“Grow Up!”

2 Peter 1:1-11

January 6, 2008 – ©Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes

Introduction

Do you kids want to grow up?

What about you adults, do you want to grow up?

Who said “I won’t grow up!?”

Peter Pan is an imaginary boy from Neverland who comes to life for the purpose of taking lost little boys and Wendy away to his home. Peter is the personification of the phrase, “I will never grow up,” and he never does. But in his quest to always have fun and never become a man, Peter Pan must guard his emotions closely. He can never truly love anyone, for if he did, he might take responsibility for their care, and responsibility is too grown-up for Peter Pan. For Peter Pan life is to be fun with no commitments. [PreachingToday.com, “Peter Pan: All Fun with No Commitments.” Peter Pan (Universal, 2003), based on the novel by J. M. Barrie].

Yet growing up, even though it means commitments and responsibilities, is a good thing. Growing up is not only good, but essential, if one is a Christian.

Why Grow Up?

In Peter’s second letter, he reminds the readers that those who have received the same precious faith in Jesus Christ must continue to grow in the knowledge of Christ so that they will not be led astray by false teachers.

Peter wrote this letter some thirty years after Jesus’ death and resurrection. The church had been existence long enough for people to “bend” the teachings of Jesus to suit their own purposes or simply lose sight of what Jesus truly taught. So false teachings were thriving in the early church. Peter’s letter is both a warning and an encouragement to these Gentile believers.

In these opening verses Peter wants them to know how essential it is that they keep growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and keep living according to this truth.

§ He didn’t want them to lose sight of the truth even though they heard persuasive people teaching false doctrines.

§ He didn’t want them to lose the precious faith they had received.

§ He didn’t want them to stumble or fall along their Christian journey.

As we read Peter’s words, we too are encouraged to hold on to the truth of the gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ – that we have been given through the Word of God and through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

False teaching is as much a problem today, if not worse, than it was in Peter’s day. Some preachers and teachers reinterpret the scriptures to fit their purposes, or to get rich, or gain a following for themselves.

With so many different doctrines being taught today, it is necessary for Christians to not only know the Word of God, but to always remember that we are servants of Jesus Christ alone. Grace and peace come from “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” [2Pet1:2]. We have been saved by Jesus Christ, who alone gives us eternal life.

Because of what we have been given in Christ, we are to grow up in Christ. It is not enough to say we believe in him, or to be baptized in his name. That’s just the beginning for a Christian. Then we must GROW UP!

So, Grow Up!

Peter reminds them that they already have everything they need to live godly lives – and so do we. Jesus teaches us how to live for God. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to us to help us resist the corruption of the world and live a godly life.

So why aren’t we living godly lives? Because we aren’t making any effort to live godly lives.

In verses 5-7 Peter says we already have faith. But we must make every effort to add to faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love.

Make every effort to add to your faith these virtues. We cannot sit back and think that because we believe in Jesus we don’t have to try to be more Christ-like.

Peter tells us that there is a danger in not growing in Christ. If we are not growing in Christ we may be ineffective and unproductive in our Christian life. [v.8].

In John 15 Jesus describes it this way:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. …No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” [Jn15:1-2, 4b-5].

When our life in Christ is not producing fruit for God, we are in danger of being cut off and thrown into the fire. To be fruitful, productive for Christ demonstrates that we are truly connected to him and we are growing.

Yet pruning can be painful. We really don’t want to experience pain or struggle or hardship. We want our Christian life to be happy and fun. We really don’t want to grow up. We would rather not make commitments or take on responsibilities as Christians.

J. I. Packer, in his book Hot Tub Religion, writes that our American religious experience is like sitting in a hot tub. We want our religion to make us feel good, to relax us. We want our church to be a place where we can sit back and soak it all in. We want to be pampered.

We have become pleasure seeking Christians. Packer writes, “Since happiness is the supreme value, we may confidently look to God here and now to shield us from unpleasantness at every turn, or if unpleasantness breaks in to deliver us from it immediately, because it is never his will that we should have to live with it. This is the basic principle of hot tub religion. Unhappily, it is a false principle” [J.I. Packer, Hot Tub Religion (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale Pub. House, 1985) 79].

Packer also says that “we have recast Christianity into a mold that stresses happiness above holiness, blessings here above blessedness hereafter, health and wealth as God’s best gifts, and death, especially early death, not as thankworthy deliverance from the miseries of a sinful world, but as the supreme disaster, and a constant challenge to faith in God’s goodness” [Packer, 91].

Jesus never intended for us to become “hot tub Christians” whose faith never grows beyond that of a newborn babe in Christ.

Jesus saves us because he loves us, not because we deserve to be saved or are good enough to be saved. Then Jesus gives us everything we need to grow up and be productive and effective Christians.

Growth will mean change, pain, struggles and hardship. Growing in Christ demands commitment and taking responsibility for our actions. To grow and become more Christ-like is our response to God’s gift of forgiveness and eternal life.

Packer states that “no one has a right to believe that they are partakers of God’s salvation unless they walk the path of conscious, purposeful obedience and service to God.” [Packer, 176].

Each of us must make the commitment to grow more Christ-like. We must take responsibility for our Christian walk. No one will force you to get out of the hot tub and start working on your relationship to God.

Yet, we are accountable to God for our actions, our choices, our Christian lifestyle. It is up to each of us to choose to grow up – to grow in godliness.

We also need to remember that others are looking at us, trying to decide if Christianity really works. Our lives should prove to the world the genuineness of our faith in Jesus Christ and show the power of God to change lives.

§ So children, as you grow up you have more freedom and responsibility. Choose to grow up as a Child of God.

§ Teens and young adults, make a commitment to be godly men and women. You will go further in life as you grow in godliness than any other area.

§ Adults, whatever your age or stage of life, don’t stop growing in Christ. To stop growing is to start dying. Choose life!

Stop living in the fantasy world of Peter Pan.

Stop soaking in the delusion that hot tub religion is what Jesus Christ gave his life for.

Start growing up into Jesus Christ.

Make a commitment to become all that you can be for Jesus’ sake.

The Blessings of Growing Up

If we really want to be happy as Christians, then we need to live godly lives. Living to please God brings far greater joy and happiness than any of the temporary pleasures of this life.

Jesus said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” [Jn15:8-11].

§ Living to please God brings peace and joy.

§ Living to please God makes us effective servants of God.

§ Living to please God makes it possible for us to do great things for God.

§ Living to please God confirms our call to be God’s child.

§ Living to please God keeps us from stumbling into sin.

§ Living to please God assures us a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. [v.11].

So grow up!

Live today and every day so that one day you will hear Jesus say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” [Mt25:21]. Amen.

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This sermon is copyright ©2008 by Rev. Dr. Linnea E. Carnes, Immanuel Evangelical Covenant Church, Chicago, Illinois.