THE LIFE OF FAITH                                               II Peter 1:1-4

                                                                                    D3/74 & 9/60

 

Intro.

            II Peter 1:1,2..The Faith

            II Peter 1:3,4..The spiritual life that comes through faith

            These two are the most important things in our holy religion.  They are never to be separated or severed.  "What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."

Look at the religion of the Old Testament versus the pagan religions of that day.  On the outside, they were much alike, but inside they were all together different.  Had you entered the Holy of Holies of a pagan temple, you would have found there an ark in the heart of the shrine.  And on the inside of that ark you would have found a sacred ibis or an egret or a heron or a leopard, or a crocodile or a peacock.  But in the ark of the sacred covenant of the Lord God, was housed the ten commandments.  According to the nature of God and man, both are needed, they are vital.

The foundation of our religion is the faith.  Look at  Matt. 7:24-27.

The superstructure is the life of the Christian.  Faith is the foundation, holiness and godliness is the superstructure.  II Peter 1:5 and 8.  If there is no superstructure, there is no hiding place against the storms.  The two go together, so we read in Ezek. 37 the sinews in the flesh and the skin that came over those dried bones.  Flesh and bones, they too go together.

            Look at an arch, there is an abutment on each side.

            Look at the sun, there is both light and heat from that glorious orb.

Look at the two pillars of blessing before the temple.  Boaz and Jachin stood for beauty and for glory.

            Look at the two olive trees, flowing oil into the lamps of God.

 

I. True, saving faith.

 

            1. It's source: "having obtained".  Then it must be something from the outside of ourselves.  It must be a gift of God.  Eph. 2:8,9; Titus 3:5.

God must not only open to us the gates of heaven, at last, but He must open the gates of grace and salvation and faith for us in the present.  It is not a thing that grows by nature in our hearts.  By nature, we are children of wrath.  Eph. 2:3.

                        a. When one says, "my nature needs only training and nurturing, just as my garden needs only weeding and hoeing."  He forgets that there must be life in the garden, if it is to produce.  You could hoe weeds forever, but you would never have the fruit of life.  We must have seed and life in the seed.  It must be planted and quickened.  The incorruptible seed of the word must be placed in our hearts.  It is thus, with the saving of our souls.  It is not a matter of reformation, but of regeneration.  It is not a matter of development, but of divine interposition.  To God, belongs all the promise and glory that He might be all in all.  That God may be everything.

                        b. It is the work of God.  A single sermon, appeal, can be heard and believed and obeyed.  And it can make the vilest, deepest-dyed sinner a son of God.  A partaker of the divine nature. But a thousand sermons can never make sons of God out of those who, by nature are children of wrath and who persist in the rejection of Christ.

 

            2. It's object.  The Greek EN, English IN, rather than through.  Titus 2:13 "our God and Savior, Jesus Christ."  Many translators hesitate to translate those words.  The Lord God, who created and sustains is our great Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Christ is one of two things, He is either

God or a villian.  What more vile than to lead his disciples to adore Him as Lord and He is nothing but an abject deceiver.  But, the word of testimony is certain and sure.  Look at Is. 9:6; 7:14.

Who but God, could bear the weight of our sin?

Who but God, could remain the same yesterday, today, and forever?

It is the Lord God who is able to save us.

 

            3. It's method.  "Righteousness...Savior..."

We are given a God-kind of righteousness.  Rom. 1:16-17;3:25 and following

Rom.  10:10

The great propitiatory sacrifice that is the substitute for guilty man is found in our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Look at the Levitical pictures of salvation.  The priest laid his hands on the head of the sacrifice that was slain.  So Christ was slain for us.  His righteousness is imputed to us.  His righteousness is placed on our account, to our credit; His perfect life is ours, we wear His white, sinless robe.

 

            4. It's efficiency and virtue, and worth, and value of this marvelous sacrifice of our Lord.  The Greek is iso-timos which means equal, which means precious.  Isos.. equal, alike, on an equality, like the isosceles triangle..there are two sides that are equal.

We may not be like Peter the apostle in degree, but we are the same in the reception of the kind of promise that saved him.  A diamond can be a little thing or a big thing, but whether little or big, it is a diamond. 

The poorest little believer whoever crept into heaven on hands and knees, has a like precious faith with the mighty apostles.  He is as safe, as rescued as the mightiest servant of Christ.  Think of the ark, the little snail crawls in, the great elephant lumbers in, but alike are safe and saved. 

I one time heard of a hunter in the far north, in the dead of the winter, came to a stream that was frozen over.  On hands and knees, the hunter crawled out and while he was in the mid-stream, on the ice, he looked up the creek and there was a wagon, loaded with heavy logs, that came roaring across the water.  Both were safe and sound.  Though one was barely persuaded to attempt the crossing.  If we have faith as a grain of mustard seed, we are saved.

 

II. Life and Godliness.

 

II Peter 1:3 "given unto us"

            To give life at all is the essential prerogative of God.  Look at a seed, it is made up by a chemical equation.  By a confluence of elements, but the gift of life is from God, Himself.  Look at a corpse before us, who has the power to restore life?  Dead in trespasses and in sins, in the grave of unforgiven sins, helpless, hopeless.  The voice of the minister cries, "arise, come forth".  There is no answer.  The voice of the teacher is heard, "arise, come forth".  There is no answer. Then, the voice of the Lord, "Lazarus, come forth".  There immediately are the stirrings of life.  When God said, "let there be light", there was light.  When God said, "live", we live.  Life is not from ourselves, it is from God.  Gen. 2:7.

 

II Peter 1:3 by "His divine power".

The self, same power, that created the universe and sustains it, is the power that makes a man a Christian.

That can be a Simon Peter, a Mary Magdalene.  It can be a Zacchaeus, it can be the thief on the cross.  It can be Paul, who became the mighty apostle.  And it can be any one of you, here today.

 

II Peter 1:4 "Precious Promises"  Partakers of the divine nature.  We are plunged by sin into utter ruin.  We are redeemed by grace and made a partaker of the nature of God.  The promises of God are incomparably sweet and precious.  In them, we have the mind and purpose of the Almighty for us.  Ps. 119:89, Is. 40:8;14:24, 26, 27.  The promises are not only for time, but for eternity.  The promises are not only for you, yourselves, but also for your children.

The Bible speaks of them as great and precious promises.  There is the creation of the world and its ruin.  There is also the re-creation of the world.  And it is thus, with us, who are fallen.  Look at Rom. 8. Look at God's marvelous and wonderful care for us.

            1. The scapegoat on the day of atonement.  Matt. 26:23; I John 1:7

We have the promise of pardon and the removal of sin.

            2. Look at God's care for Noah and Elijah and thus we read of God's providential care for us.  Heb. 13:5.

            3. Look at the holy and righteous life of Christ.  He is a promise of our own righteousness and holiness.  I Cor. 1:30.

            4. Look at the resurrection of Christ.  His triumph is a promise that we shall only sleep in Jesus and shall be awakened to eternal life in Him. 

I Thes. 4:14; I Cor. 15; Rev. 14:13.

            5. Look at the promise of the return of our Lord.  It is a promise that we shall reign with Him.  Jude verse 14; Rev.1:6; 5:10.

 

We are partakers of the divine nature.

            We may be, by sin plunged into ruin.  But we are redeemed by grace and given the divine nature of God.  All praise to His wonderful and saving name.

 

 

 

                                                            D3/74 and 9/60

                                                                        GF