Acquired Thru Faith-1(:1a)[part-1]

ACQUIRED Thru FAITH-I(:1a)[part-1]—2Peter 1:1-4

Attention:

Acquired By The Bowl:

An antiques appraiser visits a New York City collectibles store.

Just inside the store, He notices a rather disheveled looking street cat drinking out of what he recognized as a genuine Ming Dynasty bowl—Worth many thousands of dollars!

The antiques appraiser assumes that the owner is obviously unaware of his treasure. So he schemes how to get the bowl.

The appraiser offers to buy the cat from the store owner.

The owner tells the ‘customer appraiser’, that he won’t sell his cat for anything less than $100!

The appraiser quickly agrees to buy the cat, & hands him a $100.

The appraiser acting as if on afterthought says, ‘By the way now that I have a new cat, I realized that I don’t have anything to feed her with. I’d like to buy her little saucer there. I’ll give you for $5 for it.

*The owner adamantly says, “Oh, no sir. I’m not getting rid of that bowl!” I started feeding the stray cats around here from that little bowl just two days ago, And it’s real strange, that since then, I’ve sold 12 stray cats for ridiculously high prices!”

*Sometimes a ‘seemingly’ little thing is worth everything, because that ‘little thing’ can gain everything for you!

!Such is the saving, Christian faith of God’s people!

Need:

We live in a culture that prioritizes a worldview that is born of the flesh. Christianity intersects with & ‘bucks’ that flesh-driven worldview. America was founded upon a distinctly Christian influence. And even though our country has such a long history of Christian influence, America at large, is actively engaged in fighting against that ‘current.’

And God’s people who are good citizens in America, may feel somewhat helpless against such an onslaught.

However, Christians are NEVER helpless.! They may appear to be helpless when it comes to change in worldly/secular politics & secular movements in our country....

BUT the reality is, God’s people have everything of REAL importance at their disposal! And because of that, their influence is effectual & necessary even in worldly/secular matters!

The apostle Peter informs the faithful that they are amply supplied for godly living.

God’s people are amply supplied for godly living thru their faith.

?How does faith equip God’s people?

?What does Christian faith acquire for God’s people?

1—A provision acquired thru faith is...

TRUSTWORTHY APOSTLES(:1a)

Explanation:(:1a)

:1a—“Simon Peter, a bondservant & apostle of Jesus Christ,...”

“Simon Peter”—

The given name of “Simon Peter” was “Simon” meaning, ‘Harkening’—‘To listen or give respectful attention to.’

“Simon” & his brother, ‘Andrew’ were fishermen(Mat. 4:18). Jesus called them both as part of the original twelve disciples closest to Jesus.

“Jesus” specifically told “Simon” that he would be “called by” the name ‘Cephas’, or more commonly “Peter.”

Jn. 1:42—“And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas”(which is translated, A Stone).”

•“Cephas” is an Aramaic word(akin to Hebrew) meaning: ‘Rock.’ The Greek equivalent of ‘Cephas’, is Petrov(“Peter”) meaning the same thing: “A Stone.” So both Cephas & “Peter” mean: ‘a rock or a stone.’

That new name(‘Cephas’/‘Peter’) was more relevant to the future work of the Holy Spirit in him.

•Mat. 16:13-19—“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, & others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered & said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered & said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh & blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, & on this rock I will build My church, & the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, & whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, & whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

•The Roman Catholic Church has perverted that conversation to bolster their doctrine of ‘Papal primacy.’ Establishing “a primacy of authority in the successor of St. Peter.”—‘History of Papal Primacy’ in Wikipedia. “The Catholic Church attributes to the primacy of the pope “full, supreme, & universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered," a power that it attributes also to the entire body of the bishops united with the pope. The power that it attributes to the pope's primatial authority has limitations that are official, legal, dogmatic, & practical.”—‘Papal Primacy’ in Wikipedia