Pursue Holiness
Wait Patiently for Jesus’ Return
Grow in Grace
2 Peter 3:17-18

Application from 2 Peter 3:17-18

1. Your union with Christ is the most important aspect of your spiritual growth – believe it and grow in your understanding of who you are in Christ (2 Peter 1:1-4; Romans 6:1-14; Colossians 3:1-4)

2. Spiritual disciplines are necessary for spiritual growth (2 Peter 1:5-15; 1 Timothy 4:7)

3. The Word-filled life is the Spirit-filled life (2 Peter 1:16-21; Colossians 3:16)

4. Discipline your mind to reject culturally driven heresies, especially creation- order heresies (2 Peter 2:1-22; Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15-17)

5. Pursue holiness and wait patiently for Jesus’ return (2 Peter 3:1-17; 1 John 3:1-3)

6. Grow in grace! (2 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 4:15)

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Romans 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

The title Christian is only used three times in the NT. At least two of those times seem to have been used derisively. Yet, our union with Christ in terms such as “in Christ,” “in the Lord,” “united with Christ” appears more than 200 times in the NT.

Remember your baptism!

Mike Calhoun: Decisions do not change your life. Decisions change your direction. Disciplines change your life.

1 Timothy 4:7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness. (ESV)

. . . rather, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. (NASB)

We do not commit to disciplines so that we might be saved, but because we are saved. We do not commit to disciplines to win favor, but because God’s favor rests on us through Jesus.

The Bible is not two stories; it is one story – one book with two chapters.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Denton White: The Holy Spirit and Scripture are inextricably linked.

The word “knowledge” is used at least six times in 2 Peter and there is much more in the book about the lessons we should take from Scripture for how to live.

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Spiritual growth occurs, not in isolation, but in the body of Christ, in the church. If spiritual growth seems a bit much for you, know that you are not alone in this life, on this pilgrim journey. We were not meant to serve on our own, to learn on our own, to understand on our own, and we surely cannot grow spiritually on our own.