Grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Christ

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray closed out the series on 2 Peter with the final five verses of the letter. He traced Peter's last exhortations toward holiness, patience, and growth in grace, and grounded them in the reality of a coming day of judgment that should shape how Christians live right now. Peter addresses his readers one more time as "agape toy," beloved ones, and calls them to make every effort to be found...

Read together

1. 2 Peter 3:14-18 the main passage for the sermon, read and expounded throughout
2. 2 Peter 1 cited as the positive opening chapter calling believers to add goodness, self-control, godliness, and perseverance to their faith
3. 2 Peter 2 cited as the chapter warning that false teachers will arise and face judgment
4. 2 Peter 3:1-2 quoted to show Peter wrote both letters as reminders to stimulate wholesome thinking
5. 2 Peter 3:9 quoted that the Lord is not slow but patient, not wanting anyone to perish but all to come to repentance
6. 1 Peter 5:7 referenced as Peter urging believers to cast all anxiety on God because He cares for us
7. Galatians 2 cited as Paul confronting Peter to his face for separating from Gentiles
8. 1 Corinthians 1:18 paraphrased that the message of the cross is foolishness to those perishing but the power of God to those being saved
9. Jeremiah 29 referenced as the passage presented the first Sunday Pastor Ray preached as lead pastor, about putting down roots and praying for the peace of the land
10. Psalm 119:1-2 quoted at the close: blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord and seek Him with their whole heart

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray described salvation not just as a one-time decision but as an ongoing salvage process, comparing it to restoring an old car. How does thinking of your faith that way change how you approach your daily walk with God?
2. Peter wrote that the Lord's patience means salvation, because God is not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. How does understanding God's patience as an act of mercy toward people who haven't yet believed shape the way you think about the people around you who don't know Christ?
3. Pastor Ray pointed out that Paul's letters are hard to understand, and that ignorant and unstable people distort them in two directions, either adding works to grace or using grace as a license to live however they want. Which of those two ditches do you think is the bigger temptation in your own life, and why?
4. Peter corrected Paul's rebuke in Galatians by calling him 'our dear brother Paul' and holding up his writings as authoritative scripture. What does it look like in your own relationships to genuinely receive correction from a fellow believer the way Peter apparently did?
5. The sermon closed on the exhortation to 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.' What is one specific way you could pursue that kind of growth between now and the next time this group meets?