2 Peter 1:9-11 – Truing Your Christianity – Bible study

2Peter 1:9-11 Truing Your Christianity Peter lived in a time period when there were few mechanical aids; but if you did use such an item, it had to be true or else it could lead to disastrous consequences. For example, a compass might be used on a ship but if it were off just a little bit, the ship might never been seen again. Personally, I have little patience for things that wont work when I count on them. I will throw a watch that is just a little bit off away rather than use it. I dont know much about truing a compass, but before hunters begin a season, they usually take their rifles out and sight them to be certain their gun shoots true. As Christians, we need to be true and we need to make certain that the things we trust are true. I. \#2Peter 1:9-11\ Peter desired that they have a true Christianity. A. Peter had a genuine concern that some might not have been born again. 1. \#2Peter 1:9\ Peter describes some that lack the evidences of salvation as being "blind, not able to see far off, and that they had forgotten their purging from sins." a. To be honest, that sounds like a mix of saved and lost people. b. To be BLIND and unable to SEE AFAR OFF sounds like a lost person. c. To have FORGOTTEN THAT HE WAS PURGED FROM SINS sounds like a backslidden but saved person. d. The truth of the matter is that mix is exactly what we find in a church – some saved, some saved and backslidden, and some lost. 2. \#2Peter 1:10\ Peter then encourages those people to give due effort to insure that they have truly been born again. 3. We will mention some of the characteristics of a Christian in a moment. 4. However, we first need to understand the possibility that not everyone who sits on a church pew is a Christian! B. The possibility that the unregenerated could be part of a religious gathering is not exclusive to Peters writings. 1. The Apostle Paul warned of it. 2Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 2. The Apostle John warned of it. 1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 3. Paul, John, and Peter appeared to have gotten it from Jesus. John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. Matthew 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 4. When you have this many Bible writers indicating it is possible, we had better take the possibility seriously. C. Get the point. 1. If you are saved and living a changed life, you will likely know it. (a) If you were changed, it was most probably the power of Christ for nothing else could change you and last. (b) Anyone who has experienced that, probably knows it. 2. But if you are not living right and think you are saved, Peter is saying that you might still be lost. 3. The one and only true proof of salvation is a changed life NOW. 4. If there has been no change in your life, there has been no Christ in your life. 5. Peters challenge is that you give due diligence to make certain that what you call Christianity is true because your ENTRANCE INTO GODS KINGDOM is depending upon it. II. \#2Peter 1:3-8\ Peter desired that they have a true change. A. As stated, the proof of salvation is a changed life NOW. 1. \#2Peter 1:3\ The changed life is a result of coming into contact with the DIVINE POWER. 2. That means, you met God. 3. Nobody meets God and walks away the same. Nobody. 4. Why? B. \#2Peter 1:4\ Because God imparts to you His DIVINE NATURE. 1. I believe that John is mentioning this same encounter but uses a different name. 1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 2. My own belief is that both of these verses are speaking of the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. 3. When you get saved, God moves inside of you and you will never get over it. 4. Peter says that having this DIVINE NATURE will cause the CORRUPTION and the LUSTS that was in you to fall away. C. \#2Peter 1:5-8\ Peter then describes some of the marks that having this DIVINE NATURE will leave IN you. 1. \#2Peter 1:5\ He starts with FAITH. a. You will have the ability to see the things of God and to trust in them. b. The reason Peter starts with faith is because you must have faith to be saved. c. The faith you have will certainly grow after salvation but there is no salvation with some faith. 2. To that, the Holy Spirit adds VIRTUE. a. VIRTUE is PURITY, MORAL EXCELLENCE. b. It is quite possible that a new convert may have had no purity at all before salvation. c. If so, the change that this salvation would have brought would be quite astounding. 3. To that, the Holy Spirit adds KNOWLEDGE. a. There are two sources of knowledge. (1) The Bible – which most new converts would have to spend time in to begin to gain knowledge. (2) The Holy Ghost Himself – I remember a new convert (Jeff Fulmer) giving his testimony once that he had not been saved very long, went over to a neighbors house and things were going on that should not. He could not explain it, but he knew he had to get out of there. He came to understand that it was the Holy Ghost telling him what he needed to know and do. b. Having this kind of awareness or knowledge is a real evidence that God is living inside of you. 4. \#2Peter 1:6\ To that, the Holy Spirit adds TEMPERANCE. a. TEMPERANCE is SELF CONTROL. b. Few of us had that before salvation. c. A lady that I have worked with at both hotels for several years now was speaking to a hotel patron about me. She described me as always happy and wide-eyed when I come to work. That sparked a conversation about what Jesus has done for me. I mentioned that I had a problem with my temper and she seemed shocked. She described me as being so CONTROLLED. d. Such is the change that Jesus brings. 5. PATIENCE – The ability to wait without anxiety a. Again, not a very common quality in the nature of mankind. b. However, it becomes a common mark of the believer. 6. GODLINESS – Being GOD LIKE in character and attitude 7. \#2Peter 1:7\ BROTHERLY KINDNESS a. Kindness is the lubricant that makes fellowship possible. b. It is a combination of being forgiving, compassionate, thoughtful, forbearing, and merciful all rolled up into one. c. But the meaning is added to by having the word BROTHERLY attached to it. (1) A BROTHER is supposed to be helpful and watchful. (2) God gives brothers to protect and guide. d. So the KINDNESS that a Christian has manifests itself by helping others be more like Jesus. 8. CHARITY – CHARITY is a GIVING LOVE. D. \#2Peter 1:9\ These eight characteristics are the ones that Peter says should be in you or else you need to diligently check on your salvation. 1. These are not optional qualities in the life of a Christian. 2. They are the marks that Christ is in you. 3. If you dont have them, you better serious find out why. III. \#2Peter 1:14-21\ Peter desired that they have the true Word. A. \#2Peter 1:14\ Peter knew that the time of his death was near. 1. \#2Peter 1:18\ Peter is actually remembering the experience he, James, and John had when they heard the voice of God on the Mount of Transfiguration. 2. That must have been a glorious experience, both seeing Jesus with a touch of His glory and hearing the voice of God. B. \#2Peter 1:19\ Yet, Peter says that we have something more SURE, that is more reliable or TRUE, than hearing God speak to us in an audible voice. 1. Whats wrong with an audible voice? a. An audible voice can be misunderstood. b. An audible voice can only be heard once. c. An audible voice can seldom be verified. 2. What do we have that is more reliable than the audible voice of God? 3. We have the inspired, preserved Word of God. C. Peter wanted to make certain that the believers had the TRUE WORD. 1. Christians need to be more careful that they have the true Word of God today than they have since the invention of the Gutenberg Press in the 1400s. 2. I am not a scholar in Greek or Hebrew, but I dont see that we have to be. 3. For me, the issue of which Bible translation is best breaks down to four thoughts: a. The manuscripts that the King James Bible were translated from have been used by the church consecutively since the New Testament Church began, while all the modern translations are being heavily influenced by manuscripts that the church rejected until the 1800 and 1900s. b. God has placed His seal of approval upon the King James Bible by using it to spark great revivals. (1) The Great Awakening of the 1700s. (Including the meetings of Jonathan Edwards, George Whitfield, John Wesley, and David Brainerd) (2) The Second Great Awakening of the 1800s. (Including the Kentucky revivals, Charles Finney) (3) The Welsh Revival of the 1800 and 1900s. (Some 15 different revivals) (4) The early 20th century revivals which swept across America, England, Africa, and Korea) (5) The mid-20th century revivals which swept across Scotland, Argentina, America, and Canada. c. To my knowledge, every modern-day translation uses the thought-for-thought translation method instead of the word- for-word method. d. The companies and businesses which are producing many of the modern-day translations are of questionable character. (1) I have read many times that a known homosexual was on the translating committee of the NIV. (2) The NIVs publishing company, Zondervan Publishing, has produced the TNIV, a gender-neutral Bible version. IV. \#2Peter 2:1\ Peter desired that they have a true preacher. A. As there were false prophets among the Jews, so there are false preachers among the Christians. 1. To anyone with an ounce of Bible knowledge, some will be obvious. 2. \#2Peter 2:1\ Their DAMNABLE HERESIES, even to the place of DENYING THE LORD THAT BOUGHT THEM will make them easy to pick out. 3. However, Jude tells us some will not be so obvious: Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. B. There are some signs to watch for, some indicators that you do not have a true preacher. 1. \#2Peter 2:1\ Their false doctrine – That is why you need a true Bible to see if they are teaching the truth or not. 2. \#2Peter 2:3\ Their COVETOUS hearts which make MERCHANDISE OF the people of God. 3. \#2Peter 2:10-11\ They walk after the flesh (carnal) a. They are filled with LUST. b. They DESPISE GOVERNMENT. c. They are PRESUMPTUOUS. d. They are SELF-WILLED (stubborn) e. \#2Peter 2:11\ They SPEAK EVIL OF DIGNITIES. 4. \#2Peter 2:14\ They are bound by SIN and prey on the simple. 2Peter 2:14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 5. \#2Peter 2:18\ They speak great words but have no MESSAGE. a. Their message is filled with WANTONNESS and LUSTS or satisfying your desires and getting what you want. b. Theirs is a selfish, self-gratifying message. 6. \#2Peter 2:19\ They preach LIBERTY, but themselves are the servants of sin. I spoke of the need for a reliable compass as I began this message. You and I are the compasses that the lost world is looking to to lead them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Have you been true? Are the things you are trusting true? If not, you may face the awful scenario of leading someone else astray.