Live Like a Champion – (Week 5)
“Live Like a Champion: Victory Through the Promises of God!”
“The Promise of Being Established in God’s Word!”
2 Peter 1:12-21 (NAS95)
In the first four weeks of this series, we have learned how to live like a champion by learning how to live according to the Victory of the promises of God. Our guiding image for this series is being a member of an NFL team who wins the Superbowl. As God’s athletes we must do four things to live like champions:
(1) Know God’s playbook—the Bible—by learning the promises of God.
(2) Train ourselves for godliness by learning to live according to the promises of God.
(3) Learn how to listen to the Coach’s voice so that we play the right play at the right time.
(4) Work together as one team—we are members of God’s family—His Church.
Never forget, the Superbowl celebration is in our future and we are invited to play like a championship team.
This is our last foundational message for this series as we finish our study of 2 Peter 1. Today, we are focusing on the last verses of this chapter to learn that we can trust God’s playbook. Starting next Sunday, we are going to start looking at the individual promises—the plays in God’s Playbook—and learn how to apply them to our lives so that we can live the victorious life and play like champions!
Listen to Peter’s words from 2 Peter 1:12–21,
12Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. 13I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind. 16For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— 18and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
The heart of today’s message is to reinforce the bedrock of the promises of God as being God’s spoken Word to us. As the last verses, 2 Peter 1:20-21, say as of first importance, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
We believe the Bible is God-breathed (inspired) as Paul teaches in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
Furthermore, we can trust that what we have in the four Gospel narratives are the true historical accounts of Jesus Christ, the living Word. Peter, a disciple of Jesus Christ, makes significant claims of this first-hand witness to their historicity in today’s scripture. Listen again to verses 16-18:
For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”—and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
Luke further emphasizes the accuracy of the Gospels as theologically-motivated historical accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry in Luke 1:1-4, the prelude of his Gospel:
Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.
As a final point of the importance of the Word of God, Peter states in verse 19, “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
John, another first-hand witness of Jesus, discussed Jesus with the same imagery in John 1:1-4,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
If the first big step of living the victorious life is to know God’s playbook, then this message is intended to give us a conviction that as we learn to listen to God’s voice we will trust the Bible as His playbook. When God calls us into the game and directs us to play a certain play, we won’t question either the authenticity (that this is the Coach’s idea and not our own) or the efficacy of that play (that the play will accomplish that which the Coach intends for it to do).
We are invited to trust the Bible as God’s Playbook.
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
Can you imagine the ridiculously chaotic game on the football field if the players started questioning the authenticity or efficacy of the play every huddle? In reality, there would be no game. There would be only internal confusion and fighting at every huddle (with no running of the plays; therefore, no victory!).
Is this an accurate image for the American church? We spend more time in our huddles “discussing” the authenticity and trustworthiness of the playbook and questioning the efficacy of the play themselves, that we never get on with the game to win the championships that is ours in Christ Jesus!
This series is intended to change that because every week we are going to learn a play and your assignment is to trust God’s playbook, training yourself in godliness, listen for the Coach’s voice, and then, out in both the private and public arenas of life, run the play—live like a champion based on the promises of God!
We are to build our lives and our game plan on the truth, from the Playbook!
Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.
God has given us His Word and His Spirit to do what Peter promises in these verses. Here’s how it happens:
(1) His Word! We establish our lives on the Truth of God’s Word as handed down to us in the Bible.
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord; Teach me Your statutes.”
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
If you don’t feel connected to the team, stop making excuses and start showing up to the practices. The Coach has us at FBC sending every player plays from the Playbook every day on the phone at 10 am; we are inviting you to the team practice to learn how to listen to the Coach’s voice every Wednesday night at 6:15 pm; and we you are called to participate in weekly scrimmages every Sunday at 10:30 am.
But, the reality is that victorious living, while learned and practiced together, must be lived every day out there. The Christian life was never to be one big holy huddle, but a rhythm of gathering and scattering, so that we run the right play in the everyday circumstances and challenges of our communities.
(2) His Spirit! The Holy Spirit is the one who stirs us up and calls the play for the Coach in the midst of our ever present circumstance and challenges. God has given us the Word and He calls us to the right play!
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you (e.g. Luke 12:11-12).
As we learn the Playbook and listen to our Coach’s Voice, then we will live like champions in both the public and private arenas of life and make His Victory visible. Paul taught us in Philippians 2:12-16,
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain (cf. Matthew 5:14-16 & 1 Peter 2:9-12).