Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
That’s what Peter is dealing with…John MacArthur said that…
Second Peter (along with Jude) is viewed by some as the “dark corner” of the New Testament. As a result, it is not often preached, studied, discussed, or quoted. The book is even neglected in scholarly circles, where critics dismiss it as a pseudonymous (forged) letter, unworthy of serious study. But the church of Jesus Christ ignores this epistle at its peril. After all, Peter wrote it to help believers face a world filled with subtle spiritual deception. Knowing that his death was imminent (1:14), the apostle wanted to remind his readers of the truths he had already taught them, so that those truths would continue to safeguard them after he was gone (v. 15). Peter also knew that the deadly threat of false teachers loomed large on the horizon; he wanted to expose the apostates in order to expel their demon doctrines from the church (John MacArthur, Commentary on 2 Peter and Jude, p. 1).
We’re not going to be a church that overlooks this letter because it makes us feel uncomfortable. We understand that the verity of God’s Word is the only way to be best prepared to face false teaching by first reminding us of the beauty and power and purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ in verses 1-15 (that’s what we’re focusing on today)…
and the sufficiently of the Word of God in verses 16-21 (Lord willing that’s what we’ll
study next week). Then and only then will he attack false teaching head on…but not as an end
in itself…because the book will end with a rallying cry for the church as we seek to grow in
the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ…
because if we’re tasting the delicious fruit of progressive sanctification – the natural and
expected product of our salvation – then the temptation to dabble in false teaching will
lose its appeal…for ourselves, and those we’re trying to impact…
So this morning we’re looking at 2 Peter 1:1-15, and rejoining because our God has
given us…You Have Everything You Need.
The Apostle said that to God’s people that he…
2 Peter 1:12 - Therefore, I will 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.
Let’s look at…
3 truths to remember and apply diligently to grow in godliness and avoid false teaching.
I. Remember You Have Received the Same Kind of Faith – vv. 1-2
Right out of the gate, Peter refers to himself as…
v. 1 – a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ…
Why did he introduce himself that way? Because he readily understood, like you and I should,
he was redeemed and that he belonged to another…
Alistair Begg said it well…
When a person recognizes that in Your righteousness, there is life, there is an instantaneous
Change that takes place in the life of that person. It is not an inner moral transformation that
takes place. It is a change of status. By nature, I am under God’s wrath. I have no possibility of
extricating myself from the predicament, save that the power of the Gospel breaks into my life
and is revealed to me, not simply as an intellectual capacity, not simply as an idea, not simply as a notion, but as a life transforming reality.
That’s why when we sing for example “oh perfect redemption the purchase of blood, to every believer the promise of God; the vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.” No longer now under the wrath of God. Now, under the righteousness that is being provided.”
A. By the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ
It’s the centrality and necessity of comprehending the Gospel and why we believe what we
believe and understand the depths of Christ and the precepts of His Word is the best protection
against false teaching and the course of this world.
2 Peter 1:1 - …To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the
righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
This immensely important doctrine of imputed righteousness is at the very
heart of the Christian gospel. Salvation is a gift from God at all points. Both
the faith to believe and the righteousness to satisfy God’s holiness come
from Him. On the cross Christ bore the full wrath of God against all the sins
of those who would believe (2 Cor. 5:18–19). Those sins were imputed to
Christ so that God could impute to believers all the righteousness that was
His. His righteousness fully covers the redeemed, as the prophet Isaiah
beautifully expresses it, “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult
in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has
wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself
with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isa. 61:10)
(John MacArthur, p. 23).
The longer people like you and me reflect on the grace that was necessary to secure our redemption…from whom?...from our Lord…from our Master…the One to who we joyfully submit ourselves as slaves.
The less likely we’ll be attracted to some false teaching that tickles our ears about the nature of
our gender, or the nature of our bodies, or the nature of our sexuality…that often-times is
simply rebellion against His creative design…
and please just peek over at what Peter is eventually going to say about these false
teachers in chapter 2…
2 Peter 2:1 - But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will
also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive
heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction
upon themselves.
Either our Creator God made us male and female, or He didn’t… and that’s either proven…not by your feelings, or your subjective experience…but by biological and genetic reality.
The gospel of Jesus Christ should humble us…the common belief that we all share as
followers of Jesus Christ…that we desperately needed a Savior and desperately
needed a Lord…and His teaching about our bodies is what we are going to seek to
joyfully follow, without apology, regardless of what the spirit of the age might say…
With the apostle Paul, we would affirm
Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to
everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
B. Grace and peace multiplied in knowing God
False teaching will tear up a family…it will tear up a church…
but what happens to men and women who truly been impacted by the gospel…
2 Peter 1:2 - Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of
Jesus our Lord
One commentator said that…
“Therefore the knowledge is not simply intellectual (knowing things about God
and Jesus), or even personal in the sense of having met someone, but knowledge
that results in ethical living.” Peter H. Davids, The Letters of 2 Peter and Jude,
The Pillar New Testament Commentary, 165-166.
To put it simply, when a person’s thinking changes, so does their behavior change. The course
of his or her life changes…
- I had the honor of officiating Faith Christian‘s first varsity football game on Saturday night August 19. 2023. Coach Schale and his team are to be commended for showing amazing sportsmanship. All the players were very respectful and played the game the way it is intended to be. I also want to commend player number 40, his attitude was amazing, as he even asked me if I wanted him to pray for me for anything. These young men were a blessing to be around. Good luck with this season, thank you coach and staff for training and preparing these young men for real life.
II. Remember You Possess All the Resources Needed for Growth in Christ – vv. 3-4
Not only does the gospel of Jesus Christ save, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ sanctifies…it helps us change…to progressively become more and more like Jesus Christ…over time we can be made holy…re-made into His image…
And it is because we have everything we need pertaining to life and godliness, all the more reason to sing “My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim, to spread through all the earth abroad The honors of thy name.”
It’s not just the proclamation of the Gospel we share, but the message of a changed life to bear before a world that is opposed to the face of Christ.
The lie of the spirit of the age is that…you can’t…that’s the spirit of much of false teaching.
If you just peek over at chapter 2 again
2 Peter 2:1–2 - But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false
teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the
Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their
sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;
There’s the lie…and many who call themselves Christian will malign the very truth of the Gospel by conveying a lifestyle of sensuality, ultimately denying the Lordship of Christ over their lives.
The lie is that you can’t change…because in so doing, you would deny yourself…you would go against your feelings…and your feelings are what determine truth and reality for you…
It’s the old Invictus poem – I am the master of my fate, and the captain of my soul. I’m not at all suggesting that our feelings are not powerful – they are exceptionally powerful.
If you talk to someone experiencing gender dysphoria, they will report overwhelming feelings and significant experiences…and we should not automatically discount all of that…
Part of Christian compassion is listening carefully to another person’s experience…
and if a parent isn’t willing to do that, or a church isn’t willing to do that…guess who will?
The world will – the spirit of the age will.
The same is true with same sex attraction…that might not be your experience…you may have never felt that way…But we better to prepared to carefully listen to those who do life in this broken world can be confusing and complex.
However, the message of Scripture is that we are much more than our feelings…
And truly surrendering to the Lordship of Christ – the Master of our fate and rightful
Captain of our soul…he has by his Spirit destroyed the works of the Devil.
We can now think, and speak, and act in ways that honor His truth, and His reality…and Peter
says – remember all the resources you possess to grow in Christ…including.
A. The source of your growth
v. 3 – His divine power
v. 3 – by His own glory and excellence
False teaching and false teachers can’t offer any of that…
and when a follower of Jesus Christ turns to this source of truth and enablement, delightful change can occur.
We had a gentleman give a membership testimony not that long ago where he shared, not because he had to but because he wanted to, that he experiences same sex attraction…
but he understands that in order to honor his Lord Jesus Christ with his heart and his body…he must not and will not act on those desires…
It took an incredible amount of courage for him to say that…and an incredible amount of power to joyfully live that way…
And when you stop and think about it – that’s all of our testimonies…do you do everything you feel like doing everyday?...of course not…
You test your feelings and desires with the truth/reality of Scripture and you crucify the ones that would dishonor Him and act on the ones that will please Him…
And each time we do that well, what’s occurring…God’s divine power…His glory and His excellence are working in and through us.
Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the
Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Giving in to every feeling and desire is a sign of weakness – controlling them with biblical truth is a sign of strength…God’s strength…
Peter also speaks about…
B. The extent of your provision
v. 3 – has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness
Friend, do you believe that this morning - ? – that in Christ you have everything you
need pertaining to life and godliness – living in a way that honors Him? And if you say you can’t
because you can’t, may I submit to you that you are being deceived by the spirit of the age and
the course of this world.
This is why Paul said in his letter to the Ephesian church that he…
Ephesians 1:18–20 - I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that
you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of
His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power
toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength
of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead
and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.
False teachers and false teaching cannot offer any of this, which means that gospel
centered living is the best elixir to the ideologies of the world there is
He also explains…
C. The purpose of your resources
v. 3 – life and godliness
v. 4 – you may become partakers of the divine nature
v. 4 – having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust
This is one of the beauties of being part of a church family…
we’re not a perfect group of people by any stretch…but there is a lot of growing taking
place here, yes?
We could highlight a number of examples of God’s people being fed by benefitting the
resources available to them in Christ…that’s part of what helps us remember…is by seeing it
worked out in a brother or sister’s heart and life who is part of our family…
Then there’s…
D. The means for you to grow
v. 3 – through the true knowledge of Him who called us
Keep in mind that Peter is likely in prison, awaiting martyrdom…and because of God’s divine
power, God has granted to Peter and to us who bear the Cross of Christian grace, everything
pertaining to life and godliness.
It’s like Paul said…
v. 4 – He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises
False teaching always over-promises and under-delivers…as sin ever kept its promise
to you? Please remember this: Sin can never deliver what it promises!
but think about God’s wonderful promises…here’s a brief sampling…
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Ephesians 1:13 - In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the
gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the
Holy Spirit of promise,
John 10:28–29 - and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
Hebrews 13:5 - …I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you…
2 Corinthians 5:8 - we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent
from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
Psalm 23:6 - Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of
my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
We need to remind ourselves of such wonderful promises…so whatever is offered by
false teaching and false teachers just pales in comparison…
Lastly Peter says.
III. Remember Your Responsibilities to Grow in Godliness – vv. 5-15
A. Apply all diligence
v. 5 – applying all diligence
v. 10 – be all the more diligent
v. 15 – I will also be diligent
These resources available to us have to be accessed, they have to be put to good
use…
Families and churches who are going to avoid false teaching will have to work at it…be
diligent about it.
B. Supply and increase the needed qualities for growth in your faith.
2 Peter 1:8 - 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.
This is why we sometimes have to stand for our freedom to proclaim these truths to
people in our community who voluntarily come to us and ask what God’s Word says…
When the City of WL attempted to pass an ordinance that would fine faith-based
counselors $1000 per day if we showed minors who voluntarily came to see us what the
Word of God said about human sexuality…we had to stand up and fight that…
It’s one thing for God to give us the resources – it’s something else for us do what we
have to do to ensure access to those resources for anyone who desires them…
The bottom line is – the WL City Council was trying to promote and protect false
teaching…we had no choice to enter that fray…
that’s why we worked with our state legislators this year to pass SB 350 which prevents
local government units from restricting faith-based counseling…
A lot of good people worked on all of that – some heroically - because we want men and
women, boys and girls to be fruitful in their knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and
accept/fulfill their responsibilities to grow in godliness…
and one of the net effects is to…
C. Make certain his calling and choosing you
The more you grow in Christ…the more you’ll possess assurance of your salvation.
2 Peter 1:10–11 - 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; for
in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be
abundantly supplied to you.
and I realize that in some cases, a person could say – David: I did not learn a single truth this
morning – and why is that a bad thing…?
D. Call to mind the truth you have been taught by others.
2 Peter 1:12–15 – Therefore, I will 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. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.
So what about the young girl named Grace who told her mom she was no longer a girl
and had changed her pronouns?
You can read their family’s entire story on the GC website
By God’s grace…after several years of loving care by her family and her church…
She remembers walking her neighbor’s dog, wrestling with God, near the end of her
freshman year of high school. “I knew I couldn’t be a trans kid and a Christian at the
same time,” she said. “I had to choose. Very begrudgingly, I told God, ‘Fine. If you made
me to be a woman, whatever. Fine.’” A week later, her gender dysphoria was gone. She
felt uncomfortable but immensely relieved at the same time.
The god of grace (literally in this case)…helped her remember.
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