Rooted 2 - Seeds of Salvation

Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:1–4)

God plants a seed of faith in every heart—but it only grows into salvation when it puts down roots in Jesus Christ.

A Phenomenal Little Creation

It is a phenomenal creation. According to the manufacturer, it took less than a day to create—yet it took 86 scientists more than two years, tens of thousands of man hours, and millions of dollars to deconstruct its code. It weighs less than a gram, seven-tenths of a gram. It has hundreds of millions of lines of code, and it's only eight millimeters tall. I'm talking about a seed—in this instance, a little apple seed.

From 2008 to 2011, research scientists deconstructed the genome of the apple, one of the most eaten fruits in the world, with 7,500 different varieties. The amazing thing about this tiny teardropped seed is that, under the right conditions, it can grow into a fully mature apple tree that over its life can produce more than 5,000 pounds of apples. Each of those apples can contain as many as ten seeds, and each seed has the power to create another tree, and another, and another—so that this tiny piece of organic material has the potential to create thousands upon thousands of orchards. Information also begins as a seed, which is exactly what we'll consider today in 2 Peter.

The Man Who Wrote This Letter

This letter was written nearly 2,000 years ago, around 65 or 66 AD, from the city of Rome, by a man who introduces himself as Simon Peter. We know him mostly as Peter, but his given name was Simon. He was a fisherman from Israel, around the Sea of Galilee, most likely from Capernaum. You can visit the ruins of Capernaum today and see the synagogue built on the foundations where Jesus ministered. Less than a hundred feet from its opening is the traditional house of Simon Peter, where he worked the trade passed down to him from his father and grandfather.

Simon had a younger brother, Andrew. At some point Andrew came to him and said, "I have someone you need to meet," and introduced Peter to Jesus. Simon's entire life was radically transformed by that introduction. The Gospel of John records that Jesus looked at Simon and said, "You are Simon, son of Jonah, but I'm giving you a new name"—Cephas, or Peter, meaning a rock or a stone. When you follow his life, that's a fitting name for the man.

This reminds us of something important: you never know what that little introduction—introducing a family member to Jesus—might bring in their life and in the lives of countless others. Like Andrew, you may need to be the one who introduces a friend or family member to Jesus.

A Witness Who Finished His Course

Simon became a follower and learner of this rabbi from Nazareth. He watched Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, feed multitudes with fragments of food, walk on water, and turn water into wine. He heard Jesus preach the gospel of the kingdom of God, and then was trained to do the same. He was there when Jesus was arrested, falsely accused, condemned, and crucified. He saw Him die, and three days later he saw Him rise from the dead. It was Peter who received the commission with the other disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.

This book was written about 36 years after that commission. Through all those decades, Peter went to every part of the known world preaching the gospel, healing the sick, and making disciples. Now, nearing the end of his life and knowing his time was short, he wanted to leave a discipleship legacy. I'm certain Peter had no idea that 2,000 years later there would be people in California reading and studying this letter—but he wrote to strengthen and encourage believers.

He calls himself "a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ." At its most basic level, an apostle is one who is sent with a message—the Greek apostolos. In modern terms, a missionary is in one sense an apostle. But Peter belongs to a select group commissioned not by a local church but by Jesus Himself, a witness of the risen Lord with an authority that has not been passed down to others. He also calls himself a bondservant—a slave of Jesus Christ. Just about every New Testament writer uses this word. They were not slaves forced into servitude, but servants who by choice said, "This is what I want to commit myself to."

Jesus gave Peter that choice in John 21, asking, "Peter, do you love me?" When Peter answered yes, Jesus said, "Feed my sheep"—but warned that following Him would ultimately cost Peter his life. Shortly after writing this letter, the emperor Nero had Peter put to death, crucified just as his Lord was. Tradition holds that Peter did not feel worthy to be crucified as Jesus was, so he asked to be crucified upside down. Knowing his end was near, he was not fearful or anxious, but filled with hope and joy. His only concern was the church—and so he wrote this letter to encourage and strengthen it.

Salvation Grows from God-Given Faith

Peter writes to those who "have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." This brings us to the first seed of salvation: salvation grows from God-given faith.

In 2008, researchers at Oxford received a $4 million grant to research faith and belief. Over three years, they conducted 40 studies in 20 nations and concluded: belief is deeply rooted in human nature. We probably didn't need $4 million to discover that, but their research confirmed that faith and belief are found in every continent and every culture. Every human being has a seed of belief within them. The object of their faith may differ, but every person has faith.

Some in the West will say, "I am not a person of faith. I am an atheist." But when you deconstruct atheism and talk with avowed atheists, you find they have faith. The things they hold true about the origins of the universe cannot be proven in a lab—they must be taken on faith. Personally, I think it takes more faith to be an atheist when you look at the evidence.

Paul alludes to this in Romans 12:3: "God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." Every person born has been created with a seed of faith. That faith may grow up and latch onto something other than the God of the Bible, but everyone has it. And all faith must eventually attach onto something. "You just gotta have faith" is a foolish statement—faith in what? Faith for the sake of faith is meaningless.

The Only Name That Saves

People attach their faith to many objects: Buddha, Confucius, Muhammad, Bahá'u'lláh. For some, there may be an existential good, a sense of well-being, that comes from it. That's all well and good—but the question is, can that object save you? Ultimately, there is only one individual upon whom faith can attach that brings salvation. As Peter says, a precious, saving faith is a trust attached to God our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Peter declared in Acts 4: "Let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands before you whole." He had healed a lame man, and when asked how, he pointed to Jesus. Then he said:

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

These words are not politically correct in 21st-century America. The one thing you're not allowed to be in our culture is exclusive, and the number one argument against the gospel is the Bible's exclusivity. When Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by Me," people get riled up: "What about other religions?" Those things may make people feel good, but those individuals cannot save.

"That's so exclusive, Pastor." I didn't make it up—I'm merely reading what the Scriptures say. If we were all on a sinking boat and I said, "The only way to be saved is this one life raft," would you stand there and call me narrow-minded? Fine, stay on the boat. But if you want to be saved, get into the life raft. There's no harm in speaking the truth if it's the truth.

Faith Rooted in the Righteousness of Jesus

It is salvation according to His righteousness—"by the righteousness of our God and Savior." This is the second lesson: fruitful saving faith is rooted in the righteousness of Jesus.

Go take a comparative religions class, and you'll find that every other faith focuses on the merits of man—what you can accomplish to reach enlightenment, heaven, or paradise. Christianity is unique. It says you can do nothing. It is faith in the righteousness of Christ. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might receive His righteousness, not be clothed in our own. Isaiah said all our righteousness is like filthy rags before God. It's insufficient. It's like paying only the minimum on a credit card—it might satisfy for a moment, but in 30 days another bill comes. Your righteousness is never enough.

If you've been around church a while, you may say, "I've heard all this before; let's move on." This is exactly why we're talking about it. We need to be reminded. Peter says:

For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know them and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by way of reminder. (2 Peter 1:12–13)

These things matter, especially in a day when Christians are made to feel they are wrong for believing Jesus is the only way. But this is what the Bible declares. If there really is only one life raft, wouldn't you want to know?

Grace and Peace That Grow with Knowledge

Peter continues: "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." Many individuals claim to give peace, but Jesus alone is able to multiply grace and peace to you. This is the standard New Testament salutation—Paul almost always begins his letters this way—but Peter's slight variation highlights an important truth. This is the third point: our experience of grace and peace increases as our knowledge of God and Christ grows.

Just as a single seed contains all the genetic material needed to produce a mature, fruit-bearing tree, when the seed of your faith attaches to Christ you have all the grace and peace you will ever need. You will never come to the store of God's grace and hear, "I'm sorry, Kevin took it all five minutes ago." God's grace and peace are unfathomable; you cannot drain them. The mercies of the Lord fail not; they are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. To Paul, God said, "My grace is sufficient for you" (2 Corinthians 12:9), and that is true for us.

Yet our experience of God's grace can increase—by the knowledge of God. That's why Peter ends his letter, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). When I meet someone lacking peace and grace, I ask, "How much time do you spend devotionally reading the Bible?" Invariably they answer, "Well, I go to church on Sunday." That's wonderful, but it's not enough. If you lack peace, get to know the Lord more through His word.

I challenge you: for seven days, begin each morning with ten minutes reading the Scriptures devotionally. Start in Ephesians or Philippians—please don't start in Revelation, or you'll email me to say, "I don't get it," and I'll say, "Neither do I, God bless you." Add a few minutes of prayer each day. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." The more you know God, the more your experience of His grace and peace will increase.

All the Code for Godly Fruit

Peter goes on: "As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue." Not only do you have all the grace and peace you could ever need, but when the seed of faith attaches to Jesus, you also have everything you need to live this life in a godly manner. This is the saving-faith DNA. As you are rooted in Christ, you have everything you'll ever need to live godly.

This is the fourth point: the seed of saving faith contains all the code for godly fruit. And the production of that fruit increases as it is fertilized by the knowledge of God. When someone says, "I've struggled with this sin for decades, and I thought it would go away when I became a Christian," I tell them God has given you everything in Christ that you need to live godly. By knowing Him more, you'll be stirred by His Spirit and His word to live godly.

That doesn't mean it requires no effort. Paul told the Philippians, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." It takes energy on our part. But the resources are all there: "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). So you work, and He works. God's sovereignty and man's responsibility go together. If you separate them and say it's all one or all the other, you're following man's wisdom, not the Bible. God works, and I work—and He enables my work.

God has commanded godliness: "Be holy, for I am holy." That's a heavy command, and every one of us will fail at it—thank God He is forgiving. But with His commands He gives the enabling power to obey. Consider the man with the withered hand in the Capernaum synagogue. Jesus said, "Stretch forth your hand"—a command. That man may have tried hundreds of times before, but with Jesus' command came the power to do what he could never do himself. He stretched it forth, and it was made whole. According to His divine power, God has given us everything we need to live godly, through the knowledge of Him.

Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises

"By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." By the knowledge of God, His glory, and His virtue, He has given us not just promises, not just precious promises, but exceedingly great and precious promises. I love that Peter adds the adverb "exceedingly." The promises of God are innumerable.

What are they? I couldn't begin to list them all—you need to read the Scriptures and discover them yourself. Start in Ephesians 1, where He has given us every spiritual blessing in heavenly places: redemption, forgiveness of sins, adoption, and more. Peter isn't focused on each individual promise but on their result: that through them you may be partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption of this world.

This is the fifth point: precious faith yields precious promises resulting in eternal salvation. The New Living Translation of verse 4 reads: "And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desire." These promises enable us to experience eternal salvation, where this corruption puts on incorruption and this mortality puts on immortality. As John says, "When we see Him, we shall be like Him" (1 John 3:2).

Wasn't that the very desire offered at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—"you shall be like God"? But Adam and Eve ate at the wrong time, in the wrong way, and something was transmitted, a kind of mutation that spread sin throughout all humanity. Yet when you take in the divine nature of God in Christ Jesus, a new transformation takes place. One day you'll escape the corruption of this world and be given a glorified body, not like this one. Doesn't that sound pretty good?

And where do these exceedingly great and precious promises come from? From the knowledge of God—from a life rooted in Christ, where the seed of faith puts down roots and attaches to Him, enabling you to escape the corruption of this world and partake of the divine nature. That sounds like gospel—good news. Amen?

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You for Your exceedingly great and precious promises, and I pray that we would be partakers of them, putting our trust and faith in You, because You alone are able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through You, Jesus. We thank You for Your grace, and that it is according to Your righteousness and not ours that we are given grace, mercy, peace, forgiveness, and redemption. I pray that we would not only receive that but give it out to others, for we live in a world in need of Your grace and peace.

It may be that someone here has never put their trust in Jesus for salvation, but you want His grace and desire His peace and these great and precious promises. Jesus died on the cross 2,000 years ago to make that possible, and He rose from the dead so you could receive His grace and forgiveness. If you've never received that, I encourage you to put your trust in Christ today.

God, pour out Your Spirit upon this group as we prepare to go from this place, that we would be ambassadors of Your grace to a world in desperate need. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who agree said, Amen.