Grow in Grace - Delbert Birky

I would like to greet you this morning in the

name of Jesus. Appreciate the thoughts of our God. He

doesn't sleep, He's all knowing. But sometimes we have a

difficulty understanding some of the little details that God allows

in our lives. We can somehow just rest, not slumber.

But let's rest in the fact that God knows what

he's doing. And there's been some things this last week.

I've read some little articles here and there about some

of the universe, and they found some things in digging

and so on, and they're getting a little closer to

understanding that the world's a little older than what they thought.

And so there what.

About three point seven billion years something like that, and

they're stretching it out. It's getting a little longer, a

little longer. Their problem is is they don't understand God. Well,

do I understand all the creation and all the little

artifacts that they're finding, and all the skeletons that they're finding. No,

I don't understand all that. But one thing I do

understand is when you get to the Bible, that's it

as what God said, And so we'll leave it there.

And so God does not slumber, He does not sleep.

He cares about details. This morning, I'd like to look

at the last chapter of the Book of tewod Peter.

So if he'd like to turn to that chapter, I'm

going to take time and read it. We're not going

to do a complete study of two Peter, chapter three,

but I believe that we want to understand that Peter

wrote two books. He wrote two letters, First Peter and

Second Peter. And in these letters he intended and his

purpose was for our encouragement and our strengthening. Now, just

to get our minds thinking just a little bit. If

encouragement and strengthening comes from thinking about the flood and

about the final judgment, how much rest are you going

to get? It can be a little troubling within us.

But let's recognize that these things have to do with

our understanding about God and committing our way to God

and allowing God to have control not only of our lives,

but to have control of the world. And you and

I aren't going to change that now. Peter writes throughout

in chapters one of First Peter, Second Peter. You find

a lot of encouragement in that. And he doesn't just

jump in and start talking about fire and judgment and flood.

That's not where he jumps in. He wants us to

understand that God wants us to grow in grace. He

wants us to grow in grace. I don't know if

you're watching your gardens or not, but there's a little

plant he starts growing, and right at first you kind

of measure that. You kind of look at it, and

you see the corn's about two inches tall. And once

that gets to be about three feet tall, you don't

go out there and say, well, I think it's about

thirty nine inches today. There are times that we're really

concerned about the growth, and there are other times that

we witness the growth and aren't so concerned about all

the little details of the growth. Peter's writing and he's

concerned about details of growth, and then he goes on

from that, and when he concludes this chapter, he says,

but growing grace, growing grace. And he doesn't do a

lot of measuring in that, but he does in the

earlier parts. So the purpose of the message this morning,

I'd like to find encouragement. I'd like to encourage us

to faithfulness, and I'd also like to encourage you to

read the rest of First and Second Peter. There's a

lot in these books that make it in Resting two Peter,

Chapter three. This second epistle, Beloved, I now write unto

you in both which I stir up your pure minds

by way of remembrance, that you may be mindful of

the words which are spoken before about the holy prophets,

and of the commandment of the apostles of the Lord

and Savior. Knowing this first, that there shall come in

the last days scoffers walking about their own lusts, walking

after their own luss and saying, where is the promise

of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all

things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

For this they willingly are ignorant of that, by the

word of God, the heavens were of old, and the

earth standing out of the water and in the water,

whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water perish.

But the heavens and the earth, which are now by

the same word, are kept in store, reserved unto fire,

against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

But Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing. The

one day is with the Lord, as a thousand years,

and a thousand years is one day. The Lord is

not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness,

but is long suffering to us word, not willing that

any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come as a

thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall

pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall

melt with fervent heat. The earth also in the works

that are therein, shall be burned up. Seeing then that

all these things shall be dissolved. What manner of persons

ought he to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

looking for and hasting unto the coming of the Day

of God, wherein the heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved,

and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we,

according to his promise, look for new heavens and a

new earth, wherein to wall righteousness. Wherefore, Beloved, seeing that

she look for such things, be diligent, that you may

be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless,

and account that the long suffering of the Lord is salvation.

Even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the

wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you, as also

in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things,

in which are some things hard to be understood, which

they that are unlearned and unstable, rest as they do

also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye, therefore, beloved,

seeing you know these things before, beware lest ye, also

being led away with the error of the wicked, fall

from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace and in

the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To

him be glory, both now and forever. Amen, I'd like

to look first of all at the writer of the

books who he was writing to. I'd like to look

at the power of the word, at the mercy and

grace of God, and diligence and growth in our lives. Now,

you could take any one of those and make a

whole time and study out of them, but we'll just

try to briefly go through. So Peter he wrote the

books Simon Peter. In verse one of this chapter, he says,

I write unto you. Who is he? He is Peter

first Peter. He introduces himself as Peter second, Peter. He says,

Simon Peter, same man. As we think about Peter, I

would like you to remember that there is rest in

knowing the Lord. But being a Christian is not perfection.

Knowing the Lord is the power to live for him

is what is important. Peter said, be ye holy for

I am Holy God said Peter quoted it. So he's

not writing necessarily that we arrive at perfection.

It's the growing.

And Peter, as he talks about these things, is a

prime example of a man who comes from a life

of humanity to a life that is humanity redeemed every man,

no matter who he is, no matter where he is,

he's a human and he has humanity. And we say, well,

I'm glad I'm not like him. You remember the Pharisee

he praised, and he said, Lord, I thank you for

this and this and this, and that I'm not like him.

That's humanity. And he was measuring humanity. See Paul says.

Peter says that he wants us to grow in grace

and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter introduces himself further Simon Peter, and he says that

I am an apostle. I am one who God has

spoken to. I have seen the Lord. I'm a father

aware of the Lord. And he says, I'm a servant.

When you go to the mailbox and you pull out

a letter and you see that it came from that

friend over there in Florida or Missouri, you pick that

up and you see that name, you say, oh, I

wonder what's new in his life? I remember, in fact,

I remember when that guy was just the boy?

Boy?

Was he a brat?

Oh?

You want to take a look at what Peter's like? Well,

read his letter we wrote. Read his letter. You want

to know what he's like. Tell me what do you

know about Peter? Anybody want to share what you know

about Peter?

What do you call him?

Children know that they tell.

You about Peter. He was a fisherman. Yeah, then what

did he do?

He caught fish and he was in the boat.

Yeah, what else did he do? Yeah?

Peter wasn't always this nice smooth man. Peter had words

to say, and he spoke. First. He was a fisherman.

His calling changed from fishing from fish to fishing for men.

There was a change in his life sort of happened

to me that's what happens to you. Now, we weren't

always these good little boys. We got to be some

unery little boys, and hopefully we lost some of that

armoriness and we changed.

He was bold.

Some people would call him impetuous. I had to look

that up. Yeah, I know, just a real simple definition.

Someone who speaks without thinking.

Oh yeah, now.

Peter, when we read tewod Peter chapter three, it doesn't

sound like he's doing a lot at speaking without thinking.

This man's thinking. And we'll get into that a little

bit more. You say Peter was a man who was

really bold. You see Peter at the last Supper. Jesus

is speaking to them. He's very serious. He said, somebody's

going to deny me. You know what Peter did.

And he.

Beckoning to the one that's leaning on Jesus' breast, that

would have been John, beckons to him. He says, ask

him who it is, Peter the bold man. No, he's

a typical human like we are. You know, when really

things get tough, we kind of put the other one

out there and let him take the brunt. This is Peter,

not in chapter three, not in first and second Peter.

This isn't Peter. Peter's a changed man. That's what Peter

wants for each one of us to understand the blessings

of salvation through Jesus, our Savior. Watch Peter as Jesus

says to Peter, Peter, tonight, you're going to betray me

three times. You're going to deny me three times. Not betrayal, denial.

You're gonna deny me three times. Peter said, I won't.

Jesus said yes, now, he said I won't. He said,

in fact, if I have to die, i'd die with you.

You know the story. And there stands Peter. He gets accused.

Of being one of them. He said, no, not me.

He sits down, he warms himself by the fire. So

he says, yes, it's you. And the third time Peter

and he cursed, and he swore, and.

He said, no, I don't even know the man. And

the rooster crows. What would you do?

Rooster ever crow? Yeah, you know what happened to Judas.

The rooster didn't crow, but Judas took his own life.

You know what Peter did. He went out and he wept,

and he wept hard, he wept bitterly. Matthew tells us

that story. Peter doesn't say anything about that Second Peter.

First and Second Peter, he didn't say anything about the

rooster crowling. Is it okay that Peter has found forgiveness?

Is it okay that Peter has found acceptance? That's what

First and Second Peter's about a man who failed in

his life and found the forgiveness and acceptance of God.

And went on.

And he is the one who today is encouraging us

to grow in grace.

Will we accept that from him? Yes we will.

I'm not going to stand here and say yeah, but Peter,

I see you, and I know what you used to be.

Now, I'm not going there.

I accept the fact that Peter was forgiven and he

found growth in his Christian life. Peter writes in this passage,

he says, I write to you to stir up your

pure minds by way of remembrance. That tells me that

Peter thought he was thinking before he talked, and he

wants you and I to remember. He wants to stir

up our minds and help us remember about Jesus dying

for us, and Jesus forgiving our sins setting us free.

He wants us to remember that, Yeah, we can remember that.

It's Peter. Now it's you and I.

The message is for us, who is this written to.

These passages weren't written necessarily for sinners. These passages were

written for the believers. And he uses this word and

first Peter, he said, I write to you as strangers.

That meant that they are not the Jewish people, they're

the gentile people. But he also says in first Peter,

he said, you're elect, You've been chosen. In Second Peter,

he says, the ones that have obtained like precious faith

with us, you've got the say same faith in Jesus

as what I do.

I have nothing over you.

Peter's saying, I'm on the same level. I'm only writing

you a letter. I'm not trying to preach at you.

I'd like to tell you something. I'd like to share

this with you, if you want to read Acts chapter two.

Peter was preaching, I tell you, and he said no,

he said, you crucified the Lord of Glory. Here he's

trying to encourage us. He's talking to the believers. He's

not talking necessarily to the sinners. But if the sinners

want to listen, you can find salvation in first and second, Peter,

But the main topic is for those who have obtained faith,

those who are in Christ. First Peter. He says, to

those who have been begotten of the Father, begotten to

a lively hope. In chapter three that we read, in

verse one, he says, I want to stir up now

he was talking to these people. I want to stir

up your pure minds. I have confidence in you that,

as a Christian, your lives have been drawn to God

and your minds have been purified through the blood of Christ.

That's who you are, That's who we are relationship to Christ.

In chapter three, as we read it, he.

Uses this.

Term four times. Verse one he said beloved. Verse eight

he says beloved. Verse fourteen he says beloved, and verse

fifteen he said, our beloved brother Paul.

But I don't't agree with him.

He agreed with his message, but he didn't necessarily agree

with all his methods.

Did he.

He said, which some things are hard to be understood.

You think Peter could have explained it better. He may have,

But Peter didn't say I can do it.

Better than him.

He accepted that message. He accepted the fact that Paul

was called of God. Also, even though their work was different.

If Peter was trying to encourage us, what is the

message of the flood about out in this passage? What

about the coming.

Fire?

I read this week that they're predicting that the Earth

is going to burn up because of its closeness to

the Sun in about approximately one billion years. Well, I

don't see anything in second Peter about a billion years,

but I do find where the Earth is going to

be burned up. Another comment was made that if we

would go to Mars, it's not a matter of escape. No,

we're not trying to escape anything. It's just a matter

of going somewhere else. But the fact of the matter

is the Earth's going to burn up in a billion years.

What are we talking about? What was Peter talking about?

The reason why Peter brought this out was to show

us that this message that he's bringing to us is

the power of the word. That's what Peter wanted us

to see the power of the word. And if you

read this passage, he says for this they are willingly

ignorant out because they don't listen to the word. And

Peter says this is so important in verse two of

this passage that you may be mindful of the words

which are spoken before by the Holy prophets, and of

the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior.

The word is very important. The word of the prophets

was important, the word of the apostles is important. But

most important than that is the fact that God has promised,

and we have that in the latter part of this chapter,

that according to his promise, he will bring a new

heaven and a new Earth. So this is the reason

why Peters bringing this in for our encouragement, is simply

to say that the Word is always going to be

sure and steadfast. Verse five says, by the word of God,

the heavens we're of old, the earth standing out of

the water, in the water. It was by God's word

that the heavens were in the water and out of

the water. And why did the flood come? According to what?

According to God's word? Why is the earth right now standing?

It's just that way until God says no. But the

heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word,

are kept in store. It is by the word of

God that it does not fall apart right now. Sometimes

God will say, not the day I'm not sure if

it will be the sunrise or the moon rise. But

God will say, don't rise, the earth is finished. It'll

be by his word. That's so important. Peter did not

believe when Jesus said, you're going to deny me.

He didn't believe that.

One Peter, Chapter two. I'm sorry, it's two Peter Chapter two.

I believe Sodom and Gomour. He refers to Sodomon Gomour,

and it was by the word of God that the

Sodom and Gomour were destroyed. He brings that point of

judgment in in First Peter Second Peter chapter one. He says,

it's not by cunningly devised fables that.

We've teld you this.

We heard and we saw things happen. We don't have

to fabricate something scare people into doing things. Hey, this

the world's going to burn up. Okay, scare him? No,

Peter said, it's not. It's not cunningly devised fables. It's

not things that we're making up. It's because we trust

in God and in his word. Peter says, it wasn't

just a matter of experience. Oriented if you want to

go in something and find it sure, what are you

going to go by.

I know.

I was there, I saw it. Isn't that what we do?

Peter said, I'll tell you something. I was on the

mount and I saw Jesus, and I heard a word

from heaven saying, this is my son. I was there,

I experienced it, and he says, I'll show you a

more sure word of prophecy than that. It's not my experience.

It's going to pull us through. It's going to be

faith in the fact that God said so. So we're

gonna have to leave it because it's not just going

to be experience something sure.

Hang on.

I used to think that if you were in an accident,

what you want to do is hang on to a

steering wheel and you won't get thrown out of the vehicle. Right,

Just hang on the steering wheel. It was all right,

good thought. Until one day I went to the scene

of the accident and saw the man laying over there

and the vehicle over there, and wondering why he got

thrown so far, and walking around I found the steering

column over there. Suddenly I thought of what I thought before,

hang on the steering wheel. Yeah, it wasn't in the vehicle.

It wouldn't do you any good. So my experience told me,

don't hang on a steering wheel. What do you hang

on to? Friend, if you're in an accident, you better

be hanging on to God. Because anything can happen. Anything

can happen. People have seen accidents and they say, my,

that vehicle doesn't look that bad.

But the man didn't make it.

Peter says, it's not a matter of experience, it's a

matter of faith in God. And I'll show you a

more sure word of prophecy. The men of God spake

as they were moved by the holy ghosts. They wrote,

put your faith in trust in God. And any is

the word, not in just what you experience. And then

Peter says, but experience it find it in growth, faith

in what it says. Don't doubt. Be careful of things

just being explained away a more sure word. There will

be scoffers in the last time that come, and they say, promise.

Of He's coming.

For since the father fell asleep, I heard that. My

great grandfather said that. My grandfather said that it's never happened.

Peter said, no, listen, God said that it's going to happen,

and it will. Don't explain things away. Let's spend just

a few moments on the mercy and grace of God

and the face of judgment passed and the face of

judgment future are we? And Peter writes about patience. Peter

talks about suffering. Remember Peter was in prison. He knew

all about that kind of suffering, suffering for Jesus, he

knew about that. Then he talks about patience. Do we

understand the difference between patience and negligence? Don't neglect things,

but be patient. Some people are patient and they say, oh,

well whatever. Other people are calmly patient when they're busy.

Yeah they're busy, but they're patient. Other people are patient

and flat negligent. Can we find that difference? That's what

Peter wants us to see, that we rest in the Lord,

and yet our busy see in the things of following him.

Don't put your trust in the confines of your reasoning,

and don't put God within the confines of your reasoning.

Look at verse eight. But beloved, be not ignorant of

this one thing, that one day is with the Lord

as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Can you do that.

A thousand years, one day and one day is a

thousand years and we just can't get it stopped in there.

You mean that God doesn't care about time. Yeah, he

cares about time. Time is very important, but he is

not in the confines of time. And we try so

often to bring God into that. There are many times

that we do things but don't put God in the

confines of those things. We had a child that didn't

want to sleep. They needed to be rocked asleep night

after night. And one day my wife said, I'm going

to rock this baby till he's twenty years old. You

believe that I don't didn't happen. That's how we feel.

That's how we feel. Does God eat us that way?

And yet we say God, you did this. For that

one over there, he did this, and for that over there,

and for this one you didn't do it.

You see, we have boxes. We say I don't know.

No, we let God do whatever he wants. This person

doesn't have opportunity to get well. He got sick and died.

But God, you healed that one and you let me

get well. But that and you didn't, and that one

over there you didn't either. We don't put God within

the confines of our reasoning. Can we understand that God

has a plant here that we can't quite see, and

you got it all laid down, it's all there. And

finally we say, yes, Lord, I'll take it the way

you put it there. That is the mercy and grace

of God. Some people say it's God fair. Who do

you think died in the flood? You think any good

people died in the flood. If they did, it wasn't

judgment to them. It was God's doing. When fire comes

to destroy this earth, we say it's going to be

the final judgment. And that's true, but it will not

be the judgment of God. In destruction of judgment or

the putting a person into hell fire. If you please,

there will be righteous that die different times, and it's

not judgment. And yet we see someone who is not

living according to God's will, and we say, there it

is the judgment of God.

It may be that's up to God.

Hubacchic, a prophet of the Old Testament, looked at the

situation of Israel and he said this. He said, in wrath,

remember mercy. You know that God always remembers mercy. It's us,

it's our thinking. And we say, if you get mad

just to be kind. We don't need to tell God

that God is. He's holy, He's just, he is whatever

he does is righteous. He's holy. This is the mercy

and grace of God. A thousand years is one day,

or one day is a thousand years. If you need

one more day, if that's what you need, don't worry.

God will give it to you. If that's what you need.

But it's not what you think. Remember a song years ago.

Wait a little longer, please Jesus, one more day to

get our loved ones inid.

Don't worry.

I know it's a cry of our heart, but don't worry.

If that person needs one more day, God will grant it.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promises some men

count slackness, but.

Is long suffering, not.

Willing that any should perish, but that all should come

to repentance. And yet God will say done. Why God

knows he's long suffering. Chapter two and verse nine. If

you can remember this verse. The Lord knoweth how to

deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the

unjust into the day of judgment to be punished. God

knows how to make that dividing line.

Not a problem.

That's the justice and the holiness of God, the mercy

and grace of God. The day will come, what day?

I want you to get this in verse ten. But

the day of the Lord will come as a thief

in the night. Jesus coming as a thief in the night.

That's not what this verse says. Says that the day

of the Lord will come as a thief in the night,

and Jesus will return, in which the heavens and earth,

and the heavens shall pass away with a great noise,

and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth

also and the works thatever they're in shall be burned up.

That will be the day will come. But he says

this looking for and hasting unto the coming of the

Day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire, shall

be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless,

we according to his promise, in the midst of all that,

we're going to hang on this little promise. There's gonna

be a new heaven and new Earth. And if we

trust God, that's where it's gonna be. Now, I don't

look forward to judgment either, I said, okay, if I

say that, I'll look for a new heaven and new earth.

This is the way God does.

That's how God looks at things. In the midst of

judgment is the picture of deliverance, in the midst of

our humanity is the thing that you and I can

be a Christian and we can come to newness of

life and we can grow in grace.

Verse fifteen. The latter part.

Now the first part, and a count that the long

suffering of our God is salvation. The long suffering of

God is salvation. Paul writes about it, and there's some

things we don't understand. It's difficult to try to explain that.

Peter wasn't even going to try. He said, Paul's written

some things. Some things are difficult be understood. Can you

understand all the things that Paul was writing about when

he wrote about grace and works and you name it? No,

I can't understand it all either. But Paul said, it's

this way God talks about judgmentybody talks about deliverance. Get

that picture. Don't let anyone scoff at God's workings. Be diligent,

diligence to grow in our lives, be diligent. And yet

in diligent, he says, beware you ever get a little confused.

I remember one time when my pop said this. He said,

straighten up and settle down. Which way we're going? He said,

spraying up and settle down? Which way shall I go?

All right, be diligent, but beware there's two things to

do there, and we can beware. But in verse eight

he says, be not ignorant, and he's talking about a

specific thing. He says, be not ignorant of this one

thing that one day is with the Lord. So beware,

don't be ignorant and be diligent. Don't spend all your

time looking around. You look at God, looking forward to

the new life, the hope, and the peace verse fourteen,

that we may be found of Him in peace, without

spot and blameless. The more you worry about not being

without spot and blameless, the more you worry, I'm not

talking about because I'm talking about worrying.

If you are worried.

That you just can't be good enough, the more you

worry about it, the worse it'll get. There is a

way that you can come to rest and still grow

grow in grace, go back to First Peter. I'm sorry,

first chapter and second Peter. But add to your faith

virtue and a virtue, knowledge and knowledge, temperance, to temperance, patience.

You know. Peter just lays it out. Just grow, just

keep going, Just add to these things. God is not

willing that any should perish. He wants all to come

to repentance. Second Peter one four. The Great and Precious

promises Peter's He writes, he talks about the abundance.

Can you imagine that? You know why?

I think that Peter talked about abundance was what he

had in his heart. But when he stood there and

he went around and collected the leftovers of the feeding

at five thousand, I think he understood a little bit

about abundance.

This is God.

Peter's gone fishing, and Jesus says, put your net on

the other side. He puts a net on the other side.

The net almost breaks fish like he hadn't seen.

For a long time. He knew what abundance was all about. You, therefore, beloved,

seeing you know these things, beware lest ye also being

led away with the air of the wicked, fall from

your own steadfastness. You think Peter understood a little bit

about steadfastness.

He said, I'll tell you one thing.

If I have to die with you, I will die

with you. But one thing I won't do is I

won't deny you talk about steadfastness.

And Peter fell like a log boom.

Be careful, No, I won't deny the Lord.

No.

But all you have to have is somebody come along

and give you a little benefit, sometimes a little extra money,

and you'll be willing to tell a lie. Friend, No,

be careful lest you fall from your own steadfastness. Grow

in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Be

aware of the fact that somebody can come along and

they can try to trip you up. Resting in Christ

and trusting in Christ, you can be assured that God

knows who you are and he is able to keep you.

See it says, fall from your own steadfastness, Jude wrote.

He said, now, and to him that is able to

keep you from falling. He can, but you have to

trust in him. You have to believe you have to

walk with him. When he talks about growing grace in

the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I

think Peter could have wrote for a long time when

he thought back about how he had been saved to

him be glory both now and forever. Amen, Peter just said,

I don't know what else to say. That's just where

we are.

This is life.

Peter wants us to grow. If you think Peter wants

us to grow, God wants us to grow more. May

God bless you this morning.