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2 Peter 1:1-11 - You Play Like You Practice - Part 1Runtime: 9m 8s | Views 1207 | Rating (0 votes): Not yet rated | Added:20-07-2010On the 4th of July it is popular to talk about freedom as one of our cherished values. As we start 2 Peter we must understand that the freedom Peter wants is not the freedom from suffering but the freedom to do what is right, to believe what is right, and to proclaim what is right. There is no room for complacency in this. What hampers our freedom is that we compare our faith with others. We do this wen we think that we are better off spiritually because our self-produced faith makes us closer to God. This is a lie. We must keep from comparing or boasting in our faith to others. We do this is several ways. First we keep from comparing or boasting about our faith by certainly hoping in Christ's righteousness (2 Peter 1:1-2). Our faith is on equal standing with the faith of the Apostles. There is not a quality difference since our faith is ultimately a gift of God working in us and through us. A new Christian has the same access into the presence of God as a mature Christian. We must be sure that we boast in Christ's righteousness and not the strength of our faith. Right thinking on this precedes right living. You will play like you practice. Secondly, we keep from comparing or boasting about our faith by restfully trusting God's great promises (1 Peter 1:3-4). God has given us everything that we need in this life to live a godly life. God's promises are sufficient for us to refrain from sin and the corruptions of our hearts, unlike the false teachers. We have freedom of the real kind now as Christians -- freedom from our corruption and our depravity. God's has effectively called us to see and savior Christ. In this effectual calling our eyes are opened through God's promises concerning his character to a beautiful vision Fog God (call the beatific vision) where we rejoice in the splendor and majesty of God through Christ. As Christians we have the Holy Spirit indwelling in us to enable us not to compare our conduct but trust sufficient God's promises for living out our faith. You will play like you practice. Thirdly, we keep from comparing or boasting about our faith by earnest effort toward moral virtues (2 Peter 1:5-8). There is no hierarchy in his passage but this passage talks about intentionality and effort toward the moral virtues that needs to happen. We don't desire this necessary progress to earn God's favor, but we labor because God has first labored for us already. We make effort in these 8 moral virtues in order to show forth God's character. We must never think that the Christian life is like floating or drifting in the ocean, because floating cann mean drifting to your perrel God promises spur us to make every efforttoo strive against the tide toward moral virtue. You will play like you practice. Finally, we keep from comparing or boasting about our faith by diligently depending on God's grace (2 Peter 1:9-11). We are to avoid apostasy and avoid comparing our faith with others by looking at God's means of grace. If do not use the means of grace we will be like people who shut their eyes and become blind to what God has done and is doing for us. We will forget our forgiveness and be tempted to take spiritual shortcuts which il-lgetimizes our faith in the first place. There is no virtue without knowledge and No knowledge without ethics. You will play like you practice. Why do you play like you practice. You must practice godliness by God power through God's promises. In other words, you will live like you believe. Ever deviation from truth is sin and we must see our beliefs and judgments as a great means that God uses to shape our lives for holiness. |
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