Lamoille Valley Grace Brethren Church
October 4, 2026

      • Psalm 135:1–2LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

  • Good Good Father
  • Enough

      • John 1:35–43LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

  • Scripture Reading: John 1:35-43
    Kid’s Time:
    Proposition: Before the Apostle Peter exposes false teachers, he enumerates the blessings of salvation that we share as believers in Jesus Christ.
    Transitional Statement: The Apostle Peter lists 6 Blessings of our shared salvation.

    1. Our Faith

    2 Peter 1:1 LSB
    1 Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received the same kind of faith as ours,
    Simon — Symeon (Hebrew) = “hearing” this is the impulsive Peter who says whatever he is thinking without really thinking through what he is saying. this is the Peter who denies Jesus.
    Peter — Rock (Greek). also, Cephas (Aramaic)We could call him Rocky. This is the Peter who proclaims Jesus is the Christ and powerfully preaches on the Day of Pentecost. He is both. Both names follow him as do both characteristics.
    Slave — He was not just an employee who could quit or change jobs. He was owned by Jesus Christ. He was the property of Jesus. He could not do as he pleased. He could not determine his activity as he willed. He served at the pleasure of his Master with no time off or holidays. Paul uses the same word to describe himself.
    If American Christians would had this same surrender to Jesus, think how our country would change.
    His audience — Who is Peter writing to? These were mostly gentile believers from Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithinynia (1Peter 1:1). It was written most likely in 67 or 68 AD.
    They were Receivers.
    If someone mailed out free memberships to an exclusive resort, we could identify each other as a group who has received the same thing. Christians have received something of far more value. It not earned, but is simply received by faith. We have received the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.
    As Ours — I believe he is referring to the other apostles as mentions in 2 pet 1:18. He includes the apostle Paul in this elite group as well in 2 Pet. 3:15. His point is the equality of salvation whether you are an apostle (who saw the risen Christ) or a common believer. The gospel is of the same kind of faith no matter who your are. We have the same justification, the same sanctification, and the same glorification whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, woman or man.
    Acts 15:10–11 LSB
    10 “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”
    Galatians 3:28 LSB
    28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

    2. Our God

    2 Peter 1:1 LSB
    1 Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received the same kind of faith as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
    We have the same salvation because it supplied by the righteousness of God.
    This is one of the clearest proofs of the deity of Jesus Christ. Peter says our righteousness is through our God and Savior. Grammatically, these must be the same person. Our God is our Savior and our Savior is our God and our God and Savior is Jesus Christ! There is no other way to read this; Jesus is Yahweh God!

    3. Our Peace

    2 Peter 1:2 LSB
    2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
    The power of compounded multiplication is impressive. $100 a day for 30 days or 1 cent doubled each day for 30 days?
    $100 a Day Option
    Total after 30 days: $3,000
    Growth rate: Linear and steady.
    Day 15 total: $1,500.
    Day 30 total: $3,000.
    📈 1 Penny Doubled Option
    Total after 30 days: $5,368,709.12
    Growth rate: Exponential (compounding).
    Day 15 total: $163.84.
    Day 30 total: $5,368,709.12. [1, 2]
    Grace (favor that is undeserved) and peace (total or complete well-being) which is the result of grace, are multiplied to us, not just added.
    2 Peter Exposition

    Divine power is the foundation of this life; grace is the food it feeds upon, and peace is the element in which it lives most healthily — Spurgeon

    How are these qualities multiplied to us? Is it through philosophy? Is it through mysticism or our spiritual experiences? Is it through our feelings about God? Is it through a secret knowledge that is hidden inside us?
    No. Grace and peace are multiplied by knowledge.
    Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 28.2 ἐπιγινώσκω; ἐπίγνωσις, εως

    ἐπιγινώσκωa; ἐπίγνωσιςa, εως f: to possess more or less definite information about, possibly with a degree of thoroughness or competence—‘to know about, to know definitely about, knowledge about.’

    Not just superficial knowledge.
    The Letters of 2 Peter and Jude I. Salutation (1:1–2)

    but knowledge that results in committed living

    It is not secret knowledge though.
    This is a key concept that Peter presents. We as christians need to understand this. How do grow in Christ? How can we have the grace to live for Jesus and the peace that comes from His grace multiplied to us? It must come from knowing His Word so that we can know Him!

    4. Our Life

    2 Peter 1:3 LSB
    3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the full knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
    The gospel is the power of God
    Ephesians 3:20 LSB
    20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or understand, according to the power that works within us,
    We are equipped with everything that we need to live a godly life. So why do fail so often and lack the power to live godly?
    We got a new mower for the church recently. It is an electric mower that runs on battery. It came in a box partially assembled. I pulled it out of the box. Being a mechanically minded man, I thought I could easily figure out how to put it together and operate it. I was sadly mistaken. I didn’t know how to assemble the parts and even later when it was assembled, I couldn’t even figure out how to turn on. The goal was to mow the lawn, but I was far from reaching that goal. The problem was, I didn’t want to take the time to read the instruction book. I wanted the short cut. The box came with everything that I needed to mow the lawn, but I had no idea how to operate it.
    That is what our Christian life is like. We have been given everything that we need to live spiritually and have godly lives. We have the very power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead living inside us through the Holy Spirit who indwells us. There is nothing spiritually that we lack. God didn’t hold anything back or just give you part of salvation. We have it all. We just don’t know how to use it. We must learn of Him. There are no shortcuts. His Word teaches us about Jesus! We must know Jesus!
    He uses the word full knowledge again. The Bible teaches us about Jesus. You won’t gain true information about Him from any other source. He called you like He called Peter. “Follow me” He said. “Learn of Me and I will make you fishers of men.” It was His divine glory and human excellence that attracted His disciples to Him and it is those qualities of Jesus that excite our souls to answer His call in our lives also.

    5. Our Promises

    2 Peter 1:4 LSB
    4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises,
    The qualities of glory and excellence found in Jesus are the very attributes of God that granted the promises of salvation, forgiveness, sonship, peace with God, strength, joy, resurrection, and eternal bliss with Him. These promises are described as precious and magnificent.
    Precious means valuable. How valuable is forgiveness to you? How valuable is joy? Mankind will spend all the money they have to find joy in this life.
    Magnificent means the greatest. It is superlative. Nothing is greater. What can be greater than peace the God who created you? What can be greater than to be honored as a son of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

    6. Our Nature

    2 Peter 1:4 LSB
    4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
    These promises transform us to share in the very nature of God. We, of course, will never become God. That is not what this means. What it does mean is that we are conformed to the image of Christ both positionally in the eyes of God and practically as He molds us into who He wants us to be.
    Alongside this sharing in the divine nature, we are assured that we are safe from the danger of the corruption of this world. We are not in the world but not of this world and so we will not be condemned along with this world. Think of what you were before you came to Christ, the moral deficit that you had as you lived your life for your fleshly desires. Lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life dominated you. But you were freed! You escaped and have become a new creature in Christ
    2 Corinthians 5:17 LSB
    17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
    It is a precious faith. It is a faith that we share with all the redeemed. It is just like their faith. You are not an outlier. You are not different from the saints of old. You have the same salvation that the apostles and the early church had. You are not defective or lacking anything in your salvation because the same Jesus who called Peter and Matthew, and John, and Paul has called you too. And by His glory and excellence you were saved not by your own glory or excellence. In christ you are fully and amply supplied to live a godly life for Jesus and His grace and peace just keep coming!

      • 2 Peter 1:1LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Acts 15:10–11LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Galatians 3:28LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • 2 Peter 1:1LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • 2 Peter 1:2LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • 2 Peter 1:3LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • Ephesians 3:20LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • 2 Peter 1:4LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • 2 Peter 1:4LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

      • 2 Corinthians 5:17LGCYSTNDRDBBLSB

  • I Sing the Mighty Power of God
  • Standing On The Promises
Lamoille Valley Grace Brethren Church
pastorethan@lvgbc.net
8028883339
http://www.lvgbc.net
26 members