Day 2424 – Exhortation to Spiritual Maturity – A Fruitful Faith – 2 Peter 1:1-11

Wisdom-Trek ©

Welcome to Day 2424 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Day 2424 – A Fruitful Faith – Daily Wisdom

Putnam Church Message – 07/14/2024 Exhortation to Spiritual Maturity – A Fruitful Faith 2 Peter 1:1-11 Last week, we learned how to be victorious over our enemy, the devil, which requires that we: Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. Today’s passage is 2 Peter 1:1-11, on page 1893 of your Pew Bibles. 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 a godly life 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, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ 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. ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, my brothers and sisters,^[a] make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, ¹¹ and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Having matured in his faith and reached the end of his life, Peter wanted to leave a written legacy addressing some of the young church's most pressing concerns. In the last days of his life, he wrote this rapid-fire, urgent reminder to warn against false doctrine and moral compromise. And because the Holy Spirit inspired his writing, his final words are as timely today as they were for believers in the first century. Peter’s second letter was written around AD 66, about one year before the aging apostle's execution. Peter knew his time on this earth was nearing its end and that he would die before the Lord returned (2 Pet. 1:14). Brief but powerful, 2 Peter serves as his last written words to the church and a permanent testament of Peter's practical teachings. The first section of Peter's letter provides straightforward counsel on how to keep from feeling useless and unfruitful. Written to people like you and me, this letter begins by focusing on the kind of lifestyle that will keep us from slipping into irrelevance. Pay close attention to Peter's words here. Nobody wants to look back over their years with regret, concluding they lived useless and fruitless lives. -1:1-3 — Peter begins his letter with a simple identification: Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ (1:1). In this second letter, Peter doesn't merely emphasize his apostleship; he also identifies with his fellow Christians—a bondservant, which means a voluntary slave of Christ. Interestingly, he combines his birth name, Simon, with Peter, the name Christ gave him upon his confession of Jesus as the Messiah (Matt. 16:16-18). With this simple statement, the old fisherman-turned-apostle points out his God-given new identity and significance through Christ, though a humble calling accompanies this identity. In keeping with his humble introduction, Peter counts himself among the readers who “have received a faith as precious as ours.” That is, both Peter as a believing Jew and his readers as believing Jews and Gentiles have been equally called, saved, and equipped to live the Christian life because of the righteousness of Christ. They are together in all this: “fellow heirs,” “fellow members,” and “fellow partakers” of the same grace and peace that unites them in Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:1-6). Christians experience Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (1:2). The word for “knowledge” here, epignõsis, refers not to mere intellectual awareness or theoretical knowledge but to “heart knowledge.” Peter and his fellow believers do not merely know about God and Jesus; they share an intimate relationship with their God— they literally know God through Jesus Christ. The point is this: when intimate “heart knowledge” of God through Christ increases, our grace and peace increase, and we become more like Christ. Peter continues his thought of growing in grace, peace, and knowledge of God in 1:3, emphasizing that God's divine power—not our effort at self-reformation— His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life. When our lives are immersed in this God-given power, two things happen: Our relationships with others become more useful and fruitful, and our relationship with God abounds in godliness. As the NLT indicates, that adds up to “everything we need for living a godly life!”. But note that God doesn’t merely provide a spiritual seed that we need to water and cultivate>by our own strength to develop into a fruitful Christian life. No, God provides “everything” we need—from the seed to the sunlight, from the hoe to the harvesting tools. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, all believers are fully equipped with the power of God when they first believe (Eph. 3:16). I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. What a wonderful thought! This magnificent truth should not be an excuse for passivity| but a motivation for participation. While God provides everything necessary for us, we must still act. The fact that we must use the power God has given us| in no way negates the fact that God is entirely responsible for the cause and the effects. Paul illustrates this critical point about our spiritual growth when he writes, “⁶ I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. ⁷ It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” (1 Cor. 3:6-7). Did you catch that? Paul and Apollos were active, not passive. They were doing real work, and had they not participated in the work of the ministry, growth would not have occurred. Yet, simultaneously, Paul acknowledged that God Himself caused the growth through the process. With our initial salvation, God has equipped us—by the indwelling Spirit—with an introductory packet that includes everything we need. We have access to resources which, when utilized, will result in usefulness and fruitfulness both horizontally—in our relationships with others—and vertically—in our relationship with God. But having the right equipment does not guarantee we’ll benefit from it. We must use that equipment properly. This leads directly to the thoughts Peter develops in 1:4-9. -1:4-9 — In light of God's powerful provision (1:3) and His precious promises (1:4), Peter calls us to step out in diligent participation (1:5-9). God has given us “his very great and precious promises" at conversion" (1:4). These promises became ours when we were spiritually united with Christ by the invisible yet dynamic work of the Holy Spirit. Becoming partakers of Christ, we inherit all the promises accompanying our union with Him. Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 1:20-22, ²⁰ For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. ²¹ It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, ^22, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us. What are some of these promises? WE HAVE… (Bulletin Insert)

• Forgiveness of all our sins—past, present, and future (Romans 8:1 - So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
• Spiritual adoption by God the Father
• Spiritual strength by the Holy Spirit
• Comfort through suffering and hardship
• Provision of our needs
• Hope of heaven when we die
• Bodily resurrection when He returns
• Reign with Him in His kingdom (Global Eden)

The list of promises could go on and on. But this sampling gives us a handful of examples to help us understand how Peter can say that by these “great and precious promises,” we can do two things: (1) participate in the divine nature and (2) escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. These two outcomes are the positive and negative aspects of putting to use the provision God has given us, relying on the promises that accompany salvation. We increasingly partake of the divine nature as we put away the lust that causes corruption. We become, quite literally, more and more like Christ in both our inner beings and our outward actions. What has been once-for-all declared by grace through faith—our righteousness before God—becomes progressively manifest in our everyday lives—our righteous behavior before God and others. The former is called “justification” (when we are declared righteous); the other is called “sanctification” (when we are made increasingly more righteous). How does this righteousness become a part of our lives? Peter answers this in 1:5. Because God has given us power and promises, our participation takes the form of “applying all diligence.” The phrase is an idiom that literally means “make every effort to” some task. It implies haste, eagerness, and determination. It means to apply ourselves as much as possible. Peter tells his readers to “add” several things “to your faith” with this kind of diligence. Note that faith is already present. Faith is the foundation, the taproot of the Christian life. It means relying on what Peter has described as the provision and promises for spiritual growth. It means abandoning ourselves to our God—His will, strength, and wisdom. We are to build upon this foundation of faith—focused on Christ and established by the Holy Spirit. So, to “add” to this foundation means to build upon it. Peter then lists seven qualities we should add to this foundation of faith. Moral Excellence Rareté 1:5 NLT. Synonymous with “virtue or goodness,” it implies moral fortitude, courage, and the ability—based on internal motivators—to do what's right and to stand alone if necessary. Here, the emphasis is on the inner disposition of moral correctness more than specific observable activities, which will be discussed later in Peter's list. Knowledge gnosis 1:5 refers to practical knowledge— knowledge learned by keen observation and experience. Peter used the same word, gnosis, in 1 Peter 3:7, encouraging a husband to live with his wife “with understanding," meaning to know a wife personally and intimately. It's the same word used regarding personal knowledge of Jesus Christ through an intimate relationship (Phil. 3:8). Self-Control en/kra/teia 1:6). As believers building on faith with moral excellence and knowledge, we must never allow anything to control us but the Master. Not money, sex, power, food, drink, drugs, habits, work, or personal goals. Self-control means maintaining a balanced life, even when the world encourages indulgence. It means saying “No" to the second helping —or the second glance. Perseverance (hypo/monë 1:6). Believers must keep on the narrow path even when everything around us tries to push us off. Remain steadfast, stable, and clearheaded amid distress or disaster. It requires a firm footing on the foundation of faith, a clear focus on the pursuit of hope, and unparalleled patience. Godliness (eu/se/beia 1:6). The term eusebeia means authentic piety and runs in two directions. First, it refers to one with the right perspective and attitude toward God, showing the proper reverence and worship due to the Almighty. Second, it reflects itself in a proper view towards others—a genuine servant’s heart, giving others their proper honor and respect. Mutual Affection (Philadelphia 1:7). The word Philadelphia refers to treating others as if they were members of our own family. It includes living in such close relationships with others that we bear one another's burdens and feel each other's joys and pains. We accommodate others’ opinions, feelings, ideas, and suggestions. Brotherly love is the key to living in a genuine and harmonious community. Love (agapë 1:7). The seven-step ladder from the foundation of “faith" leads to love—agapë. I can describe this kind of love as seeking the highest good for others, putting their needs above self—it's unconditional devotion. This is the kind of love demonstrated by God sending Jesus Christ. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Rom. 5:8). As Peter does here, Paul marks this kind of love as the highest Christian virtue. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:13). Peter then reveals the purpose of cultivating these virtues. We don't engage in these things to earn salvation—that's already ours by grace through faith plus nothing! We wouldn't have the necessary power if we weren't already saved. Instead, Peter promises we will be productive and useful in our Christian lives if these things are present and increasing through diligence (1:8). Peter acknowledges that not everybody will maintain the diligence that leads to maturity. Some blind believers fail to look back on their conversion, when God purified them from their sins. Shortsighted believers cannot look far enough ahead to see the coming of Christ and His reward for those who are faithful. So, those who focus on the present life and live for themselves will lack these qualities and squander the power God has given them (1:9). -1:10-11 — Peter caps his exhortation to spiritual maturity with another appeal for diligence. He tells us to “make every effort to confirm your calling and election. " (1:10). This doesn't mean that we must do these things to secure our salvation or to guarantee our places in heaven. Instead, this is an urgent and passionate appeal to live out our calling and demonstrate our salvation to others. The entire context shows that Peter already regarded his readers as “family" who had been called and provided everything necessary for godly living. His appeal is to live out that objective calling through spiritual growth subjectively. One commentator writes, “One’s godly behavior is a warranty deed for himself that Jesus Christ has cleansed him from his past sins and therefore that he was in fact called and elected by God.” The result of diligence is not salvation but stability,>usefulness, and fruitfulness. With these things comes eternal reward upon Christ's return. 1:11 speaks of God abundantly supplying us with a grand entrance into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. This target of hope at Christ's return should encourage us to press on, unwavering in diligence. If we do, we will receive great rewards. But if we fail to grow in our faith, we will lose reward at the judgment seat of Christ, as Paul sternly warns: ¹⁴ If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. (I Cor. 3:14-15). We don't want to face the Lord Jesus Christ, ashamed of uselessly and fruitlessly squandering the powerful provision and precious promises He bestowed upon us at salvation. Instead, we must heed Peter's warnings, reminders, and promises and aim for the target of hope in Christ's return through diligence in spiritual growth. APPLICATION: 2 PETER 1:1-11 A Secure Investment (Bulletin) In the world of financial investments, nothing is guaranteed. Even the lowest risk investment strategies could potentially...