WEBVTT 00:00:03.590 --> 00:00:07.589 Good morning, family. Turn to 2 Peter chapter 00:00:07.589 --> 00:00:12.289 1. This is a doctrine that's going to be talked 00:00:12.289 --> 00:00:17.410 about today, the doctrine of imputation. So let 00:00:17.410 --> 00:00:21.230 us pray. There is a lot in this three -chapter 00:00:21.230 --> 00:00:28.920 letter, a lot of doctrine. A lot to focus on. 00:00:28.940 --> 00:00:30.399 We're going to be on this for a little while. 00:00:32.259 --> 00:00:36.659 And then by the end of July. So we'll be on this 00:00:36.659 --> 00:00:41.039 for two months. And then at the end of July we'll 00:00:41.039 --> 00:00:45.820 be starting 1 John chapter 1. Father, I want 00:00:45.820 --> 00:00:47.799 to thank you so much for your goodness. Thank 00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:51.159 you, Lord, for your word. Thank you that we can 00:00:51.159 --> 00:00:54.380 know by the knowledge of Christ that we are called 00:00:54.380 --> 00:00:59.689 and elected. that you have purposed in such a 00:00:59.689 --> 00:01:03.909 way through the knowledge of him who has called 00:01:03.909 --> 00:01:09.890 us to be sure and confident in our salvation. 00:01:10.489 --> 00:01:13.030 Lord, I pray that we would understand the importance 00:01:13.030 --> 00:01:17.709 of this, not only the importance of the work 00:01:17.709 --> 00:01:20.790 of knowledge, the knowledge of Christ, but also 00:01:20.790 --> 00:01:26.240 the imputation that you have imputed to us. your 00:01:26.240 --> 00:01:29.900 righteousness, and have taken upon yourself our 00:01:29.900 --> 00:01:32.859 sin. And Lord, we do praise you and thank you 00:01:32.859 --> 00:01:34.879 for this, and we thank you and praise you for 00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:38.780 your goodness. Bless the word to our hearts. 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:41.400 Holy Spirit, guide us in all truth for your glory. 00:01:41.500 --> 00:01:48.900 In Jesus' name, amen. 2 Peter chapter 1. We're 00:01:48.900 --> 00:01:50.640 going to be going through verses 1 through 11. 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:54.879 And then next, on the 21st, I'll pick up on the 00:01:54.879 --> 00:02:02.599 12th through. So I'll be on vacation starting 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:08.719 this Friday. And then I'll be back on Thursday. 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:15.900 So pray for some rest. And God has provided a 00:02:15.900 --> 00:02:19.319 good preacher for you guys. So come and enjoy. 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:24.379 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, 00:02:24.500 --> 00:02:28.939 to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing 00:02:28.939 --> 00:02:31.780 with ours by the righteousness of our God and 00:02:31.780 --> 00:02:36.000 Savior Jesus Christ, may grace and peace be multiplied 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:41.240 to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:45.759 Lord. His divine power has granted us all things 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:49.000 that pertain to life and godliness. through the 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:53.039 knowledge of him who called us to his own glory 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:57.039 and excellence, by which he has granted to us 00:02:57.039 --> 00:03:00.080 the precious and very great promises, so that 00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:04.340 through them you may become partakers of the 00:03:04.340 --> 00:03:07.620 divine nature, having escaped from the corruption 00:03:07.620 --> 00:03:10.840 that is in the world because of sinful desires. 00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:15.219 Very reason make every effort to supplement your 00:03:15.219 --> 00:03:20.520 faith, virtue, and virtue knowledge, and knowledge, 00:03:20.580 --> 00:03:24.219 self -control, and self -control with steadfastness, 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:26.719 and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:29.580 with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection 00:03:29.580 --> 00:03:34.000 with love. For if these qualities are yours and 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:37.319 are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective 00:03:37.319 --> 00:03:42.120 and unfruitful in the knowledge. of our Lord 00:03:42.120 --> 00:03:45.539 Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities 00:03:45.539 --> 00:03:49.900 is nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten 00:03:49.900 --> 00:03:53.520 that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:56.639 brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm 00:03:56.639 --> 00:03:59.520 your calling and election, for if you practice 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:02.879 these qualities, you will never fail. For in 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:07.419 this way, there will be richly provided for you 00:04:07.419 --> 00:04:12.039 an entrance. Into the eternal kingdom of our 00:04:12.039 --> 00:04:15.680 Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Do you hear the 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:20.060 key word over and over again? Knowledge. It's 00:04:20.060 --> 00:04:25.019 not works. Right? Works is the expression of 00:04:25.019 --> 00:04:27.920 the knowledge by which we have been given through 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:31.199 faith. That's why faith without works is dead. 00:04:33.079 --> 00:04:35.860 And the reality is you can't do works unless 00:04:35.860 --> 00:04:41.660 you know. How much do you know? Are you willing 00:04:41.660 --> 00:04:44.980 to know? How much time do you put in so that 00:04:44.980 --> 00:04:48.379 you know? And there's two words here for knowledge, 00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:51.819 and we're going to see them. One is epignosis, 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:56.300 and the other is gnosis. Specifically, though 00:04:56.300 --> 00:04:58.480 they come from the root word gnosis, meaning 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:03.779 to know, epignosis implies something very clear. 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:08.769 And we're going to deal with that. So, first 00:05:08.769 --> 00:05:12.410 principle. Through the gift of faith, Christ 00:05:12.410 --> 00:05:16.449 has imputed to us his righteousness by which 00:05:16.449 --> 00:05:20.829 we now can grow in the knowledge of Christ. He 00:05:20.829 --> 00:05:23.970 has imputed to us his righteousness by which 00:05:23.970 --> 00:05:26.970 we now can grow in the knowledge of Christ. You 00:05:26.970 --> 00:05:28.769 cannot grow in the knowledge of Christ unless 00:05:28.769 --> 00:05:33.290 you have been made or born again and the righteousness 00:05:33.290 --> 00:05:37.040 of Christ has been applied to you. It's all the 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:40.160 work of salvation. So without salvation, without 00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:44.100 the Spirit of God, you cannot know. And we've 00:05:44.100 --> 00:05:46.339 been talking about obedience, have we not, for 00:05:46.339 --> 00:05:49.959 a while now. But it's one thing to be obedient 00:05:49.959 --> 00:05:54.660 to what, is the question. Obedient in the knowledge 00:05:54.660 --> 00:05:59.500 of Christ. And we know what wisdom is. It's knowledge 00:05:59.500 --> 00:06:06.300 lived. Colossians 1, 9 -10, and so, From the 00:06:06.300 --> 00:06:09.439 day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:13.199 you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge 00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:18.540 of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 00:06:18.759 --> 00:06:23.399 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, 00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:28.180 fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every 00:06:28.180 --> 00:06:32.220 good work, increasing in the knowledge of God. 00:06:32.339 --> 00:06:37.459 There it is again. So we see this, whether we 00:06:37.459 --> 00:06:42.000 missed it or not, in 2 Peter 1, verses 1 -2. 00:06:43.480 --> 00:06:45.980 First, I want you to know, this is Simon Peter, 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:53.319 a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. A slave. 00:06:55.500 --> 00:07:04.699 A servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. And this 00:07:04.699 --> 00:07:09.939 word obtained means chosen by divine will. It's 00:07:09.939 --> 00:07:12.680 interesting. Because we think that this word 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:15.160 obtained in English is something that we get. 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:21.480 And we, to some degree, do get. But it's really 00:07:21.480 --> 00:07:26.399 about those who have been chosen by divine will, 00:07:26.620 --> 00:07:31.879 a faith equal, of equal standing and equal value 00:07:31.879 --> 00:07:35.259 with ours. By the righteousness of God. This 00:07:35.259 --> 00:07:43.360 very reality of our obtaining is not that we 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:46.480 have gone out and obtained anything. It's the 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:50.819 reality that God has chosen by divine will a 00:07:50.819 --> 00:07:54.699 faith for you that is equal to that of the apostles. 00:07:56.639 --> 00:08:01.959 Do you get that? Now that one word changes quite 00:08:01.959 --> 00:08:04.100 a bit when you deal with the reality of the two 00:08:04.100 --> 00:08:06.600 schools of thought when it comes to free will 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:10.120 and when it comes to election. Trust me, this 00:08:10.120 --> 00:08:14.300 is full of election. This entire chapter is full 00:08:14.300 --> 00:08:17.379 of election. So this word obtained is very clear 00:08:17.379 --> 00:08:21.040 in the Greek. To those who have been chosen by 00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:24.439 divine will and given a faith is the idea of 00:08:24.439 --> 00:08:29.019 equal standing, equal value with God. by the 00:08:29.019 --> 00:08:31.939 righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:08:32.080 --> 00:08:36.480 The very imputation of righteousness that's given 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:44.440 to the apostles has been given to you. Look what 00:08:44.440 --> 00:08:48.159 it says, verse 2. May grace and peace be multiplied 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:55.039 to you in the knowledge, in the epignosis, The 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:58.639 precise and correct knowledge of God and of our 00:08:58.639 --> 00:09:02.120 Lord Jesus Christ. Do you hear that? There is 00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:07.179 a truth that's only truth. There is a knowledge 00:09:07.179 --> 00:09:12.240 that is only true knowledge. And this precise 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:16.899 and correct knowledge is specifically of God 00:09:16.899 --> 00:09:25.019 and of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We 00:09:25.019 --> 00:09:29.840 are to increase, be multiplied in grace and peace 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:34.860 by or in the knowledge, in the precise and correct 00:09:34.860 --> 00:09:38.559 knowledge of God. You want to grow? You've got 00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:41.659 to spend time in the Word. You want to grow? 00:09:41.799 --> 00:09:44.159 You need to learn the precise and correct knowledge 00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:48.860 of God. And this is important. Because there 00:09:48.860 --> 00:09:53.789 are a lot of denominations teaching not. The 00:09:53.789 --> 00:09:56.389 precise and correct knowledge of God. And people 00:09:56.389 --> 00:09:59.070 are going to say, well, who are you to say you're 00:09:59.070 --> 00:10:02.309 the only one that has it? I'm not the only one 00:10:02.309 --> 00:10:05.929 that has it. But there is a precise and correct 00:10:05.929 --> 00:10:09.330 knowledge of God. And we must understand that. 00:10:10.370 --> 00:10:13.490 Man does not interpret the word because it's 00:10:13.490 --> 00:10:16.129 his interpretation of the word. God could care 00:10:16.129 --> 00:10:19.330 less whether I interpret it my way and you interpret 00:10:19.330 --> 00:10:22.669 it your way. The only interpretation that matters 00:10:22.669 --> 00:10:28.230 is his. Period. And that comes through the epignosis 00:10:28.230 --> 00:10:32.909 of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this 00:10:32.909 --> 00:10:36.370 word, again, by the knowledge of Christ's second 00:10:36.370 --> 00:10:40.269 principle, we are given all we need to live holy 00:10:40.269 --> 00:10:45.070 and obedient through his great and precious promises. 00:10:45.690 --> 00:10:49.169 How are you to know? what his great and precious 00:10:49.169 --> 00:10:53.169 promises are, unless you know the knowledge of 00:10:53.169 --> 00:11:02.230 God. 2 Corinthians 2, 20 -22 For all the promises 00:11:02.230 --> 00:11:07.450 of God find their yes in him. That is why it 00:11:07.450 --> 00:11:12.110 is through him that we utter our amen to God 00:11:12.110 --> 00:11:15.750 for his glory. And it is God who establishes 00:11:15.750 --> 00:11:19.779 us. with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 00:11:19.919 --> 00:11:24.940 and who has also put his seal on us and given 00:11:24.940 --> 00:11:29.919 us his spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. And 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:33.919 there it is. The reality of our knowing is the 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:38.440 spirit of God brings us knowingness of Christ. 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:42.919 I love this opening, well, not really opening 00:11:42.919 --> 00:11:46.350 statement, but this verse here. Oh, this is so 00:11:46.350 --> 00:11:49.450 beautiful. You just want to read it over and 00:11:49.450 --> 00:11:51.309 over and over again because it sounds so good. 00:11:52.049 --> 00:11:54.889 And it's actually a song. So if you ever heard 00:11:54.889 --> 00:11:58.649 of the Christian acapella group called Acapella, 00:11:58.710 --> 00:12:05.370 please listen to this song. I'm not going to 00:12:05.370 --> 00:12:09.370 do it. I am tempted. But I will not do it because 00:12:09.370 --> 00:12:13.940 I don't do it justice as well as they do. 2 Peter 00:12:13.940 --> 00:12:22.759 1, 3 -4. His divine power has granted to us all 00:12:22.759 --> 00:12:27.639 things that pertain to life and godliness through 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:32.840 the knowledge of him who called us to his own 00:12:32.840 --> 00:12:36.600 glory and excellence. Do you hear that? His divine 00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:44.049 power. His divine... Dynamos or dunamos is the 00:12:44.049 --> 00:12:50.009 word. Okay? And the word divine is divine. There 00:12:50.009 --> 00:12:56.090 is no other word. It is from heaven, from him, 00:12:56.250 --> 00:13:02.370 by his power, given to us all. This word granted 00:13:02.370 --> 00:13:11.799 as if he sits not engaged and he declares from 00:13:11.799 --> 00:13:16.779 his throne, I grant them this. No. That's not 00:13:16.779 --> 00:13:21.679 what the word here is. The word is given. He 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:26.480 is particularly involved in giving and bestowing 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:31.399 upon you everything you need by his divine power 00:13:31.399 --> 00:13:36.019 for life and godliness. And all that you need 00:13:36.019 --> 00:13:40.159 comes through dia. meaning the means of or by 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:47.159 the means of, the epignosis of Christ. The reality 00:13:47.159 --> 00:13:50.700 of your success in Christian living and your 00:13:50.700 --> 00:13:54.480 ability to discern that which is good and evil 00:13:54.480 --> 00:14:01.080 and put into practice by the wisdom of God, what 00:14:01.080 --> 00:14:03.440 you learn concerning the knowledge of Christ 00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:13.080 comes from him. All. All things. Pas. Everything 00:14:13.080 --> 00:14:16.379 you need for life and godliness. Everything. 00:14:17.980 --> 00:14:21.860 Why do we live defeated all the time? Why do 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:25.639 we live questioning God all the time? Not that 00:14:25.639 --> 00:14:28.220 you can't question God, but what do we question 00:14:28.220 --> 00:14:31.500 God over? Like, why didn't you answer my prayer? 00:14:33.379 --> 00:14:37.240 We know what the answer to that is. If we obey 00:14:37.240 --> 00:14:40.120 him and keep his commands, we show that we love 00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:43.740 him. And if we are doing that and we please him, 00:14:44.019 --> 00:14:48.279 he hears our prayers. We can ask him anything 00:14:48.279 --> 00:14:52.440 and he will give it to us according to his will 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:55.659 and his word because we are being obedient. We've 00:14:55.659 --> 00:15:01.840 read that in 1 Peter, had we not? So let us be 00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:05.899 mindful. Well, it's actually 1 John. That's Wednesdays. 00:15:05.899 --> 00:15:09.539 So I'm getting the two mixed up. It's okay. His 00:15:09.539 --> 00:15:12.000 divine power has granted us, has given to us 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:17.399 all for life and godliness through, by the means 00:15:17.399 --> 00:15:23.100 of, epignosis of Christ. Why? For the very glory, 00:15:23.320 --> 00:15:27.740 for his own glory and for his excellence because 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:31.659 of his goodness is the word there. The word excellence 00:15:31.659 --> 00:15:35.409 means me. Actually means goodness. By which he 00:15:35.409 --> 00:15:39.389 has granted, again, given to us his precious 00:15:39.389 --> 00:15:44.350 and very great promises. Not granted. It's not 00:15:44.350 --> 00:15:48.230 like he's giving us permission. He's actually 00:15:48.230 --> 00:15:52.850 given them to you. Why? So that you can live 00:15:52.850 --> 00:15:59.210 godly and a godly life. Everything you need is 00:15:59.210 --> 00:16:04.929 through him. So that, Through them you may become 00:16:04.929 --> 00:16:09.549 partakers. The word partakers is a participant 00:16:09.549 --> 00:16:15.009 of the divine nature. Here's what it means. Born 00:16:15.009 --> 00:16:19.710 as a participant or a citizen of eternal life 00:16:19.710 --> 00:16:24.389 or born as a heavenly being. That's what that 00:16:24.389 --> 00:16:28.970 word partakers of the divine nature means. And 00:16:28.970 --> 00:16:33.149 the reality of our knowledge, of the saving power 00:16:33.149 --> 00:16:36.129 of Christ comes by the Holy Spirit, by which 00:16:36.129 --> 00:16:39.870 he gives us faith as a gift. And because of that 00:16:39.870 --> 00:16:43.549 very reality, we can know that according to Romans 00:16:43.549 --> 00:16:46.649 chapter 10, verse 8, the word is near us, it 00:16:46.649 --> 00:16:49.909 is in our heart and in our mouth. The very knowledge 00:16:49.909 --> 00:16:54.470 of God is present in us, in the person of Jesus 00:16:54.470 --> 00:16:57.889 Christ, or in the person of the Holy Spirit, 00:16:58.149 --> 00:17:04.759 the Spirit of Christ. So, if I am born as a participant, 00:17:04.940 --> 00:17:08.599 born as a citizen, born as a heavenly being, 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:12.099 then I have escaped or I have been freed from 00:17:12.099 --> 00:17:15.079 the corruption that is in the world because of 00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:17.559 sinful desires or sinful lusts. Do you understand 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:22.140 that? The reality of your freedom is in Jesus. 00:17:23.720 --> 00:17:27.539 Not in your works. Your works don't keep you 00:17:27.539 --> 00:17:33.609 free. The reality of the truth of Christ and 00:17:33.609 --> 00:17:36.269 his work in you is what has kept you free and 00:17:36.269 --> 00:17:41.769 keeps you free now. Now that you have been given 00:17:41.769 --> 00:17:46.089 an eternal nature by the knowledge of him who 00:17:46.089 --> 00:17:50.369 has called us, add to your faith with all diligence 00:17:50.369 --> 00:17:53.869 the virtues of Christ. How should you live now 00:17:53.869 --> 00:17:57.549 that you have the knowledge of God present in 00:17:57.549 --> 00:18:02.200 you? And how should you live as you are building 00:18:02.200 --> 00:18:05.740 your knowledge of God and of the Lord Jesus? 00:18:06.380 --> 00:18:09.700 As you're learning more and as you are living 00:18:09.700 --> 00:18:12.960 life and godliness because he's given you everything 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:20.299 you need. In Colossians 3 .16, let the word of 00:18:20.299 --> 00:18:25.900 Christ dwell in you richly. Teaching and admonishing 00:18:25.900 --> 00:18:30.579 one another in all wisdom. The knowledge of God 00:18:30.579 --> 00:18:34.599 lived. Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual 00:18:34.599 --> 00:18:37.559 songs with thankfulness in our hearts to God. 00:18:37.660 --> 00:18:44.460 The expression of our knowledge of God and our 00:18:44.460 --> 00:18:48.650 growth in Him and our... practice of what he 00:18:48.650 --> 00:18:52.769 has given us is expressed in how we love and 00:18:52.769 --> 00:18:58.509 sing and are thankful to God and for each other. 00:19:00.069 --> 00:19:06.809 2 Peter 1, 5 -7. For this very reason. What very 00:19:06.809 --> 00:19:08.849 reason? Do you remember what we talked about 00:19:08.849 --> 00:19:11.329 at the end? Because he has freed you. Because 00:19:11.329 --> 00:19:14.269 he has made you a partaker of the divine nature. 00:19:14.349 --> 00:19:18.019 For this very reason. Because you are heavenly 00:19:18.019 --> 00:19:25.339 beings, make every effort, supply with all diligence 00:19:25.339 --> 00:19:31.460 to furnish your faith with virtue. Are you making 00:19:31.460 --> 00:19:38.839 every effort to furnish your faith with virtue? 00:19:39.519 --> 00:19:45.000 This word virtue means uprightness. Why is this 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:49.839 important? What's unique about uprightness? It 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:54.859 is a commitment and a diligence to live rightly. 00:19:56.700 --> 00:20:02.819 Are we purposing to live rightly? It's interesting 00:20:02.819 --> 00:20:05.059 when I just got done watching again The Great 00:20:05.059 --> 00:20:09.819 Awakening. And what you find about Benjamin Franklin 00:20:09.819 --> 00:20:13.180 in the film is that he thinks that he can build 00:20:13.180 --> 00:20:19.990 virtue without Jesus. And George Whitefield rebukes 00:20:19.990 --> 00:20:24.710 him for it. That the only, the greatest virtue, 00:20:24.890 --> 00:20:27.829 the greatest knowledge that any man can have 00:20:27.829 --> 00:20:33.289 is that Christ God came in the flesh, died on 00:20:33.289 --> 00:20:35.730 the cross, was buried and rose again on the third 00:20:35.730 --> 00:20:39.390 day. It's the greatest knowledge. There is no 00:20:39.390 --> 00:20:42.029 greater knowledge on the planet. It does not 00:20:42.029 --> 00:20:45.630 matter how much he gives us here. The greatest 00:20:45.630 --> 00:20:50.849 knowledge. The greatest fruit, the greatest statement 00:20:50.849 --> 00:20:55.130 is the reality that God put on flesh and he died 00:20:55.130 --> 00:20:57.450 for his creation and rose again on the third 00:20:57.450 --> 00:21:00.230 day. There is nothing greater. And that is one 00:21:00.230 --> 00:21:07.670 of the reasons why the world hates it. Because, 00:21:07.769 --> 00:21:12.470 remember, he makes the wise fools and he makes 00:21:12.470 --> 00:21:20.170 the strong weak. God's foolishness is wiser than 00:21:20.170 --> 00:21:24.390 the wisest of men. And God's weakness is stronger 00:21:24.390 --> 00:21:29.009 than the strongest of men. And that's exactly 00:21:29.009 --> 00:21:34.509 what he's implying here. Virtue without the knowledge 00:21:34.509 --> 00:21:39.029 of Christ is not virtue at all. You cannot live 00:21:39.029 --> 00:21:46.440 uprightly without knowing him. And the more you 00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:50.079 know him, the more you live uprightly. The more 00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:53.339 you know Christ, the more he conforms you into 00:21:53.339 --> 00:21:56.259 the image of his son. Why? Because the word is 00:21:56.259 --> 00:21:59.980 living and active, sharper than a two -edged 00:21:59.980 --> 00:22:03.539 sword, divides bone and marrow, soul and spirit, 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:06.240 and judges the deepest thoughts and intentions 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:10.359 of the heart. There is nothing greater that God 00:22:10.359 --> 00:22:14.119 has given to man than his word. But out of the 00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:17.400 greatest things in his word, Christ crucified 00:22:17.400 --> 00:22:23.380 and resurrected. There is nothing greater. Now 00:22:23.380 --> 00:22:25.619 concerning this word knowledge, it means gnosis. 00:22:26.200 --> 00:22:29.299 And this word gnosis literally just means the 00:22:29.299 --> 00:22:36.740 wisdom of God. The knowledge of God lived. That 00:22:36.740 --> 00:22:42.960 is wisdom. So virtue with the wisdom of God. 00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:47.960 The wisdom of God with self -control, with mastering 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:52.180 desires and passions. Do you see the link? You 00:22:52.180 --> 00:22:55.339 cannot be upright without the knowledge of God. 00:22:55.539 --> 00:23:01.099 You cannot master your desires and passions without 00:23:01.099 --> 00:23:04.119 the understanding or the living of the knowledge 00:23:04.119 --> 00:23:12.329 of God. to the mastering of your desires and 00:23:12.329 --> 00:23:16.069 passions, steadfastness, endurance in the faith. 00:23:16.150 --> 00:23:21.069 You cannot master the passions without endurance 00:23:21.069 --> 00:23:25.849 because it is a struggle to win over the flesh, 00:23:25.930 --> 00:23:31.789 is it not? You must endure in the faith, endure 00:23:31.789 --> 00:23:35.029 in the truth and the knowledge of Jesus, and 00:23:35.029 --> 00:23:38.049 to steadfastness, the endurance in the faith, 00:23:38.599 --> 00:23:44.680 Godliness, reverential devotion. I cannot endure 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:48.640 in the faith without having full, honorable, 00:23:48.839 --> 00:23:54.160 respectful, glorifying devotion to Jesus. Do 00:23:54.160 --> 00:23:56.720 you get the point? Life and godliness. Do you 00:23:56.720 --> 00:23:58.359 remember that statement he said in the beginning? 00:23:58.640 --> 00:24:02.000 His divine power has granted us everything we 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:05.019 need for life and godliness. This is the answer 00:24:05.019 --> 00:24:09.190 right here. Life and godliness is right here. 00:24:11.490 --> 00:24:14.950 And if I have reverential devotion, how should 00:24:14.950 --> 00:24:18.869 I be reflecting that devotion to God? Loving 00:24:18.869 --> 00:24:26.430 you. Brotherly affection. Philadelphia. Brotherly 00:24:26.430 --> 00:24:29.410 love. That is the word here. Brotherly affection. 00:24:29.970 --> 00:24:42.000 Philadelphia. And with Philadelphia, agape. Active 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:47.859 love of God. You cannot say, I agape my brother, 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:56.460 and then watch him suffer. And this is talking 00:24:56.460 --> 00:25:02.789 about the family. Why do I say that? because 00:25:02.789 --> 00:25:04.549 there are more brothers and sisters suffering 00:25:04.549 --> 00:25:08.450 in the church, then in reality, we give more 00:25:08.450 --> 00:25:12.109 to those who don't know Christ, in the sense 00:25:12.109 --> 00:25:15.690 of meeting needs, than we do taking care of the 00:25:15.690 --> 00:25:20.009 family. And if you can't take care of the family, 00:25:20.230 --> 00:25:23.990 if you cannot be actively loving the people of 00:25:23.990 --> 00:25:26.369 God, how can you actively love those outside? 00:25:29.450 --> 00:25:33.210 What's the scripture say? That's exactly what 00:25:33.210 --> 00:25:35.369 the Pharisees would say, right? They're hypocrites. 00:25:36.109 --> 00:25:44.049 That's a hypocrite. Look what it says next. The 00:25:44.049 --> 00:25:47.349 next principle. To not walk in the knowledge 00:25:47.349 --> 00:25:50.230 of Christ is to live as a blind man wandering 00:25:50.230 --> 00:25:55.250 aimlessly. To not walk in the knowledge of Christ 00:25:55.250 --> 00:25:58.250 is to live as a blind man wandering aimlessly. 00:25:58.730 --> 00:26:03.359 Matthew 15, 16. Let them alone. Jesus says, concerning 00:26:03.359 --> 00:26:07.119 the Pharisees, they are blind guides, and if 00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:09.619 the blind lead the blind, both fall into a pit. 00:26:12.299 --> 00:26:20.079 2 Peter 1, 8 -9. For if these qualities, remember 00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:26.220 that list of qualities, virtue, knowledge, godliness, 00:26:26.400 --> 00:26:30.039 etc. I haven't memorized the virtues in order, 00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:32.809 so please forgive me. I should just go back and 00:26:32.809 --> 00:26:36.250 read it. But these qualities are yours. Now what's 00:26:36.250 --> 00:26:38.910 interesting is this term, are yours, in the original 00:26:38.910 --> 00:26:43.309 Greek means already yours. You don't have to 00:26:43.309 --> 00:26:53.029 acquire them. Oh, that sounds so pretty. That's 00:26:53.029 --> 00:26:57.250 fine, no problem. At least it's a bird. Usually 00:26:57.250 --> 00:27:03.259 I hear Star Wars. That's so funny. That's good. 00:27:03.480 --> 00:27:06.740 For if these qualities are yours, already yours, 00:27:07.019 --> 00:27:13.859 they're already yours and are increasing. Why? 00:27:14.180 --> 00:27:18.220 How can something already be present and increasing 00:27:18.220 --> 00:27:24.960 being abundant in me? Because he lives in you. 00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:30.650 The Spirit of Christ lives in you. He is present 00:27:30.650 --> 00:27:37.049 in you. They're already yours. And they are abundantly 00:27:37.049 --> 00:27:40.549 yours. Remember that little statement Jesus says 00:27:40.549 --> 00:27:47.250 when it comes to us living on this earth? He 00:27:47.250 --> 00:27:51.130 has abundantly blessed us. It's not abundantly 00:27:51.130 --> 00:27:54.349 blessing us with junk. God could care less about 00:27:54.349 --> 00:27:59.529 a car. He cares about your character. He gives 00:27:59.529 --> 00:28:01.710 you a car because he wants to bless you. He's 00:28:01.710 --> 00:28:07.990 a good father, after all. It's an example. You 00:28:07.990 --> 00:28:10.869 guys understand why I say that? Let's look at 00:28:10.869 --> 00:28:15.630 a couple preachers. Now look, if these qualities 00:28:15.630 --> 00:28:19.789 are already yours and are abundant, they, those 00:28:19.789 --> 00:28:23.690 qualities, keep you from being ineffective, unprofitable, 00:28:23.710 --> 00:28:28.420 and hollow. or unfruitful, unproductive, barren, 00:28:28.420 --> 00:28:33.079 or useless toward the knowledge, epignosis of 00:28:33.079 --> 00:28:37.980 our Lord Jesus Christ. If these are already yours 00:28:37.980 --> 00:28:41.420 and are abundant, they will keep you from being 00:28:41.420 --> 00:28:44.500 ineffective. They will keep you from being unprofitable. 00:28:44.599 --> 00:28:47.019 They will keep you from being unproductive and 00:28:47.019 --> 00:28:51.859 useless. And the reality is that truth of those 00:28:51.859 --> 00:28:56.299 things are Toward the knowledge, toward the precise 00:28:56.299 --> 00:29:00.259 and correct knowledge of Jesus. That's the understanding 00:29:00.259 --> 00:29:04.559 here. You want to know how to live? They're yours 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:09.200 already. Matter of fact, they're so plentiful 00:29:09.200 --> 00:29:12.799 that you grow in the knowledge of God, it continues 00:29:12.799 --> 00:29:18.400 to be abundant for you. Why do we live so many 00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:23.400 defeated lives? For whoever lacks. This word 00:29:23.400 --> 00:29:27.779 forever lacks means not to have. Whoever doesn't 00:29:27.779 --> 00:29:33.180 have these qualities is nearsighted. What's interesting 00:29:33.180 --> 00:29:35.960 about this term nearsighted means so close to 00:29:35.960 --> 00:29:38.740 the eyes. You ever get something so close that 00:29:38.740 --> 00:29:44.400 it gets blurry? Right? I know some people that 00:29:44.400 --> 00:29:47.440 when they go to read, they're like, I'm like, 00:29:47.480 --> 00:29:49.559 how can you see that? Right now, I can't see 00:29:49.559 --> 00:29:52.829 anything. But that's the idea. Try it one day. 00:29:52.849 --> 00:29:54.630 Just grab your Bible and bring it right up to 00:29:54.630 --> 00:29:56.609 your face and try to read it and let me know 00:29:56.609 --> 00:29:59.089 if you can read it. No, you can't. But that's 00:29:59.089 --> 00:30:02.309 what it means. They only see what they want to 00:30:02.309 --> 00:30:11.109 see. So much so that he is blind. Blindness is 00:30:11.109 --> 00:30:13.950 not the issue of not being able to see at all. 00:30:14.450 --> 00:30:16.589 It's the issue that everything in front of you 00:30:16.589 --> 00:30:21.329 is so blurred that you don't know what's in front 00:30:21.329 --> 00:30:24.779 of you. It's so distorted. That's what he means 00:30:24.779 --> 00:30:32.240 here. Not dark. So when he talks about the Pharisees 00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:35.880 being blind, they wander around with blurred 00:30:35.880 --> 00:30:38.140 vision to the point that they don't even realize 00:30:38.140 --> 00:30:40.279 there's a hole in front of them and they fall 00:30:40.279 --> 00:30:44.119 into it. And everybody who walks with them and 00:30:44.119 --> 00:30:46.599 agrees with them, they all fall in the same pit. 00:30:50.700 --> 00:30:57.660 Having forgotten this term. So, if these qualities 00:30:57.660 --> 00:31:04.400 are lacking, they are nearsighted. So much so 00:31:04.400 --> 00:31:08.339 that he's blind. He has willfully forgotten. 00:31:09.119 --> 00:31:11.160 That's what this word having forgotten means. 00:31:11.299 --> 00:31:17.160 It's a willful rejection of the truth, of the 00:31:17.160 --> 00:31:20.369 knowledge that has cleansed them. freed them 00:31:20.369 --> 00:31:27.670 from guilt, from their former sins. How many 00:31:27.670 --> 00:31:31.589 people do you know who have tasted and seen that 00:31:31.589 --> 00:31:35.970 the Lord is good to walk away, willfully reject 00:31:35.970 --> 00:31:41.430 and forget of the blood that has bought them 00:31:41.430 --> 00:31:44.809 and cleansed them from their sin? They just have... 00:31:45.130 --> 00:31:48.029 They have totally rejected and forgotten the 00:31:48.029 --> 00:31:50.549 reality of the guilt that they have been freed 00:31:50.549 --> 00:32:01.230 from. So many. So many. Last principle. Oh, actually, 00:32:01.410 --> 00:32:04.990 yeah, last principle. By the knowledge of Christ. 00:32:06.380 --> 00:32:09.839 In his gospel, he has called us and made our 00:32:09.839 --> 00:32:13.019 election sure through his work of salvation, 00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:16.200 guaranteeing our inheritance into his eternal 00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:23.539 kingdom. 2 Timothy 1, 9 -10. God, who saved us 00:32:23.539 --> 00:32:26.480 and called us to a holy calling, not because 00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:29.259 of our works, but because of his own purpose 00:32:29.259 --> 00:32:32.859 and grace, which he has... which He gave us in 00:32:32.859 --> 00:32:36.279 Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which 00:32:36.279 --> 00:32:39.519 now has been manifest through the appearing of 00:32:39.519 --> 00:32:44.359 our Lord Jesus Christ, who abolished death and 00:32:44.359 --> 00:32:47.140 brought life and immortality to light through 00:32:47.140 --> 00:32:54.559 the gospel. In 2 Peter 1, 10 and 11, Therefore, 00:32:54.720 --> 00:33:00.740 because of all this, brothers, Be all the more 00:33:00.740 --> 00:33:06.920 diligent. Be more eager to confirm, to make sure, 00:33:06.920 --> 00:33:10.859 to establish your calling. Now this word calling 00:33:10.859 --> 00:33:14.740 is interesting. Because this word calling implies 00:33:14.740 --> 00:33:18.980 that you have been found. Not that you found 00:33:18.980 --> 00:33:25.759 anything. From which you were found. Do you know 00:33:25.759 --> 00:33:27.559 those little stories that Jesus talks about? 00:33:28.910 --> 00:33:32.309 Right? The parables of the lost coin, the lost 00:33:32.309 --> 00:33:38.990 sheep. That's not that you found God. That's 00:33:38.990 --> 00:33:43.509 not what Jesus is saying. The kingdom of God 00:33:43.509 --> 00:33:46.990 is like this. A woman who has lost her coin. 00:33:50.210 --> 00:33:54.349 And she inquires about it. And she tears the 00:33:54.349 --> 00:33:58.640 house apart. And she finds the coin. And when 00:33:58.640 --> 00:34:01.460 she finds the coin, she spends the coin on throwing 00:34:01.460 --> 00:34:09.940 a party. You're the coin. Jesus is not the coin. 00:34:11.380 --> 00:34:15.340 You're the coin. You're the lost coin. Then he 00:34:15.340 --> 00:34:20.340 also talks about the sheep. And he has a shepherd, 00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:23.760 and the shepherd has sheep, and one sheep decides 00:34:23.760 --> 00:34:26.860 it's going to wander wherever it wants to. It's 00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:29.059 no longer with the rest. And so the shepherd 00:34:29.059 --> 00:34:33.840 leaves the 99 to go find the one. Jesus is not 00:34:33.840 --> 00:34:41.000 the sheep. You're the sheep. So, this was what 00:34:41.000 --> 00:34:48.380 makes our purpose to confirm. Be more eager to 00:34:48.380 --> 00:34:54.860 confirm and establish to make sure. That you 00:34:54.860 --> 00:35:01.380 have been found. That God has found you. That 00:35:01.380 --> 00:35:06.300 you're not lost anymore. Do you remind yourself 00:35:06.300 --> 00:35:09.420 that I'm not lost anymore? Do you know why people 00:35:09.420 --> 00:35:11.559 struggle with the reality of their conversion 00:35:11.559 --> 00:35:16.500 and wonder, can I really be saved? Do I really 00:35:16.500 --> 00:35:20.599 love God? How come I don't feel like I love God? 00:35:21.460 --> 00:35:26.480 Because we're sheep. God is the one who does 00:35:26.480 --> 00:35:33.940 the finding. He found you. He called you. And 00:35:33.940 --> 00:35:38.360 election. Oh, this word. So not only does he 00:35:38.360 --> 00:35:42.659 find us, this word election means God's act of 00:35:42.659 --> 00:35:46.340 choosing out. Oh, you know what word I'm going 00:35:46.340 --> 00:35:55.400 to use, Sue? Erechomai. God calls us. Out. He 00:35:55.400 --> 00:36:01.659 chooses us out from being objects of wrath. So 00:36:01.659 --> 00:36:04.500 I want you to understand this. Every human being 00:36:04.500 --> 00:36:09.360 ever born, because of the nature that they are 00:36:09.360 --> 00:36:13.519 born with, are children of wrath. Y 'all, they're 00:36:13.519 --> 00:36:15.480 usually like, well, how can little babies be 00:36:15.480 --> 00:36:18.019 little children of wrath? I know a couple two 00:36:18.019 --> 00:36:21.239 -year -olds that are wrathful. But that's not 00:36:21.239 --> 00:36:24.489 what, doesn't mean. But the reality is they're 00:36:24.489 --> 00:36:30.269 little sinners. Innocence does not determine 00:36:30.269 --> 00:36:37.289 righteousness. Innocence never determines righteousness. 00:36:40.110 --> 00:36:43.110 What do we know about God? He is merciful and 00:36:43.110 --> 00:36:48.369 full of grace. And when that child comes to age 00:36:48.369 --> 00:36:51.389 to understand that that child was born in sin, 00:36:52.429 --> 00:36:59.510 Oh boy. So the reality is that God has chosen 00:36:59.510 --> 00:37:05.130 us out from his wrath. For if you practice these, 00:37:05.250 --> 00:37:12.170 make these virtues, qualities, if you purpose 00:37:12.170 --> 00:37:18.690 to live these out, you will never, this word 00:37:18.690 --> 00:37:25.550 will means once, You will never not, no not. 00:37:25.650 --> 00:37:28.449 It's a double negative. In other words, you can't 00:37:28.449 --> 00:37:33.949 get anything better than no not. They don't have 00:37:33.949 --> 00:37:37.949 a word never in the Greek. So you read the word 00:37:37.949 --> 00:37:41.909 and you go, oh, no not. It's sort of like the 00:37:41.909 --> 00:37:48.670 word ain't. You will no not fall. You will never 00:37:48.670 --> 00:37:55.920 fall. If you live. These qualities. These virtues. 00:37:56.360 --> 00:38:06.360 Make these virtues always know not fall. Now 00:38:06.360 --> 00:38:10.599 this word fall means to become wretched or fall 00:38:10.599 --> 00:38:16.699 into misery. It's a wonderful statement that 00:38:16.699 --> 00:38:23.320 the reality of God's act of choosing and finding 00:38:23.320 --> 00:38:28.980 us when we were lost. Through the knowledge of 00:38:28.980 --> 00:38:32.940 him who has called us, if we live out the virtues 00:38:32.940 --> 00:38:39.980 of Christ, we will never fall. We will never 00:38:39.980 --> 00:38:47.119 become wretched. Verse 11, for in this way, In 00:38:47.119 --> 00:38:50.780 this manner, there will be richly, generously, 00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:54.500 abundantly provided, supplied, or furnished for 00:38:54.500 --> 00:38:58.460 you an entrance, an admission, and a reception 00:38:58.460 --> 00:39:02.099 into the kingdom, into the eternal kingdom of 00:39:02.099 --> 00:39:08.460 our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is not 00:39:08.460 --> 00:39:18.699 a ticket. It's a rite of passage. Who is the 00:39:18.699 --> 00:39:24.860 rite of passage? The Spirit of God. And the reality 00:39:24.860 --> 00:39:26.940 of the Spirit of God present is the knowledge 00:39:26.940 --> 00:39:30.320 of Christ in you. Do you see how it's all connected? 00:39:31.199 --> 00:39:35.500 I cannot say I'm a believer and not have the 00:39:35.500 --> 00:39:38.820 knowledge of Christ and then not live the knowledge 00:39:38.820 --> 00:39:41.619 of Christ and then not give away the knowledge 00:39:41.619 --> 00:39:44.880 of Christ. And then continue to grow in the knowledge 00:39:44.880 --> 00:39:47.400 of Christ so that I become more like him and 00:39:47.400 --> 00:39:50.820 say, I'm a believer if I don't believe any of 00:39:50.820 --> 00:39:56.760 that. Or if I say that all my entrance in is 00:39:56.760 --> 00:40:04.500 based upon what I do. Justification is by faith 00:40:04.500 --> 00:40:13.909 alone, not by faith and works. Faith alone. My 00:40:13.909 --> 00:40:18.130 expression of the faith is seen in my virtues 00:40:18.130 --> 00:40:25.570 lived. That's what that means. And so, I pray 00:40:25.570 --> 00:40:30.010 that you hold on to the knowledge of God and 00:40:30.010 --> 00:40:33.650 that you are eager to grow in the knowledge so 00:40:33.650 --> 00:40:38.630 that you can absolutely know and be certain that 00:40:38.630 --> 00:40:43.940 your faith is true. That you confirm You're calling 00:40:43.940 --> 00:40:48.599 an election to be sure because of Christ and 00:40:48.599 --> 00:40:53.940 knowing him. That's the reality of 1 Peter 1, 00:40:53.960 --> 00:40:57.440 1 -11. Father, I want to thank you so much for 00:40:57.440 --> 00:41:00.079 your goodness and faithfulness. To you be honor 00:41:00.079 --> 00:41:03.199 and glory forever. Bless your word, and Lord, 00:41:03.280 --> 00:41:05.519 I pray that we would live it in such a way that 00:41:05.519 --> 00:41:09.059 you are honored and glorified in how we express 00:41:09.059 --> 00:41:12.300 these virtues. and honor you in all things. In 00:41:12.300 --> 00:41:13.360 Jesus' name, amen.