Making Your Calling Sure
Text: II Peter 1:2-11 (NASB)
Intro: - Review from last week (The bottom line of Christianity à God made us, we rebelled, Christ died to reconcile us to God; if we repent & believe we can have a new relationship with our Creator)
- So, that being the case, then what?
- Our salvation in Christ is past, present, and future. It is past in that we at a past moment—by grace, through faith—that we accepted the salvation offered us. It is future in the completion that will be manifested in Heaven, in our resurrected bodies, when we shall be changed. So our present salvation is from our past salvation and is leading to future salvation. Yet too often, the present aspect of salvation is overlooked: sanctification. In light of the past work on Christ's part and the acceptance of it on our part, we have been equipped to grow and be transformed by a sanctified life in anticipation of that which is to come. The Bible itself is not silent on this issue; rather, the New Testament is replete with instructions, advice, commentary, and commands for holy living. In II Peter 1:3-11, Peter considers the significance of this sanctified life.
Thesis: God has empowered us to grow; the normal
Christian life is one of growth, not stagnation.
I. Fully power equipped (vv. 2-4)
1. We have been fully equipped with "divine power" to live the holy lives ordained by God (v.3). Herein lie several key concepts. The power is not our own; it is divine ("Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts," as per Zechariah's prophecy; c.f. Eph. 2:8,9).
2. Significance of the source of the power
a. Not ours
b. Comes from God almighty (almighty is an important word here)
3.
John Piper – “We need to pause and stress this. The Christian faith is not merely a
set of doctrines to be accepted. It is a power to be experienced. It is
a tragic thing to ask people if they know the Lord and have them start listing
the things they believe about the Lord. Brothers and sisters, believing
things about Jesus Christ will save no one. The devils are the most
orthodox believers under heaven. It is divine power that saves. If the
power of God does not flow into your life and make you godly you are not
Christ's.”[1]
1. Even better than a new luxury car (fully equipped/ power equipped)
a. Fully equipped à everything we could possibly want
b. In this case, everything we need for life and godliness
2. Sanctification is available to us
a. Often misunderstood by Christians (don’t realize it or don’t care)
II. How we should therefore live (vv. 5-9)
1. Getting the order correct – sanctification because of what God has done, not in order to earn His favor
2.
Piper - “Since
God has given power for godliness, strive to become godly! This is the heart of
New Testament ethics. We labor for virtue because God has already
labored for us and is at work in us. Don't ever reverse the order, lest you
believe another gospel (which is no gospel). Never say, "I will work out
my salvation in order that God might work in me." But say with the
apostle Paul, "I work out my salvation for it is God who works in
me to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). Never say,
"I press on to make it my own in order that Christ might make me
his own." But say with Paul, "I press on to make it my own because
Christ Jesus has made me his own" (Phil. 3:12). …Peter's point is: God is for
us with divine power. Of that we may be sure. Now, in the confidence of that
power, take pains not to live unworthily of his love.”[3]
3. Make every effort. Verses five through nine explain specifically how we can live sanctified lives. We are to "make every effort." We are to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling;" we are to make exert effort. Nowhere does the Bible imply that we are to sit back and rely on a past decision.
1. Faith
2. Goodness (moral excellence)
3. Knowledge
4. Self Control – freedom to do as we ought
5. Perseverance
6. Godliness
7. Brotherly kindness
8. Love
9.
Explanation:
Note that faith is first; it is the foundational means of grace. We are to build on it. We build goodness (a fruit of the Spirit;
also the way God created the world--He pronounced it all good; Gen. 1). Next comes knowledge, which is crucial. We gain our knowledge from God, specifically
from the truth revealed in His Word (II. Tim. 3:16-17). We are commanded to be transformed by
the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:1,2) in order to know God's will. This comes through the Bible. Next comes self-control, another of the
fruits of the Spirit. If sin is not to
reign in our bodies, then we must exercise self-control. We are free--free to do as we ought, which
requires self-control. We are to add
perseverance to self-control: it is not always easy, as we constantly swim
upstream against the world, the flesh, and the devil, but we must
persevere. Paul uses analogies of
fighting a fight and running the race; we must press on toward the goal to win
the prize (Phil. 3:14). Rom. 5:3,4
explains the benefits of perseverance building character. Next, we are
commanded to godliness. This is our
standard: to be holy as God is holy.
Our lives should reflect the changes made by God, particularly the
cleansing from the Son and the indwelling of the Spirit. It should be manifested in righteousness,
integrity, ethical living; in short, in all our dealings with God and man. Godliness and the next ingredient, brotherly
kindness, are results of obeying the great commands to love the Lord with all
your . . . and to love your neighbor as yourself (Lk 10). I John speaks extensively on this matter: if
we love God , then we will necessarily love our brother.
1. A process – ever onward, ever upward (v. 8a); The next phrase is especially interesting: "if you possess these qualities in increasing measure. . ." (v8). The sanctified, normal, or victorious Christian life is to be one of growth. It is a lifelong process, as evidenced in so many of the above-referenced words of Paul. This is how we will have springs of living water flowing out of us (Jn 4).
2. Moving forward prevents moving back, stagnating, or stumbling (v. 8b-9); as the verse continues, "they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." This godly living is the way we exhibit the changes brought about by sanctification; it is also they way to avoid a nominal, defeated "Christian" life. As James 2 explains, "Faith without works is dead." It is not saying faith that saves, but living, dynamic, sanctified faith. Verse nine explains the extent of the dangers of not living the sanctified, victorious life; it goes so far as to say that demonstrates having "forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins." A static, unchanged life does not demonstrate the transforming power of Christ's salvation; nor does such a person with one-time, past "fire insurance" have biblical assurance of salvation.
3. Piper – “The problem with the person who does not strive toward all the fruit of faith is that he is blind in two directions. When he looks to the future it's all a haze and the promises of God are swallowed up in a blur of worldly longings. I think that is what it means by shortsighted. And when he looks to the past the forgiveness that made him so excited at first is well-nigh forgotten, and all he sees is an empty prayer and a meaningless ritual of baptism. In other words, just as in verse 3 the power for godliness flows through knowledge of God, so in verse 9 blindness to the past and future work of God blocks that power and leaves us [dead] in the water, drifting toward destruction.”
III. True assurance (vv. 10-11)
1. Not – can we point back to praying a prayer
2. But – God has changed your life; know a tree by its fruit; sanctified living (not earning salvation, but evidence that it’s there)
3. Verse 10 explains that the prescribed path of sanctified living will be the assurance of our salvation: "be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure." A one-time decision does not make us sure of our salvation; our transformed life does. Assurance comes through a living faith. While there is much debate about whether one can lose one's salvation, it is promised in this passage that the saved person living the biblically prescribed godly life "Will never fall." We must act on salvation by seeking to take advantage of the victorious/ sanctified/ transformed life available through Christ. Not only will this make us sure of salvation, but this will enable us to "receive a rich welcome into the Eternal Kingdom," (v. 11). Even by human logic, there is no benefit of living a carnal life and hoping that that one-time profession will be enough for eternal life in heaven, when we have spelled out right here how to be sure.
1. Controversy regarding these terms exists; also controversy about eternal security (can one lose one’s salvation?) (Don’t go into detail!!!)
2. Whatever your stance, both sides agree that there are some people who call themselves Christians but who aren’t
3. Making our calling sure doesn’t mean going the extra mile to make sure God is satisfied with us – it’s not earning salvation. It’s a question of whether one is – and ever was – really saved.
4. Piper – “The danger described … is not the danger of slipping into the kingdom with no rewards. It is the danger of not being saved at all. When Peter says, "Be zealous to confirm your call and election," he means that our lack of diligence in Christian graces may be a sign that we were never called and are not among the elect.”
Conclusion:
The command to "Choose this day whom you will serve (Josh 24:15a) comes to mind. If I am to follow Christ, I must do it all the way or not at all. Yes, we can be sure of our salvation. We can have fuller lives here and now. We have been given everything necessary to do it. It just remains whether we will choose to trust and obey—to be faithful and yielded —and to live the sanctified lives mandated in II Peter 1:2-11.
Sermon © 2004 by Jeffrey Westbrook
[1] Piper, John. “Liberating Promises.” Sermon from 25 April, 1982, Bethlehem Baptist Church; http://www.soundofgrace.com/piper82/042582m.htm.
[2] McQuilkin, Robertson. Free and Fulfilled. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997, p. xii.
[3] Piper, John. “Confirm Your Election.” Sermon from 2 May, 1982, Bethlehem Baptist Church; http://www.soundofgrace.com/piper82/050282m.htm.