CALLED FOR GOD’S GLORY
2 Peter 1:1-16
SEE YOURSELF AS A SERVANT OF CHRIST
V:1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
We need to know we are, whose we are, what our position is, and, what our
job is.
His name: Simon Peter, the name Jesus assigned to him
His position: A Servant
His job: An apostle, a delegate of Jesus Christ
There is more to us than the name our parents gave us. We have a connection with Jesus
that elevates us out of this world and places us in heavenly places. We got a position more than the 8 to 5 job. Our work is for Christ. The earthly job we hold is the avenue God placed us in to draw unbelievers to Him. The purpose of our
earthly association is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We did not begin this work, Christ did.
Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
We are responsible for the strength, energy, or resources to complete the work
we are assigned, Christ is.
We are not even responsible for the success of our calling, Christ is.
All we have to do is to submit ourselves to the work of Christ.
The driving force of our work is our faith in Jesus Christ and all His promises.
As we serve Christ we recognize how precious our relationship is.
THE BLESSINGS OF GOD’S GRACE
V:2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.
It\’s my opinion that one of the greatest prayers is grace and peace in abundance from
the Lord. If we have God’s favor, what else do we need? If we have God’s peace, how
much more assurance do we need? We should be in the habit of wishing the very
best for those around us. We never know who God has placed in our midst to help.
I am sure Peter knew the trouble the church was experiencing. God\’s grace overrides
trouble. God’s peace allows us to endure trouble with joy while we wait on the Lord.
The Lord is our help.
WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED TO SERVE
V:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
We need a daily regiment of the Word. I suggest we pray for understanding, read the
Word then meditate on the Word for Holy Spirit enlightenment. God’s promises are
in the Bible. To make God\’s Word the driving force of your thinking, decision
-making, and actions, you have to know the Word for yourself. You have the power
to understand all things living within you. With the Word of God as our guide,
we know how to live a Godly life.
God called us out of the world for success, not failure. Success is found in living
according to God’s Word with the assurance of His provisions for life.
We participate in God’s divine nature by resisting evil thoughts and desires.
Our own lust will tempt us, but we have the power within us to overcome the
influences of evil.
QUALITIES FOR EFFECTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE WORK
V:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
God has made available to us the power and knowledge to be effective servants.
FAITH: Without faith, it is impossible to please God
GOODNESS: The courage to profess faith in Jesus
KNOWLEDGE: The true wisdom to practice our faith
SELF-CONTROL: Keeping every sense and action under proper restraint
PERSEVERANCE: Enduring all trials and difficulties under the strength
and power of the Lord
GODLINESS: Fearing the Lord in worship and actions that give Him
glory
BROTHERLY KINDNESS: Treating the brothers and sisters in Christ with
tenderness, kindness, compassion, and helpfulness.
Always praying to God for an abundance of His
grace and mercy toward them
LOVE: Loving God first, then our brothers and sisters in Christ and
our enemies with unselfish sacrificial kindness. Treating
everyone with equality, forgiveness, and compassion
We have all the tools, we have examples thought out the Bible of the use of the
tools for Christian living to influence the world to Christ. It is our commission to
make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, The Son, and The Holy
Spirit. Neglecting to do so is forgetting the purpose of our calling to Christ.
LIVE UP TO YOUR GODLY CALLING
V:10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Be mindful always that we are the examples and role models for Christ.
Do all that you can to proclaim the Gospel, teach the Gospel, and live the
Gospel for all the world to see. Let your words and action promote Godly
behavior. Let all your thoughts be centered around the Word of God so
your life’s works exemplify the Lord Jesus. Notice, we have guarantee of
success if we follow God’s guidance.
REFRESH YOUR MIND
V:12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
Each day refresh your mind in the truth you know in the Word of God making all
effort to be a living example of Christ’s Love and compassion. Let all your work and
activities be unto the Lord so the world may see the Word of God in action.
Be always mindful that the time is drawing near for the return of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. No man knows the time or the hour, but be
sober and ready to enter into His glory
Matthew 24:36
\”No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Matthew 24:42
\”Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come
Live each day glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rev. M. Mitchell
