2 Peter 1:3-4 Power and Progress pt1
Good morning! We are returning again to our study of 2 Peter chapter one, verses 3-4, page 1018 in the pew Bibles.
Last week we looked at Peter’s introduction of this letter and we saw how he used a very powerful phrase in addressing his readers: “to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Peter the great Apostle and those scattered believers in Christ that received this letter originally, as well as all the other believers down through the centuries, and even down to us, all have equal standing before God through faith in Jesus Christ. What a wonderful truth!
Today we are going to look at another powerful statement from Peter in verses 3-4 that applied to Peter, to his original audience, and to all believers in Jesus Christ for all time, in hopes that it will stir us up and remind us of what exactly God has done for us so that we may embrace the truth of what is ours as believers in Jesus.
Let’s look at verses 3-4.
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
Let’s pray.
It’s very difficult to separate verse 3-4 from verses 5-8 because they are two sides of the same coin but we are going to have to split them up in order to give them the attention that they deserve while not missing the Patriots game this afternoon.
So even though we typically go verse by verse through complete books of the Bible, these two sections will be like a two part series.
Part one: What God does for believers in Jesus, and,
Part two: What God expects from believers in Jesus.
The “in Jesus” part there is very important, because if you were to read these verses to your unbelieving friend, they would not be able to apply this truth to themselves without a saving faith in Jesus Christ, they may however be drawn to a faith in Jesus Christ after seeing what would be available to them if they were to come to Him in faith. I guess you’re just going to have to try it yourselves.
Either way, the point is, that these verses are for those who have a saving faith in Jesus Christ, these are things that God has done for you, that God the Father has made available to you.
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness
I’m not sure that I can accurately portray the power of this statement, mostly because I am so poorly practiced in the application of this truth to my own life.
Most days I feel unfit, ill equipped, and woefully inadequate.
But God’s Word says, right here, that by God’s divine power I have been granted everything I need for life and godliness. So who’s right, how I feel or what God says?
If I have Jesus, I have all I need. If my life ends today, if I have Jesus, I have everything I need to enter into eternity. If my life continues until I’m a hundred, if I have Jesus, I have everything I need to live a godly life.
That’s what God says. And if I feel differently than that, guess who’s wrong: not God.
God can be trusted, God’s Word can be trusted, our feelings cannot be trusted. When how we feel disagrees with God’s Word it is not God’s Word that needs correction, it’s us.
This was supposed to be encouraging…
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness
If we read this and feel like we are lacking somehow in what we need for life and godliness, if it seems like we may need a little more than what we have presently in order to live a godly life, then we need to keep reading!
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence
Last week, in verse two, we read Peter’s words, “may grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Just as knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord is the vehicle or grace and peace, knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord is the vehicle of everything we need for life and godliness.
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence
This is not just information, not just knowledge about Jesus, you can read that in secular history books. Peter means knowledge of Jesus, to know Him personally. The more we know Jesus, the more we will know the Father, and the more we will see that we have all that we need for life and godliness granted to us by the divine power of God.
As our knowledge of Him grows so will our grasp on reality!
But it keeps getting better!
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises
If you’re anything like me and have been around the church for a little while, you’ve heard about God’s promises. You can even sing about standing on the promises of God. But have you ever wondered what they were exactly? What exactly are those promises, and here can we find them?
The “where” part of that question is the easy part: In the Bible.
But what are some of the promises to which Peter refers? All of God’s promises are wonderful, but let’s look at some of the promises related to Peter’s next words in our text, these are not ALL the promises in Scripture, these are just a few promises concerning the believer’s forgiveness, eternal life, and participation in the divine nature:
Psalm 23:6, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Isaiah 1:18, “‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’”
Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.”
John 6:37, Jesus said, “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”
Matthew 11:28–29, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Acts 2:21; citing from Joel 2:32, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
John 7:38, Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
Acts 10:43, “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Acts 13:39, “Through [Jesus] everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.”
John 10:28, Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
John 14:3, Jesus said, “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
John 14:19, Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live.”
John 6:40, Jesus said, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
These are not just empty words. They are God’s “great and precious” promises to us in Christ. They are more than words on a page; they are reality.
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
By faith in Jesus Christ we escaped from the corruption that is in this world and now we have godliness in place of sinful desire. And though it doesn’t always feel this way, we have the power to resist sinful desire.
We have the power to say “no” to the corruption of the world even though at times it feels like we are absolutely surrounded by it.
God the Father is showing us the truth here in His Word, He is showing us the reality that no matter how weak we may feel, or how insignificant we may feel, or how sinful and defeated we may feel, by faith in Jesus Christ, His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted us His very great and precious promises, so that through them we might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
We are citizens of a different kingdom, and God Himself has given us what we need. He has provided the power, and next week in verses 5-8 we will see what He expects: progress.
Paul wrote in Colossians 1,
“…be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Amen.
