Evidence of Fruitfulness
Spiritual Maturity • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 2 viewsThis message will build upon last Sunday night’s development of the characteristics of God that should be present in his people.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
This morning, we will build upon the foundation we worked our way through last Sunday night.
Spiritual maturity, we can now say three definitive things about:
It is the God-given responsibility of every believer.
It is the “addition” of the characteristics of God/Christ in the life.
It comes through a more complete knowledge of God/Christ through the study of the scriptures.
According to 2 Peter, God has graciously granted to us all things “toward life and godliness.”
2 Peter 1:3.
2 Peter 1:4: “διʼ ὧν τὰ τίμια καὶ μέγιστα ἡμῖν ἐπαγγέλματα δεδώρηται, ἵνα διὰ τούτων γένησθε θείας κοινωνοὶ φύσεως ἀποφυγόντες τῆς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ φθορᾶς.”
We can now see something concrete, something tangible.
Spiritual maturity is not measured by knowing events, quoting scriptures, or a mere academic knowledge of the Bible.
It is measured by the changed life which continues to transform through the virtues of Christ becoming part of our own character.
What are the implications Peter gives to all of this? What does he wish to emphasize to his audience?
Institutions vs Personal responsibility?
Flourishing Shows Fruitfulness
Flourishing Shows Fruitfulness
We should note the “for” pointing us to the way to understand Peter’s line of reasoning.
This explains why Peter called them to “add to their faith” in 2 Pet. 3:5.
Through this logical connector, we can now understand how Peter wants his audience to grasp the spiritual implications of spiritual growth, of living in full appreciation of God’s grace.
Peter’s main thought in 2 Pet. 3:8 is “they are constituting you as neither idle nor unfruitful.”
καθίστημι, καθιστάνω kathistēmi, kathistanō conduct; appoint; bring about (Balz, H. R., & Schneider, G. (1990–). In Exegetical dictionary of the New Testament (Vol. 2, p. 225). Eerdmans.).
Peter establishes two conditions around ταῦτα (which point back to the characteristics).
“While” they exist.
“While they are abounding.” (Hence why I chose the word “flourish.”
We should remember that “full knowledge” seems to be stacked or layered for Peter.
Our salvation.
Our continued growth in understanding God/Christ.
A life of knowing Christ and continuing to know more of Him as evidenced by the flourishing of his characteristics in our own lives.
Absence Shows Blindness
Absence Shows Blindness
Introduction:
Introduction:
We do need to explore, for a few minutes, Peter’s long term goal.
We know he is certain of imminent death.
He knows his audience will face an onslaught of false teachers (2 Pet. 2:1).
He wants to remind them of the truth as a form of propping them up or stabilizing them as they enter a world without his and the other apostles’ guidance.
Growing in grace and the knowledge of the Lord, therefore, has double significance.
First, it is a duty or responsibility built into God’s plan of salvation itself.
Second, 2 Peter 3:17-18 give it practical significance as well.
When we are growing as God intended to become the people God intended, we are also stabilizing ourselves to live in the truth and not be deceived by false teachers. In this way, Peter is similar to Paul in 2 Timothy.
We need to explore, by the end, living with gratitude or showing respect to God for the salvation he has given.
Possessing salvation means having the responsibility of obedience.
Being saved is not the end, it is the beginning.
Back to 1 Peter 1:9
Back to 1 Peter 1:9
Peter sets a condition, a test case:
“In whom these things (ταῦτα) are not present.”
What can be said about that individual?
“He is blind and suffering from myopia.”
μυωπάζω (μύωψ [μύω ‘close’ the eyes, ὤψ ‘eye’] ‘closing or contracting the eyes’=squinting, as nearsighted [myopic] people do) only Christian wr.: Basilius 2, 825b [MPG XXX]; Epiph. 59, 11, 1 Holl; Ps.-Dionys., Eccl. Hierarch. 2, 3, 3) be near-sighted fig. τυφλός ἐστιν μυωπάζων he is so near-sighted that he is blind 2 Pt 1:9 (opp. Χριστοῦ ἐπίγνωσις; JMayor, Comm. ad loc.).—DELG s.v. μύω. M-M. (Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 663). University of Chicago Press.)
This blindness, or short-sightedness is not accidental. Peter will now make clear this is a matter of “taking” or, by implication, choice.
λήθην λαβὼν = indicates the individual has “taken forgetfulness of the cleansing of his old/former sins.”
The life of a believer is not one of continual, medieval style reflection on guilt. Neither is it a happy sense of relief at the thought of forgiveness. Instead, the believer, cognizant of being cleansed through Christ, remembering that cleansing, adds to his/her faith the virtues of Christ of which we are sharers.
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