God has already given us all things we need for life and godliness. God has given us the tools we need for life. And for living the Christian life.
How do we get them? How did God give us everything we need for life? Verse 3 tells us: Through acknowledgment of God. Through the knowledge of God we get everything we need for life.
But how do we know God? Can we even know God?
One way we get to know God is by knowing His Son. With Jesus in our lives, we get to know more of God.
The Bible also tells us to know God we must spend time trying to know Him.
God has given us all we need for life and godliness. He already did it. All we have to do is know God. Sometimes we may have to seek to know God better to realize some of the things He has given us, to realize that God has, in fact, already given us the "tools" we need.
Because these tools have been already given to us does not mean we know about them all. It is through knowledge of God that we become aware of them.
If you are pulling nails out of a board, you can do it with a screw-driver. Have you ever done that? It takes a long time but you can do it. How sad if you don't know there is a hammer in your tool kit for pulling nails. You spend all that time getting the nail out with a screw-driver and then you look down and say "hey, look at that, i have a hammer!" Through the knowledge of God we find out we have a hammer. It was there all along, but it takes knowing God to know it is there.
2Peter 1:3 according as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who has called us to glory and virtue,
Verse 1:3 says Called to glory and virtue, or glory and goodness, excellence or moral excellence.
Or it says we are called BY glory and moral excellence.
There is some disagreement between these two interpretations. Called "to" or called "by".
The funny thing is, again, we know both are true. God is glory and moral excellence (or virtue) and He calls us that way. And we know we are called "to" those things. We are called to be good, to have moral excellence.
Abundance, wealth, treasure, honor, dignity, splendor, majesty, the infinite perfections of God.
God has called us through those things, and called us to a life of abundance, honor, dignity, majesty.
So let us remember God has already given us all we need for life. All we need to do is to know God, then we will realize He has given us all the tools we need for life.
2Peter 1:3 according as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who has called us to glory and virtue,
What does Glory mean? Abundance, wealth, treasure, honor, dignity, splendor, majesty, the infinite perfections of God.
God has called us through those things, and called us to a life of abundance, honor, dignity, majesty.
Isn't it funny that two of those things are what makes a man a real man? Honor and dignity. Have you ever noticed that nothing else really makes a man a man? Not your size, how often you have to shave, not your age, it is your character that makes you a real man.
And you have known guys like that before. Great big muscular, hairy guys that are old enough to drink and go to the bars, but they act like little kids, they have no maturity.
Then you have known guys that are small in stature, look like they are still 14, and don't need to shave yet. Yet because of the honor and dignity that they live their lives with, they act just like a real man.
Honor and dignity are within the grasp of us all. It is actually what we all wish we had. What we wish we had the strength to possess in ourselves.
How do we get honor and dignity? By doing the right things. If a man truly follows God's desires, God's rules, and does not compromise with sin, he is a man of honor and dignity.
No compromise with sin.
If we wanted to shred our honor and dignity, how would we do that? Compromise. It is always easier to lie when the truth is difficult, it is always easier to steal when we don't have what we want, it is easier to cheat when honesty is more work.
Let me give you some examples:
One guy cheats on his homework or test. (like copying text from a commentary and pasting it into his paper) He gets a good grade.
The other guy works hard, studies and doesn't cheat but gets a lower grade.
The cheater thinks the other guys is dumb for not cheating, but he also realizes that the one who refuses to cheat has integrity, he has honor.
One guy has lots of music on his iPod that he didn't buy. But he knows another guy that will not steal any music at all. He has far less music, but he does have honor and dignity. He didn't steal. No matter if you think everyone in the world should steal music, if someone doesn't, you may think he is weird, but you know he has integrity, dignity and acts honorably.
You know people that will use stolen software or movies. You know it is wrong. If you steal software or movies you know you don't feel like you have integrity, honor or dignity.
All the characteristics of a real man.
And we all know people that refuse to use stolen software or movies. You may think they are weird, or self-righteous, but you know, beyond a doubt, that they are acting with integrity, honor and dignity.
All the characteristics of a real man. Isn't it funny that being a real man means you never take the easy way out?
2 Peter 1:3 according as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who has called us to glory and virtue,
So God has already given us all the tools we need for life, for a godly life. He gave those to us by our knowing Him, sometimes we have to know him better to realize the tools we have. And he called us to glory and virtue. Meaning He has given us all we need to live as real men with honor and dignity.
So today, let's choose to be honorable, let's choose to have integrity and dignity.
2 Peter 1:3 according as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who has called us to glory and virtue,
2 Peter 1:4 through which He has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
In verse 3 we looked at: God has already given us all things we need for life and godliness. God has given us the tools we need for life. And for living the Christian life.
and
That Honor and dignity are what makes a man a real man.
and
We get honor and dignity by doing the right things. If a man truly follows God's desires, God's rules, and does not compromise with sin, he is a man of honor and dignity.
Now we look at verse 4: 2Peter 1:4 through which He has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Can you think of some precious promises from God? Promises that pertain to life and godliness, promises that allow us to "partake of the devine nature" (become partners, we become closer to God) and promises that allow us to escape the corruption of the world?
I thought of a few promises that for me pertain to life and godliness. Promises that God has given to us to empower us to live, and to empower us to reach for godliness. Promises that help us to be more holy and to escape the sinfulness of the world.
Let your way of life be without the love of money, and be content with such things as you have, for He has said, "Not at all will I leave you, not at all will I forsake you, never!" Hebrews 13:5
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
and
Have you not known? Have you not heard, that the everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not grow weak nor weary? There is no searching of His understanding. 40:29 He gives power to the weary; and to him with no vigor; He increases strength. 40:30 Even the young shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; 40:31 but those who wait on Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:28
God has given you everything you need for life, you only have to seek knowledge of Him. And He has given us many promises, precious, wonderful, great and marvelous promises.