Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem.
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. That's 2 Peter 1-3, and part of the text for today's message. God has packed in around the believer rich promises and resources that enable us to live meaningful lives that magnify our Lord.
We have but to remember, keeping our eyes fixed on our provider. Let's listen in. Turn with me to 2 Peter 1. 2 Peter 1 verses 1-9 in the ESV says, Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and our Savior Jesus Christ, may grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who has called us to his own glory and excellence by which he has granted us to his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge and knowledge with self-control and self-control with steadfastness and steadfastness with godliness and godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from becoming 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. As we read this scripture, we're going to have a prayer of illumination, asking the Lord to help us focus ourselves on his word and the word proclaimed. So pray with me. Gracious God, open our eyes, Lord, that we may see the wonders of your inspired word. Prepare our hearts, dear Lord, to accept your word and silence any voices that are not your own. Guide us, God, by your word and your Holy Spirit that as the word is soon proclaimed, we will hear it with joy to hear what you say to us. Lord, since we do not live by bread alone, but by the every word out of your mouth, make us hungry for the word and the truth. Lord, nourish our spirit in the way of eternal life. Draw us near, Holy Spirit. As the word is proclaimed, silence our own agendas.
Cast out our own detachment and distractions. Lord, open wounded hearts to the the balm of your healing word. Help us be steadfast in our hearing, in our believing, in our living. Father, illuminate our eyes. Reveal to us your glory. Teach us to abide in you. Thank you, God, for your unfailing and never-ending love.
Amen. 2 Peter. The title of this series in 2 Peter is Live as People Who Remember. 1 Peter was live as people who are free. And in this letter, Peter is constantly bringing his people to remembrance.
That's why he's writing to them. So we covered the introduction, which is the first two verses. Today we're going to focus on verses 3 and 4. And this is the first series in 2 Peter is verses 3 through 15. And the title of this series, mini-series within 2 Peter, is Get Stirred Up. To get stirred up. Look with me at verse 13. 2 Peter 1.
13. I think it right as long as I am in this body to stir you up by way of reminder. We need to get stirred up. In other words, not slumbering our way through this life in our Christian walk, but to get stirred up in a sense of being aware and being active. We need to be aware of our surrounding and we need to be actively engaging our surrounding. Notice I didn't say reacting to it. You with me? I said engaging. Okay? Aware and active.
We are called to be stirred up. So part one of this mini-series today is verses 3 and 4, and I'm calling it an awesome grant. Years ago in the late 80s, I used to work in a financial aid office where people would receive Pell Grants. And oftentimes they would say, what's the difference between a Pell Grant and a student loan, a Stafford loan? Well, a grant is a grant. You don't have to repay it. A student loan, you've got to repay it.
Most do. But a grant is not expected to be repaid. However, it is expected to be used productively for education, right? So the awesome grant today, what we're going to be talking about is God's grace to live by. God's grace to live by. Versus trying harder to be better. You know that's one of my favorite statements to hate, right? The Christian walk is not simply about trying harder to be better.
Nor is it about keeping up appearances so that everybody thinks you're okay with God. Meanwhile, inside there's nothing but decay going on. Jesus challenged the religious leaders of his day. He called them whitewashed tombs.
You look pretty on the outside, but inside you are full of dead man's bones. We don't want that. That's not what we're called to. So let's talk about this awesome grant here, because we need to know what is ours in Christ. Too many defeated Christians are walking around today because they don't know what is theirs in Christ.
They are simply trying harder to be better. So who is it that grants this? Well, I'm glad you asked. Let's look at the text. His divine power, who is he talking about? Verse 2, Jesus Christ. His divine power has granted to us. It is Jesus Christ who has granted this to us. His divine power. This word power is the word dunamis. It's the same word that's found in Acts 1-8. You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you.
It's a dynamic, active force. His divine power has granted to us. God has given, listen, God has given himself to us.
Are you with me? He has given himself to us. The Father has given the Son. The Son has sent the Spirit. And we have his word. God has given himself to us.
That is the grace of God. You might be familiar with North Point Dodge Ram down on North Point Boulevard. Lots of trucks there. Lots of beautiful trucks there. I spent three hours there one time with my oldest brother.
That was fun. Driving three different trucks. You go down there and you buy a shiny new truck decked out. All the accessories. Gives you the key. You sign the papers.
It gives you the key. You crank it. You take it home. You park it in your garage. You are so excited about that truck.
You can't stop talking about it. You want to tell your friends about it. You want them to come see it. The next day you get up, you've misplaced the keys.
You don't know where they are. Oh, I've got to do something with this thing so you push it out of the garage. You want to take it down to the store so you're pushing it down to the store. This doesn't make a lick of sense, does it? Not one bit.
Because he is not applying the power that exists in the truck. Listen to me. In all of my years, I've been a Christian.
No, I'm just kidding. I came to Christ at 11 years old. So I've been a Christian for 46 years. I've been around a lot of Christians. I've been in a lot of churches. I've seen a lot of frustrated, defeated Christianity. Why? Because Christians don't know what's theirs in Christ.
I want to see that stopped. I want Christians to know who they are and what they have in Christ. Because I've seen way too many Christians that are like pushing this Dodge truck around.
And they don't realize they've got all that power in the engine and the transmission. Now, I have to make a confession here because somebody caught me yesterday. We were going to my mother-in-law's to have pizza with Andrea's family and I dropped her off at Costco. And I was going over to Sam's Gas to get gas.
Well, our car has a key fob, right? And so guess where it was? In her purse.
So she's at Costco. I'm way over at Sam's Gas. Turn the engine off. Fill it up with gas. Get in. Push the button.
Click, click, click, click. So what does Rich do? He runs across and down Haynes Mall Boulevard over to Costco to get the keys from his wife. And then he runs back up Haynes Mall Boulevard over to Sam's Gas. And I come into church today and somebody says, didn't I see you running down Haynes Mall Boulevard? And I said, yeah, I've taken up jogging down Haynes Mall Boulevard.
I know what it's like not to have the power available to you and how utterly frustrating it is. Look again at verse three. His divine power has granted to us. 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.
