Sunday School 10:00 a.m.
As you enter the education building on the Heyward Street side
church. Members and pastor will be in the foyer to assist you in getting
to the classroom you maybe looking for or tell us a bit about yourself
and we will walk you to an appropriate class.
Young Adult Class - First floor of education building, held in church
parlor.
Bible Moths Adult Class - Moths devour things! Our goal is to
devour scripture. You will feel comfortable in this class! This is not a
lecture class. We discuss the scriptures and how we can apply it to our
daily lives.
Lindsay Poteat's International Sunday School Lesson for November 22, 2009
Sunday School Lesson ©
2009RightlyDivided.net All Rights Reserved Study notes for November
22, 2009.This lesson is an outreach ministry of Poplar Springs
Baptist Church, Taylorsville, North Carolina.
You are welcomed to provide your
thoughts on the lesson.
Thanks
International Sunday School
Lesson November 22, 2009
PDF
Lesson Text: 2 Peter 1:3-15
Lesson Title: A Faithful People
Introduction
Second Peter was written for the purpose of exposing false
teachers in the church. Some in Peter’s day as in our day, claimed to
represent the truth but were actually teachers of error. Peter
instructed Christians how to defend themselves against these false
teachers and their deceptive lies. Only the book of Jude deals with
false teachers in a greater way.
Another of Peter’s purposes in writing his second epistle is to stress
our need to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). The word “know” or “knowledge” is used
some thirteen times in this epistle. It means more than intellectual
knowledge. It refers to our living relationship with Jesus Christ which
began when we were saved. There is no way possible for anyone to be
faithful to the Lord without first having a saving relationship with
Him. Religion, rules, or a method of life cannot produce genuine
biblical faithfulness.
Giving and Faithfulness (2 Peter 1:3-4)
Our lesson today shows the connection between God’s faithfulness to us
and our need to be faithful to Him. We were reminded in 2 Peter 1:1-2
that salvation comes through the righteousness of Christ, which is His
gift to us. All we can do is receive salvation by faith as a gift of
God. God’s power and promises are also gifts that we did nothing to
earn. We could not be faithful if we were not recipients of God’s
giving. The words “hath given” in verse 3 and “are given” verse 4, lay
the ground work for a life of faithfulness. However, after salvation is
received, we who are in God’s covenant community are expected be a
faithful people, growing and maturity in the likeness of Jesus Christ.
Faith in Christ gives us all the power we need to be a faithful people.
God has given so we can be faithful.
Verse 3
When you were saved, you were saved with all the capacities and all the
potentials that God could possibly pour into you as a born again
believer in Christ. You have it “all.” Nothing has to be humanly added!
“And ye are complete in him” (Colossians 2:10). And how is that
possible? “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things…”
is the answer and it means that “his” or, “Christ’s” “divine power” is
the source of the believer’s sufficiency. When you know Jesus Christ
personally, you also experience God’s power, and God’s power produces
“life and godliness.” “Hath given” (2 Peter 1:3) denotes continuous
action. It simply means that it began back there at a definite point and
a definite time and continues today.
Like so many false teachers today, some in Peter’s day were teaching
that the believers needed to “add” something to their new faith. They
claimed to have some “secret” or some “special doctrine” that would
enhance the Christian experience. It seems today that the gospel must be
“spruced up” by “adding” experiences, feelings, revelations, and a host
of other things created by man. But Peter knew nothing could be added.
Illus. It has become a normal thing for manufactures to have recalls on
their products for various reasons. It may be for safety reasons,
performance reasons, or simply because there may appear to be a problem.
God never has recalled a child of God who has been biblically born again
because something is lacking or faulty! His products will last
(Philippians 1:6).
“Life and godliness” are two different things (2 Peter 1:3). “Life” is
the internal life that God placed without you when He saved you.
“Godliness” is the eternal manifestation of that internal life. In other
words, when you were saved you received everything you needed on the
inside to change you on the outside. “Through the knowledge of him that
hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3) means that when you
came to the genuine realization of the salvation you received in Christ,
you knew you had everything you needed to live a godly life and be
faithful to the Lord. “Glory and virtue” are parallels to “life and
godliness.” “Glory” is the indwelling presence of God inside the
believer. “Virtue” is being like Christ on the outside. It is to this
faithful life believers are “called.”
Note: It’s amazing to listen to believers pray and ask the Lord for
things they already have. Try writing out a prayer and then go back and
see how many things you asked for that the Lord has already given you.
Verse 4
Believers should be faithful because Christ makes God’s
promises real to us. It is not that Christ gives us new promises or
greater promises; He just guarantees that everything God promised us
will come to pass. “Promises” refer to all God’s salvation promises
contained in the Old and New Testament. The promises given by Christ are
“exceeding great and precious.” They are “great” because they come from
a great Savior. They are “precious” because no value can be placed upon
them.
“Whereby” and “by these” remind us that the promises are given so that
“ye might be partakers of the divine nature…” (2 Peter 1:4). “Are given”
as with “hath given” (2 Peter 1:3) describes a past action with
continuing affects. When a sinner is saved, the Holy Spirit uses the
Word of God to place new life within the believer and the nature of God.
Believers are “partakers” which means we share in the very life that
belongs to God. This is possible because believers “have escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). In Christ
believers completely “escape” the effects of sin (Philippians 3:20-21).
“Escape” implies escaping from the cell of the condemned and pictures
one completely safe from destruction. “Corruption” refers to a
decomposing body and describes the rottenness of sin from which the
believer has been delivered. “Lust” is the evil desire of those lost in
the world which is at the heart of resulting “corruption.”
The false teachers of Peter’s day were teaching that religious knowledge
could lift people above the need for faithfulness to God and moral
living. But Peter wanted his readers to know that only through saving
knowledge of Jesus Christ can man receive what he needs to live a
faithful and godly life (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Adding and Faithfulness (2 Peter 1:5-11)
Peter does not ask the believer to do anything until he has told us what
Christ has done for us in the first four verses. Salvation does not ask
us to do anything; it first proclaims that Christ has done everything
for us. No “additives” needed for salvation. The very fact of Christ’s
power and promises which we have seen in the previous verses should have
a sanctifying effect upon believers and encourage growth in Christ. Now,
we are ready to grow as Peter describes in verses 5-11.
Verse 5
“And beside this…” or, “for this reason, because of this” believers
should “give all diligence” or, “put forth the best effort toward living
for Christ. Because we have “obtained like precious faith” (2 Peter 1:1)
and “according to his divine power” (2 Peter 1:3) and because of
Christ’s “exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4) we ought
to be eager to grow and mature in Christ.
“Add” comes from Greek word meaning, “leader of a chorus.” “The chorus
in the beginning was the chorus which took part in the Greek
presentations of drama. The state would appoint somebody who had plenty
of money to pay the expenses of the chorus. He had to pay all of it.
After a while this word chorus came to describe the man who didn’t try
to get by with the least that he could, but one who really went all out
to have the best possible chorus. He gave in super abundance, giving in
overflow measure. This is the way Peter uses the word. We are not to
attempt to squeeze by, but rather give diligence, be eager, in
overflowing measure add to our faith” (Doctor B. Gray Allison, “The King
is Coming,” Messages from 2 Peter, p.12, par. 3).
“Faith” (2 Peter 1:5) refers to saving faith, personal faith and is the
proper place to begin a life of faithfulness to Christ. Faith is
commitment. Not commitment to a set of rules or doctrine but commitment
to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Remember, you can’t “add” to
something you don’t have!
“Virtue” (2 Peter 1:5) means “excellence, courage.” “True virtue in the
Christian life is not polishing human qualities, no matter how fine they
may be, but producing divine qualities that make the person more like
Jesus Christ” (Doctor Warren W. Wiersbe, “Be Alert” p.15, par.1). Peter
is saying, “Add to your faith courage and excellence, and put everything
you have into your new life in Christ.”
“Knowledge (2 Peter 1:5) is the Greek word “gnosis” and is the word for
practical knowledge. It is the knowledge to deal with everyday
situations. Better stated, it is good common horse sense! Common sense
is uncommon in our day. One reason there is such a lack of common sense
today is because of biblical ignorance. Unless the mind and heart are
enlightened by truth, people will continue to make foolish decisions.
Verse 6
“Temperance” (2 Peter 1:6) has the meaning of self-control or
self-mastery. It literally means “the ability to take a grip on
oneself,” holding the passions and desires in hand. Just because someone
is saved doesn’t mean all sinful passions are gone, especially in regard
to sexual desires. Salvation does give the power to live above fleshly
desire and under the Lordship of Jesus Christ gives us mastery over
self.
“Patience” (2 Peter 1:6) means “steadfastness that moves ahead, even in
the face of opposition.” It is the same word “endured” in Hebrews 12:2
when Christ “endured the cross, despising the shame.” Jesus did not just
sit back and say, “all right, I must die.” He looked toward the cross,
He moved toward the cross. This teaches us that we must move ahead no
matter the circumstance or the conditions.
“Godliness” (2 Peter 1:6) presents the picture of the right worship of
God and the right relationship to our fellow man. God’s faithful people
should have a worshipful attitude toward God and be right with our
fellow man. You can’t “add” this to an unsaved life. This can only be
“added” to a life of genuine faith. If “godliness” means “god-likeness”
then what could be godlier than worship and being right with each other.
Salvation has practical consequences and reveals itself in very
practical ways.
Verse 7
“Brotherly kindness” (2 Peter 1:7) is from the Greek word, philadelphia,
referring to the “love of the brethren.” Love for God and love for
others has always been inseparable in the word of God (John 13:35).
“Charity” (2 Peter 1:7) is from the Greek word, agape, referring to the
God kind of love, the love which God is as to His nature. This is not a
family kind of love or a love that is superficial. This is sacrificial
love, the kind of love God shows to lost sinners. It is a love described
and defined in 1 Corinthians 13.
Note: It is impossible for human nature to manufacture these seven
qualities of Christian character. They must develop from genuine saving
faith as the believer grows in Christ. There are unsaved people who
possess some of these qualities but their qualities point to them
instead of Jesus. When believers produce these qualities it points to
our Lord who lives within us.
Verse 8-9
If the seven qualities Peter just mention are “in” the believer
and “abound” or, “overflow,” Peter says you won’t have to worry about
being “barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Barren” means “idle.” One reason so many of us are “barren” in our
“knowledge of Jesus” is that we just sit still, we don’t “abound” in
these things. We are saved but that’s as far as we have gone. The
believer “that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off,
and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Peter 1:8).
Peter gives us the picture of someone who is nearsighted or
shortsighted. His dim eyes cannot stand the sunlight of God’s Word and
he forgets the joy of having his sins “purged” or washed away. The
person who has forgotten his cleansing is one who is not growing in
Jesus Christ. In other words, a believer who is not “adding” to his
“faith” is going to forfeit assurance of salvation.
Verse 10-11
Peter gives a word of admonition in these verses which basically says to
be sure you have experienced saving faith in Jesus Christ. “Give
diligence” means “urgently make sure and certain.” “Calling and
election” refers to God’s call of sinners to salvation (Romans 11:29).
The same God who elects His people also ordains the means to call them.
The two must go together (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). Election is no
excuse for spiritual immaturity or for a lack of effort in the Christian
life. While it is true that God takes the initiative in man before he
can came to Christ, it is also true that man must be willing for God to
work.
“For if ye do these things, ye shall never fall” means that if the
believer does what is asked of him in verse 5-7, he will never stumble
or come up short but will prove by a consistent life that he is a child
of God. “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into
the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter
1:11) doesn’t mean that if you don’t grow you won’t get into the
kingdom. It means one who is saved, growing, adding, and producing will
enjoy the good things of God while on his way to the kingdom of Jesus
Christ. I don’t want to just get inside the gates. I want to go in
“abundantly” with a rich heavenly reward!
Remembering and Faithfulness (2 Peter 1:12-15)
Verse 12
Peter’s words in these verses again reveal the deep love he had for his
people. He had a pastor’s heart and a desire to see Christ’s work
completed in them. Peter didn’t write to tell these people what they
didn’t know. He wrote to “put you always in remembrance of these things,
though ye know them…” (2 Peter 1:12). “These things” refers to the great
things Peter had told them of God’s salvation. Peter knew they were
“established in the present truth” but that was no guarantee they would
continue in it. So, he wrote “to put you always in remembrance.” Each of
us need to constantly be reminded to “add” to our faith and grow in
Christ.
Verse 13-14
They only way to be an adding, growing, producing people is to be
reminded. Peter felt it “meet” or, that it was his duty “to stir you up
by putting you in remembrance.” As long as he was “in this tabernacle”
or, alive in this earthly tent, he would “stir up,” arouse or awake
God’s people to their purpose and calling in the Christian life. He knew
he would “shortly put off this my tabernacle” which means he sensed his
time on earth was drawing to a close. How did Peter know this? The “Lord
Jesus Christ hath shewed me” (2 Peter 1:14) was Peter’s words. It is
likely Peter was referring to the conversation he had with Jesus in John
21. While we may not know the exact time of our death, we should take
seriously our life and the God-given opportunity to be faithful to
Christ while we live.
Verse 15
Peter knew he would soon die and he wanted to leave something behind to
encourage the saints. “Endeavour” means that while Peter knew his death
was approaching, he wasn’t about to just sit idly by and do nothing. So,
he left behind this epistle to encourage growth and faithfulness to
Christ. “Decease” (2 Peter 1:15) is the word “exodus” which refers to
the coming out of Egypt by the children of Israel. Peter is not going to
die and cease to exist. He is going to leave this world but he has life
that will never end. That word must have been encouraging to the
persecuted believers to whom he wrote. By leaving them these words they
could “have these things always in remembrance” even after Peter was
gone. What are you leaving behind?
Conclusion
Faithfulness is a lifelong commitment to Jesus Christ. Each of us should
be encouraged by the life of Peter. He had his ups and downs and he
certainly had his share of embarrassing moments in the Christian life.
But this aged saint of God reminds us in today’s lesson that while we
may not have control over our culture or even our own physical bodies,
we can be faithful. And we can have an “abundant entrance” into the
kingdom of Christ.
Pray for strength to add to your faith in the present and ask yourself
what message you’re leaving for those who follow. Make your calling and
election sure and then live each day adding to your faith!
Amen.
Mission team that served in Mexico.
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