October 26, 2025

2 Peter

3:18  but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus

Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

·        

How

do we grow in grace through suffering? By humbling ourselves before God; By resisting the devil; By

trusting our Sovereign God; By standing firm with fellow believers

How

do we grow in grace through suffering?

1.  

By

humbling ourselves before God

(vv. 6-7)

·        

Memory

Verse 1 Peter 5:6-7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of

God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, having cast all your anxiety

on Him, because He cares about you.

·        

Anxieties

– Greek word meaning to divide

·        

There

are two things we doubt in a time of intense trial

·        

God’s

sovereign control over circumstances – “where is God in all of this?”

·        

We

doubt that God cares for us – “if God is in control & cares, then why is

this happening to me?”

·        

Philippians 4:6  Do not be anxious about

anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your

requests be made known to God.

2.  

By

resisting the devil

(vv. 8-9)

·        

During

times of trial, we are especially vulnerable to the enemy of our souls

·        

Adversary

– opponent in a lawsuit

·        

Devil

– slanderer – one who throws things against you

·        

Revelation

12:10 - “accuser of our brothers and sisters”, “the one who accuses them before

our God day and night”

·        

Verse

6 comes before verse 9 for good reason

·        

We

must bow before God before we stand against the devil

3.  

By

trusting our sovereign God

(vv. 10-11)

·        

4

ways to develop your faith

·        

Put

the trial in perspective

·        

It

will only last “for a little while”

·        

2 Corinthians 4:17-18  For our momentary, light

affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all

comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things

which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things

which are not seen are eternal.

·        

Put

God in perspective

·        

He

is “the God of all grace”

·        

Put

God’s calling and purpose for you in perspective

·        

He

“called you to His eternal glory in Christ”

·        

Put

God’s purpose for trials in perspective

·        

Perfect

- to equip, repair or render complete

·        

Confirm

- to fix or set fast

·        

Strengthen

– only time this Greek word is in the Bible

·        

Establish

- to lay the foundation

4.  

By

standing firm with other believers

(vv. 12-14)

·        

We

don’t go through suffering alone

·        

We

go through suffering with other believers

·        

These

final verses are full of relationships

·        

Silvanus

(Silas)

·        

She

who is in Babylon

·        

Mark

·        

Finally,

Peter extends peace – shalom, well-being

·        

We

are to stand firm together in God’s true grace – v.12

·        

Jude 1:4  For certain people have crept in

unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation,

ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into indecent behavior and deny

our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

·        

False

grace portrays the Christian life as a hang loose, go with the flow, don’t

worry about sin, be tolerant of everyone sort of thing

·        

True

grace exhorts us to be holy, even as God is holy

How

do we grow in true grace through suffering? By humbling ourselves before

God; By resisting the devil; By trusting our Sovereign God; By standing firm

with fellow believers