A Precious Faith… Your Sure Foundation
2Pet 1:1-2
Hope in hurtful times.
This letter was written to people who were confronted by difficulties & problems both without & within the church. (2Peter particularly addresses this latter problem)
Objective he had in mind when he wrote both letters was to comfort, encourage & strengthen these people. (Make your calling & election sure (2Pet 1:10))
False teachers were shaking & unsettling their faith leading to unbelief. (2Pet 3:4)
Grow in grace & knowledge of Jesus Christ… an antidote to false teaching & deception.
Hope… is the confident assurance of future glory & blessings.
1 Peter’s message was, “Be Hopeful! Suffering leads to glory!”
The hope of future glory enables us to stand & live for Christ in difficult times.
If we know Christ as our personal savior… then we have hope. (1Pet 1:3)
Do you know for certain that Christ is your personal Savior & Lord?
Lord Jesus Christ cannot be your Savior without being your Lord. (Acts 2:36)
Have you received the gift of Holy Spirit… new life & heart of Christ? (Acts 2:38)
God’s children are all being transformed & increasingly reflect the character of Christ… family resemblance. (Gal 5:22)
God called you, has kept you, is transforming you, & will bring you home. PTL!
Purpose of trials is that we may emerge as a shining likeness of Jesus Himself. (Rm 8:29)
Molded into His image. (Rm 8:29; 2Cor 3:18)
The Scriptural standard for Christ’s disciples is holiness… impossible in the flesh.
Christ in you, living His life in & thru you is your only hope. (Col 1:27)
Trials & trouble that lead to brokenness, weakness, & failure are good… essential for Christian walk because grace & strength only abound in our weakness. (2Cor 12:10)
God wants us to be more like Jesus Christ… to know Him, to be one with Him, & to walk as He did. (1Jn 2:3-6)
Precious faith. (2Pet 1:1-2)
False teachers were shaking & unsettling the church’s faith leading to unbelief. (2Pet 3:4)
The church is bearer of the message of salvation… if the church is lifeless or uncertain or unhappy, how can we do our work of making disciples? (Mt 28:19-20)
Although the world is sinful, the main problem is in the church itself.
You must know what you have, & then you must add to it & increase it.
Make sure of your beginning & foundation… then go on adding to it. (Christian life)
Grow in the grace & knowledge of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. (2Pet 3:18)
The church must have a foundation of power & truth if we are to impact our world.
There is only one faith… it is same for all classes, groups, & kinds of people. (Gal 3:28)
God is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34)
There is only one faith… the precious faith of the apostles. (v.1:1)
Modern heresy… changing times demand a changed Gospel. (post modern, etc.)
Faith today is still the faith of the apostles… one faith, one Gospel… changeless.
Heresy… we must get back to religion, or get back to God, but Jesus is never mentioned. They urge people to submit to God, but Jesus Christ is not central or essential.
This is not enough to be a Christian… Jews & Muslims believe in God.
Jesus Christ is all & in all. (Col 3:11)
The very essence of Christian faith is the person of Jesus Christ Himself.
You are justified by faith… thru the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Only one way to be right in the sight of God… by the righteousness given (grace) to us in Christ Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God & He came to earth that He might bear the sins of man. (1Tim 2:5; Mt 20:28)
In Christ Jesus, God has dealt with sin… Christ paid the penalty.
Put your faith in what Jesus Christ has done, submit yourself to Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord, & accept the righteousness that God has given you in Christ.
We can never make ourselves right with God by obeying His commands.
The church must tell the world that they cannot save themselves… that all their self-efforts will end in failure, but God has made a new way of righteousness… the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ. (Eph 2:8-9)
God has offered us a new way back to Himself in & thru Jesus Christ & Him crucified.
Our faith is in Jesus Christ… without Him we are lost, but in Him we are complete.
By faith we know we are forgiven, & we will spend eternity with God… precious faith.
Faith also tells me that although I am tiny in this huge universe, the Father of Lights, & Sovereign God of all power, is interested in me, concerned about me, & has adopted me into His family & called me His son… precious faith.
Christ is all & in all (Col 3:11)… He is everything! Faith in Him is precious because of what He has done &who He is. Faith in Jesus Christ is precious to every Christian.
Is the Gospel of Christ our righteousness precious to you? (pearl of great price (Mt 13:46))
03-08-09