ACQUIRED Thru FAITH-X—2Peter 1:4b(:1-4)
Attention:
Soon the Icelandic portion of our family is going to be vacationing with us for a few weeks! We are so excited, as we haven’t seen them for over two years now.
But they can’t just hop in the car & drive over. In order for us to see each other, they must fly. They will leave via a direct flight, from Keflavik airport in Reykjavik, Iceland, & arrive in Raleigh, NC after an approximately 7hr. flight. They will arrive on a specific day & time, & leave on a specific day & time.
In order to get here, they have to put absolute FAITH in the particular methods, times, & places surrounding ‘air travel.’ They especially have to put FAITH in the jet itself.
If they do not have enough Faith in the jet, they will not board it, & we will not get together. Faith in the jet, gets you where you physically need to be.
What their FAITH in the ‘public air transportation system’ Acquires for our family, is the bringing together, of those that love one another very dearly.
Likewise, by your personal & our corporate FAITH in Christ, ALL the needed aspects of our Christian empowerment are met, fulfilled, & satisfied!
Christian Faith, gets you where God wants you to be!
Need:
Dedicated Christians live in a secularized world that actively seeks to indoctrinate them, with fleshly priorities of created things.
In your & my Christian opposition to a multitude of worldviews, others know that only in Jesus Christ, is there a settled, certain, & eternal hope!
The apostle Peter informed those who were faithful to Jesus Christ, that they were fully/completely supplied for every aspect of godly living.
God’s people are completely supplied for godly living thru their faith in Jesus Christ.
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)
8. GOD’s FLAWLESS PROMISES(:4a)
Today we’ll find that...
9—Another provision acquired thru faith is...
The DIVINE MINDSET(:4b)
Explanation:(:4b)Against Lust/For Escape
:4b—“...that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
“...that through these...”
The word, “These”, is a reference to everything that Faith Acquires for the person who puts their faith in Jesus Christ alone.
“These” beneficial acquirements of faith, including all of the promises of God, are the conduit & the bounds within which & thru which, we have opportunity to become “partakers of the divine nature.”
“...you may be partakers of the divine nature,...”
*Keep in mind that “partakers of” God’s very “nature” CANNOT mean that we are, or can ever be “partakers of” the very ‘nature & essence’ of His being, as are the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit!
•We CANNOT be partakers in the ‘nature’ & ‘essence’ of God’s ‘being’, because we are created by God.
•However, we ARE created in His image, & similarly, we are given dominion over the remainder of creation!(Gen. 1:26-28).
*So, we CAN & ARE EXPECTED to, actually take part in the very “nature” of God Himself in this way--BY/THRU you & me(God’s people) freely & intentionally, aligning ourselves with & within the perfections of God’s character!
So, being “partakers of” God’s very “nature” must be reflected by our ‘moral’ choices...Our determinations of ‘right’ versus ‘wrong’! They are reflected in the way we live our lives!
•Exactly WHAT determines YOUR understanding of ‘right’ versus ‘wrong’?
?Do you have a Divine Mindset?
*God’s people are “partakers of the divine nature” IN THE SENSE THAT, by the Holy Spirit within them, they are always in the process of confronting & avoiding sin.
•The Holy Spirit compels God’s people to cling to the perfect design of God’s standards of ‘good.’ The Holy Spirit also compels God’s people to recognize the many ‘hindrances’ to God’s ‘good’!
God’s very “nature” is such that He will NOT tolerate sin in heaven, NOR does He ‘desire it’ in those who are His, even though they are currently bound to earth!
God has a HATRED of personal sin, & a HATRED of sin in our relationships. God has a HATRED of sin that drives the world at large. God has a HATRED of anything that is not from faith in Him thru Christ Jesus(Rom. 14:23).
Rom. 14:23—“But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.”
*God equips His people—the saved—with His similar DISTASTE for, & intolerance for, sin!
“...having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
*The EVIDENCE of God’s people(individuals & the church) having become “partakers of the divine nature”, is bound up in their having “ESCAPED the corruption” that is present “in the world.”
“Corruption”—describes the physical decay & decomposition that eventually destroys the integrity of whatever is being “corrupted.”
•“The corruption that is in the world” pictures a slow eating ‘relationship rust.’ It is a ‘rust’ that ‘breaks down’ the integrity of your relationship with God.
•“Corruption” can be a sudden, or most often, a gradual(‘rusting’) degradation of character that eventually brings a person to answer positively & consistently to the beck-&-call of the flesh. “Corruption” effects all & everything around us.
•The “corruption that is in the world” is that which is proffered by ‘the talking heads’ & ‘the political frameworks’ of fleshly/worldly/secular/lost thinking....
*That is to say, “the corruption that is in the world” is descriptive of ‘the embodiment’ of a ‘collective mindset’ that decides against, & aligns itself WITH everything that is AGAINST YHWH God!
Casting Crowns’—‘Slow Fade’(corruption)
It's a slow fade
When you give yourself away
It's a slow fade
When black & white have turned to grey
And thoughts invade, choices are made
A price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade
It's a slow fade
[Songwriters: John Mark Hall?Slow Fade lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC]
“...corruption that is in the world through lust.”
“Corruption that is in the world” occurs or comes about when personal “lusts” of worldly people are given precedence over God’s direction. And since those who are without Christ outnumber those who are in Christ, they actually “corrupt” “the world” that Christians live function in!
“Lust” is NOT limited to sexual sin!
“Lust” is a term describing any ‘other-godly’ or ‘un-godly’ desire for, & dependence upon, satisfying the flesh rather than satisfying God.
•“Lust” is anything you have a passion for, that you satisfy in an ungodly manner! “Lust” is a sinful hunger.
•This is why I tell you to read your Bible!...So you’ll know the true heartbeat of God, & so also to know the reality of His objective truth.
•?What do YOU have a continual “lust” for ???
•?Are you willing to turn that otherwise uncontrollable “lust” over to YHWH God’s control?
Living separate from or apart from(“having escaped”) the putrefying “corruption” that “the world” falls victim to, signifies that we are God’s people having become “partakers of the divine nature.”
2Cor. 6:17-7:1—“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.”
“Escaping” the “lusts” of flesh can only be accomplished thru a person’s “partaking of the divine nature.”
•Jn. 16:33—Jesus said,—““These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.””
•?Do you have a distaste for, or a hatred of sin?
•?Do you find yourself in a state of ‘Overcoming the world”?
Argumentation:
Ezek. 36:21-28—“But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; & the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, & bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, & you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness & from all your idols. I will give you a new heart & put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh & give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you & cause you to walk in My statutes, & you will keep My judgments & do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, & I will be your God.”
**1Sam. 13:14—the prophet Samuel to Saul, King of Israel—““But now your[Saul] kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, & the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.””
Acts 13:22—the apostle Paul to the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch—“And when He[God] had removed him[Saul], He raised up for them[Israel] David as king, to whom also He gave testimony & said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’”
Php. 2:1-5, 6-11, 12-13—“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection & mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,” who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, & coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself & became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him & given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, & of those on earth, & of those under the earth, & that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear & trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will & to do for His good pleasure.”
1Cor. 2:14-16—“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
Rom. 11:33-12:2—“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom & knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments & His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor? Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” For of Him & through Him & to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God.”
Illustration:
Our Southern Baptist--‘Ethics & Religious Liberties Commission’(ERLC)-- stays ‘on top of things’ coming out of Washington that are damaging to our Christian liberty.
Thru a DIVINE MINDSET, God’s people are able to properly navigate & interpret:
•The news(local, national, international).
•Music, Literature, Social media, Manufacturing processes, Statistics, Moral dilemmas, Social movements, Military movements, Cultural pressures & changes, Supply & Demand, Authority, Political rhetoric, Prejudice, Religion(s), etc.
•Threats to Christian livelihood(Corporate decisions; Manufacturing & Farming products & processes; Employee(er) wants, needs, & fairness; Decisions regarding the Economy;),
•Threats to Christian lifestyle(Secular Education; Relationships; Spiritual Deceptions; Secular Inclusivism; Decisions from Secular Politics[liberalism, fascism, capitalism, socialism, communism]; Decisions from Secular Law),
•Threats to the perception of Reality(Secular Science; Solutions to perceived problems/Felt needs).
Thus, IF we submit ourselves to the call of God upon our lives, THEN we will accomplish much for His Kingdom, & as a result, we will accomplish much for ourselves, in & for the Kingdom under God’s rule.
Application:
?Has YOUR faith acquired for YOU, God’s DIVINE MINDSET?
?What, of God’s provisions, are acquired thru YOUR Faith in Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Our family coming to visit...
Air Travel is a ‘faith based’ method of transportation!
Faith in the jet, gets you where you physically need to be.
Christian Faith, gets you where God wants you to be!
Action:
Some provisions acquired thru Christian faith are...
9. The DIVINE MINDSET(:4b)
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)
8. GOD’s FLAWLESS PROMISES(:4a)
Pt#9 only! presented 05/19/2024am(Mother’s Day) to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Road
Bennettsville, SC 29512
