ACQUIRED Thru FAITH-IX—2Peter 1:4(:1-4)
Attention:
Filling out an application for employment at my first job.
•When I turned 15, I was legally allowed to work. I had been anxiously waiting for that day!
•There was a new grocery store chain—‘Food World’—that was opening in the larger nearby town of Salisbury, NC. The big competitor for them was the locally owned & well-established ‘Food Town’(now Food Lion) which began in Salisbury.
•But, Food World started out paying its bag boys(courtesy clerks) $2.10/hr. Whereas Food Town only paid $1.80/hr.
•I quickly filled out an application for employment with Food World with dollar signs dancing in my head & a degree of snide arrogance toward those ‘poor saps’ at my Junior High School currently working for Food Town!
•With that regular paycheck, I was soon able to afford a used 1969 VW Beetle. I saved up enough money so that I put ‘mag wheels’, fat tires & air shocks on it. I also got a new ‘Pioneer’ 8-Track tape player, with a new pair of ‘Jensen Triaxial’ speakers!
*Long story short, my filling out & turning in that application opened up a whole new world for me.
•Likewise, my/your faith in Jesus Christ acquired everything that you could possibly need to open up a whole new world to you!
Need:
We live in a secularized world that actively seeks to indoctrinate everything it touches, with priorities that are born of the flesh & that are therefore, seductively satanic. Christianity is continually surrounded by & bombarded by those flesh-driven priorities.
Christianity supernaturally opposes that flesh-driven worldview of the world at large. Christianity supernaturally 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 fully/completely supplied for every aspect of 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 does saving faith in Christ actually acquire 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)
6. EVERYTHING NEEDFUL For FULFILLING LIFE(:3a)
7. The CALL Of GOD’s GLORY & VIRTUE(:3c)
Today we’ll find that...
8—Another provision acquired thru faith is...
GOD’s FLAWLESS PROMISES(:4a)
Explanation:(:4a)God’s Promises
:4—“by which have been given to us exceedingly great & precious promises,...”
“by which”(‘thru’ or ‘by means of’)—God’s divine power, everything pertaining to life & godliness, our knowledge of Him, & our calling by His glory & virtue(:3)—God’s people—the saved—have also become the recipients of God’s “exceedingly great & precious promises.”
Because of your faith in Christ Jesus, you, in turn “have been given”, & have ‘at your disposal’, God’s “exceedingly great & precious promises.”
But what makes God’s promises THE Most “Precious” or ‘superiorly’ ‘valuable’, when compared to the “promises” that anyone else &/or this world offers?
Heb. 11:1, 3, 6, 13-16—“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”.....“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”.....“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, & that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”.....“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them & confessed that they were strangers & pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”
Argumentation:
2Cor. 1:18-22—“But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes & No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us--by me, Silvanus, & Timothy--was not Yes & No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him[Christ] are Yes, & in Him Amen[firm], to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ & has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us & given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
•God’s promise of salvation by grace thru faith in Christ Jesus IS clear, decisive, & unambiguous! His promise of salvation is NOT a system & series of vacillating yes’s & no’s produced thru & for empty religion.
Jn. 1:10-13—“He[Jesus] was in the world, & the world was made through Him, & the world did not know Him. He came to His own, & His own did not receive Him. 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.”
Heb. 8:6—“But now He[Jesus] has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.””
1Jn. 2:15-17—“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, & the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, & the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
Gal. 3:11-14, 16—“But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”.....“Now to Abraham & his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.”
2Cor. 6:11--7:1—“O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections. Now in return for the same (I speak as to children), you also be open. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 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.” Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh & spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
Gen. 8:20-22—“Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, & took of every clean animal & of every clean bird, & offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, Seedtime & harvest, Cold & heat, Winter & summer, And day & night Shall not cease.””
•Rev. 21:1-8—“Now I saw a new heaven & a new earth, for the first heaven & the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, & He will dwell with them, & they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them & be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true & faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha & the Omega, the Beginning & the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, & I will be his God & he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, & all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire & brimstone, which is the second death.””
1Jn. 2:24-28—“Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son & in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us--eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, & you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, & is true, & is not a lie, & just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence & not be ashamed before Him at His coming.”
“Eternal life” can be, but is NOT necessarily “eternal life” that you may imagine it to be. It is “eternal life” as God Himself has perfectly designed it to be, despite what you might think!
Illustration:
Harry Chapin’s—‘Cat’s In The Cradle’
My child arrived just the other day?He came to the world in the usual way?But there were planes to catch, & bills to pay?He learned to walk while I was away?And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew?He'd say "I'm gonna be like you, dad"?"You know I'm gonna be like you"??
Chorus:??
And the cat's in the cradle & the silver spoon
Little boy blue & the man in the moon
"When you coming home, dad?”
"I don't know when” But we'll get together then, son
We're gonna have a good time then.
My son turned ten just the other day?He said, thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play?Can you teach me to throw, I said-a, not today?I got a lot to do, he said, that's okay?And he, he walked away, but his smile never dimmed?It said, I'm gonna be like him, yeah?You know I'm gonna be like him??
Chorus:??
And the cat's in the cradle & the silver spoon
Little boy blue & the man in the moon
"When you coming home, dad?”
"I don't know when” But we'll get together then, son
We're gonna have a good time then.
Well, he came from college just the other day?
So much like a man I just had to say
?Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while??
He shook his head, & he said with a smile
?What I'd really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys?
See you later, can I have them please??
Chorus:
And the cat's in the cradle & the silver spoon
Little boy blue & the man in the moon
"When you coming home, son?” "I don't know when”
But we'll get together then, dad
We're gonna have a good time then.
??I've long since retired, my son's moved away
?I called him up just the other day
?I said, I'd like to see you if you don't mind?
He said, I'd love to, dad, if I could find the time?
You see, my new job's a hassle, & the kids have the flu
?But it's sure nice talking to you, dad
?It's been sure nice talking to you?
And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me?
He'd grown up just like me
?My boy was just like me?
Chorus:
And the cat's in the cradle & the silver spoon
Little boy blue & the man in the moon
"When you coming home, son?”
"I don't know when” But we'll get together then, dad
We're gonna have a good time then.
‘Flawless Promises’ are those ‘promises’ that are made with absolute certainty of fulfillment.
•God’s Promises are Perfect & Flawless because He is Perfect & Flawless!
He loves you perfectly & flawlessly & has provided THE ONLY means for you to be in His presence eternally!...
•That means is none other than God’s promised: only-begotten Son Jesus, the promised Christ!
•God has seen fit to ensure the fulfillment of all that He has ever promised!
Application:
?Has YOUR faith acquired for YOU, GOD’s FLAWLESS PROMISES?
?What, of God’s provisions, are acquired thru YOUR Faith in Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
My job application to Food World as a ‘courtesy clerk’ opened a new world to me.
Action:
Some provisions acquired thru Christian faith are...
8. GOD’s FLAWLESS PROMISES(:4a)
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)
7. The CALL Of God’s GLORY & VIRTUE(:3c)
Pt#8 only! presented 05/12/2024am(Mother’s Day) to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Road
Bennettsville, SC 29512
