Have you ever considered the radical changes that have happened in the last 60 years? And students of history, there's a lot. A century ago, if you wanted to go someplace, and even in the United States, you're pretty much dependent upon animal power, or you walked. When my dad was a young man, most people in his area of Mississippi still farmed with a horse. Or if they had an ox of some sort, they might do that. You could get about one acre plowed a day. Very few could afford tractors. Remember, even as a child, when I'd be visiting my grandparents, A couple that lived the next farm over still traveled to town. It's 15 miles to Newton in a horse and wagon. A hundred years ago, if you wanted to go long distances, well, there were trains and you could go by ship. But to get to port, you still had to use a horse or go in a wagon or walk, unless you're in one of the major cities that was starting to develop some sort of form of mass transit, or if you knew somebody that had one of those newfangled horseless carriages, maybe they would take you. I was in my late 20s when I conducted the funeral of a family friend of ours, Mr. Ball. He died at 105. He courted his wife in a horse and buggy, and he sold steam tractors in Tsarist Russia. You'd always say, is what a life he lived to have done that and still see men walk on the moon. Absolutely incredible. Think through the developments that have occurred since the Industrial Revolution. Somebody figured out how to harness the power in a river for a water wheel. Grain no longer had to be ground by hand, but it could be taken down the mill and light manufacturing began. Somewhere in time, somebody noticed that there's a lot of power and steam under pressure. Maybe they're boiling something, the lid got stuck, and then boom! Top blew off, and they figured, I wonder how we could use that. Steam engines were finally created. Then somebody else figured out how to tap into the power of one of the fuels they were using to heat the water to create the steam, and we had the internal combustion engine. New power source. Completely changed the way men live radically, as well as our productivity. Now we have cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, and all sorts of things powered by these kinds of engines. No more having to repair a field by hand or with a plow. No more marathon runs to get a message delivered. All that's changed. We cruise along at high speeds on an interstate, not only going very fast, You know, when horse carriages were first built, they were really concerned that the body couldn't withstand going 25 miles an hour. Some of you like that more like four times that or more. In the 1800s, a trip to reach the West Coast could take many months by ship or wagon. Now, we don't think about getting on a jetliner and being there five or six hours. And all this travel in the comfort of air conditioning or heating or whatever is needed, so it's just the right temperature. Rockets have been taking people into space since the 1960s. Electricity is another power source that radically changed the way man lives, not only supplying power to all sorts of engines, machines, but providing light, speeding communication, audio and visual around the globe in seconds. Harnessing electricity and electronic computer components resulted in such a radical change that there's now concern if something went down with our electric grid, an EMP or something took it out, would life be able to continue? Some are even going like, I don't think so. Some of you can't hardly live if you don't have your phone that goes out and you can't do your thumb exercises or whatever, however you do it. Me, I got a keyboard that ties into it. I can't do that thing. What kind of world are we living in? A marvelous one, an amazing one. Things your parents would have been marveling at, your grandparents and great-grandparents would have thought it's imagination. All this power used for all sorts of things. Then there's nuclear power. We're still figuring out a lot with that. It's not just what you can do with nuclear power in reactors and destruction, but it's what nuclear power is being used for application of other things like medicine and food safety. There's a lot of power in it. Now what may be most interesting about all these things I just mentioned Types of power, animals, water, steam, gas, oil, electricity, nuclear, whatever it is. Do you realize they've been here since day one of creation? They've been here. Either man was not aware of them or he did not know how to tap into these sources of power and make them useful. You see a source of power can radically change our lives but you have to be aware of its presence and you have to know a way to tap into that power and make it useful to you. The same thing is true if you're trying to live for God. You have to know how to tap into the spiritual power that's there. Now you can go on and try to live life in your own power, your own resources, but you're like that man living out in the woods without even a horse or an ox to plow. You're not going to do very well. You can use the source of power that God has already provided to help you live the way God has intended. But again, to use it, you have to know about it, and you have to know how to access it, and then use it. There was a man, lived some time ago, he tried very hard to please the Lord. In fact, very few men that have ever lived were probably as zealous, that is, fervent, intense, enthusiastic in this desire to live for God as this guy. He would do anything he was asked to do. In fact, he would do things that, probably he thought about it, he might have slowed down, because he put his life at risk. He wanted to live for God and yet it seemed like every time things were going great, he would do something stupid and he'd blow it. And he'd peak, you know, I'm really doing well and then crash, he's right back down the depths of sin. Now maybe you can relate with that a little bit. For example, there's a time this fellow was with a small group and they were discussing theology with their teacher and the teacher asked one of those questions that seminary students usually like to go to Deuteronomy 29, 29 to answer. The secret things belong to the Lord. I don't know. And this, the other guys were fumbling around trying to figure out how to answer this question and they weren't quite getting it. And he gave the perfect answer. It was exactly right on. He's sitting on top of the world. And then maybe because he started thinking, I'm pretty special, look how good I am. And the teacher started discussing another area of theology. And this guy tries to correct the teacher with the wrong answer. Five minutes later, from the peak to the pit. Then there was a time this fellow was with a small group of other Christians. They're having a great time. They just had a special meal. They listened to a wonderful sermon. They spent time in prayer together. And now they're kind of at a quiet place of retreat with their pastor. And a larger group of men came up and given him a hard time about being a Christian. Well, this man was right. He'd defend anyone. He's going to defend the name of Christ. It's one of those spiritual peaks. You're doing great things for God, and yet only a few hours later, Same man's another small group, but perfect opportunity to witness for Christ comes up. But for some reason now, he is so fearful, he blows the opportunity. Not only that, he even denies it's a follower of Christ. At that point, he had become a spiritual wimp. So from spiritual giant to spiritual mouse in just a few hours. Maybe there's times you've experienced the same kind of thing. It's not uncommon. Even Elijah had that. Just when you think you're actually getting together for living the Lord, then BAM! You hit a wall. You're farther back than when you started. Maybe you start wondering if it's worth it. That was the way it was for this guy. He'd been involved in intense training for ministry for nearly three years. He'd seen the Lord work in marvelous ways, but So often he would end up sticking his foot in his mouth and doing the wrong thing and failing that he thought, maybe I'll just go back to my old job. And he did for a little bit. Now you may wonder what happened to him. Well, the story is actually pretty exciting because everything changed in his life in one day. One day he and his Christian buddies had gone fishing. They were wondering what would happen next. What is he supposed to do with his life? And the day later, this man has an absolute confidence of what he's supposed to do. And he sets his goal to do it. And he became so bold that people he feared before, he would face them down. No longer afraid to preach. He'd preach in all sorts of evangelistic meetings. Thousands of people were saved under that preaching. He was a pastor for a while. He traveled around as a missionary. He saw multitudes of people saved because of those kinds of things. He started new churches. He encouraged and trained new leaders. He was sold out for God. Eventually, he got into a country where the political situation was dangerous. He was arrested for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was executed. And he went to his martyrdom without any fear at all. Now, how could the guy change that radically? Now, I have to give a little full disclosure here. He had some struggles later on. It wasn't like one day and then there's nothing ever that he had trouble with. There were still problems here and there, but he never looked back. How could he go from a struggling Christian to a victorious one in a short time? How is he able to go from a guy hardly willing to even admit that he was a Christian to one bravely willing to die for the cause of Christ and did so? We can answer that question because there was a book that was written that includes his story, at least parts of it, and he also wrote a couple books himself which gives some indication of why there was such a change. So who was this man? Anybody think you know? Simon Peter. Simon Peter. Yeah, you got it right. We're going to be studying the second book of Peter. So I'll turn over to 2 Peter chapter 1. And that background is important to understand who Peter is, what he did, and the radical changes and what he's saying here in the first chapter on how he got there. Because he's going to explain it. In Acts, We are told about his life. And then we're also told some other things as well. There's two events that really radically changes his life. John 21 tells us about one of those. That's when he had gone fishing with his buddies and Jesus restored him to ministry. He had been afraid. What am I going to do? And Jesus restored him to ministry. And then in Acts 1.8, The Holy Spirit came and fulfilled the promise that Jesus had given them, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. Peter's radically changed from that point on. He'd been afraid of the Sanhedrin, now he's willing to face them down. What changed? He's now plugged into the power source. He's not relying on himself anymore, now he's relying on God. Now here in 2 Peter, I want to point out from this what God has given to believers that enables them to live radically changed lives for the glory of God. In these five, the first four verses here, the apostle tells those whom he is writing something that he wishes for them, something that's already been done for them, something he wants them to become. He will then confirm, or continue in verses 5 through 9, explaining what our part is in confirming this, or what we're supposed to do in response to what God has done for us. So look there, 2 Peter chapter 1. Simon Peter, a bondservant apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Let me give you a more open translation because the Greek grammar and words here are a little harder to translate into English. So this is kind of a loose translation, hopefully giving you a little more sense of what Peter is saying here in English. Simon Peter, a bond slave of Jesus Christ, who has been sent by Him with authority, I am writing to you who have received the same precious faith we have, a faith that was received by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who is our God and Savior. My desire concerning you is that grace and peace will be increased in you through your intimate personal knowledge of God and intimate personal knowledge of Jesus who is our Lord, our Master. I desire this because God's power has already been given us has already given us everything we need concerning our new life in Christ, and the practical application of that in everyday life through the intimate personal knowledge of God, who's called us to this new life by His own glory and excellence. And by His own glory and excellence, God has also granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by these precious and magnificent promises, we might partake or share in the moral qualities of God. since we have escaped the corruption that is in the world because of man's sinful desires. Now the change in Peter begins with even how he begins the book. Notice he uses both of his names, Simon and Peter. Simon is a name given to him by his parents and represents all that he was from birth. Peter, meaning stone, is a name that was given to him by Jesus, it's in Matthew 16, 18, signifying what Peter would become. So Peter uses both names. The boy who was given life and raised by his parents became a radically different man when new life was given to him by Jesus, and he became a disciple of Christ. In many missions, efforts, when people become Christians in some of those cultures, they will take a Christian name, some biblical name, to signify that kind of change. That tradition actually goes back to this. This is who he was when he was born, Simon. Here's who he became, Peter. Now Peter also calls himself here both a bondslave and an apostle of Jesus Christ. Bondslave here, the word doulos, means a slave. Someone who is owned by a master. They are obligated to that master. Their life is given to that master. Not someone who is hired as an employee to aid the master. Peter recognized he was a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why he uses that term. Why? Because he was bought with the precious blood of Christ to redeem him from his sin. He states that in 1 Peter 1, 18 and 19. He understood he was purchased by God and so he was no longer his own. 2 Peter 2, 1, he states that and so he learned to submit his will to the Lord and to trust him. Now Peter also identifies himself as an apostle, as an apostolos. He's an apostle of Jesus Christ, meaning he is sent by Jesus with Jesus' authority. God had given him something to say to us, we need to pay attention, because he is saying it with the authority of Christ. That's what an apostle is. Peter is writing to those who received the same kind, or literally, it says the same precious faith as Peter, and those with him, that they had received the same faith. So he is writing to Christians. And since Peter states in chapter 3, this is his second letter, he's writing to the same Christians he was writing to in 1 Peter. That are those Christians who are scattered throughout Pontus and Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. In modern terms, that is the western and northern sections of modern Turkey. Now Peter makes two more significant statements in his greeting. First, they were those who have received a faith. Faith is something provided to you by Christ when you receive, which you receive, and it's not something you generate on your own. That matches Paul's statement in Ephesians 2, 8 and 9. By grace you have been saved through faith. that is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. The faith that is also received is a gift whose origin is in God, not in man. Because those who believe in the name of the Son of God are born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God." That's John 1 12. Second Peter states that this faith came by righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Now the English text here may not seem to be as clear, but the Greek text here is absolute. This is a proclamation of the deity of Jesus Christ. Jesus is both our God and our Savior. The Jehovah Witnesses and other cults want to diminish or even eliminate the deity of Jesus. In doing so, they have a different Jesus. It's not the same one. Their Jesus is not God, and therefore, neither is He Savior. Now, Peter has a wish for them. He expresses there in verse 2. The meaning of the Greek grammar here is, may grace and peace be multiplied or increased in you. Now, Peter wanted both of these essential elements of the Christian life to be growing in them. But how can grace and peace grow in the believer? Well, they grow in believers as they get to know God better and His Son, Jesus Christ. Now the word for knowledge of God here, mentioned, is epigonosis, and it's not a mental knowledge about God, it is an experiential knowledge of walking with God. You know about Him, and you experience Him in your life. And as that happens, this intimate, close, experiential knowledge of God grows, so does your ability to walk with Him. Out of that is going to come grace and peace. Now please note carefully here, Peter declares Jesus is our Lord. That means He is our Master, our allegiance belongs to Him. Peter already stated that Jesus is God, and so calling Him Lord here is not a restatement of deity. It is a designation of the relationship between Jesus and those who have faith in Him. Logic itself demands that God is also Lord, in the sense of Master. Those who advocate the idea that a person can believe and then be saved and then sometime later finally have Jesus as Lord are in grave danger of advocating a different Jesus than the one Peter's talking about here. He is God. He is Lord. That's his identity. If the one that you have doesn't have identity, you have a different Jesus. Because that's who he is. Now those who have faith in a Jesus that is less than God or less than Lord have a different Jesus and therefore a different faith than what Peter's talking about here because of that different object, a different person. So Peter's wish for grace and peace to be increased in them Is going to be fulfilled. It's not going to be in vain because he states in verse 3 in the first part of verse 4 Something has already been given To them that will enable that to happen. We'll guarantee it's going to happen What is it that's been given? to those who have this faith It is something that changes your life radically. It's something that will do in your life the same thing it did in the life of peter We have been given the power to live a godly life. Do you understand that? It's already been given to us. The question is, is do you know what it is? Do you know how to access it? And are you using it? Look there at verse 3. Seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. How? Through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. The nature of this power is that it is divine power. It's the power of God, and since God is its source, there can never be a shortage of it. A battery will discharge, which usually happens when you need the flashlight, and it doesn't work because there's no more power left in the batteries. Or am I the only one that has that experience? Every time. Well, it seems like every time. Your car engine can break down and leave you stranded somewhere, calling for a tow truck. An electric company can have its equipment break down, and it puts the whole city into darkness. Or something worse, the whole power grid can fail, and a regional failure puts a lot of cities into darkness. Some of you remember that happening here a couple of times. There can be a lack of supply in any earthly power source. There is never a shortage of God's power and he never breaks down. It is always there. Note that the Greek grammar here is in the perfect tense. That means it is something in the past that has already been given that continues in the present and will continue. This divine power has already been given to us. It continues to be with us and will be there in the future. But again, you have to know what it is and how to access it and then use it. Well, what's the divine power for? It's for everything pertaining to life and godliness. And life being spoken of here is the new life that comes after you place your faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said, I came that they might have life and might have it more abundantly. John 10, 10. He also said, whoever wishes to save his life will lose it. But whoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 16, 25. True life begins when you give your life to Jesus Christ. Well, what kind of life is it? It is a life that is lived in godliness. Godliness is simply the practical outworking of righteousness in a person who has given their life to Christ. Their lifestyle changes into one that is pleasing to God. Why? Because you now love God. It's changed from worldliness and sin to a lifestyle that is lived in accordance with God's commandments. Again, why? It's because you love God. You've placed your faith in Him. You trust Him. That faith and trust will grow. And as it grows, the righteousness grows along with it. You value what God values instead of what the world values. It's a life of holiness because it's a life that's lived set apart to God. But to be set apart to God, you're set apart from the world. This is just normal. It's logical. It's just a natural thing that's going to happen when you've changed what you believe. Now how do those with this faith tap into this divine powers? They can live in godliness. How can you get that power into your life and change the way you're living? Peter states it here. Here's how it's available. Through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Now, knowledge here is the same word we saw before. It's this close, intimate, experiential knowledge. In other words, the more you know God this way, the more this power is available to you, resulting in a changed life. Grace and peace grows in you and you live a life of godliness. It's the Christian walk. Now it's going to start someplace, but as time goes on you have greater application of what he's going to say next, because you're experiencing it. You're seeing that as you live according to what he says next, that God is true, He is faithful, and your trust grows. Because the next verse reminds us of where this source is. For by these, referring to God's glory and excellence, He has granted us His, what? Precious and magnificent promises. The Greek grammar here is another perfect tense, meaning the power mentioned earlier, which was already given to us and is available now and will be in the future, is the same as these promises. They were already made. They're here now and they will still be true in the future. What promises is he given to us? A lot. We could be here a long time just recounting them all. I want to give you some of them. Now again, as you understand the promise, you live according to the promise, you step out on faith and do what God says to do, you see that God is faithful to do His part of it, and your trust grows in Him. I'll expand on that and some practical things as we go through this. The first one is, read the Beatitudes. First 12 verses in Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount. In the Beatitudes, there are promises that come with each of them. Blessed are the poor in spirit, what do they receive? The kingdom of God. There is comfort. There is satisfaction. There is mercy. There is seeing God. There is being a son of God. That's all part of it. These are promises made by God to us as we walk this way. This is what we're going to see. Now, of course, the most precious promises to us are those of salvation, right? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but the world should be saved through him. Or as Romans Or later, verse 36, he who believes in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son shall not see life. The wrath of God abides in him. There's promises here. That one also gives a negative one. You're not going to do this? This is what's coming. God is faithful to all of his promises. But Romans 10, 9, and 10 puts it very succinctly. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, You will be saved. Saved from what? Saved from sin and its eternal consequences. Why? Because with the heart, a person believes, as we saw, you can see in Romans 4, God reckons that faith, He counts it, He attributes it to you as righteousness, the same way He did with Abraham. You didn't earn it. He is giving it to you on that basis. The person believes in the heart, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. We can be secure in this. There are those groups that don't think that salvation is something you can be secure in. I don't think they're reading the same Bible. There's a lot of verses on this, we'll go to a simple one, John 10, 27-29. My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish. No one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand, and I and the Father are one. Earlier he had said that he loses none that are given to him. So if you belong to Christ, you have faith in him, he will keep his promises. He won't drop you. He's not going to stumble and you fall out of his hand. You can't jump out. He loses none. And no one can get you away from him. Now you may have to go through a lot to get your life back on track the way it's supposed to be. Because He promises to chasten us as well, that's Hebrews 13. But He's not going to lose you. That's security. He also said in Matthew 28 20 that He will never leave us. Lord I'm with you always even to the end of the age. The Holy Spirit will indwell, sanctify, empower, and seal you. 1 Corinthians 3.16, the spirit of God dwells in you. 1 Corinthians 6.11, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God. 2 Timothy 1.7, for God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. And then Ephesians 1.13, having also believed you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise. So there's the power source for us. He indwells you. He's not leaving either. You may grieve him, but he's not leaving. He is there, He is available. You're sealed in Him. Jesus is preparing a place for us and will come back, John 14, 1-3. Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. For I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am you may be also. We know where our future is. We also know that we're not gonna be stuck with these bodies. Praise the Lord, right Sandy? Amen. I'm looking forward to a new one that is immortal, incorruptible. 1 Corinthians 15, 51 and 52. Behold, I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be changed. We can have a confidence in God in all circumstances. All circumstances, because he's still doing something in it. We may not understand it at the time, but Romans 8, 28 is, we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those that love him, to those that are called according to his purpose. So even if I don't understand the current situation, I know who still has it in control. I know that God will supply our physical needs as we seek first his kingdom and righteousness. In Matthew 6, 25 through 34, Jesus gives a command not to be anxious. Don't be anxious for the stuff of life, what you're going to eat and what you're going to drink and how you're going to clothe yourself. And he gives examples of God's care for birds and for lilies. And he concludes that with saying, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. That means when I am making a decision about what I need to do with my life, the two questions in my mind that must be at the forefront is, how does this fit with the kingdom of God and how does this further righteousness in my own life and the life of others? I don't have to be worried about what's the pay rate. I don't have to be worried about what are the benefits. Those are two questions that have to be in mind. That's not how most people make it. that is how i have sought to live john howell will tell you when this church called me thirty one years ago he didn't tell me the now they pay me we got to be in the conversation i said oh yeah i'll come i'll come in candidate and then he called and said that they call me and i'd never even thought asking what the salary was the guys who were here said that they would make sure i'm fed got the parsonage it is a roof I'll be secure there, so what else do I need? And so he's embarrassed to tell me what they paid me. And it was a pay cut from where I was before, living on the minimum I could live on, which wasn't enough, because I forgot some things. God has always met my needs, always. And Diane and I have so many stories of how God has met our needs, abundant, blessing, shaken, pressed down. I have no idea, except God is faithful. Whether that was Jonathan's... When Jonathan was born, the price was at least $7,000 for his birth. I know that's cheap by today's standards. It wasn't when your total salary, including all benefits, is $18,000 for the year. $7,000 is a big hunk of that. and it went with the hospital for a long time because we're kind of between two insurance companies. I knew it was going to be at least a thousand, could be seven thousand. I didn't know what it was. Seven months, kept talking to the hospital because I get a bill, you owe this much. On the eighth month came a bill stamped in red, paid in full. I have no idea. God provide. So many places we've been to, we love to travel. We've been in all 50 states. Now part of that is because we grew up traveling, but then we moved to the other side of the country. God has provided beyond anything we could expect. That's the promises. And Diane will tell you, after she married me, it took some stretching to get to the places. Yes, I can trust God. He will provide. And that's what I mean by that earlier part. As I experience God in my life, as I step forward to believe His promises, the experiential part of it increases my trust. So there's not even a wavering or second thought about doing what God says to do. But I want to rely upon His promises. Or I want to rely upon Him because it's tied back to His character. So that's just one of them. That's a practical one. How about you can have peace in every circumstance? Philippians 4, 6, and 7, be anxious for nothing. It's actually a command. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. And so when you're feeling anxious, I can go to this because that's a promise. I can cast all my care upon him because he cares for me. Proved it in Christ. I don't have to bear it. Why should I? Or as one guy quipped, I thought it was pretty good is, I don't need to stay up all night and worry. I give it to God. He's going to stay up all night anyway. So why should I? He gives his beloved sleep. And so you can rest in peace. God provides a way to overcome temptation. And I recognize that we've all experienced sometimes we feel like there is no choice but to give in to the temptation. That's a lie. There is always a way out. Why? Because God has promised that no temptation has overtaken to you except as is common to man, i.e. your temptation is not unique in all the world. It's common. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation provide the way of escape also that you may be able to endure it. Let's face it. One of our big problems with that verse is we don't look for the way of escape. And then when we see it, we don't bother with it. But it's there. Will you stand on the promises of God? I don't have to yield. I may feel emotionally like I have to. But I don't have to. Or how about the confidence? Our prayers are heard and answered, 1 John 5, 14 and 15. And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the request which we've asked from Him. The key there is asking according to His will. Not to consume it upon your own lust, but ask according to His will. And how about Christ is coming back for us. And we will dwell with him forever. 1 Thessalonians 4, 16 and 17. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout and the voice of the archangel. With the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord. So why do I need to be concerned about my life? What's the worst that could happen to you? Die? That's not the worst. That's praise the Lord. I just feel sorry for the rest of you who are left behind. I get to be with Jesus and all those other saints that have gone before me. And if I am alive when Christ comes, the rapture happens, the other saints get to get there first. Not by much, but they're first. I know where I'm going. So I don't need to be concerned about the life here. Do you really have to live another day? Actually, no, you don't. And if you do, I hope it's like Paul who says he was betwixt the two. To die and be with Christ was so much better, but to be alive and remain and continue to minister to other people on behalf of Christ, That's what we do. It's all based in God, His character, and His promises. So these promises of God, they are precious. They are magnificent. They are beyond comprehension, so many of them. And these mentions, they only start to scratch the surface. All that God has promised to those who have placed their faith in the person of work, the Lord Jesus Christ. It's one of the reasons the love for the Word of God develops in the Christian. Because you're reading through it and you find it is a love letter from God to those who belong to Him. And within it are all these precious promises that give us a confidence to go on every day, whatever it may be. Well, why are all these precious and magnificent promises given? Peter tells us that too. End of verse 4. In order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Peter wants us to be partakers of the divine nature. The word partaker here, koinonos, is That means to be a partner, someone who shares in. And don't let that confuse the same idea that Paul talked about in Romans 8.29, that we are being conformed into the image of Christ. We are to become like Christ in our being and share in His moral attributes. We're to become holy, and righteous, and just, and merciful, and gracious, and faithful, and true, and loving, and patient, and kind, and forgiving, all those things. And if you've walked with Christ any length of time, you can see He is doing that in you. He's changing you from what you were. That's what Christ does. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. And if these things are true about us, then it shows the reality that we have escaped the corruption that is in this world. And this is a corrupt world, isn't it? That's why the Apostle John gave a warning to not love this world or the things of this world. Because if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away. And also its lusts, its strong desires, but the one who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2, 15 and 17. So the world is corrupt. It is perishing. So it shouldn't be any surprise to us whenever we pick up a newspaper and read what's going on. It's corrupt and it's perishing. And those who are following those things, they're corrupt, they're perishing. But we have a message of life for them. Well, God has provided for us all we need to escape the futility of this world and come back to the purpose for existence and truly live for Him. We have an eternal purpose of being here on this earth at this moment. However, you do have to put into practice what He has given you. Knowing about the power that is available is not going to help you if you don't access it and use it. And Peter explains your part in applying God's precious promises, His magnificent promises to you in verses 5 through 8. Look at verse 5. Now for this very reason also, all he had just said, so you can live in His grace and His peace, you can know these things, so you can live according to these magnificent promises. So now for this very reason, applying all diligence, in other words, this doesn't happen passively, you do work at it, in your faith. That's that beginning of salvation, right? In your faith, supply moral excellence. In your moral excellence, knowledge. In your knowledge, self-control. In your self-control, perseverance. In your perseverance, godliness. In your godliness, brotherly kindness. In your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now each of these elements build on the previous ones progressing to spiritual maturity. The spiritual maturity of Christian love. It would take another sermon to go all over these steps of maturity and perhaps I'll consider doing that. But my point here this morning with these verses is simple. God is faithful to do his part in completing the good work he started in you. He is going to conform you to the image of His Son. Those promises are in Philippians 1.6 and Romans 8.29. He's going to do that and you can trust Him to do that for you because He's already provided the power needed for it for you to become a godly individual. But you've got to tap into the power and apply it to your life. So each of these elements takes a step in faith of trusting God according to his character, according to these promises, and then seeing how he's working. The God of the Bible is self-existent, self-sufficient, creator. That's who he is. Everything that exists has come from him. His Attributes that belong uniquely to him include being eternal, infinite, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, immutable, sovereign. That's who he is. That's his nature. Because of all those things that we've talked in this whole sermon series, I can trust him. But he also has those attributes he wants expressed in us as well. We should reflect them. but He is the perfection of them. He is holy and just and good and faithful and merciful and gracious and loving. And so I can trust Him in any and every circumstance of life because of who He is and what He's like. And so because God can be trusted, then experience His grace and peace and being able to live in godliness is assured why they're based in Him and the promises that He has made to us. And He's always faithful to His promises because that's His character and nature. He's already done for us all that is needed to change us so that we may become like Christ. So again, he is and will be faithful to do his part, but the question then that is open is, are you tapping into it? Are you taking advantage of what he's already supplied for you? Are you accessing his power source? Are you still trying to do it your own way and your own power and own wisdom? That doesn't work. If you lack the power to live for God, you need to be properly connected to him. You need to be humble before him. His way is always better than our own way. Even in those times when it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. Because his wisdom is so much better than us. He's the designer. Don't be like Peter who was trying to correct Jesus in his theology. And Jesus had to tell him, get behind me Satan. But Peter thought he was doing a good thing at the time. Don't be like that. If you lack power to live for God, be humble, be properly connected to Him. Spend time with Him. Get into His Word. Learn of Him. See how He has expressed His character throughout history. It's recorded there. Get active in serving Him and see Him at work. That is a real confidence builder when you see God doing things and you know there's no other explanation for it. It's God intervening. Commit your life to be obedient to Him and God will change you the same way He changed Peter. As you step out in faith and His promises, trusting them, you will see God fulfill those things. That gives you greater confidence in stepping out on the next promise you're going to have to rely on. God delights in taking ordinary, weak, stumbling people. People like Peter. Just a fisherman. I've heard him referred to the apostle with his foot in his mouth because he'd always be sticking his foot in his mouth and saying things he shouldn't be saying. Bold. And God used him. That's why Jesus restored him to ministry. He felt like an utter failure after denying Christ. And yet God used him. If God can use Peter, do you think he can use you? I do too. I know he can. He can change you into someone godly and bold in your faith. But all begins by knowing him, trusting him, and then walking with him by faith. Father, thank you for the truth of your word and these precious promises have been given to us. Each one building to give us an understanding of who you are, what you're like, how we're supposed to live, and how we're able to do so. not our own power, but the power you've given to us in Christ through your Holy Spirit. Father, through these precious promises, we know what we are supposed to do, and as in faith we step out, we see you at work. And Father, in ways so far beyond anything we can even imagine. Thank you for that privilege. Father, continue to do that work in us, the Holy Spirit prodding us along, that we might remember what your word says as we face a situation, which truth applies to it, what you want us to do, and the promises related to it. Father, that we might, as we look forward to your coming, but as long as we're here, we might continue to be conformed in the image of your son, even as you've promised to do that work. In Jesus' name, amen.