EXCEEDINGLY GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES

[Perth Fellowship]

 

LESSON 3

EXCEEDINGLY GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES

2 Peter 1.2-4 NKJV

1. Simon Peter a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

2. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,

3. According as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.

4. By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

 

His divine power is capable of giving us all things of life and godliness through proper knowledge. The followers of the Lord are not trying to attain proper knowledge of God and Saviour Jesus Christ, there by lacking many essentials of life and godliness. Knowledge does not mean the head knowledge, but following a way of life as revealed in the Scripture. This will provide us everything needed for life and godliness. Bible says ‘God desire knowledge of God more than burnt offerings’ (Hosea 6.6) and due to lack of knowledge my people are perishing (Hosea 4.6).

 

The blessings of these exceedingly great promises are made operative through His divine power. We can summarise these promises into two groups.

 

A. Promises pertaining to godliness

B. Promises pertaining to this life

 

A.Promises pertaining to godliness

 

1.Precious faith (v1)

This is the faith with which we became the children of God. (John1.12). Those who fulfil the condition of trusting in the name of Jesus, is given the promise to become a child of God. Jude calls it “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints”. (Jude.3). Due to this promise, the rebellious God forsaken sinner is accepted into the glorious family of God. This is the greatest of all promises, which is the primary eligibility for all other promises.

 

2. Righteousness (v1).

God has agreed to cloth with the righteousness of Jesus, for those who accept His substitutional death. (Isiah.61.10) “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”. (2Cor5.21). Jesus is not only the wisdom of God but also His righteousness. (1Cor.1.30).Righteousness means, when God sees us through Jesus, we have the same righteousness as that of Jesus. In Him we are all perfect. (Colo.2.10). 

 

3.Grace and peace (v2).

Experiencing the grace of the Lord and the ensuing peace is one of the unique promises of the NT. One can enter into this grace by faith in the substitutional death of Jesus (Romans 5.2). As we have seen above, His divine power can give us all things that pertain to life and godliness. His divine power is made available to us through His grace. Lord told Paul ‘my grace is sufficient for you’. (2Cor 12.9).This means the divine power which is made available to us through His grace is sufficient to meet all human needs i.e. to meet all the requirements of life and godliness.

 

His grace is sufficient to overcome a thorn in the flesh (all needs of the body), scarcity of material requirements (all financial necessities) and victory over sin (all the requirements of the godliness) (2Cor12.9, 2Cor 8.9, 9.8, Rom 6.14). This all sufficient grace can be attained only by those who consider themselves as weak and not capable of doing anything without the Lord (John 15.5). His grace is sufficient for us and His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. (2cor 12.9). Are we willing to boast about our failures and weaknesses like Paul, or trying to hide our failures? (2Cor. 12.9). No wonder our life often does not demonstrate the all sufficient divine power needed for an abundant life.

 

  Peace is the result obtained in human mind, if you have received the all sufficient grace from the Lord. Just as a thermometer reads the fever in a human body, the peace in the human mind reads the grace received from the Lord (Colosians.3.15, Philippines 4.6-7). In NT we can see both grace and peace are blended together. This is the primary result of the great salvation given to us by the death of our Lord.

 

He died to save us from death, He was hung on a tree to save us from the curse, His stripes were for our healing. Besides, as the scripture says, the entire chastisement (entire suffering) was for our peace (Isiah53.5).This is the reason why the first word of the risen Lord to the apostolic gathering was “peace be with you” (Luke 24.32). Lord told us “I am giving you my peace.........not the peace that the world gives” (John 14.27). “There is no peace for the wicked” says the Lord (Isaiah 57.21). So peace is the outcome of the removal of wickedness from the human mind or the sign of the salvation. This can be the reason why the Lord commanded the apostles to offer peace, as a first sign, if the gospel is accepted (Matthew 10.13, Luke 10.5).

 

The mark of a Christian is the peace received through grace for his faith in the Lord Jesus. In all the epistles of Paul and Peter, we can find this greeting “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Example. 1Cor1.3, 1Peter 1.2). 

 

4.Glory and virtue (v3)

He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2Thes.2.14).We will partake His glory in the future, and when He is revealed we shall be like Him. (1Jn.3.2)

 

5.The divine nature(v4)

  We are called to inherit the divine nature. (Eph.3.10,Rom.8.29,2Cor.3.18). As we all knew, when Adam and Eve disobeyed the statute of the Lord, they lost the divine nature in which they were created. Jesus came to destroy the works of  Satan. (1Jn.3.8). We are called to attain the lost divine nature by continuously obeying the statutes of the Lord. (Rom.5.19,1Cor.15.22 ,45-50)

6. Escape from corruption and lust (v4)

When we turn to the Lord with repentance, the indwelling Holy Spirit will start working in our lives. As a person is led by the Spirit, he will start getting victory over the corruption and lust within him. (Rom.8.14).By yielding to the promptings of the Spirit one can escape from the corruption and the lust. (Rom.8.5-6).Without the help of the Holy Spirit it is impossible to escape from the corruption and the lust. (2Cor.3.18) “Put off .....the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and renewed in the spirit of your mind.............and put on the new man  which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness.”(Eph.4.22-24, Colo.3.10,Rom.8.29)

B.Promises pertains to life. (v3)

  The entire humanity is worried about “What we will eat, drink and wear” .This is the characteristic of the people without a Father. Lord told us “ I will never leave you as orphans “ (John 14.18). “Therefore do not worry about the worldly needs.......your Father knows your needs......but seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you’ (Matthew 6.31-33).Those who first seek His kingdom and His righteousness, would never be left without their physical needs met. This is the testimony of the millions who lived for the Lord. See the testimony of the apostles who were with the Lord during His earthly days, He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack and sandals, did you lack anything?” So they said, “Nothing” (Luke.22.35).

Because of His stripes there is physical healing. It is written “He himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses” (Isiah.53.4 and read Matthew 8.14-17)

Lord will deliver us from debts and poverty. (2Cor8.9, 9.8, 1Timothy.6.17)

Lord will deliver us from carried over curses. (Galatians 3.13)

Lord will protect us from sorcery and black magic (Numbers 23.23)

Lord will protect us from the evil schemes to destroy us (Isaiah. 54.17)

Lord will remove infertility from among us. (Exodus.23.25-26)

Lord will remove abortions from amongst us. (Exodus.23.26)

Lord will protect from deadly diseases and diseases of Egypt. (Psalms.91.3,Ex.15.26)

Lord saves a pregnant woman during the time of delivery. (1Timothy2.15, Exodus. 1.19, Isaiah. 66.9)

Lord will take care of our children (prov.14.26, 20.7, Psalms.37.25,    112.12,Isiah.61.9)

Lord will take care of our old age. (Isiah.46.3-5)

 

Only few of the promises for the life are mentioned here, but there are more to inherit.

   

Questions.

 

1.Everything needed for life and godliness is given to us by

A) Knowledge of the Lord,  B) Exceedingly great promises, C)Divine power,  D) By gaining Lords image

2. What is the condition to meet all physical needs?

A) Giving to poor, B) Giving tithe,  C) Powerful worship,  D)Seeking His Kingdom and righteousness first.

3. How can we receive His divine power?

A) Praying and fasting,   B) By His grace   C) By   knowledge,  D) Laying on of hands

4. Who stopped the planetary motions?

A) Moses,  B) Joshua,  C) Jesus,  D) Paul

Answers of the previous Lesson

1. C, 2. C 3. B   4.C

 

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[Martin P Chacko]

Great experience, Saju

Martin-Thrissur

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