What would you say is God’s nature like? What are God’s attributes??
In our passage today, we Christians are called to participate in God’s divine nature. In other words, we are to live our daily lives with God besides us with all His attributes. We are to walk everyday with God and experience His wonderful attributes! How are we all doing with this? On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being perfect, quietly note how you are doing with your daily walk with God and experiencing His wonderful attributes. Think about your day yesterday or the other day….
Our passage today will help us improve our walk with God. Please take a moment to quietly pray for listening, learning, and committing to doing what God has in store for you this morning..
Amen! Open your Bibles now to the 2nd Letter by the Apostle Peter…
Read along with me the entire first chapter, although our focus this morning will be on the first 4 verses…
What we are reading are words from God. But this wondrous powerful God created people to relate to and to share Himself with. And so, God used a simple fisherman named Simon Peter to speak for Him to encourage God’s people. May you and I be encouraged this morning!
We note in v1 that Peter was a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.
The original Greek word for servant actually refers to being owned by a Master. Jesus Christ was Peter’s Master!
The original Greek word for apostle refers to one commissioned by another to represent him in some way. Peter was called, taught, and sent out by Jesus Christ.
God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and His desire is to relate to each one of us like He did with Peter. Like with Peter, God calls us to participate with Him with His divine nature to serve Jesus, to learn, to teach, and be a godly example to others. As Christians, this is our calling. Commit to it today!
We note in v2 that all Christians, including Peter himself, are to participate in God’s divine nature. How can it happen to us like it did with Peter? We can note in the first 4 verses of 2 Peter 1, what God has done and what people must do to result in what we read in v4, to participate in divine nature and escape the corruption in the world.
This is how God works; God does not force anything on anybody. An action that is by force is not love. God is love! God does His part out of love; He gives instructions out of love; and He gives freedom for people to choose out of love!
From v1: what did God make available? We can easily read right through it, but I think God placed the word precious there so that we would pause and think about this. What God has done was provided to people His own righteousness and salvation through Jesus Christ! How precious is this? God gives His own righteousness to unrighteous people!!
And what must people do based on v1? People are to receive that precious faith! And what is faith? Faith here refers to knowing, believing, and trusting.
And so, people must believe and solely trust who Jesus Christ is and what He did, died on a cross for people’s sins but rose from the dead!
In v2: what has God made available? God makes available to people and abundance of grace and peace! Grace is undeserved favor from God! Peace is contentment!
And what does v2 tell Christians? An abundance of grace and peace is gained through the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ!
Did you notice that we are called to a knowledge of God AND Jesus Christ! There is a Triune God to believe! There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit! We must know each one and as a whole!
And in v3 we read that God actually gives His own power so that a Christian has everything needed for a godly life! We also read at the end of this verse that God calls Christians to His own glory and goodness. What this is saying is that God is inviting Christians to Himself, the Creator of the Universe! God is faithful! God is loving! In spite of who we are, God is inviting every Christian to be right beside Him!
And how does a Christian get more power to be godly?
Again, “knowing God” more provides more of God’s power. Let’s have a better understanding of the word knowledge here; what does it really mean to know God more?
The original Greek word for knowledge here in v3 signifies not only having head knowledge but to actually take action on what one knows! God is actually talking about faith; Biblical faith is taking action on what you know and believe. And what does the bible say about faith? From Romans 10:17 and James 2:17; Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and faith is dead without action!
And finally look again at the beginning of v4……
God is faithful and He will do what He promises!
What promises has God given Christians today??
Through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, God has given Christians wonderful and precious promises which will happen soon! Why did God do all of these things? The Holy, Eternal, Almighty God desires every person to live with divine powers! Every person was created in the Image of God but a person’s sin marred that Image. God sacrificially gave Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit so that God’s Image will once again be lived by a person!
God is good.... All the time…..!
Christians good all the time? Not so much!
If we are truly honest with ourselves and with God, each one of us have a long way in living out the Image of God. Let us start today and make a commitment to do our part. God has done His part; He loves us and He knows what’s best for us; He is our wonderful Creator! And so, God will not force anything on us, we have to personally do our part!
1. Believe and solely trust in Jesus Christ as God and Savior!
2. Continually learn more about the Triune God!
Study God’s Word daily and do what it says!
3. Always remember what God has done and is doing for you!
4. Know and anticipate God’s promises to you!
Those promises can happen today!
