2 Peter 1:1-11
God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.
What is that God has given everything to us in this life?
The knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through His revealed Word
Our knowledge of God is the key to the life and godliness.
Peter calls the promises we have in God’s word - very great and precious
God’s promises enable us two things.
To participate in HIS nature and to escape the corruption of this world
Anyone who accepts the forgiveness offered as a free gift by Lord Jesus Christ, is saved by HIS grace and through our faith in HIM.
That faith is not enough to lead a Christian life or to escape the corruptions of this world.
So Peter tell us that we need to add to our faith important ingredients that will help us to become mature Christians and to become what the Lord wants us to be in this world.
These are called character traits of a believer of Lord Jesus.
So we add to our faith things that will take us thru lifelong sanctification process.
Faith is the prerequisite to add these Christian traits.
1. GOODNESS
GOODNESS or VIRTUE---Moral Excellence.
Our relationship with Lord Jesus compels us to be a person of character. 
Someone puts it beautifully, “Your ideal is what you wish you were.Your reputation is what people say you are.
Your character is what you really are.”
2. KNOWLEDGE
In this context the knowledge is referred to the deeper things of Christian life from the Word of God.
Spiritual knowledge that comes from Bible enable us gain higher standards of character.
3. SELF CONTROL
Danger of compromise and fall for “everybody is doing so why not I.”
Temperance or self-control is added to our moral fiber.
4. PERSEVERANCE
Perseverance is patience or Hang in there
No matter what we go thru just hang in there.
Person of character faces all circumstances just trusting the Lord no matter what.
5. GODLINESS
Godliness is holiness
"Godliness is a spirit of reverence and respect to God in all matters."
Holiness is the core and essence of the purity of the inward heart.
6. MUTUAL AFFECTION AND LOVE
We are commanded to love one another.
If we can’t love our brother who we can see, how can we love God who is unseen?
Possessing these Christian characters, we mature, we grow, we escape temptations, and we get a great welcome into HIS
kingdom.
Remember my friend our faith is validated through our actions.
A child of God should produce radical change in our thinking and our actions.
As we intentionally pursue and cultivate them in our lives, we will enter into a deeper level of the abundant life Lord Jesus promised us.

 

What is a parable?
“A simple story told to tell a moral truth” Webster Dictionary
“A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning”
“A parable is a comparison or analogy drawn from nature or human circumstances, the object of which is set forth a spiritual lesson.”
Our Lord is the greatest Teacher of all times in human  history.
He told them a parable recorded in Luke 12:13-21
CONTENTEMENT VERSES COVETOUSNESS
Lord Jesus was teaching His disciples when He was interrupted by someone who wanted him to resolve a family dispute over inheritance.
This guy did not come to seek the Lord’s advice.
He wanted Lord Jesus to stand on his side and instruct his brother to divide the inheritance.
Our Lord is talking to the 21st century Christian.
 The Lord says watch out for ‘all kinds of greed’.
Fill a glass with water to the brim that is contentment.
 When we are content in our mind, we have peace at heart.
Keep pouring water into the glass it spills over and we have to stop pouring.
When we don’t stop pouring water it is called greed.
The Lord says, “Life does not consist in an abundance of  possessions.”
SELFISHNESS VERSES  SELFLESSNESS
The rich man used 14 times I, my, myself, he, himself and  you.
In all his blessing he saw only himself but not the hand of God.
 Pastor Wiersbe says that “The material blessings of life are either a mirror in which we see ourselves, or a window through which we see God.”
But in reality, we are all stewards of what God has provided. 
When we see only ourselves in the achievements, pride sets in our heart.
That is when we become selfish to keep all the blessings for ourselves.
LIFE HERE VERSES LIFE-AFTER
 God wants us to enjoy life, but not without a relationship with Him.
In Col 3:2, Apostle Paul says, "set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
It is important that we set our priorities straight in this life.
The Lord reminds us that we not only store for this life but also store riches in heaven.
Storing riches in heaven is sharing riches here.
We have seen three contrasts in the parable.
Greed for things always puts us in the equation and gives less importance for a relationship with our Lord Jesus.


Selfish
person never shares his/her things with
others.
A person who lives for this life has no life after.

 

On July 4th America celebrated 236th Independence Day.
The American Independence was based on freedom and founded on the principles of the Bible.
Our founding fathers believed in the ideal of freedom and risked everything.
America honored God of the Bible in all their social and political life when it was founded.
As America stands for freedom and enjoys freedom, a believer enjoys spiritual freedom in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible says every person born to a woman is a sinner by birth.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
So every person’s soul or heart is a slave to sin and live in the bondage of sin always.
Sin has corrupted the mind, crippled the body and condemned the soul into hell.
Only through Lord Jesus Christ a person can be freed from the bondage of sin.
Outside of Christ’s redemptive grace there is no freedom from sin to any person.
Verse 24 “and are justified freely by HIS grace through redemption that came by Christ Jesus”
In 1 Peter 3:18 Peter says, For Christ died for sins once for all”
We were sinners but we have received freedom from sin through our Lord.
Not only Our Lord Jesus freed us from bondage of sin but also paid the penalty for sin.
The penalty for sin is death.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus ourLord.
We understand freedom in this nation because we live in it. 
Now we understand Christian freedom because it's a biblical truth.  
We have seen that our political freedom can be abused, so also our spiritual freedom.
Today we are living in a time and witnessing how Christian freedom is being abused.  
In his letter to Galatians, Paul talks about Christian freedom.
He says a Christian is not burdened with anymore shackles of religious rituals and practices like circumcision under Mosaic Law.
A Christian is freed from such yoke of burden from religious rituals.
Apostle Paul also reminds that the ‘flesh’ can imprison the soul with unspiritual things.
In Galatians 5:19-21 Paul says, “19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 
20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 
21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.”
He warns us not to gratify the flesh but walk by the Holy Spirit.
He also cautions us to be careful not to abuse our Christian freedom.
Our freedom should enable the fellow Christian or non-Christian but not to draw them away from.
Only a believer in the Lord Jesus enjoys true spiritual freedom.

We can identify with the description of city of Corinth in Apostle Paul’s time.
Because of its strategic location it had booming business and trade.
The two Temples, Apollo and Aphrodite influenced the social and cultural life, and also brought temple prostitution.
As someone said “The people were intellectually proud, materially affluent and morally corrupt.”
Idol worship had impacted every facet of their day to day life.
Apostle Paul says even the meat that was sold in the market was first offered to idols.
In chapter 10 we, believers in the Lord Jesus can learn some lessons how to deal with the complexities of 21st century life in a secular world.
Corinthian Church was a combination of Jewish and gentile  Christians.
In first 11 verses Paul cites examples from the past to warn the Christians at Corinth to be careful in spiritual matters.
Verses 12-22 we are encouraged to stand firm and face temptations in our day to day to day life.
Not only standing firm in our convictions and faith, we have to deal with idolatry of a different nature.
We have to understand that an idol is something that replaces God in our heart.
We have to deal with idols of various kinds including walking a dog on Sunday morning instead of going to a Church.
The priority we give to a thing or a chore can be our idol today.
So we have to flee from such idols in our world today.
In Verses 23-28 Apostle Paul talks about freedom of a Christian in a secular world.
We have freedom but with a caution that “NOT EVERYTHING IS BENEFICIAL OR CONSTRUCTIVE”
Our actions and words must help others come to know the Lord but not to drive them away further.
Paul concludes in verses 29-33 that whatever we do, or eat, or say must glorify God.
We need to deal with idols of various kinds and strive to please God with doing things that benefit and constructive in the body of Christ.