WWUTT 342 All Things That Pertain to Life and Godliness?

2 Peter 1:3-5 and the Call to Grow in Godliness

By God's divine power we have been granted all things that pertain to life and godliness. Being able to rejoice in the Lord for all things that we go through in this life and growing in godliness when we understand the text.

This is when we understand the text studying God's word to reach all the riches of full assurance in Christ. Find all our videos online at www .wutt .com as well as links to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe Hughes.

Peter's Divine Power, Our New Life, and the Meaning of Romans 1

Thank you Becky. We are in 2 Peter chapter 1 today beginning in verse 3 where the apostle says His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

Therefore brothers be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election for if you practice these qualities you will never fall for in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I come back to verse 3 where Peter says his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness and I am reminded of Romans 1 18 where the Apostle Paul said for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes namely his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made so they are without excuse.

Now oftentimes we'll use this verse Romans 1 20 to say that everybody inherently knows just by looking at all creation around us that God exists. There's simply no question about it. What we inherently understand is design.

You would not be able to point to anything and be able to prove that any of it came about by accident but you point to anything and you know design. You know that the computer in front of you didn't just come out of an explosion in a technology factory or the analogy that often gets used a tornado doesn't go ripping through a junkyard and assembles a 747 by chance.

These things are intricately designed and we know when we look at things that they were made by somebody. So this is true also of all of creation when we look around us what we know is evidence of God.

So what Romans 1 20 is saying is that when we look at all things we know that God exists right. Well the verse is saying much more than that in fact because it says his invisible attributes namely his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made so they are without excuse not only do we know God's existence I mean there's no reason to have to prove to anybody God's existence we inherently understand design and a great designer behind all of it but not only do we know God's existence we also know his eternal power and divine nature clearly perceived in all that has been made we know God's eternal power and his divine nature now you would not be able to say to an atheist that you know God exists because then you forget the context of everything that's being said there in verse 18 it says that by their unrighteousness they suppress the truth.

So it's true they do know that God exists but the unrighteousness that they practice has suppressed the truth of his existence and what God has done for us mercifully through his son Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins.

So it's not that they're lying to you and back in the in the subconscious they're saying no I really do believe God exists. The problem is they've been ensnared by Satan and it's by their unrighteousness that they've suppressed the truth the reality of God's existence as the supreme judge of all that he has created.

But what we all know according to what we observe around us is God's divine power and here Peter says 2nd Peter 1 3 his divine power has granted to us all things. So that divine power that everybody knows just by looking at the world around us it is by that power that he has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness by the power of God our life has worth and meaning and he has given that to us through the knowledge of his son Jesus Christ.

So everything that we experience now we know that for those who love God all things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose for those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he Christ might be the firstborn among many brothers and those whom he predestined he also called and those whom he called he also justified and those whom he justified he also glorified.

That's Romans 8 28 through 30. So by Christ life has meaning and purpose. Everything that we do has meaning now because we know that we have been saved from death we have been given life in Christ Jesus we have been raised together with him as it talks about in in Romans 6 3.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father we too might walk in the newness of life.

We read in Ephesians 2 that prior to coming to Christ we were dead in our sins and our trespasses. We may have been physically alive but we were spiritually dead. We were walking dead men in this world basically just awaiting sentence which we deserved from God pouring his wrath out on us because of our unrighteousness our sin and rebellion against him.

But God loved us so much those whom he predestined those whom he foreknew that he did not leave us dead in our sins and our trespasses he made us alive together with him through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

It is by Christ that we have been justified. We stand innocent now before God because of what Christ has done for us and his blood has covered us. The atoning sacrifice the propitiation for our sins that has satisfied the wrath of God.

And so now that we are no longer walking dead men just awaiting sentence we are alive with Christ. We know that everything that we encounter and all that we do in this life is to be used to shape us more in the image of Christ.

When Paul refers to us in Romans chapter 8 as being more than conquerors. This is what he's talking about that we having been granted all things that pertain to life and godliness in Jesus Christ have an ability to to use circumstances for his glory.

We give all the glory to God for everything that we endure. Everything that we encounter all glory goes to our Lord because we know that all things are working together for good. And so whether it is a really great experience or a really bad experience all of it is to the glory of God and all of it is growing us in holiness and sanctification.

To give glory to God all the more as we rejoice in him through these trials and tribulations and sufferings and even victories and rejoices that we have in this life all of it goes to glory to God. We celebrate him for all things because we know that that the the future glory that awaits us in Christ does not compare to the sufferings that we endure in this world in the present time.

The job that you do at work you may think of it as being a thankless job. Nobody appreciates me at my work. Nobody even recognizes the things that I do. If I didn't show up for work everybody would notice.

But going to work and doing my job nobody really notices the work that I do. You might think of it as just something you got to do because you have to make a paycheck to be able to support your family.

But by the power of God by his divine power that is granted to you all things that pertain to life and godliness you are now able to do your job to the glory of God. You couldn't do that before Christ.

But you can now working celebrating God because of the gift of salvation that he has given you and knowing that everything that you do now is for his glory you are able to worship God now in a way that is acceptable to God because of Christ who is in your life.

And so with all that you do you do it to the glory of God. And you might ask well why. I mean what does that do. What does that produce in us. Well that's what we get to tomorrow where it says for this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge knowledge with self-control on and on it goes.

That's the section that we'll get to tomorrow. But I will tell you also that we won't fully understand what the purpose and the meaning of this is now. Like why am I going through this now. And why do I give glory to God for this now.

Well first of all because he told you to. But secondly we're not fully going to see that picture. We're not fully going to understand all of that this side of heaven. We read in 1st Corinthians 13 that now we see as though through a glass darkly.

But soon we'll see face to face. And then we will know just as we are fully known so God fully knows us in a way that we really cannot perceive or understand right now. But when we get to heaven it will all make sense in Exodus chapter 3 when God told Moses that I'm going to send you into Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let my people go.

God's promise and his confirmation to Moses that you know that I was with you is that you will come back here and you will worship me on this mountain. He didn't say to Moses you'll know that I was with you because we're gonna do great signs and wonders.

Man we got ten plagues. We're gonna throw out on Egypt. We're gonna make the Red Sea part and there's gonna be lightning and thunder and all this. That's gonna come from Mount Sinai and you're gonna go.

Wow miracles. It's amazing. I'm gonna know that God was with with me because of all the great signs and wonders that are gonna be out there. God said you'll know that I was with you because you'll come back here and worship me on this mountain.

So after all that said and done you'll come back you'll worship me. You'll look back and you'll go. I see it now. It makes sense. I see why I went through all of that. And then we will see him as he is because we will be made to be like him.

As it says in 1st John chapter 3 verse 2 I believe is the reference when we are told the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength it means doing everything to his glory.

So do your job now with Thanksgiving giving praise to God that you have this job a means to be able to support your family a means to be able to support yourself be able to have food and clothing and these things which the Lord has provided for you.

Jesus talks about that in the Sermon on the Mount. If you have food and clothing it's because it's been given to you by God. And so you praise God for these things. Your job now has meaning because of Christ as a parent.

Perhaps you feel thankless in your job as a parent your kids not giving you a proper recognition for the job that you do. Sometimes our children are too young to even understand that anyway. But with Christ in your life you are now able to parent your children to the glory of God knowing that your Heavenly Father sees all that you do.

And you are appreciated by your father when you give glory to him for the gift of being a parent for the gift of children as it says in the Psalms children are a treasure from the Lord. And so you can rejoice in God when you're cleaning up vomit when you're when you're cleaning poop and pee.

Because you know parenting the youngest ages toddlers on up through. I don't know maybe about age three or four or something like that is mostly about fluid control. Right. You got your snots your your drools your vomits your poops your peas your blood sweat and tears.

You know all all of this stuff that you gotta manage as a parent not to mention the the crying and the the the fighting and the arguing and the bickering and the the wrestling and the tantrums and all of these other things.

And yet you're still able to manage all of this to the glory of God. Rejoicing in God with Thanksgiving as you do the work of the Lord with thankfulness in your heart giving him praise for all things the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4 for rejoice in the Lord always.

I will say it again rejoice. He didn't just say rejoice in good moods. He says also that we are to rejoice in God in bad moods. Happiness is a mood and it's cheap. It's it's a it's a feeling that is fleeting.

Something can happen just an ill comment and boom your happiness is gone. It's here for a moment and then it disappears. Sadness is the same way and in fact David writes in the Psalms. Weeping may endure for the night but joy comes with the morning.

Joy is one of those things though that we can never be robbed of. It is with us always. If the joy of the Lord is our strength we can rejoice in God. Whether our mood is sad or happy we still have joy in the Lord because we know that we have been rescued from death to life.

We are no longer under the wrath of God but we are sharing in Christ's sufferings and everything that we endure and everything that we go through is to shape us more in the image of his son. And so we rejoice in God.

It draws us more to worship God more all these experiences that we go through and yet lifting up praise to our God and father knowing that we're alive. We are not dead. We're not walking dead men. We're not just awaiting sentence but we have been made fellow heirs in the kingdom of God.

So let us live as kingdom people. And when people look at us they know man there's something weird about you. You just don't live like people do in the rest of the world because we have been given meaning and purpose in this life.

All things that we face everything that pertains to life and godliness has been given meaning by the divine power of God who is granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. So when we experience massive loss whenever we experience the death of a loved one whenever we experience disappointment and heartbreak or whenever we experience triumph and successes and we are content with everything that we have been given we we have not want.

I mean you think of Psalm 23 the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. This is David who desires nothing else but God giving praise and glory to the Lord Christ. All of these things have meaning in Christ Jesus.

They all have purpose and it is all to the glory of God. When we read his word it is showing to us how God is using all of these things for his glory. So that's how Peter goes on here to say his divine nature or I'm sorry his divine power.

Same thing as we read in Romans 120 has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. And how is it that we have the knowledge of Christ who called us to his own glory and excellence because we read about it in his word.

The revelation of God is right here in the Bible. When we study it we store up the words of God it fills our hearts. Then we increase in knowledge and understanding of God and love and appreciation and praise and worship all of these things increase because of the knowledge that we have that has been shown to us through the word of God.

What Godliness Means and Why Growth Matters

Now I don't want to rush too fast past pertaining to life and godliness. What is. We've talked mostly about life like everything that pertains to life. But what is godliness. What does that mean. You know that word godliness only shows up in 15 passages in the Bible.

There are 16 occurrences in 15 verses because we have one here in 2nd Peter chapter 1 where it comes up twice verse 6 verses 6 and 7 we're we're using steadfastness producing godliness and godliness with brotherly affection.

So you see it see it come up twice there 15 times in the Bible do we see a reference to godliness. And most of those references are in well I'll tell you this all of those references are in 1st and 2nd Timothy.

One reference in Titus right at the very beginning and then four more references in 2nd Peter. Those are all the occurrences that we see the word godliness come up. What does godliness mean. It is very simply godly living.

It is living in such a way that is pleasing and honorable to the Lord. So God has given to us all things that pertain to life meaning to life. Our existence our pursuits our present our future. All of these things have been given meaning in Christ Jesus us and godliness.

But we would not have godliness without Christ. We would not have godliness if not for God and his divine power giving it to us. That is what Peter is saying here. His divine power is granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

So we are able to grow in godliness. We are even able to pursue godly living in the first place because God by his divine power has granted to us an ability to be able to do that. We would not be able to do that if not for God's intervention.

Previously as mentioned we were walking dead men. We were walking to our death our deaths. We were walking to the pit to be judged to be cast out forever from the presence of God. But God intervened God by his mercy stopped us from going in that direction and placed a cross over the gap that separated us from God.

And it is by the cross of Christ that we now have we now have fellowship with God. And it is as we grow in that fellowship with our Lord that we are growing in godliness only able to do this because God has granted us the ability to grow in godliness to live as Jesus did to live in such a way that is pleasing to the Lord.

You can have a person who has claimed to have given their life in given their life to Christ. Yeah when I was 16 I prayed a prayer and I gave my life to Jesus. But if in the years after that they were not increasing in godliness then that prayer of commitment meant absolutely nothing because they don't actually have fellowship with the Lord and are not growing in a Christ-like way to reflect the righteousness of Jesus Christ in their very lives.

Jesus said in the great commission in Matthew 28 that we are to go to all nations and to baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. That's the part that we emphasize the most. But it also says they're teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

So it's not enough just to make converts but we are growing in an understanding of righteousness and godliness in the Lord Jesus Christ. So God by his divine power is granted to us all things that pertain to life purpose meaning rejoicing in God for all things all circumstances and also godliness.

Growing in righteousness in sanctification in holiness in the knowledge of God in our worship maturing even in how we worship the Lord in how we share fellowship godly fellowship with one another and grow one another in this faith.

All of these things this has been given to us by the divine power of God through the knowledge of him through the knowledge of Christ who himself called us to his own glory and excellence. When Jesus said to his disciples you did not choose me I chose you.

There are some that will try to take that passage and say that no that only pertains to Jesus disciples that isn't necessarily talking to us. Well according to Peter right here it is Jesus is the one who called us to his own glory and excellence by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature.

Divine power. Divine nature having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire we are no longer doing what they do. We don't live the way that the rest of the world does.

We are in pursuit of God. We are kingdom people remembering the words that Paul wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians 2. You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked following the course of this world following the prince of the power of the air the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.

We were all like this. We were all just like them in the world. But God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ.

By grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Amen. Praise the Lord that we have gone from being walking dead men to alive in Christ. So let us live like we're alive no longer dead but have been given eternal life by God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen. Gabriel Hughes is the pastor.

Of First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City Kansas. Find out more online at www .utt .com.