Starting with the first verse of 2 Peter 1, Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, may grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature. having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and your virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. For in this way, there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore, I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure, you may be able at any time to recall these things. Before we look at this, let's just have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for this inspired text of the Apostle Peter. Help us to understand those things which he is teaching, especially those six things that I'll bring out, may it be helpful, but help us to appreciate this text and may your spirit apply it to our lives. that we may confirm our calling and election who are in Christ Jesus as our Savior and our Lord. We pray this in his name, in Christ's name, amen. I grew up with a dad who was who was always lighter than I am, as I got the man who my father is. Most of his life was always 145 pounds, not very heavy, but very strong, very fast, And he went to Carnegie Mellon, which was Carnegie Institute of Technology back in those days, for a mechanical engineering degree. And I remember a story about my dad that when, and I think I probably told you some years ago, he went down the survey, down the football field in a surveying class. And they were waiting for somebody, and the teacher said, well, let's just race around the field. Who's the fastest? They all ran around. So back so quick, they said, you must have cut across the field. He was very quick and also very strong. Though not large, kind of a man's man, take charge kind of guy. I had great respect for him. Don't know that he was saved, but had a great influence in my life about manly responsibility and doing what you need to do. I told my brother one time, he never had a job he really liked. He worked for US Steel most of his years. And my brother said, why did you stay at that job? My dad said, I had seven kids and a wife. And that's my dad. Two feet of snow and you're going to be at work? Well, you just get to work any way you can. I think one time he used a tractor to pull himself partway to work, if I'm not mistaken. Anyway, I learned these things about my dad. I learned responsibility and commitment and effort, whatever, talking. I like to see Peter like this. I sort of see Peter as kind of a man's man. I picture him, I don't know what Peter looked like, but I picture him very strong. Peter and Andrew had a boat. Apparently, it was their boat, if I'm not mistaken. I don't know if they shared it with James and John. They certainly used the same boat. But 27 feet long was about the size of this boat, 7 and 1⁄2 feet wide. I think years ago, I showed you a picture of one of those boats that was discovered from that very time. And it could have been their boat, but I don't know if that's the case. But anyway, to pull that boat, and they were large nets. They weren't those little catch nets for picking out a fish out of the water. They were large nets that they would use pull fish into the boat, and I could just picture this man very capable, very assertive, and I see it in his life. But Peter also in that very nature was impetuous as I see it, proud of his own abilities. I remember if you go back to Matthew 16, when Jesus said, who do you say I am? Peter said to Jesus in the front of the other disciples, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. And it was from there that Jesus said, you shall be called Peter Petras, which means a rock, which is what he refers to there as he used that name Peter. And I think, and he says, for on this rock, and there the word is actually different, it's Petra, or if it's in Aramaic, it would be Cephas. for Peter, we don't know, he probably spoke that in Aramaic, but either case, there's a distinction in the very words, so we know it's not Peter that, belowing that Jesus is saying that the church is gonna be built on, because he used a different word there in the Greek, but I wanna digress on that, I just wanna say how Peter was bold to say who Jesus was and the prince and these other 11 disciples, and then in the same chapter, remember that Jesus talked about his crucifixion, And in the same chapter, Matthew 16, Peter said, no, this isn't gonna happen to you, no way. And that's when Jesus said, get thee behind me, Satan. You can just see how bold he was and how the Lord had to rebuke him in his strong assertiveness. And later on in the book of Matthew, I wrote it down for Matthew 26, I think it is, Peter said, everybody else denies you. Not me. That's the kind of guy Peter was. You know, Jesus said, for the cockroach twice, he would deny me three times, which, of course, he did. And Luke says Jesus looked at him. Only Luke says that. I think it's Luke. Am I right about that? It might be Mark. because Mark wrote off Peter's teaching. Anyway, I think Mark said Jesus looked at him after that 39, and Peter walked out and wept bitterly, having disappointed his Lord. The point I want to make here is this Peter is a very different Peter. This is a Peter bold in the gospel, but not proud in himself and self-assertive and take charge kind of guy. This is a man here filled with the Holy Spirit. And there's a good example in this text from Peter of his humility in Christ. First thing I want you to see, notice he uses his birth name. Now, oftentimes the text uses the name Simon, and there's a slight preference in the manuscripts for the name Simeon here, which is a variant of the word Simon that is usually spoken of in the gospel. But that's his given name from his parents. He uses that first before he uses the word Petros here, the name that Jesus gave him. There's a humility in Peter, I think, in this instance, instead of just opening with Peter. And he calls himself a dolos, Most text read as servant, I think it really probably means a slave, as Mike spoke about a year or so ago, of the nature, the meaning of that word. And commentaries seem to indicate the same. A slave and one sent forth. one who's now responsible to another, an apostle. So that means one who's sent forth, an apostle of Jesus Christ. The very way he words that, slave and being sent forth by Christ, and even I think in Open Simeon, speaks to a different kind of a man. humble in himself, a slave whose master is Jesus, and yet bold in his service still of the Lord Jesus Christ. What an example he sets. And even in that, look with me toward the end of the text. I was going to bring out some other point here, but I'll maybe say it the next time. He says, look at the end. He says, verse 13, he says, I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus made clear to me. Of course, he was talking about John 21, right? where Jesus said, someone else will take you about. And that is being nailed to a cross for the Lord. And Peter says, this is coming soon, but you see here still. that faithfulness to Christ even in the face of death. His whole focus is not on Peter, but it's upon the Lord Jesus Christ and encouraging these saints, these believers, to be faithful even after he departs. I will make every effort so that after my departure," he was, as far as we know from writings outside the Bible, crucified upside down. Having said, I'm not worthy to die as my Lord did, he was crucified upside down, so that after my departure, you may be able at any time to recall these things, the teachings that he gives us in this first chapter and elsewhere in the book. What an example of selflessness, and what an example for us of humility and that focus on just doing the will of Christ. Not your own will, not your own self-exaltation, but the will of Christ. Even in the first letter of Peter, he speaks, I think it's the third chapter, where he says, he gives instruction to the people and to the elders, and he calls himself a fellow elder. I think it's 1 Peter 3. Anyway, it's interesting because he's much more than an elder, he was an apostle, and yet he uses that term of himself as a servant of Christ to the church in the first book. Humility, this is a major characteristic, selflessness. glorify Christ alone that Peter sets for us in this account. Then he says, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. He just throws this in not so much as a special teaching, he's just saying, he's just, hey, these are the people are writing to, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours, which is a good reading. But what I want you to see is this, just the simple gospel message he gives as he describes these people he's writing to, the simple gospel of grace and its divine source. Look at that, that's just a part of the first verse. And yet it makes it clear that our salvation, those who have obtained a faith, now, Because it's a faith here, without that article before it, or just faith, may mean he's talking not about just believing faith, but maybe he's using it as a word meaning our salvation, those who have obtained a salvation, which is, of course, by faith. Or he may mean just the idea, a saving faith, of equal standing with ours, that's your fellow believers with us. There's another way this is often interpreted, and this is where you get in a little bit of variance with the Greek words. It can also be as it is in the NIV. The Greek text will allow us to those who have obtained a precious faith like ours, a precious faith. The word equal standing or equal value is where that word translates standing is a word that can be translated precious, like ours. He is saying a precious faith like ours. That's just a possibility there. But then he goes on to say that it comes, and I love this, it comes only by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. You see that? He's saying our salvation is not by our works. It is by the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, reckoned to our account. as we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And also notice, I don't want you to miss anything, and if you study this on your own, it's not how much you read, it's how much you glean from what you read, how much you see in the text as you study the Bible. He says a righteousness, the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. And that's how it is in the Greek. It's not our God and our Savior. It's the same word if you look back to, and I've mentioned this to you before, in Titus chapter 2 in verse In verse 13, where Paul speaks of waiting for our blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the, the appearing of the glory of our great God and the Savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2.13. So I don't know how anybody, like Jehovah's Witnesses, can deny the divinity of Christ. This is just two texts that stand out to me. Of course, there's drama in one and another text that exalt Christ, not just as Savior, but as God, the second person of the Godhead, and that our salvation is all through the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, or reckoned to our account, as we trust in him. What a tremendous, to me at least, a tremendous presentation of the gospel right there in that first verse. Here's a third thing that I want to stress. God's grace and peace are increasing in the believer's life as we grow in the knowledge or we may say in the full knowing of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Let me say this again. God's grace and peace in our lives, those qualities are increasing or do increase, if you will say, in the believer's life as they grow in the knowledge or that full knowledge or full knowing of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Look at the third verse with me. We often read these words, grace and peace, and it's just a salutation, but think about those words. Grace means God's divine favor. It's God's divine favor or blessing that brings us into the kingdom, right? It's His Holy Spirit that brings us to faith in Christ, shows us our sinfulness, shows us what the Savior has done, brings us to repentance and faith in Him. And as we put our faith in Christ, we have peace in our lives that we are right with the Lord. But notice that Peter here is using those same terms that Paul often uses. And he's saying, may they be multiplied, may they increase in your life, in the knowledge. This comes from the word epigonucian. And he uses this term several times. It really means it's a, Gnosis really is a word meaning knowledge. This word really means the full knowledge, or we might say the comprehensive knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. So what he's saying here is this is more than just an education knowledge. I could, maybe I should do this, I could, I can't, but if I studied a little bit, I could explain the notes in that book and tell a child that's a quarter note and that's a half note, or this is three quarter time. I could teach her all, not teach her, but tell her all kinds of stuff. If I did a little study, I don't even know those things. That's about the best I can do. But that doesn't mean I can play the piano, right? I can know these things intellectually, but that doesn't mean I'm able to do what Cheryl does with the piano. In fact, I'm far, far away from that. It's the same way here. The word knowledge here does not mean just to know about Christ. and about God. It really means probably here to experience him, to be one with him. This is what that word means. And in the Greek, that's often the case. It's a term also used of intimacy, Joseph knew not Mary, did not know Mary, till she brought forth her firstborn. Who are you? It doesn't mean that. It means an intimate relationship with her. And in this case, it means to spiritually have an intimate relationship with Christ. I've been crucified with Christ. I no longer live. Yet Christ lives in me, and I live by the will of the Son of God who loved me and gave his life for me. Galatians 2, I can't scramble up a bit. But there's an intimacy of knowing Christ and being one or united with Christ. And that's the idea here, I think. What he's saying here is, may you grow in not just saving grace, you've already been saved, may you grow in God's blessings, in spiritual maturity, and grow in peace in your daily walk of life, in contentment, et cetera, as you grow in the knowledge of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. You'll see it up here. Look at the 8th verse. There's lots to use there. It's epic in this text. Verse 8, for if these qualities are yours, and we'll look at those qualities, and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. He means If you have these seven virtues, seven qualities he's going to give, and they're flourishing in your life or increasing your life, you will be a more effective Christian in your personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. So when I get across to you the knowledge here, is much more than, I know who he is. I know a guy who read the Bible through three times and told me, I've read the Bible through three times. He had not a lick of knowledge of salvation. I remember talking about these things. I remember way back, I hope I shared the gospel, and I suppose I did, but you can read it and know nothing. And the point here is, This knowledge is an intimate relationship with an understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he's writing to believers. And it comes, I think, as God uses the ordinary means of grace in our lives. It comes as we study God's word. It comes as we partake of the sacraments. It comes as we pray, and this isn't listed in the confession, it's included in those other words. It comes as we worship the Lord, but not just because we do these things, but as our hearts and minds are involved. When you take the Lord's Supper, Do you think about what it means? Do you reflect upon what Christ has done? When you read the Bible, do you think about what it's saying to you about who God is and his nature and our nature and what he desires of us and what he's done for us? In other words, it comes as the heart and mind or engaged in studying the word, in prayer. You can pray and it means nothing. Somebody else can be praying, Pastor Aaron or myself, and your mind's a thousand miles away. This knowledge of God in the Christian life comes as we study his word and pray over it, as we come before the Lord in humility and in confession, and in asking him, Lord, guide my life, help me to grow in my walk, as we take the sacraments and reflect upon God's grace in them, as we sing the hymns, which oftentimes or at least convey the content of scripture and think about what those words are saying. I always say the words are so important. As we do these things and reflect upon God's grace, that's how we grow in that knowledge of God and the Lord Jesus. And therefore we grow in grace and we grow in his peace. Here's the fourth thing I wanna say. God's power, has given to us all we need to be faithful, victorious Christians. Faithful and victorious in Christian living and in godliness through our knowledge of him. Look with me at verse three and following. These are some really strong verses. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. I think we're saying God's divine power, this is usually seen as the power of Christ himself in our lives by his spirit. His divine power has granted us, to us, all things that pertain to life and godliness. Here it comes again, through the epigenosian, through the knowledge of him, who called us to his own glory and excellence. I think that maybe should be by his own glory and excellence, but I won't digress on that. By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises. promises of peace, promises of condemnation, promises of sanctification, you know, promises of a fruitfulness for Christ, so that, and many other promises, so that through them, through these promises, you may become partakers of the divine nature having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. So that's a mouthful, and again, there's some mixing of words in different translations. This is saying that God has called us to or by his own glory and excellence to receive, to be the recipients of his precious and very great promises. Some texts read his very precious and great promises. Though the word very, the Greek word is attached to the word great. His precious and very great promises through which we partake of the divine nature, God's divine nature. Now, This is a tremendous text, in my understanding of it. What's he speaking about here? The fourth, pardon me, question of the shorter catechism is, one of the exact words at the beginning I think is, what is God, or who is God? And it says, God is a being infinite, an eternal and unchangeable, infinite to unchangeable, well, none of us are that, right? We're not even eternal. We're eternal future, but not to the past. It can't be that. But in his being, no, we're not spiritual beings. We're in a body of flesh here, whether we have the spirit in us, but it says in his wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. And these are called communicable attributes. The first four, infinite and unchangeable, those are incommunicable attributes, especially wisdom, especially infinite, eternal, unchangeable, being is a piece of his nature, but those, you know, we're not being like him either, but the other six are communicable attributes. And what this is saying is that though we don't become in this life Though we do not attain to the wisdom of God, the power, the holiness, the justice, the goodness, and the truth of God, yet as we grow in Christ, we do approach these things. We're not God. We never get there in this life. We never get these attributes. When we stand before God himself, Then we shall have the wisdom of God. We will know all things, right? Then we'll have the perfect justice, the perfect goodness, the perfect truth, et cetera. But we approach this in this life as we feed upon his word, as we pray to him, as we're focused on glorifying him and on the knowledge of God. We approach these things. We become, well, what does the Bible say about in Romans 8, 28, it says, all things work together for good to those who love them, et cetera, according to their purpose, that we might be conformed to the image of Christ. It's saying that God even allows every experience in our lives, in the difficulties, to make us more like Christ. That those communicable attributes might grow in us. And that's what this text is talking about. Never perfection here. We remain sinners here. But we do grow in these qualities. As partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the from the corruption of this world that is filled with sinful desires. And Christians are on different levels. I mean, some are still babes in Christ. In fact, the Bible speaks of that later on in this very text. Some are more mature. My point is that when you're saved, as you apply yourself to the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, through his word, through worship, et cetera. As you grow spiritually, these communicable attributes grow in your life. Look at the next text, look at our next text. He says, here's the next point, and maybe I'll stop with this one. To escape, gotta make sure I'm at the right spot where I wanna be, yeah. To escape the evil corruption of this world, and to glorify and enjoy God forever, Peter says we should make every effort to obtain these seven qualities. Add to your faith, now that's, I think it means your saving faith, your trust in Christ. Add to that virtue, or it may mean excellence. I think it has the idea of a heavenly focus. Add to virtue knowledge. And this is not, this is Gnosian, this is not Epignosian, this is Gnosian. The understanding of the nature of God and the knowledge of his word. And to your knowledge, add self-control. And to self-control, add steadfastness. Some texts read perseverance. And to steadfastness, add godliness. This would sometimes translate to piety, usibia, a life that is lived on, I'm going to say, on a heavenly plane of devotion to Christ, and add to that brotherly affection. That's Philadelphia here, which is a brotherly friendliness I think it means kindness and love for the brothers and sisters in Christ, and add to brotherly affection, love, agape, love. And I think it means here for everyone. I think maybe these are ascending characteristics. I don't know, but Peter is saying these things as we apply ourselves to knowledge of God and His will, as you make use of the means of grace, these things will grow in us. Look at verse five. For this very reason, he says, that you might escape the corruption of this world, that you might become more and more partakers of the divine nature. He says, for this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith, your trust in Christ alone as your Savior, with virtue. Now again, that's the same word translated excellence at the end of verse three. See excellence? It could be translated excellence. I think it really means that, I think it has the idea of a heavenward focus of life, not an earthly focus, but a life focused on glorifying Christ add to that knowledge. And again, there I think it means especially knowing the Word, knowing God's will for your life, etc., and that knowledge self-control. That's also mentioned in the fruit of the Spirit. I think it's the last one. the ability to do what God wants and not to do what displeases God, self-control. And the self-control, steadfastness, or perseverance, not wavering on the conditions, whether things are going easier or not for you, but a steadfastness in Christ, even in persecution. Add to that a godly life, a heaven, a life focused on glorifying God. Add to that a love of the brothers and sisters in Christ. This is important for each one of us as believers, a love for fellow believers, even though we're all different in various ways, a joy at being together with fellow believers. And that love, which I think means here, Could mean love of God, certainly. But I think it really means love for everybody, including your unsaved neighbors, unsaved co-workers, unsaved fellow students, unsaved friends. These, I don't know what these, I'm using the word add to, and that's not in the Greek. I think he's saying these, I think he's just saying these are the seven qualities that we should desire to develop in our lives. And as we do these things, as we pursue these things, how he said, he says, make every effort. Now diligently pursue these qualities in your life. As we do these, it says, verse 10, therefore brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, which is what I titled the message. As you do these things, you will confirm, not to God, he knows where you are, to your own heart. that you love Christ and that nothing is more precious than the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what it means. Make your calling and election. Sure, some texts say, but the word here could also try to confirm to yourself that you are in Christ and you rejoice in him as Savior and as your Lord. Gladly saying, I'm a slave to Jesus, my blessed Redeemer. Well, there was more, but we'll stop right there. Yes, good time to stop. We're already over. OK. Let's pray before we sing. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we pray that we who love Christ would grow increasingly in that knowledge of our Lord Jesus. We will never here attain to that full knowledge of you, Father, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, that full intimacy, devotion, while we're still in the sinful body of flesh. But we pray, Father, that we would, that by your grace, by your Spirit's work in us, we would grow in that knowledge. And that these seven qualities that Peter speaks of, that they would increasingly be in us. that we would exhibit them, that we would see them in our lives, this self-control, this perseverance, this godliness, this love, et cetera, and that we would be encouraged in our own lives about our salvation and about what great things you have done in our lives and how precious your salvation and your son, our savior is to us. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.