Dwelling Place

Host (Male): Today on the dwelling place.

Pastor Nathan: But what Satan is so afraid of, is when we go through seasons where we we feel distant or we go through seasons where life just doesn't make sense or it's difficult. And instead of resisting God, what we start to ask ourselves is this. Oh, I wonder how God's going to show up this time.

Guest (Female): Dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place. You are my dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place.

Host (Male): Thank you for tuning into the dwelling place, a radio ministry from Pastor Al Pittman and Al Pittman Ministries in Colorado Springs, Colorado. We hope today's message is a blessing to you. If you like to partner with us financially, you can go to alpitmanministries.com. Give directly on the one place app or mail in a check to 501 Castle Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80904. We appreciate your generosity to help us spread the gospel. Today we continue our new series titled Counteracting Counterfeits in 2 Peter. Now here's Pastor Nathan as we continue 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 10 Now here's Pastor Nathan as we continue in 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 10 through 11.

Pastor Nathan: I won't respond that way anymore. I won't respond with anger. I won't respond with lust. I won't respond with all those different things with insecurity or whatever it is. God just push the button. Make it happen. And God's like, hey, I didn't want a robot. I want your heart. And that means that you've got to crucify the flesh. That means that you've got to submit to the word of God. That means that you've got to put things in place so that your heart and mind is centered on Jesus. That's what that is. And in the process of doing that, God moves, shakes, shakes us up, changes and conforms and transforms us into the image of Christ as we walk in obedience to him.

And in our text, Peter describes for us how we can make an effort to progress in our new nature in the new man, how we can put on the the new man in Christ. And that's by adding to our faith. Now if we do a quick recap of verses 5 through 7, these are the things that Peter tells us to add to our faith. He says, add goodness, knowledge, self-control, godliness, endurance, brotherly affection, and love. These are the things that Peter says, I want you to add these things to your faith with all diligence. All diligence.

Remember, diligence means to exert yourself towards something. It's an all out sprint. It's everything you got. With all diligence, add these things to your faith. But then Peter kind of throws a wrench to me as I read this in verse 10. Because then he says, add those things to your faith, but be even more diligent to make your call and election sure. And in my head, I'm like, how much diligence does Peter think that we have? You already said all diligence and then you said, but be even more diligent to do this, to make your calling and election sure.

Peter's not trying to mess with us by telling us that, but what he's doing is that he's trying to help us establish a foundation for us to build our faith upon. Because like any house, you cannot build anything structurally sound until the foundation is sure and established. So Peter is saying, yes, add these things to your faith, but first make sure that your calling and election are firmly in place. Now he's not saying that we can gain or maintain our calling and election through our works, but he is saying that through diligent effort we can become fully convinced of it.

Now to understand how this is possible, we need to know what Peter means by calling and election. When Peter talks about the call of God, he's talking about the call of God that has gone out and continues to go out to the entire world through the spirit of God that draws all people to repentance and relationship with God. This is what the Holy Spirit does in our world. In fact, Jesus said this about the spirit of God. He said, and when he comes being the spirit, he will convict the world of its sin and of God's righteousness and of the coming judgment.

We see that in John 16:8. So the purpose of the Holy Spirit from the moment he entered into our world and even right now, the Holy Spirit goes out to convict the world of sin. Not for just judgment, not because the the Holy Spirit in some way kicks people while they're down or points the finger and and judgment or anything like that. But the purpose of the Holy Spirit convicting people in our world is to draw them into a relationship with God. To show people the depth of their sin, to show people that sin never satisfies, to show people that they will never be complete through what the world has to offer.

And when you come to that place, it's like reaching rock bottom. And when you reach that place, it's not a place that the spirit leaves you. Because when you reach that place of rock bottom where you realize that I am not satisfied in the world, I'm not satisfied in my sin, the Holy Spirit goes, well, let me lead you to the one who will satisfy you. That's the purpose of the Holy Spirit in our world. The Holy Spirit reveals the truth about who Jesus is. And he says, enter into a relationship with him with me.

But unfortunately, even though the Holy Spirit reveals this truth and has been revealing this truth through all our world, not everyone will choose to believe it. But those who choose to receive and believe the truth that the Holy Spirit reveals about Jesus, these are people who have responded to the call of God. Meaning that if you've responded to the Holy Spirit's prompting, if you've responded to the Holy Spirit's leading to believe the truth about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, you have responded to the call of God. Meaning that your calling is sure and established.

But this goes even deeper. When you realize that even before you responded to the call of God, he chose you to be saved before the foundations of the world.

Guest (Male): Amen.

Pastor Nathan: Now in the church in and in theological terms, we call this election. Meaning that God predestined or chose you for salvation before the foundation of the world. Romans chapter 8 verses 29 through 30 says this. It says, for whom he foreknew, he also predestined. Whom he predestined, these he also called. Whom he called, these he also justified. And whom he justified, these he also glorified. Now what people get twisted is that they think that, well, God elected me because there's something special about me. Not at all. We are not elect as believers because there's anything special about us.

But the truth is that God elects anyone who by faith chooses to put their trust in Jesus. Chooses to receive the truth that the Holy Spirit has been proclaiming to the world. This means that for the believer, our election is based on the omniscience of God and our free will response to believe in his son. This is something that anyone has the opportunity to do. Or else Jesus wouldn't have said in John 3:16, whoever right? God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever not a chosen few, whomever would believe will be saved.

But I love this because Peter isn't bringing this up so that we can in some way you know convince God that we are called and elect. That's not the purpose of why he's bringing this up. He's bringing this up because it's about us being convinced in our own hearts that we are called and elect. Because the truth is that from God's perspective, if you've believed in his son, your calling and election is already secure. From God's point of view, you're you're good. But we're the ones who struggle with that, right? So Peter brings this up not so that we would convince God that we're called and elect, but so that we will be convinced in our own hearts that our calling and election is sure.

And so Peter is showing us here through this passage of scripture, how can you become confident that your calling and election is sure? And Peter says this, the best way to do that is by actively developing your faith or actively adding to your faith in Christ. Because the truth is this, the greatest evidence of your calling and election is not your confession of faith. It's your progression in the faith after your confession. What's what's one of the sayings that we have in our world and our culture is that talk is cheap. And we know that because it's someone who says something but they don't do something, right?

So Peter is saying, I don't want your salvation just to be based upon your words. I want it to be based upon progression. It's not about, well, I I I I prayed the prayer. And yes, if you've prayed the prayer and you've you've confessed and believed in Jesus, are you saved? Absolutely. And that's great. But from that point on, Peter is saying that your salvation should be evident through your spiritual growth. Because knowing Jesus is about adding to your faith. It's not about just having Jesus saying, well, I have Jesus. I prayed the prayer and that's it.

No, no, no, no. Remember, Christianity, following Jesus is all about addition. It is all about progression. It's not just about, well, I prayed the prayer and I got Jesus and that's all I have. No. It's about adding to your faith. So have if you've prayed that prayer, are you saved? Absolutely. But now the goal for you to not only prove to to not only prove to yourself is to progress in your faith. Because the greatest evidence that someone knows Jesus is when you see them progressing. When you see, wow, you used to be a liar but you tell the truth now.

Wow, you used to be addicted to all this stuff but now you're clean. You used to respond in anger but now you're you're you're different. Like you didn't respond the same way to that situation. There's something different about you. This isn't not in any way to mean that we're ever going to be perfect, but we progress. You know it's it's kind of like I've heard before, you know, people say, well, I'm not sinless, but I sin less. Does that make sense? Because I'm not where I used to be anymore. I'm not where I used to be.

Evidence of my salvation is that there is an element of progression. Even if you feel like, man, I'm still messing up, even that mindset of I'm trying every day is still progression. Please don't leave here thinking that I'm telling you now you got to be perfect because if that's the case, I'm just going to leave the right now. Cuz I'm not. But it's progression, even if it's a small progression. You know my my son he he just he he turned one recently and he's learning to walk. And he he didn't you know he he didn't start, you know, just one day like he's just going to walk and he start running around and jumping off stuff.

No, he started by just just standing, just learning to stand and do this. This is all and then you'd sit back down. Then you try again and he would just be like, okay, this is okay. And then over time he learned to walk and take a step and take a step. That's what our spiritual progression in Christ is like. Sometimes we get so convicted cuz we're like, God, I'm not running yet. And God's like, I just want you to stand first. I just want you to stand first. I I don't we can run later but can you do this?

But God I fell. Can you get back up and do this? That's all I want from you. Can you do this? We'll work on walking and running later. I just need you here. If we can do that, that's called progression. God's not expecting you to run now. You got saved and now you got to be perfect. No, no. No. You got to stand first and then take a step and then run. That's how we progress. You see the need for an intentional active pursuit of Jesus for our spiritual growth. It's not just essential for those who are looking for assurance of their salvation but it's also beneficial in providing stability to those who have known the Lord for a long time.

Psalm chapter 16 verse 8 says, I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand. I shall never be moved. This is such a benefit for us because even if you've been a believer for a long time, you will still go through seasons where you feel distant from God. You will still go through seasons where it seems like life doesn't make sense and it's falling apart and you're like, what is this? And naturally our flesh, whenever we go through seasons like that, our flesh will go, man, you need to get away from God.

Maybe skip your devo cuz it looks like God is failing you. That's the wrong response. In fact, the enemy loves it when we respond that way. He loves it. He loves it when the people of God go, I don't know if God really cares about me anymore. I don't know if he's really there for me anymore. I see the situation is not going my way. I don't think he's really invested in my situation. He loves that. Because we essentially do his work for him. But what Satan is so afraid of is when we go through seasons where we we feel distant or we go through seasons where life just doesn't make sense or it's difficult.

And instead of resisting God, what we start to ask ourselves is this. Oh, I wonder how God's going to show up this time. Oh, I wonder how he's going to strengthen and establish my faith through this. That makes Satan so afraid. But it provides stability for us. Now don't give me wrong. This conversation that I'm talking about is something that's personal. This is not something that you show up to somebody's doorstep who's going through a hard time and you go, what is God trying to teach you through this? Don't do that. Cuz you're going to get punched in the face because you're not the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit has to be the one to ask that question and to bring that up to that person, not you. But in the moment that the Holy Spirit brings that up to you, respond to it. Start to be encouraged by it. Cuz the truth is that we have this faith not in some distant God. Our faith is in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who is in control of everything. And sometimes we do have to remind ourselves that if God is allowing me to go through this right now, I may not know why but what I'm confident in is that he owns my story.

He's writing it. Not the other person, not the situation, not the devil, not even me. He is. And what scripture tells me is that he's got a happy ending coming for me. I wonder how he's going to show me I get through you know get through this. I wonder how what he's going to show. How am I going to learn more about his presence, more about who he is, more about his faithfulness through this situation? And you know what happens in your spiritual life? You start to get some stability. Because you're not doing this anymore.

You're not, woo, God, you're great. And then you're in the dumps you're like, I don't know if God even cares. Woo, God, you know. This will kill you. Stagnation will kill you. It's only as we set our eyes on God with the purpose of continued growth that we have stability and an upward trajectory in our walk with him. When we think, oh man, how is God going to come through today? How is he going to remedy this situation? How is he going to give me peace through this? How is he going to give me the words to respond to that person that I really don't like?

How is he going to do that? That's when you make the enemy afraid. Cuz he wants you to back out. He wants you to be distant. But when you say, oh, I think God's going to do something special here, he gets scared. Isn't that what James chapter 1 verses 2 and 3 tells us? My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. James you know we're we're going to meet him in heaven. We're going to ask like, were you smiling when you wrote that?

Cuz it seems a little sarcastic sometimes, you know. I wonder if he was smiling because he knew that trials produces something. God doesn't just let us go through something and let lets it beat us up for no reason. He allows us to go through things. I don't understand the reason. I can't sit here and tell you I'm not God. But what can what I can guarantee you is that God doesn't waste anything but he's always seeking to produce something in your life. He's always seeking to produce a new spiritual growth, more knowledge of him in your life.

His provision, whatever it is, he's always seeking to produce something. He never just allows us to suffer and go through things just for the heck of it cuz he's bored. He's seeking to produce something in us. That's why when we go through hard times, we respond with I wonder how God's going to show up today. Peter then goes on and he writes this. Excuse me. He writes this in verse 10. He says, here's another benefit of continued continued growth in Christ. He says, for if you do these things, you will never stumble. Every time I read that verse, I'm like, yeah, right, Peter.

Yeah, right. You crazy. If I do these things, I will never stumble. Never stumble. But look here at what Peter is saying. Again, he's not promising perfection but what he is saying is that if we're intentional about growing in the virtues that he describes in verses 5 through 7, he's saying that our lives will avoid habitual sin, unnecessary trouble, and ineffectiveness in this life. That's what he's saying. He's saying, you want to avoid unnecessary trouble. And when I say unnecessary trouble, I mean trouble we get into because of the dumb things that we do. If I'm focused on growing in goodness and godliness and impurity, I'm going to avoid habitual sin.

Habitual sin meaning something that you just give into over and over and over and over and over again. Because I've set a goal and I said, I'm going to grow and I'm going to set my sights on growing in self-control. He also says here that our lives that our lives will not be ineffective. Because when you're focusing on growing in the virtues that Peter mentions here in verses 5 through 7, your life is going to have purpose. There are going to be people who are blessed just by being around you because the the virtues that you demonstrate is just completely different.

I love what Jesus says. He says that you and I are the light of the world. We're the salt and light. The way that we demonstrate salt and light in this world is by growing and intentionally being diligent and producing these virtues in our lives. You're going to be different. Your life isn't going to be ineffective and worthless. It's going to have purpose. It's going to have power. It's going to have direction. Pastor David Guzik once said this. He said, continued growth and progress in the Christian life is the sure way to keep us from stumbling.

Host (Male): Again, thank you for joining us today. If you are blessed by today's message, consider partnering with us financially. You can go to alpitmanministries.com. Give directly on the one place app or mail in a check to 501 Castle Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80904. We appreciate your generosity to help us spread the gospel. Also, we would love to hear from you. Please email us at info@alpitmanministries.com if you need prayer or ask any questions you might have. If you live in or visit the Colorado Springs area, we would love for you to join us at Calvary Worship Center.

Pastor Al was the senior pastor at Calvary Worship Center for 27 years. Calvary Worship Center has services on Saturday at 6 p.m., Sunday at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., and 12 noon. And if you can't make it, you can always join us online. We stream our 10 a.m. service every Sunday. Just go to cwvccs.org. Make sure to connect with Pastor Al Pittman by following him on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Just search Al Pittman Ministries. That's all the time we have today. May the rest of your day be richly blessed. God bless.

Guest (Female): Dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place. You are my dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place.