Examine 2Pet 1:1-4 (read)
2Pet 1:1
Simon Peter- they were two different men.
Simon was the man Peter was before Christ.
Peter was the man Simon became after Christ.
Simon allowed God to work in him the …
character of God and the Kingdom of God
… and he became Peter …
the bond-servant and Apostle of Jesus Christ.
God wants to work that same radical change in us.
2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. NASU
Received a faith of the same kind as ours-
We have all read about Peter and how he …
stepped out of the boat and walked on water
saw Jesus transformed into His heavenly glory
walked w/Him, touched Him, experienced Him
This is a first hand account of a real person who allowed Christ to radically change his life.
We have received the same faith as Peter.
Our faith is in not in anyway inferior to his.
We have all the same privileges/opportunities.
2Pet 1:2-3
God has given to us everything we need to overcome and live victoriously in this life.
Rom 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
2Pet 1:4
It is through Christ that Gods promises become reality
We cannot appropriate the promises without Christ.
2Co 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. NIV
If we are in Christ, every Bible promise is available.
You may become partakers of the divine nature-
The end result of this type of faith is that we can take on the very nature and character of Christ.
Early Church Father, Irenaeus …
He became what we are to make us what He is.
God wants to establish Himself, His character, His nature, His Kingdom in our lives.
Are we ready for God’s Kingdom to come into our life in this way?
Act 5:1-6 (similar story w/his wife v7-11)
These verses are a picture of God bringing His Kingdom order into the church.
It would be like me going up to (pick someone) …
sleeping w/girl friend,
cheating on income tax,
unfaithful to your husband,
looking at pornographic pictures.
Consider this cartoon in last weeks bulletin …
Cartoon … I’m not attending church until I find one that offers me the moral flexibility I desire (Jeff Larson).
Too often we want a religion of convenience.
We want to maintain life according to the order of our kingdom and enjoy the benefits of God’s Kingdom
Rachel’s blog … speaking of Al Gore’s new movie …
Al Gore has it right. It is An Inconvenient
Truth. Right title. Wrong subject. Global warming is a distraction. Not that we shouldn’t care about our environment! We should … But I’m not really interested in discussing global warming here. I want to discuss the REAL Inconvenient Truth. And that’s the God-Man, Jesus, the Christ. What the world REALLY doesn’t want to face and deal with is who this Man says He is - the Savior. He is Lord.
He is Lord/God- He wants to establish His character in our heart and His Kingdom order in our lives.
Pastor’s prayer …
Before prayed- discussing w/one of the pastors renovating, moving into a new building. To do that- must get a CO- Certificate of Occupancy. That means you must bring the building up to code to meet all the necessary requirements. Later as we were praying- one of the pastors prayed- God give us your CO for the Kingdom of God. Bring everything in our lives/churches up to your Kingdom Code. Bring our hearts up to your Kingdom Code so we can go in and possess the spiritual land you have given to us.
God has so much for us, but we must bring our lives up to His Kingdom code.
God is not just into renovating buildings, He is into renovating our hearts- to bring them up to code.
1 Sam 17:38-40
There was nothing wrong with using armor in a war.
The soldier’s in Israel’s army did it all the time.
But Saul/Israel’s confidence was in the flesh, not God.
God wanted to establish His Kingdom in their lives.
So He took the faith of a young boy and five smooth stones, and demonstrated what God can do through
a man w/faith in his heart/Kingdom perspective
2Chr 1:7-12 (1 Ki 3:5-14)
This is a picture, unlike Ananias/Sapphira, of a man with a kingdom heart.
His concern was not for himself, but for God’s greater purposes in His Kingdom.
This is the heart God is looking for in His people.
A people who will allow God to work in their hearts the character of God/into their lives God’s order.
And He has made available to us all the promises of scripture so we can be victorious Kingdom people.
