GROWING IN CHRIST: MOVING ON FROM THE BEGINNING (2 Peter 1:1-15) Everything we need 7-10-22

GROWING IN CHRIST: MOVING ON FROM THE BEGINNING (2 Peter 1:1-15) Everything we need  7-10-22

 

A small boy riding a bus home from Sunday school was very proud of the card he had

received, which had a picture and a caption that read: “Have Faith in God.” Then to his

dismay the card slipped from his hand and fluttered out the window. “Stop the bus!” he

cried. “I’ve lost my ‘faith in God!’”

 

The driver pulled the bus to a stop, and as the lad climbed out and went to retrieve his

card, one of the adult riders smiled and made a comment about the innocence of youth. A

more perceptive adult observed, “All of us would be better off if we were that concerned

about our faith."

 

“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: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

                             2 Peter 1:1-2 NIV

 

I.  OUR PRECIOUS FAITH

 

Holman defines FAITH: Trusting commitment of one person to another, particularly of a person to God. Faith is the central concept of Christianity. One may be called a Christian only if one has faith.

Holman adds: Our English word "faith" comes from the Latin fides, as developed through the Old French words fei and feid. In Middle English (1150-1475) "faith" replaced a word that eventually evolved into "belief." "Faith" came to mean "loyalty to a person to whom one is bound by promise or duty." Faith was fidelity. "Belief" came to be distinguished from faith as an intellectual process having to do with the acceptance of a proposition. The verb form of "faith" dropped out of English usage toward the end of the sixteenth century.

Faith is defined in Hebrews the following way: Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

 

“Faith sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, touches the intangible and does the impossible.”

                              C.H. Spurgeon

 

“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 Peter 1:1 NIV

 

               A.  Through His righteousness

               B.  A received faith

               C.  A precious faith

 

Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means, whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that God is love. There are some things only learned in a fiery furnace.

                              Oswald Chambers in Run Today’s Race.

 

II.  OUR KNOWLEDGE

 

"Millions of people today are searching for a reliable voice of authority. The Word of God is the only real authority we have. His Word sheds light on human nature, world problems and human suffering. But beyond that, it clearly reveals the way to God. The message of the Bible is the message of Jesus Christ who said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life' (John 14:6). It is the story of salvation; the story of your redemption and mine through Christ; the story of life, of peace, of eternity. Our faith is not dependent upon human knowledge and scientific advance, but upon the unmistakable message of the Word of God."

                              Billy Graham

 

"All knowledge that begins not and ends not with His glory, is but a giddy, but a vertiginous circle, but an elaborate and exquisite ignorance."

                              John Donne

 

“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

                             2 Peter 1:2 NIV

 

               A.  Of God

               B.  Of Jesus our Lord

 

III.  OUR GIFT

 

Think of the Scriptures as an absolutely accurate map. A map tells you how to get to a certain destination. But just looking at a map won't automatically transport you to Arizona or England or Peru. Getting to those places means you have to make the effort...pay the cost...take the time for travel...stay at it until you arrive. In a word, persevere. So it is in the Christian life. God's map is reliable and available. It is also clear and direct. But there is no hocus-pocus in its pages that automatically sends its reader by way of a magic carpet.

                              Charles Swindoll, condensed from “Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back”, 1980

 

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.”

                              2 Peter 1:3-15 NIV

 

               A.  Everything

               B.  Everything we need

               C.  Everything we need for a godly life

 

CONCLUSION

 

Our precious faith, our knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, Our gift

 

CHALLENGE

 

What will you do with what you have just heard?  How will you respond to the Holy Spirit working within you?  The Challenge is intended to give us an opportunity to contemplate what God is calling us to do in our lives.  Consider these questions and write down your answers. 

 

               1.  Is your faith “precious”?

               2.  What do you know about God?

               3.  What do you know about Jesus our Lord?

               4.  Do you have everything you need for a godly life?

               5.  Are you using everything you have been given?

 

INVITATION

 

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.