Acquired Thru Faith-8(:3c)

ACQUIRED Thru FAITH-VIII—2Peter 1:3c(:1-4)

Attention:

The potential beauty of the parsonage’s/pastorium’s yard is becoming lost to various weeds.

I recently purchased some ‘Weed Killer for Southern Lawns’ for use on centipede grass(& other kinds). It’s supposed to kill broadleaf weeds in Centipede grass, without killing the grass that we want to thrive there.

I’ve tried it in a small part of the back yard as a test plot. I was afraid that if I were to spray the whole yard, it might ruin the yard altogether.

It hasn’t killed the grass(Hallelujah!) but the dandelions don’t look real healthy! I think it’s just very slow to work!

This past week I tried a higher ratio of chemical to water, & sprayed an area along the south-side of the house, from the back of the house to Salem Road.

The truth is, that I don’t have much faith in the chemical’s ability.

But I DO know that ‘Centipede grass’ has POTENTIAL to provide a lush thick stand of lawn grass....

Likewise, there are many spiritual ‘weeds’ that need to be removed in order for God’s people to thrive.

But sometimes we are slow to employ the correct methods, God’s methods, to affect their removal!

....So, The great POTENTIAL of God’s people can only be attained thru complete surrender to God’s active presence in their lives. We cannot allow the lusts of this world to hinder & distract us!

The FAITH of God’s people taps into the vast resources that are only available to them by God’s hand.

Personal SAVING faith, that is centered in Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord, acquires everything that is essential for living empowered as God has always intended!

Need:

We live in a secularized world that actively seeks to indoctrinate everything it touches, with priorities that are born of the flesh. Christianity is continually surrounded by & bombarded by those flesh-driven priorities.

Christianity supernaturally opposes the worldview of the world at large. And lets others know that there is a settled eternal hope, that is in Jesus Christ alone!

The apostle Peter informs those who are faithful to Jesus Christ, that they are completely supplied for godly living.

God’s people are completely supplied for godly living thru their faith in Jesus Christ.

•You are truly complete in Christ Jesus!

BUT, ?What are the things that saving faith in Christ acquires for God’s people?

ACQUIRED Thru FAITH-VIII—2Peter 1:3c(:1-4)

So far in this series, we have found that,

Some provisions acquired thru faith in Jesus Christ, are...

1. TRUSTWORTHY APOSTLES(:1a)[parts-1 & 2]

2. CHRISTIAN FAMILY(:1b)

3. The SINGULAR, PERFECT SAVIOR(:1c)

4. MULTIPLIED GRACE & PEACE(:2a)

5. KNOWLEDGE Of GOD(:2b, :3b)

6. EVERYTHING NEEDFUL For FULFILLING LIFE(:3a)

Today we’ll find that...

7—Another provision acquired thru faith is...

The CALL Of GOD’s GLORY & VIRTUE(:3c)

Explanation:(:3c)

:3—“through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory & virtue,”

The Christian’s willful & intentional knowledge of God thru Jesus, has obtained for them, by God’s Divine power, everything needed for them to fully experience “life & godliness”(:3a-b).

True Christians have an intimate “knowledge” of the One who “called” them. God’s people have been “called” to God thru the constraints or means of HIS “glory & virtue”(moral excellence).

WORDS:

“Glory”—doxa—Noun Genitive Sing. Fem.—1)Opinion, judgment, view; 2) Opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone—2a) in the NT--Always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honor, & glory; 3) Splendor, brightness—3a) Of the moon, sun, stars, 3b) Magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace, 3c) Majesty—The kingly majesty which belongs to God as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity; 4) A most glorious condition, most exalted state—4a) Of that condition with God the Father in heaven to which Christ was raised after he had achieved his work on earth, 4b) The glorious condition of blessedness into which is appointed & promised that true Christians shall enter after their Savior's return from heaven. Strong—Glory(as very apparent), in a wide application(literal or figurative, objective or subjective).?English = ‘Dox-ology’?From the base of—dokew—To think[highly of]; by implication--To seem(truthfully or uncertainly); a prolonged form of a primary verb, dokw(used only in an alternate in certain tenses; compare the base of deiknuw[To show]) of the same meaning.

“Virtue/Excellence/Goodness”—areth—Noun Genitive Sing. Fem.—1)A virtuous course of thought, feeling & action--1a) Virtue, moral goodness; 2) Any particular moral excellence, as modesty, purity. Strong—properly--Manliness(valor), i.e. Excellence(intrinsic or attributed). Used 5X--Php. 4:8; 1Pet. 2:9; 2Pet. 1:3, 5.?**From the same as—arrhn, OR--arshn—Male(as stronger for lifting).

Given the background of the Greek word translated as “virtue”, “excellence”, or “goodness”....

•God’s intention for all Men, is Men in particular, are to exhibit ‘strength’ for lifting God’s excellence for all to see & experience! And thus as a Christian man, a huge part of your identity is to be a ‘cream of the crop’ representative & example of Christ!