Posted 5 years ago by Anonymous

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Summary

“Until He Comes: Add It Up and Be Sure!”- II Peter 1:1-15

Do you ever struggle with assurance of salvation? Would you like to never struggle with assurance again?

You can be sure. Know, grow, know. 2012 Theme: “Until He Comes” - looking for Jesus to come and living according to that perspective.
Until He comes, add it up and be sure.

II Peter 1:1-15

God’s intention for everyone of His children is to conform us to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ - Romans 8:29.

As we saw last week, by His divine power, God has already given us who are in Christ all we need to successfully live the Christian life. He has provided the design, the materials and the expertise to build the “house” (Christian life), but He calls us to work with Him. We can’t live the Christian life in our own strength or grow ourselves spiritually - God must do it; but we can and must work/walk with God in the process. As we do, we gain assurance of our salvation!

Verses 5-7 - Spiritual Addition
“For this very reason” - Because God has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Christ and His precious and great promises, through which we become partakers of the divine nature.
For this reason, add to your life the very elements of that divine nature - Christ-likeness.
“Make every effort” - “interest one’s self most earnestly” (Strong’s).
“Supplement” - “bring in besides, contribute besides to something” (Strong’s).
You can’t add anything to your salvation, but you can add to your faith - because you believe, pursue these characteristics.
“Virtue” - “moral goodness/excellence” (Strong’s). Study the life and teaching of Jesus. Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28, 43-44
“Knowledge” - “deeper, more perfect knowledge; growth in knowledge” (Strong’s). Not simply intellect, but experience.
“Self-control” - “mastering desires and passions, especially sensual appetites; temperance” (Strong’s).
“Steadfastness” - “constancy, endurance; not swerving from one’s deliberate purpose and loyalty to faith and piety, even in the greatest trials and sufferings” (Strong’s).
“Godliness” - “reverence, respect, piety towards God” (Strong’s).
“Brotherly affection” - “philadelphia” - “love of brothers or sisters, brethren in Christ, fellow man” (Strong’s).
“Love” - “agape” - “affection, good will, love, benevolence” (Strong’s). Unselfish love, without regard for return.
We can’t accomplish any of these ourselves, God must do it in us.
But we must give attention to these and other Christ-like characteristics, prayerfully seeking God the Holy Spirit’s transforming work in our lives.

Verse 8 - If we are growing in these Christ-like characteristics, we will be becoming what we’re supposed to be, and fruitful in our knowledge/experience of Christ (and fruitful for Him)!

Verse 9 - If we are not growing spiritually, because we have not given attention to these qualities, then we have forgotten what God has done for us in Christ and what we‘ve taken hold of in Christ. We are spiritually near-sighted ingrates! Near-sighted Christians have no assurance (or false assurance)! If you aren’t growing more like Christ, you should question your salvation!
Oswald Chambers: “Enchanted but unchanged.” “They take up the pose of religion, but they are not penitent…God not only requires us to have a right attitude to Him, He requires us to allow the truth to so react in us that we are actively related to Him.”

Verse 10 - Calling and election are acts of God alone, but we can be sure of His calling and electing us by the pursuit of these (and other) Christ-like qualities.

Verse11 - We can be absolutely assured of “an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” not by any work of our own, but because we have a living, faith, which God has given us and which He enables us to live out.

Verses 12-15 - We don’t know how much time we have. Isn’t it time to be sure of our own salvation? Isn’t it time to teach the truth to those under our care? Isn’t it time to live lives that will exhibit the truth we teach? Know Christ by faith - embrace Him, give way to Him.

Grow - work with God to grow spiritually. Then you will Know with assurance that you are His forever.

Until He comes, let us work together w/God to be who He calls us to be. Let us add Christ-likeness to our faith, being sure of His salvation and helping others to know Him too.