Matt Morgan
phil389_ministries@juno.com
(309) 677-0028
www.bethanycentral.org
“Assurance - The By-Product of Growth”
2 Peter 1:1-12
Critical Thought – Our Foundation of Assurance Can Only Grow As Deep and As Broad As Our Knowledge of
Christ.
I. Our Miracle Grow = “the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
The Resources for Knowledge
1. “His Divine Power” (v.3)
a. “His divine power has given” – past tense indicates this power is readily available
b. “all things for life and godliness” – this sounds like a pretty extensive list
c. Power that Rules over Death (Romans 1:4)
d. Made Perfect in Our Weakness (II Cor 12:9)
2. “Knowledge of Him who Called Us by His own Glory and Goodness” (v.3)
a. Meditation on the Attributes of Christ: Reflecting On Christ And Desiring to Become More like Him
1. Immeasurable Love (Rom 5:6-8)
2. Loyal Comrade & Gracious Provider (Rom 8:31-32)
3. Our Salvation (John 14:7)
4. Meek Servant (Isaiah 53:7)
b. Study of The Word: Allowing God to Teach and Instruct Us Through His Word
1. Obedience (Josh 1:8)
2. Purity (Psalm 119:9-16)
3. Hope (Rom 15:4)
c. Prayer: Seeking God’s Guidance and Revelation Through Petition
1. Peace that Surpasses All Understanding (Phil 4:6-7)
2. Perfection of What is Lacking in Our Faith (1 Thes 3:10)
3. “Ask and You Shall Receive” (Luke 11:9-10)
“Knowledge is exploding at such a rate--more than 2000 pages a minute--that even Einstein couldn't keep up. In fact, if you read 24 hours a day, from age 21 to 70, and
retained all you read, you would be one and a half million years behind when you finished.” Campus Life, February, 1979.
Product of Knowledge
1. “His Great and Precious Promises” (v.4)
a. Love So Great that He Gave His Only Son that We May Have Eternal Life (John 3:16)
b. Pardon from Sin’s Wages (Rom 6:23)
c. Abolished Death (1Timothy 1:9-10)
d. Eternal Life in His Son (1 John 5:11)
e. God’s Promises Are Always True (II Cor 1:20)
For every man, education should be a process which continues all his life. We have to abandon, as swiftly as possible, the idea that schooling is something restricted to
youth. How can it be, in a world where half the things a man knows at 20 are no longer true at 40--and half the things he knows at 40 hadn't been discovered when he
was 20? Arthur C. Clarke in The View From Serendip.
Reward of Knowledge
1. “You may participate in the divine nature” (v.4)
a. We Are a New Creation (II Cor 5:17)
b. We Can Live for Righteousness (1 Peter 2:24)
c. We Are Redeemed to be Zealous for Good Works (Titus 2:14)
2. “Escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (v.4)
a. Crucified the Flesh with Its Passions and Desires (Gal 5:24)
b. Without Holiness No One Will See the Lord (Heb 12:14)
“…taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5
http://www.bethanycentral.org/contact/lists.asp
Matt Morgan
phil389_ministries@juno.com
www.bethanycentral.org
(309) 677-0028
II. How to “Make the President’s List” – The Result of Steady Growth Will Be Confidence in Our Relationship with
God
The Motivation Behind Our Pursuits (v.5)
1. “For this very reason” – refers to
a. “participation in the divine nature” – This allows us to share in what God is actively doing around us
b. “escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” – Without holiness how will anyone know that we
are truly saved?
2. Effort is Essential – “Make every effort”, “Giving all diligence” (v. 5)
a. Run in Such a Way As to Get the Prize (I Cor 9:24-27)
b. Run with Confidence In the Source of Our Strength (Isaiah 40:30-31)
“Whose fault is it if they are not holy, but their own? On whom can they throw the blame if they are not sanctified, but themselves? God, who has given
them grace and a new heart, and a new nature, has deprived them of all excuse if they do not live for His praise.” J.C. Ryle, Holiness, Evangelical Press,
1979.
The True Test of Spiritual Growth (v. 5-7)
1. Growth that Is Internal (v.5-6) – These qualities are all focused internally and speak to the condition of our hearts
a. Adding of Goodness to Faith
b. Adding of Knowledge to Goodness
c. Adding of Self-Control to Knowledge
2. Growth that Is External (v.6-7)
a. Adding of Perseverance to Self-Control
b. Adding of Godliness to Perseverance – what source do we have in v.3 to aide us
c. Adding Brotherly Kindness to Godliness
d. Adding Love to Brotherly Kindness
A man who had bought a new hunting dog was eager to see how he would perform. So he took him into the woods one day, hoping to track down and bag some really big
game. No sooner had they gotten into the woods than the dog picked up the trail of a bear. Off he went, with the excited hunter close behind. Then the animal stopped
suddenly, sniffed the ground, and headed down an altogether different path. He had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the path of the bear. A few minutes later,
the process repeated itself. The dog stopped, smelled the ground, and headed in still another direction. This time it was the scent of a rabbit that had crossed the path of the
deer. And the poor pooch was sidetracked again. On and on it went, until the breathless hunter caught up with his dog - only to find him barking triumphantly down the
hole of a field mouse. We've seen this same formula destroy businesses. A company that loses sight of its true strengths, makes unwise-because-unrelated acquisitions,
and discovers itself hopelessly diversified across too broad a range of products can fail quickly by virtue of losing its focus, marketing know-how, and client base. Saddest
of all, the same thing has destroyed believers who started out with high resolve to honor Christ in the marketplace, do noble things with their lives, and pursue lofty goals.
Company growth, travel, money, flirtation, pride - a series of distractions came across the trail. Each one was pursued just far enough to pull the Christian a bit further off
the trail of what is most important. Rubel Shelly
The Grading Scale of Spiritual Growth (v.8-9)
1. Passing Grade (v.8) – “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being
ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
a. Growth – we must be growing both internally and externally in our relationship with God and this has to be
an “upward trend”
b. Character – this verse shows that growth prevents two things from occurring:
i. Ineffectiveness in our Knowledge – could this be reading the word, but not really hearing what it is
saying?
ii. Unproductive in our Knowledge – could this be hearing the word, but not responding to its call
upon our lives
c. Knowledge – clearly we are exhorted to put our knowledge and growth in Christ into action!
2. Failing Grade (v.9) – “But if anyone does not have them, he is near-sighted and blind, and has forgotten that he
has been cleansed from his past sins.”
a. Lack of Growth – if we are lacking in any of the attributes listed in v.5-7 we are shown to be the following:
i. Near-sighted – this condition makes it difficult to see what lies in the distance. What does this
condition say about our future judgment day?
ii. Blind – this condition is even more severe, showing the decay of a “dead” spiritual life and
relationship with God. How will this condition affect our current lives?
b. Knowledge – here there is a lack of knowledge resulting in a lack of assurance, or we forget that our past
sins have been forgiven. How sure of our salvation can we be if we don’t recognize that our sin has been
forgiven?
“…taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5
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www.bethanycentral.org
Matt Morgan
phil389_ministries@juno.com
(309) 677-0028
The Product of True Spiritual Growth - ASSURANCE (v.10-12)
1. Eagerness to Grow (v.10) – “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election
sure.”
2. Strength and Sureness in our Walk (v.10) – “For if you do these things you will never fall.”
3. We are Promised a Rich Welcome into the Kingdom of God (v.11) – “and you will receive a rich welcome into the
eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Application Questions
1. How does assurance impact our views on our daily relationship with God?
2. How can we “grade” ourselves to determine the success of our growth?
3. What are some changes that I need to make in order to truly grow according to 2 Peter 1:1-12?
4. How can the presence of assurance impact my witness to friends who don’t know Christ?
The following story is one that is reported to have been told by Napoleon to spark patriotism among his men: Once, while visiting a province he came upon
an old soldier in full uniform but with one sleeve hanging empty. He proudly wore the coveted Legion of Honour. Napoleon asked, "Where did you lose your
arm?" The soldier answered, "At Austerlitz, sire. "Napoleon asked, "And for that you received the Legion of Honour?" The man said, "Yes, sire. It is but a
small token to pay for the decoration."Napoleon continued, "You must be the kind of man who regrets he did not lose both arms for his country." The onearmed man asked, "What then would have been my reward?" Napoleon answered, "I would have awarded you a double Legion of Honour." And with
that, the proud old fighter drew his sword and immediately cut off his other arm. What a great story of patriotic duty! It apparently was quite effective in
stirring up in Napoleon's men a desire to sacrifice even more for the cause of France! There's only one problem with the story. You may have already
noticed the inconsistency. But apparently it was years before anyone dared to ask Napoleon the question, "How did the soldier cut off his arm with only one
arm to do it with?" Nice story. Stirring, moving, motivating......but it wasn't true. It's possible for the same thing to happen to us in a religious sense. We can
get all "fired up" without much thought as to the truth of what we're getting excited about. Paul said of those who were motivated in such a way: "...They
are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge." (Romans 10:2, NIV) Zeal is good. We all need more of it. But we need to make certain that our
enthusiasm is firmly based on our knowledge of God's will. Alan Smith, thought-for-the-day-subscribe@egroups.com www.TFTD-online.com
“…taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5
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