ACQUIRED Thru FAITH-III—2Peter 1:1b-c+(:1-4)
Attention:
The Christian music group, Casting Crowns, put out an album in 2014 entitled, ‘Thrive.’
On the cover of the album there is a ‘schematic-stylized’ picture of a mature tree with the soil removed to reveal the large size of its root system, & thus the true size of the entire tree. An entire tree, roots & all, is roughly double the size we witness above ground.
•No tree, even the giant Redwoods & Sequoias, can wow us with their girth & height apart from an extensive root system that reaches into an underground area very nearly the size of the tree that we see above ground.
That vast array of roots tap into the intricacies of the tree’s area, supplying everything that the tree actually needs to ‘thrive.’
*Like the tree’s root system, 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, gains/acquires everything that is essential for living empowered as God has always intended!
Need:
We live in a world that surrounds itself with & seeks to indoctrinate everyone with priorities born of the flesh. Christianity is continually surrounded by & bombarded by that flesh-driven worldview.
Christianity supernaturally opposes the worldview of the world at large. And lets others know that there is a settled hope that is in Jesus Christ alone!
Only God’s people have everything of REAL importance at their disposal by faith! And thru what Christian faith acquires, the Christian’s work & influence presents to a world lost to sin, the ONLY EFFECTIVE opposition to local & global ungodliness!
The apostle Peter informs those who are faithful to Jesus Christ, that they are amply supplied for godly living.
God’s people are completely/amply/fully supplied for godly living thru their faith in Jesus Christ.
?What does saving faith in Christ attain/acquire for God’s people?
9 provisions acquired/obtained thru faith.
So far in this series, we have found that,
A provision acquired thru faith in Jesus Christ, is...
1. TRUSTWORTHY APOSTLES(:1a)[parts-1-&-2]
Today we’ll find that...
2—Another provision acquired thru your faith in Jesus Christ is...
CHRISTIAN FAMILY(:1b)
Explanation:(:1b)
:1b—...“To those who have obtained like precious faith with us...”
*This epistle/letter is directed toward “those who have obtained” a “faith” that is of equal(“like”) value or dignity to that of the ‘trustworthy’ “apostles of Jesus Christ.”
“With us...”
Such particular “faith” is to be equally honored or “precious” because, it empowers everyone who has that “faith”, Even those that are NOT “apostles”! YET, we have the same “faith” as do the “apostles”!
•Keep in mind that, ALL the “apostles” FIRST became God’s children by the very same “faith” as ALL who belong to “God”(Father/Son/Holy Spirit).
•The “apostles”, before answering & embarking on the journeys of their specific calling & equipping, were FIRST Christians, thru “faith” in “Jesus Christ”!
“To those who have obtained like precious faith...”
“Peter” is saying that all the faithful in “Christ”, no matter their apparent giftedness, & no matter their calling by the Lord, the faithful in “Christ”, all share a common bond of the same “faith.”
And so, our “faith” as Christians, is indeed a “like” or ‘same’ “faith” as that of all other Christians, no matter what country they live in,...No matter their lineage,...No matter the native language they speak,...& No matter their socio-economic situation, whether freeing or limiting.
•And in that sense therefore, Christian “faith” is & should be accepted for what it is...as that which is indeed “precious” or of priceless value to each individual Christian!
•But even though Christian “faith”, has a leveling effect of being equally “precious” within the universal family of God, Even so, many people in the world openly thumb their nose at Christianity! HOWEVER, praise God!— the secular flesh-driven world’s perception & understanding of what holds true value, is NO DETERMINER of reality!
The “faith” that is common or shared among all true Christians, OVERCOMES all that the world is immersed in, proffers, & formulates around what they(flesh) suppose is ‘important’ or joyous, or fulfilling, or even ‘troublesome.’
•Christian “faith” overcomes all that! Because “faith” in “Christ” invites God’s power into our circumstances!
Jn. 16:33—Even before His crucifixion & resurrection, Jesus said,—“These things I have spoken to you[His disciples], that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Php. 4:6-7—“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer & supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; & the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts & minds through Christ Jesus.”
Jn. 14:26, 27—“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, & bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
The shared “preciousness” or shared pricelessness, & the real value of Christian “faith” is seen in what it is capable of overcoming.
•Christian “faith” readily overcomes worldly, earthy, cultural, & limiting prejudices...such as: Physical stature & ability, Intelligence, Skin color, Kinship, Language, Location, etc....
•All this ‘WOKE stuff’ that we’re dealing with in America, is nothing more than just ONE of the many constant struggles & writheings, the ‘gyrations’ caused by our society’s allowing the flesh to have control, rather than allowing God the control thru Christ Jesus!
Christian “faith” offers & has potential, to interject God’s calming wisdom into EVERY aspect of your life, individually & corporately!
Such “faith” is what binds all of God’s people together as the Church.
“Like Precious/Of The Same Kind/As Precious As”—isotimov—Lit. = ‘equal value/dignity’—Adj. Accusative Sing. Fem.—1)Equally precious; 2)Equally honored, to be esteemed equal to. Strong—of equal value or honor. Used 1X--2Pet. 1:1.?From—isov—1) Equal, in quantity or quality. Strong—Similar(in amount & kind).—&—timh—A value, i.e. Money paid, or Valuables; by analogy—Esteem(especially of the highest degree), or the dignity itself.
Argumentation:
Acts 14:26--15:11—Paul & Barnabas, et al—“From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed. Now when they had come & gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, & that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. So they stayed there a long time with the disciples. And certain men came down from Judea & taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul & Barnabas had no small dissension & dispute with them, they determined that Paul & Barnabas & certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles & elders, about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia & Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; & they caused great joy to all the brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church & the apostles & the elders; & they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, & to command them to keep the law of Moses.” Now the apostles & elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up & said to them: “Men & brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel & believe. “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, “& made no distinction between us & them, purifying their hearts by faith. “Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”
Acts 26:18—Jesus instructed Paul that he was being sent as an apostle, specifically to the Gentiles, as well as to the Jews, in order...—“‘to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, & from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins & an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’”—‘Family’
Rom. 1:16-17—“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first & also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.””[Hab. 2:4].—‘Family’
Rom. 3:21-28—“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law & the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all & on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just & the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”—‘Family’
Rom. 5:1-2—“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”—‘Family’
Gal. 3:22, 26-29—“But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”..... “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, & heirs according to the promise.”—‘Family’
Gal. 4:4-7—“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, & if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”—‘Family’
Rom. 8:14-17—“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, & if children, then heirs--heirs of God & joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”—‘Family’
Jn. 1:12-13—“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”—‘Family’
•All of “those” & each of “them” are very effectively “children” of the same ‘Family’!
2Cor. 6:16-18—“And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons & daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.””—‘Family’
Heb. 2:10-11—“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things & by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies & those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,”—‘Family’
Mk. 3:25—“And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”
Illustration:
Someone was telling me the other day about their past days working in an office with the same people for many years. They all worked together well. They all enjoyed one-another’s company. Together they were an asset to the company they worked for. They worked well together for so long, no doubt because they shared the same goals & shared many of the same motivations. They all wanted the company to succeed. For each of them it was a pleasure to do what was expected of them. The benefits they each received were acceptable to them, & they gave their all for the company.
Likewise, it is always a pleasure to work together with the ‘Family of God’, for the Kingdom of God!—CHRISTIAN FAMILY
Application:
?Has YOUR faith acquired for YOU, God’s ordained CHRISTIAN FAMILY?
?What provisions are acquired thru YOUR Faith in Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Like the ‘root system’ of a mature tree, each Christian taps into the fullness of God’s intention, thru the ‘root system’ of their faith!
All that you need, & all of God’s intentions for you, are available only by means of your personal saving faith in Christ Jesus!
Action:
A provision acquired thru faith is...
2. CHRISTIAN FAMILY(:1b)
1. TRUSTWORTHY APOSTLES(:1a)[parts 1 & 2]
Pt# 2 only! presented 02/18/2024am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Road
Bennettsville, SC 29512
