Turn to 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1. Let's go to the Lord in prayer
before we look at this. Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name. Our Father, bless us this morning
with thy presence. Enable me to rightly divide the
word of truth, to preach in the power of your spirit, to exalt
thy grace, to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ in all his glory. And I do thank thee, Father,
we thank thee for your many, many blessings. You've been so
good to us. But we especially thank you for
all the spiritual blessings that you have blessed us with in the
heavenly places in Christ, even before the world began. Thank
you, Father. Thank you for calling us by your
grace and revealing thy Son in us. Pray for those among thy
children here and other places whose hearts are heavy, whose
bodies are sick, we pray for them, pray you'd bless them,
comfort them. Be our teacher this morning,
Lord, be our teacher. I pray the Holy Spirit take the
things of Christ and show them to us this morning. In Christ
Jesus' name we pray, and amen. The title of this lesson is found
in verse 10. We were left off in verse 9 last
week. The title is, Make Your Calling
and Election Pure. It's interesting to me how people
who claim to be saved fight against the doctrine of election. Isn't
that something? right here peter's writing to
the church that's been scattered abroad and right here peter says
you make your calling and election of god sure don't you take it
for granted you give real diligence to make your calling and election
sure and so he says and we pick up in verse 10 wherefore the
rather brethren Give diligence. He's talking here about putting
forth great effort in this matter of salvation. Put forth great
efforts, diligent. And when I read that more than
once, I reflected upon my diligence. Am I really, have I really given
diligence to this? Is there anything, is there anything
more important than the salvation of my soul and your soul. What
will a man give in exchange for his soul? You take the richest
man in the world, richest woman, man or woman, billionaires, they
will give every penny they've got when it comes time to die
and they're not going to live any longer. But if they could
live longer by giving all they got, they'd give it. You cannot
put a price on your soul. That's you. Your soul is who
you are. And that's why he says, give
diligence to this more than anything else you give diligence to in
life. To make your calling and election
sure. And if you do these things, before you do these things, you
shall never fall. You shall never fall away. Apostatize. If you give diligence to this.
This is our greatest concern, is the salvation of our soul. And it starts with this. And
he says, give diligence to make your calling and election sure.
He starts with our calling. Our calling. The scripture says,
whom he has predestinated, them he also what? Called. Called. That's what he has done. And
here's the question. Has God called me? Has God called
you? Called you Samuel. You read the
book of first Samuel. God called Samuel. He said, Samuel.
He went to Eli. I think it was twice or three
times, went two or three times. And Eli said, now, next time
that happens, say, speak Lord. It's the Lord calling you. So
the question is, have I been called? You know, we're told
in 2 Corinthians 13, 5, listen to what Paul wrote to the Corinthians.
Examine yourselves. Reflect. Seriously. Reflect upon yourselves. Get
by yourself and reflect upon yourself. Whether you be in the
faith, whether you really believe God or not. Do I believe God? Do I really believe? I don't
believe in, it's not, do I believe in God or in a God? Do I believe
God? When I read this word, do I believe
him? Do I take God at his word? It's
a big difference in believing there is a God and believe in
God that is. Examine yourself whether you
be in the faith. Now, we know there's only one
faith, one Lord, one baptism. There's only one faith. There
are many so-called faiths, but there's only one that's of God,
and it's in Christ. Prove your own selves. How? By the Word of God. By the Word
of God. Have I received Christ as He's
revealed in the Scriptures? As I received Him as my prophet,
priest, and king? Have I received Him as I sacrifice?
Have I received His blood as the blood of atonement for my
sins? The blood of atonement for my
sins? Have I received the Christ of this Bible? Prove your own
self by the Word of God. Know ye not your own self? Do you not know what your real
interest is? Do you know that? What's your real interest? You
know it. I know it. I know what my real interest
is. Know you not your own selves
how that Jesus Christ is in you? Christ in you the hope of glory?
Except you be reprobates? Have I been called? Has God called
me from death to life? Has God called me from my interest
in myself and in the world to my interest in Christ? Do I have
a real, real interest in knowing Jesus Christ? Not knowing just
about Him, but to know Him. To know Him. Has God called me
out of darkness into His light? Has God called me from a life
of sin to a life of godliness? Do I hunger and thirst? Do I
really hunger and thirst after righteousness? Here's righteousness.
Do I really hunger and thirst to be right with God? Is there
a real desire, a real hunger and thirst to be right with God? To know God and Jesus Christ
whom he has sent? He said eternal life is to know
God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent in John 17. This is how we know we've been
called of God, where our interest really is. Our interest is in
Christ and in knowing Christ. Paul said, Oh, that I might know
Him and the power of His resurrection. That is the power of His resurrected
life in my life daily as I live out this life daily, that I might
know Him. who is to know is excellent knowledge. Is Jesus Christ my all in all? Is He my wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption? Is He these things to me? I didn't
say, did He give me these things? Did He give me wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption? Yes, He did, but that's not what
it says. He is these things to me. He
is my wisdom. He is my righteousness. He is
my sanctification. He's my redemption. He is these
things to me. That's different than just thinking
you've just been given some of these things. That's what he
is to me before God. And then here's another way we
know that he has called us. Let me go back here. Let me see,
let me pick up in verse 5 you know Peter says there in verse
4 he says whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious
promises that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust and beside this giving all diligence add to your faith virtue
and to virtue, knowledge, and to knowledge, temperance, and
to temperance, patience, patience, godliness, to godliness, brotherly
kindness, brotherly kindness, charity. He said, for if these
things be in you and abound, they make you that you shall
neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord
and Savior, of our Lord Jesus Christ. If these things are in
us, These things are, and we seek after these things, to grow
in these things, to grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ.
That's an evidence of calling. The natural man's not interested
in these things. You know what we're, you know
what we are naturally interested in. Whatever promotes self, whatever
makes self happy, whatever, whatever gratifies this flesh. That's
what we are naturally interested in. It's all about me. But if God has called us, We
have a real interest in growing in grace and in knowledge of
Jesus Christ. And as we grow in grace and knowledge
of Christ, the graces of the spirit, which is just I just
read to you. This is of God. This is the grace
of the spirit. If these things are in us, it's
an evidence of calling. That God is calling. You see,
he doesn't say make your election sure. He says it in this order,
you make your calling sure. And if that's sure, it's because
God chose you. God chose you and God loved you
and he's given you all these things in Christ. And that's
why. And then another evidence of
our calling, what do we seek? What is the number one thing
we seek in this life? What is it? Our Lord said this, seek ye first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness. That's first and foremost to
every believer. To every believer, knowing the
Lord and seeking Him, His kingdom and His righteousness. And if these things be in you,
you shall never fall. You'll never fall away. You won't
fall away. These are like props. They hold
you up. He's not saying that you'll never
sin. We sin daily. We will sin, and this is true. We will sin enough in this service
to put us in hell if God, if it weren't for the grace of God,
the righteousness of Christ, the blood of Christ, there's
enough sin in everything I do and say to condemn me. That's
true. That's true. He's not saying
you'll not sin, but you'll not fall away from the grace of God.
You'll not fall away. Give diligence to this. Now,
give diligence to it. Don't forget it when you and
I leave the room here and the service is over. Let's not forget
this. This is a daily diligence. Seeking the Lord in His word,
reading His word, seeking Him to manifest Himself through His
word, to make Himself known to us. I want to know God. I want
to know God and Jesus Christ and His sin. In a little while,
I'm going to meet Him. The one thing I think of when
I hear that someone has died, I think of it pretty much every
time, they have now met God. Whatever questions you may or
I may have about God, that's answered then. That person has
met God. There's no doubt now. For so
an entrance, in verse 11, for so an entrance, shall be ministered
unto you abundantly." Enter in. He'll say, enter in to the kingdom
prepared for you by my Father. Enter in. An entrance shall be
ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Those who possess the
graces mentioned above, they shall be given a supply, abundant
supply of grace, and an abundant supply of strength to endure
every trial and every duty we're called upon to endure. And when
this life is over, when this life is over, we will have a
glorious entrance. Nobody's going to be crawling
into the kingdom of God. No child of God is going to be
slipping in, crawling in. There's going to be an abundance
It's just like in my mind. I say this I see the gates open
and it said welcome welcome Welcome son welcome daughter And to the
kingdom of God that eternal everlasting kingdom, that's what it's called
there you So for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you
abundantly into the everlasting kingdom. This is a kingdom that's
not going to perish. The kingdoms of this world are
going to perish from the earth. And one day the earth is going
to perish. But how many kingdoms, you know, if you look at history,
how many kingdoms have there been and are gone now? They're
gone. Wiped off the face of the earth.
But this kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. It's a righteous kingdom.
That's why it's everlasting. His kingdom is a righteous kingdom
and it's everlasting kingdom because of that. And in verse
12 and 13, Wherefore, I will not be negligent. I'm not going
to neglect my duties here. I will not be negligent to put
you always in remembrance of these things. Don't you all ever
preach anything else but Christ. I would be negligent if I did.
It would be negligent on my part, and you'd suffer for it spiritually.
You'd suffer for it. I will not be negligent to put
you always in remembrance of these things, though you know
them. You say, well, I've heard this so many times. Though you
know them, I'm going to tell it. I'm going to tell them to
you again. I'm going to tell you the truth
over and over. I'm going to preach Christ over and over and over.
You know, I realized as I, you know, I've been preaching a long
time. I have, I've been preaching since my early twenties. I have
not yet exhausted the Lord Jesus Christ. I have not yet scratched
the surface of the very person work of Jesus Christ. I've not
scratched the surface of the word of God. I've not even scratched
the surface of, of diving into this book. What was it we saw
Thursday night? Thy commandment is exceeding
broad. It's exceeding broad. There's
no end to it. We can't search it out. Though you know them and be established
in the present truth. You're established in it. Yea,
I think it meet. I think it fit. This is fitting.
As long as I'm in this tabernacle, as long as I'm in this body.
Notice how he calls it a tabernacle. A tabernacle is something you
dwell in for a little while, then you take it down and move it. It's removed. It's something
that grows old. He said, but as long as I'm in
this tabernacle, as long as I'm in this body, in this world,
and I'm preaching, I'm going to stir you up to put you in
remembrance. I'm going to stir you up about these things. Your
relationship to Christ. I'm going to stir you up to know
God, to know God in Christ. to know the Lord Jesus Christ,
to be more acquainted with Him, I'm gonna stir you up. And that's
my duty. My duty every week is to put
you in remembrance of these things. This do in remembrance of me.
You know, I wanna, after I get back, I've gotta go and I'm gonna
do my aunt's funeral tomorrow. When I get back, I want to do
the Lord's Table. It's been on my mind now for weeks, but I've
been trying to wait till I get the opportunity to settle down
and do so. So shortly after I get back,
it'll be either this coming week or next week, I'll take the Lord's
Table. And we're going to do it for
one reason. You know why we're going to do it? He said so. this do in remembrance of me."
I think it's sad that we have to be told to remember. It's
sad that we have to be told to remember Him who died for us,
who loved us, died for us, washed us from our sins, and we've got
to be told to remember Him. If we didn't come back here on
a regular basis, we'd forget Him. We'd grow coal. We would
be like that piece of coal taken out of the fire, set over to
the side here. How long do you think it'd stay
hot? If you take it away from the fire, it's going to start
to smolder, it's going to start to smoke, and it's going to go
out. It's going to lose all of its
heat. It's going to be worthless. And we come here every week to
worship, to give unto Him the glory due unto His name, and
to remember. It's my responsibility to bring to your mind remembrance
of these things. Our need of Christ, who he is
and what he's done for us. And if we're, listen, if I am
negligent, if I'm negligent of this, you will become negligent. You will become spiritually negligent.
You're concerned about your relationship to Christ, about your calling
and election, making it sure you'll become cold and negligent
in that, if I become negligent. I've told you this. I realize
that it's a great part of your growing in grace and in knowledge
of Christ lies with me. Standing here, seeing to it that
I preach Christ crucified, Not just every Sunday, but properly.
Rightly dividing the word of truth. I asked the Lord to help
me to rightly divide the word of truth. But here's one reason
why. Scripture interprets scripture. We're going to see this in a
minute. I don't interpret scriptures. If I do, you're in trouble. But
the scriptures interpret the scriptures. If I cannot take
a scripture and interpret it with other scriptures, I need
to leave it alone until I can. Just leave it alone until the
Lord enables me to do so. And then we need to be continually
reminded of these things that we won't be tossed with every
wind of doctrine that comes along. And there's a lot of it's going
to come along, every wind of doctrine. Somebody, well, I believe
it teaches this. Well, I believe it teaches that.
Well, when we understand the scriptures, and what they teach
and who they teach and their scripture interpreting scripture.
We're not, we are not taken back by all these different doctrines. We're not taken back by. And then he says this, and Peter
says this, and he's saying this in verse 14, in light, you see,
I can hear if you understand what he, where he's coming from,
I can hear the urgency. In his voice, in his writing,
I can hear the urgency. Knowing that shortly, I must
put off this my tabernacle. You know, he doesn't say I must
die. What did Paul say? My departure, my departure is
at hand. And Peter says, I've got to put
off. I'm going to put this body off. You know, it's like me.
It's like me taking this coat off. That's what death is to
the believer. You're just putting off, you're
putting off this old body. He said, I'm going to put off
this tabernacle, this tent that I've been living in for however
many years. I've been living in this tent,
this tabernacle, and I'm going to put it off. Knowing that surely
I must put off this, my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus has showed
me, you know, the Lord told Peter how he was going to die. He told
me they hung him upside down, crucified him upside down. He
told him how he was going to die. And so in writing this,
Peter's writing it as Paul was writing to Timothy, my departure
is at hand. Now, do you hear any complaining?
You hear any fear in his voice? You're hearing trembling? I'll
tell you what you hear. You hear the same thing that
you could hear in Paul's writing, an earnestness to the ones he's
writing to. I want you, he said, oh, I want
you to remember this. When I'm gone, I'm gone. When
I'm gone, when I put off this body and the Lord takes me home,
I want you to be, I want you to be able to remember what I've
taught you. And I thank God we have what
he wrote. We have what he wrote. And it's for us. The nearness of death, as someone
wrote, ought to make us so earnest and diligent in making our calling
and election sure. The nearness of death, the nearness
of leaving this life should make us earnest in these things. Moreover,
he says in verse 15, I'm going to wind this up, I will, moreover,
I will endeavor that you may be able after my decease, after
my leaving, to have these things always in remembrance. This is
what I want to leave you with. Someone said to me one time,
what kind of legacy do you want to leave? And I said, really?
Me? What kind of legacy? I said, here's what I want to
leave, the gospel. I told him, I said, this is what I want to
leave. This is what I want to leave my children, my grandchildren.
This is what I want to leave to you, your children, your grandchildren,
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's all I want to
leave. You can forget about me. You
can forget about me, but don't forget about him. That's what
he's saying. You know, we cannot guarantee,
no one can guarantee this, how long this church will go on.
This congregation here, the gospel, this priest here, we can't guarantee
that. That's in God's hands. But I tell you what we can do,
we can lay a foundation. We can lay a foundation, as Paul
called it, of gold, silver, and precious stones. We can lay a
foundation where our children, our children's
children, can come here and hear the gospel. And Jesus Christ
is that foundation. No other foundation can a man
lay than that which is laid, Jesus Christ our Lord. He's that
foundation. And I pray that after I'm gone,
that God will raise up another one to keep this going for years
to come. But that's in God's hands. That's
in his hands. And then he says in verse 16
and 18, for we have not followed cunningly devised fables. What
I'm writing to you, and he was writing to him, not only what
he had been taught by the Lord Jesus Christ, but what the Lord
had taught him out of the Old Testament scriptures. You know,
he saw Christ in all those types of pictures. He said, We have
not followed cunningly, cunningly crafty devised fables, when we
made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. Peter says, I
saw his majesty. For he received from God the
Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from
the excellent glory. This is my beloved son in whom
I'm well pleased. And this voice which came from
heaven, we heard when we were with him in the Holy Mount. When
Moses and Elijah stood there and the Lord was transfigured
and they saw his clothes glistening, Peter said, I was there. I was
there. I saw it. But she said, there's
a more sure word of prophecy than my witness of being there
that day and seeing it. And the more sure word of prophecy
is the Word of God, the Old Testament and Revelation in the New Testament
that the Lord gave to them. What do you want to see? A vision?
Or you want to see God reveal the truth of His Word to you?
I want His Word. I want His Word. That's what
I want. I don't want a vision. I want His Word. The gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ is not something they sat down and came
up with. It's not something they received
by tradition. It's not a fable. It's not like
Greek mythology. He says here that it came of
old time, the Old Testament. The gospel we preach now is in
agreement with the Old Testament. Christ is the Passover lamb who
was sacrificed for us. That Passover lamb that was established
there in Exodus 12 when Israel went out of Egypt, that is a
picture of Jesus Christ. No one was ever saved by that
Passover lamb back then. We're not saved by the blood
of bulls and goats, we're saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.
And Peter saw that. And Peter says, look to the scriptures,
study the scriptures. What Paul tell Timothy, bring
me the parchments, the books, bring me the scriptures. Give
me the word of God. Give me the word of God. He says,
we have in verse 19, we have also a more sure word of prophecy
where unto ye do well to take heed as unto a light that shineth
in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star rise in
your hearts. We have a better foundation and more sure evidence
of Christ in the gospel and the scriptures than any place else
than any eyewitness any eyewitness he says in verse 20 and 21 now
no scripture is of is of any man's let me see here where i'm
find this let me read i've got to paraphrase here it means in verse 19 we have
also a more sure word of prophecy where until you do well you take
heed as into a light that shineth in the dark place until the day
dawn and the day star rise in your hearts knowing this first
that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation
no scripture stands alone no scripture there's a lot of scripture
in here aren't isn't there this is a thick book a lot of scripture
but not one of them stands alone They don't stand alone. No prophecy,
no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man. Nobody just sat down and added
to this and wrote this. Nobody did. But holy men of God,
men chosen of God, spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The word of this book, the word of God is God breathed. This
is the Word of God. This is it. This is His Word. Satan would like to confuse it.
He'd like to confuse it. I heard Henry say this in a message
here just a couple weeks ago. He said, we have all these different
translations trying to make the Word of God easier to read, easier
to understand without believing it. Boy, I thought that was a
powerful statement. to make it easier to read and
understand without believing it. That's powerful. You can't
understand no matter how elementary you make it unless God Almighty
reveals himself to you. You cannot know God. You cannot
know Jesus Christ until he makes himself known to you through
the scriptures, through the scriptures. All right.