ACQUIRED Thru FAITH-VII—2Peter 1:3a(:1-4)
Attention:
-A Costco membership-:
•Requires a once yearly financial commitment.
•Requires a surrender of personal information that is scrutinized.
“Membership is available to all qualifying individuals 16 years of age & over.”
“Costco reserves the right to refuse membership to any applicant, & membership may be terminated at Costco's discretion & without cause.”
“Membership is subject to any & all rules adopted by Costco, including our privacy policies & practices, & they may be amended from time to time without notice.”
“Members are required to present a valid photo identification issued by the United States, Puerto Rico, Canadian Federal, State, or Provincial governments or any valid passport to sign up for membership.”
IN TURN…Costco members receive:
•Grocery items—Meats(Beef/Pork/Chicken/Seafood/Lamb, etc.)—Fresh Vegetables—Cereals—Coffee—Dairy—Frozen Foods—Baked goods—Candies., etc.
•Clothes(Shoes/Shirts/Pants/Swimwear/Underwear/Nightwear/Socks, etc.).
•Books.
•Prescription & non-prescription drugs.
•Electronics(Computers/Televisions/Audio)
•Appliances.
•Complete HVAC systems.
•Home goods.
•Outdoor garden.
•Sheds.
•Tools.
•Bicycles.
•Toys.
•Furniture(Mattresses/Couches/Motion chairs, etc.)
•New Cars/Trucks & Tires
*Everything offered at ‘affordable low’ prices. ACQUIRED Thru FAITH-VII—2Peter 1:3a(:1-4)
Your membership commitment to Costco, grants a person access to all the benefits of the Costco shopping experience!
*Likewise, the FAITH commitment of God’s people thru Christ Jesus, opens their access to all the benefits of God’s power in their lives!
The commitment to God, by the FAITH of God’s people, acquires 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 forces it’s flesh-driven priorities upon the global population(including ourselves), rather than prioritizing that which is born of God.
Thru what Christian faith acquires/gains for the believer, the Christian exerts a tremendous influence on that flesh-driven world, offering it the ONLY EFFECTIVE opposition to local & global ungodliness!
The apostle Peter informs those who are faithful to Jesus Christ, that they are completely/fully supplied for godly living.
God’s people are completely supplied for godly living thru their faith in Jesus Christ.
•Your Christian faith truly completes you!
BUT, ?What are the things that saving faith in Christ, acquires for God’s people?
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)
Today we’ll find that...
6—Another provision acquired thru your faith in Jesus Christ is...
EVERYTHING NEEDFUL For FULFILLING LIFE(:3a)
Explanation:(:3a)Godly Living/Living Life Godly
:3a—“...as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life & godliness...””
*This verse provides the hinge on which the title of this series of sermons is based.
*Folks, God’s promise is quite a comprehensive promise!
The in-depth ‘knowledge’ of God thru Jesus(:2b, 3b) makes a person immediately aware that Jesus’ “divine power” is what has supplied to the saints, “all things” that are encompassed, included, or comprehended by, & in, “life.”
•Yes, God “gives” us biological “life”(Biov). BUT He also supplies “to” His people, the ability to live that “life” in a “godly” manner(zwh--the word used in our text), or in a way that is pleasing to Him.
And that is something that we cannot do without His direct empowerment. That is, we cannot please God, without individually inviting, & corporately inviting(as the church), God’s direct empowerment.
•“Godliness” describes the constant actions, born from the heart, in honoring God’s “gift”(“given”). “Godliness” is living according to God’s design.
•By means of God’s “divine power”, He freely “gives”“all things”(everything) that are needed to make YOUR ‘mere’ biological “life” whole & meaningful!
•He equips ANYONE & EVERYONE who approaches Him by faith in Jesus!
•Jn. 10:10—Jesus said,—““...I have come that they[disciples/followers/His people] may have life(zwh), & that they may have it more abundantly.”
Likewise, & it naturally follows that “all things” that surround, flow from, & flow to the living of “life” within the character of “godliness”, is also supplied “to us” by “His divine power.”
There is absolutely NOTHING pertaining to, surrounding, or relating to the original intention of man’s “life & godliness”, that has NOT come to him by means of God’s/Jesus’(“His”) “divine power.”
“All Things”—pav—Adj. Accusative Plural Neuter—1) individually—1a) Each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything; 2) collectively—2a) Some of all types. Strong—All, any, every, the whole; apparently a primary word.
“Life”—zwh—Noun Accusative Sing. Fem.—1) Life—1a) The state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate, 1b) Every living soul; 2) life—2a) Of the absolute fulness of life, both essential & ethical, which belongs to God, & through him both to the hypostatic “logos” & to Christ in whom the “logos” put on human nature, 2b) Life real & genuine, a life active & vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions(among them a more perfect body), & to last for ever. Zwh denotes existence, having death as its antithesis. Strong—life(literally or figuratively).?zwh corresponds to Hebrew—yx. A)quch—Breath, i.e. by implication--Spirit, abstractly or concretely--The animal sentient(perceptive) principle only, which is distinguished from B) pneuma—The rational & immortal soul, & C)zwh—Mere vitality, even of plants. These terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew...A)vpn, B)xwr & C)yx.
“Godliness”(See :6, 7)—eusebeia—Noun Fem.—1) Reverence, respect; 2) Piety towards God, godliness. Strong—Piety; specially--The gospel scheme. Used 15X.?From—eu—adverbially--Well; neuter of a primary euv(good).—&—sebomai—To revere, i.e. Adore.
Argumentation:
Mat. 5:20-“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes & Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
•The “righteousness” of the scribes & Pharisees did NOT stem from godliness! We must live beyond our own physical abilities, so we can live out the capacity of honoring God!
•God’s people are not only SAVED by grace thru faith, but we are also MAINTAINED in God, by grace thru faith!
Js. 1:2-4—“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect & complete, lacking nothing.”
2Tim. 3:16-17—“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, & is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Heb. 13:20-21—“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever & ever. Amen.”
1Pet. 5:10-11—“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, & settle you. To Him be the glory & the dominion forever & ever. Amen.”
Rom. 8:30-32—“Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; & whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
1Cor. 3:21-23—“Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come--all are yours. And you are Christ’s, & Christ is God’s.”
Eph. 1:16-23—Paul says, “I”—“do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom & revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, & what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead & seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality & power & might & dominion, & every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, & gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
2Cor. 12:9-10—“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
•Everything has been finished & furnished thru the Cross!
Illustration:
•We may buy POTTED PLANTS from a retailer or wholesaler. Generally, when a plant is offered for sale, they have been TEMPORARILY placed into much smaller containers than they can THRIVE in. The person brings the plant home & then very soon plants it in the ground. You plant it in a location that provides the proper amount of sunshine or shade. You provide a larger than needed hole, which you intentionally fill with nurturing soil. In that open soil, the roots will grow exponentially, drawing in everything that is needful for fulfilling it’s life potential!
•In similar fashion, a ‘bonsai’d tree’ is one that results from artificially preventing a tree from reaching it’s normal size. A bonsai only pays tribute to a ‘normal’ tree that is allowed to grow as God designed. A legitimate bonsai may look like a large tree from a limited perspective, but it has been harshly modified to get it to that point.
*Consider your flesh, your body, as the ‘limiting container’ where you were NEVER INTENDED to THRIVE in God’s absence!
God has instead made you, with the express purpose for HIS SUPPLYING EVERYTHING that is needful for you to reach your maximum potential!...
*WITHOUT GOD you will NOT produce spiritual fruit. WITHOUT GOD you will not be strong enough to weather adversity. WITHOUT GOD you will NOT be ‘all that yoou can be. WITHOUT GOD you will NOT produce a compelling example by which others may see Jesus.
However, by means of your faith in Jesus, EVERYTHING NEEDFUL For FULFILLING LIFE, is acquired for you!
Application:
?Has YOUR faith acquired for YOU, God’s power for EVERYTHING NEEDFUL For FULFILLING LIFE?
?What provisions are acquired thru YOUR Faith in Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The great POTENTIAL of God’s people can only be acquired thru complete surrender to God’s active presence in their lives.
Your individual Christian FAITH acquires literally EVERYTHING that you need, to fulfill God’s intent for you!
Action:
A provision acquired thru faith is...
6. EVERYTHING NEEDFUL For FULFILLING LIFE(:3a)
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)
Pt# 6 only! presented 04/28/2024am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Road
Bennettsville, SC 29512
