Naylor Community Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in
Bibles to 2 Peter 1:1-11
2 Peter 1:1 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:
2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the
knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Confirming One’s Calling and Election
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for
a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own 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, having escaped
the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
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, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, 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 whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting
that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every
effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you
will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
-- one of
John Steinbeck's lesser known, but more poignant novels, is The Wayward Bus
-- unlike most of Steinbeck's novels, this novel does not concern itself with
politics or the social issues of his day, but instead focuses on the matters of
the heart and the purposes of individual lives
-- like
most of his novels, The Wayward Bus is set in southern California, just
north of the Mexican border -- it is the story of Juan and Alice Chicoy who
make a living ferrying passengers between San Juan de la Cruz and Rebel
Corners, which is nothing more than a crossroads 42 miles south of San Ysidro
-- at this
stage in Juan's life, he has started to realize that nothing really changes in
Rebel Corners -- it is the same thing every day -- it is the same people every
day -- in fact, the only people that live in Rebel Corners is Juan and his wife
Alice and the two young people that they have hired to help them run their bus
stop and diner
-- even the travelers that pass
through on their way to San Juan are just nameless and faceless to Juan -- just
people passing through who have no real impact on his life
-- it's
safe to say that Juan's life is in a rut and that he is becoming increasingly
tired of living life that way -- of living the same-old, same-old, day-in and
day-out
-- as
Steinbeck's novel continues, we are introduced to the next group of passengers
who are traveling on Juan's bus -- first, there is a family of three on
vacation, seeking a break from the monotony of their lives and hoping this trip
revives not only their lives but their relationships
-- next,
there is Ernest Horton, a traveling salesman who has spent his whole life
chasing a dream -- trying every get rich quick scheme in the book, but failing
to do more than just jump from opportunity to opportunity without any change in
his direction or his life
-- the
other transient on the bus is a young, blonde woman who has gotten by in life
by using her looks to attract male attention -- she is always passing through
somewhere on the way to somewhere else, so she never uses her real name --
instead, she uses a series of false names in her encounters with men to create
the temporary illusion that she is living a different life rather than getting
by as a stripper who sells her body to make a living
-- finally,
Juan and Alice's former employee Norma is on the bus -- Norma's whole life has
been lived in the fantasy that she is in a relationship with Clark Gable -- she
would write him long letters professing her admiration and love and was
convinced it was only a spiteful manager who kept Gable from responding to her
-- even though this is a fantasy that is only in her mind, Norma has quit her
job and is moving to Los Angeles to start a new life with Gable although
everyone knows that this will never happen
-- so, in a
very real sense, all of the passengers on Juan's bus that day were the same --
they were just like Juan -- they were all trapped in a rut -- trapped in fantasy
lives that never changed -- continually subjected to the same failing and
foibles without ever seeking a change for the better
-- as the
story progresses, we learn that the road to San Juan has been turned into a
muddy mess and there was a chance that the bus might not make it through and
might get stuck -- Juan gives his passengers a choice -- they could go forward
or they could go back and wait for the road's conditions to improve
-- they choose to go forward and
Juan, claiming that the bus slipped in the mud, intentionally runs the bus out
of the ruts on the road and into a ditch -- he then sets out on foot,
ostensibly to seek help -- but in reality, Juan has decided to run away from
his life, leaving his passengers to reflect on their own lives and
relationships
-- while Juan is gone, the
passengers sit on the bus and begin to examine their lives – they start to
realize the rut they have been in and they all resolve to make changes in their
lives -- Juan eventually has a change of heart and returns to his familiar bus
and familiar life
-- he climbs in and the bus
continues on its journey, leaving a lingering question in the air – what will
his passengers do? -- will they commit to making a real and lasting change in
their lives or will they fall back into their old familiar patterns -- into
their old familiar ruts – like Juan?
II. Falling into
Ruts
-- you
know, this is a question that a lot of people ask at the beginning of each new
year -- it's really common for people to use the new year as a time to make
changes in their lives -- to get out of their ruts -- to put aside routines or
bad habits so that they might make a fresh start and head out in a new
direction with new meaning and purpose
-- all you
have to do is visit a bookstore or social media if you want to see how many
people are fixated on changing their lives -- the shelves of bookstores and the
best seller lists on Amazon and the lists of TikTok and YouTube videos are
filled with self-help advice on every topic under the sun -- from finance to
weight loss -- from getting better organized to home remodeling
-- even Christians aren't immune from
this desire to get out of the ruts in our lives – a lot of people I know make a
goal of reading through the Bible in the new year, and they go out and buy the
One-Year Bibles for that purpose – others make spiritual resolutions on how
they’re going to change their lives for the better this year
-- the
question, though, is the same one that Steinbeck asked in his novel -- will any
of the people who make resolutions actually change their lives or will they
find themselves back in their same rut again in a matter of days or weeks or
months?
-- studies
show that we are actually a lot better at making resolutions than keeping them
-- only about half of us can keep a New Year's resolution for one month -- only
about 40% of us can keep them for six months -- and less than 20% of all people
can keep a New Year's resolution for two years
-- why is it so hard for us to make a change in our
lives? -- why is it so easy to fall back into our familiar ruts? -- scientists
tell us that it's part of our nature -- they call it homeostasis -- but what it
means is that people are typically resistant to change -- we like things to
stay the same -- not that we necessarily like the things we are doing, but we
find it more comfortable to accept the familiar than to step out into the
unknown -- that's why we can so easily find ourselves in ruts that are too deep
to get out of
-- experts have studied the difference in people who are
able to keep resolutions versus those who are not able to keep them -- and they
have concluded that the difference between the two comes down to motive -- it
has to do with your inner desire
-- the people who keep resolutions are those who are
actually able to change their thinking -- who are actually able to change their
understanding -- people who make and keep resolutions do so because they change
from the inside out -- and this change on the inside gives them the motivation
to change on the outside -- to change their behaviors in order to make a
difference in their lives
-- of course, that should make perfect sense to us -- as
Christians, we understand that change has to come from within -- that change is
not so much about what we do but more about who we are -- that's the big
difference between Christianity and other religions
-- all of us who are Christians know that we can't become
holy because we just want to become holy -- that we can't just change our lives
and become holy and godly people by simply changing what we do on the outside --
all that does is clean the outside of the glass and leaves the inside dirty
-- the Bible teaches us that real change only happens
when we allow God to transform us from the inside out – and when the inside
starts to change – when our hearts and our motives and our desires start to look
like what Jesus wants us to do -- then, and only then, will we begin to see our
outside change -- our behaviors and our lives
III. Scripture Lesson (2 Peter 1:1-11)
-- that's what the Apostle Peter is reminding us of in
this passage – here in this letter, Peter gives us the keys to transformation
-- the plan we have to follow if we are going to keep moving forward in the
Christian lives and make a change in who we are and what we do
-- let's take a few moments and look at these in a little
more detail
-- verse 1-2
2 Peter 1:1 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:
2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the
knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Confirming One’s Calling and Election
-- the first thing Peter tells us that we have to do if
we want to change who we are and how we live our lives is that we must know
Jesus
-- but the knowledge that Peter is talking about here in
verse 2 is more than just head knowledge – he’s not just talking about knowledge
gained through information – Peter is talking about the intimate knowledge of
another – of knowing someone else in a deep way – of knowing their heart
-- the word that he uses here for knowledge is the same
word the Bible uses when it talks about Adam knowing Eve – it’s the same
knowledge that a husband and wife share of one another – more than just
physical – but emotional – spiritual – all-encompassing knowledge of each other
-- to know Jesus this way means that you have an intimate
and personal relationship with Him – you know Jesus inside and out – you rely
on Him – you trust in Him – you believe in Him – you have faith in Him
-- to know Jesus in this way means that you have not only
assented with your mind that Jesus is God, but you also know Him with your
heart – you are putting all your faith and trust in Him and His atoning death
on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins and for eternal life with Him
-- to know Jesus in this way means that you are covered
with His righteousness and have received a faith like Peter’s – to know Jesus
in this way means that you are His -- that He is in you and you are in Him -- that
you live in and continually experience His grace and peace and presence in your
life – that every day you are walking with Him
-- to know Jesus in this way means you live in true faith
and are guided by His Spirit within as you seek to follow Him more and more
every day
-- that is the knowledge that makes a difference in a
person’s life – that is the knowledge that lets you move forward and transforms
you from who you were into the person who God has called you to be
-- verse 3-4
2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything
we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own
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, having
escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
-- the second thing we have to do to see and make real
changes in our lives is to know the power of Jesus in our lives today -- Peter
tells us here that Christ's divine power has been given to us -- we experience
that power through the presence of the Holy Spirit within us
-- Jesus told us that when we believe on Him -- when we
know Him -- that we are filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit -- that God
lives in us to comfort us in our sorrows -- to teach us in our ignorance -- and
to empower us in our weakness
-- when we talk in the church about spiritual gifts and
spiritual power, we aren't talking about some supernatural ability that has
been given to us -- we are talking about the power of God made manifest in our
lives -- the power of the Holy Spirit working through us to accomplish His
purposes in this place through us
-- Peter tells us that through the Holy Spirit -- through
the power He gives -- that we have everything that we need for life and
godliness -- when Peter is talking about "godliness," he's talking
about what's on the inside -- he's talking about sanctification -- about the
Holy Spirit working within us to make us holy and righteous in our thoughts and
our minds and our hearts
-- godly and holy lives start on the inside as the Holy
Spirit cleanses us and makes us more like Jesus from the inside out
-- but notice that Peter says that this power is not only
for godliness but also for life -- here he is talking about our external life right
now -- you know, we tend to forget that Jesus did not just come to give us
eternal life -- in John 10:10 Jesus said, "I have come that you may have
life, and have it to the full" -- Jesus was talking about giving us an
abundant, Christ-centered life here on earth -- what he's saying is that the
Christian life should not just be lived with the end in mind but should be
experienced daily – the full, abundant life can be ours today
-- Peter points out here that the world corrupts us -- it
leads us astray through our own evil desires and draws us into temptation and
sin -- this is the rut that all humanity falls into -- this is the rut that
Christ came to pull us out of -- this is the rut that Christ came to overcome
-- Peter tells us that we can't get out of the mud – out
of the ruts -- on our own because left to their own devices, our hearts deceive
us -- our motives betray us -- our desires lead us astray
-- that is why he says that we must rely on the power of
Jesus through the presence of the Holy Spirit if we want to see change in our
lives -- if we want to see our lives transformed and begin living the abundant
and holy lives that Jesus promised
-- we always say that we can never know another person’s
heart – that you can never know yourself if someone else has been saved and has
a saving relationship through Jesus – but that’s not entirely true
-- if someone has truly been saved, then there should be
change in their life – there should be a change in who they are and what they
do – and that will be evident to all
-- I have a friend that used to work for the University
of Georgia at the Pharmacy School – he said that he and a group of other
Christians would meet at lunch to read their Bibles and talk about what God was
doing in their lives
-- they were quiet about it – they didn’t advertise who
they were or what they were doing – but my friend said that one day, as they
were sitting together at lunch behind a closed door, someone knocked on the
door
-- he got up and answered it and there was a coworker
standing there – the coworker looked at him kind of sheepishly and said, “Look,
I don’t want to bother y’all, but I’ve been watching you – and there’s
something different about all of you – and I don’t know what it is – but I want
it”
-- when God works in our lives through the power of the
Holy Spirit and begins to transform us from the inside out, people will notice the
change
-- look back at verse 4 again
2 Peter 1:4 Through these he has given us his very
great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil
desires.
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, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
-- the final thing we need to do if we want to see and
make real changes in our lives is to imitate the life of Jesus -- Peter uses
the term "participate" or "partake" in the life of Jesus
-- what he is saying is that transformation comes through
participation in the life of Jesus -- it implies activity on our part – change
comes through the power of the Holy Spirit within us, but we have to be willing
participants – we have to do our part and start to live out our faith and to
try to live like Jesus in all aspects of our lives
-- knowing that we have to do this – that we have to get
up and do our part -- encourages us to step forward in faith and in the power
of the Holy Spirit to make changes in our behavior -- to make changes in what
we are doing
-- it reminds me of the crippled man who was by the Pool of
Bethesda – we read about his story in John Chapter 5 – Jesus sees this man
lying there on his mat and Jesus knows that he has been there for years –
decades even – and He walks up to this man and He asks him a profound question
– “Do you want to get well?” – in other words, are you willing to do what it
takes to be healed or are you just going to stay in your rut – lying next to
pool, day in and day out, waiting for a miracle that is never going to come
apart from Me?
-- the man begins to make excuses for why he hasn’t been
healed – he can’t get in the water fast enough – no one will help him – and
Jesus responds, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!” – and that man has a
decision to make – is he going to do what Jesus says – is he going to try to
get up and pick up his mat and walk and change his life forever or is he just
going to lay there for another decade?
-- we know the story – he picks up his mat and he is
healed – but the point is that in order to be healed, this man had to be
willing and had to take that first step of faith by getting up and picking up
his mat
-- it’s the same way with us -- this is part of the
overall process of sanctification -- first, we have to change who we are by
knowing and trusting Jesus in faith -- then, we have to change what we are doing
by actively stepping out in faith
-- Peter points out in verses 5 through 7 that we should
be building on our faith -- that we should be building on the foundation that
started when we first came to Christ -- he tells us that to faith we should add
goodness or virtue -- this is referring to our integrity -- to our character --
to the change in motives and desires that comes through knowing Jesus
-- next, we add knowledge -- we learn more about Jesus
and what it means to walk with Him -- we experience Him in our lives as we grow
more and more like Him every day -- we add self-control -- we begin to change
our lives through the power of the Spirit within us -- we begin to take action
and choose to put away the old things of the world that used to control us and
take up the new things and the new way of life in Christ
-- the next step is perseverance -- keeping-on,
keeping-on -- committing to this new way of life -- not letting ourselves slip
back into the ruts of this world but persevering and overcoming through the
power of the Spirit -- which leads us to godliness -- to holiness -- to
becoming different in our thoughts and minds and desires and behaviors
-- by becoming godly inside and out, Peter tells us that
we will grow to the point where we are able to start loving by showing
brotherly kindness -- brotherly love -- the phileo love that we often
talk about -- until we reach the point where we can love like Jesus -- where
our lives are completely and totally characterized by God's agape,
unconditional love for all
-- all of this starts with action on our part – with
getting up – with picking up our mat -- with participating in the divine nature
of Jesus
-- we have to take that first step – we have to make the
decision to respond to God’s call – we have to make the first move to reach out
to Jesus’ out-stretched hand
-- all of us have seen pictures of Michaelangelo’s great
masterpiece – his painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican –
in you remember that picture, there is a scene where God is reaching out with
His finger to touch Adam, and Adam’s hand is hanging limp – his fingers are
out-stretched, but there is no effort – no desire – no stretch to reach out and
grasp God’s hand
-- if we are going to change, then we have to reach out
and grab God’s hand, unlike Adam in this painting
-- that's why Peter tells us to "make every
effort" to do this -- it is faith with feet -- it is more than
head-knowledge -- it is life experience through the power of the Holy Spirit
-- verse 8-11
2 Peter 1:8 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 whoever does not have them is
nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past
sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every
effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you
will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
-- Peter says that this is the path to lasting change --
this is the way to get out of the mud and out of the ruts and begin making and
keeping lasting spiritual resolutions in your life -- this is the way to keep
from being ineffective and unproductive -- from living lives devoid of power --
from living lives like so many other people
-- notice that Peter says in verse 8 that if these things
abound in you -- if they are present in increasing measures – this reminds us
that becoming holy and sanctified in this way is a process -- this is something
that you have to work at and that gets built up in your life step-by-step over
time
-- change is rarely instantaneous -- change usually takes
time and starts with incremental steps until the goal is reached -- that's why
we don't teach first-graders calculus -- we start with the basics of addition
and subtraction and over time, we build on the foundations of math and help
them work their way up to higher and higher levels of mathematics
-- too many of us, though, lose heart and fall back into
our old ways and into the ruts once again – we start off well, but aren’t
consistent and we lose ground – Peter says here that if we do that, we are
near-sighted and blind – forgetting that we have been cleansed from our past
sins – that we are not who we used to be – that we are new creations – that we
no longer have to live like that
-- the key is remembering who you are in Christ – and
trying to make steady and constant progress in our spiritual lives – to keep
moving forward, even when it is difficult – and if we fall – and if we fail –
we get back up and try again
-- Peter says that this is the way that you make your
calling and election sure -- this is how you know that you are saved -- this is
how you know that you are continuing on in the path to salvation -- when you
can look back and see a difference in who you are now compared to who you used
to be – when you can look back and see incremental changes in your life -- when
you can look back and see how your faith and how your life has changed through
the power of Christ in you
-- do this, Peter says, and you will never fall -- and
you will receive a rich welcome into the kingdom of Jesus Christ
III. Closing
--
Jonathan Edwards -- the great preacher who lived in the 1700s and who is best
known today for his sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" --
sat down at the age of 17 and penned 21 resolutions by which he would live his
life -- every year, he added to this list until, by his death, he had 70
resolutions -- 70 things that he resolved that he would do to reach his goals
in life and become the man that God had called him to be
--
the first resolution on his list was this: "Being sensible that I am
unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat Him by His grace
to enable me to keep these resolutions.…[and to] remember to read over these
resolutions once a week."
--
Edwards didn't casually make New Year's resolutions with an expectation of
eventually breaking them -- each week he did a self-check -- each week he looked
at how he was doing and sought God's help in the process – he didn’t give up
mid-ways through January, but committed to making these changes part of his
life
--
as Peter tells us in this passage, this is the only way to make and keep
lasting changes in our lives -- we have to know Jesus -- know His power -- and
know His life
--
let me close with this -- I once read about this youth group that bought a
run-down house to use as their meeting place -- the house was ideal, except for
one thing -- it stunk -- it literally stunk to high heaven -- it was almost
unbearable -- and they tried everything to get rid of the smell -- air
fresheners -- candles -- incense -- even those plug-in fragrances that you see
-- but, they couldn't get rid of the smell
--
all those fragrances and scents would do was cover the odor up -- but it would
linger -- and the next day when they went back in, it met them in full force
once again
--
finally, they figured out how to get rid of the odor once and for all -- they
gave the house a deep cleansing -- they pressured-washed the outside walls --
they steam-cleaned the carpets -- they scrubbed the ceiling and the inside
walls -- and the smell left, never to return again
--
many of our experiences at keeping resolutions and making changes in our lives
is just like this -- all we do is spray a little air freshener over the things
that are stinking up our lives, but it does no good -- it covers it up for a
while, but the odor keeps coming back – we find ourselves living life like we
always have – caught in the same old ruts of temptation and sin
--
the message of this passage -- the message of the Bible -- is that
transformation -- lasting change -- only comes through deep cleansing -- it
only comes when we allow God to work in us and through us to clean us of our
bad habits and our ungodly behavior from the inside out
--
if we are going to see lasting change in our lives -- if we are going to add to
our faith -- then we are going to have to allow God to scrub the walls of our
heart -- room by room -- by knowing Jesus -- knowing His power -- and knowing
and participating in His life
--
as I close, I want to encourage you to take a moment to think about changes
that you might need to make in your life -- maybe spiritual -- maybe physical –
maybe emotional -- maybe you have realized that you’re trapped in a rut and
it’s time to get out and pick your mat and walk
--
as I close, I want you to join with me in prayer and ask God to help you take
that first step at making a difference in your life -- to take that first step
at changing your life forever
--
regardless of what the statistics say, change is possible – anything is
possible through Christ – and that means that we can change – we can become new
and better people – we can experience the power and presence of the Lord in us
and through us
--
we can keep our resolutions and grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus, if
we learn to rely on His presence within us to make it happen
--
to help us move forward as a church and as a people, my plans are to begin a series
of messages on spiritual disciplines and spiritual gifts – for these are the
things that will reinforce what the Spirit wants to do in us and through us and
will lead us forward as His church in this place
--
the spiritual disciplines are the equivalent of us getting up and picking up
our mats and walking with Jesus – these are the things that we do to
participate in the life of Jesus
--
the spiritual gifts are the supernatural manifestations of the Spirit in our
lives – His power and His presence given to us to help us minister to others,
grow His church, and bring glory to His name
--
so, unless something changes, that is the direction we are going to head and
this should carry us into the start of Lent, if not beyond
--
with that, let us close now in prayer and ask for God to give us knowledge,
wisdom, direction and power as we seek to be His people in this place
--
let us pray
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