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Wait. There is a world of articles, books, and information out there when it comes to Christianity, but we are mostly stuck with rhetoric and double talk when it comes to our relationship with the Lord, our new identity as believers, and the security and finality of the work of Christ. Are you getting everything you need spiritually from your church? Or do you find yourself feeling hungry for more? Join Lenny as he unpacks what Scripture really taught about our Lord Jesus Christ in context and why this matters to you. Wake up, wake up, wake up to grace.

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The main message in 2 Peter 1:3 is that according to Scripture, believers already possess everything pertaining to life and godliness. God gives us this gift when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus. While it's easy to accept this truth in good times, it may feel difficult to apply it when facing hardships. However, Peter intends to assure us that even in our lowest moments, this spiritual provision remains available. Let's look closely at what Peter teaches to understand how we can rely on this promise in every circumstance. In 2 Peter 1 3 we read, His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that's in the world because of sinful desire. To fully appreciate the depth of this passage, it's helpful to break it down step by step. The apostles in just a few words conveyed profound insight. Peter starts by explaining what the believer has been given and how it was received. A gift received through the knowledge of Christ encompasses everything pertaining to life and godliness. It's common to feel ill equipped in facing our struggles, thinking if this doesn't happen, I don't know what I'll do. Or if my circumstances don't change, I'm going to be miserable. In times of great pain, Peter's words seem distant. Even as Christians offering comfort, we might say easier said than done. Yet these words reflect our inner doubts in the face of others. The Lord Jesus said, But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. Then James writes, So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire? What then can we conclude when we utter words that cast doubt on the power of the almighty Lord? Have we become faithless ourselves? We know that Christians can be found guilty of faithlessness. In Second Timothy two thirteen, Paul writes If we are faithless he remains faithful, and James is famous for proclaiming that faith without works is dead. When we find ourselves thinking faithless thoughts or proclaiming faithless words to others, what is the solution? If we value the message from Peter the Apostle, we must seek a solution in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Peter said we have been given everything pertaining to life and godliness through the divine power of the Father. Do we dare claim that our problems surpass the divine power of Yahweh? We need to review our theology if such thoughts become pervasive in our walk. The truth is, when it comes to trust in the Lord, it's not easier said than done, it's easier done than said. We can spend hours convincing someone at the end of their rope to just let go and get nowhere. But when that person lets go, they find the work is actually over. We hold on to our problems like they're our last dollar, letting no one rip them out of our hands. Does our Father need to prove himself to us in order to believe that he will deliver? Peter explained further in verse four saying, By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. This leads to a critical question. How can Peter make such high claims to people who have been dealt a bad hand in life? He can do so because our lives are not based on what we see. Faith does not rest on what we can see. The author of Hebrews sums up Christian faith best, saying, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Then Paul adds in Second Corinthians four, for this light, momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. These teachings from those who understood the grace of our Lord remind us that we must walk by faith, not by sight. We cannot view the spiritual realm with human eyes. No surgery can grant such vision. Instead we see through the knowledge of our Lord. Consequently, when we find ourselves lacking faith, we have to examine where we're in error. Walking in the realm of the Spirit without sight means relying on our Lord to guide us. Everything has purpose in his eyes. As a friend recently said, this world is more spiritual than we realize, and he was one hundred percent correct. In the story of Elisha the prophet, Scripture records a temporal vision of the spiritual realm at that time. Second Kings six fifteen says When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, Alas, my master, what shall we do? He said, Do not be afraid, for those who are with you are more than those who are with them. Then Elisha prayed and said, O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see. So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Building on Elijah's story, we see that our limited minds cannot perceive our Lord's greatness. Therefore, our thoughts should echo the words of Paul to the Romans, saying, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. In fact, Paul and Peter speak in harmony regarding everything pertaining to life and godliness. We must let the truth of what we have in Christ transform our lives. Walking by faith distinguishes us from those unable to grasp the love and grace of the Lord. As we focus on the eternal, we're transformed. Peter continues saying Second Peter one five, for this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self control, and self control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. To illustrate this, I always remember the experience of a friend who battled cancer throughout his life. Doctors repeatedly told Sam he only had days or weeks left to live. As a result, he learned to live day by day, and when that failed hour by hour. In Christ, we must free ourselves not only from past suffering, but also from the fear of future pain. When these fears arise, we must remind ourselves of the truth. Sam's encouragement to others going into surgery was to focus on the warm, comfortable blanket you were given. Operating rooms are rarely cozy. They're sterile and chilled at best. Yet in our area, nurses give you a warm blanket as the sedation starts and you drift into sleep. This analogy applies directly to times when we feel lost and alone and suffering. The truth remains that the Father is our warm blanket of love, able to comfort us through anything. This assurance is dependable. No hardship surpasses his love. The greatest tragedy in the Christian life is to wrestle with doubt concerning our Father's love for us. As Peter continues, for whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he's blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall, for in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. When we begin to see our Father as only a punisher instead of a comforter, we lose sight of the spiritual reality and return to worldly thinking. Peter's own life shows how easy it is to lose focus on God's promises and become fearful. In Matthew fourteen twenty two, about Jesus we read immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came he was there alone. But the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them, and in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified and said, It's a ghost and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid. And Peter answered him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. He said, Come. So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, Lord, save me. Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they got into the boat the wind ceased, and those in the boat worshiped him, saying, Truly you are the Son of God. In this account we find a visual example of walking by faith. Through the power of Christ we can walk on the waters of life. But when a storm comes and we let fear consume us instead of God's love, we fall right into the water. Sound doctrine is essential when we struggle to believe in the Lord's power. Peter, like Paul, faced dire life circumstances when writing as encouraging words to the churches. In Second Peter one thirteen we read, I think it is right, as long as I am in the body to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus made clear to me, and I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. And in case we've forgotten, John recorded what Jesus told Peter John twenty one seventeen. Jesus said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep. Truly, truly I say to you, When you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God, and after saying this he said to him, Follow me. I often ponder James' writings in our scripture and have written about it from a unique perspective. We find no communication of the finished work of Jesus as we do in the other New Testament writings, but in speaking of faith I've grown fond of his perspective. To understand clearly, we have to realize that salvation and justification are not used in the eternal sense. James does not speak in the same context as Paul did when referencing Abraham's justification by faith. He's taken a different angle. James two nineteen. You believe that God is one, you do well. Even the demons believe and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works, and the scripture was fulfilled that says Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called a friend of God. Abraham fulfilled his faith. He didn't earn his eternal salvation. He displayed a living faith. Faith that comes from God is alive. Faith rooted only in what we can see is dead. Was Abraham performing some kind of religious practice when he placed his only son on the altar? Was this some great effort? No, he did what God told him to do because he trusted him. This is what many of the faithful in Scripture did. But unlike the old covenant faithful, we have dwelling within us at all times everything pertaining to life and godliness. The power of the Spirit of Yahweh has given us everything. The Holy Spirit is not a distant presence, but an active helper who guides, teaches, and empowers us daily. The Spirit reminds us of God's promises, brings God's word to life, and gives wisdom for practical decisions. Through the Spirit's prompting we find comfort, conviction, and strength to resist temptation. In this way the Holy Spirit helps us access and walk in all that God has provided for us, equipping us to face every challenge we encounter. We lack nothing in our spiritual journey. Abraham was blessed to have God speak to him directly through his angel, but as Jesus taught his followers in speaking to Thomas who doubted, have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet they have believed. Do you believe there's a purpose in your hardship? The apostles sure did. Let's end with the words of great wisdom from Paul, an apostle, sent by Christ Jesus to train his people in truth. For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. That's what I got for today, guys. Look forward to talking to you guys next week. Grace and peace until then. The content of this message can be found on my blog post at waking up to grace.com. My writings include linked references and visual aids, which will give even more valuable insight, and it's always free of charge. The comment section below each message is a place where we can share mutual encouragement and insight with one another outside of the social media.