7.17.16-Certainty, Productivity and Refreshment in a


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East Cooper Baptist Church July 17, 2016 Certainty, Productivity and Refreshment in a Secure Footing 2 Peter 3:14-18 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. 14 

We maintain a secure footing/ position by growing in the grace and knowledge which flows from a progressive understanding of the goodness of Christ. I. We can be carried away by the error of false teachers (who secretly introduce destruction and carnality (2:1-2)); therefore, we choose to grow in our walk with the Lord. “7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7-8 “7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” James 4:7-10 “8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:8-10 We choose the path of growth: 1. To keep a secure position in Christ; which honors Him. 2. To experience the abiding joy of the assurance of salvation (2 Peter 1:10-11) 3. To live a life of productivity (2 Peter 1:8) 4. To receive a RICH WELCOME into the eternal kingdom when I die. (2 Peter 1:11)

II. I grow in the grace of Christ as I continually rejoice in the goodness of the Lord and the wonder of the cross. “And now, what does it all matter? It matters more than anything else in the world. The whole dance, or drama, or pattern of this three-Personal life is to be played out in each one of us: or (putting it the other way round) each one of us has got to enter that pattern, take his place in that dance. There is no other way to the happiness for which we were made.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity III. The absolute importance of knowledge. “As the elderly, or those with poor sight, can hardly make out the words in a book, but with the help of glasses can read clearly, so Scripture crystallizes ideas about God which had been very confused, scatters the darkness, and shows us the true God clearly. God has made a priceless gift in opening his own sacred mouth to instruct the Church…If true religion is to shine on us we must grasp the necessity of beginning with teaching from above and that it is impossible for anyone to gain an atom of sound doctrine without being a disciple of Scripture. We take the first step towards true knowledge when we reverently take hold of the testimony God has graciously given about himself…It is better to limp along the right way than to run with great speed out of it.” John Calvin, The Institutes of Christian Religion, I-ii-6