The Pursuit of God

Pastor Chang

2 Peter 1:1-4

1 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: 2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Introduction: This letter was written by the Apostle Peter to the same churches to which he wrote the letter of 1 Peter—the churches scattered around modern day Turkey in the geographic regions of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Peter probably wrote to these churches from Rome sometime during the years of 64-67 AD and probably did so while he himself was in prison and awaiting execution.

verse 1 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. 

John MacArthur “In Peter’s day, to willingly call oneself a servant was to severely lower oneself in a culture where slaves were considered no better than animals. Whereas that practice may have been demeaning socially, it was honorable spiritually. It was to acknowledge that one was duty bound to obey his master, no matter what the cost.”

Jesus isn’t merely like God or similar to God—He is God. He’s God in human form—fully God and fully human.

Isaiah 64:6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

verse 2, 2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 

These blessings are given to us in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 

To have a “knowledge of God,” in this sense means not just to know about God but actually know God and have experienced God in the context of a personal relationship. 

A.W. Tozer writes, “It is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself and unless and until the hearers find God in personal experience, they are not the better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.”

John 17:3 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Knowing God is our first and highest calling.

verse 3 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence

C.S. Lewis writes “I have tried…to make every pleasure into a channel of adoration. I don’t mean simply by giving thanks for it. One must of course give thanks, but I meant something different…Gratitude explains, very properly, How good of God to give me this,’ Adoration says, ‘What must be the quality of that Being who created this! One’s mind runs back up the sunbeam to the sun.”

verse 4 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

 Knowing God transforms us. It transforms every aspect of our lives. 

Conclusion: Let me conclude by giving you two practical suggestions.

First, whenever you read the Bible, do so first and foremost as a means of seeking God. 

Second, when you pray, do that also first and foremost as a means of seeking God.