The Lord's Day Bible Message Outlines
April 26, 2009
Pastor Dana Johnson
"To those who have obtained like
precious faith...." -2
Peter 1:1
Simon Peter, a bondservant and
apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by
the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus
Christ.
1. Writing this epistle with warning
about the false faith of false teachers, Peter addresses the
true people of God: those who have obtained
faith.
a. Notice the meaning of
"obtained:" -to receive by lot.
Luke 1:9 - According to the custom of the priesthood,
his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple
of the Lord.
b. The Gospel command to unsaved
humanity is, "Believe!" And, mankind will be held
accountable for lack of faith. Yet, Peter tells us that,
ultimately, saving faith is a result of the "call and
election" of God.
2 Peter 1:10 -
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your
call and election sure, for if you do these things you
will never stumble.
c. Notice the continued emphasis in
Peter's introduction on all the things given to the
elect.
2 Peter 1:3,4 -
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, 4by
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.
2. This genuine, saving faith is
obtained by means of the righteousness of Christ.
a. It is because of the
provision of Christ's righteousness for sinful
unrighteous humanity that God is able to give sinners all
that they need for salvation, from start to
finish.
b.
To avoid an old Puritan
mistake, the unsaved should be encouraged, not to seek or
wait for this faith, but to seek Christ and His provision
of righteousness, and to believe!
3. As evidence that genuine faith is
obtained by the sovereign purposes of God, Peter observed
that our faith is "like precious faith."
a. Consider
the word meaning: faith of equal value.
b. It is faith of
equal value because the object of faith is the same; as
well as the results of faith.
c. Peter destroys
the false notions of papal and clergy superiority. This
is the "one faith" of Ephesians 4:5.
Ephesians
4:5 - One Lord, one faith, one
baptism.
4. Once received, this faith comes
with personal responsibility.
a. It becomes our own
faith.
2 Peter 1:5 - But
also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to
your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge.
b. We are responsible to strengthen
our faith.
2 Peter 1:5-11 -
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add
to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge
self-control, to self-control perseverance, to
perseverance godliness, 7to godliness
brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8For if these things are yours and abound, you
will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For he who lacks these
things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has
forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent
to make your call and election sure, for if you do these
things you will never stumble; 11or so an
entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
(All
Scripture quoted is from the New King James
Version)
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