paragraph, Peter summing up his thoughts in this epistle, very short epistle, just three chapters long, although we've spent several weeks in studying this text of scripture. I'm sure when it came to the assemblies in the ancient world, in Galatia, Asia Minor, that as they read this epistle, it didn't take very long for it to be read. But it did take some time for it, I am convinced, to be digested, just as it is with food. Some of us have eaten at break already. Some of us, we eat at noon here at our fellowship dinner. And that food, we enjoy the taste of it as we're eating it. We swallow it, but we know it's a process to assimilate the nutritional benefits of that food. Same with the reading, the public reading of scripture, and clearly these writings of the apostles. as they were inscripturated and came down in manuscript form, and then they were collected together and bound together in what we know as the New Testament. It takes time to study and to think about these things and to assimilate them. But it is important. We read a lot of novels, a lot of stories. We read once and we're through with it, never to come back and revisit it again. Not so with Scripture. That's never the intent of Scripture. It's always, always meditating on it, coming back to it again, preaching on it. and deriving the full benefit of the scriptures. And the ultimate goal of that, I think, is captured in verse 18, as he closes the epistle. It's a command, present tense, active voice, grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That's the goal, spiritual growth. Now I would suggest to you again, this is my opinion, but I think it's a valid opinion, A lot of the study of Scripture and commentaries don't get into structure of Scripture, but there are those who have. And the Spirit of God, I believe, guided the structure of the Scripture. I'm sure Peter had in mind what he would teach to the saints. And he may have had a brief or sketchy outline in his mind of what he wanted to write about. And so he undertakes that based on that sketch. I believe that's true of the Apostle Paul when he wrote the book of Romans. Quite an extensive. He just didn't pick his pen up and all of a sudden the Holy Spirit took a hold of his hand and he began to write. Same with the book of Job. I've suggested when we studied Job, I believe somebody had to be there to transcribe the narrative and so forth. These men gave thought before they wrote, but when they wrote, they were inspired. They were guided by the Spirit of God to produce an error-free accounting of what the people of God needed to know. But all of that leading up to, as he ends this epistle, I believe he's reinforcing what he started this epistle with. And so it comes under that category of what's called bookends, or what's called an inclusio. In other words, what's in the middle of his epistle is seen in his purpose for writing the epistle, and it was for their spiritual growth to be able to defend themselves in the midst of false teachers, error, heresy entering the church, to equip them. And just go back with me. to the first part of this epistle. And I think he gives in more descriptive language what the Christian is to aspire to. Verse 3, as his divine power has given us all things that pertain to life, and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue by which we have been given to a succeeding great and precious promises that through these we might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence That captures the language that we see back in verse 14 as he comes to an end. Verse 14, therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found in him, diligent. So he's picking up what he is written about at the first and trying to drive the point home. All diligence, and notice here this concept of increase, this concept of spiritual growth. Add to your faith. And that is you've come to faith, you've done in 180, you've turned around, you've become converted. Does it end there? No, it doesn't. It just begins there. Add to your faith. Virtue. Don't stop there. Add to your virtue knowledge. Add to your knowledge self-control. To self-control, perseverance. To perseverance, godliness. To godliness, brotherly kindness. And to brotherly kindness, love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's spiritual growth. adding to your faith constantly. For he who lacks these things, and that is if you're not devoted to spiritual growth, if you lack them, you become short-sighted, myopia. You can't see beyond your nose, so to speak. Even to blindness, he says, and has forgotten that he was purged of his old sins. It causes great neglect if you don't give attention to your spiritual growth. Do you understand that? That's why I believe there is this connection in the beginning and in the end of this epistle. He's tying the loose ends together. He's tying it all together. in a neat package here that the key, because of false teachers that are promised, they're going to be judged, the key is pursuing spiritual growth, Not neglecting it, if you neglect it, you'll become myopic and maybe even dead. Again, verse 10, he says, therefore, chapter one, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you'll never stumble. What a promise. What an assertion. If these things are in your life and you're improving upon what you already know, they're going to put you into a condition and a position that when you're bombarded with all of this nonsense that comes through different medium, you're going to be able to discern it. You're going to be able to see it for what it is, error. That's our protection. That's the goal of your Christian life. We'll deal with that more. Which leads me in, and I know this is all introduction, but it's tying, I believe, the epistle together. The story is told by Tim Hansel, and the name may not be familiar with him. He was a popular Christian writer and servant back In the 60s, late 60s, early 70s, on into the 80s, he established a ministry called Summit Ministries, where he took young people, whom he found to be very apathetic, and took them on rock climbing and different challenges to stimulate them, not only out of their state of apathy, but to produce in them discipline to know how to live life. And he tells a story in his book called Holy Sweat. Now, while we may not sweat in our endeavors as Christians, we need to be apprised, I think, of the importance of spiritual growth. He said a close friend of mine, was asked by his classmates to come back to a 40-year high school reunion. Now, I went to my 45th back in 2009. And last year, I went back to my 60th class reunion back in Flint, Michigan, Ainsworth High School. And that's some of my old classmates. All of them look different in many ways. I can still recognize them. Some have the big pot tummy, loss of hair, gray hair, wrinkles, all of us, men and women alike. So he said for months he saved to take his wife back to the place and the people he left four decades ago. Well, as time came upon him for the reunion. He was very excited to go back, thinking what wonderful stories he'd be able to hear about all the changes and the accomplishments that his old friends would tell him. Hadn't seen them in ages. One night before he left, he even pulled out his old yearbook and began to read through it with all of the entries and all of the nonsense that teenagers tell each other in their yearbooks. And then the day finally came, and he left and drove to the airport. The energy was high, and it was almost contagious, said Tim. And he was supposed to pick him up on the next Sunday evening. And then he would tell him all about what happened. Well, Sunday arrived, and he said, I watched him get off the plane. This is the interesting description of the story. He says, my friend seemed almost despondent. I almost didn't want to ask him. But finally, I said, well, how was the reunion? Tim, he said. It was one of the saddest experiences of my life. Good grief, I said, more than a little surprised. What happened? It wasn't what happened, but what didn't happen. It's been 40 years, 40 years, and they haven't changed. They haven't changed. They simply gained weight, changed clothes, gotten jobs, but they hadn't really changed. And what I experienced, he said, was maybe one of the most tragic things I ever imagined about life. For reasons I can't fully understand, it seems as though some people choose not to change. Well, that option is not open for the Christian. Do you understand that? You understand that? It's not open to me. The Christian is to change. He's to change into the likeness of his Savior. And that's a process. He goes on to tell the story, he says, there's a long silence as we walk back to the car. On the drive home, he turned to me and said, I never, never, never want that set of me. Life is too precious, he said to him, too sacred, too important. If you ever see me going stagnant like that, I hope that you'll give me a quick, swift kick where I need it. My beloved, that's what Peter is doing. In roundabout way, in language as he writes this, he's warning them and then he's giving a good swift kick. Get moving in your spiritual life. And then he finally told him, he says, I hope you'll love me enough to challenge me to keep growing. I ask you, as just something to think about, you look at your life, wherever you are, whether you're a teenager, whether you're an adult, where you are now, Are you different as a believer than you were five years ago? Ten years ago? I've been here 30 years and some people in our assembly have been with me that whole time. Some of you are new. I want you to ask yourself, have you grown? Wherever you came from, wherever you are, have I grown? Am I different than I was when I first came to faith? I was 20 when I came to faith in Christ. And I think I can say without being dishonest, there has been change and real spiritual growth in grace and in knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But it is a call to you, it is a call to me to sit down and evaluate. Evaluate. And the reason we need to evaluate is because of the seriousness of life. This life is not the end all and be all of our existence. The purpose of our existence is first of all to know him and then to enjoy him. And how do we know him? Through the gospel. How do we enjoy him? We enjoy him in worship, in the reading of God's word, and in our spiritual growth. That's how we enjoy him. Don't you find him joyful? I hope so. Come on, put your thinking cap on and let's grow in grace. And so he takes us, first of all, in our text to that expectancy for every believer, the expectancy of the return. of Christ and the unfolding of the day of the Lord and the consummation of it in terms of the day of God. That's the context is eschatology. Eschatology is that term meaning last, eschatos, last. The study of last things, the study of prophecy. The study of the future. And God has revealed some things to us about the future. That there is a time of reckoning, there is a judgment, there is a consummation. The church is going to be taken to glory. He's going to judge Israel, judge the Gentiles. And he is going to establish an earthly kingdom that'll last a thousand years, after which will be consummated a battle with Gog and Magog. Satan will be destroyed, cast into hell. There'll be the great white throne judgment. And if you don't know Christ, you'll be there. You'll be there. But it's eschatology. Verse 10, the day of the Lord will come. It will come, we looked at that last week. Verse 12, verse 13, we looked at those three, same word, looking for the hastening and coming of the day of God. Verse 13, nevertheless, we look to his promise, or we according to his promise, look for new heavens and new earth. Verse 14, therefore, beloved, looking forward, looking forward. So in this time framework, in this process of us looking forward, what happens? He tells us, as you're looking forward, be diligent. That word takes us back to what we looked at earlier in chapter one, diligence, to be found. I'm not laughing. But there is some time in the future when there's going to be a day of reckoning between you and him. It's a mano y mano. Mano y mano, you and the Lord Jesus. There's not going to be any frivolity there. I don't have any excuses. As we are looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found. That's passive voice. Found by whom? Him? Jesus? If he came right now, how would he find you? What discovery would he make of your life? And I say it to myself, what discovery is he going to make of my life? But there's going to be a discovery. You'll be found by him. And the hope of that finding, the hope of that counter is in peace. In peace. Without spot. And blameless. In other words, there's not going to be any anxiety on your part at that encounter. You're going to be found to Him in peace. It's going to be a joyous occasion when that encounter takes place. And the only way that will happen is the absence of that which blemishes the Christian life. That would be our own sin, our own faults, our own neglect, our own inconsistencies. I was thinking about that this morning for the other texts of scriptures that emphasize the same thing. That's the purpose for Christ saving us. Look with me back at Ephesians chapter five. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 28 and following. Ephesians 5 verse 28, everybody go on it, look at it. He's talking to Christian couples primarily. So husbands ought to love, they're obligated to love their own wives as their own bodies. No, go back to verse 25, I'm sorry. Husbands love your wife just as Christ loved the church. In other words, that's the paramount example. And gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it. How does he do that? With the washing of water by the word. that he might present it to himself, a glorious church." And notice he uses that word spot, not having spot or wrinkle. That's hard for me to imagine. Because as soon as my clothes are put on my back and on my legs and on my body, if I do anything, they get wrinkles. And if I'm careless as I eat or careless when I'm dealing with chemicals or other liquids, I can spill it on me very easily. Happens all the time. Food stains and so forth. And Jesus is saying, my goal with my church is to produce a bride for me that does not have a spot on it, nor does it have a wrinkle in its garments, but that it should be holy and without any blemish. The day of God is coming. The day of the Lord is coming. And he wants you to put forth special effort. The Christian life You hear me? It takes effort. It takes effort. It's something about which we need to be serious. It's contained in that word diligence. And that's that word is used in legalese to give due diligence to a matter. When you sign a contract, you're supposed to read it. Don't always. You know how it is on the internet. You get all these things. You're supposed to read this agreement. And you see the agreement is two, three pages long. I'm not going to take all the time. I'm just going to sign it and go ahead. Well, sometimes it can come back to bite you. Being unaware of things. Without spot. Without wrinkle. Because this life is precious. That concept of peace, I think, is an important concept. Just to think of it in terms of its opposite. What are the opposite of that? Well, strife, discord, anxiety, And as it was used in the ancient Greek world, war, war is the opposite of peace. Also rage, being disturbed, upset, angry, confusion. The writer of Proverbs says, better is a morsel. And I'm reading from the Septuagint where he uses this term. This Greek term, Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Proverbs 17, one says, better is a morsel with pleasure in peace than a house full of many good things and unjust sacrifices with strife. So there's a contrast between peace and strife. This word was used in many of the greetings of the apostles. And here the Apostle Peter uses this term in several contexts. And here he closes with that too. He opens, may grace and peace be multiplied to you. Peace is to be the experience of a believer who is at harmony with God and who is content in his life with God's goodness over his life. In his first epistle, Peter wrote these words, God wants us to know peace. He wants us to be at peace with one another. We are, if we're believers, we're at peace with God. He wants us to have inward peace, not anxiety. Be anxious for nothing, but by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds." He wants his people to be in peace. But you can't be in peace if there's wrinkle and spot in your life, if there's sin in your life. What characterizes the kingdom, Jesus said, and not Jesus, Paul said, Romans 14, 7, dealing with what we call doubtful things and the conflict that arose, especially between Jewish and Gentile believers, about dietary things and days. He says, the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking. Our focus is not on food. He says, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Peace is the fruit of the Spirit. It's the Spirit-lived life. James wrote in his epistle, chapter 3, verse 18, but the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace. In other words, there can be no fruit that's sown out of the context of peace. by those who make peace, and that is peacemakers. Blessed are the peacemakers, Jesus said. All that is encompassed in that term is a spiritual exercise I think he has in mind. You know, I wonder sometimes if he descended now upon his people. in the churches throughout our country, throughout the world, which assemblies would he find where the believers are at peace? I've been in assemblies where the believers with one another aren't at peace. And it's not a very pleasant situation where you have to walk around on eggshells, so to speak, around fellow believers because they're not seeking peace. God hates those who sow discord among God's people. I'll stop there. There is this future expectation at which we must be found in peace by him and to give due diligence to everything that is necessary for us to be that situation when we encounter him. I move on quickly to the nature of our salvation. And he says, account or reckon that the long-suffering our God is salvation. The reason he is patient, as we saw last week, is for the expansion of the gospel and the saving message to reach the ends of the world so that he might have that great ingathering, that harvest, that salvation of which he spoke here. His long-suffering winds up in a saving mission being accomplished. As also, this is sort of parenthetical, our brother Paul. I love that. It's clear that Paul, if the time framework of this epistle is right around 64, 65 AD, that Paul is already with the Lord. He had died at the hands of the Romans in Rome. And it is he, Paul, you remember that rebuked Peter because of his hypocrisy when Jews came from Jerusalem to be with them at the church, I believe in Antioch. He began to associate only with them and he said, Peter, Your conduct is a denial, it is a hypocrisy of the salvation you believe and know, and that is, God receives you and Gentile alike, and he receives them in the same standing. So he points the finger at him and says, your conduct is a denial of the gospel. And I believe as he repented when he denied our Lord, I believe he repented when he was rebuked by the Apostle Paul. And he has the affection for his brother Paul to call him our beloved brother. He didn't turn on Paul. Yeah, I believe he repented. And his affection for Paul was immense. his writings were appreciated by him. He says, according to the wisdom given to him has written to you, and that is these churches in Asia Minor, and Galatian churches in particular, and the Ephesian churches, and Laodicea and Colossae and different ones in Asia Minor, as our beloved brother, And I love what he says, according to the wisdom given to him. Wisdom is dispensed by God, has written to you, as also in all his letters, his epistles, speaking things. And that is these very things that I'm telling you about. especially in his Thessalonian epistles. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 is very eschatological. That is dealing with last things, the resurrection of the dead. Here he commends his writings, all his epistles, speaking in them of these things. In other words, Peter ultimately didn't really need to address them, but he did. But he did in the context of building on the teachings of the Apostle Paul, his beloved friend, and more than a friend, his brother in the Lord. And he acknowledges, as I do, some things that Paul wrote in which he says some things are hard, they're difficult. to understand. There are sections of Paul's letter to the Romans, sections in 1 Corinthians, that all of us struggle to some degree. It's not that they can't be understood, it's just difficult. Which knows, sadly, this is the reality. Those who are untaught and unstable twist. I think he's referring here, alluding to the false teachers. I tell you, when the cults like Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and even some denominations, I've referred to the 19th century to a century in Christian history. I call it the attempt to restore Christianity. And a lot of error came out of that. Seventh-day Adventism come out of that. Mormonism comes out of that. Jehovah's Witnesses come out of that. And a whole host of error come out of the 19th century. Not to say that God didn't keep his church pure. But we're reaping the results of it even today. They get a hold of the Bible and they begin to twist it, which means they're distorting it. They take truth and make it untruth in essence. That's not what Paul said. This is what he actually meant. And Peter says the sad reality is that they do it to their own destruction, as they do with not only Paul's writings, but the rest of scripture. I read some of these things that these cults teaches and I scratch my head. I say, how did they come up with that? That's not what the text says in context. That's what you're always looking for. What does it say in context? And so he concludes, he concludes here in verses 17 and 18 what really he wrote this epistle all about, God's protection from error. The believer's protection from error is his spiritual growth. Therefore, beloved, dear ones, since you know these things beforehand, beware. It's a caution about their own steadfastness, their spiritual stability. Beware lest you also fall, very dangerous to fall. And I've experienced that and seen it the older I get. My balance is not what it used to be 10 years ago. I remember I was walking out in front of the church and all of a sudden I stumbled, boom. Resolva and Sarah were driving by when that happened. You'll remember it. And they came up into the parking lot and said, you OK? I was OK. I just skinned my knee a little bit. I've fallen. Thank God I've not broken a hip, not got a concussion, that type of thing. But I'm very careful and deliberate in how I walk. Because one's stability on a physical level, on a human level, is very important to navigate through a day. And so it is spiritually. Beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness. How will that happen? These false teachers dangle a carrot before you. and try to draw you away, entice you, and you buy into it, you bite the carrot, and before you know it, you've fallen into error, led away with the error of the wicked. Brother John MacArthur passed away this last week. One thing that characterized that man and his ministry was that he was a stalwart for truth, for truth. He had to face a lot of spiritual, ecclesiastical battles out there in the world But one unrelenting thing about him is his faithfulness to expound the word of God. And that much and more I appreciate about him because his goal was never to lead people astray. There's all of these groups out here. You gotta be careful. They're not one and the same. They may appear Christian, but they're not. And so where is the devotion of our life? Notice, don't fall from your steadfastness, but grow. You know how a toddler is when they're learning to walk, and then they fall down, they get up, and eventually, by the time they're two years old, they're walking around getting into everything. They're growing. They're growing and developing their steadfastness. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. One has defined spiritual growth this way. Spiritual growth is matching up your practice with your position in Christ. You're seated in the heavenlies. You are in Him. This word is used in other places. It's translated increase. But here in this context and other contexts, it's talking about spiritual growth. Maturity, we call it. Maturity. You ever tell your kids, when are you going to grow up? Well, that's the goal in parenthood, is to lead your children along into maturity. Maturity. 2 Corinthians 9.10 reads this way, Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food supply and multiply your seed you have sown and increase the fruits, that's the word, increase the fruits of your righteousness. In Ephesians 4, talking about why he gives pastors, teachers, apostles, evangelists to the church, is for the church's correction and spiritual maturity. Verse 15 reads, but speaking the truth, in love may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Messiah, Christ. Spiritual growth. To the Colossians he wrote that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing or growing in the knowledge of God. Are you growing? And earlier in his first epistle, which no doubt they'd recollect upon, Verse 22, he says, as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. Grow, grow. That's it. Growth in the spiritual life. You can't stop. There's no place in your Christian walk where you can rest on your laurels. You grow. You keep at it. I guess that's one reason I haven't retired yet. I have determined not to retire until God retires me. And I don't know when and if that'll happen, but You know Spurgeon had this observation about Enoch. It said of Enoch, just a phrase, he, that is Enoch, walked with God. He, Enoch, walked with God. Day after day, month after month. What characterized Enoch life is that he walked with God. And before you knew it, He was walking so close to God that God says, you come up and be with me. And he was not, Moses wrote. The virgin writes down, he says, a man who walks with God will necessarily, listen, grow in grace and in the knowledge of God. And in the likeness of Jesus, you cannot suppose a perpetual walk with God year after year without the favored person being strengthened, sanctified, instructed, and rendered more able to glorify God. That's the purpose of your life. Among all of the other purposes you're involved in, that's the supreme purpose. of life is to grow in grace. Now let's do some examination. Are you growing in grace? Well, the first thing you need to know, examine yourself to see whether you're in the faith. Are you a believer? You can't grow if you're not a Christian. If the seed of the gospel, which has been sown on your heart, you spurned it and refused it, you'll never experience growth. But Jesus encouraged his followers that there would be a sower go forth. He would sow seed and some would fall on good soil. Your heart has to be good soil. It has to be cultivated and receptive to the word. Receive it. Start spiritual growth by letting the seed of God's word change you, change you. Someone wrote, a person who is born again starts a new life similar to that of a newborn. We saw that in 1 Peter 2.2. Infant, you're an infant. That means you're a baby. And he writes, seven rules that promote good health in babies can be adopted and applied to the Christian spiritual growth. Number one, daily food. That should be a daily intake. Now, I know there's time for fasting. Fresh air. Pray often or you will faint. Prayer is the oxygen of the soul. Prayer, fresh air, regular exercise. Put into practice what you learn in God's word. And that's the application. Fourthly, adequate rest. Rely on God at all times in simple faith. We have entered into Sabbath rest, Hebrews assures us that. We cease from our labors, we not try to impress God by our righteous works. And then loving care, part of a church, be part of a church where you benefit from a pastor teaching, and also Christian fellowship. And then finally, periodic checkups. Regularly examine your spiritual health. Let us grow. This is our protection against spiritual counterfeits. It's our protection against error. Join me in prayer. Father, I thank you that you left a book for us. We call it the Bible, but really, it's a collection of 66 books of which we can never plumb the depths. But it is food. It's our daily spiritual nourishment to be in the Word. Oh, that we might read it with understanding. that we might be bold to implement its commands in our lives, that it might guide us in the way of righteousness. O Father, may we be diligent to be found in him, not having spot or blemish. be found in him in peace. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.