2 Peter 1

January 15, 2024

5 Marks of a Disciple: Daily Devotion

2 Peter 1.3-9

Being transformed to live and love like Jesus is the ultimate goal of the Christian life. The good news is, we’ve been equipped with everything we need to pursue this life…the Scriptures and the Spirit. Peter even gives us some hand and footholds, a list of virtues from faith to love.

I know we all want to finish well…we want our lives to have an impact for the kingdom. And that’s going to take some intentionality. Diligence. But spending time in God’s Word…your daily devotion…this is something you can do, and something you must do. It’s hard work to finish well, but it’s worth it.

There is no such thing as pause or neutral in life. We are either growing or not, progressing or regressing. We can train our bodies…we can go to the gym, we can eat right, etc., and we will see progress. We will get stronger, faster, more agile. But if you skipped going to the gym for a time, or didn’t run or ride your bike , you find out pretty quickly how easy it is to lose ground. The same is true intellectually. If we stop learning, our brains begin to shrink. Emotionally, if we withdraw from people, we lose the ability to relate. It’s true in every area of life…if we don’t use it, we lose it. So how do we miss it spiritually? It should be obvious that if we are not growing spiritually then we are shrinking. We are moving backward. We are losing whatever ground we may at one time have gained.

What if that’s you? Maybe you started out well, or maybe not so well, and now you’re wondering what to do. Peter would say, “I know you’ve messed up. I know you’ve failed Jesus. Welcome to the club, so did I…” but the good news is, you can still finish well. How? Get back to the basics…back on Torah Road. Begin today to pursue godliness…to spend time in the Bible getting to know God, not just getting to know about Him, but really knowing Him and doing what He says. Start with a simple Bible reading plan. Read, listen to, think about, meditate on, marinate in God’s Word. Dwell in it, and let it richly dwell in you. And as you do that, the Spirit will begin to take the Word and use it to transform you to more and more live and love like Jesus. That’s my prayer for us in 2024.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our January series: 5 Marks of a Disciple. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

September 26, 2022

Eyewitnesses

2 Peter 1.12-21

Knowing that his time is short, Peter reminds us to hold on to the truth that Jesus is coming back…the King will return. When He does, we will have to give an account to Him for how we lived our lives…how we invested (or failed to invest) our minas, so what we do today matters.

Like Solomon’s advice to his son in the book of Proverbs, Peter presents two options for us. The way of the wise and the way of the foolish. The wise will listen to him. The foolish…will not. So what you do today matters.

Will we live lives anchored in the Truth, empowered by the Spirit that count for eternity? Or will we live lives for the here and now, empowered by our own feeble attempts to build bigger barns during our fleeting time on earth…being unfruitful and useless for the kingdom? What you do today matters.

How are you investing your mina? When it comes time to give an account…will it be with great joy or great sadness? The choice really is yours. What you do today matters.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our 2 Peter series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or Twitter: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

September 19, 2022

Making An Entrance

2 Peter 1.1-11

What kind of entrance do you want to make into the kingdom? How you live your life today matters. Through the Word and the Spirit we have everything we need to pursue the life God calls us to live.

Two options for entering the kingdom. One mentioned. One implied. One involves a celebration…a rich homecoming. The other…not so much. 

Both are true of believers. Both have trusted Jesus at some point in their life. Both will enter the Kingdom. But both do not enjoy the same caliber of life today, nor will they have the same kind of entrance into the Kingdom. What, or maybe better, why the difference? What you do today matters.

The difference is the philosophy or worldview that the believer lives by. Option A: biblical worldview informed by the Word and lived out in the power of the Spirit. Option B: worldview informed by our “it’s-all-about-me” culture that defines pleasure as the highest good. Living for today…all that matters is the here and now.

We all have the opportunity to live an option A kind of life. In fact that’s what God saved us for (Ephesians 2.10; Titus 2.11-15), and He is the One who empowers us to live such a life (Philippians 2.13; Colossians 1.29). But we have to be intentional. We have to make every effort to pursue that kind of life. It’s gonna cost you something.

What you do today matters. Every choice that you make has an impact in time and in eternity. Who are the voices speaking into your life today? Do reason up or reason down? Have you trained yourself to see the world through the lens of Scripture? Are you asking God for help to do so?

Having been equipped by God with the means necessary to be transformed to live and love like Jesus…namely, the Word and the Spirit, and having been given the road-map to get there from faith to love, and the present and future benefits thereof, it’s time…it’s time to make every effort…to press on toward the goal…to diligently pursue this thing called the Christian life.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our 2 Peter series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or Twitter: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.

January 13, 2020

Essentials: Scripture

2 Peter 1.3-9

Being transformed to live and love like Jesus is the ultimate goal of the Christian life. The good news is, we’ve been equipped with everything we need to pursue this life…the Scriptures and the Spirit. Peter even gives us some hand and footholds, a list of virtues from faith to love.

I know we all want to finish well…we want our lives to have an impact for the kingdom. And some of you are having a huge impact right now. I think of those who are volunteering in our children’s and youth ministries, those who are leading community groups or small groups, those who are serving the homeless, or are leading in any number of other ministries that take place on our campus. Keep after it. The race is not done…we haven’t crossed the goal line. It’s hard work to finish well, but it’s worth it.

There is no such thing as pause or neutral in life. We are either growing or not, progressing or regressing. We can train our bodies…we can go to the gym, we can eat right, etc., and we will see progress. We will get stronger, faster, more agile. But if you skipped going to the gym for a time, or didn’t run or ride your bike , you find out pretty quickly how easy it is to lose ground. The same is true intellectually. If we stop learning, our brains begin to shrink. Emotionally, if we withdraw from people, we lose the ability to relate. It’s true in every area of life…if we don’t use it, we lose it. So how do we miss it spiritually? It should be obvious that if we are not growing spiritually then we are shrinking. We are moving backward. We are losing whatever ground we may at one time have gained.

What if that’s you? Maybe you started out well, or maybe not so well, and now you’re wondering what to do. Peter would say, “I know you’ve messed up. I know you’ve failed Jesus. So did I…” but the good news is, you can still finish well. How? Get back to the basics. Begin today to pursue godliness…to spend time in the Bible getting to know God, not just getting to know about Him, but really knowing Him and doing what He says. Start with a simple Bible reading plan. For those of you who have trained physically for anything…sport, music, hobby, school…you know that you have to build up to your goal. Big gains are possible, but it’s gradual…slow and steady. Think tortoise and not hare. Training, not trying…

Let’s resolve to make consistent time in the Word a priority in 2020.

pro rege

This post is based on our January Series, Essentials. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @ccclancaster