2 Peter 1:1-2

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Too often we fail to appreciate that which we already have because we tend to focus more on the things we don’t have.  Perhaps, our relationship with Christ is one of the things we take for granted the most.  Peter wants his readers to understand the riches they have in the Lord Jesus Christ.

THE POSITION OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST: Peter presents himself with two titles: servant and apostle.  We can all claim the servant title.  I don’t believe any of us should claim the apostle title.  However, we can all claim some sort of title that describes our position within the body of Christ.  Some are elders, deacons, pastors, Sunday school teachers, members… The point is that we all have a role to play in the body of Christ and it is a privilege to be a part of it.  Jesus is our Head, and we have the honor of serving Him.  It is far better to be the servant of Jesus Christ then to be the king or lord of anything else.  We need to appreciate how special it is to be a part of His body the Church.

THE PRECIOUSNESS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST: Peter describes his readers as people who have “obtained a faith of equal standing.”  Other translations call in a “like precious faith.”  The point is that in Christ we are all members of the same body and enter that body by faith.  The titles listed above make no difference.  We stand before God in the righteousness of Christ based solely on our faith in His sacrifice on our behalf.  He chose us for this amazing privilege.  We didn’t “obtain” it through any merit of our own.  It has been lavished on us simply by the grace of God.  This is the glorious truth of the Gospel we too often fail to appreciate.

THE PRIVLIGES OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST: We live in a broken world filled with chaos and conflict.  Christians may face even greater difficulties in this fallen world due to persecution.  However, we have the privilege of experiencing grace and peace that are not dependent upon the circumstances of our lives.  We have forgiveness of our sins and are under the gracious care of God.  The Sovereign of the universe extends His grace upon us and allows us to live lives of graciousness towards one another.  Because we have peace with God through Christ; we can also experience the peace of God in our daily lives.  No matter how difficult circumstances might be surrounding us; we can be at peace our inner man because of the hope of the Gospel that is ours.     

APPLICATION: Identify what our position is within the body of Christ and then serve gratefully for His glory.  Praise the Lord that we stand before a completely holy God in the righteousness of Christ.  Stand firm in our faith in Him.  Be grateful for the grace of God and extend grace to those who are around us.  Rest in the peace that He gives us no matter what our circumstances might be.

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