The Divine Nature

WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH

PASTOR: TERRY VAUGHAN

SERMON TITLE: THE DIVINE NATURE

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18

TEXT VERSE: 2 Timothy 2:6 “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.”

I want to preach to you tonight about being partakers of the fruit. There is a lot of different fruits in the Bible and a lot of them most people aren’t aware of. Just because I’m a Pastor or a Preacher doesn’t mean that I don’t have room to grow. The Bible says we all sin and come short of the glory of God. I need to be fed just like you do. I want to be a Christian 7 days a week and not just on Sundays and I know you do too. Paul was saying here that the husbandman must be first partakers of the fruit. I want to try and share an illustration that will help bring this out in the open a little more. If you wanted to be a good harvester of corn, you’d have to know a lot about how to grow it. If you want to be a good Christian you need some knowledge about what being a good Christian is. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom according to his word. I think of a verse in Colossians 1:10 that says “That ye may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

There are three things in that verse that I want to point out. Number one being that you might walk worthy of the Lord. We often overlook what we do during the week but God always knows what we do. Number two is being fruitful in every good work. If you study out fruit in the Bible you’ll see that back during Adam and Eve’s time, God said to be fruitful and multiply. That’s what we need as Christians; we need to have a little fruit. The third thing is we need to please God in every thing that we do. We read a scripture in the Bible where Paul said he wasn’t here to please man but was here to please God. If you’re pleasing God then men will automatically be pleased with the kind of Christian that you are. We read in Matthew 7:18-20 where Jesus said , “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. (19) Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (20) Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” I remember the scripture where Paul said that if a man doesn’t know how to take care of his own house, how can he take care of the house of God? We’ve got to be able to accept what God has in store for us.

1 Peter 4:13 the Bible talks about how we’re partakers of his sufferings. Jesus said because I suffer, ye shall suffer also. Remembering in the book of Acts where the Apostles were beaten with and stoned and cast out of the city for standing up and proclaiming Jesus as King of Kings. When they left they bowed down on their knees and thanked God that they were worthy to suffer shame for His name. The Bible says if you suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye. I wonder are you suffering for the gospel tonight? I wonder are you suffering for the Lord Jesus Christ?

In Ephesians 3:6 it says we are partakers of his promise. Thank God what he promises, he’s also able to perform. In Hebrews 12:10 it says we’re partakers of his Holiness. The Bible said without Holiness no man shall see God. Jesus said to be ye Holy for he is Holy. We’re supposed to be Holy.

2 Peter 1:4 says we’re partakers of the divine nature. There’s something different about Christians. We’re supposed to walk different and act different and look different. We’re partakers of the divine nature. Jesus said I am from above and you are from beneath. He said I am not of this world and you are of this world. Thank God Paul said that we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were to dissolve, we have a building of God, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. He said not to lay up for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and thieves break through it but lay up for yourselves rather treasures in heaven. We’re partakers of the divine nature. What is the divine nature?