Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,
and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.
A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us.
We're glad that you're here, and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats,
but because we're following Jesus together as one community.
And as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good.
They don't need God's grace, and no one's so bad that they can't have it.
And that's why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in his word.
We're continuing our study on the book of 2 Peter, and you'll remember that the book of 2 Peter
is a letter written by a man named Peter in the 60s A.D. to a church somewhere in the Roman Empire.
And Peter writes this letter because he has one goal, one desire. He wants these people to grow.
We find out in the first few verses of the book that he wants grace and peace to be multiplied to them
in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
And then we find out in the very last verse, chapter 3, verse 18,
that he commands them to grow in the grace and knowledge of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
And this growth has those two components to it.
He wants them to grow in grace, and he also wants them to grow in knowledge.
We looked before in verses 1 through 7.
We saw that God uses his word as an instrument of his power to play a song of obedience in our lives.
And last week, we looked at what that song of obedience was, and we saw that it was things like this,
knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, brotherly affection, love.
We saw at the very end that our obedience is a standing ovation.
It's our response to God's grace in Jesus Christ, that his grace comes first, followed by our obedience.
We're going to continue that discussion of obedience this morning,
and we're going to ask, as I mentioned before, the question of what role our obedience plays in our salvation.
What role does our obedience play in our salvation?
We're told different things in Scripture.
In Ephesians, chapter 2, verses 8 and 9, one of our most precious verses as Christians,
we know that our salvation is by grace through faith alone.
So there's nothing that we do that can add to it.
It's through what Jesus did, not what we do.
And yet we're also told in the book of James, chapter 2, that faith without works is dead.
And so there is some sort of relationship between faith and works.
What do we do?
Is it enough to become a Christian too just?
As some people say, say a prayer.
Does that make us a Christian?
And how do we increase and grow in confidence in our faith?
How do we know that we belong to Jesus Christ, what some people refer to as assurance?
What is the relationship between our obedience and our salvation?
It's with that question that we turn now to 2 Peter, chapter 1.
We're going to start in verse 8.
And I invite you to turn there with me now, either near the end of your worship guide or in your Bible or on your phone.
No matter where you turn, remember that this is God's Word.
And God tells us that his Word is more precious than gold, even the finest gold,
and that it is sweeter than honey, even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb.
And so that's why we read now, starting at verse 8.
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.
For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is 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.
I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's Word.
Our Father in heaven, we thank you again for your Word that you've provided to us.
We know that you use knowledge to grow us up in grace and in our faith.
We ask that you would do that this morning, that you would use these words by the power of your Spirit,
and you would honor your promise that your Word does not return to you void,
but instead it accomplishes everything you mean for it to.
And so we ask that you would do that this morning, that you would accomplish in our lives great encouragement from your provision in Jesus Christ,
and great challenge that our response to it would be one of obedience.
We ask these things grateful that we don't have to earn them or deserve them, but we can ask them in Jesus' name.
Amen.
I have mentioned to you before that I was born in Texas,
and shortly after that my family moved to Southern Maryland right outside Washington, D.C.,
and it was right after we moved and my parents bought a house that my grandfather also was moving and he needed to downsize.
And so he passed off many of his things that he'd accumulated over his life to his sons.
And so my father, as one of his sons, was able to receive some of these things,
and one of the things he received was a Troy-built tiller,
which, of course, is what you use if you're going to till up the ground to plant a garden.
Now, my dad aspired to be something of a green thumb, loved the earth,
and so in our backyard of the house that he'd just bought, he began to create this garden.
He tilled up the soil and set out a portion.
Now, at the same time, I was very young at this point.
I was probably three, four, five years old.
It was around the time my parents decided it was time to give us an allowance,
and so I think it was something like a dollar a week.
Now, they also required certain things of us.
We had probably peanut butter jars with holes cut in the top,
and of this dollar, we had to give certain things 10% to tithe,
so we took our dimes to church, and we also had to save 10%,
so we had to put a dime in the savings.
But we had some money to spend on very exciting things like flashlights
and Toy Army soldiers from Walmart,
and we also had money potentially to spend on the garden,
and we would receive the Burpee Seed Catalog.
Now, some of you are too young to know this, understand this,
but it used to be a time when you didn't order things on the Internet.
You would send in these cards, right, from magazines with money or a check,
of course, things from ancient times.
And so we would go through the catalog,
and I, as a young child, was very excited
because I found something in this Burpee Seed Catalog that appealed to me.
Now, there are all sorts of things that adults would find interesting.
However, they featured a special deal.
You could buy a mystery pack of seeds.
And these, I assume, were the seeds that were swept off the floor, right,
and they just put them in a bag.
You had no idea what was in the pack.
What was most exciting, however,
was that the mystery pack of seeds was a grand total of one cent.
And so I did not have a lot of money,
but this was in the budget.
And so I gave my one penny to my dad.
It was a great investment.
And he taped it with Scotch tape to the order form that he was sending in.
And then I waited excitedly, right,
as a young child for my mystery pack of seeds to come in the mail.
And as a young child, right, I did not know.
I didn't know how to recognize different seeds.
I didn't know what seed was going to be what sort of plant.
And so my dad gave me a little portion of the garden
where I got to spread my mystery seeds out.
And I had to wait, right, to find out what I had.
I had to wait until there was some sort of growth
to know what sort of plants I had because it was a mystery.
And so the point is this.
It is not until there's growth
that you know what you're dealing with.
It is not until there's growth that you know
what you're dealing with.
The fruit shows you
what kind of plant you have.
It's the fruit
that shows you
what kind of plant you have.
That's what we see here in verse 10.
We're told,
Be all the more diligent to confirm
your calling and election.
Now this sounds like a contradiction, right?
Calling and election.
That's talking about the fact
that God is the one who chooses.
So how can we confirm someone else's choice?
Well, what he's telling us
is that the fruit
is what reveals
what kind of plant we are.
Peter is encouraging
these people
to pursue obedience and holiness.
Remember, we saw that last week
in verse 5.
We were told to make
every effort
to supplement our faith
with all of these things.
Virtue, knowledge,
self-control, steadfastness.
Fruit
does not make us
Christians.
Fruit
reveals
that we are Christians.
Fruit does not
make us Christians.
It reveals
that we are Christians.
Faith has
fruit.
Faith
always leads
to fruit.
And so we saw
last week
pursue obedience
as a response
to God's grace, right?
I pointed out to you
in verse 5,
for this reason,
for everything
that God has done
for you in Jesus Christ,
pursue obedience.
We now see
a second reason.
Pursue obedience
to grow
in confidence
in your faith.
faith.
You're going to grow
in joy
and in confidence
as you see
the fruit
of God's work
in your life.
And so it looks
something like this,
right?
Maybe you're someone
who struggles
with anger
and you remember
that time
several years ago
you were so angry
that you punched
a hole in the wall
and then you had
to go and get
the drywall replaced.
And you've looked
over time
and you see
how you've grown
since then.
You've had to seek
help from other Christians.
You've repented
of that sin.
You've asked
for accountability.
You've looked
at the ways
in which God
provides in His word
that He will bring justice
so you don't have to.
God will be with you.
And so now
you still struggle
with your anger, right?
And you don't punch
holes in the wall anymore.
And so you can say this,
wow, God is really
at work in my life.
He is doing something.
New things are starting
to spring up.
Maybe you're someone
who struggles
with self-righteousness.
Your tendency
is to see
the speck
in someone else's eye
and ignore
the log
in your own eye.
And you love
talking about
other people's failures.
And then you realize
that's the way
that you cope
with covering over
your own shame.
And as you grow
in understanding
the gospel,
you realize
that Jesus
is the one
who covers your shame.
And so you don't
have to do it
by repeating
others' shame.
You have new humility.
You talk to others
about your shame
rather than
about others
and their shame.
And so you look back
and you say,
wow,
God really is
at work in my life.
God really is
doing something.
New things
are springing up.
You have joy
that comes from that,
right?
Maybe you're struggling
with an addiction.
You finally worked up
the courage
and the humility
to ask for help.
You've not made it
all the way,
but you've made it
to 30 days sober.
Wow,
God really is
at work.
God really is
doing something
in my life.
New things
really are
springing up.
Maybe you're someone
who loves money
and you resent
ever having
to give it away.
You resent
the idea
that God
would make a claim
on it
or other people
who are in need
would need it.
but then slowly,
little by little,
you begin to realize
that God
is the one
who cares for you
and protects you.
And you haven't
let your grip
off all the way,
but it's loosening.
You find yourself
one day
giving something
and not resenting it.
And you're able
to say,
wow,
God really is
at work in my life.
He is
doing something.
New things
are springing up.
That's the incentive
Peter is giving
these people here
that they,
as they confirm
their calling
and election,
they are going
to have the joy
and confidence
that comes
from seeing God
at work
in their lives.
They know
God's power
in a way
they did not
know it before.
They know the truth
of 2 Corinthians 5,
verse 17,
that if we are
in Christ,
we are a new creation.
The old
has passed away,
the new
has come.
That's what
it means
to make their
calling
and election
sure
to confirm it.
They are
increasing
in their
confidence
and their joy
seeing the
reality
of their faith,
seeing that
it's a genuine
faith because
it leads
to something.
God hasn't
just saved
them,
brothers and
sisters.
He has not
just saved
us from
sin,
but He is
at work
in our
lives,
removing,
sanctifying,
creating
holiness
in us.
And so
we don't
reach perfection
now,
but we
grow.
Plants
grow slowly,
right?
They don't
just spring
from seeds.
If you want
to see a
plant grow
immediately,
you'll have
to watch
a time-lapse
video.
And yet,
there's
growth.
And so
Peter continues
to tell us
the same
thing he
told us
last week.
In verse
five,
last week
he told us
make every
effort.
We talked
about the
Olympic
athletes,
right?
It's because
of their
love for
the sport
that they
work so
hard.
Verse
ten,
here we
see the
same thing.
Be all
the more
diligent.
Be zealous
for these
things,
right?
I've given
you some
examples of
the weapons
of war
that we
use as
God's
at work
in our
lives.
We have
confession
and repentance.
We have
the help
of other
believers
as they
walk with
us.
We have
the power
of God's
word as
he's at
work in
our lives.
We have
this community
that's before
us.
Some of you
in this
congregation
have experienced
that.
You've
experienced
that in
life groups
and Bible
studies.
You've
gone to
the Band
of Brothers
study at
7 a.m.
on Saturdays.
You've
taken the
risk of
sharing
things with
other men
and you
have seen
the way
that God
is at
work.
He has
used that
in powerful
ways.
I mention
that by the
way because
God is at
work in a
powerful way
right now in
our men's
Bible study
on Saturdays.
I've been
hearing stories
about the
way that God
is changing
lives and
bringing people
to new
places in
their walk
with him
as they
are more
and more
diligent
right?
Be all
the more
diligent to
confirm your
calling and
election.
God has
given us
the tools.
He is the
one at work
and so we
pursue what
he's presented
to us.
There is a
joy as I
mentioned before
that comes
when you see
that God's
at work.
work.
I mentioned
a couple
weeks ago
that I was
preparing for
a hike.
James and
I, James
Dunlap and
I went on
that hike
on Friday
and we
had to be
very diligent
and in fact
we had to
make every
effort because
we decided
we were
going to
hike up
Lodgett
Peak which
is just
west of
the Air
Force Academy
and we
did this
after we
had already
hiked
many miles
and I
will tell
you it
was very
painful.
And
when we
got to
the top
we did
not regret
what had
come before.
There was
a joy
that came
from having
reached that
point.
And we
didn't come
to the top
at the
beginning,
right?
We're slowly
working step
by step
each step
just as
painful as
the one
before.
And we
were able
to get
to the
top
and see
the view.
Peter
is exhorting
these people
to work
to get
to the
top
and see
the view
of everything
that God
has provided
for his
people in
his word
through their
obedience.
And so
they should
be all
the more
diligent.
They are
making
every effort.
There's an
encouragement
here then
but there
is also
a warning.
We're told
in verse 10
to be all
the more
diligent to
confirm
our
calling
and election
and we're
told if
we do
these things
you will
never fall.
Now when we
come to the
word fall
in the Bible
there's two
different meanings
that it has.
Sometimes when
writers of the
Bible talk
about falling
they're talking
simply about
a Christian
sinning.
Sometimes when
they talk
about falling
they're talking
about what
we would
call apostasy.
They're talking
about someone
abandoning
Christianity
leaving the
faith.
Here Peter
is talking
about the
second one.
He is talking
about someone
abandoning the
faith.
Leaving
Christianity
behind.
Deciding
God is not
for them.
Now that is
not immediately
clear in
verse 10
but one of
our principles
of biblical
interpretation
is that we
use clear
passages to
interpret
unclear
passages.
And so we're
going to see
in chapter 2
when we talk
about the
false teachers
that we are
talking about
people who
claim to be
Christians but
are not.
We're going to
see that especially
in verses 20 and
21.
And in
verse 11
in this
passage it
is also
clarified for
us.
We're told
confirming their
election there
will be richly
provided for
you an
entrance into
the eternal
kingdom of
our Lord and
Savior Jesus
Christ.
By
implication
logically what's
the opposite
of that?
Not
receiving an
entrance into
the eternal
kingdom of
our Lord and
Savior Jesus
Christ.
And so
Peter is
telling us
there are
people who
seem to be
Christians on
the outside
but actually
do not have
faith in
Jesus Christ.
These are the
same people we're
told about in
verses 8 and
9.
We want to be
verse 8.
We want to
stay far away
from being
ineffective or
unfruitful.
Why?
Because verse 9
whoever lacks
these qualities is
so nearsighted that
he is blind
having forgotten
that he was
cleansed from
his former
sins.
Again Peter is
talking about
people who
claim to be
Christians but
actually are
not.
Now he says
that they were
cleansed.
This is probably
a reference here
to baptism.
In other words
Peter is saying
there are people
who have the
sign of
cleansing.
They have been
baptized.
They do not
live a life
of cleansing.
The box and
the contents
don't match.
The most basic
things about the
gospel they don't
understand.
You could think
about it this way.
I could go to
an army surplus
store over on
B Street and I
could buy all
the uniforms I
want.
I could dress
up in those
uniforms and I
could walk
around town.
That does not
make me a
service member.
I might appear
to be in the
military.
I might fool
some people.
I have the
appearance I
have no
substance.
I have the
appearance I
have no
substance.
This is what
Peter is saying
about these
people.
They do not
have lives that
reflect the
salvation of
Jesus Christ.
And so he's
reminding us that
obedience is a
sign.
Obedience
contributes nothing
to our salvation
and it earns us
nothing from God.
And those who God
saves will grow in
obedience.
Our obedience
earns us nothing
from God.
it contributes
in no way to
our salvation.
And those who
are saved will
grow in
obedience.
And so we have
an encouragement
here to
confirm our
belonging to
Jesus Christ
through our
obedience.
We also have a
serious warning.
It is a call
to self
examination.
Are you
a Christian?
Do you
see signs
of God
being at
work in
your life?
Am I
growing?
Is there
fruit?
Right?
Remember,
it is the
fruit that
shows you
what kind of
plant you
have.
It is not
until there's
growth that
you know what
you're dealing
with.
And so I'll
put it this
way.
If you do
not desire
and seek
to grow
in holiness,
you should
not expect
verse 11
to have an
entrance into
the eternal
kingdom of
our Lord
and Savior
Jesus Christ.
It is
possible to
call yourself
a Christian
and yet it
is clear by
your behavior
that you have
no reason to
believe you
are.
God
will
be
to
God
to
look at
our lives
and ask
is there
fruit?
Not that
there's
perfection,
not that
we've
arrived,
but we
see God
at work
doing what
he has
promised
to do
for those
who have
faith in
him.
It is not
because salvation
is by works,
it isn't,
but because
those God
saves,
God
sanctifies.
Those God
saves,
he
sanctifies.
Hebrews
chapter 12
tells us
this,
strive for
peace with
everyone
and for
the holiness
without
which no
one will
see the
Lord.
Holiness
is
necessary.
those God
saves,
he also
sanctifies.
If we
do not
see fruit
in our
lives,
it may
be a sign
to us
that we
are just
going
through the
motions.
It may
be a sign
to us
that we
have had
all the
words of
faith,
and it's
time for
us to
actually
embrace
faith,
actually
time for
us to
repent of
our sins,
to recognize
that there
are many
reasons people
are at the
church,
community,
fellowship,
access to
all sorts
of things,
but there
is only one
reason that
matters,
that we
acknowledge that
we are
sinners in
the sight of
God with
no hope
outside of
his mercy,
and that it
is only
through the
death and
resurrection of
Jesus Christ
that we
have any
hope.
There is
great
encouragement in
this passage,
and there
is great
challenge.
Are you
a Christian?
Chapter 2,
especially in
verses again 20
and 21,
we're going to
meet those who
claim to be
Christians but
are not,
and Peter is
going to detail
for us the
judgment that
they are going
to face.
when I was
ordained back
in 2018,
my parents
gave me this
calligraphy
print that
now hangs in
my office in
the back,
and at the
bottom it has
my full name
and then it
has the
date, I
think it's
May 20,
2018, and
it has the
name of our
church.
And above
it there's a
drawing, and
it's of a
tree, and
within the
branches of
the tree are
written the
words of
John chapter
15, verse
5.
I am the
vine, you
are the
branches,
whoever abides
in me and
I in him,
he it is that
bears much
fruit, for
apart from
me you can
do nothing.
And it's a
reminder to
me, right,
every time I'm
in my office,
that God is
the one who's
at work.
If we have
any hope of
growing in
obedience, it's
because of
Jesus.
He is the
vine, we
are the
branches.
So we
don't whip
up obedience,
we don't pull
ourselves up by
our bootstraps.
Instead, we
recognize God
is the one at
work in our
lives.
Remember, that's
the logic of
all of this.
We don't look
to our works to
see if we've
earned salvation,
we look to
our works because
those God
saves, he
sanctifies.
And so we
turn back again
and again to
that, that we
remember our
growth is a
product of God
as our source
and our life.
Jesus is the
vine, we are
only branches.
And so if we
are in him, we
can have tremendous
confidence and
hope.
Knowing that he
is giving us
everything that we
need to grow.
It's the vine that
shoots the water to
the branches.
It's the vine that
provides them with
the nutrients,
right?
If you cut the
vine, the branch
off from the
vine, what's
going to happen?
It's going to
die.
Leave it outside
in Colorado, it
won't be green
very long.
It is God who
gives us everything
we need for
obedience.
He is the one
who is at work.
And so we know
we cannot do
anything apart
from Christ.
If this church,
right, if we were
to experience a
major revival and
God were to pour
his spirit out in a
special way and
people were pouring
in and we were to
have three services,
four services,
because that's the
only way we could
fit everyone in.
And someone asked
us, how did it
happen?
What would we
say?
It would be wrong
for us to say,
wow, we had an
amazing strategy and
we are just so
smart.
No, God was at
work.
Praise his name.
We're not sure how
it happened, but he
in his power has
done a mighty work
in here.
He is the vine.
We are the
branches.
When you're walking
in the neighborhoods,
when I go in the
neighborhoods and I
see a beautiful
flower garden, what
do I think?
Wow, those flowers
are so hardworking
and smart.
No, I think that
person who lives
there is such a
great gardener and
loves and cares for
that box of plants.
God is the one at
work, not us.
He is the vine.
We are the branches.
We are doing
everything for his
honor and his
glory.
Remember when we
studied 1 Peter, I
told you this quote
from Corrie Ten Boom,
who was an amazingly
successful Christian
speaker and had many
people say many
wonderful things to
her.
And so she said this,
when people come up
and give me a
compliment,
Corrie, that was a
good talk, or Corrie,
you were so brave.
I take each remark as
if it were a flower.
At the end of each day,
I lift up the bouquet of
flowers I have gathered
throughout the day and
say, here you are,
Lord.
Lord, it is all yours.
Here you are, Lord.
It is all yours because
she knows that all the
fruit in her life, any
fruit in her life, is the
product of what God has
done, not what she has
done.
And so there is no place
in the Christian life for
patting ourselves on the
back.
There is no place for
self-congratulation.
There is no place for
beating our chests.
We do not praise
ourselves, but we praise
God.
And so that's why we come
here week after week.
We are reminding ourselves
that God is the one who
receives the glory.
That's why we start our
service singing two hymns
of praise to God.
That's why we end it
singing hymns of praise
to God.
We remind ourselves every
week that we praise not
ourselves, but our great
God.
Worship protects us from
narcissism.
God is the one at work,
and he tells us in John
15 to abide in him.
We abide in him first for
salvation, recognizing that
we have no hope outside of
him.
And we abide in him for the
rest of our lives.
Ongoing abiding.
Everything we've already
talked about.
Abiding in him through
prayer.
Abiding in him in his word.
Abiding in him as we gather
together with other
Christians.
Abiding in him as we have
confession and repentance
in relationship.
Trusting that he's the one
who is at work.
That is the source of our
growth.
And of course, abiding, right,
is only for those who have
faith in Jesus Christ.
There is only one way to be
attached to the vine, and
that is through Jesus.
It is through our faith and
trust and confidence in him.
And so as we ask this
question, are we actually
Christians?
If the answer we come up with
is we're not sure, if the
answer is no, there is only
one choice, one option, and
that is to run to the only
vine.
Jesus is our hope and our only
hope in this world for any real
and true growth and change.
And so for those who have faith
in him and those who do not, the
call is always to Jesus Christ.
He is the vine.
We are the branches.
Several years after my dad
started the garden plot, he also
decided he wanted to plant some
apple trees and some peach trees
in our backyard.
Now if you plant apple trees, you
don't look for good fruit right
away.
You need to wait several years.
And so during this waiting time,
of course my dad was not idle.
He was at work.
He planted two by two stakes in
the ground to hold the plants
firm so that the wind would not be
able to shake them when they didn't
have any roots.
He put wraps around the base of
the tree to protect them from
squirrels.
He made sure, those are a thing
in the East Coast.
He made sure there was a hole in
the ground that was the right
size.
He made sure there was the right
kind of fertilizer for this tree,
right?
He is tending for it in all sorts
of ways.
He's pruning it.
He's spraying it for insects.
He wants to make sure there's the
right amount of nutrients there,
right?
That tree was always an apple tree
before it gave any fruit, tended to
and cared for by my father.
And when the fruit came, then we
knew for sure.
This is an apple tree.
The fruit wasn't perfect, but it was
good.
Brothers and sisters, the same is
true for us.
Our heavenly father is tending to
us and gardening us.
He is protecting us so that the
winds come, we won't be blown over
when our roots haven't grown.
He is giving us the nutrients and
the rich food that we need through
fellowship with one another and
through the power of his word.
He is protecting us from those
things that might attack us and
tear us down.
And he is doing all those things,
not because we have fruit, but so
that we would produce it.
Did that tree produce fruit?
Absolutely.
Because of the nutrients and
protection and care of my father.
Do we as Christians produce fruit?
Absolutely.
Because of the nutrients and care and
protection of our heavenly father.
God is tending to us and caring for us so
that we would produce fruit.
What is the relationship between our
obedience and our salvation?
The fruit of obedience is what confirms
and verifies that God is the one
gardening our lives.
He has cultivated a rich harvest,
and so we work hard to see that in our lives.
We work to see it in part now,
and we work to see it fully in the future
when, verse 11,
we will have an entrance into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ.
Please pray with me.
Dear Father in Heaven,
we thank you that you are a good gardener.
You are at work in our lives,
bringing fruit to bear.
We ask that you would continue to do that,
that you would bring us the joy that
comes from seeing the growth that you
provide for the gospel.
We ask that you would give opportunities
for serious self-examination,
that if there are those who call themselves
Christians that have no fruit or sign of faith,
that you would convict them of sin
and their need for repentance even now,
and that you would bring them
to a true and saving faith in Jesus Christ,
the kind of faith that leads to a rich harvest.
We thank you that we are not the gardeners,
but you are,
and so we ask for these things
in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.