{"id":8380,"date":"2020-03-22T20:00:30","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T03:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=8380"},"modified":"2020-03-22T22:34:11","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T05:34:11","slug":"2peter1_1-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2peter1_1-11\/","title":{"rendered":"God\u2019s Power Gives You Everything You Need"},"content":{"rendered":"

2 Peter 1:1-11\u00a0\u00a0Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Peter 1:1-11.\u00a0 It is one of my favourite passage in all the Bible and is packed with powerful truths.\u00a0 Let\u2019s walk through it together.<\/p>\n

2 Peter 1:1a (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 1a: \u00a0There is much to be learned from the way Peter identifies himself.\u00a0 Notice that Peter calls himself both \u201ca servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ\u201d.\u00a0 In the other words, Peter had both humility and authority.\u00a0 What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0The best leaders walk with both humility and authority.<\/strong>\u00a0 As children of God, always remember that we have been given authority to represent God, to speak on His behalf, and to pray in His name.\u00a0 That is great authority. At the same time, let\u2019s carry that authority with humility, knowing that we are given that authority not because we earned it but because of God\u2019s grace.<\/p>\n

Reinforcing this point about humility and authority, notice that Peter refers to himself as \u201cSimon Peter\u201d \u2013 \u201cSimon\u201d being Peter\u2019s original name, while Peter being the new name Jesus gave to Simon when Jesus said, \u201cAnd you are Peter (meaning rock) and on this rock I will build my church.\u201d\u00a0 From this I learn: never forget where you came from, and never forget the new creation you have become in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

2 Peter 1:1b (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n\u2026To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 1b:\u00a0 By addressing his letter this way, Peter was basically saying, \u201cThis letter is for every Christian out there, for anyone who identifies with the precious faith we have in Jesus Christ and the righteousness that comes from Him.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0Even more importantly, notice how Peter describes Jesus Christ \u2013 as \u201cGod<\/em>\u00a0and Saviour\u201d.\u00a0 This is one of many examples in the New Testament where Jesus is described not simply as a good human being, but as God.<\/p>\n

2 Peter 1:2 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 2:\u00a0 In verse 1 Peter calls Jesus \u201cGod\u201d, and then in verse 2 he says, \u201cof God and of Jesus our Lord\u201d, as if God and Jesus are distinct.\u00a0 What\u2019s going on?\u00a0 It\u2019s because Peter is recognizing that Jesus is God and at the same time there is God the Father.\u00a0 In 1 Peter 1:2, Peter recognizes a third Person: the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 Here in Peter\u2019s letters, as well as throughout the rest of the New Testament, we see the concept of the Trinity \u2013 one God manifested in three Persons.<\/p>\n

2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0His 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.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Through 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.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 3-4:\u00a0 Verse 3 is one of my favourite verses in the Bible.\u00a0 Whenever I am stressed or getting ready to face a challenge, I will often think of this verse.\u00a0 It reminds me that God\u2019s power has already given me everything I need to live this life He has given me.\u00a0 So I don\u2019t lack a thing.\u00a0 I proclaim this verse in a similar way that I proclaim, \u201cWith God all things are possible\u201d and \u201cI can do all things through Christ who strengthens me\u201d.\u00a0 It\u2019s one of the most encouraging and reassuring promises in the Bible: in God we have everything we need today.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also notice that there are a lot of \u201cthroughs\u201d in verses 3-4.\u00a0 See if you can \u201cfollow through\u201d with me (haha\u2026I\u2019m being punny): to paraphrase Peter in verses 3-4, \u201cGod\u2019s divine power has given us everything we need to live the godly lives He has called us to live.\u00a0 We access that divine power\u00a0through<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0our personal experience (\u201cknowledge\u201d) of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.\u00a0\u00a0Through\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>God\u2019s glory and goodness we have received God\u2019s great and precious promises, so that\u00a0through\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>them \u2013 that is, by trusting and relying on God\u2019s great and precious promises \u2013 we get access to God\u2019s power (or as Peter says, \u201cparticipate in the divine nature\u201d) and avoid falling into temptation (\u201cescape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires\u201d).\u00a0 What can we learn from all this?\u00a0\u00a0We experience God\u2019s power through a personal relationship with Him and specifically through His promises which He has so gloriously and graciously given us.\u00a0 God\u2019s promises are the pathway to experiencing God\u2019s power.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 Peter 1:5-9 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For 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.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 5-9: \u00a0Your faith is the foundation on which godly character is built.\u00a0 Once you have faith in Jesus, don\u2019t stop there.\u00a0 As Peter says, \u201cmake every effort\u201d (i.e. don\u2019t just passively sit there but be intentional and work hard) to \u201cadd to your faith\u201d the Christ-like qualities that we see in Jesus.\u00a0 These qualities \u201cwill keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ\u201d (v8).\u00a0 In other words,\u00a0while faith in Jesus will save you, the life God calls you to live on earth requires more than faith in Jesus.<\/strong>\u00a0God wants you to add to your faith other Christ-like qualities<\/strong>\u00a0such as goodness (the commitment to do the right thing regardless of how you feel), knowledge (a deepening understanding of God\u2019s Word and God\u2019s perspective on the world), self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love.\u00a0 Having these qualities will protect you for the life and destiny God made you to live.\u00a0\u00a0If you don\u2019t make the time and effort to build these qualities into your character, three things will happen:<\/strong>\u00a0(1) you will not be an effective or fruitful Christian (v8); (2) you will be a slave to short-term thinking and feelings-based living (\u201cnear-sighted and blind\u201d) (v9); and (3) you will take for granted the salvation Jesus died to give you (\u201cforgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins\u201d) (v9).<\/p>\n

2 Peter\u00a01:10\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your\u00a0calling\u00a0and\u00a0election\u00a0sure\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 10:\u00a0 What does Peter mean by \u201cmake your calling and election sure\u201d?\u00a0 He means this:\u00a0 the more you focus on building Christ-like character (in particular the qualities Peter describes in verses 5-9), the more sure you will be about two things:<\/p>\n