Turn with me in your Bibles to 2 Peter chapter 1.

I heard a preacher tell a story to illustrate a point – and I liked the story at first, but now don’t know about it. A young man wanted to be a dealer in Jade, so he went to an expert in Jade to learn all he could about it. He asked this wise old Jade dealer to apprentice him – and the old man agreed. He asked the young man to come back the next morning. When he did, the old man put a piece of Jade in the young man’s hand … then he began to talk about his life. As the old man rambled on as old people often do, the young man became impatient. “What does this have to do with Jade?”, he asked. The old man assured him that, in time, it would all make sense. He then began to ramble on about his life. At the end of the day, the young man returned the Jade to the old man, and went home, promising to return the next day.

Day after day the same thing happened. The young man would come to the old man’s business, he would hand him a piece of jade to hold tightly in his hand. Then the old man would ramble, telling stories about his life. This went on for about three weeks, and the young man had become so frustrated that he was about to quit. But one day he went in and the old man slipped a piece of Jade into his hand …. but it WASN’T. It didn’t feel right. The weight was off. It was too porous

The moral of that story – so the preacher said – was Jade and the Gospel Salvation offered by Christ are the same. Like Jade, you need to receive the Gospel, and hold on to it to know its truth. There is some truth to this, for you will never know the blessings of Christ unless you follow Christ. You must receive Him and love Him.

Prior to salvation we must submit to Jesus when He calls us, saying “Follow Me”. We surrender to Him. We GRASP THE CROSS and hold it in our hearts.

We willingly become “slaves of God”, as we studied last week. However, once we are saved we are NURTURED and GROW as Christians THROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. That’s what we read in our text today.

2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The Believer in Christ HAS BEEN Saved,
IS BEING Saved, and WILL BE Saved.

Return to the first words of our focal text. Read:

2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord

What does God offer to us in the glorious Gospel, this “Amazing Grace”? God offers us GRACE and PEACE. The order of these words is important. It is always GRACE first, THEN PEACE. You will never see PEACE then GRACE – ever! This is a common theme in Scripture. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 1:3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I could go on and on. Seventeen times in the New Testament this pattern is repeated. There is first GRACE, then PEACE. Now what does it mean by PEACE?

I was listening to some of the newer, modern day “Christian” songs the other day when I spotted numerous errors. I love the music of artist Tauren Wells. His recent song “Crazy About You” is a love song to God. Some of the lyrics are:

“He’s crazy about you
Died so you didn’t have to
Tore your failure apart
Now He wears your scars
That’s how much He loves you
He’s never been mad at you
He’s only been madly in love
And it’s never been about what you do
It’s always been about what He’s done
It’s something you just can’t hear enough
Oh, He’s crazy about you
Didn’t wanna live without you
He traded the stars for a chance at your heart
Just to show you it’s true”

Is that what the Bible says? No, I’m sorry, but that’s not what it says. The Bible does say:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God gave us GRACE through His Son’s death and resurrection. But why was GRACE necessary if “God’s never been mad at you, He’s only been madly in love”? Why did Jesus suffer so horribly on Calvary if God has been happy with us all? What a cruelty that would be. The very next words of Jesus to Nicodemus are:

John 3:17-18 (ESV) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Another artist named Zach Williams sang Heart of God:

“I know you’re hurtin’, I can see it in your eyes
So pull back the curtain and take off your disguise
Whoever told you, you ain’t worth the fight
The cross tells a story that’ll change your mind
‘Cause there’s only love in the heart of God
No room for shame in His open arms
There’s beauty from ashes, so come as you are
And there’s only love in the heart of God
Come, prodigal children, it’s never too late
Run home to the Father,
let Him clothe you with grace
And bury your burdens, break free from your fear
Step out of the shadows, there’s no judgment here”

So close to being true … but THERE IS JUDGMENT HERE. The Bible depicts God as a HOLY God Who is ANGERED by sin. The Bible tells us that God is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. The Prophet Isaiah looked into Heaven and saw the Angels flying about the Throne of God, crying …

“Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of Hosts: The whole
earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3)

and John the Revelator looked into Heaven and saw four powerful angels that never rested night nor day, but said,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is,
and is to come”. (Revelation 4:8)

God is Holy, and Righteous, and Just – and we are NOT. We are all unnaturally separated from God by our sins. We are born broken. This is the bad news. But the good news is that our God has made a way for all through Christ. The Bible describes salvation as an act of GRACE that even Abraham, that grand Old Testament Saint, enjoyed. The Bible says:

Romans 4:20-5:1 (ESV) No unbelief made {Abraham} waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Illustration God does have judgment against sin. But rather than destroy us, He gave His Son in our place. He could have drowned us, but He gave us an Ark. He calls us to come, to get on that Ark, to surrender our lives to the Ark. When Noah got on the Ark, God sealed it. Noah couldn’t steer it – he could only remain in it, trusting, waiting. Noah couldn’t escape judgment by swimming next to the Ark. He had to be IN the Ark.

You are either IN the Ark, IN Christ, or you are UNDER the condemnation of God!

Christ came to Abraham and said, “Follow Me”, and believing the Pre-Incarnate Christ Abraham was saved by Grace. When Jesus comes to the person and says “Follow Me”, when we hear His Voice and follow Him, surrendered as Abraham was, we are justified by faith. We are made right with God because of our faith in Jesus. And Beloved, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. No longer are we at war with God. No longer do we walk in darkness as a normal way of life. Spirit indwelt, we seek to follow Jesus daily.

One day at a time, one step at a time. Back to our focal text.

2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord

Grace and peace are not stagnant. You don’t just get saved, then drift your way to Heaven.

Salvation is a POSITION.
Salvation is a PROGRESSION.
Salvation is a PROMISE.

When you are SAVED – that is, when you hear Jesus say “Follow Me” and you begin to walk with Him in the Light of God, then your POSITION changes. Like Simon Peter, we are now “Servants – Doulos – of Jesus Christ”. We once served sin – we now serve our Savior. We seek to please Him. We are also sons of God. The Scripture says:

Galatians 4:6 (NKJV) And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

The Christian has a unique relationship with God because of Jesus Christ. We are no longer servants of sin, but are servants and sons of the Most High God. Those who profess to be saved but revel in sin and darkness are only deluding themselves. The Bible says:

Romans 6:16-18 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

If a person say “I am a Christian” and yet refuse to obey God, but choose to act as a lost soul, that person is still a lost soul. The Christian wants to grow in grace and peace. How do you grow in Grace and Peace? Again, our focal text:

2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord

Word Study Grace and peace are MULTIPLIED (Greek plēthynō, to increase or abound) THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE of God and of Jesus. We gain this knowledge through the Bible, God’s Word. Jesus prayed for His Church in

John 17:17 Sanctify your Church through YOUR TRUTH, O God: Your Word is TRUTH.

As God the Son never second guessed His Father, neither do we second guess our Father. What He has said is TRUE. We need to study this Book, and let it have its effect on us to make us more like sons of God. God wants us to be STRONG in our faith.

As the salmon swims upstream to get to its birthplace to spawn and die, the Christian will swim against the currents of this world to get to Him Who gave us life!

I heard Adrian Rogers put it this way:

“The faith that FIZZLES before the FINISH
was FALSE faith from the FIRST!”

If you are truly in Christ, you will remain with Christ. HE IS YOUR LORD.

Our Father Has Given Us All That We Need To Grow

2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

God did not call us to salvation, then leave us on our own. God our Father “hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness”. Now some would read this text and add “Eternal” before the word “life” had God not added the words “and godliness”. Pastor Paul Tripp stated:

“This passage is describing the ‘here and now’ benefits of our salvation. Listen, it’s not enough for us to believe in life after death – we need to start believing in life before death. If we understand our identity that we’ve been given in Christ, we can live filled with hope and courage. Christ has not just forgiven you. He has completely and fundamentally changed who you are, and because of that, you can live in a very new and different way.

If you remember that in your marriage, if you remember that in your job, if you remember that as you face the situations and relationships of life, it will make a tremendous difference in the way that you live. You’ll begin to produce new and surprising fruit, and you’ll be used by God to help others remember their identity.”

What did the Old Testament Saint have under the Law of Moses? When they sinned, they had to take an animal sacrifice to the Temple – often several days journey – and have a priest kill it, and sprinkle its blood over them. But the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ did not enter the Temple in Jerusalem, but entered into Heaven itself. Jesus did not enter with the blood of animals, but

Hebrews 9:12 … He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

You cannot learn this by feelings, but by knowledge of God’s Word. It was no fallen man who stood before God for you, but the Son of Man, the Messiah, Jesus Christ the Son of God. The Scripture says:

Hebrews 9:24-28 (ESV) Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

If you are IN CHRIST, you have been given a COMPLETE SALVATION. “Sin has no dominion over you – YOU ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE” (Romans 6:14). You have a complete salvation.

You not only have a COMPLETE SALVATION, but you have an INDWELLING SPIRIT, a partnership with God.

It is the Holy Spirit Who causes the believer to be “born again”. As we are told in verse 3, “his divine power hath given unto us all things”. We are not Christians because we know more than others. We are Christians because God has made us Godly. The Bible says:

Romans 8:9 (AP) … if ANY PERSON DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, they do not belong to God

Christians are saved by faith in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We As Believers Can Rest In The Promises Of God

2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

I am told there are some 300,000 promises of God in the Scripture for His Children. He saved us so that we might make a difference in the world. Jesus said in:

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Jesus Christ called us into the Family of God to shine for Him, to make a difference. We are not called to be a part of the fallen world, but to be a grace oriented people. We can give by teaspooons, or we can give by gallons. The more you follow Christ, reaching out, loving, being the Children of God, the greater blessing you will bring yourself and others.

J Hudson Taylor felt led of God to bring Christ to inland China. Church Times notes:

“IT WAS in June 1865, while walking alone on the Brighton {Beach in England}, that Hudson Taylor, as he later wrote, “surrendered myself to God for this service” – to lead the mission to Christianise inland China. “I told {God} that all the responsibility must rest with Him.” He prayed for 24 fellow workers, two for each of 11 inland provinces that were without a missionary, and two for Mongolia. He then opened a bank account under the name “China Inland Mission” with “ten pounds and all the promises of God”. The {China Inland Mission} was born.”

Are you saved? God wants to nurture you, to use you to bring ligjht into this dark world. Theologian J.I. Packer said:

“There’s a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. When you truly know God, you have energy to serve Him, boldness to share Him, and contentment in Him.”

Do you know Him? If you do not, today is the day to come follow Christ with us. Do not delay. God has given you time to choose – choose Jesus Who gives life. May God the Holy Spirit move on your hearts this day. Amen and Amen.