Sermon Tone Analysis

*2 Peter 1:1-4 \\ 1. Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: \\ 2. Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

\\ 3. 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.

\\ 4. 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.

*

*THE GREAT GIFT OF CHRIST THE MESSIAH: SALVATION*

*INTRODUCTION: *This is a great passage of Scripture.

In the mind of the author it is one of the greatest in all of Scripture.

It is a passage that takes Jesus Christ and lifts Him up as the great Messiah, the Savior of the world who can meet the desperate needs of man.

Here is Christ and here is the great gift of Christ the Messiah, the great gift of salvation.

*SERMON OUTLINE: * \\ 1.

He is the Messiah worthy of total devotion (v.1).

\\ 2.

He is the Messiah of faith (v.1).

\\ 3.

He is the Messiah of grace and peace (v.2). \\ 4.

He is the Messiah of life and godliness (v.3).

\\ 5.

He is the Messiah of the divine nature (v.4).

*FULLY DEVELOPED SERMON POINTS: ** \\ 1. (1:1) Servant—Apostle: *Jesus Christ is the Messiah worthy of total devotion.

This is seen in the two claims made by Peter.

1.

Peter calls himself the servant of Christ.

The word servant (doulos) means far more than just a servant.

It means a slave totally possessed by the master.

It is a bond-servant bound by law to a master.

A look at the slave market of Peter’s day shows more clearly what Peter meant when he said he was a “slave of Jesus Christ.”

a.

The slave was owned by his master; he was totally possessed by his master.

This is what Peter meant.

Peter was purchased and possessed by Christ.

Christ had looked upon him and had seen his degraded and needful condition.

And when Christ looked, the most wonderful thing happened: Christ loved him and bought him; therefore, he was now the possession of Christ.

\\ b.

The slave existed for his master and he had no other reason for existence.

He had no personal rights whatsoever.

The same was true with Peter: he existed only for Christ.

His rights were the rights of Christ only.

\\ c.

The slave served his master and he existed only for the purpose of service.

He was at the master’s disposal any hour of the day.

So it was with Peter: he lived only to serve Christ—hour by hour and day by day.

\\ d.

The slave’s will belonged to his master.

He was allowed no will and no ambition other than the will and ambition of the master.

He was completely subservient to the Master and owed total obedience to the will of the master.

Peter belonged to Christ.

\\ e.

There is a fifth and most precious thing that Peter meant by “a slave of Jesus Christ.”

He meant that he had the highest and most honored and kingly profession in all the world.

Men of God, the greatest men of history, have always been called the servants of God.

It was the highest title of honor.

The believer’s slavery to Jesus Christ is no cringing, cowardly, shameful subjection.

It is the position of honor—the honor that bestows upon a man the privileges and responsibilities of serving the King of kings and Lord of lords.

- Moses was the slave of God (Deut.

34:5; Psalm 105:26; Malachi 4:4).

\\ - Joshua was the slave of God (Joshua 24:9).

\\ - David was the slave of God (2 Samuel 3:18; Psalm 78:70).

\\ - Peter was the slave of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1; Phil.

1:1; Titus 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1).

\\ - James was the slave of God (James 1:1).

\\ - Jude was the slave of God (Jude 1).

\\ - The prophets were the slaves of God (Amos 3:7; Jeremiah 7:25).

\\ - Christian believers are said to be the slaves of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:18; 1 Cor.

7:22; Ephes.

6:6; Col. 4:12; 2 Tim.

2:24).

*Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.

My Father will honor the one who serves me.

\\ (John 12:26; cp.

Romans 12:1; 1 Cor.

15:58).*

*Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, \\ (Ephesians 6:6-7)*

*Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.

It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

\\ (Colossians 3:23-24)*

*Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverance and awe, (Hebrews 12:28).*

*Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water.

I will take away sickness from among you, (Exodus 23:25)*

*And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, (Deuteronomy 10:12).*

*Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.

(Psalm 2:11)*

*Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

(Psalm 100:2)*

2. Peter calls himself an apostle of Jesus Christ.

The word apostle (apostolos) means either a person who is sent out or a person who is sent forth.

An apostle is a representative, an ambassador, a person who is sent out into one country to represent another country.

Three things are true of the apostle: (1) he belongs to the One who has sent him out; (2) he is commissioned to be sent out; and (3) he possesses all the authority and power of the One who has sent him out.

Note three forceful lessons.

a.

Peter said that he was called to be an apostle.

He was not in the ministry because he...

• chose to be.

\\ • had the ability.

\\ • had been encouraged by others to choose the ministerial profession.

\\ • enjoyed working with people.

He was an apostle, a minister of the gospel for one reason only: God had called him.

*Now get up and stand on your feet.

I [the LORD] have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.

(Acts 26:16) *

*I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.

(1 Timothy 1:12)*

*The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

(Genesis 12:1)*

*So now, go.

I am sending you [Moses] to Pharaoh to being my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

(Exodus 3:10)*