Ash Wednesday (2025)
Midweek Lenten - 2025 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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2 Peter 1:2-11
2 Peter 1:2-11
Grace, Mercy, and Peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we are here in the season of Lent which gives us time to reflect upon not only our sins, but also the love that has been shown to us by Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. For we have been blessed through the love that Jesus has shown to us that our eyes may be opened to the way of salvation and see all that Jesus has done for us.
Who were we that God would show this grace and forgiveness to us? As we heard tonight we are nothing but dust, and to dust we shall return for we have inherited the sin of Adam that brings each of us down into the grave. As though that weren’t enough that we bear the mark, and the image of Adam, we have confirmed that by the sins that we have committed since as we followed in his footsteps, instead of glorifying the Works and Word of God and heeding the Lord’s Will, we have proudly boasted of our own sins and chased after them to hurt and harm not only ourselves, but our neighbors as well.
We tend to fixate upon the effects that our sins have on upon ourselves, that we lied, that we stole, and we examine the wrongs that we have committed, and yet we forget to look up and see the neighbor that we have hurt, the one whose trust we have betrayed, and how we have failed to set a good example for our neighbors. How many children followed in their parents examples, be they good or bad, why is it that God entrusts children to parents, it is that they might raise Godly offspring. Yet if they walk away from what is good right and true there will be no end to these troubles.
Now there are some that say, my sins truly only affect myself, they are truly private and affect only me, but God has connected each of us to our fellow men, and has given us gifts and abilities, not just for our own benefits, but for the benefit of those around us. But even if by some miracle you were the only person left alive on planet, and there was no one to follow you for everyone else had perished, there is still one who has been affected by your sins. Jesus, the Son of God who descended out of heaven out of love for you.
Jesus isn’t on the cross to suffer for His sins, or the wrongs that He has committed against God, or against mankind, for Jesus is the Son of God, the Judge of all creation, and the source of what is right, good, and true. He is the one who determines what is good, and yet he suffers not for his failings, and his mistakes, but the Father in heaven has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. If nothing else gives you pause before you run headlong into sin, I would point you to the cross and show you that there upon it is one who loves you. Who shed his blood for your sake. For the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit came together to work for your salvation.
That is why the Bible says, 2 Peter 1:3–4 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
For if Christ has made us partakers of his divine nature, that is to say having eternal life and we have escaped the corruption of this world, why would we run back to it? Why would we indulge in sins, knowing that by so doing someone who considers us a friend is suffering for us? That is why the Scriptures encourage us to forsake our sins, and instead pursue that which is good and right.
For without faith, it is impossible to please God or do anything good, for that which does not proceed from faith is sin, but with faith, we pursue these good works, not for our salvation, but out of love for God, and Love for those who are around us. Listed here are several goals that we are to pursue and develop, that our faith may not just be an intellectual exercise, but something that is practiced and lived out, for faith without works is dead. The Word of God has been planted in our hearts, and we ought to tend to it, that it may bear fruit.
So the Bible first speaks of virtue, that is excellence of character, being noble, honorable, and being known for our goodness, and that this ought to be joined with knowledge this means we are to cultivate not only our bodies with good works, but to also grow in our knowledge of God’s Word. For God has revealed to us His will through the prophets and the apostles as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Think of these two in relation to a garden. If you have a friend who wants to tend to the garden, and they are very busy, but they have no idea when or where to plant the seeds how far to space, them which ones will grow well together or be unable to identify what’s a weed, they might be very busy and active, but their garden will be a mess.
The next is self-control, that we learn to have mastery over ourselves and not be lead around with by our passions. It may sound good to be carefree and go wherever you feel, but our passions have no bounds and we will prioritize what feels good at the moment as opposed to what is right by God’s Word. This pertains to managing our money, time, addictions, and the like, that we should not be ruled by them, but learn self-control, and that will be joined with steadfastness, which one needs if they are going to exercise self-control. If you lay aside alcohol, pornography, or drugs, your body will go through feelings of withdrawal, and that is good, because it means you are starving your body of something that ruled over you, it the same struggle with any sin, fear, longing, and the like sets in and tries to pull us back, but we must remain firm.
Now godliness speaks of piety, and piety is good, but pietism, which is the corruption of piety is bad. To be pious is to show reverence, and this reverence is shown not only here at church as this is a holy place, but also towards our neighbors, for we know this is God’s house, and so we conduct ourselves accordingly, and we know that Jesus shed His blood not only for us, but for each person, and so we deal with them in brotherly affection or love. Not treating them as strangers or enemies, but people for whom Christ died.
The final word there is love, agape love, self-sacrificing love, which is what has been given to us through the Cross of Christ. It is what all of these other attributes and what grows all these other attributes, for each one of these attributes is speaks first of Christ’s love for you. It is this love that we are called to share with others, imperfect though we are, and that’s why it says we are increasing in them, not that they are perfected, but we grow in these works.
For if we lack these works or cast them aside, what does that mean? Well what does the text say? That we have become blind, and have forgotten that we were cleansed of our former sins, which means we no longer have faith. For while faith alone saves us, faith is never alone good works follow.
So remain in the faith that you have been called, and be diligent to practice these qualities, and if you have been slack or neglecting these matters repent, acknowledge that there is yet more growing to do, and more people that you need to help, and a good time to start that is Lent. We typically give up something in Lent to help us reflect upon the Cross of Christ, but it has also served as a time for strengthening the Catechumens. So look at this list, and consider where you might grow? Not just for your own good, but for the good of your neighbor, for that is who our works are meant to bless.
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we will be working through the 10 Commandments the next, and in each of them we will learn not only of what God commands, but also how God has blessed us, and we will learn to grow in Good works towards God, and towards our neighbors, the works will not always seem grand, or spectacular, but our neighbor needs help, and as we consider the Cross of Jesus, remember it didn’t look grand, it didn’t look spectacular, in fact many tried to persuade him to accomplish salvation by some other means, but the Son of God knew there was no other way to save us, and since He loved us, He set aside His crown of glory for a Crown of Thorns, that He might bless you with forgiveness, eternal life, and a place in His kingdom as a child of God. In Jesus name. Amen.
