Godly
Notes
Transcript
Pray
Pray
Before we enjoy our ususal PSummer Psalms series through the Summer school holidays we have time for a 3 weeks series - and 2 Peter seems like a good book to consider after Leviticus which we have just finished.
Leviticus in the OT reminded us that we are to be Holy becasue our God is holy.
We are to be set apart - different from the world around us.
Trusting in and obeying the 1 true God alimghty.
And 2 Peter - wirtten to address false teachings of the first century, is also a call to godly, holy, obedient living.
It is also a call to be different ot the world around.
To avoid false teachings and worldiness,
and to hold fast to the truth of God’s word.
And by doing so, we confirm and are sure of our faith.
You see many think they belive in Jesus and have salavtion.
but they also
They believe we can adapt or creat our own truth To Suit our culture
This is a new creed that has been written by a Lutheran Chruch in the USA, but worryingly it does represent many churches that deny the full authority of the bible.
Sparkle creed video.
Are we free to make God out to be whatever our current cultre best sees fit?
Jesus doesn’t think so.
Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
No - just knowing Jesus’ name - or even seemingly acting on his behalf is not enough.
We must get our understanding right.
And we must get our action right.
But how can we be sure, how do we know that what we teach and believe and strive after here at GC is right?
How do we know if we are saved or not?
Well 2 Peter - will help us.
So let’s begin.
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:
This is a letter written by Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ own disciples - the very man who we read elsewhere denied Jesus 3 times in Jesus’ gravest hour as he faced his trial that would lead to his unjust execution on the cross -
‘I don’t know Jesus’
If anyone perhaps needed reassuring of their faith and salvation it might be him.
And he calls himself a servant and apostle.
A servant - becasue that is the attitude all are to have towards our glorious saviour Jesus,
But also an apostle, becasue as we will see next week, there were a special group of apostles, ordained by Jesus himself to be eyewitnesses to the life, death and resurection of Jesus.
And they were given special authority by God to teach and explain all that had happened.
But into the meat of the book and chapter 1.
v3-11 is a mini sermon that the following chapters give call us back to throughout.
And the theme is that as Christians we need to keep growing in our knowledge of Jesus Christ by living godly lives.
If you like this mini sermon is the antidote to false teaching he rebukes in next weeks passage.
So for us too - it will help us to be sure of our faith,
and stand string in the face of confused or muddling teachings or world beliefs.
And it’s important to get this right,
If you want true and lasting life, a life that has meaning, and good future beyond death - then this is what you need to know.
Or if you are wavering or weak in your faith or convictions - then this is what you need to know.
1 - God has Given Everything we need v3-4
1 - God has Given Everything we need v3-4
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.
Christianity is unique amongst all other religions - for all other religions rely on the work of us to be saved.
But the one true God of the Bible - and this is why Christainty can be the only relighion that is true - (for if any of the others are true then no-on ehas any hope, for we will all fall short)
But Christianty - or rather God - says something else - something wonderful.
God has gievn YOU everything you need!
Not - you have ticked enough boxes, or said the right tings,
No - God has given you all you need - for what?
Salvation and a godly life.
Why do we need a godly life?
Well becasue someone who has rightly understood the grace of Jesus, who bore our sins on the cross,
will want to respond by living a godly life.
So striving to be godly is a sign, or a test, of our true faith in Jesus.
We see that all in v3. have look at it again.
God by his divine power has given us everythign we need for a godly life through (or in responce to) our knowledge of him (God) who called us by his own glory and goodness.
We are not deserving of God’s salvation, we deserve his just condemnation,
and left to our own devises, we would never turn to a good and glorious God - for we are all ultimately self-serving.
But fortunately, God is good and glorious and part of his nature is to call, to save, to forgive freely - a people for himself.
And he does so through placing the punishment we deserve for our sin and rejection of him upon himself - in the person of Jesus.
who took God’s wrath for us and, in exchange gives us eternal life with God the father.
IT is that KNOWLEDGE that causes us to live godly lives,
and both that knowledge, and the ability to act upon it are divine gifts from God himself!
Friends, awake each day and and thank God for his divine intervention in your life for both salvation and the ability to live a right and godly life in response.
v4 reinforces the same point
(these: by which I take it to mean through God’s goodness and glory)
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
It is the promises of God (not our great actions) that allow us to be freed from sin and participate, to belong with and to the Divine Lord God himself. It is his work that means we escape the corrupt nonsense and lies of this world, and that frees us from living by our evil desires.
It is God who provides all we need for salvation and to live rightly in responce to salavtion.
No another religion offers that sort of guarantee and offer - because they are man-made religions they rely on Man-made decsions.
But the true God - well he relies on himself to save us and enable godliness in us.
Without God at work, We’ll be left with man-made sparkle creeds that will only elevate the evil of man and therefore the judgement of God!
Where as the truth is - God has given you all you need for godly living and salvation.
Praise HIM!
2 - Therefore, make every effort to be godly! v5-9
2 - Therefore, make every effort to be godly! v5-9
It is only once we know we have the power of God to live godly lives in response to the gospel - the good news of Jesus - that we are told we must make every effort to be godly.
To not do so is not a reflection on God’s power at work in your life, but rather a reflection of our rejection of God’s power!
Imagine you start a new job and your manager gives you access to the computer software you need.
Perhaps it’s Excel with all the data on it,
or auto-cad if you’re an engineer.
You have been given all the power you need, but you arrogantly turn up and just think you can do it without the gifts you’ve been freely given.
You wont keep your job long.
Infact - you boss will tell you that you have clearly rejected their authroity and kindness - and if you think you know best - well good luck - go do your best somewhere else.
And so Peter says - in response to the grace and power of God who gives you everything you need to:
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is short-sighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
We’ll come back to that list,
but do you see the relationship between our effort and the free gift of God’s grace and power to be godly.
If you work hard at godliness v8 - then you will be effective and productive as a right responce to your knowledge of Jesus.
If you don’t pursue godliness - then you are blind to what Jesus has done for you.
You are so arrogant, you don’t even open the excel spreadsheet.
You are blind to the grace you have been shown.
These 2 things must be held together - God has freely given us everything we need to be Godly,
And We must make every effort to be godly.
It wont do to be a half-hearted Christian,
I’ll think about Jesus when it suits me,
or when I need something,
or when I have spare time,
or just at Christimas and Eatser,
or when my parents ask me.
No, Jesus has bought you at a price - the price of his life,
and has given you the power to live a godly life,
he hasn’t given you an excel spreadsheet,
but he’s given you the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to your sin - so repent
To open your eyes to the truth of the Bible - so read it
To make your prayer acceptable to the Father - so pray
To fix Jesus in your eyes - so do what will please him
To give you courage to speak fo your faith - so tell others
He has given you a church family to encourage and correct one another - so come on SUNday, join a Home group,
Are we utlising the full and genrous gifts of God to be godly?
Or do we not make every effort?
If we do not seek (albeit badly at times) to live for him, we have become - or perhaps always have been blind to his grace that cleansed us from our sin.
It is therefore sinful when we are not seeking to be godly.
Or to break it down a bit as Peter does in v5-7
it is essential that in responce to the faith we have in Christ Jesus, to add goodness.
goodness simply meaning right and good action,
And as we act in a good way that deepens our knowledge.
Just like practicing a sport or a hobby, we learn and improve our knowledge and action as we do more of it.
And the result of prcticing goodness that deepens our knowledge is that we see how we more and more need to add self0control.
The more godly we become the more awre of our sin we become,
Like looking into space with more and more powerful telescopes, we learn more but as we do we discover more we don’t yet understand.
And so we must add more and more perseverance as we continue and grow in godliness,
that perseveracen requires us to keep a firm eye on godliness itself. Goldiness being to live for and love God more.
And it is that godliness that casues us to have a more godly mutual affedtion towards others as our understanding of all God has done for us increases.
and that mutual affection leads to us adding more love for all.
Pray through these things this week. Pray that God will help you make every effort to pursue these qualities by His Spirit, through His word, and with His people your family.
And do so as you rejoice in his grace and power that enables you to live this way.
Do not be blind.
And so the mini sermon ends with an end of life motivation.
3 - So that You will Receive a Rich Welcome v10-11
3 - So that You will Receive a Rich Welcome v10-11
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We learn here that as we make every effort to be godly, we are infact, v10, making your calling and election sure.
The Christian life finds assurance of our faith not is giving up on godliness, not in letting Go and letting God!
no we need both parts.
Yes God does all we need for us for salavtion and equipping for godliness,
but we are therefore to make every effort.
and if we’re not interested - then we are not able to be sure of our calling and election by God.
But if we are working at our godliness then what a reward awaits us - for it confirms we are who we believe we are in Christ Jesus!
Let’s think through what this looks like in reality.
You might be sat there thinking - oh -this is bad.
I think I believe in Jesus, and I have repented of my sins - but I don’t really want to, or cannot be bothered to, try and live for him. I don;t want to be Godly.
Well that’s a dangerous place to be. Perhaps you are short sighted to all Jesus has done for you, perhaps you are stumbling, v10.
But perhaps you’re blind?
Either way?
Look again to the free forgiveness and grace of Jesus and make every effort to pursue godliness in responce.
Or perhaps, you simply don’t believe - you havent;’ accepted the pwoer of God for salavtation and godly living.
Well then He is your only hope. - Jesus and his gift of all you need for salavtion.
Repent before him.
Or perhaps, and this will be more of us here, you believe in Jesus and have repented, and you do want to be godly, and you try, but are painfully aware of your failings.
Well that is actually a very good place to be.
YOu are seeking goodness, and v5 your knowldeg increases,
and as we’ve said as you do that you see you sin more clearly - so self-control and greater perseverance are required.
‘Struggling’ to be godly is no bad thing - infact - it is the place according to that list in vs5-7 you will be until Jesus returns or we die and entre glory with him.
That is why we need ever growing self-control and perserverance.
But do not give up - to give up is to risk stumbling.
If you’re fearful your loosing track, or need to make more effrot - then revist the gospel of Jesus.
Read one of the gospels, Matthew, mark, luke or John again,
remoind yoruself of the love and forgivenss of jesus for sinners like you and me.
remind yourself how wonderful and powerful and worthy he is.
remind yourself that he has given you everything you need for salavtion and godliness.
And remeber - HE is well and truely worht every effort, not only becasue of all he has done, but because of what aslo awiuts those who trust and obey.
You will receive a ‘’rich welcome into the ‘eternal kingdom’ of our lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
A rich welcome awaits.
This life is hard, we live in a world that rejects the truth, and makes up sparkle creeds in the name of God!
And we struggle everyday to be godly!
But that is a sign of a sure faith/
And so a rich welcome awaits.
Like going home after a longtime away - only better,
like a war hero’s return after war - only better,
like family reunion - only better,
The God of all, the Lrod Jesus himself - will be there with a hearty embrace.
Welcome home.
Pray
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