Spiritual Survival: Born Survivor

to speak this morning. So, 2 Peter chapter 1, 1 through 2, 11.

2 Peter 1 · chapter mention

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness

of our God and Saviour 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.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness 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

and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason,

make every effort to add to your faith goodness, to goodness knowledge, to knowledge self-control,

to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness,

to brotherly kindness 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 if anyone does not have them, they are short-sighted and blind and have forgotten

that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters,

be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things,

you will never fall and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and

Saviour Jesus Christ. Simon.

Can I pray for you nicely? And then you can adjust. I'm going to pray for Simon and for us,

and then we'll listen. Father, we thank you so much for your many good gifts to us. We thank you for

your word. We thank you for this short letter of 2 Peter, written hundreds of years ago,

but yet your word by your spirit speaking to us and to our lives today. I pray that you would

pour out your spirit upon Simon and upon us all, that we may hear you, that we may understand,

that we may apply it, and that we may become more like Christ as a result of what we do together

right now. So pour out your blessing, we ask. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Amen.

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too also struggle daily with indwelling sin in our hearts? Are there times we feel like

giving up or giving in? The truth is we face these very same enemies as our first century

brothers and sisters. And we need to hear now God's word as much as they needed to hear

it then. How are we to overcome the world, reject false teaching and battle indwelling

sin? Peter reminds Christians that we have been called by God to himself and we have been given

a precious faith and precious promises. In fact he says we have been given all we need for a godly

life. To this church Peter writes introducing himself as one coming in humility but also coming

with a great authority. In verse 1 he writes Simon Peter a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ

In the very first verse Peter introduces himself as a servant and an apostle. Peter identifies

himself as a servant which shows his humility but he does not intend this humility to result

in the readers having a take it or leave it kind of attitude concerning his letter for he continues

stating that he is a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. Yes he is a servant but he is a servant coming

in the authority of his master the Lord Jesus Christ. He is distinguished then from the false teachers

who come in their own authority and speak from their own sinful hearts. Peter is an apostle he is one who has been

commissioned by Christ to build Christ's church and it is in this authority given to him by Christ that

he writes this letter reminding believers of the precious gifts they have received from their loving heavenly father.

Peter first brings us back to the gospel. He reminds us of our standing before God. He tells us in verse 1 that God has given us a precious faith.

Look with me in the second half of verse 1. He writes to those who through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ

have received a faith as precious as ours. Faith Peter tells us is a gift from God. It's something believers have received from God.

We have faith because God has given it to us. And what does this tell us then about faith? One thing it tells us is that

faith is not something we have innately within us. It's not something we have sleeping inside ourselves that we just need to wake it up and rouse it up.

But perhaps you've heard it before. People say that faith is something that we need to search for within ourselves.

If we look hard enough and we look long enough inside ourselves, we'll find it.

That's what a lot of modern popular psychology says. Have faith in yourself. Trust in yourself. You can do it.

Have you heard someone say that faith is unique to each person?

So what's true for you might not necessarily be true for me.

You have your truth. I have mine.

Many people today explain faith in this kind of way.

In a way that perhaps faith is the absence of knowledge.

If you want to have faith, you need to just empty your mind of all knowledge and understanding and take a blind leap in the dark.

But scripture rejects these false understandings of faith.

Peter shows us in verse 1 that faith does not originate within us.

Nor is faith a faith in self or even a faith in faith.

But that true saving faith has Christ as its object.

He writes,

This righteousness here is Christ's saving righteousness.

Peter says that it is through the saving righteousness of Christ in order that we might know that we did not obtain faith through our own efforts,

but through God's favor alone.

God has called us by his own glory and goodness and he has given us this special faith to believe in his son.

When our faith is placed in Christ, we are rejecting all of our own self-righteousness and leaning completely on the righteousness of Christ.

We are turning our gaze from our own sinful selves and fixing it on our righteous Savior.

And when we turn from our sins and confess them to God and ask for forgiveness,

he forgives us because Christ bore the penalty of sin on Calvary.

In salvation, Christ takes our filthy rags and clothes us with Christ's righteousness.

We who were enemies of God are made right with him.

We who were dirty are made clean.

God adopts us as his sons and his daughters through the work of Christ on our behalf.

So Christ, by his saving righteousness, has given us the gift of faith.

And this gift results in our salvation and righteousness before our holy God.

And this righteousness comes to us not by working or looking within ourselves,

but by believing in Christ alone.

Peter says our faith is precious.

What makes it precious?

Christ.

Our faith is precious because of what is fixed upon our precious Savior.

We come now to a very important question.

Who is Jesus?

It's a question we must all answer.

Peter himself was asked this once by, when Jesus asked him,

Who do you say that I am?

It's a question we must all answer.

Peter answered,

You are the Christ.

Peter believed Jesus not merely to be a moral teacher or a good man,

but God in flesh.

In verse 1, Peter describes Jesus as our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter is saying here that Jesus is God.

Only a Jesus who is fully God and fully man could have borne the wrath of God for our sins.

So everything actually stands on the question of who is Jesus.

Scripture teaches that only a faith that is Christ as its object,

that is fixed on God, our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, can save.

So friends, if your faith is not on the Christ of the Bible,

then you're not saved.

If you do not have this faith, throw yourself on the mercy of God

and ask him for faith to believe in his only Son,

who is our God and Savior.

He promises that all who call upon his name will be saved,

and he will turn no one away.

We then, who are recipients of this grace and this faith,

share in a common faith.

Peter writes that we have received a faith as precious as his.

I like how the ESV describes these few words as a faith of equal standing.

So by the righteousness of Christ, we have received a faith of equal standing.

So who do we have this faith of equal standing with?

Peter says ours, meaning himself and probably the other apostles.

So what an encouragement that we have as believers,

this common and equal faith with all other believers,

this common standing before God.

We all share in having been given this precious faith through the work of Christ.

Certain false teachers in Peter's day emphasize the necessity for believers to have a special knowledge

and special particular experiences,

and perhaps be in possession of some special gift,

which set them apart and made them better than other believers.

But this runs contrary to what Peter is saying here.

Believers have all the same kind of faith.

And we all have this equal standing.

There's no secret which we need to unlock to get to another level,

because in Christianity there are no levels.

Since we all have the same standing in Christ,

there are no divisions.

We're not divided by our race, our color, our nationality,

our gender, or even our social status.

Christians are all united in this equal faith.

So may this be an encouragement to us when we feel alone in a world that isn't our home.

When the enemy of our soul tries to undermine the faith that we've been given.

Though our faith may at times increase and decrease,

we know that our standing before God is secure because of Christ.

So let's remember, we don't have,

we stand alone, we don't stand alone,

but share in a common faith with all believers,

who have all been given this precious faith.

And God has given this faith indiscriminately to all of believers,

so that all might share equally in the precious gifts and privileges of God.

So God, having called us to himself by his glory and goodness,

and given us to us a precious faith,

does not leave us to our own devices to fend for ourselves,

but gives us precious gifts for godly living.

Look with me in verse 3, he writes,

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.

God has given us everything we need for a godly life.

Outside of what he has given us, we need nothing else.

We have every spiritual provision we need to live a life pleasing to him.

And God's gifts to us then are not the kind of silly and practical gifts

that we unwrap and shrug our shoulders and toss away or else re-gift to someone else.

These are precious gifts.

And we need them.

They're necessary for living that life that's pleasing to him.

Peter tells us next that we have been given very great and precious promises.

The gifts just keep on coming.

Verse 4 says,

Through these, his glory and his goodness,

he has given us his very great and precious promises.

So why are these promises so great and precious?

These promises are precious and great because of the one making the promise.

These promises aren't the kind of promises that we too often make rashly

and realize only after that we can't actually fulfill them.

Our loving Heavenly Father, who is the maker and sustainer of all things,

is the one promising us.

And his will shall come to pass.

How then do we know of these promises?

We come to know these promises through knowledge of God.

We learn about God and his promises that are for us through his word.

God has given us his scripture, which contains all of his promises for his people.

And as we read God's word, God reveals himself to us and his will for our lives.

In verse 3, Peter writes that God has given us everything we need for a godly life

through our knowledge of him.

The knowledge of God is the means by which we receive all we need for a godly life.

A knowledge of God comes through reading the word.

It's through the text of Holy Scripture that we come to know God

and that we learn of his very great and precious promises.

The promises of God aren't found in our particular experiences

or some special new revelation only available to a select few number of Christians.

But his promises are indiscriminately given to all who trust in Christ.

And the reason that we are recipients of these promises

is not because of our faithfulness are based on something we've done,

but on something Christ has done on our behalf.

Since scripture then is the source of true knowledge of God

and it contains all of God's promises,

then there's nothing outside of scripture we need for godliness.

God's word alone is sufficient for knowing God and informing us

how we're to live lives that are pleasing to him.

The church in Peter's day was plagued with false teachers

who proclaimed false promises.

And again, it's not unlike the church today.

There are false teachers today who are popular men and women

declaring false promises based on a false knowledge of God.

They declare promises that sound great.

They sound like good things.

But they're not promises of God,

so they can only bring us spiritual ruin.

Being surrounded by a mentality of consumerism

makes it more difficult for us to grasp

the concept of the sufficiency of God's promises.

Not much is sufficient today for our desires.

We always strive for something bigger,

something better,

something new,

and more of it.

This thinking,

if we bring it into the Christian sphere,

will leave us grasping

for things that God has not promised us.

God has not promised us

in this life

that we will be physically healthy,

that we will be cured of all illness.

God has not promised us

in this life

that Christians will be financially successful

and have the most successful careers.

These are false promises,

and if we've heard people speaking

these false promises,

we've heard from false teachers.

Dr. Albert Mohler said,

the biggest problem

with this kind of theology

is not that it promises too much,

but that it promises far too little.

The gospel of Jesus Christ

offers salvation from sin,

not a platform for earthly prosperity.

So though we acknowledge

that all blessings,

both temporal and temporary,

and eternal blessings

come from God,

the promises of Scripture

are not temporary,

but they're eternal.

They're better promises.

Through our knowledge of God,

he has given us all we need.

Let's now look to the richness

of the promises of the gospel

that are ours through Christ,

in the Old Covenant.

God promised Israel

many temporary,

earthly blessings,

but he also promised

a new and better covenant.

The book of Hebrews

demonstrates the superiority

of the ministry of Christ

under the New Covenant

over that of the priests

under the Old Covenant.

The author of Hebrews

writes in chapter 8, verse 6,

But, in fact,

the ministry of Jesus

has received,

the ministry Jesus has received

is as superior to theirs,

the priests,

as the covenant

of which he is a mediator

is superior to the Old One,

since the New Covenant

is established

on better promises.

So the New Covenant

is established

on better promises.

As Christians,

we have Christ

as our mediator

on our behalf

to the Father.

Jesus is the guarantor,

the one who guarantees

these promises.

So what are these promises

that we have as believers

in the New Covenant?

God promises

in Jeremiah 31,

Jeremiah 31:33–34

verses 33 to 34,

this is the covenant

I will make

with the people of Israel

after that time,

declares the Lord.

I will put my law

in their hearts,

in their minds,

and write it on their hearts.

I will be their God

and they will be my people.

No longer will they

teach their neighbor

or say to one another,

Know the Lord,

because they will

all know me,

from the least of them

to the greatest,

declares the Lord,

for I will forgive

their wickedness

and will remember

their sins no more.

What precious words

to sinners' ears.

The promises of the Gospel

are precious

and very great.

God promises

that in the New Covenant,

which we are a part of,

that he will write his law

on our hearts

and on our minds.

God has worked in us,

transforming

our wicked hearts

and giving us hearts

that love him.

So that through faith

in Christ,

we can say

that we know God.

Through Christ's righteousness,

we have peace with God.

God promises,

I will forgive

their wickedness

and remember

their sins no more.

As Christians,

we can know

true forgiveness

from sins.

We have a new heart

that wants to serve

and love God.

The promises

of the Gospel

are overflowing

mercy and grace

from our loving God.

Having given us,

then,

precious faith,

and precious promises,

God also gives us

a new

and a precious identity.

God's purpose

in giving us

faith and promises

is that we would live

godly lives

which reflect Christ.

Peter writes

in verse 4,

through these,

through these,

he has given us

his very great

and precious promises

so that

through them

you may participate

in the divine nature.

God's purpose

is that we would

participate

in the divine,

partake of the divine.

Peter isn't actually

saying that we become

deified,

we don't become

little gods

or anything like that.

He's saying that

through God's promises

we become

more like Christ.

Christ.

As God works

in our hearts,

he makes us

and creates us

in such a way

that we become

more and more

like Christ,

that we live godly

and fruitful lives.

The purpose of God

calling his people

to himself

is to restore them

to the glorious image

of God

and to renew them

in holiness

and in righteousness.

God has given us

as Christians

all we need

for living godly lives

that reflect Christ.

A plant

has three basic needs.

They're water,

light

and a soil to grow in.

Think with me

for a moment

of a gardener

who carefully

places a plant

in soil

that he's prepared

that is rich

and full of nutrients.

He searches the garden

for the perfect spot

that has the optimal

amount of sunlight

and he ensures

that the plant

has an adequate

supply of water.

The gardener

has provided

for all of the plant's needs.

The plant

has everything

it needs

to grow healthy

and strong,

to bear fruit

and flowers

which please

the gardener.

the very same

is true for us.

We have everything

we need

for a godly life.

Since we share

in the riches

of Christ

we're lacking

in nothing.

Through his gift

he is reproducing

his character

in us

which is holiness.

His very same power

which accomplished

salvation

is also

at work in us

in our lives.

Since God

has given us

this new

Christ-like identity

how then are we

to live lives

that are pleasing

to him

in a corrupt

and sinful world?

Peter tells us

through trusting

in promises

in the promises

we have escaped

the corruption

of the world.

Look with me

again

at verse 4

the second half.

Here Peter

sets before us

the majesty of heaven

and contrasts it

with the lust

of the world.

Through them

you may participate

in the divine nature

having escaped

the corruption

in the world

caused by evil desires.

What then

does it mean

to escape

the corruption

in the world?

Are we to flee

from the world?

Are we to set up

special Christian communes

where we can live

in a kind of

sinless society?

Is that what

we're supposed to do?

Peter doesn't advocate

that we flee the world.

We don't need

to flee the world

in escape pods

or set up communes

because we've been

equipped with

everything we need

to live in this world.

Christ prayed

to the Father

for us

in John 17-15

he prayed

my prayer

is not that you

take them

out of the world

but that you

protect them

from the evil one.

God has given us

every spiritual

provision necessary

for living

in this world.

you're not alone

at the times

you feel

under attack

from the world.

Perhaps you're

a student

and you're

the only Christian

in your class

and you're made

feel different.

Maybe you're

mocked.

Maybe at work

you're the only Christian

in your workplace

and colleagues

treat you differently.

Maybe your boss

or your manager

actually discriminates

against you

in terms of the kind

of work he gives you

or perhaps

in promotion.

Maybe you're a parent

struggling to raise

children in a God

honouring way

in a world

that's completely

hostile to everything

you're inputting

into them

and teaching them.

As Christians

we often feel

like pilgrims

in a foreign land

and it's at these times

we must look

to the promises

of God.

Peter seeks us

seeks to invite us

to God

and draw our affections

from the things

of the world

to look to the glory

and goodness

of God.

Peter's declaration

that we have escaped

the corruption

of the world

means we can stand

firm

in the face

of opposition

that comes

from the world.

Later on

in the letter

Peter writes

in chapter 3

verse 13

but in keeping

with his promise

we are looking

forward to a new

heaven

and a new earth

where righteousness

dwells.

The promise

that Christ

will return

for his people

and the establishment

of the new heavens

and the new earth

is a comfort

for weary believers.

Knowing that God

has given us

all we need

to live a godly life

means we do not

have to retreat

from the world.

During the Reformation

Martin Luther

lived in constant

fear of his life

both from the Pope

in Rome

and the authorities.

However

he acknowledged

that there was

something far

more dangerous

than his physical enemies

than the Pope

in Rome

and that was

his own heart.

As we battle

against the sin

in our hearts

we don't fight

with our own

homemade weapons.

God has armed us

with every spiritual

weapon necessary

to fight sin

in our hearts.

Is there habitual

sin in our lives?

As Christians

we are those

who have escaped

corruption.

We are no longer

slaves to sin

but slaves

to righteousness.

righteousness.

And when we do sin

scripture promises us

if we confess our sins

he is faithful and just

and will forgive us

our sins

and purify us

from all unrighteousness.

As we trust

in God's promises

our faith is nurtured

and we grow

in holiness.

This promise

of forgiveness

should spur us on

to reject sin

and the promise

of the Holy Spirit

in our lives

working in us

should cause us

to put sin to death

and strive for holiness.

God hasn't called us

to an impossible task

but has equipped us

for a life

that is pleasing to him.

We recall his promises

then when we

read his word

when we sing his word

and we speak his word

and pray it

and as we recall

God's promises

to us

we come to know him

more and more

for God's promises

show forth his glory

and his goodness.

There is nothing

outside of the promises

of scripture

which we need

for godly living.

Having glimpsed

for a moment

at the glory

and goodness

of God

what more

could we possibly need?

The hymn writer

Robert Robinson

penned the words

of the hymn

Come Thou Fount

of Every Blessing

from a heart

that was aware

of its propensity

to wander.

He was aware

of his weakness

in the face

of spiritual enemies

but his faith

was not in his own strength

but in Christ

who he had

every confidence

had delivered him

from sin

and the world

as he had promised.

He penned the words

Here I raise

my Ebenezer

Hither by thy help

I am come

and I hope

by thy good pleasure

safely

to arrive at home.

Ebenezer means

rock of health

and it's a reference

to when

the Lord delivered

Israel from their

enemies

the Philistines

as a monument

to what God

had done

and a constant

reminder to the people

Samuel set up

this Ebenezer

saying

thus far

has the Lord

helped us

thus far

has the Lord

helped us

we see

from scripture

that God

is faithful

to fulfill

his promises

his divine will

shall come to pass

so when we hear

false promises

from false teachers

who seek to rob us

of our hope

look to God's

living word

search the scriptures

that you may obtain

true knowledge

of God

which leads to

grace and peace

when you feel

overwhelmed by the world

and feel

submission or retreat

are your only options

stand firm

on the promise

that God

has given you

every provision

needed

when temptation

to sin

bubbles up inside

remember

that we are

those

who have

been delivered

from corruption

and given

new and precious

identities

which reflect

Christ

Christians

we have been

called

by God

to himself

we have been

given a precious

faith

in Christ alone

and he has equipped

us with very great

and precious promises

having called us

from the world

he has given us

a new nature

so that we can

live lives

pleasing to him

in a sinful

world

until he finally

calls us home

if you are a believer

these promises

are yours

will you trust

these promises

let us take hold

of them

and then look

to God

with expectant

eyes

dear heavenly

father

we thank you

that you are

gracious

and giving

God

Lord

your gracious

gifts

show forth

your glory

and your goodness

Lord we acknowledge

that all blessings

come from you

both the earthly

blessings we have

here

and the

wonderful

spiritual

blessings

that we have

that are eternal

Lord

thank you

Lord

for the

precious faith

that you have

given us

in Christ

Jesus

your son

who is

God

and who is

the mediator

and the

guarantor

of the

precious

promises

that you have

given us

please Lord

increase our

faith

help us to

trust in these

promises

so that

through that

you would be

working in us

creating

your image

in us

that we would

live lives

that are

pleasing to you

and reflect

your glory

reflect

Christ

in Jesus name

I pray

Amen