I'd like today for the first sermon of this year
to bring a message on the state and vision of
the church, 2026. Our text is 2 Peter chapter
1 verses 1 through 11. Hear now the word of the
Lord as written by the Apostle Peter. Simon Peter,
a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ. to
those who have obtained like precious faith with
us by the righteousness of our God and Savior,
Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to
you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our
Lord, as his divine power has given to us all
things that pertain to life and godliness through
the knowledge of him who called us by glory and
virtue. have been given to us exceedingly great
and precious promises, that through these you
may be partakers of the divine nature, having
escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust. But also for this very reason, giving all
diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue
knowledge, to knowledge self -control, to self
-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness.
to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly
kindness, love. For if these things are yours
and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For
he who lacks these things is short -sighted,
even to blindness, and has forgotten that he
was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren,
be even more diligent to make your call and election
sure. For if you do these things, you will never
stumble. For so an entrance will be supplied
to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let's ask
God's blessing on our time together. Father,
this is such a rich passage and I thank you for
it. I pray, Lord, that as we consider this and
all that you have for us this morning, I pray
that you would speak to our hearts by the power
of the Holy Spirit. Lord, help us to prepare
for the year that is ahead of us, that we might
be steadfast, strong in faith, obedient to you,
Lord, glorifying you and honoring you and in
all things submitting to you. We pray, Lord,
for your blessing on each one that is here today.
Open up our hearts, illuminate us by your spirit.
I pray that I might teach good and right things
in obedience to you. We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen. It is the year of our Lord, Anno Domini
2026. A fresh page has been turned on the calendar
and time continues to advance. The glory of Christ's
kingdom becomes brighter and ever more glorious.
And, as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians chapter
3, we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in
a mirror the glory of the Lord, are... being
transformed into the same image from glory to
glory just as by the spirit of the lord in october
of this year it will be three years since the
lord raised up this congregation and we praise
him for his great glory and grace in his masterful
and wonderful plan providentially bringing Grace
Reformed Church of Weiser into existence. Indeed,
we hope and pray that this will remain a faithful
congregation, not only in our lifetimes, but
in the centuries that lie ahead of us. It is
good from time to time to revisit foundational
principles, stones upon which enduring... local
congregations and churches are built for indeed
we are no longer strangers and foreigners we
are fellow citizens with the saints and members
of the household of god having been built on
the foundation of the apostles and the prophets
jesus christ himself being the chief cornerstone
in whom the whole building being fitted together
grows into a holy temple in the lord in whom
you all You all also are being built together
for a dwelling place of God in the spirit. As
we are being knit together and the building of
the holy temple in the Lord is happening, we
want to maintain the foundation, the truths and
the principles that undergird what we do and
how we worship and how we live. There are many
unknowns before us as we look ahead to this year.
We will likely need to move out of this building
by the end of the year, and we are praying and
trusting that God will provide for us a suitable
meeting place, a building that hopefully reflects
the glory and the majesty of the Lord, but most
of all, a place where God's people meet together
in joyful and reverent worship. For the worship
of God orders and affects everything else in
life. And all actions, all other actions are
downstream of that worship. Revelation chapter
14 verse 6. An angel is preaching to all who
dwell on the earth. What does he say? Fear God
and give glory to him. For the hour of his judgment
has come. And worship him who has made heaven.
And earth. The sea. And the springs of water.
We are the circumcision. Who worship God in the
spirit. Rejoice in Christ Jesus. And have no
confidence in the flesh. Paul says in Philippians
chapter 3 verse 3. When David thirsts for God.
What does he say? He says when he was in the
wilderness of Judah. Oh God. You are my God.
Early will I seek you. My soul thirsts for you.
My flesh longs for you. In a dry and a thirsty
land where there is no water. So I have looked
for you in the sanctuary to see your power and
your glory. Because your loving kindness is better
than life, my lips shall praise you. Thus I will
bless you while I live. I will lift up my hands
in your name. This is from Psalm 63. And again
in Psalm 96. Honor and majesty are before him.
Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Now
on the first Sunday that we gathered, six families,
six households met at the Hamilton's home on
the last Lord's Day of October 2023. After that
service, in which I preached on hope in the midst
of judgment from the book of Habakkuk, we then
shared a meal together and went around the room
to voice our longings for a local congregation.
Among the desires expressed were these. We desire
a church marked by a high view of God and of
his sovereignty. A church characterized by the
simplicity of the gospel. A church alive with
fervent worship and fervent love among the saints,
producing a rich and a deep fellowship. And a
church set within a larger denominational structure
that provides accountability and oversight, preferably
Presbyterian in polity. I am very grateful that
God has granted us a great measure of all of
these desires, even much more than what we could
ask or think. The church has grown, not only
in numbers, but in a covenantal relationship
with each other, with rich and deep fellowship,
with love for our triune God, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, worship that is both reverent and
joyful. And the love of the saints and the fellowship
of those gathered together in Christ in this
local body. And for this we are very, very grateful.
We are humbled. We are blessed beyond measure.
The Lord has added leadership as needed. And
we pray that God would raise up further and faithful
churchmen. men who love Christ's church and who
are well established in faith and doctrine and
will lead their families well, as well as men
who are able and gifted to lead and to serve
in the ministry of eldership or of teaching and
exhortation in the diaconate, but also that every
member Everyone, men and women, boys and girls,
would seek to use the gifts as God distributes
them. Of showing mercy with cheerfulness. Of
being diligent. Of being fervent in spirit. Or
serving the Lord and rejoicing in hope. Of being
patient in tribulation. Of continuing steadfastly
in prayer. And distributing to the needs of the
saints. And being given to hospitality. All of
these. from Romans chapter 12. But even as we
remember and rejoice in what God has done, we
know that the Lord has added to our number considerably.
And so it is good to look at the first principles,
the foundation stones given in God's word, and
particularly at those mentioned in 2 Peter chapter
1, to which we now turn. In verse 1 of this passage,
It is written by the Apostle Peter. He calls
himself Simon Peter, a bondservant and an apostle
of Jesus Christ. This thus means that he is a
servant of the Lord. He is an elder in the congregation.
He calls himself an elder in another passage.
But he also serves with apostolic authority.
Apostolic authority is something special that
was given to the apostles that the Lord Jesus
chose, that he taught, and that were endued with
apostolic power and authority. It was they who
then wrote the New Testament as they were inspired
by the Word and the Spirit of God. And so he
begins this letter just attesting to the fact
that Jesus Christ, has called him to be an apostle.
And he writes to those who have obtained like
precious faith with us by the righteousness of
our God and Savior Jesus Christ. He desires that
grace and peace would be multiplied to all to
whom he is writing in the knowledge of God and
of Savior and of Jesus our Lord. Now Peter is
a general epistle. It is written to the church
at large. to those who are dispersed abroad,
and to all those who have obtained like precious
faith. Peter is not, 1 and 2 Peter are not. like
Corinthians or Ephesians or Galatians or Ephesians
where they were written as specific letters to
specific congregations. No, these were written
for all. And of course, we learn from all. It
just has a different flavor to it than a letter
that was written to a particular congregation.
We learn from that, but we also need to understand
what was going on. We'll see that when we get
into the book of 1 Corinthians, which I plan
to begin very shortly. So Peter is a general
epistle. And the faith is a precious faith. It
is a true one. It is one that is not based on
our works. But it is on the righteousness of
our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Now not all
faiths are equal. For some are the worship of
idols. Or of man's conception of God. Or of perhaps
some aspect of the triune God. But not in the
totality. as God has revealed himself in the
Holy Scriptures. The faith of which you speak
is that which is built upon the apostles and
prophets who wrote as they were moved by the
Holy Spirit. We are, as Jude commands us, to
earnestly contend for the faith that is once
delivered to the saints. We're not looking for
a new faith. We do not expect a new revelation
to come up. No, this is the faith. It has been
transmitted to us from the prophets and the apostles
and it is an enduring one. The faith... which
was written as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
It is the faith is in the pure gospel that was
lived by Abraham. It was testified of by Moses.
It was lived and prophesied by the prophets,
Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and many, many
others. It is demonstrated by Jesus who gave
his life as an atonement for sin that whoever
believes in him should not perish but have everlasting
life. And it is the faith as taught by the apostles.
Through Christ, Paul tells the Corinthians in
1 Corinthians chapter 16, he says, we have received
grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith
in all nations for his name. Actually, that's
from Romans chapter 1, verse 5. We have received
this faith, and we are to be obedient to this
faith in every nation. Wherever the gospel goes
out, we are to be obedient to it, even these
many generations later. This does not change.
And now, as 1 Corinthians 16, 13 says, we are
all to take care to do what? To watch. To stand
fast in the faith. To be brave. To be strong.
This is what we are called to do. We have obtained
a like precious faith. It is a historic faith.
One that goes back to the apostles and to the
prophets all the way back to the very beginning
of the book of Genesis chapter 1 and verse 1.
When God created the heavens and the earth. Number
two, he writes then of the knowledge of the Almighty,
of our God and Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He says, grace and peace be multiplied unto you
through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our
Lord. Through the knowledge of God and His Son,
Jesus Christ, this grace and this peace is multiplied
to us. It's not just added. It's not given in
a small measure. It's not given in a miserly
or a stingy way. It's divine favor and peace
with the Holy God. Can we have that when we are
sinful creatures and He is holy and cannot tolerate
sin? How is this? How can we have this grace
and peace be multiplied to us? Divine favor and
peace with the one who counts the number of the
stars and he calls them all by name, as Psalm
147 says. This is astounding when you stop to
consider that there's approximately two trillion
galaxies in the known universe with each with
100 to million to 100 billion stars. So two trillion
galaxies and... 100 million to 100 billion stars.
We can't even comprehend these numbers. What
is it? So many sextillion, I believe it's, when
I looked it up, something like that. It's just
an unbelievable array just of the stars. He is
the one, this God, is the one who counts the
number of the stars. This is he of whom Isaiah
writes, saying, have you not known? Have you
not heard? Has it not been told for you from
the beginning? Have you not understood from the
foundation of the earth? It is he who sits above
the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are
like grasshoppers who stretches out the heavens
like a curtain. He spreads them out like a tent
to dwell in. He brings the princes to nothing.
He makes the judges of the earth useless. Isaiah
40, 21 to 23. This is he of whom David cries
out, Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God,
you are very great. You are clothed with honor
and majesty, who cover yourself with light as
with a garment, who stretch out the heavens like
a curtain. Psalm 104, verse 1 and 2. He is the
I Am, the eternal self -existent one being, for
whom there is no beginning and no end. Even as
the psalmist proclaims in Psalm 147 verse 5,
Great is our Lord and mighty in power. His understanding
is infinite. And dearly beloved, we have the
privilege, the awesome and the incredible position
of coming into the presence of this holy God
through Jesus Christ and of knowing Him. How
can we even begin to comprehend Him? And yet,
Peter says we can have knowledge of him. We can
know him. The one who is before whom, before
whom the heavens and the earth fled away and
all nations before him are is nothing. But he
is the one who is and who was and who is to come.
What can I say when we are just overwhelmed with
such an incredible understanding? of the sovereignty,
the holiness, and the almightiness of this God.
And yet, we can know Him. We can know Him. Grace
and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge
of God. When we see Him for who He is, and we
see ourselves as we are, then indeed how can
we be puffed up or proud or self -sufficient?
But in order to be a faithful church, we must
also love Him. We must love Him. The fragrance
of Christ should be evident and diffused all
around us, as the Word of God says in 2 Corinthians
2, verse 14, Now thanks be to God. who always
leads us to triumph in Christ, and through us
diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every
place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ
among those who are being saved and among those
who are perishing. Therefore, dearly beloved,
as a church, as a congregation, we should not
be known in our community simply because we might
be culture warriors as the term is today or because
we are weird or because of our unique distinctives
we should be known because of our love and knowledge
of god and that we love to worship him and to
know him and that it is our desire to please
him and in that desire we live in covenant with
each other and the triune god This works out
in many ways as we will see in the following
verses. Number three, we get to understand the
divine power and the sufficiency of Christ. We
have seen the glory and the sufficiency and the
awesomeness of God the Father. Now we are looking
at the divine power and the sufficiency of Christ.
Verse three, as his divine power has given to
us. all things that pertain to life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him who called us unto
glory and virtue. As adopted children of God,
having believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, we
then are recipients of Christ's divine power,
that of Jesus our Lord. Now this is not referring
to his authority, which indeed he has and is
attested to a number of places, such as in the
Great Commission. All authority has been given
to me in heaven and earth, Jesus says. But the
word here is not referring to his authority,
but it's to his power, as of a force and a strength.
It's the word power. dunamis the greek word dumina
dunamis which we we can get just a slight picture
of it when we realize that the english word for
dynamite is taken from this you know a lot of
power and strength okay but this of course is
so much more than that so don't think it just
is in dynamite i'm just using that as a relating
point it is not a force that of strength it is
a word used of resources of armies, of performing
miracles, of influence and moral power and excellence
of soul. We are the recipients of the divine
power of Jesus Christ. And he is sufficient for
us. By his own power, he has bestowed on us everything
necessary for a real and genuine life, even a
happy life and godliness. In speaking of this
here, in this passage, this godliness, all things
that pertain to life and godliness, the idea
of godliness is the idea of worship. That is,
well to worship. Worship rightly directed. In
being given all things pertaining to life and
godliness, we are able to live and to worship
in a way that pleases Him. Because His divine
power has enabled us. and he has given to us
all things necessary. Again, Peter emphasizes
the knowledge of him who has called us by glory
and virtue. The knowledge of him. So what is
Paul's supreme desire? If we look over at Philippians
3, verse 9, we see him encapsulating his desire.
What is it? To gain Christ. and to be found in
him, not having my own righteousness, which is
from the law, but that which is through faith
in Christ, the righteousness which is of God
by faith, that I may know him, and the power
of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his
sufferings, being conformed to his death, if
by any means I may attain to the resurrection
from the dead. Now this is no name it and claim
it. This is not just an easy believism where
you just say, yes, I believe and nothing changes.
No, Christ... takes us from the depths of sin
and depravity. He washes us clean from our sins.
He renews us. He adopts us and calls us to know
him and brings to us a most glorious condition
to his glory and to his virtue, his excellence,
and his moral goodness. Jesus is able to do all
of this. And he does do this for us. For he is
fully sufficient for all that is needed to bring
us into this wonderful state. We all have sinned.
We have fallen short of the glory of God. We
have missed the mark. There is no way that we
can pull ourselves out of the muck and of all
the other junk and make ourselves clean. But
we have been justified freely by his grace. Through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Whom
God set forth as a propitiation by his blood.
Through faith to demonstrate his righteousness.
This takes away all boasting from us. Because
it is the work of Christ. We cannot look around
and say look what I. Now we can be tempted to
do so, but we're not looking rightly when we
do. When we see God in all of his holiness, and
when we see Jesus who has equipped us and brought
us to this place, when he has given to us all
of these wonderful things, and he has equipped
us, he has given to us all things that pertain
to life and to godliness through the knowledge
of him, then we must confess we are not worthy.
We are not worthy of this. We cannot boast except
we boast in him. As glorious as all of this is,
and it is truly glorious, there is yet more in
this passage. And we go to verse 4. Peter says,
by which, and he's referring to the divine power
and the knowledge of Christ, by which has been
given to us. Exceedingly great and precious promises.
That through these ye might be partakers of the
divine nature. Having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust. I don't know
that we can fully understand how is it that we
as Christian believers are partakers of the divine
nature. That is such. And a packed statement.
And yet Peter goes right on. It's like, and we
need to stop. What is this? That we are partakers
of a divine nature? That God cleanses us through
Jesus? And that we are made, we are renewed?
We are made alive? We are made to be able to
serve him? And through this that we receive a
divine nature? We are partakers in it? Having
escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust. This is astounding brothers and sisters.
The wonderful promises given in all the scripture.
Through and in Christ come to his church. To
the children of God. Who believe in Jesus Christ
through faith. Now these promises are spoken
of in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 20. Like
this. He says. For all the promises of God are
in him that is in Christ. They are yes. and in
him, amen to the glory of God through us. That
means when we look at all of the great and glorious
promises of God in every part of the scripture,
including the Old Testament, in Christ, they
are yes and they are amen. And it is to us. Through
these truths and promises, you are made a partaker
of the divine nature which transforms you. So
what is this? You escape the corruption of your
mind and will that come through concupiscence,
through wrong desires, through cravings and longings
for what is forbidden or for lust is the word
that is used here. But this is much more than
sexual lust, although that is included. It encompasses
all disordered desires and inclinations toward
forbidden things. Lust is one form of it, but
concupiscence is a bigger word. It's a big word,
but it encompasses the whole, the whole of wrong
desires and cravings and longings for what is
forbidden. We escape the corruption of our mind
and will that comes through that, and instead...
We feed on Christ. We are partakers of the divine
nature. How do we feed on Christ? Well, we feed
on Christ through his word and through the sacrament.
Word and sacrament. We see this, John chapter
6. It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh
profits nothing. The words that I speak to you
are spirit and they are life, Jesus says. And
then John 6, 53 and 58, and also 1 Corinthians
10, verse 16 and 17, talk about the sacrament,
and that is the cup of blessing which we bless.
We say this every Sunday. Is it not the communion
of the blood of Christ, the bread which we break?
Is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
For we, though many, are one bread and one body,
for we all partake of that one bread. And so
as we read God's word and it's illuminated, to
us by the Holy Spirit. And as we partake of the
sacraments together and thus we together are
experiencing the presence of Christ with the
word and the sacrament and we are made partakers
of the divine nature. We are transformed into
his image. 2 Corinthians 3. But we all, with
unveiled faces, I used this before, but I'm going
to do it again. We are transformed as we behold
in a mirror the glory of the Lord, and thus we
are transformed into that image from glory to
glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. I go
through all of this from 2 Peter because I want
to show you the rich inheritance that you have.
This is what we are striving for, brothers and
sisters. This is what we are looking for. This
should be the experience of every child of God
and of every local congregation. Where we bow
before the Lord, we experience his grace to us,
we have the word in the sacrament, and we are
filled with the Holy Spirit and become partakers
of the divine nature. Well, What are we to do
with all of this? I've just laid out here in
this first half hour of this sermon just all
of the glorious position that we have in Christ.
This position and how this affects us as a congregation.
But Peter does not stop there. As a faithful
pastor and shepherd, which he is, he goes on
and he drives the point home. Because he now
comes and says, in light of all of this, now
what are you to do? What are you to do in light
of this great truth? You're not going to work
yourself into salvation. No, you've received
it. You've been adopted. But what are you to
do? Do we just sit around and rejoice? Oh, God
is great. God is good. We thank him for all of
these blessings. Or do we labor on his behalf?
And here's what Peter says. He says, therefore,
for this reason, with all diligence, add to your
faith these things. That is, you are to pay attention
and you strive to develop these qualities, the
qualities of the children of God, the qualities
of faithful congregations. As James 2 As James
says in chapter 2, verse 18, he says, I will
show you my faith by my works. I will show them
to you. I will demonstrate them to you. We are
not saved by our works, but we are to demonstrate
that faith by our works. And so he goes on here
and he says so. Add to your faith, giving all
diligence. You add to your faith these things.
I'm going to go down through them fairly rapidly.
They're worthy of great study and of great expansion,
but I don't have time to do that today. One is
that you add to your faith virtue. What is this?
This virtue here is a word that speaks of exhibiting
valor and moral excellence, as in a godly energy.
Or even manliness. And the pursuit of a course
of thought, action, and feeling. So you do this.
You go about to add to your faith these things
with a godly energy. We're going to go for this.
Let us go for this as a congregation. As we look
at the year ahead of us. Let us develop our faith.
Let us abound in the virtues in all of these.
As a congregation. Both in our personal lives.
And into one another. So there's virtue. Valor.
Moral excellence. There's knowledge. We are to
grow in the knowledge of the word of God. And
of the Christian religion. With moral wisdom
that translates into right living. And so I encourage
you to read. To study. To think. To hear the
word. To go after the knowledge of God. Of course,
this also includes prayer. But we are to add
to our knowledge. Add virtue to our faith and
then add knowledge. The third is, this must be
done with self -control. This is the virtue of
one who masters his desires and his passions.
He is self -controlled. He or she, I should say.
Number four, we then add to that. Perseverance.
Perseverance is a steadfastness and an endurance
not swerved from your purpose and your loyalty
to God and the Christian faith even by the greatest
trials and sufferings. Trials and sufferings
are hard. They are difficulty. You might experience
in this year great difficulties that shake you
to the very foundations. Do not. let it swerve
you from your constancy and your faithfulness
and your love for God and your love for the saints.
Be faithful in this and persevere. Be steadfast
and endure. To this, we are also to add godliness.
This godliness, one of the good English word
for it is that of piety. It's reverence and respect
for God. and his word and of course this includes
the reverent and the right worship of God from
the heart to this then we are to add brotherly
kindness and love these two are very very close
but the word brotherly kindness is the word Philadelphia
y 'all have heard of the city of Philadelphia
do you know why it was named that it was to be
the city of brotherly love named that by I believe
it was William Penn Philadelphia is the Greek
word for it. It's the love which Christians cherish
for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.
We are to add brotherly kindness to our faith.
And this is coupled together with agape, that
is fervent love, brotherly love, affection, goodwill,
and benevolence one toward another. And so I
have a few things to just follow up on this as
we look over to add all of these things. How
does this impact us then in the church? One of
the things to watch out for as the years roll
on is that of stagnation in relationships. Where
relationships just kind of become stale or commonplace.
When we don't stop and consider the glories of
our Christ and the blessings of our brothers
and sisters. Watch out for stagnation in relationships,
where we just kind of get easy with each other,
but then we just kind of just grow a little distant.
Maybe we have other interests, and so just these
things come, and we don't have that fervent love
of the saints, one for another. Watch out for
that, for stagnation. Keep it fresh. We are blessed
with a rich and covenantal life with one another
in the life of the body. Let us maintain in a
freshness and an intense love for one another.
And sometimes this means doing hard things. Sometimes
this means approaching one another, working through
difficult situations. Sometimes it means confronting
sin. Sometimes it means taking a meal to someone.
All sorts of things are involved in this, but
we need to have that love burning in our hearts,
not only for God, but also for his people, especially
those within our congregation. Each Lord's Day,
as we gather to worship, let us renew our covenant
with God and with each other. We renew it. We're
here for each other. We love one another. We
will do hard things for each other. We will help
bear each other's burdens. We will pray for one
another and exhort one another. This also means
greeting one another. And it also means welcoming
the visitor and the stranger, being interested
in them. Yes, you can do this even if you're
shy. And no, this is not just for the elders
and their wives. This is... For all. We are to
welcome. Welcome those who come in. Make sure
that you greet them. Say hello. That is part
of the covenantal love. That needs to abound.
And splash out to others. Because our faith.
In that way. Our belief. And our knowledge of
God. Is to be one that rejoices. One that reaches
out to others. And pulls them in. Draws them
in. With love. And care. We can do this in welcoming.
We should also greet and get to know the other
members of the congregation. How will you have
fervent love for one another if you don't know
each other? And so, in our fellowship meal, seek
out someone you don't know well and sit with
them, showing interest in them and their lives.
Sometimes there's a work day for the men in doing
something. It's a good way to get to know one
another well as you work side by side. I'm glad
to see the ladies' meeting starting again and
just the fellowship there that is happening and
the older women teaching the younger women. That
is a good thing. Lord willing, this month we're
going to start our first. We're going to have
a men's meeting, just a gathering together. Maybe
have a campfire and we'll be able to visit together,
get to know one another. We can talk about issues
or problems that someone is facing and we can
look at... at some type of a study together.
And we'll vary that from month to month as we
begin that here in the month of January. And
then, how do we encourage this fervent love and
this brotherly kindness? We do it by being hospitable,
inviting others into our homes, working together
in the projects, and living life together. Well,
Peter goes on then, and he says, for if these
things, all of these things here that I just
mentioned, faith, virtue, knowledge, self -control,
perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness,
love. If these things are yours and they abound
in you, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful.
Barrenness and unfruitfulness is undesirable.
We don't want to be barren and unfruitful. But
rather, as we seek after these things, we will
not be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge
of Jesus. You want to grow in your faith? You
want to grow in the knowledge of Jesus? Love
His people. Add to these things, all these things.
And you will grow in your knowledge of Christ.
He goes on to say, therefore, brethren, be even
more diligent to make your call and your election
sure. For if you do these things, you will never
stumble. For so an entrance will be supplied
to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. One other
thing that I would like or one other application
that I would to make in that I come back again
to what I mentioned earlier and that is our life
together begins with joyful and reverent worship.
And it flows downstream of that. So I'm going
to give a few more applications of this. One
is do not casually miss or neglect the Lord's
Day meeting. make it your point that whenever
possible of course there's sickness and there's
travel but whenever possible be there be there
at the lord's day meeting to worship our lord
together and to fellowship with his saints with
the people of god this is the renewal of our
covenant with god and with each other we worship
the lord in the beauty of holiness now also as
It's given a couple times in the New Testament.
Elders and teachers are to stir up these gifts
of the congregation. That's what I'm doing right
now. But we're also commanded to stir up love
and good working in one another. So it's not
only for elders and teachers. It's also for one
another. So consider these passages. Hebrews
10 and verse 24. Let us consider one another
in order to stir up love and good works. not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.
You see the thing right there is assembling together.
When we come together, there's a love, there's
a unity, there's the word, there's sacrament,
there's all of the things, there's the blessing,
there's the meal together. All of this together
stirs up love and good works. which is why he
says, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together as the manner is of some, but exhort
one another, and so much more the day, so much
more as you see the day approaching. And this
is where exhortation to one another should not
just come from the elders and teachers. It also
should come from each other, blessing and encouraging
and exhorting one another. Paul tells Timothy,
he said, I remind you to stir up the gift of
God which is in you through the laying on of
my hands. And then Peter in chapter 3, he says,
Beloved, I now write to you the second epistle,
in both of which I stir up your pure minds by
way of reminder that you may be mindful of the
words which were spoken before by the holy prophets.
and of the commandment of us, the apostles of
the Lord and Savior. Right there, it covers the
whole thing. The prophets and the apostles, we
stir up your pure minds through the word of God
and through exhortation. Lastly then, as we are
a worshiping people, as we are this holy temple
that God is building right here in this small
town, Let us then take the gifts of God and the
knowledge of God that we have and that we will
continue to receive and let us take it out into
the world. I remember a preacher preaching a
sermon one time entitled Love with Shoes On.
We take all that God has blessed us with. And
that God will increase in us throughout this
year. And then we take it out into the world.
We take it out in the way, in the relationships,
in business. We take it out in hospitality. We
take it out in the care of the poor and in love
for Christ's church and in love for the community
in which we're placed. And we take it out in
prayer and in your families and with a zeal for
God. and for his church. Not a misguided zeal,
for there are some who have misguided zeal, but
in a transformed, holy zeal that affects all
of our life. Let us go forth then, encouraged
by the word of God for this year. May it be a
year of great blessing, of a growth and increase
in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ in
this congregation. In the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let's pray.