2 Peter: Kingdom People

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Most Christians want to have a confident and compelling walk with the Lord, but simply knowing God's Word is not enough to create such a walk. We must remember daily the truth He has spoken through His Word, abiding in Christ and keeping in step with the Spirit and the day-to-day attitudes and decisions of our lives. How encouraging that as we make every effort to follow after Him, God is completing the work in us. He's teaching us to be kingdom people. Let's listen to this message from 2 Peter 1 10-11 titled Kingdom People. This is part four of the message, which was first preached on June 18th, 2023 at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. And the master said, well done, what? You want to hear those words?

We're jumping ahead in the sermon, so hold your horses. You see, that man was living with the return of his master in view, because he wanted to accomplish his master's desire. Now the man who was given one talent, what did he do? He buried it. He was coasting through. He knew his master would return. He was just simply coasting through. He wanted to put it on cruise control. What was his master's response?

Not happy. You see, the kingdom reality, the reality of the kingdom is coming. And what is that kingdom? It is the full power of Christ's reign forever. The full power of Christ's reign forever. I believe that He will reign on this earth for a thousand years, literally.

And we will reign with Him. What does that look like? What is the introduction? Turn with me one page over. You're in 2 Peter. Turn to chapter 3. Look at verse 10. I can do this because it'll be a while before we get to 2 Peter 3.

At the rate we're going. But the day of the Lord, there it is, that's the key, the day of the Lord, when Christ's sovereignty is revealed in full power and authority, the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Here's Peter's questions. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn? But according to His promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

How's that for a big picture? And He asks a very poignant question, doesn't He? Everything that you possess, every material thing you possess, it's going to evaporate. It will be burned up. Do you really want to find your identity in that thing that's going to be burned up? That thing includes this body.

Ouch. I will have a new body. You and I will have a new body in eternity, because this body won't be able to make it.

It's got to go. I'm feeling it more and more every day. So that's keeping the kingdom in view, living with the end in view. And we live that way so that as we keep that in view, everything we do, we're marching to that drumbeat while we are yet in this lower kingdom. When that higher kingdom, which is infinitely more powerful and lasts forever, will come and it will be the reality for all of us, we live with that in view. And we march to that drumbeat. This is what Peter is saying.

March to that drumbeat. Now when He appears, when He appears, now this is key, for in this way there will be richly provided you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At a superficial reading, one might read that and say, okay, as long as I'm keeping up, God's Jesus is going to let me into His kingdom.

It's not what this text is saying. Your membership in the kingdom, listen to me please, in Christ, your membership in the kingdom is a done deal. You with me?

It's done deal. You belong to Jesus Christ. The question is, when that time comes and you enter into that kingdom, what kind of a reception is it going to be for you?

That's an interesting question, isn't it? Let me first of all say, because I want to present a contrast here, because in that way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom. Richly provided for you. That's the term we want to focus on here. Let me offer first of all a contrast to that. At His appearing at the revelation of Jesus Christ, when He comes to set up His kingdom.

What's your response going to be? John paints a portrait of what that might look like for some people, and this is what it will look like for those who just simply want to coast, those who are just simply drifting. In other words, those who are distracted and wasting their time in this lower kingdom. They have lost sound of the divine drumbeat.

They have forgotten who they are. And John puts it this way, it's in 1 John chapter 2 verse 28, and now little children abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming. You're going along in your day-to-day life, you're preoccupied with something, and all of a sudden Christ appears. Hallelujah.

What's your response going to be? Oh! Do you really, do you really, when you are face-to-face with Jesus Christ, do you really want to have the thought, why did I waste my time with all that stuff, whatever that stuff is, it could be material, it could be how you were preoccupied in your mind, the things that you pursued. Why did I waste my time?

Look at this! Jesus is awesome. And I get to enjoy Him, whatever, I can't believe I wasted my time on earth in the dumpsters.

When I was constantly invited to His banquet table. This is the definition of a bad success, being successful in things that don't matter. At this moment, I challenge you, as I challenge myself, to evaluate where your treasures are, what your priorities are in this moment.

As you think forward to that moment that you are face-to-face with Jesus Christ, evaluate what you're preoccupied with right now. Maybe you're finding your identity in something that's going to be burned up. Maybe some things are just a little too important to you. Maybe your body is a little too important to you.

It doesn't mean it's meaningless. God gave us these bodies to be stewards of them. And there's a theological significance to being an embodied spirit. So I don't want to be a Gnostic, right?

Maybe just think about those things. Another one is what Jude, the author Jude says in verse 23 of his very short letter, he said, save others by snatching them out of the fire till others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. So in other words, there are some people who are going to make it into the kingdom by the skin of their teeth. Think of the thief on the cross. He trusted Christ moments before his death. He didn't have time to walk up those stairs of spiritual maturity. And yet here we are all this time later talking about him.

Think about that. Let's talk about the contrast because what is Peter talking about here? Verse 11, in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So we know he's not saying that you will only get into the kingdom if you're climbing these stairs. That is not what he's saying. You are in the kingdom by virtue of the fact that you are in Christ.

That is a done deal. Nothing changes that. But while we are in this lower kingdom, we are marching to the drumbeat of Jesus Christ. We recognize, we remember that we belong to him and his kingdom. Therefore, we are growing in the disciplines of that kingdom and we are nurturing and bringing to outward expression the reality of that kingdom that exists within me. That Christ's spirit dwells in me and I am a new creation.

So he says in this way, look at verse 10, therefore be all the more diligent to confirm your call and election. 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. Richly provided is an interesting thing. Richly provided is the same word that Peter uses back in verse five, supplement your faith. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in him. The one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.