How Do You Know You're Saved | Pr Matthew Chang

You're listening to a message to go from ax Church. We hope this message

will light up your day today. I'm going to be sharing on the book

of a Second Peter. If I could, I will go into a study

or into it. I might actually probably I would just go into a study

of it. And this book is actually very fascinating, very relevant to our

current world, current time as well, because it deals with a lot of

things happening inside and outside the church as well. So before I go into

a Second Peter, I will explain a bit of context, so then when

you read through the verses, it won't be just hey, this is a

verse. This is a verse. This is a verse. It's very generic

theology, it's very generic Christian living. But a bit of context as well.

So Peter at this stage he is probably towards his last lap as an

apostle, as an elder, as a church planter, as a prisoner,

and also someone who is gonna who knows his time is up, who's gonna

die, and he talks about it in this book as well. But he

writes his letter to this church, okay, and no, normally the letters

are not just written to one church, although they addressed to one church,

but they get copied as well. And you will learn later that the other

apostles teaching are also written and shared to the other churches. So the church

members will also get letters from Peter, from John, from Paul as well,

and they will learn from there and they will compare notes. Okay,

and it's a very important time. All these apostles they claim to know God

here from God, so they all write the same thing. You must understand

that they had no internet. You know, there's no way I can make

sure that. Hey, you know, whatever Bonnie rights are, it's going

to be sync with mine. Now. Cannot use churgpt to compare one,

cannot compare. No, it's one or not. It's it's like it's you

do exam and then you know your exam is really correct now. So when

they write these letters is refew and trembling one. Okay. So um and

Peter writes these letters to the church. And then they had to deal with

three main teachings or what they call their false teaching, false structuring that they

were contending with. How many of you know about cults? Who? Okay,

they like to talk about they like to learn about cults. Oh,

he's so exciting. We never talk about cults. I'm not a master of

coults. Okay, there are people I'm not. I'm not an expert.

I know a bit, But what does count mean? Horns, pentagrams?

There are many different cults being. Some cults believed that there is a mother

God. Okay. Some some cults believe that Jesus is not God. Jesus

is a second tier God. Uh yeah, some gods that now, there

are some cuts that believe that God will come in a spaceship. There are

some gods now that believe that you know, Abraham, Moses and the rest

of them haven't died yet. There's still somewhere around among us in Aliens,

you know. But what cult actually means, It's not a building or not

a group people. Could basically means deviation from Orthodox if you want the actual

meaning again, deviation from Orthodox. Deviation means steering away from what is being

taught and established. Okay. Orthodox means tradition. But more importantly, don't

think of Orthodox people as being long beards and working with skirt. Okay,

No, it's not so much about that. Now. Aorthodox means what was

established, Okay, what is established in the Christian faith, the foundation,

the pillers, and when you deviate from there, it's very obvious. Sometimes

it's i want to say, very obvious. It's very clear. Okay,

some cults very obvious. Some cults are not so different. Some cults are

outside the church in most of the gods that you see them. But a

lot of cults are inside the church. And we don't call them cut groups,

but we call that people having curtish behavior. What is cultish behavior?

Courtish behavior and thinking talks about the type of behavior and thinking that deviates from

what is, what what was or what or what was established before Get me

Right? And it's pervading the church inside the church. Many times, a

lot of you may not realize that the people have coltish behavior or thinking until

they start to show their fruits get me Right. So cults can invade the

church inside from outside as well. The most dangerous one are actually the insidement

called curtish behavior. So we're going to talk about a bit about how to

differentiate curtish behaviors or are some of the patterns, and also how to know

that you are not you don't belong to a cult. You don't you know

that you don't belong to a cult, not just my membership. You know,

hey, I don't have them member. You don't know you know that

you don't belong to a cult buying the cleansing of the world. Okay,

this is where you know, not that I look at the Bible. Okay,

So now what are the three main doctrines that actually Peter was dealing with

what people were actually struggling with the first one is that the people. The

first doctrine was that day a lot of the people don't believe Jesus is God.

That's the first thing. Who can When you read the book of Peter,

you will start to see that being discussed. Don't believe that Jesus is

God. In Karne, they believe, they don't even they might they are

even suspecting that the whole entire group of disciples and apostles actually make Jesus up.

They may not maybe make his resurrection, his death and everything. It

was a big conspiracy theory, and nowadays we still hear that as why people

still doubt there as well, still carry there as well all sorts of thing.

Okay, I say that Jesus probably didn't die left and then Mary,

you know, have a very very quite quiet and sweet life in France.

Somewhere in France. Oh, sorts of the already have, oh sort of.

And then Jesus something later on was found in us or all sorts of

theory people come out with her. So it was already going on already,

so they don't believe in that. They don't believe that Jesus rose from the

There some people contended that Jesus was even king at all, was even annointed

as king. Nobody should say Jesus was not annointed a king? Who so

he's annoint him? So there was that came out, and so Peter,

if you look reading the book, people talks about his own eye witness with

the apostles that Jesus was being annointed and consulted by the heavenly Father. So

they used their own witness. So that's the first dach and they don't believe

that Jesus is who he is who he claims to be. The second teaching

that they were condemning too was freedom. Talking about freedom? Okay, why

is about freedom? Like I said, a lot of the Christians at that

time, they also had writings from other apostles, and so they received the

letters from Paul, and Paul was very adamant talking about Grace. Okay,

not going back to the old ways. Paul was writing it because he was

dealing with a lot of um Jews who was stuck between the old ways and

the new way. They were saying that you still need some people were saying

that you still need to follow the commandments, you still need to get circumcised

also, and so forth like that. If you're not you're not a too

Christian. So he was dealing with that context. So he talks about the

new governant. Governant Grace there you know, we have been important to that

saw this new belief. Then saw these people that the church that Peter was

addressing too. They took this letter and then said, Paul is talking about

freedom. So we all have freedom. We believe in Jesus. That means

that we have we have, our sins has been forgiven and everything paid for

already. Let's do everything what we want to do. He gave me right.

So that's why if you read them again in second Peter, the second

chapter that talks about people practicing a lot of immorality, covetiousness, last after

the world and this last after the world will keep coming up again and again

in the verses. So the people were using that, they were taking the

truth of God, the freedom of God and perverting it and saying, now

perverting the truth, using it for your own game. Okay. Why I

talk about these things that you will come all together? Okay, because these

are very important things. So people has to deal with it. What is

true freedom? What was Paul retiring to talk about. He's trying to say

that we are not teaching the wrong different things. We are teaching the same

thing. It is you that have a perverted mind. Gemmen, Right,

we're teaching the same thing. Mommy and daddy are teaching the same thing.

Said sometimes times sometimes the children are misconst misconstrue with right. Then the third

one, the third wrong teaching that they had was that they don't believe there

is a final reckoning. No, what's the reckoning? Reckoning is judgment.

They don't believe that it's a judgment or there is a coming. For believers,

they believe that, or maybe if you're an unbeliever, maybe there's a

reckoning for you. But for believers, we've been saved ready, there's freedom

and there's no final reckoning. So we can do whatever we want. Maybe

just before we die we say that lot, I believe in you, and

then we get saved. So the only reason that you are believing Christ is

so that you get your punch your ticket. There's the only reason you get

saved. You there's the only reason you become a believer. So it's like,

WHOA sign me up for it? I like that, I like eternal

life. Let's go punch everybody do it. So they don't believe in that

because and because of that, they use that teaching to also alive all sorts

of life they want, and they don't care about people around them. They

don't care about accountability. But God clearly teaches there is although yes, we

know we are saved by the grace of God, but God requires an account

on the final day or every believer, you and I, we have to

give an account very clearly. And Bible talks about some people who will know,

you know, actually, the entrance are into the heaven won't be the

same for everybody. Some people when we run in will be greeted like Olympians,

you know, like with cheers. You know. That's why Paul talks

about running with the faith. You know, run and then it's very difficult,

like a marathon. But when you finally reach you'll be greeted with cheers.

But some people who reach the final end will be just like walking there

the literal world, it's like you just really pass over a wall, a

wall of flame. Literally, it's like you know, the elevator, the

door is closing, you just jump through and then you close. You just

made it. I think I'm a Christian barely, you know, barely,

you know, And so Peter is talking about it's gonna at the end,

it's gonna be like this, It's gonna be like there's a lot of people

think and a lot of people you think they're gonna be believers, they're not

there. So if I were a title to this message, I will say

that how do you know you are saved? Faster? Why so heavy?

How do you know you are saved? People? Big question isn't it?

How do you know? It's because you must understand in that church there are

many people taking from the contact. There are people from Australia, people from

UK from you as from China, from South Korea, and suddenly different people

have different teaching. Some people say we graduated from this we get you from

that. We are under this pastor. Some people say we were under poll,

we were under James, we were under Matthew. It's true. Not

people started comparing resumes, you know, and people said that I know God,

I know God, I know God, we know God, you know

God. Everybody knows God. Who knows God? Then, so Peter was

dealing with real problems. It's like churching nowadays. You know you have been

the same problem. Now everybody says they know God. Everybody says that,

hey, it is is the way. Ah. So Peter deals with about

who actually knows God. Okay, so these three things again, Okay,

I mean I recap. First thing, they don't believe that Jesus is who

he is. The second thing that they misconstrued what freedom in Christ really means.

And the third one there will be no final reckoning this threat big wrong

teachings that were invading the church. Now from there, let's read our first

few verses. We get the setting already. Okay, now I say saying

first second Peter, Chapter one, Verse one, someone Peter, a bond

servant and apostle of Jesus Christ to those who are obtained like precious faith with

us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Let's stop there

for now. The first thing that it starts that we all have in common

when we first come into the saving the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, is

that we have received what we call faith, a saving faith. All of

us have not seen God. Some of you may have. I don't know.

I've never seen God. All of us have not seen the invisible God.

But we believed. We believe, and that faith is not something you

earn, not something you could have obtained on your own. It is freely

given by God. God reveals him. God reveals himself, call us to

him, and then we believe. And that faith is precious. It's a

precious faith. We obtain this precious face, precious faith by the righteousness of

God. God is righteous to do so, and God is faithful to save

this where it talks about Savior Jesus Christ, then he says here this is

a long part. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of

God and Jesus our Lord, as this divine power has given to us all

things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who call us

by glory and virtue by which have been given to us exceedingly and great and

pressure promises. Underline the part accedingly great and precious promises that through these you

may be partakers of the divine nature. Okay, underline the partakers of the

divine nature, having escaped the corruption there's in the world through last Okay,

when I read this, I really you know, there's poor and Peter like

the right long sentences. You know, they like don't like to use full

stop. They like to write as and buy that through having you know,

continuing and continuing. So that kind of confuses us because we kind of don't

know what to how to order. It seems to be chaotic, but that's

how they're right. Okay, but it's a big scot thing. But let

me summarize a few things. That is that's important here. Now talk about

faith is name, but the key thing is what what what? What Peter

is trying to teach us all here is that God has given you a precious

faith. But more than that, God has called us onto something. And

why is that God has called us, as I've told you guys to underline,

to be partakers of the divine nature. Wow? I want to imagine

if you invite people to church, they say hey, would you like to

join our Sunday's service? Or I come to Timothy and say, hey,

would you like to be partakers or the divine nature? Sounds could? Sounds?

Yeah? Would you like to be partakers of the divine nature? Why

would anyone talk like that? You know? But this is what be the

road? Would you like to be partakers of the divine nature? Which gets

you to think, partake? What? What is the divine nature of God?

And this is a very important thing for you to for us to really

understand, to for the for the whole messaging. What is partaking the divine

nature? What is the divine nature of God? We talk about omnimportance.

God is all, all powerful, everywhere, all at once. Are you

okay? You know omniscian, all knowing? What is the partakes of divine

nature? It's God calling us to be like that, all knowing, all

powerful or more power. No, the divine nature that God has called is

too is the one that he has revealed. Okay. God will not ask

you to partake into something that he has not revealed. And what has called

revealed true Jesus Christ, what is the divine nature that God has revealed more

than anything else. It's love. No other religion has peeled back the curtain

to allow humanity see what is the purest thing about God? It's love?

Look at any religion not just talk about love, but demonstrates love. If

to know God is to know love. God is love. No where,

no where, no where, no place, no man, no, I

s no, yes. Can really truly know the divine nature? If you

truly know one thing about God or his holy He? But the one thing,

how can you understand the love of God is being peeled back? And

when you peel it back, you see the cross God. Not just teachers

love. God demonstrates love. And now we we see the divine nature of

God that God wants us to see. And not only we see love,

the divine nature of God. God has called to be partakers of the divine

nature of God, to become like him. It love, Give me well,

sadly might love God twisted? There's what? There's what Peter is really

trying to talk about people's whole and may will be floating everywhere. No,

no, there's not that part taking divine No, it's love. So why

let me repeat this again a lot. Peter said that we are given faith,

yes, knowledge, yes, a salvation, but the real party,

big plan of God that was not just to call you out to be safe,

but the plan of God was to call you out to be partaking in

His divine nature, which is from step one to step ten. Okay,

A lot of people when they get safe, they just stop at one we

talked to by many time they like to get safe, but they want no

partaking of the divine nature of God. Yeah. I mean right, they

don't want any part of that at all. I just want to ticket anything

else want thank you? Okay, So that was one thing. Okay,

So God wants us to partake in his divine nature because then he says,

they having escaped the corruption that is in the world through last the world is

about lasting. The world will fade, the world will will be normal because

it's corrupted. Is always lasting after something after things they are not eternal,

is corrupted. Now the next thing I wanted to mention here it is then

okay, so God has callused for that. But God has also supplied us

with one given to us exceedingly gray and precious promises. What does that mean?

God? Has, you know, to get us to where we need

to be with to be from one to ten along the way, God has

given us what great and exceeding promises. Let me give you an example.

Let's say today I forgot to bring my wallet, and I forgot to bring

my hand phone, and I haven't eaten breakfast yet. Okay, so I

come to John John, I forgot to bring my hand phone, forgot to

bring my wallet. Can you and I really need help to pay for my

lunch? And also I didn't come my car. I took a grab.

Can you also take me home a song? I tell you what. I

might not know him very well, but I can guarantee you the whole rest

of the service. I'm going to be sticks sticking very close to him,

true enough, because you know why, because I'm nothing. This man is

my food, you know, not like my food. I'm gonna eat him

now, but he's gonna be my He's gonna literally be my lunch, you

know, literally my lunch. And I'm gonna get home. He's gonna depending

on he said, yes, you know, so you are my promising and

I'm depending on that, bro. So anywhere you go and my eyes is

gonna be hawking on human Where did you go? Don't you dare live without

me? Okay? But where did you live? You left lunch without me?

But we're gonna stick so close, you know why because today I'm depending

on the promises of John. Give you another example. I told you about

the bank crying, So I told you you guys probably hurt this many times

before. You talk about money, right, whatever it is, you know,

whether it's ring, it, whether it's you ask whether you crump it

and then you throw it away in the rubbishpin? Do you still want the

fifty fifty ring it? You still want it because it has the same value?

But what is money really? What is money really? You know?

What does money? What is Money's money? That's money as value in it

that you can do something. If I go to Australia, if I give

a random stranger fifty ring, it would the person want maybe? But if

you give him fifty US dollars, I think the prod Yeah, what's the

difference. What's the difference in value? Why the different impression of it?

Money is paper, It's just paper. But what it represents is that it's

a promise. You know that the actual term for money it was not money

enough. The actual term for money was promisory note. You get me in

right, promise. You know how it started because people made a lot of

trade. They need a promisory note. But then the original money came about

in I think if aenomen is thinking from Mongolia when they when they, when

they conquered so many lands and so many places. Everybody have different ways of

trading things. Suddenly the fella he said to say, everybody, you take

my money, and this is mine, and take the money you can trade

it if everybody you don't use cows, don't chicken everything? Who says so?

Why? Why why can I trust this paper? I'm gonna lose my

cows and chickens. You know you're gonna give me a bunch of paper?

Or when I do that? Because I say so, and my word is

law literally literally, he did that. You know that's how he managed to

empire because I say so. He's saying that this problem, this paper will

be all valued because I say so, because it's basically I promise you,

if you can, you will use this to buy something. And this fella,

why what can I what? Why is it good? This paper?

Because they can't say so? Then okay. So basically it's a promise.

So when you take r M fifteen in gate, what does it mean,

It just means the government bang and goran. I mean we'll back it up

that value. You get me right. When you go to Australia, sometimes

they will look at it. Hey, I'm not going to use it because

I can't use it to buy or exchange for anything, because it's your government's

promise, not my government's promise. You get me right. But some countries

they don't like their own currency because they think their government's promise is horrible.

You give me right. That's why their money is worth nothing when their promises

are worth nothing. Give me right. The world doesn't trust and they look

at them. You say you are good, but you're nothing. That's why

the world evalues it, and the whole entire country suffers from it. So

the power of promise is very powerful. Saying problem, Actually you don't realize

it. Every day, the whole entire, the whole fabric of society works

on promise. Promise it not entire you. Whole fabric of society works on

promise. You go out and grab or whatever. Everything works on the concept

of promise. Where this is where the promises of God becomes even great.

You see, I told you, I told you, I told you,

even like small banks are starting to cracks. You know, people are starting

to lose faith. We're seven. We're seeing even countries aligning to become you

know, this coalition of bricks saying that we don't want to use you as

the dollar as the mainly nominator for oil transactions anymore. And they're deviating from

there. But it's going to be a very far way. Of course,

you asked, is that about eighty percent of the world trade the bricks on

present probably about seven percent, so far away off from that. But we're

seeing cracks, seeing cracks in it. But now the promises of the world

compared to the promises of God, the promises depend how you'll live your life.

The promises of the promises that you have been left will determine who you

cling onto, like just how I cling on to John here for my lunch.

From everything in our life as well our calling. We have nothing,

The world has nothing to offer to us to become partickers of the divine in

travel God the world. When we become a Christian, the world couldn't care

unless because it doesn't affect them. You give me right, it really doesn't

affect them, and so we have really no one to turn to, no

one to hold on to, and how to continue this life which is not

going to be easy for them. It was hard except the promises of God,

rich and beautiful and abundon. That is why Jesus says now that abide

in Me, for apart from me, you can do nothing, nothing that

we can do. Okay, now let's move on here in verse five.

But also for this very reason. Okay, now it's talked. But also

for this reason. Why is this reason the reason of partaking it in the

divine nature of God, the reason of growing into the fullness of loss?

Because you are called to the your called to graduate into the give all diligence,

add to your faith, so on and so forth. Let's just pull

for a while. Okay. Peter is saying, you need to be there,

You need to go all the way into this final steps there. Because

of that, you need to give all diligience. Giving all diligience means why

he's talking like a student, talking like an athlete. You need to give

all your effort so that you pass the final exam. That means that when

you become a believer, you cannot stay stationary and just relax, you know,

which a lot of people do. Get mean right? Safe? Ready

done? Ready, chop my ticket? Doory. No, it's like you

just entered into university. You know. It's like, yeah, I go

into this university. That's just the beginning. God has a plan for you.

God's plan to you is to be like him God, to be like

his son in the image of Christ. Okay, now make it, says

here um, let me sorry. Okay, giving all diligience, add to

your faith these seven key characteristics, or you can cope. Values. Okay,

these are add to your faith. Virtue, knowledge, self control,

person of arans, godliness, and then brotherly kindness, and then and then

love. Okay. And he says in verse here, for if these things

are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge

of our Lord Jesus Christ. Okay. And he says here, for he

who lacks these things is shortsighted even to blindness, and has forgotten that he

was plans from his old sins. You must understand again, okay, Peter

is not just writing too the people that he know. He's writing also to

rebuild those false teachers the gem right. He's specifically writing very very man to

writing to rebuild against all these false teaching and all these cowtish teachings. They

were very very rampant. He's saying that if you follow this part, if

you want to know you whether you are safe, if you want to know

who is truly, who truly knows the Lord? So many people say they

know the Lord. I know the Lord. You know, how do the

way that you differentiate the sheep and the gold is by the abundance of all

these things. Yeah, I mean right, the things that you added.

They if you display all these things, if you produce all these things,

then and then you are fruitful by all these things together. You know the

Lord. Yea, So Peter sets the criteria. If you do all these

things, you practice all these things, you are fruitful. You are the

one that knows the Lord. But the one that doesn't know the lot I

tell you, these are the people who are very shortsighted. These are the

ones who are blind, who don't produce any of these good qualities. They

are shortsighted. They are blind and not only that, he's specially talking to

these four teachers and said that these are the ones are who is going back

to their own vomit. They're going back to their own vomit. You will

know they say they're no God, they don't know God. They are just

going back to their own vomit. And They'm not iracial. That even save

it all. It's a very important thing. Now let's go into what are

the seven qualities that Peter talks about. I'm not going to go too much

but a bit here. Okay, so could reckuly recap God gave us faith.

God has called us to partake us to become love, to partake in

his love, his divine nature. And the mark of a Christian is continuous

growth. Okay. Mark of a Christian is continuous growth. You won't be

studying year one in your university every year you send your kids to school.

You won't be year one every year you continue. Mark for a Christian must

we have continuous growth. And then one of the first thing that adds to

hear state once you have faith, add to virtue, virtue referring to what

virtue referring to moral excellence. Okay, moral excellence Excellent means a plus plus,

not just C, not just D, not just avoiding F. A

lot of Christians say, let's just avoid F. You know, okay,

I don't do this. I didn't know. I'm a good person. I

don't cheat people. I'm okay. No, it's called to be excellent.

Excellence means that you have to move from neutral, you know, from zero,

and a positive means what you have to be generous. You have to

be generous. You have been doing things you know. You have to be

really doing things you know. You have to be producing fruit. You know,

a lot of people just justive a quiet life and do anything. You

have to be producing. If you're called to produce, you you have to

produce one or not or according to the grace that God has given you,

you must bear fruit. Imagine that. And the disciples are an example and

demonstration of it. They have followed Jesus, they know Jesus. They could

just stay in Jerusalem and do nothing. Don't need to go to pantic cars,

don't need to be chased out anyway, just they no. But they

are called to be fruitful, to go out to preach the gospel to save

lives, so that they are wise, not those who safe lives are wise,

you know, I mean right to be fruitful. And so when you

have you are exhibiting excellency, know a moral okay, doing things, pursuing

things holly pure and righteous with an expanding influence, touching things around you as

well. Okay, so you have a virtue. Second thing, you have

knowledge. Okay, this knowledge is not just all I read a lot by

bo I do my quiet time. No, it's not just that type of

knowledge. The type of knowledge because everybody says that they know God, they

know God. Some people say they know pol some people say they they're not

Timothy. So people will know that everyone oh, so called knowledge, These

are not the knowledge peters talking about the knowledge. The word that they use

is called epignosis. Is a great epignosis. Epignosis means what. It's not

just knowledge. It means precise and accurate knowledge. What does precise accurate knowledge

mean? I thought all knowledges accurate. Let me give you an example again.

Recently I was teaching my daughter mats. Okay, I'll tell you when

you come into percentages in ratio, I tell you some people don't get it.

You know, literally the world get it. You can teach them an

hour, two hour or three hour and one one week or one semester.

They can do in the same get the right answer, but they still don't

get it. True not I've been there before. I don't understand this algebra.

I don't understand why you have to multiply it, but I just do,

and then just to do. But I don't understand it. And then

you struggle when they when they layer complexity to it. Maybe it's a real

life problem and you don't get it. But then one day the clutch and

the gears click. Oh, I see why is ratio and conversion when you

suddenly go to Australia you need to convert money? Oh, I get it

right now, after one and two years of learning this, I get it.

There is cabably called epigonosis. You're finally getting it. So seeing me

right. You can hear from Paul, you can hear from You can hear

from Joe, and came he hearing from Jesus. Peter is a classic example.

He hear from Jesus, but hist don't get it. That's what you

said. Have you Have you not been with me all this while? Have

you not? Can you keep asking for the father. If you've seen me,

you've seen the father. You don't get it. After twenty thirty years,

I finally get it. Right now, I've seen the father. I

mean right, I finally got it. This is what the cold and the

true knowledge, not the bibical knowledge, the true knowledge. Sometimes like oh,

I need to do this. But then when you become a father,

you become a mother, you become a husband. Oh, I finally get

what my mother saying. I finally give what my dad he said. You

finally get it. You know, it's like riding a bicycle. You see,

you know what you start. When you're finally right, everything clicks.

You know, with the right rhythm, right cadence, right strength, right

balance, everything every dimension coming together in fullness. You finally get it.

And then that out learning is the most powerful learning. We call it adult

learning. When you learn, it's not just no. You learn from experience

and you fully take ownership of that learning. You mean, you fully take

you fully embrace it. I've learned something, and there is where you grow.

There's a very powerful feeling when you learn something and just no arm.

But when you cut something, it's power of your life. You feel this

very fantastic sense of satisfaction and growth, because all of us are called to

grow, whether you're eighty and ninety when you That's why someone don't they still

read books, they're still doing things. They don't want to retain that because

they don't want to miss that feeling of growing. The purpose of life is

to grow. Okay, So that knowledge, okay, the epicgnosis knowledge.

Then after you do, when you start doing, you start to No funny,

isn't it's kind in the order. When you start doing, you don't

understand why you do. I have to understand why have to go and you

know, surf you. I don't understand why it to call for missions.

I don't understand why I have to call for this perceiving. I don't know

why. I don't know why just do. But I know I do it

at that time because I know it is the right thing to do, It

is the virtuous thing to do, because Bible has said it, and I

take the I will work for it, and I do it. But then

as time passes by, it brings the fullness of knowledge. I get it

right now, I get it. I get it. Why quiet time it's

so important? Now I'm trying to teach my children. It is my own

quietemp there you mean, right? Okay? Now, then after you know,

then you started to have self control. Self control means being able to

hold yourself together. You know what I mean? Being able to bring things

together. It means it talks about an athlete is able to resist eating other

foods or other lifestyles so that they can achieve the Olympic goal that they've been

set forth, Okay, avoiding something and sticking to what you've been called and

what your value. I mean, sticking to what your value you see when

you do the when you do the virtuous thing. When you understand it doesn't

mean that distractions and temptations won't come in. They're still in Netflix, they're

Netlix. There'll still be that those colleagues and friends and families who will show

you, you know, good and enjoyable things, many good things, many

minimating But what has God you called you to do? Now? What you

have done, and what you come to perfect knowledge? Your mass exercise self

control? You see, I mean right, Once you learn how to cycle,

you start to have more momentum. Get me right, It's very harder

when your cycle for away you forget you know, ready, but you got

to keep cycling because now when you're cycling, it's not just about knowing how

to cyncle. Is where does cycling take me? Suddenly you can cynle.

It makes a difference. I can go to places, you know, I

can backross series myself doing everything. It can take your places. But to

do that you got to keep the more man calm, the self discipline,

stay in it, keep knowing, keep keep doing the things that has that

have served you well, and keep pursuing their knowledge and keep at it.

Momentum momentum and momentum self control. Fourth one endurance. Of course, when

you're a momentum, you also get hired. You also get obstacles, rainy

weathers and things up you climb or that's the worst one. When you go

to up here sometimes like ah's so difficult, maybe you're barely made it.

Then the next day you're like I think, when I see this mountain,

I don't want to go through it again. The mental mental block comes in.

The hurdle is like you hit a wall, but you've got to persevere.

Sometimes you cannot see where this is going. Another mountain, another mountain,

another mountain, but true believers, God has intended for us to perseverer

to hanging there because we have faith and we also have hope. Okay,

if you don't know what you're aiming for, all these optacles will mean nothing

to you. Yeah, there's always a very good saying I've heard. I

heard that really change a lot of my life. It says this, If

a vision is not clear, the price is always too heavy to pay.

If a vision is not clear, the price is always too heavy to pay.

There's many ways you can digest that. When you explain. When you

share something with someone and the person doesn't get it right, you're ask him

to ask he or her to come out and do things with you. It's

almost like pulling a tooth on one because why the price is too heavy to

the person to play. So it's not a problem of the person being lazy,

is whether the communationing is good and understanding the vision too waste communication.

Then we have to relay the vision. It has to be absorbed. Then

when you see that vision you're convinced that it's that it leads you to success,

it helps you to survive, then you will do it. Then you

will change. You will never change. For something that's too that you don't

see a clear goal. Some people will lose weight. No, because they

see a very clear goal to it and they do it. They lays there's

the beginning. So, like I said, endurance because you see the vision

and you're willing to pay the price in the faith. And sixth one,

you will lead once you persevere, it will lead you to two things,

godliness and brotherly kindness. Godliness means what it sounds like. It's the same

thing as virtue, isn't it. No, Godliness means I would relate more

clearly, it's the fear of the Lord. It's not just what you do.

So why you do things? Some things you will do and some things

you will never do, Some things you will behold, some things you will

discern. Because why because you acknowledge the fear of God in your life?

When you persevere go true difficult times, whether you lack money, you have

health, and things like job? What did job restrain? So many times?

It's confused, isn't it God? Why I've never seen I've never done

anything? So many times not even the wife or the friends are curse God,

curse God? But the job the way it No? Why it's the

fear of the lort we need. Sometimes it's not just enduring you now,

we need godliness, the fear of God in our lives, holding our tongue

back God. Fearing the lort means one you know who God is, where

God is, and where we are. I feel I need to validate and

need to van need to be right, self righteousness and everything. But I

know where I am, and I will hold my tongue, I will rest

my case, and I will let God be God, and I will stay

low. That is godliness, That's why. But you can't learn that unless

you've been true hardship and perseverance, true or not, it's not not if

anyone who has never gone through a harsh and perseverance they just know the Bible,

you think they would and fully understand the fear of the Lord. No,

they're easy, Okay. Godliness And lastly, and then the second last

one is brotherly kindness. Once you fear the law, once you get right

with God, once you submit yourself to the Lord, you will start to

understand God's plan and God's love for people. You were made right with people.

You forgive not because you feel like it. You forgive because it is

what God has caught you to do. You get me right. You forgive

you love, not just the human love, not just a very natural love.

You love with the godly love. And when you do that, you

finally reach to number seven, the final stage, the final part, which

is the divine nature of God, which is love. And it's not just

any love. It is the agardpey love, the love. When you do

all these things, when you reach to the final end, there you finally

realize you reach what God wants you to be, to have the agar pella,

the love that God unveiled himself, that got unveiled and told for everyone

to see on the cross, unconditional love, unmerited love that goals before anything

else. Before you chose him, He chose you. You get me right,

and then go through all these things, and then that's what Peter says.

You want to talk about knowledge of God. You want to talk about

what you're talking about your about truth or God. At the end of the

day, what did you do as a believer to reach this agappell love.

So if you've done all these things, you are fruitful, you are producing,

and you display agapellaver that person knows God That is how you know you

are saved a man makes sense or not, so don't It's not just having

the ticket enough, it's going all the way to the very end. And

the last part here Peter says it in verse ten. Therefore, brethren,

be even more religion, make even more effort to make your call and election.

Sure you've been caught by God, chosen by God. But make it

sure, for if you do those things, you will never stumble. You

do these things, you will reach to the very end there for soul,

an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly. While I think I think Peter

is like really like not really not pressing against all these people who are teaching.

You must remember towards the end that it's not just like open field.

You know, there is an entrance. Everyone will try to go into it,

but you've got to make sure that you run all you can with all

your energy to go through past there. Don't be like that guy just jumping

and belly, you know, with the elevator door close. For so an

entrance will be supplied to you abundantly. What does it mean an entrance supplied

to abandon? It means when you enter past, when you make it there.

The entrance is not the door. It's talking about the welcome, the

greeting of the saints. It's going to be showering like those you see increases.

It's gonna be an abundant entrance. Because people saw what you do.

People saw your producing group works. People saw that you finally getting it.

People see that you you know the Lord. You're producing all this fruitfulness.

You are loving God, and then you're loving your neighbors, your brothers.

You're forgiving, you're not being easily offended, and you're finally sure. When

people look at you, people see Christ. Yeah, I mean right,

look at you. They see Christ. They just see someone who just say

yes, you see Christ. That's what we are called to do. Amen.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more information on our

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ahead for you. God bless