1. Scofield points out that II Peter is similar to II Timothy (p. 1317).
2. Certainly the theme of II Peter is a warning against doctrinal error and apostasy (cf. 2:1) and for this reason the liberals hate this epistle.
3. In II Peter 1:1-4, Peter deals with what God has done for us. Then in verses 5-7 he exhorts them in light of that and because of that, to do their part and to work that out in practice. This is what Paul means when he says to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil.2:12b). We do not work for our salvation (cf. Phil.2:13) – but we must work out our salvation -- we must "give diligence to make our calling and election sure" (II Peter 1:10).
4. This is the key verse in this epistle. Are you diligently serving the Lord? Are you diligently making your calling and election sure?
5. Therefore, Peter says, "add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge…" (1:5). Why? To make your calling and election sure. This is the reason for the warnings.
6. Troubles from the outside (persecution and suffering – the theme of I Peter) and troubles from the inside (false teachers – the theme of II Peter) were causing some of them to doubt their salvation.
7. When the unsaved "nominal Christian" has doubts it is a good thing but when a true believer has doubts it is not – you can never be an effective servant of the Lord until you have total assurance of your salvation.

I. MAKE YOUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE BY DEMONSTRATING THE CHRISTIAN GRACES (1:1-8).

1. The salutation (vss. 1,2).
2. A call to Christian character (1:3 ff.).
1. We have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light (I Peter 2:9).
2. We have been called to follow Christ in a pathway of suffering (I Peter 2:21).
3. We have been called to return blessing for reviling (I Peter 3:9).
4. We have been called to His eternal glory (I Peter 5:10).
5. We have been called by glory and virtue (II Peter 1:3).
3. We are assured that God has made full provision for us to have a life of holiness. This provision is said to be an evidence of "His divine power." His divine power saves us, keeps us, has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness.
4. This power to live a holy life comes "through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue." Just as His divine power is the source of holiness, so the knowledge of Him is the channel for holiness. To "know" Christ is eternal life (Jn.17:3) and progress in knowing Christ is progress in holiness. The better we get to know Christ, the more we become like Christ (cf. II Cor.3:18).
5. Standing on the promises (1:4) -- someone has estimated that there are at least 30,000 promises in the Bible. John Bunyan once said, "The pathway of life is strewn so thickly with the promises of God that it is impossible to take one step without treading upon one of them."
6. The promises of God are the last of 7 precious things mentioned by Peter in his epistles:

1. precious faith (I Peter 1:7)
2. precious blood (I Peter 1:19). 100 years ago there was a great parliament of religions held in Chicago, with representatives from all the world’s religions in attendance. During one session a preacher from Boston named Joseph Cook said to the audience: "Gentlemen, I want you to meet Lady Macbeth. Her hands are stained red with blood and nothing can wash them clean again. The blood is from murder and no water on earth can remove the red stains – she is going mad; she is desperate. Is there anything in your religion that can remove her sin and bring peace to her guilty soul?" A hush fell upon the great audience; no one replied. After waiting a short while, Dr. Cook lifted his eyes to heaven and proclaimed, "The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:7).
3. precious living stone (I Peter 2:4)
4. precious chief corner stone (I Peter 2:6)
5. precious believers (I Peter 2:70
6. like precious faith (II Peter 1;1)
7. precious promises (II Peter 1:4)

7. 7 CHARACTERISTICS OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER (vss. 5-8).

Peter starts off with faith – he assumes faith because he is writing to professing Christians, to those who have already exercised faith in Christ (cf. Heb.11:6). Peter uses mathematical terms: "add to your faith" (1:5; cf. 1:2, "Grace and peace be multiplied." Before describing the phony unbelievers in chapter 2, Peter describes the characteristics of a true believer here in chapter 1. The best way to detect a counterfeit is to understand the characteristics of the truth.
1. Virtue – moral excellence, valor. The ancient Greeks used this word to describe the power of their gods to do heroic deeds.
2. Knowledge – especially knowledge of the Bible.
3. Temperance -- discipline and self-control.
4. Patience – enduring trials and troubles, adversity and persecution; perseverance.
5. Godliness -- true piety.
6. Brotherly kindness – genuine evidence that you are saved (I John 3:14,15; 4:11-21).
7. Charity – love for all mankind (not just saved folk).
8. "For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren (idle, empty) nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1:8). Taking in knowledge of the Bible but not giving it out to others is "unfruitful."

II. MAKE YOUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE BY ESCAPING WORLDLY CORRUPTION (1:4, 9).

1. If you have trusted Christ, you are "partakers of the divine nature" (1:4). Evidence that you have been saved is that you have "escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
2. Some professed believers are more corrupt and more worldly than the unsaved!
3. Bob Jones III has said that it in his grandfather’s day they used to say that it took one year to get the world out of the students and three years to get the Bible in, but now they can’t even get the world out in the four years that they are there.
4. A fellow got saved and his old friend was surprised to see the great changes in his life. The Christian said, "One letter in the alphabet made the difference – I used to love the world but now I love the Word.
5. Peter says "he that lacketh these things (i.e., the 7 characteristics, 1:5-7) is blind…" (1:9), i.e., spiritually blind, more concerned with material things than with spiritual things; living as if this world was all there is; lacking spiritual discernment.
6. Why do some people doubt their salvation?

1. Some are not genuinely saved and the Holy Spirit is trying to warn them.
2. Some are saved bur are so weak in the faith, so worldly, so indifferent, that they begin to wonder if they are truly saved.

III. MAKE YOUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE BY BEING ESTABLISHED IN THE TRUTH (1:10-14).

1. There is a distinction between calling and election. Our election took place before God created the world ( Eph. 1:4 ) ; Our call took place the moment we trusted Christ as our Savior ( II Thess. 2:13,14) . Here calling is mentioned before election because it is first to us. First we recognize God’s calling, then later we realize that we were elected. Calling comes first in our apprehension.
2. There our two types of calling in the Bible:
1. The general call, whereby the gospel is preached throughout the whole world to every creature under heaven .
2. The effectual call, whereby God calls out of mankind a certain number whom he has before elected.
3. Spurgeon wrote that, "Never had Cromwell driven his foes before him if it had not been in the stern strength of this almost omnipotent truth; and there shall scarcely be found a man strong to do great and valiant deeds unless, confident in the God of Providence, he looks upon the accidents of life as being steered by God, and gives himself up to God’s firm predestination, to be borne along by the current of His will, contrary to all the wills and all the wishes of the world."
4. To "make sure" your calling and the election means to confirm them by growing in grace. If we stay close to the Lord, Stay active in church, stay steadfast in prayer and Bible reading, we "shall never fall" ( cf. II Cor. 13:5).
5. This is probably Peter’s final exhortation ("as long as I am in this tabernacle" – 1:13). He is not negligent to put these things "always in remembrance" (1:12,13) and to stir them up.
6. Peter speaks of his death as putting off his tabernacle (tent – 1:14). Just as a tent is a temporary dwelling place for travelers, so the body is the temporary dwelling place in which we live during our earthly pilgrimage (cf. I Peter 1:1; 2:11). In death the tent is taken down. At the rapture, the body will be raised and changed.

CONCLUSION:

1. Are you making your calling and election sure? Are you sure that you are saved?
2. Spurgeon said he was so sure of his salvation that he could grab on to a cornstalk and swing out over the fires of hell, look into the face of the devil, and sing, "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine."
3. A person cannot be effective in serving God until he has assurance of salvation. When they started building the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, no safety devices were used and 23 men fell to their deaths. Then they installed a huge net and 10 men fell into it and were saved. After the net was put up, 25% more work was performed because the workers were assured of their safety.