Jesus speaks to us. We listen to him.

I will open my mouth in parables (Matthew 13:35). Whoever has ears, let him hear (Matthew 13:43). Jesus speaks to us. We listen to him. Before we can speak for Jesus, we must listen to him. The words that we speak do not come from our own minds. They come to us from the Lord. …

Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). We need grace, and we need knowledge. We begin with grace. This is where knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, comes from. It comes from grace. Without grace, we can have no real knowledge of our Saviour, …

Grow in grace, and give the glory to Jesus.

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen" (2 Peter 3:18). This is the final thought Peter leaves us with, at the end of the second of his two letters. It's like he's saying to us, "This what I, really, want you to remember. …

Do you doubt that the Lord can bring you safely into his eternal kingdom?

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. …

Your Name, O Lord, endures for ever.

Daniel 4:19-5:16; 2 Peter 3:1-18; Psalm 135:13-21 Worldly men “praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone” (Daniel 5:4). They worship things – material possessions. The Lord calls His people to higher things. He tells us that “the idols of the nations are silver and gold” (Psalm 135:15). They are …

The Scriptures take us back to the past. They do not leave us there.

The Scriptures take us back to the past. They do not leave us there. We learn about "what will take place later" (Revelation 1:19). Jesus has come. This is the past. Jesus will come. This is the future. Some tell us that this world is all that there is. God's Word tells us something very …

“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

Seeking to grow in our understanding of God’s Word is important. We need to move from there to ask the question: Why are we seeking to increase our understanding of God’s Word? We are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). An increase in knowledge is …

What’s the use?

Nothing seems to work out for me. What's the use of bothering? Why keep on trying? When we feel like this, are we not forgetting something? - We "are kept by the power of God" (2 Peter 1:5). We're not on our own. God is with us. Christ is in us. We are not left …

Second Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8

Second Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8 Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. ‘The Lord is the everlasting God... He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak... those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength...’ (Isaiah 40:28-31). …

More than a feeling

"We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s …

The School of Discipleship (4): Looking away from ourselves to Jesus and being changed by him

We speak about growing in faith, becoming a stronger believer. We speak about growing in grace, becoming a more gracious person. Is this what we learn about in the school of discipleship? Should we not place the emphasis on the faithfulness of God and the grace of God? What are we to say about our …

The School of Discipleship (3): Growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ

If we are to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18), we must read the Word of God and let its teaching shape our way of thinking and our way of living. As we make our way through our life's journey, we find that there are …

Responding to God’s Word (54): I am coming, Lord.

You were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen (2 Peter 3:18). Christ has redeemed us. Let us praise him.

Spiritual growth – God’s gift of grace, not our own moral achievement

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:18). "Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ" is more than knowing about him. We are to "grow in his grace", and we are to give "glory" to him. …

A New Beginning: Some thoughts from the Scriptures

Genesis 1:1-3‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. Its opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right. (a) the priority of God(1) God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) the priority of God’s Word (3) God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there is the Word of the Lord. (c) the priority …

‘A rich welcome into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’

2 Peter 1:1-2:10a God ‘has given us His very great and precious promises’(1:4). God has a great purpose for us. He is preparing for us ‘a rich welcome into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’(11). The pathway to heavenly and eternal glory is not an easy one. Often, we will be …

Faith, Holiness, Worship And Witness

"Come to him ... be yourselves built into a spiritual house" (1 Peter 2:4-5). This speaks to us of personal conversion and life in fellowship with God's people. The life of holiness, to which we are called, is to be lived in fellowship with God's people. We are to encourage one another to live a …

Big news, good news, true news

We begin with a quotation from Carl Henry - "the gospel is NEWS - big news, good news, true news" (God, Revelation and Authority, Volume I, 28). Big news Why is the gospel big news? It's for "every person in every nation in each succeeding generation." It's for the whole world. It's big news because …

We will never be perfect … but we can grow.

In the Christian life, we will never achieve perfection. We will always "fall short of the glory of God." We will always have to live with the fact that we are sinners (Romans 3:23). In our journey of faith, there will be high points, and there will be low points. We're not always up on …

Holy men of God spoke, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And …

Links to Rev James Philip’s notes on 1 and 2 Peter

1 Peter 2 Peter

Words that are empowered by the Holy Spirit

For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). When we read these words, we are being taken back to the spiritual experience of the Old Testament prophets. Is there more than this here? Can …

Promises, promises, promises

We make promises. We break promises. God is very different from us. He keeps his promises. God "has given us his very great and precious promises" (2 Peter 1:4). We stand upon the promises he has given to us. https://youtu.be/QVeHDun_oEQ

A rich welcome into the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. …

We need more than knowledge. We need grace.

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). We need more than knowledge. We need grace. From the final verse of 2 Peter, we go back to the first chapter of 2 Peter. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our …

God’s Kingdom will prevail over the kingdom of Satan.

Daniel 3:13-4:18; 2 Peter 2:1-22; Proverbs 29:1-9 “The Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:17). It is a great comfort to know that God is sovereign. It gives strength in the midst of the conflict. It’s an unequal conflict – God’s Kingdom will prevail over the kingdom of Satan. We must …

2 Peter

The second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is, very muich, in view in this letter. The Lord's people are to be prepared for His coming so that they "will be granted admittance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ" (chapter 1). For those who reject Christ and are condemned already, there is …

May our words point to Jesus Christ, the living Word of God.

Ninth Sunday (or Last Sunday) after the Epiphany (Transfiguration of the Lord) – Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 2 (or Psalm 99, suggested as an alternative for Ninth Sunday); 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9 May our words point to Jesus Christ, the living Word of God. Moses was alone with the Lord - receiving the Word of …

God’s eternal Kingdom

Daniel 2:24-3:12; 2 Peter 1:1-21; Psalm 135:1-12 God is sovereign. He is establishing His Kingdom which is heavenly, eternal and glorious - “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom that will never be destroyed ... it will itself endure for ever” (Daniel 2:44). Alongside the sovereignty of …

Declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

Ezekiel 43:1-44:31; 1 Peter 2:4-24; Psalm 132:1-18 In Ezekiel, the priests are described in great detail. In 1 Peter 2:5, the Lord’s people are described as “a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” This description continues in 1 Peter 2:9 – “a royal priesthood … a people belonging to God. To His people, God gives this …

Praying Through God’s Word: 2 Peter

2 Peter 1:1-2:10aWe thank You, Lord, for Your “very great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4). You’re leading us on, with Yourself, to “a rich welcome into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11). The pathway to heavenly and eternal glory will not be easy – but we’re not …