Depend on God • 2 Peter 1:5-7

37:40 Teaching begins

Notes

Peter says in your faith, supply yourself with the nature of God.

You could get overwhelmed and say, “Where am I going to get that? I don’t have any of those things he’s talking about. He’s demanding too much of me. I can’t do this.”

People think that Christianity is not realistic. God only saves those who save themselves.

Here’s something liberating, exciting, relieving, if you understand what I’m saying this morning.

Being a Christian does not depend on your ability, it depends on Jesus Himself living in you.

God made you to depend on Jesus to supply you with the character of God. It’s part of being a new creation in Christ.

You supply yourself through the promises that God gives you.

Let’s read in 2 Peter 1 from verse 5.

1. There’s one reason for supplying yourself, but it’s a good one—because God has given it to you.

A. God has granted to you everything pertaining to life and godliness. That word granted, used twice, means a free gift. You can’t pay for a gift. You just receive it and say, thanks.

B. God has given this “everything” through promises.

1. They are exceedingly great—the greatest. They are precious beyond value because they are true and faithful. God binds Himself to do what He says He will do. He cannot deny Himself.

2. So you come to God and say, “Please do for me what You promised.” You depend on Him to keep His word.

C. The other side of the coin is there is no alternative to God.

1. All that is in the world is lust. Desire, expecting the creation to supply what only God can. The promise is there to tease you and tantalize you. You can see it but never lay hold on it, and if you do hold it, you can’t keep it, because it’s material and temporary. It’s not eternal like God is eternal, so you cannot be satisfied forever by anything in this world.

2. If you look elsewhere than God you are wasting your time and your energy. You are wasting your life.

2. You supply your needs by faith. We have to get these two concepts straight.

A. This word “supply” means God is rich so He can abundantly supply.

1. It is the Greek word epichoregeo. Epi is intensive, choregeo means to lead a chorus, a group of performers in the Greek plays. Epichoregeo was used of a patron of the arts, so rich he could support a group of performers by himself.

2. I learned this word at a time when my father was not impressed with me. I was playing in a Christian rock band and not making any money and living at home with my parents. My dad would ask: “What’s going to become of you?” I didn’t know and he wasn’t impressed with me or with Jesus. But as I read my Bible and studied it I learned this word from Philippians 1:19, the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit of Jesus can support a whole group of performers! I told my father, look at what it says here. I believe God. My father saw God provide for me as I got married and began living as a missionary. God is able to supply a whole group of performers; He has enough to supply you.

B. The second word here is faith.

1. Faith means to depend on something or someone, either yourself or someone else. Biblical faith is not a thing in and of itself. Faith is not an energy that does things. It expresses the degree of relationship between persons. You can depend on yourself, but you will let yourself down. You can depend on others and they will let you down too. We are to depend on God, and God will not let us down.

2. When we depend on God we are not depending on ourselves. Biblical faith does not depend on our own abilities, our own skills, our anything, except our ability to trust someone else.

3. Biblical faith is based on the character of the One you trust. It’s not, “Am I faithful?” It’s He is faithful. It’s not, “Can I do it?” It’s God can do it. This is how Abraham trusted God to have a son when he was 99 years old. Romans 4:19-22 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

4. You should be able to trust God because you know His character. Is He a liar? Deceiver? Cheat? Is He out for Himself? What is the character of God? First—He is eternal, the only Eternal. What He is, He has always been and always will be. He is not sometimes, He is not unpredictable. He is eternal, unchanging. We praise our God who alone is God. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is shifting sand, all other ground is shifting sand.

C. So—by “supply” you understand that God has more than enough for you. By “faith” you understand that God is the One who supplies. You depend on His promise to receive what He gives you.

3. The main thing here is that God is giving you Himself.

A. These exceedingly great and precious promises are for one purpose—that you share in His divine nature.

B. I want you to notice that among these attributes of God there is nothing material, only spiritual.

1. There’s no health, no wealth, no prosperity in all seven of these attributes. That stuff is small change to God, not His main focus. The material stuff is temporary. It’s all going to burn. Your physical body is going to die and go back to dust. If health and wealth were that important they would be here, but they’re not.

2. The real issue is that God wants to make you like Jesus Christ, the firstborn among many brethren. He wants you to outlast this universe to live in a new heaven and a new earth. That’s eternal.

3. Now, He will provide for you! But that’s included in seeking Him first. For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:32-33

4. Here are seven interrelated attributes of God that He is sharing with you.

A. By your dependence on God, your faith, you are to supply to yourself virtue.

1. It’s kind of a weak translation of a word that means superior, eminent, transcendent, surpassing, conspicuous. Something that can’t be hidden because it’s so obviously wonderful.

2. This is what God is. Notice that God called us by His own virtue. That’s His own superiority, His wonderfulness. God is superior in goodness. In Him there is no evil, no darkness, no shadow. He dwells in unapproachable light. He is superior in what He does, how He does it, what He says, what He thinks.

3. He dwells in you, inside you is that light of the knowledge of God in the face of Christ. Therefore your life is to be obviously, conspicuously superior. God living in you should make your life better than everyone who doesn’t have God living in them.

B. In your superiority of life you are to supply to yourself knowledge.

1. That is knowledge that you learn by experience. 

2. You can see the relation, it’s superior to have knowledge, it’s inferior to be ignorant.

3. The highest knowledge is to know God. Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

4. Proverbs 28:5 Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand all.

5. Psalm 119:97-100 Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts.

6. This knowledge works at all times in all places and situations because this is God’s universe and He is the truth.

C. Out of your knowledge supply self-control.

1. You can see how they relate. If you really know God, then you say “no” to yourself when you want to go against God. You know: that’s not going to work. That’s away from where I want to go. So you say, “no” and you make it stick because you know that those who practice sin will not inherit the kingdom of God.

2. And by self-control you say “yes” to what you know is right even though it involves suffering for Jesus. You testify and witness for Jesus. If it means persecution for Jesus you accept that without flinching. You know where you’re going, you know God, so you say, that’s what happens if you live for Jesus. So I know: that’s right even though it doesn’t feel good.

D. In your self-control, you also supply perseverance.

1. That’s the ability to remain in a difficult situation and put up with the difficulty and not let it stop you.

2. It relates to knowledge and self-control because it’s no use saying no to yourself if you don’t continue in that. Perseverance enables you to endure to the end, and only then you receive your reward. If you don’t finish the race you don’t receive the prize.

3. This is the perseverance of Jesus. Hebrews 12:2-3 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

E. In your perseverance supply to yourself godliness.

1. The Greek word doesn’t have the word God in it. It means devotion. You can be devoted to all sorts of things, but this is to be devoted, committed to God.

2. Remember Jesus’ commitment to the Father. He made a whip of cords, went into the Temple, and drove out the moneychangers and animal sellers. John 2:17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” It is a single focus that put God as the highest priority in life, above His own life.

3. Because God is the highest priority of your life that determines all your other priorities. How you live, what you think on, what are your goals. When Jesus lives in you, then you shall have no other gods before Him. Godliness says, “Yes!” God’s priorities are your priorities. Your life reflects His life. You become a visible example of God in real life. It’s conspicuous, obvious.

F. From your devotion to God, your godliness, you supply yourself with brotherly kindness.

1. Brotherly because you have been born again into the family of God. He really is your Father in heaven, and you share the Holy Spirit with those who have received Jesus.

2. See how this is related. If you are devoted to God it follows that you are devoted to His family. They are your delight for His sake. They have a high priority in your life because they are a high priority to God. Jesus loves His church. You love His church. You lay down your life for Jesus, you lay down your life for His brethren.

G. From your brotherly kindness you supply yourself with love.

1. Now you not only love the brethren who are being transformed into the image of Jesus, you love those who don’t have His likeness and His life.

2. So when someone hits you on the cheek you turn your other cheek. They compel you to carry a burden one mile, go two. You love your enemies. God loves them!

3. This is the test of God’s love—no one can do that except God. If you don’t love tax collectors that’s not God’s virtue. And tax collectors can love each other, so they do what you don’t want to do.

I. Is this not an awesome life God is offering freely to you? Are you nervous?

5. What do we do with this? Either we enter into this life or we stay outside this life. Let me tell you a story showing our position now.

A. You remember that God brought Israel out of Egypt to the edge of the Promised Land.

1. Moses sent 12 spies into the land to see what kind of land it was. They came back and said it’s a good land, there is no lack of anything there.

2. Ten spies said there are giants, they are stronger than we are, we can’t do this. We’re going to get killed if we go into the land.

3. Joshua and Caleb were the other two spies. They said God will bring us into the land. He is pleased with us and He will enable us.

B. The 10 spies were only half right. They could not do it—by themselves. They did not count on God to be with them. They were virtual atheists. They acted as if there were no God with them.

C. Joshua and Caleb said, it does not depend on us but on God, so let’s go in and take what God is giving to us. They proved that this was true when they went into the land forty years later. Imagine 85-year old men conquering the land!

D. God does not want you to think “I can’t be superior. How am I going to control myself? How am I going to love tax collectors? I can’t do this.” That is the whole point. Nobody can do this except God.

E. You—depend upon God. Ask God to give you these seven things.

Let’s pray.