Don't go anywhere else but where God has put you. The Word of God is my field and I am not going to be caught somewhere else asking what is right and wrong about how to live before a holy God. I have it all right here.
If I'm willing to mine for it, if I'm willing to apply it and dig for it, it is there. And when I fail, what I have gotten from this record is that the mercy of God endures forever and hell can't take it away. This is Cross Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of 2 Peter.
Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Today Pastor Rick will begin a brand new message called Pertaining to Life in 2 Peter chapter 1. We are in 2 Peter chapter 1. The target is verses 3 through 11.
The possibility of getting that far remains to be seen. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11.
If you have your Bibles open to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 11. Please bring in heresy at a faster rate than men as a rule. Men will help them do it in their disobedience to God as a rule. Not every man, not every woman.
But when it happens, usually there is where it's coming in. And because this is unpopular, it doesn't get said from the pulpit. Because it doesn't get said from the pulpit, no one deals with the problem. And because the problem is not dealt with, the next thing you know you've got churches everybody wants to leave and they're saying, Oh God, how come, what's happening? How come they're not preaching the truth? How come they're not preaching the Bible? Because when pastors preach the Bible, many of them, they are stoned for doing so. Let's all be on guard against that. How to speak these serious things and make the listener understand that the motive is love.
You don't sound very loving right now. Peter is giving components here which belong to those who live in Christ. And he makes it clear that we are offered a salvation that is found nowhere else. And also, we are offered instruction for our behavior as those who are saved. Having no need for psychology's theories or anybody else's bright ideas, we look to the Scripture on how we should live. This verse 3 is the first indication that there's heresy taking place, that there are false teachers creeping in. This is the first verse.
He's going to really open it up by chapter 2. May we be careful not to trade away what God has said for false spiritual experiences. Anti-Christ is going to thrive on that. But I felt it.
But I experienced it. Yes, but what does God's Word say? That has made too many victims. It is what the Scriptures say. Our God is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
We're not ashamed of that and we don't back away from that whether it is popular or not. So let's now dig into some of this. Verse 3, As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. Now as I mentioned, this is an indication that there's trouble here because He's saying His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life, which many Christians don't believe it. We're talking about behavior, outlook and up-look and faith.
We don't need to go somewhere else to find out how I should behave and live my life as far as conduct goes. There are those that want to limit the sufficiency of Christ in the hearts of believers, and these forces have been pressing on the church since the days of the apostles even to now. God says right here, He's given us every provision for the godly life through the knowledge of Jesus. That's what verse 3 tells us, but we must avail ourselves of it.
To just acknowledge it's not good enough. We have to work at it hard. You know what I've been doing all week? The same thing hopefully you've been doing all week, amongst other things, fighting the flesh, suppressing the flesh.
I blame the auto industry. I don't know if anything can get you in the flesh faster than driving an automobile, especially when someone else is driving you. Beginning with belief, we must avail ourselves. The just shall live by faith. What a verse!
What a thought! We're supposed to trust God, and we're going to take hits, otherwise He wouldn't give us armor. But we sometimes, and I am no different than you in this, I sometimes wonder what is going on here?
Why do I have to go through this? Why doesn't God shield me from everything? All I have to do is open up the Bible or read a verse.
I should be protected from there forward. Well, in that Bible are all sorts of teachings and indications and illustrations, facts, that He will be with us even when we're taking hits, but we will take the hits. There will be pain. God has no children without pain.
We all go through it. And you would not be at all surprised to hear that the world rejects this verse. Take this to one of the universities out there and stand up in one of their philosophy courses, or to pretty much anyone, and say, God, through Jesus Christ, His divine power, has given us everything that I need for life. I'm not talking about food and that indirectly, but He's talking about behavior because He's going to open up the components of behavior when He starts to get into diligence and faith and knowledge and self-control and all the total seven items or so that Peter brings out. Virtue, where do you hear that anymore? How does virtue become a liability in our society? Well, there's always been those forces that have sought to call evil good and good evil, and that's what Satan does.
He flips everything to the wrong side if he is permitted to do so. One of the most ignored and rejected verses, I fear, by believers is this verse 3 of 2 Peter 1. Those that look to downsize the verse, to get it to conform, they tailor it to line up with philosophies outside of Christianity. And it is a tragedy that so many Christians fall for it.
I have nothing to receive from Freud or Jung or Maslow or any of them or any new brand about how we should live. I go to the scripture. It says, His divine power, that is energy to serve. Notice he doesn't say, and it will be smooth sailing, because it's not going to be for anyone.
It's not about smooth sailing. It's about obedience. It's a part of worship to obey God. Yet we meet with this disobedient creature in our own heart, the flesh.
And we'll come back to that in a little bit. And so he says, His divine power, there is the energy, the thrust we need. It is going to give us the spiritual instruction that we should crave as believers, has given to us all things that pertain to life.
Look, I've been Christian long enough to know that you can read the scripture and it can just stop right there as a theory or a philosophy and never come to life in your own life. Or you can be just really living pretty well and you're not challenged, and the scripture verses really just are there and they're not shining through in the midst of darkness. But I know that, you know, one of the verses that I bring up to God sometimes is where He says, Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Really? Well, I'm, as a pastor, heavy laden sometimes, burdened, and I come to Him and I don't feel so refreshed. But see, I know, and I know it irks hell, and that has some satisfaction in it. It irks hell that I know what my orders are and my instructions are. I am to plod forward in truth no matter what.
I can be devoured by things. I still know what my orders are because the just shall live by faith. I have seen enough truth and light from God Himself that it's a settled issue, and I'm not going to let anything take that from me, so help me, God. If it weren't for that, if it weren't for that element of faith, I would have called God a hypocrite a long time ago and been done with Him. I don't know how many Christians, they just lose the zeal. They just think that, you know, they get tired of the Christian life. It becomes boring to them or not sufficient. Insufficient, I should say.
It's just not doing it for me. And the next thing you know, they're worshiping paint chips or something. Probably eating them too. As a dog returns to his vomit, says Peter. So, these are very real things, God knows it. And I always know He's right there. But I want, sometimes I say to them, God, is that enough? You're there.
I want to see the mighty hand of God slay those things that are coming at me. And he says, no. What are you going to do? Are you going to become an apostate? Are you going to say, well, He didn't issue me this entrenching tool for nothing. I will dig myself a foxhole and I will stand my watch. That's what Habakkuk said. I don't like what God is showing me.
But I will stand my watch and see how He answers me and how I respond once He corrects me. That is a picture of the just living by faith. He has given to us all things that pertain to life. How to live given through the Word. Ruth. Ruth was told by Naomi. Naomi struggled. Again, you know, she had, it took her time to get back on her feet. Her faith was shattered. She went out full.
She came back empty. She gets around the people of God, in the land of God, and she begins to build up again. She starts to see God move.
Now, he was moving all the time. She just didn't see it. She sees God working in Ruth. She loved Ruth. There's no way Naomi could not love Ruth. Ruth was the type of person that she endeared everyone to her. Like Esther. We know that.
Just read the story. Naomi gives Ruth this advice when the story begins to unfold. Boaz is beginning to look out for Ruth.
Naomi picks up on this. And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, it is good, my daughter, that you go out with His young women and that the people do not meet you in any other field. Don't go anywhere else but where God has put you. The Word of God is my field and I am not going to be caught somewhere else asking what is right and wrong about how to live before a holy God.
I have it all right here. If I'm willing to mine for it, if I'm willing to apply it and dig for it, it is there. And when I fail, what I have gotten from this record is that the mercy of God endures forever and hell can't take it away.
You either believe it or you don't. May more Christians understand that 2 Peter 1 verse 3 is another illustration in text of what we see illustrated in life in Ruth 2 verse 22. Don't get caught somewhere else. Don't go asking the wrong people, what is the right way? Stand in the old paths and see, said Jeremiah.
It's not difficult. Paths that have been worn out by the prophets so that the people could find their way. Our redemption has been secured in Christ but we must constantly apply our faith and so he says, his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and to godliness. What is that?
Where else are you going to get this? You're not going to get it out in the world. It is being approved by God. If you are knowledgeable of the word, someone may say to you, oh, did you go to seminary? Like that's the wellspring of knowledge and Christianity. It is not.
It may be a source for some. Here's where we get this godliness. 1 Thessalonians 2, I hope that didn't sound arrogant but it is firm.
I'm back walking away from what I'm saying. I believe what I believe and I believe it hard. I hope I always do. I hope I believe this. I believe that God gives me what I need to be sure of what I'm saying when it comes to the things from the scripture. That doesn't mean I'm never wrong.
Close. All right, well, let's get back to this. I'm going through a catharsis up here. 1 Thessalonians 2, 4, but as we have been approved by God. You see, that's enough. I'm approved by God. Not just because I'm superstitiously saying that but because I'm lining up with what He has given me in His Bible, His scripture, His Word, approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.
That's what it says. 1 Thessalonians 2, 4, but we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel even so we speak, not as pleasing men but God who tests our hearts. Godliness. He says through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. Biblical ignorance is no virtue.
We must be mindful of this. Glory, that's the spiritual splendor. Peter saw it. He saw it in the risen Christ, able to walk through walls and then eat fish. I like fish. I could do that. That wall-walking part, though, I'm smart enough not to try. But I would be interested if any of you do.
Get a running start so that the report comes back thorough. Anyway, the beauty of God in His way. You know, sometimes we're singing songs and I don't feel like singing. Well, usually sometimes my head is racing because a text like this, it's how do I communicate this without missing the point, without trampling someone unnecessarily?
How do I do this? And my mind is racing. But then there are other times it's not racing. I've got this one. I'm pretty good right now. But I still don't feel like singing. But still it's that resolve that I agree with what's being sung. Sang. Song sang.
They should make a phone name that. That would be a sang song. Anyway, enough with the silly jokes. No. Glory. Virtue. You know that Greek word for virtue?
Now, remember, so what's the point? Well, when these people wrote, they wrote in the Greek. And so we look in the English, we say, well, what's he going with this? And we go to the Greek often to get to the source and find out what that word really means. And here's one example where the word stands out.
We're going to get to another one in a minute. Virtue. It's manliness in the Greek. It has to do with valor, with excellence. And so he says here that through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and manliness. Now, that's not in the sense of masculinity. It's in the sense of courage.
It's a word picture for us. When David stepped out, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that dares, that dares to blaspheme? And he steps out into that valley of Elah. There was your picture of virtue, of manliness, of splendor and glory in faith. And that's the only way David did it. That day, it was faith.
Of the five times this word shows up in our New Testament in the Greek, Peter uses it for. He got this word. It appealed to him.
It made his point for him because it was true. And the Holy Spirit let it flow from him. And so not only are we to be virtuous, but we're to be helpful, honorable people. Acts chapter 5, go stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life. You see, that's another verse that comes alongside this third verse. It says, his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and to godliness. Godliness is that Christ's likeness that we're supposed to embrace. 1 Corinthians 2, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
It's going to take a lot to live on this level, but it is better to pursue it than to ignore it. Verse 4, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises. That's the promises found in scripture. Do you believe it?
Do you accept it? Listen to what Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 15. Your words were found and I ate them, and your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Yahweh, God of hosts.
You see that? I found your word, I consumed it. This is a picture of the communion table. Jesus is the word of God. The Christian is to consume this idea, this fact. John chapter 6, verse 37. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out. This is what it means when he says the great and precious promises that have been given to us. I'm not going to throw you out, Jesus says. So if I come to Christ and my flesh gets the upper hand, am I going to be kicked out? No!
No, you're not. What strength should come from that? As I know, I'm standing here to repeat, did you ever speak to a group of this many people? You know there are some here that are struggling with this very thing. Sin is just beating the mess out of them. Temptation, daily.
They fail, daily. And Satan says you're worthless. It's proof you're not saved. The fruit of the Spirit is self-controlled and you don't have it.
Jesus responds with just this, I will not throw you out. That's all we have time for on today's edition of Cross Reference Radio. You've been listening to Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia as he teaches through the book of 2 Peter. If you'd like to listen to more messages from this series, or if you'd like more information about this program, please visit our website, crossreferenceradio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to miss a program. Just search for Cross Reference Radio in iTunes, Google Play Music, or your favorite podcast app. What a great way to keep God's Word with you wherever you go. We hope you'll tune in again next time as Pastor Rick continues studying through the Scriptures, right here on Cross Reference Radio.
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