2 Peter 1:1-2 

¹Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ: To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: ²Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Introduction

As we embark on our series of sermons from the second letter of Apostle Peter, we will learn how Peter explained the abundant grace and peace from God. Definitely, we need grace and peace. How do we explain about grace to a child?

Grace is favor and generosity of God. It is unmerited and undeserved favor or divine assistance of God to mankind. Meaning: We can do nothing to earn or deserve his grace. God freely gives grace unconditionally to anyone he chooses, with no string attached so to say. All we need to do is to receive his grace by faith.

Even faith is gift of God. Faith is precious, valuable and essential for us to receive abundant grace from God. Therefore, we pray and ask the Lord to give us his gift of faith and receive his abundant grace. And when we receive his grace, we can personally sense peace and fullness of life also. And that is why grace and peace go together. They’re inseparable twins, if you would accept that concept.

It is human tendency to quickly finish any task. People rush at any given day on the streets; they are in a hurry. Someone said: “Avoid the rat race. You are not rat. Avoid getting in a hurry. Do your task calmly with joyful peace.” That is a brilliant advisory that cannot be readily carried out by any ordinary person.

Is it biblical to avoid rushing? If so, we need grace from God to avoid getting in a hurry. Why? Well, how do you personally interpret and practically apply what it declares in Ecclesiastes 3:11? ¹¹God has made everything beautiful in its time.

Hurry and rush work is not beautiful. If we go ahead of God’s perfect time, we cannot rush the beautiful plan of God for us. Don’t rush but don’t linger as well. When we hurry, we rush with urgency, why? We want to be the first in line at shopping store or Drive-thru coffee shop; do you consider such as inspired by the Holy Spirit? Human instinct causes us to hurry and rush. Why? We want to be ahead of everyone else. We want to avoid failures. We want to accomplish what others had accomplished. We want to attain what they attained. We’re envious. We desire similar success; we want to achieve what others had achieved.

It declares in Ecclesiastes 4:4, ⁴All toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

In everything we accomplish, achieve or attain can be meaningful when our motivation and inspiration come from the Holy Spirit of God. Our personal goal should be to fulfill our mission purposes and glorify God and not to be contented at accumulation or possession of practical things that have no eternal value.

So, does hurrying, rushing or performing with urgency sinful to the Lord? That depends on our motivation. If the Holy Spirit inspires you, you’ve got joy and peace; you are enthusiastic to be here at the start of worship service. So, you rush and hurry in urgency. Can you agree that worship is our personal service to God?

1. Serve

^1aSimon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ:

Simon Peter was the most vocal apostle. Individuals who are very vocal are most often misinterpreted as attention seekers. Yet, Peter introduced himself as servant first and next, as apostle of Jesus Christ. Why did he not introduce himself first as apostle and then, as servant? Is it because Peter had matured spiritually?

Theologians suggested that Peter exemplified how the grace of God had transformed him from seeking attention to being exemplary in his practice of faith in the Lord. Certainly, personal transformation is one of the most practical proofs of faith in Jesus Christ. The grace of God had transformed Peter practically.

Peter had wanted to be remembered first as a servant and also as apostle of Jesus Christ. Why did he describe himself as servant and apostle? Why not just say servant of Jesus Christ only or just apostle of Jesus Christ? Why include both?

The term “apostle” is properly translated as “sent ones.” Missionaries are the modern day “apostles.” They’re sent to proclaim the message of salvation. It was not biblically mentioned if Simon Peter had served as pastor of a church. He chose to be remembered as apostle and not as pastor. He served as missionary.

Interestingly, why did he specify that he served as apostle of Jesus Christ?

Apostle Paul declares in Philippians 2:9-11, ⁹God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus Christ is above every name; and every knee bow to him in heaven and on earth. Peter exemplified service to Jesus Christ as apostle. Service to Jesus Christ is never a personal choice. We can never convince anybody to serve him, why? It is by the grace of God that believers serve the Lord with joyful peace.

Drive Thru

How many among us regularly drop by Drive-thru for their morning coffee?

Most probable reason why costumers order coffee or food at Drive-thru is because they were rushing to their appointments. Surely, you appreciate it, if you order your coffee, and the Drive-thru service is very quick. If you have an important appointment with important person, you desire to be served quickly, right?

So, if we sense urgency to an appointment with a distinctive individual, how much gladness should we have when we gather to serve and worship the Lord?

All genuine believers are admonished in Psalm 100:2-3, ²Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. ³Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

You will personally sense gladness and want to worship and serve the Lord when his grace has practically transformed you. Reflect and search your heart for a moment. If you enthusiastically admit to the Lord that you want to serve him, it actually proves that his grace had been transforming you pragmatically.

Practical transformation is our personal proof that by faith, Christ saved us.

2.  Save

^1bTo those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

It’s righteousness for the Lord, when he sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for the salvation of all who believe in him by faith. By God’s grace, we’re saved by faith. Faith is precious because it’s a gift of God. How do we practically prove that we receive his gift of faith? We sense enthusiasm to serve our Savior Jesus Christ.

Without faith in Christ we will never respond to his calling to serve. Peter mentioned specifically that recipients of his letter have received a precious faith, and not just anybody else who can read. Faith is active when we obey God as personal response to him when we hear or read his word of God. It requires faith in Christ and the transformational grace of God for believers to gladly obey him.

Follow Me!

We follow Christ when we hear his call. It narrated in John 1:43-48, ⁴³Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. ⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

⁴⁶“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. ⁴⁷When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” ⁴⁸“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” ⁴⁹Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

To personally prove if we really have faith in Christ and not pretended, we follow him. Phillip, Andrew and Peter followed Jesus Christ with no hesitation. Philip did not keep his experience with Jesus secret; he told Nathanael about it. That is transformational work of the grace of God in the life of believers. In comparison, Nathanael was not ready to believe unless he personally proved it.

When the grace of God had transformed us, we sense urgency; we do not hesitate to testify of our personal experienced with Christ. Are you transformed? If you have doubts, seriously pray to secure the abundant grace and peace of God.

3.  Secure

²Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Grace and peace of God are freely given to anybody that he had chosen. It does not depend upon anybody’s credential. By faith, we can have and secure his grace and peace. So, why do we still need to have knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ? Knowledge of God and Jesus includes knowing the will of God. How do we know that grace and peace originated from God? We have to know his will.

When we secure or have grace and peace from God, we respond in praise and thanksgiving spontaneously and not trying hard kind of response; we don’t need to ponder if we should praise God or not. We believe that peace of God is the fruit of his Holy Spirit; and by faith in Jesus Christ, we receive his Holy Spirit.

Have you personally experienced the abundant grace and peace from God? The practical effect of grace and peace from God is personal transformation, and it includes how we may utilize material things in this world for eternal purposes.

Apostle Paul

Apostle Paul had personally testified in Philippians 3:4-11 ⁴If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

⁷But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

To be circumcised on the eighth day is righteousness to the people of Israel. The tribe of Benjamin felt special because Benjamin was born in Canaan while his siblings were not. Paul was Pharisee. Pharisees have doctorate in Jewish Law; legally, they are faultless. In short, Paul had illustrious credentials under his belt. Yet he considered them all as garbage. Why did he think that way?

It is a transformational work of the grace of God that Paul considered his credentials as garbage. By faith in Christ, he desired righteousness from the Lord.

Social Media

Social media exposed the natural inclination of humanity to be recognized and appreciated. It’s enticing to engage in social media. Why? Naturally, we are social beings. Many things in this world including Social Media can be used to practice our faith in Jesus Christ. Social Media can be very useful positively for us to testify of our beliefs; we can communicate faster and easier also.

Personally, how do you apply what Paul testified in 1 Corinthians 9:21-23? ..²¹To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

There’s blessing in sharing the gospel of Christ. When we testify about our faith in Christ, we also share how we started to believe in Christ so that we obey our mandate to witness for Christ. The Lord blesses believers who share the gospel. It is a practice of faith to obey the Lord and share the gospel of Christ.`

Do you esteem faith in Christ as precious? Have you been transformed? Fervently pray to secure grace and peace from God, and you will discern how you may approach your daily life as practice of faith and for the glory of God. Amen!

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