On Our Faith

SERMON SUMMARY:

Beginning a series through 2 Peter, the pastor focuses on the opening two verses of the letter, using Peter's greeting to explore the nature of Christian faith. The sermon establishes that faith is not self-generated but obtained as a gift from God, granted through divine righteousness rather than human effort or merit. Drawing on Peter's description of faith as being "of equal standing," the pastor argues that while Christians may differ in authority, maturity, or the measure of their faith at any given time, the faith itself holds equal worth and value before God for every believer. The sermon calls Christians to respond to this truth with both comfort and humility, rejoicing in God's generosity without comparing or elevating one believer's faith above another's.

QUOTES:

One of the wildest, if I can say that, and most wondrous parts of the good news is that not a single strand of our salvation is left up to us. Not one bit. Every bit of the work that brings us to God has come from God.

Jesus calls us to believe in him, but he doesn't just call us and leave it up to us. He actually causes us to believe so that we've obtained faith.

Every Christian who has faith in Jesus, no matter how old or new, no matter how large or small, no matter how stable or wavering, all Christians who have faith in Jesus, all faith in Jesus is 24-carat gold faith.

Every Christian wears the same gold ring of faith and that ring holds the same priceless diamond of Jesus in it.

Peter doesn't showcase any sort of higher standing for because of his faith. In fact, just the opposite, in the start of his letter, he starts right off by saying, you've obtained a faith of equal standing with ours. He doesn't elevate himself. He puts himself on a level ground that only elevates Jesus.

just as every laborer in the vineyard received a denarius of equal value, so also every Christian, through the grace of Jesus, receives a faith of equal value.

If you have been walking with Jesus for a long time, do not begrudge the generosity of God toward your fellow believers who are younger. Do not grumble that they have not worked as hard in the vineyard as you have. but instead humble yourself to be able to rejoice in God's generosity.

Old here means it is important enough to keep reminding ourselves of.

It is right for God to have mercy on some and not others. It is right for God to have compassion on some and not others. It is right for God even to harden the hearts of some and not others. It is right for God to give faith to some and not others.

Are you able to accept this truth without accusing the almighty God of wrongdoing? Are you able to accept it without sitting in judgment upon his sovereign judgments? Are you able to accept it with humbleness and thanks? for whatever shred of mercy or faith God might give.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

2 Peter 1:1-2 (primary text)

Ephesians 2:8 (faith and salvation as gifts of God)

Romans 9:13-16 (God's sovereign mercy and the question of divine justice)

Matthew 20:1-16 (the parable of the laborers in the vineyard)

3 John 1:1, 2 Peter 3:1 (context for Peter's letters as reminders)

KEY POINTS:

- Our faith is obtained. Faith in Jesus is not something we generate, earn, or sign up for. It comes to us as a gift from God. Every strand of our salvation originates with God, not with us.

- Our faith is by righteousness. God is not unjust in giving faith to some and not others. His righteousness does not operate by our standard of equal distribution. He is right to have mercy on whom he has mercy, and right to have compassion on whom he has compassion.

- Our faith is of equal standing. Every believer's faith in Jesus, regardless of how long they have walked with him, how stable it has been, or how much authority they hold in the church, is of equal honor and equal value before God. No Christian holds a higher tier of faith than another.

2 Peter 1:1-2

2 Peter 3:1

1 Peter 1:1

Hebrews 12:2

Ephesians 2:8

Romans 9:13-16

Matthew 14

Matthew 20:1-16