Teachings for the Christian Life

It's a joy to get back to you today this week. You can take a look at Christ has also provided precious and great promises. The promises of Jesus are precious and great. This is what Peter writes, He has granted to us His precious and very great promises. Scripture is filled with the Lord's promises. Promises from the Lord to His people, from Christ to His bride, from Jesus to you here today, Christian. One promise that Jesus has made in John 14 is, in my Father's house are many rooms.

If it were not so, would I have not told you that I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am, you may be also. A precious promise, a great promise to you and me today, Christian. Another promise Christ makes, Matthew 11 and 28 and 29, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. A precious promise, a great promise for you Christian and for me. Yes, precious and great promises are provided by Christ. Christ is provided too that Christians may be partakers of the divine nature.

Peter has just written this to us, you may become partakers of the divine nature. The divine nature here refers to the righteousness of God that the believer receives when the believer comes to faith in Christ. It comes to the Christian from the Lord. Paul writes to the Philippians, in Philippians 3 and 9, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ. The righteousness from God that depends on faith. When one is born again, they receive the righteousness of God directly from the Lord by a saving faith in Christ, thereby partaking of the divine nature. This is by faith. The Bible says, by grace you have been saved through faith, specifically faith in the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Christ has said, no one comes to the Father except through me. And the Bible teaches, no one receives the righteousness of God except through faith in Jesus Christ. This has been provided by Christ.

Fourth, an escape from the corruption of the world has been provided. Peter writes, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desires. The Christian has moved from the kingdom of this world to the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. Christ, in His wisdom though, has not removed the Christian from the world. I think you notice, Christian, when you became born again, you didn't leave the world, right? You're still here.

We are still here today. And Jesus has prayed to His Father about you in John 17 and 15. I do not ask that you take them out of the world. Jesus is praying to His Father, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth.

Yes, Jesus has not taken us out of the world, Christian, but He has provided that we could have an escape from the corruption of the world. Christ has provided in at least these four ways. What a provision.

What an amazing, gracious, generous provision. At the end of 2023, CNN reported about Charles Feeney. He had died at age 92. He had amassed a fortune of over eight billion dollars. But the reason they were speaking about him and writing articles about him is because he had given almost all of his wealth away. He had donated it. He had given it away. His charity had supported education, healthcare, infrastructure, research, and much more. And at the end of his life, he was living in a rented apartment and didn't even own a car.

The story was written because of his extraordinary generosity, providing billions of dollars to charity. But Christian, this earthly provision pales in comparison to what Jesus Christ has provided for you and what Jesus Christ has provided for me. Jesus has provided us a salvation.

First Peter 1, 18 through 19. You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver and gold. Money could not buy this, Christian.

Silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. What Christ has provided for the Christian regarding salvation is beyond comprehension. In addition to salvation, he has provided what Peter has just told us about here in Peter's writings.

And he has provided even more. How must we respond, Christian? How much, how must we respond to what Christ has done? We must say with Paul, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

Our life is not even our own Christian. We belong to Christ. We must seek him above all else.

We must dedicate our lives to his service because he has provided for us, provided for us. Let us find a second teaching for the Christian life. Let us find the practice of the Christian. Having seen the provision, let us find the practice. And when I say practice here, I mean practice like a physician or an attorney. A physician works in medicine.

An attorney works in law. And the Christian must work too, but with great effort. Read with me, 1 Peter, rather 2 Peter 1, 5 through 7. Peter writes to us Christian, for this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge and knowledge with self-control, self-control with steadfastness. And steadfastness with godliness and godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love.

Peter teaches by way of command. Make every effort, here's the command, supplement your faith. Since Christ has provided all that we have just studied and all that we have just learned students, the Christian must make every effort to practice something, supplementing their faith with seven qualities. The New American Standard translates this supply.

And it's really a preferable translation here I think. Supply your faith. On the foundation of faith, the seven qualities are to be supplied in the life of the Christian.

Each one building on another until the Christian life is constructed. What are these qualities? Let me briefly mention them. We don't have time to speak about them in detail.

Let me briefly mention them. Peter teaches that upon faith, virtue should be supplied. What is virtue?

Virtue here is excellence, specifically a moral excellence. There are some things that are objectively right. There are some things that are objectively wrong. And God has told us what they are. God has told us in creation, this is right, this is wrong.

And we can understand that from creation. But God has also given us His precious Word. And in His Word, He tells us, this is right, this is wrong.

And moral obedience must be part of the Christian life. Two, Peter teaches that upon these moral virtues, knowledge must be supplied. This is knowledge of knowing the Lord. Knowledge of being in His Word. Knowledge of walking with God day after day. The Psalmist declares in Psalm 119, oh how I love your law.

It is my meditation day, all the day rather. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.

I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. How does the Christian get this knowledge? From the law of God. From the commandments of God. The testimonies of the Lord and His precepts.

This is pure knowledge that comes from above. And this must be supplied, supplied on moral virtues. We then see that upon knowledge, self-control should be supplied. Self-control is so essential yet so elusive.

We have people today that cannot control themselves. Let me be very clear, knowing the good is different from doing the good. The ancient philosophers denied that, Socrates denied that, but it's true. Knowing the good is different than doing the good. But Christian, you can know what is right and you can know what is wrong from creation in the Word of God and you have been freed from sin.

Control yourself. But at times, the habits of the flesh, they're very strong. And we can say with Paul, I do not understand my own actions, Romans 7.

I do not do what I want, but the very thing that I do is what I hate. Christian, you have been freed from sin. You have been given the Holy Spirit and one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. Further upon self-control, steadfastness should be supplied. The Christian is to be steadfast, firmly fixed upon the foundation that is Jesus Christ. James 1 and 4, James writes, let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete and lacking in nothing. If we are steadfast, if we supply this, the outcome will be that we are perfected, we are completed, we do not lack in anything that we need. This is critical, Christian.

This is critical for your life. Also upon steadfastness, godliness should be supplied. Yes, moral obedience is important. We've studied this, but godliness is even more important and it's much more than just moral obedience.

It's far deeper than moral virtues or moral conduct. It is the result of a holy desire expressed by Paul in Philippians 3 and 10 when Paul says that I might know Him and the power of His resurrection and I may share in His sufferings becoming like Him in His death when we are consumed with Jesus Christ. When we desire Jesus Christ more than all else, when we are conformed to the image of Christ, then we will be godly.

We will radiate the image of Christ to a lost and dying world. Moreover, upon godliness, brotherly affection should be supplied. Brotherly affection is quite simply an affinity for a fellow Christian, a Christ-like kinship that Christians have for one another. We should enjoy Christians, the fellowship of other Christians. Christian, we should look forward to the fellowship of other Christians.

You and I call upon the same Father. We are brothers and sisters in Christ and it should be the case at least that families enjoy getting together. Families enjoy being together and Peter teaches that we must do this. We must have brotherly and sisterly affection.

Finally, Peter teaches here that the last quality is love. Love should be supplied. Love is very confused today. Let me assert to you quite clearly, love is not affection. It is not attraction. Love is not even a feeling.

Love is that nugget, that thing that makes us want good for other people and makes us even endure hardship to secure that good for other people. It's what makes us feed the poor even though we don't know these people. It's what makes us feed the hungry even though we might not know them. It's what makes us take the orphans into our homes even though we don't know them. It is so foreign to this world and it is a fruit of the Spirit. Peter has listed seven qualities and we must make every effort to supply those qualities.

And what's the result? Peter teaches there are two results. There's one that results in being obedient and practicing this, and there's one result that results from not being obedient. Look at verses eight and nine, what Peter writes, for if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or 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. This first result, supplying these qualities will keep you, Christian, from being ineffective and unfruitful. We all want to have effective ministries. We all want to be fruitful in our lives. Well, if that's the case, we must practice Peter's teachings.

We must supply these qualities. And if we don't, there'll be a very different result. We'll be very nearsighted and we'll be very forgetful. We will have no context. It here is describing losing the bigger picture.

You might have heard before, missing the forest by looking at the trees. We have no context if we don't supply these qualities. And so we see that we must practice. We must practice supplying to our faith these seven qualities. The Scriptures are full of examples where people have practiced the Lord's commands or failed to practice the Lord's commands. If we look in 2 Kings chapter 5, we find an individual named Naaman. He was a commander of the army of Syria, but he had leprosy. And a little girl told Naaman's wife about Elisha, God's prophet, the Lord's prophet, and assured Naaman that Elisha could heal him. When Naaman went to see Elisha, Elisha sent a messenger to Naaman and told him, go wash in the Jordan River seven times. And Naaman was furious.

He expected Elisha to do something so much bigger, so much bolder, so much more clear. And he said, are not the rivers back home better than the Jordan River? And one of Naaman's servants approached him and said, just obey, please. Just obey what the prophet has told you to do. And when Naaman put into practice what he was told by the Lord's prophet, guess what happened?

God healed him. A clear example that whether we think it's a good idea, bad idea, whether we have energy, we lack energy, whether we're having a good morning, had good coffee, bad coffee, whatever it is, we must put into practice what God has commanded us to do in His Word. He's taught us this.

We must do this. We must supplement our faith with these seven qualities. At Calvary, our mission is to be and make authentic followers of Jesus Christ. And an authentic follower of Jesus Christ will practice what Peter is saying here. An authentic follower of Jesus Christ will practice this teaching.

Let us find a final teaching here this morning. Having seen the practice, let us see the promise to the Christian. Look if you will, to verses 10 and 11. The Bible teaches here through Peter, 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. Peter, again here, he teaches the Christian. He tells the Christian, you have been elected, you have been called into the kingdom of God. And here's the command, be, that verb, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election. How might the Christian do this? How might the Christian confirm their calling and election? Well, simply by practicing what Peter has just taught by supplying to their saving faith those seven qualities.

And if this is done, there are two promises. The first promise we have just read, if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. Peter's not talking here about losing salvation. The Christian is not in danger of losing salvation. When the Holy Spirit moves into the life of the Christian, He doesn't move out. Peter is not claiming that's a danger, but the danger is stumbling, tripping.

The danger is tripping over things in our life. And Peter says, the Lord is able to keep you, Christian. If you practice these qualities, then you will find yourself, Christian, not stumbling.

You will not fall. We go to Jude 24, now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy. This is a promise, Christian.

If you practice these qualities, you will not stumble and you will not fall. A second promise that's taught that we just read, in this way there will be richly provided for you and an entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Here again, Christ is called our Lord, He's called our Savior. And practicing these qualities will not get us into the Kingdom of God, it won't save us, only our faith in Jesus Christ will do that, but it will guarantee a rich entrance into eternity. This is what Jesus teaches in the parable of the Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 25 and 23. His master said to Him, Jesus gives in the parable, well done, good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. This is a rich entrance that is described here and it's a promise given to the Christian. Two promises. Now these promises of the Lord, they're not like the world's promises. The world's promises are broken.

The world's promises are empty. Philip Paneese had collected unusual timepieces since the 1960s, according to the New York Times. In the 1980s, he decided to put his valuables into a bank safety deposit box and he estimated the value of them was a total of 10 million dollars. But one day he went to the bank, he opened his safety deposit box and the box was empty.

It seems the bank had made an error and I won't share the name of the bank here as there might be some Wells Fargo employees here today. Apparently, they mistakenly drilled the lock on the wrong box and they shipped the contents to North Carolina, probably ended up uptown. He was able to get many of his watches back, but not all of them and in fact, it was weird. He received five watches that never belonged to him in the first place, that's unusual. Now wouldn't we expect a safety deposit box to be safe?

I would think that was safe. In fact, it's inside of a bank. Inside of the bank is a vault, it's being watched by security.

It requires two keys to open, one being held by the owner and many are placing their confidence in the bank, yet in what might be one of the safest locations on earth, the world's promises are broken and they're empty. That's not the Lord's promises, Christian. The Lord's promises are certain and we can rest in them, confident in them. The Scripture has taught this promise, the Christian will not stumble if they supply these seven qualities to their faith. The Christian will have an entrance into Christ's eternal kingdom as well if they supply these seven qualities.

These are promises to those who were born again. In April 2018, the BBC reported about John Corcoran, a man who had been a teacher for 17 years, despite the fact that he never himself learned how to read. Somehow he had been promoted from grade to grade, he didn't know how to read, he cheated in school, he copied off other people, he even once broke into a professor's office at one in the morning, stole a four drawer filing cabinet, took the cabinet with friends, had a locksmith open it, got the exam and returned the cabinet at five in the morning before the professor came into his office. Out of college, naturally, he was offered a job as a teacher and he couldn't even read and he reflected on being in the classroom.

He knew he didn't belong there. He knew he shouldn't be teaching. He knew that being a teacher was wrong and eventually he was able to get help but he claimed that I quote, I was deceitful. I was teaching my students to be seekers of truth and I was the biggest liar in the room. I cannot say that any of us have had a teacher like this. We may have had a bad teacher from time to time. But even a good teacher might be wrong.

Even a good teacher might make a mistake, might have a bad day, might forget about us, might not even know our name. But the Lord Christian, He's not that kind of teacher. He knows you and His teachings are certain. His teachings can be trusted. And today we spend a moment and we've looked into the Word of God and we found teachings for the Christian life. For you see, Peter, he was moved by the Holy Spirit. He wrote to first century Christians.

He taught them about the Christian life and we have studied the Word of God today and we have found that Peter has written to us, teaching us about the Christian life as well. Let us be good students. Remember what I said a good student would do?

They would be attentive. I believe you've been attentive here this morning and I thank you for that. But they've also been changed. May the Word of God have changed you and changed me here today. May we leave here changed and then a good student will act on what he or she has learned. May you leave here today and act. May you not just be a hearer of the Word, but be a doer of the Word. May you present yourself in perfect obedience to the Lord. And if there's anyone here today that doesn't know Christ, these promises are not yours. This practice isn't yours.

This provision, it's not yours. Turn to Christ today. Bow your head and close your eyes.

Repent of your sins and receive Christ. But today we have all seen teachings for the Christian life. Will you bow your heads and close your eyes with me here today? As we go to the Lord in prayer, we don't pretend any of these things that we studied here today are within our power. We gladly boast in our weakness, as Paul says. We boast that we are insufficient.

We boast that we are nothing. We boast that we are empty before Christ. But then we can also say, yet not I, but Christ in me will do this.

It is through Christ who dwells within us by the sweet Holy Spirit, Christian, that we can do these things. And so, Father, we come to you here today. We thank you for your precious Word. We thank you that it's true.

We thank you that you are a wonderful Father and a wonderful teacher that you have taught us today. We pray, Father, that our eyes have been opened, our hearts have been changed. We won't be hearers only, but we will be doers of your Word. We will obey what we have heard here today. We will go back. We will read these passages again, and that you might be glorified and Christ might be lifted high by our dedication and our service. We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.