Welcome back to part 2 of our study on perspectives and why having the right perspective matters – especially concerning Jesus and His gospel. We began last week by looking at some of the dangers and consequences of having a weak perspective of Jesus, and how that can actually hinder our receiving from Him because of our own unbelief.
Now today we will continue by examining how the scriptures describe Jesus and what a strong perspective of Him truly looks like. As we see this, we will open our eyes to His marvelous glory and be ready to receive everything that He has paid for us to have.
See Jesus in All of His Glory
In part 1, we saw how people in Jesus’ home town had a weak and skewed perception of Jesus which blocked their receiving of His healing and hearing His message. And we paused last week as we read 2nd Timothy 3:1-7, where it describes how some people hold to “a form of godliness, while denying its power.” The scripture describes these people as “ever learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
This is more than just an academic curiosity. Having a skewed perspective of Jesus can effect every aspect of life: spiritually, mentally, and physically.
So what’s the solution? How should we be seeing Jesus? One of the most fundamental aspects of seeing Jesus, is to remember that He is much more than a “ticket to heaven.”
If you see Jesus as just a normal person, or even just a way to get to heaven when you die, then you still won’t have much (if any) hope for your life in the here and now.
I know that there are some hyper-spiritual people who try to claim that this life doesn’t really matter, and that Jesus didn’t come to help you in this life… however, when we look at the scriptures, they paint a different picture. In-fact, there are numerous scriptures which go into great detail about what Jesus have given us, precisely for our daily lives now on this earth!
If Jesus did not care at all about this life, healings would never occur at all. Consider with me, that the only place that we need healing, provision, protection and peace is here on this fallen earth.
When we are up in heaven, we won’t need healing, or any of the other things, because we will already be in heaven with Jesus face-to-face! And, these gifts and blessings from Christ are not only for us to enjoy personally, but also for us to share with those around us, as we are ambassadors for Christ.
So it is right now in our present earthly lives that we need to see and receive everything which Jesus offers to us. And to begin examining this, let’s read: 2ndPeter 1:1-4:
“ 1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
Peter begins his second letter by addressing himself as a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. The word “servant” used here is the Greek word doulos which means specifically a “bondservant” – a willing and voluntary servant for life. This is not forced slavery or subjugation. This is the kind of servant-hood mentioned in Exodus 21:1-6, where freedom is offered, but if the servant loves his master and his family, he can freely choose to remain with his master and family and become a bondservant forever. In such circumstances, the master would take the bondservant to the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl, and this would be the marker that the servant is a willing bondservant forever. This is also the reference that Jesus made in the Messianic Psalm of chapter 40:6. The bondservant is a lifelong servant borne purely out of love, and by Peter addressing himself as a bondservant, he is declaring his love for Jesus.
Notice also that Peter mentions his apostleship, not only was he a witness to the resurrected Christ, but he was also explicitly chosen by the Holy Spirit and sent as an ambassador. And who was Peter a servant and apostle of? Jesus Christ. The Savior, the Messiah, the Spotless Lamb.
Who is Peter’s message addressed to? To them that have obtained like precious faith with us. In other words, to them that have the same faith as we do, in Jesus Christ, and through Him, the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. This fact is the key and this is the foundation for everything that follows. This is not the righteousness of man, this is not self-righteousness, but this is the righteousness of God. Divine righteousness, perfect righteousness. Righteousness that can never be taken away and never expires. It does not wear out, grow old or become ineffective. This is the quality of righteousness that is upon you ass a believer in Jesus Christ today.
Now look at verse 2: Grace and peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Notice that this verse here tells us that both grace and peace are multiplied through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ our Lord. This is in clear contrast to what we saw last week, about those who are always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth.
What this is telling us, is that every time you receive revelation about Jesus Christ, every time you see more of Him and what He has done for you, every time His truth touches an area of your life, it causes both grace and peace to be multiplied in your life.
Now then, what exactly is grace and peace? You might be surprised that many believers do not have a clear definition or understanding of what these two things are.
Grace is the unmerited, unearned and undeserved favor of God shown to us. We did nothing to earn it, we did nothing to deserve it, and we have no merit in ourselves by which to claim it. Yet the more we learn of the beauty and love of our Lord Jesus, the more we see His perfect work on the cross, then the more we position ourselves to receive the multiplication of God’s grace in our lives.
The verse says that peace too, is multiplied to us through the knowledge of Jesus our Lord. What peace is this? This is not worldly peace that is temporary and fleeting. No. The Greek word here for peace is eirene, which not only includes peace but also prosperity – both divinely supplied by God, and it comes through the knowledge of Him. As Jesus says in John 14:27, He has given us His peace, not as the world gives. Then He says let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. The only way to do that is through the receiving of His divine peace. He, who gives it not as the world gives. You see, when the world gives something, it can be taken away. It can be lost. It can wear out, but not so when Jesus gives it. The divine peace of God sets our hearts free from fear, stress, worry, anxiety and cares. Wouldn’t you want to have the peace of God presiding over your heart always?
If your answer is yes, then I have some great news… look at verses 3 and 4 again:
“ 3 According as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
Verse 3 tells us that it is God’s divine power which has given to us all things that pertain both to life and godliness.And take time to consider where these blessings come from; who is the one providing these things? It is from God and by His divine power. So we have a solid foundation upon which to stand and trust for these things. We can have absolute security and confidence knowing that God’s divine power will fail to deliver.
Next, what is the channel by which these blessings come? They come through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue.
We know from the previous verse that this is Jesus, but here Peter mentions that Christ has called us to glory and virtue, and now we also know how this is accomplished… His divine power.
This is not through our own power. This is not through our own strength. Some people have a natural tendency to take these verses and use them as directive that we need to strive for these things. But no my friend, Peter is not telling us to strive – he’s telling us to thrive! Peter is reminding us of what we already have in Christ Jesus!
Jesus Gives You Everything
So what is it that we have? All things that pertain to life and godliness. These are two separate categories. First, the word “Life” used here is zoe, which is defined as the absolute fullness of God’s divine life; a totally blessed life both now and in the future of eternity. If you can think of something that pertains to life, physically, mentally, or spiritually, God has supplied it to you.
Zoe life is a life of absolute blessing, both now and in the future. His divine power has given you all things that pertain to life!
Now what about godliness? Godliness, actually means the qualities and characteristics that are from God or of God. For example: Righteousness, Holiness, Divine Peace and all of the fruits of His Holy Spirit.
Have you been striving for these things by your own self-effort? Well I’ve got some more great news: His divine power has given you all things that pertain to godliness.
And again, please remember, these verses are not telling you what you need to strive for, they are telling you what you already have in Christ Jesus. This fact is made even more clear in verse 4 of the text:
“ 4 Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
God has given us exceeding great and precious promises, which come through Jesus Christ, and they are given for a purpose: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature.
I invite you to pause and meditate on this truth. By receiving these exceedingly great and precious promises of God into your life, you will become a partaker of the divine nature of God Himself! Can you even fully wrap your mind around that? Are you starting to see how great the finished work of Christ truly is? If you are a partaker of the divine nature of God, and He has given you everything that pertains to both life and godliness, are obstacles really obstacles?
You will find as you focus in on the truth of these verses, the things that seemed like mountains before are really just small pebbles when compared with the reality of Christ Jesus.
And we’re not even done yet! Look at the second-half of verse 4:
…having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Notice that the word “escaped” is in the past-tense. You’re going to love this!
You are not trying to escape the corruption of the world. The word corruption there is destruction and death. You are not striving and fighting to escape the destruction and death of the world… you already have escaped it through Christ Jesus!
Many people think that they are still in bondage to the world, and they envision themselves as struggling against the enemy and fighting a grand battle against evil. But the battle has already been fought and won by Jesus!
Know the Truth, and Be Made Free
These promises and blessings are all yours in Christ Jesus today! Why do so many people then not see them or experience them in their lives? As we read in the scripture today, grace and peace are both multiplied through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. The simple truth my friend, is that many people including believers do not have knowledge of God or of Jesus and what He has done. They don’t know the truth of His healing or of His provision, and because of wrong teaching that is out there, many do not search for it. But as Jesus Christ Himself said in John 8:31-32, as you abide in Him, you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
And please notice the detail here, the truth of Christ makes you free, it doesn’t just merely set you free as some people misquote it.
Here’s the difference:
The genuine truth of Jesus does not merely set the old person free, instead it makes you a new creation in Him; a new free person, alive in Christ Jesus!
So as we have seen, our perspective os Jesus has vast spiritual implications for every area of life. And I pray that these last two weeks have broadened your perspective to see how great and glorious His finished work truly is for you.
Be blessed.