Dwelling Place

Al Pittman: Today on the Dwelling Place.

Pastor Nathan: When we get to heaven, all the trials of this life, all the pains of this life, all the sacrifices that we went through to pick up our cross in seasons where we could have fleshed out like crazy, we won't even be thinking about that because we will enter into heaven triumphantly with a crown of glory on our head where we will be received by Jesus himself. We won't even be worrying about that. The only thing that we'll be worried about is wow, look at what Christ has for me.

Al Pittman: Thank you for tuning in to 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 alpittmanministries.com, give directly on the One Place app or mail 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 Second Peter. Now here's Pastor Nathan as he concludes Second Peter chapter 1 verses 10 through 11.

Pastor Nathan: You know, he he didn't start, you know, just one day like he's just going to walk and he started 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 he would sit back down. And then he 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. 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 get 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 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 whoa, God, you're great. And then you're in the dumps. You're like I don't know if God even cares. Whoa, 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 we going to meet him in heaven. We 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 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. Now personally I don't think that Peter's goal in giving us that list in verses 5 through 7 was to get us to be so fixated on a list because all of those things, goodness, gentleness, you know, love, you know, self-control, godliness, brotherly love, all those things are just developed as we seek Christ as we walk in the spirit, right? Romans 8:1 says, therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.

This is one of those situations that as a believer, you and I have a choice every day to walk in either the flesh or the spirit. You can't walk in both. You're either walking in one or the other. When we walk in the spirit, we are demonstrating the virtues that Paul has Peter has described here in verses 5 through 7. But at the end of the day, we're just bearing fruit unto the Lord because we're demonstrating his characteristics around the people he's allowed us to be around because we're choosing to walk in his spirit. And when we bear fruit, spiritual fruit unto the Lord, it brings him glory.

John 15:8, we all know it. It says by this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit. Fruit is the is the result of our growth in Christ. And as we bear this fruit in our lives, here's the benefit. You become confident in your calling and election. Because the fruit that 's produced in your life is only possible because you have been called by God and elected by God. You cannot bear spiritual fruit apart from that. You cannot bear spiritual fruit if you don't know Jesus. You cannot bear spiritual fruit if you are following after the things of the world.

You cannot. But it is only someone who has responded to the call of God and said I believe in Jesus. And at that answer, as at that response, God has elected that person. And as a result of their calling and election, they are able to bear and produce spiritual fruit in their lives which then gives us confidence in our hearts that we really are called, that we really are elect, that we really do know Jesus. That's why Peter is saying this. This is why he's saying this is growth is so important because it helps us be confident in that.

The final benefit of growing in our walk with God, intentionally adding to our faith. The final benefit Peter writes in verse 11 where he says, for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Peter is saying there's a reward coming for those of us who know Jesus. There's a reward coming for those who through their spiritual growth are confident and assured of their calling and election. Dr. Grant C. Richardson explains it this way. He says, the believer who lives out his transformed life shown in the characteristics of Second Peter chapter 1 verses 5 through 7 and believes God's assurances for our salvation will enter into heaven triumphantly.

This is why we live for Christ now. This is why we invest in the relationships that God has given us. This is why we serve others because a triumphant entrance into heaven is waiting for us. It's waiting for us. Now I want to talk to you about a touchy subject. But do you remember the last time the Broncos won the Super Bowl? Y'all were ready. Y'all was like what's he about to say? What's he about Oh, he's about to he about to go there. He about to go where he about to go. Do you remember the last time the Broncos won the Super Bowl?

Let me tell you. It was 2016 against the Carolina Panthers. I'm a Bronco fan. Please pray for me. But I remember when they won, I was so excited. And it was so cool to see the reception that the players got when they brought the Lombardi Trophy back to Denver. You could see it on the news. It was as if the whole city of Denver came out to watch them come through on their buses and everything and they were everyone was cheering yeah, we finally won the Super Bowl. It was great. They had this huge reception when they came home.

And Peter is saying here that when we enter heaven, it is going to be glorious. But I will say even more glorious than a Super Bowl winning team bringing the Lombardi Trophy home. Because for us as believers, when we enter heaven, we may not enter with a Lombardi Trophy, but we will enter with a with a crown of glory. Now when I saw the Broncos coming back home with the trophy, I wasn't able to be there at the celebration. But I can guarantee you that if I was there, I bet that I wouldn't have even heard any of the players complaining about two-a-day practices during the season.

I bet none of them would be talking about the lost game the games that they lost or the injuries that they suffered. I don't even think they'd be talking about their frustrations of how physically demanding their job is. Why? Because they already won. And in that celebration, none of those things even matter. None of those players are talking about the losses, the things they suffered, the things they went through, all the pressure they had to do with. They're not thinking about any of that. The only thing they're thinking about is the reception they're receiving and the fact that they have this trophy.

They came home in triumph. Pastor Skip Heitzig said this. He said when you stand in heaven and that crown goes on your head, you will never regret the hours you spent in Bible study or prayer or sharing your faith or helping another person grow or working hard to build someone else up. When we get to heaven, all the trials of this life, all the pains of this life, all the sacrifices that we went through to pick up our cross in seasons where we could have fleshed out like crazy, we won't even be thinking about that because we will enter into heaven triumphantly with a crown of glory on our head where we will be received by Jesus himself.

We won't even be worrying about that. The only thing that we'll be worried about is wow, look at what Christ has for me. This is why we as believers do what we do because heaven is before us. God has a triumphant entry waiting for you because you know him and he knows you. So in conclusion, let's do a little recap. Our calling and election are already secure if we've responded to God by accepting and believing in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We do not have to maintain our calling and election through works because God is the one who maintains our calling and election.

Our job is just to consistently grow in our faith so that we are fully confident in our calling and election. And as a result, we will live for the Lord and enter into heaven triumphantly. So what does this mean for tomorrow? What does this mean for tomorrow? It means that if you are a follower of Jesus, you and I cannot afford to be comfortable with stagnation in our spiritual growth. Remember following Jesus is all about addition. So as Christ followers, we can't just be satisfied with well, I have Jesus. We've got to grow in him consistently, seeking new growth in the Lord.

The benefit of living this way is that we will develop an ever expanding life that truly blesses people. Jesus just gives us a perfect picture of what this looks like in John chapter 4 verse 14 when he says, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of living water springing up into everlasting life. When we grow continuously in our walk with God and we bear the fruits of the spirit, our lives will become like a gushing spring of water that overflows into the lives of others and refreshes and blesses them.

That's why growth is so important. It's almost like if you're not growing, you're denying the people around you the benefit of enjoying the spiritual fruit that God wants to deposit in their life. If you put it that way, it's kind of like dang, I didn't know it like that. Yeah, it was You know, it's it's it's like you know, I remember in Bible college they would say they would say things like well, if you had the cure to cancer, why wouldn't you tell people? Right? And they would use that analogy for sharing the gospel. Right?

Why would you not share the gospel if it's the greatest news the world has ever known? Right? In the same way, why would you not grow? Why would you not grow? Why would you not seek to grow? Because God uses the fruit that's produced in your life to bless other people and as a result, they are led to him. That's the purpose of this spiritual fruit. But we cannot do this unless we develop confidence in our calling and election through that same spiritual growth. And as a result of this growth, our faith will be firmly established so that we can discern the difference between what's real and what isn't real in this life.

Al Pittman: Again, thank you for joining us today. If you are blessed by today's message, consider partnering with us financially. You can go to alpittmanministries.com, give directly on the One Place app or mail 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@alpittmanministries.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 cwcchs.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.