It Takes Power To Live The Christian Life

[0:01] Welcome. Thank you for choosing to listen to this Spirit-filled word by David Enshie. When you catch a word, you have caught God. May you catch a word today that will cause God to change your story.

[0:13] Be blessed. 2 Peter chapter 1. I'll read from verse 1 all the way to verse 18. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

[0:35] Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. According as his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue.

[0:55] whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

[1:12] And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to your virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity.

[1:30] For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[1:41] But he that lacks these things is blind and cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

[1:56] Wherefore, the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure. For if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.

[2:10] For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly in the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Wherefore, I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

[2:31] Yea, I think it meets, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance, knowing that shortly I must put of this my tabernacle, even as the Lord Jesus Christ has shown me.

[2:50] Moreover, I will endeavor that ye may be able, after my disease, to have these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

[3:10] For he received from God the Father honor and glory. When there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

[3:22] And this voice, which came from heaven, we heard when we were with him in the holy mount. Here ends the reading of God's holy word.

[3:34] Shall we please pray? Father, thank you. Thank you for giving us the privilege and opportunity to come around your word and to hear your word. There is nothing like your presence.

[3:46] All we want is to be with you. As we hear your word and as your word is taught, let Christ be revealed. Let Christ be impacted into us.

[3:58] Show us who we are in the light of your glory. Reveal yourself to us. Heal the sick. Deliver the captives. Encourage the despondent.

[4:09] Give hope to the hopeless. Bring salvation to the lost. Let your name be glorified. Thank you, Lord, that your word is power. Your word is life.

[4:20] And your word is truth. Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen. Wow. Hallelujah. Amen. This is a very interesting text we have read.

[4:33] I read from verse 1 on purpose because I want to put what we have been reading and teaching so far within the context. It's very important. When it comes to biblical interpretation, the number one rule is context.

[4:48] Two contexts. Three contexts. So you need a context to be able to make a proper interpretation of what is being said. Now, Peter opens his message or his letter by, first of all, which they usually do, he mentions his name.

[5:09] So we are in no doubt as to who is writing. So he said, Simon Peter. And obviously, he tells his, he's a bond servant and he's an apostle.

[5:21] And he said, this is being written to those who have obtained like precious faith. All of us are the same. And then he always bring grace. That's the order. When they are going to write, those times they will write, after introducing themselves, they will say grace to you or peace to you.

[5:37] Or in some cases like Timothy, Paul says that grace, peace, and mercy to you. All right. So he brings them grace and peace. Then he starts his message.

[5:48] This is very important. So after the salutation, introduction, those days they don't write, you know, in our times when you write a letter, you sign your name under it. No, those days you sign your name on top of it before you write a letter.

[6:01] So you sign his name on top of it. Then he brings salutations and greetings and grace be to them. Then he goes straight into what he wanted to talk about.

[6:12] So the verse three is where the main message starts. Verse three says that according to us is divine power. All right. So see, the first thing he mentioned is power. All right.

[6:23] That's very important. He said, according as his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.

[6:34] What has given unto us is divine power. So then when you are a Christian and you have obtained like precious faith, one of the things you don't lack is divine power.

[6:46] We all have equal distribution of his divine power because when you become a Christian, the thriving of your Christian life is not primarily based on your personal discipline.

[6:58] It's based on his divine power because you can't live the Christian life. You can't live the life of God by yourself. The flesh cannot do that.

[7:08] No one can do that. So he has to give us, his divine power gives us all things that pertain to life and godliness. All right.

[7:19] So now this is so important to underscore because here he says that he's according as his divine power has given to us. So first of all, he starts by saying something has been given to us.

[7:32] So he starts with what we have received. So the Christian life does not start with what you give. It starts with what God gives.

[7:45] It's so important to understand that because nobody can achieve anything in God by themselves, as I said earlier. So God starts it. It is salvation that is worked into us and then later on salvation worked out.

[8:02] It starts with doctrine before duty. It starts with what God has done before what we are to do. This is very important.

[8:15] Other religions start with what you have to do so God can do. Christianity is what God does which empowers you to do.

[8:25] So in Christianity is justification before sanctification. Justification is you are just before God. You are accepted before God.

[8:37] You have a relationship with God. God said come. So he does not call you based on how good you are. Actually, in 2 Timothy 1, verse 9, it talks about how who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works.

[8:57] Okay? So God saves us and calls us, watch this, not according to our works. I think in Titus 3, 5, I believe, says something similar. Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, how?

[9:13] He saved us. Okay? So no one comes in because they deserve it. Being born again is a step of humility because you come in undeserving and God extends mercy to you and lets you in.

[9:31] So once you come in, you know that you never deserved it. Now that after you have come in, he gives you the grace and the power to do how you should do it.

[9:43] Now it's very important to understand. So in Christianity, it is justification, acceptance with God first, before sanctification, before operating and working in a certain way.

[9:58] In other religions, it's like this. You have to do, take boxes, so that God can say, yeah, you're doing well, you're doing well, okay, now I can accept you.

[10:10] Okay. We are not saved by the works of good righteousness we have done. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. According to his own purpose and his grace, which was given to us, can you imagine? This is even interesting.

[10:21] It's a little bit. Given to us before the foundation of, can you imagine? According to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ, he said, before time began. So before you were even born, God has chosen that he's going to give you grace to save you.

[10:35] Before time began, not before you were born. This was before time began. Some of us were chosen way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, before time began.

[10:49] And so if he's going to choose you before time began, then obviously it's not going to be based on your works because you haven't done anything. So in Romans chapter nine, verse 12, 13, 14, it talks about Jacob and Esau before the boys could do anything.

[11:05] It said, it was said to her, the older will save the younger. 13. As it's written, Jacob have loved, Esau have hated. 14. It says that before the, what shall we say there?

[11:16] Is there a righteousness? Then we go, no. Before these boys could do right and wrong. All right. That's the verse 11. For the children not yet being born, not having done any good or evil.

[11:27] Oh, oh, watch this. That the purpose of God, according to what? Election. Election. When it comes to election, he chooses you not based on what you have done.

[11:39] The purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of works, but of him that calls. Hallelujah. Amen. So God chose them based on his purpose of election.

[11:53] In the same way. So in Christianity, it is justification before sanctification. In Christianity, it is you have been saved, and then you are empowered to behave.

[12:07] So when you look at the text we just read, it says that according to us, his divine power, that's where it starts. His divine power gives us first, first, first. According to us, his divine power has given unto us.

[12:20] Hallelujah. Giving unto us. What has he given you? All things that pertain to life and godliness. Not only godliness, but life as well.

[12:31] Not only life, but godliness. Anything that pertains to godliness, when you are born again, his divine power gives you. So you can't say, I couldn't do it. You are not without excuse, because the power.

[12:42] Now, every sound and genuine Christian teaching never goes silent on the power we have received from God. It's part of, everybody, when you are born again, you must be taught to be familiar and much more aware of how much God has done, how much God is doing, how much he supplied himself to us.

[13:03] God is doing that. God is doing that. His power, his power, he's at work. God is at work in us. God is at work. It's part of the Christian teaching. Christian teaching shouldn't go silent on the workings of God.

[13:16] It is people and amongst us. And the workings of God means power. All right. I think Paul puts it this way. Ephesians chapter 3 talks about how according to the effectual working of his power.

[13:33] According to the effectual working of his power. The power is working. Hallelujah. So, the power of God, verse 7, where, whereof I was made a minister?

[13:45] How did I become a minister? According to the gift of, the grace of God given unto me by the, how? By the effectual working of his power. By his power.

[13:56] Unto him who is able to do, exceed, verse 20, exceedingly, abundantly, above all, we can ask or think of, according to, what? The power.

[14:07] So, did you see that? The power is always working to make people ministers. It's working to give us a prayer request, an answer. There's power at work in Christianity.

[14:18] There is a power. There is power. There is power. Power. Power. Power. Power. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. And in Ephesians chapter 1, it talks about how, it said, I want you to know, I pray that the eyes of your understanding be enlightened, that you may know the hope of his calling and what is the riches of the glory of his heritage.

[14:40] And now, look at the verse 19. And then, the exceeding grade. Ah, ah, ah, ah. There you go. It said, I'm praying that you will know. See, you see, Christian teachers, Christian leaders, are not permitted to go silent on the power of God.

[14:58] Because it takes power to live the Christian life. Yeah. It takes power. It says that this kind of power works towards us who believe.

[15:08] The working of his might, according to the working of his mighty power. Wow. Works towards us who believe. So, Peter opens his teaching, his message, his letter, by talking about, according to us, his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us to glory and virtue.

[15:34] All right. So, he spoke about the power that has been given to us. Now, what did he say we should do with the power? Now, look at the next verse. Verse 4 talks about, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises.

[15:46] So, all these things are all functions of the power. So, whereby, it's a link. All right. I'll give you a good, so that by them we will be partaking of the divine natures and escape.

[15:57] Their power will help us. The power or the exceeding great and precious promises are given. They are all functions. It's all function of the power.

[16:07] All right. And then, through that, we are able to partake in the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world. Then he goes on to watch this. This is all so power.

[16:17] Besides all this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue, to virtue, knowledge. So, he said, you have to add because now, the power has given. Now, you do something with the power. All right?

[16:28] You have to do something with the power. But I want you to understand that. So, he said, add to your faith, virtue, to virtue, knowledge, to knowledge, temperance, to temperance, patience, to patience, godliness, to godliness, to godliness, charity.

[16:40] Then the verse 8 talks about, for if these, these things, if you have a Bible and you're opening it, you can circle these things. Now, what are the, what is the these things referring to?

[16:53] The these things referring to the, to your faith add virtue, virtue, knowledge, knowledge, temperance, all that, these are the these things.

[17:04] So, if these things be in you, if these, and they abound, they make you, that you should neither be barren or unfruitful. So, then there are people who will be barren and unfruitful, even though power has been given to them.

[17:16] Why? They didn't add. They didn't, they didn't take responsibility. They think Christianity is just God, everything God, God, God, God, God. No, no, no, no. God starts it, but you finish it. You have to, there's a role to play.

[17:29] I've never seen any married, good marriage, that God is good because somebody prayed for them. They prayed for you. I receive it. Your marriage will be good and then it became good.

[17:39] No, you have to, after the prayer, now you have to use the power. Ah, you have to do something, man. You have to do something. So, it says that if these things be in you, these things.

[17:50] Now, I want you to take notes of that, these things. So, the seven things that have been mentioned, they must be in you, okay? And they being in you is not God who did it. It's the power is there for you to use the power to make them be in you because the power is giving all things that pertain to life and godliness.

[18:07] Now, look at the verse nine. Then it says that, verse nine, continues to say, but he that lacks, again, if the Bible is yours and you have a Bible, you can circle these things.

[18:18] So, these things, what are these things referring to? Obviously, you can tell. It's referring to virtue, knowledge, patience, temperance, and all that.

[18:29] So, these things are referring to that. So, it says that, but he that lacks these things is blind and cannot see afar off and has forgotten that he's been purged from his old sins.

[18:39] All right? So, these things. It's saying that these things must be in you. These things must be in you. These things must be in you. The power has given me, oh, oh, the power has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

[18:51] Now, make use of the power to make these things be in you. You can't make them be in you by yourself, unilaturally. It's, first of all, it's predicated or it's based on their power so that you can't say, oh, thank you, Jesus.

[19:07] Nobody, once you are a genuine Christian, nobody can say, ask for me, I can't do it. No, you can. Yes, you can. How? Yes, you can because their power is given unto you.

[19:19] Power. Then verse 10. Verse 10 talks about, wherefore, the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election show.

[19:32] Watch again, it's coming again. for if you do these things, you shall never fall. You shall never fall.

[19:43] How come people have power and they backslide? Because they didn't do these things. They didn't take the time and the trouble to develop these things.

[19:54] In 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 7 and verse 8, it talks about how exercise yourself, exercise yourself rather unto godliness.

[20:07] Exercise. Exercise. As you exercise, something is developing. Something is developing. You have to exercise yourself unto godliness. Watch this. He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

[20:20] So, that exercising to produce godliness is already, the power is ready for you to exercise yourself. Exercise. Exercise. You have to put some things into practice.

[20:32] You have to do some. You might not be a master. You might not be that good at it from the beginning. But as you keep exercising, yeah, whatever you don't do regularly, every time you attempt to do it, you struggle.

[20:46] That struggle doesn't mean you always struggle. Keep exercising yourself and these things will develop. If you do these things, you will never fall. Okay? So, when you see someone has fallen, the secret, the Bible has shown us the secret.

[21:00] When you see a Christian has fallen, straight, you can tell, they didn't develop these things. That's why they fall. They didn't develop that. But look at verse 11.

[21:13] That's where the first part of his message ends. For, so, ah, ah, ah, don't miss this, please. Do me a favor. Look at this very carefully. So, an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly in the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior.

[21:28] Jesus. Come on. What is he talking about? Did you realize that he was pointing them to their coming? Future times. Future, watch this. What was he telling them?

[21:39] Watch this. He said, you have received power. Use the power to develop these things. If you develop them effectively, watch this. An entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly.

[21:50] So, he said, there is power which you can use to have an advantage in the coming times. So, really, really, his focus was the power. And now, what are we supposed to do with the power?

[22:02] Use the power to develop these things in you. Why? Why should I develop them? It's like, go to school and why should I study? Because your exam is coming.

[22:13] And why should I pass my exam? Do I need to pass an exam? Oh, yeah. Because your certificate, your qualification, it will influence your employability. So, if you don't know why you should do what you are doing, you might not do it.

[22:30] So, he was saying that this is not just an exercise, develop it and develop it. He said, if these things are in you, in the first place, you will not be unfruitful. Okay? And then anyone who likes these things is blind and short-sighted.

[22:42] Then he says that anyone, if you do these things, you will not fall, you shall never fall. Then he says that so an entrance, so these things are so crucial that when you do these things, they have a lot of benefits that come.

[22:55] And the ultimate benefit is that abundant entrance. Hallelujah! So, an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly. I took my time to explain what that means.

[23:06] Okay, you celebrate, you go in grand style. Okay? But that's not the focus now today. But it's, I want to, I want to draw your attention to the fact that he was pointing them to the second coming. Good teaching.

[23:20] Every teaching, good teaching elevates Christ. You look at, when you get a chance, just in the verse, chapter one, look at the number of times he mentioned Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ.

[23:33] It's Christ-centered. Good teaching is Christ-centered. Good teaching does not marginalize or go silent on the power of God.

[23:45] And the climax of good teaching points us to the coming. You see, because you can never live your Christian life effectively without having in view the second coming.

[23:58] How can you live an effective Christian life if you have lost sight of it? Oh, you can't be bothered about it. You can't, you can't, even though the power is there. Because it's, the Christian life can be fraught with all kinds of setbacks and challenges in the physical life that it's, you can only do well when you keep your eye on the, on the grace that is to be revealed at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

[24:24] First Peter, chapter one, verse 13. First Peter, one, 13. wherefore, get up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation.

[24:36] See, he was always talking about Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming. And there were this fake, you know, it's always been like that.

[24:47] There are people who are fake. They are not godly preachers. As long as humanity exists, we will always have fake preachers.

[24:58] Right, it is what it is. We had a lot of them in the days of Peter. And in our times, we also have some. The fact that someone calls themselves a Christian preacher doesn't make them a Christian preacher.

[25:12] In fact, some of them are not even Christians at all. No, no, they are not Christians at all. Okay, bear that in mind. Because, you realize, in 2 Peter, he was trying to deal with this kind of people, false prophets.

[25:27] So in chapter two, he deals with the false prophets and tells the people about these false prophets. And then, he says that, but there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies.

[25:47] Who told you teaching doesn't matter? These heresies are destructive. even denying the Lord who bought them and bring on themselves swift distraction.

[26:01] There will be false teachers. False teachers. Don't let us think that those things don't exist. So it's very good. The fact that somebody is making preaching online or preaching on television or radio does not necessarily mean they are sound teachers.

[26:16] some of the healthy teaching, I think I taught a message recently on now, that's good preaching. Yeah, it tells you what good preaching is.

[26:27] The content of good preaching. it's about Christ. The gospel. So, good preaching doesn't go silent on the power of God.

[26:39] Good preaching doesn't go silent on the second coming. I'm not talking about, I'm not saying that all the preachers are always second coming, but some way, one way or the other, it's, it's, it undergets our entire philosophy of ministry so much so that when you are speaking, it will always show up one way or the other.

[26:59] Your explanations will invariably be connected in one way or, one way or the other to the second coming. And in chapter 3 of 2nd Peter, he begins to talk about the, the, the false teachers and their teachings.

[27:12] And when you read from verse 1, 2, 3, and then verse 4, 2nd Peter chapter 3, verse 1, 2, 3, verse 1 says that this second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you in both which I stare, watch this, I stare up your pure minds by way of remembrance.

[27:30] Don't forget that because I wouldn't like to read it back. But it said, by way of remembrance, underline the word remembrance. That ye may be mindful, you can underline the word mindful, mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandments of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior.

[27:57] Knowing this first, that they shall, they shall come in the last days, scoffers, walking after their own last, watch this, the verse 4, it's interesting, and saying, where is the promise of his coming?

[28:10] Ah, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. They say, oh, all this coming, second coming, second coming, forget it, forget it, forget it.

[28:24] They will attack, they will attack the second coming which is a core fundamental principle in Christianity. Anyone who attacks the second coming has attacked the strength of Christianity.

[28:38] So, Peter had to take his time to emphasize and remind them about these things. So, he was interested in reminding them. Now, watch this. Let's go back to where I started from.

[28:50] So, he said, you have power to develop all these things and then after you develop all these things, the ultimate benefit is that the second coming is grand for you.

[29:02] Verse 11. Okay? So, this is what he's talking about. Second coming. Now, look at the verse 12. Verse 12 says that, wherefore, I will not be negligent to put you always inward.

[29:15] Remember, you remember, you remember, have this in mind. He said, I stare up your pure minds by remembering you. I just stare up. There's a way, there's a way when you are reminded of something, it stares you up.

[29:28] He said, I write these things to you in both of which, I stare up your pure mind by way of remembrance. As I remind you of these things, it stares you up. So, he says that, I will not be negligent in putting you always in remembrance.

[29:44] That means that every time I try to remind them, every time I try to remember, watch this, watch this, the phrase is coming again, always in remembrance of these things. Alright, so, verse 8, we saw these things.

[29:59] Verse 9, we saw these things. Verse 10, we saw these things. Now, I want to draw your attention to something quite important here.

[30:10] That these things in verse 8, obviously, we can all tell is referring to virtue, knowledge, patience, temperance, and all that. That these things in verse 9 is referring to the same seven things we mentioned.

[30:25] Alright, that these things in verse 10 is also referring to these same stuff, that if these things, for if these things, if you do these things. Okay, but that these things in verse 12 is not talking about the things that you are supposed to do.

[30:42] It said, I put you in remembrance of these things. What is the distance? What I've been talking about all along, what am I talking about? I've been talking about the power that helps you to live and what?

[30:52] The second coming. You live so well that it gives you an advantage towards the second coming. It says that I can't be negligent to remind you of the power and the second coming.

[31:06] You see that? The power, these things, you need to do, please don't forget what I'm talking about. So you see, he's spoken all along. If you check the text very carefully, you realize he starts talking about the power and what the power can do through your life and what you can base or you can take advantage of the power to achieve in your life and when you do that, it gives you a greater advantage towards the second coming.

[31:30] So the power and the coming, the power and the coming, the power, that's good preaching now. That's good preaching. That's good preaching. So even if you are forgiving your husband, if you are forgiving your wife, if you are forgiving your neighbor, if you are doing something, you are not doing it just arbitrarily.

[31:45] You are doing it in light of the second coming. You have a reward. The second coming, not only here, not only here and how you doing it, by the power, you receive the power to do it knowing that you shall be rewarded.

[31:58] You do it keeping your eye on the days ahead. In fact, this is how Paul puts it. He said that for which reason I suffer all these things.

[32:10] Second Timothy chapter one from verse 10, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ who has apologized. And then the verse 11 said, which I have been appointed, to which I have been appointed a preacher, an apostle, a teacher of the Gentiles.

[32:26] Then the verse 12, because of this appointment, for this reason, I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed for I know in whom I've believed and I'm persuaded that he's able to keep what I've committed to him unto all that day.

[32:42] Oh! That's why he could suffer because he knows there's a day coming. He knows there's a day coming. He says that I've fought a good fight. Second Timothy chapter four verse seven.

[32:54] He said, I've fought a good fight. I've finished the race. I've kept the faith and therefore there's laid for me a crown, ah! There's laid for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me.

[33:07] Ah! Wait, wait, wait, wait! That day! They live for that day! They live for that day! He said in Philippians chapter one verse six, being confident of this thing, that he who has begun a good way will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

[33:24] What kind of Christian life are you living and you don't think about the coming? You don't think about the day. There's a day coming. There's a day of the Lord coming. So Peter says that.

[33:36] I will not be negligent in reminding you of the power and the day. These things I'm talking about. I won't, even though I know you know, though you know them, you know, there is no new to you, but I won't stop mentioning, I will stir up your mind by, and be established in the present truth.

[33:54] You already know the truth now, you are established in it, but guess what? I won't stop talking about these things. The power and the second coming. The power and the second coming. I hope that makes sense. All right.

[34:05] So on the, let's move to the next verse and see. Now, the next verse says that, yeah, I think it's meat. Now, that's not talking about food, please. The meat, there is no food.

[34:16] It's suitable, appropriate. All right. Give us the new King James, please. New King James. I think it's right as long as I am in this tent. Uh-oh. What? Tent?

[34:26] Which tent? He calls his body tent? Yeah, that is what it is. That's what it is. Your body is a tent.

[34:37] Don't spend all your life on a tent. All your resources on a tent. It is, every tent is just temporal. There's a difference between a tent and a house.

[34:50] When there are strong winds, you need to carry the tent away. In fact, Paul puts it this way. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 1 and verse 4. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 1. Paul says that, for we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

[35:12] He knows that our physical body will go. Look at verse 4. For we who are in this tent grown, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but feather clothed, that mortality may swallow up, may be swallowed up by life.

[35:34] So he said, this tent, he calls the body tent. It's a tent. Sister, it's a tent. It's a tent. Brother, it's a tent.

[35:48] Brother, it's a tent. Your body is a tent. It's very fragile. That's why you have to just make sure you keep it in good shape. It's a tent. But a tent, you are checking out very soon.

[36:01] It's not permanent. There's nothing in your life that's permanent. Can you imagine yesterday, with all you ate, much of it is just waste.

[36:13] It's a tent. It's a tent. It's a tent. Between yesterday and today, you have grown 24 hours.

[36:23] You are 24 hours older. Yes. Tent. Tent. So he says that, yes, I think it right. As long as I am in this tent, to stare you up by reminding you.

[36:40] Reminding you of these things, the power and the coming. This is important. Say the power. The power. Say the coming. The coming. Or, he's coming.

[36:51] He's coming. So the power and he's coming. Or, his power and he's coming. His power and he's coming. He said that, I will stare up.

[37:03] I will stare you up by reminding you. You know, there's a way, if you're a genuine Christian, you get stared up to do the things of God when you remember these things. Yeah.

[37:16] He said, I'll remind you. I'll stare you up by reminding you. Okay. He says that, as long as I'm in this tent, that means that, as long as he's physically alive, he will not be negligent.

[37:28] See, he has made it his assignment that as long as he's alive, he will continue to remind his audience of the power and the coming.

[37:39] He said, I will do that. It doesn't matter what I'm teaching. I can be teaching seven steps to breakthrough, 15 steps. Still, I have to remind you of the power and his coming. I can be teaching on marriage.

[37:52] I have to still remind you the power and the coming. I can be teaching on business breakthrough and yet, I have to remind you of the, it must underget everything I teach because that is what can stare you up.

[38:03] Genuine Christian staring. Genuine Christian staring is based on reminding people of the power and the coming. Hallelujah. Now, the verse 14 talks about how Jesus has told him, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent.

[38:17] Ah! So, he says that I'm going to die very soon just as the Lord Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ showed me. He said, I'm going to die. I know I'm going to die. Paul 2 was like that. 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 6, he spoke about I'm being poured out as a drink offering.

[38:32] He was in prison but he knew that this time he's going to die for I'm already being poured out as a drink offering and the time, oh, the time for my departure is at hand. So, not departing from prison, departing from this tent.

[38:46] Paul and Peter had a few things in common. So, Peter 2 was saying that Jesus has showed me that I'll be living. He says that, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent as the Lord has showed me.

[39:01] So, then I don't have time. I have to keep reminding you because I'm about to go. So, that long after I've left, watch this, moreover, I will be careful to ensure that you always have, watch this, you always have a reminder of, we see the distance, the distance, what are the distance talking about?

[39:20] The power and it's coming. You always have a reminder of these things after my disease. The word translated disease, the Greek word is exodus.

[39:33] Exodus. Exodus is departing from one place, going to the other. So, it's not like I'm gone, I've gone into extinction. No, I've just checked out, moved, exited, and entered something else.

[39:46] So, my exodus, after my exodus, it says that, moreover, I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things. What are the distance?

[39:57] The power and it's coming. What are the distance? The power and it's coming. It said, I've taken it upon myself.

[40:08] In fact, it said, moreover, I will be careful to ensure, in other words, he's intentional and meticulous and purposeful about this. I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of the power and it's coming after my exodus.

[40:26] So, you see, verse 12, he spoke about remembrance, verse 13, remembrance, verse 15, reminder, chapter 3, verse 1, remembrance, chapter 3, verse 2, mindful.

[40:39] He was keeping them in remembrance, keeping them in remembrance, keeping them in remembrance. He says that you can't afford not to know these things. You can't afford to forget these things.

[40:50] Hallelujah! Now the verse 16. Very interesting. Watch this. This is going to get much more interesting now.

[41:01] For, why would I always make sure I remind you? Because we did not follow canningly, huh? Canningly devised fables. That means that other people have been devising fables.

[41:16] Canningly devising, I think, chapter 2, verse 3, talks about how by covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive ways.

[41:27] Did you see that? Deceptive ways. There are people who use deceptive ways to convert, by covetousness, use deceptive ways. For a long time their judgment has not been idle and their destruction does not slumber.

[41:44] They will exploit you. They are preachers, but they will exploit you with deceptive ways because they are not of the Lord. Exploit you. It says that we, we, see there are other preachers, our type of preacher are different because our type of preacher, see, Peter is saying that for we have not followed canningly devised fables.

[42:04] These things we are telling about, there are no fables. Watch this, look at this. For we have not followed canningly devised fables. when we made, oh, known unto you what? The power and what?

[42:17] And the coming. Ah, hallelujah. That's all we've been telling you. Now, this thing we are telling, we are not following canningly devised fables about the power.

[42:30] We told you what we made known unto you, the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. Now, this is very interesting. This is very interesting that he hinged, he hinged the weight of their conviction about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[42:51] Watch this, on an experience and an encounter they had. So, they had an encounter with Jesus Christ in his earthly living. They saw something that made them know that there is majesty ahead.

[43:05] There's a day coming, a day of majesty. They saw it. And he says that, so what we are telling you, we have already witnessed something. When we tell you about the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we tell you about the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are not following canningly devised fables, skillfully, you know, deceptive preachers are very convincing.

[43:29] Yeah. Don't forget that. Especially, sometimes, there is not only preachers, there are people who have deceived themselves. The Lord told me I should stay home and I should stop going to church for some time.

[43:43] It's a lie. The Lord will never tell you anything like that. It's a lie. You are deceiving yourself. You have been deluded. Bible says, God gave them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie.

[43:54] for this reason, God sent them strong delusion, delusion, that they should believe the lie.

[44:08] Can you imagine? Stubbornness will expose you to delusion and you end up believing a lie and you are convinced that it's true. I don't need anybody.

[44:21] I just, Christianity is not, true Christianity has a lot to do with corporate relationship with Christ, not personal relationship with Christ. Excuse me.

[44:32] It's just me and God. It's my personal relationship. Drop it, drop it. You are not growing. That's why you are talking like that. If you are growing, you won't talk the way you are talking. It's just between me. It's not between you and Christ.

[44:42] It's between you and the others and Christ. It's a corporate relationship. True Christianity has everything to do with corporate relationship with Christ. So the more you can relate a fellowship with others, the poorer Christian you are.

[44:58] You are not a genuine, you are not a solid Christian. You are, in spite of all the revelations you claim you have, in spite of all the deep insights you claim you have, you are not a solid Christian because the New Testament does not know anything like a segregated Christian.

[45:11] It's very foreign to the New Testament. The other time I think I put something on Facebook or so. I just, what's on your mind? I go, okay, you want to know what's on my mind?

[45:24] How can I tell you what's on my mind? Okay, so I just put something on Facebook. I said, regular church attendance is not an option for the one who understands what the word Christian means.

[45:41] Regular church attendance is not an option for the one who understands what the word Christian means. Yeah. If you understand what the word Christian means, regular church attendance will not be an option for you.

[45:56] A lot of people don't really understand what Christian is. They think it's just a religious person. now, it's just me and God. And I just do good. I just do good to people. And it's just me and God. It's just me and God.

[46:06] So you are very much in control. So when you start relating with other people and you lose control and other people are in your way, that's when you can tell whether this thing, your focus is on Christ or you.

[46:17] For we have not followed carnally devised fables when we made known unto you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. What are these things?

[46:28] The power and the coming. But we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. Verse 17 says, For we were with Him. For He received from God, the Father, honor and glory.

[46:41] When there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved Son in whom... They said they saw it. Look at verse 18. He said, This voice and this voice which came from heaven.

[46:54] Can you imagine? He said, The voice came from heaven. We heard. He said, We have seen something that we can't deny. So this voice which came from heaven.

[47:06] Before then, it is the verse 16 says that we are eyewitnesses. But He didn't talk about what they saw. He focused on what they heard. Yeah. He said, We were eyewitnesses.

[47:17] But He never spoke about what they saw. But His focus was what they heard. He said, And this voice which came from heaven, we heard. When we were with Him in the Holy Mount, we heard it.

[47:31] Watch this. So He based the weight of their conviction about the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ on the encounter and the experience they had.

[47:43] and they heard a voice. They heard a voice. They said, This is what makes us know Jesus is coming. This is what makes us know the power is real. So He said, We are not devising some stuff to tell you some stories.

[48:00] No, no, no, no, no. Not clever stories. So, in conclusion, when you study the text from verse 1 to verse 18, we will go on to verse 19 in the next section.

[48:12] But from verse 1, you can tell He starts by talking about the power and the power results. When you use the power well, it produces all the things, these things that you should have.

[48:23] And then when these things happen, the second coming becomes an advantage for you. So the power and the second coming. And He said, I will not be negligent to remind you of the power and the second coming because very soon I'll be putting on my tent as the Lord has showed me.

[48:40] And so, before I leave, I'll make sure our endeavor, I'll be careful to make sure you always remember these things. Remember the power and His coming. For we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

[48:53] He said, For we have not followed carnally devised fables when we tell you about the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because we saw where we think physically on the holy mountain and there came such an honor and glory from the Father and a voice came from heaven and we heard the voice.

[49:13] We heard it. So we can't deny it. This is not something that we concocted. This is not fiction. This is reality. And so as much as that was real, the coming is also real.

[49:24] Don't follow those who says that since the fathers died, they said Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming, He's never coming. One day you come and you might be found mountain. So that's why the Christian preaching every now and then must remind us about the coming.

[49:40] So it empires us to live the life to His glory and develop these things very effectively. In Jesus' name. Amen. I pray you have received something and it's been a blessing.

[49:52] In Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Thank you for listening to this message by David Entry. When God speaks, works show. And the works will surely show in your life. To hear more from David Entry, follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and subscribe to Karis Church on YouTube.

[50:11] Don't forget to share and subscribe to our podcast so you're always up to date. Be blessed. EGG