Sermon: Everything We Need – 2 Peter 1.1–4 (8/23/26)
Introduction
Scripture
Turn in your Bibles to the book of 2 Peter.
2 Peter is a hard one to find.
It is probably a dozen or so pages before the book of Revelation, the last book in the Bible.
How Good are you at living the Christian life?
What grade would you give yourself?
Maybe a C? Or a D?
Is there a gap between the Christian you know you should be and the Christian you really are?
Do you feel inadequate?
Slow growth...
Repeated failure...
You are trying harder and harder but still struggling...
Are you frustrated or exhausted with just more spiritual todo's when you have not yet done the previous ones?
Do you fear that change may be impossible for you?
And maybe underneath all of that is one haunting question...
Do I actually have what it takes to live the Christian life well?
I have good news for you this morning...
It starts with asking the question differently...
(There is a better question with a better answer!)
Instead of "Do I have what it takes?"
We should ask, "Has God given me what I need?"
Peter will answer this question clearly:
YES.
God has given you everything you need!
But having what we need and using what we have been given are not always the same thing.
Series Introduction
In the next few weeks we will study this little book of 2 Peter...
It begins by saying...
"God has given us everything we need to thrive as a Christian."
2 Peter 1.3
And then across three chapters and sixty-one verses, Peter shows us...
What God has given us...
What threatens our growth...
How we are to live faithfully until Christ returns...
This is going to be an encouraging study...
But not shallow encouragement.
Peter is going to challenge us.
Warn us.
Remind us.
Equip us.
And he is going to point us again and again to what God has provided for us in Christ.
Scripture
2 Peter 1.1 | Simeon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. (CSB)
Background...
Simeon Peter is the human author God used to give us the book of 2 Peter.
Simeon is the Hebrew form of the Greek name Simon.
Simon, just a different spelling and pronunciation.
Peter is a nickname Jesus gave him.
Πέτρος means rock or stone.
Peter writes this very near the end of his life.
Peter was martyred for his faith.
Likely martyred under Nero...
Tradition says he was sentenced to crucifixion.
Ancient tradition says Peter requested to be crucified upside down...
Later tradition says he did so because he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.
Something tradition tells us about Peter that most people do not know...
Peter was married and he and his wife had children.
Peter's wife was also executed for her faith.
Peter had to watch his wife being taken to her death...
He called out to her...
"Remember the Lord!"
To those who have received a faith equal to ours...
No one has a second-class faith...
Peter is writing as an apostle...
Walked with Jesus...
Saw Jesus's miracles...
Witnessed the risen Christ...
Yet, Peter tells ordinary believers...
Your faith is just as precious as mine.
It is our adversary who tells us we have a second class faith.
2 Peter 1.2 | May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (CSB)
This is a fairly standard greeting, but I want you to notice one key word because it will be more important later.
How is grace and peace multiplied to you?
Through the KNOWLEDGE of God and of Jesus our Lord...
KNOWLEDGE is the key word.
Remember that because we will revisit that idea in the next verse.
2 Peter 1.3 | His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (CSB)
2 Peter 1.4 | By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. (CSB)
These are two of the most complex verses in the New Testament.
They are important.
Let's sort through them...
Walk through...
What has he given us?
Everything required for life and godliness...
Life is eternal life, but is more than that...
It is abundant life...
John 10.10 | A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. (CSB)
(Isn't that the life we all want to live!)
Fruitful life...
John 15.5 | I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. (CSB)
Galatians 5.22 | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (CSB)
Galatians 5.23 | gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. (CSB)
(Isn't that the life we all want to live!)
Godliness...
Matthew Pool said...
If life is the inward principle...
Then godliness is the outward exercise.
Together these two equal successful living of the Christian life...
Notice he writes that God has given us EVERYTHING...
Have you ever bought a piece of assembly required furniture and everything came included...
The screws...
The dowels...
Even the tools...
Share in the divine nature...
The character of Christ being formed in us...
Galatians 4.19 | My children, I am again suffering labor pains for you until Christ is formed in you. (CSB)
Escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire...
This is another description of sharing the divine nature.
This is the converse of sharing in the divine nature...
It is like trying to force all of the air out of a glass...
As you pour water in, the air departs.
As you share more and more in the divine nature, the less and less the corruption of the world affects you.
What is the source of all of this?
His divine power...
What is the mechanism that makes this happen?
the knowledge of him
What kind of knowledge?
Informational
Relational
Transformational
Who is the HIM?
him who called us by his own glory and goodness...
This is connected to "His divine power..."
How do we gain this knowledge?
Very great and precious promises...
How does this work?
The promises teach us about the nature of God.
When I learn:
God promises forgiveness, I learn something about his grace.
God promises wisdom, I learn something about his generosity.
God promises his presence, I learn something about his faithfulness.
God promises final deliverance from corruption, I learn something about his holiness and saving purpose.
God promises Christ's return and the new creation, I learn something about where God is taking history and his people.
So learning God's promises is one way of learning God himself.
2 Peter 1.5 | For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, (CSB)
Now is it by "His divine power" or by "make every effort?"
God has supplied everything you need.
Therefore, use what he has supplied with all diligence.
For this reason...
This also guards against two opposite errors...
Self-reliance...
Spiritual passivity...
Because God has given us everything we need, we have every reason to give him everything we've got.
How to Get Unstuck
Are you stuck in your spiritual life?
Are you stuck in your spiritual growth?
Are you stuck barren of spiritual fruit?
I. Believe that God has provided what you need.
As long as you think you do not have enough something to live an abundant life, you will not live one.
If you are convinced God has left you deficient, you will live like a deficient Christian.
We have listened to the lies of the adversary...
Underneath all of these lies is one ancient lie:
God has not given you enough.
Satan's lies...
Your past failures prove you cannot really change.
Look how many times you have failed.
You have fought that sin before.
Your past failures mean this is just who you are..
You are too messed up to really change.
Other Christians have something you don't have.
You are missing some spiritual experience, secret, or breakthrough that other Christians have found.
Those are lies of the enemy.
In Ephesians 6.11, Paul calls these the "schemes of the devil."
Ephesians 6.11 | Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. (CSB)
In Ephesians 6.16, he calls these the "flaming arrows of the evil one."
Ephesians 6.16 | In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (CSB)
Now, Peter does not deny our weakness.
We are weak.
We still struggle with sin.
We still have a long way to grow.
But we cannot and must not say that God has failed to provide what we need.
We may confess our weakness.
We may confess our sin.
We may confess that we have a long way to grow.
But there is one thing the Christian cannot say:
“God has not given me what I need.”
2 Corinthians 3.4 | Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God.(CSB)
2 Corinthians 3.5 | It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. (CSB)
When we are weak, we usually do one of two things...
A. We give up...
And we live under a cloud of condemnation...
B. We run to the Lord and his word...
Because he has provided "everything required for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1.3)!
The enemy is the one saying to quit...
Peter is calling us (and the Holy Spirit is calling us) to run to the Lord and his word...
Be encouraged this morning...
Philippians 1.6 | I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (CSB)
II. Depend on God's power, not your own.
Look back at the beginning of 2 Peter 1.3...
His divine power has given us everything required...
This does not begin with...
Determination...
Personality...
Willpower...
Now, we will get to "make every effort" (2 Peter 1.5) in a moment.
Peter will call for maximum effort...
But he does not call us to INDEPENDENT EFFORT.
Grace does not eliminate effort.
Grace eliminates self-reliant effort.
For me, this is the hardest thing to really learn and fully embrace.
I'm a "take the bull by the horns" kind of person...
But Paul makes it clear WHO changes us...
Philippians 2.13 | For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. (CSB)
Every real change in my life has not come merely because I buckled down and tried harder...
They have come as I have learned to depend upon the Lord while obeying him.
Every real change in my life has come when I have...
Come before the Lord...
Acknowledged my weakness and helplessness...
Asked for him to do a work...
And then followed him in earnest surrender and strident obedience...
Which has often required repeating this list of actions over and over.
Why has God created us like this?
Growth and change is ultimately an exercise in learning that all good things come from the Lord.
If you and I could fix ourselves, then we would not need Jesus.
And all good things would ultimately come from ourselves.
If you could fix yourself, then the glory would go to you...
God is the fixer.
God is the changer.
God is the source of all good things in you as well as around you.
Ultimately this is a gospel issue...
We understand the gospel from the perspective of the Lord being our only hope for salvation...
GOSPEL
We must also to understand the gospel from the perspective of the Lord being our only hope for growth, change, and abundant and peaceful living.
Theologians call this progressive sanctification.
Let's be practical...
How do you know when you are depending on your own power more than the Lord?
You pray very little about the thing you are trying hardest to change.
You make plans but seldom ask God for strength.
Failure produces despair because you were trusting yourself.
Success produces pride because you credit yourself.
III. Identify where God wants you to grow.
Here is the great danger of a Scripture passage like this and a sermon like this...
We will study intently...
Then we will go home with a vague commitment like...
"I want to be a better Christian..."
"I need to do better."
That kind of commitment will bring no change in your life and no honor to the Lord.
So, get specific!
Most of us know the area where God wants us to grow!
We do not need ten minutes to figure this out...
I believe the Lord is calling me to grow in two specific areas...
My personal prayer life...
How I respond to my appetites when stressed...
What area or areas does God most want you to grow?
Look back at what we saw in verses 3–4...
Life and godliness...
Share in the divine nature...
Where am I failing to live a godly life?
My marriage?
My parenting?
My words?
My integrity?
My prayer life?
My generosity?
My priorities?
My use of time?
Where do I need to increasingly reflect God's character?
Do I need to become...
More patient?
More loving?
More forgiving?
More courageous?
More disciplined?
More compassionate?
More self-controlled?
More faithful?
What corrupting desire still has too much influence over me?
Anger?
Lust?
Greed?
Pride?
Envy?
Bitterness?
Fear?
Approval?
Comfort?
Control?
Look back at the end of verse 4...
Verse...
The corruption that is in the world because of evil desire...
Where are you experiencing corruption because of evil or misplaced desires?
Specific growth begins with specific honesty.
Before we move on, I want you to name one thing.
Not ten.
One.
IV. Use what God has provided.
Now take that one thing you just named.
What has God given you to address it?
Let's reread our two key verses...
2 Peter 1.3 | His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (CSB)
2 Peter 1.4 | By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.(CSB)
What are the two things God has provided us mentioned in these verses?
Knowledge of him...
Very great and precious promises...
These Two are linked...
Knowledge
Multiple levels...
Informational knowledge
The collection of information from Scripture...
Spiritual knowledge
Understanding the doctrines of Scripture...
Relational knowledge
Knowing the Lord experientially, relationally, and personally...
Transformational knowledge
Promises
God's promises don't merely give us information about the future.
They reveal the character of the promiser.
They are one of the ways we come to know God.
(repeated from earlier section)
When I learn:
God promises forgiveness, I learn something about his grace.
God promises wisdom, I learn something about his generosity.
God promises his presence, I learn something about his faithfulness.
God promises final deliverance from corruption, I learn something about his holiness and saving purpose.
God promises Christ's return and the new creation, I learn something about where God is taking history and his people.
So learning God's promises is one way of learning God himself.
How do we USE God's promises...
Using God's promises means...
Knowing what God has said...
Believing it is true...
Bringing it to mind when you need it...
Praying on the basis of it
And ordering your obedience around it...
Connection
Can you see how "he has given you everything required for life and godliness" is so intricately connected to the study of God's word?
Why am I teaching 2 Peter over the next seven weeks?
There are more fun and exciting passages I could teach.
I believe walking through this book and this Book are the first steps to embracing "everything required..."
Now, let's go back to your ONE THING and see how to use this knowledge of God and his promises...
If it is FEAR, what has God revealed about his sovereignty, presence, and care?
If it is BITTERNESS, what has God revealed about forgiveness, justice, and the grace you have received?
If it is LUST, what has God revealed about holiness, satisfaction in Christ, and the corruption produced by evil desire?
If it is PRAYERLESSNESS, what has God promised about his presence, wisdom, help, and response to prayer?
If it is APPROVAL, what does Scripture tell you about your identity and acceptance in Christ?
Conclusion
What do I do on Monday morning?
Maybe you began this morning thinking:
"I'm just not very good at being a Christian."
Maybe you are painfully aware of an area where you have failed.
Peter's answer is not:
Pretend the struggle isn't real.
And his answer is not:
Just try harder.
Peter says:
God has given you everything you need.
So:
1. Believe that God has given you what you need.
2. Depend on God's power, not your own.
3. Identify specifically where God wants you to grow.
4. Use what God has provided.
But there is one last thing...
This may seem contrary to the previous ones, but it is not.
It is the key to making the previous ones effective.
2 Peter 1.5 | For this very reason, make every effort...
For this reason...
The motivation is critical to success...
Make every effort...
So take that one area you identified this morning...
Bring it before the Lord.
Admit your weakness.
Find what God has said.
Learn his promises.
Ask him for power.
And then obey him with everything you are...
Because God has given us everything we need, we have every reason to give him everything we've got.