“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
Introduction:
According to Webster’s Dictionary, a promise is a declaration that one will do or refrain from doing something specified. It is a legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom it is made a right to expect the performance of a specified act.
When it comes to the promises that God has given to every believer, Peter says they are “exceeding great” – that is, they are greater than great.
Peter does not stop at just letting us know that the promises of God are exceeding great. He also tells us that they are indeed “precious promises.”
It is interesting to note that the Greek word translated precious that Peter uses, he only uses three times – once in describing our precious faith, once in describing the precious blood of Christ that was shed for our sins, and here in our text describing the precious promises of God.
Precious means esteemed especially dear or of great worth or value. Precious is, however, a subjective word. Some things might be precious to you and not to me. Things vary in value, depending on the role they play and the impact they can have on one’s life.
Let’s take a look at a few of the promises that God has given to us. Let’s evaluate the impact that they have played or can play in our lives to determine if Peter is on the mark when he calls them "precious promises".
I. The Promises of God can play an important role in our glorious future.
a. Is anyone sick and tired of this old sinful world in which we live?
b. One of these days things are going to make a drastic change.
i. I Thes. 4:16-17 – For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
ii. I Cor. 2:9 – But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
iii. Rev. 21:4 – And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
II. The Promises of God not only affect our glorious future, they also are pertinent for our troubled present.
a. Is anyone facing struggles on a daily basis?
b. The promises of God have you covered.
i. Isaiah 59:19 – “…When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.”
ii. Isaiah 54:17 – “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD”
iii. Psalm 23:4 – “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
iv. Romans 37-39 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
III. The Promises of God reach back into the dark recesses of our lives and impact our sinful past.
a. The true value of God promises are not really completely found in how they affect our future or even our present.
b. Some here today might be saying, “These promises are for the Christians. I am someone who has a long history of a sinful life that keeps me from laying claim to these promises.
c. The Precious Promises of God take care of your sinful past.
i. Psalm 103:12 – “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
ii. Isaiah 1:18 – “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
iii. I John 1:7 – “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
Conclusion:
The promises of God are for everyone here. They promise you a glorious future, while preserving your present, by erasing your past.
Please don’t allow the things of your past to keep you from laying claim to the precious promises that God has for you today.
I think you have to agree with me. They are indeed precious promises.
