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A Flourishing & Fruitful Faith

1 & 2 Peter: Our Living Hope

Pastor Jim Thomas

2 Peter 1

We nurture a flourishing and fruitful faith when we:

1. Rely on the power of God and His faithful promises v1-4
2. Respond to the exhortation to work out our salvation v5-7
3. Review the evidence of our election v8—15
4. Read the scriptures and remember, it’s all about Jesus v16-21

1. Rely on the power of God and His faithful promises (verses 1-4)

“The list begins with faith and ends with love. That agrees with the rest of the New Testament: confidence in God’s promises is the way we plug into God’s power, and love (even for our enemies) is the goal and sum of life, the light of the world that shows others the way into the kingdom.” 
John Piper

2. Respond to the exhortation to supply our faith with Christian virtues (verses 5-7)

“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:12-13

“A holy life isn’t the automatic consequence of reading the right books, listening to the right tapes, or attending the right meetings. It’s the result of a living, loving union with Jesus Christ and a life marked by godly discipline.”
Warren Wiersbe, On Being a Servant of God

3. Review the evidence of our election (verses 8—15)

“If you stop and say, ‘I want to know first whether I am elect,’ you ask you know not what…  Christ was at the everlasting council: He can tell you whether you were chosen or not; but you cannot find it out in any other way.  Go and put your trust in Him, and His answer will be — ‘I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.’  There will be no doubt about his having chosen you, when you have chosen him.”
C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening

“My fear is that as we rightly celebrate, and in some quarters rediscover, all that Christ has saved us from, we are giving little thought and making little effort concerning all that Christ has saved us to. Shouldn’t those most passionate about the gospel and God’s glory also be those most dedicated to the pursuit of godliness? I worry that there is an enthusiasm gap and no one seems to mind.”
Kevin DeYoung, The Hole in Our Holiness

“A holy person’s motivating aim, passion, desire, longing, aspiration, goal, and drive is to please God, both by what one does and by what one avoids doing.”
J. I. Packer, Rediscovering Holiness

4. Read the scriptures and keep in mind, it’s all about Jesus (verses 16-21)

“Ultimately it comes down to this, that the real cause of our trouble is failure to realize our union with Christ. Many seem to think that Christianity means that we are delivered in that sense that our sins are forgiven. But that is only the beginning, but one aspect of it. Essentially salvation means union with Christ, being one with Christ.” 
Martyn Lloyd-Jones

The Enemy of our souls reminds us of our failures:

• “Though everyone else forsakes you, I never will” 
• “You’ll never wash my feet” 
• “I don’t know what you are talking about. I don’t know the man!”

The scriptures and the Holy Spirit remind us of the faithfulness of Jesus:

• “Follow me!” 
• “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
• “Feed my sheep”
• “I will return and set all things right.”