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76, 276.
We are. We are.
276.
5.
Second Peter, chapter one.
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 Savior Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus. Our Lord, according as a divine power, has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue.
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by thee and He might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
And beside this, giving all diligence, add your faith, virtue and of virtue, knowledge and of knowledge, temperance, and a temperance, patience and a patient's godliness.
And to God and his brother, the Kindness and their Brotherly Kindness charity.
For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He that lack of these things is blind, you cannot see a far off, and have forgotten that he was first from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren?
Give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things, he shall never fall.
Pursue an entrance of administered unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though you know them, and be established in the present proof. Yeah, I think it'll meet as long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance. Knowing it shortly, I must put off this my Tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me. Moreover, I will endeavor that you might be able, after my deceit, to have these things always in remembrance.
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But were eyewitnesses of His Majesty, for he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
And this boy, which came from heaven, we heard when we were with him in the holy mountain.
We are also a more sure word of prophecy for them. Do you do well that you take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts? Knowing this, First, there's no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time, by the will of man, the holy men of God's faith, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
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Area of commenting on that person in second in the last chapter that we haven't touched on.
I thought it might be important.
15th Church.
Accounting that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given of him, has written unto you.
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things in the which.
Are some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable rest as they do also the other scriptures?
Under their own destruction. He therefore beloved seeing. You know these things.
Before beware, lest also being LED away with the air of the liquid, fall from your own steadfastness.
But growing grace and have the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ him be glory was down forever. Amen.
Again, we're reminded that the long-suffering of God is.
Is for the salvation of perishing souls.
And lovely to see the ways Peter speaks of Paul.
In the second chapter of Galatians, no Paul was called upon to publicly rebuke Peter.
It shows that no servant of Christ who is beyond, beyond and above correction, although it isn't a very pleasant thing, especially for a leader that have to be corrected in that publicity, in that publicly.
Was what touches 1 hears to see the way that Peter speaks of the very one who was called on to rebuke him?
Our beloved brother Paul, he held no bitterness.
A lot of instructive for us. We're told to pull away all bitterness.
We should never retain bitterness in our hearts towards any either St. or Sinner. Sometimes we can't walk with those who are going on in a disorderly way that even if we're called upon as.
As Paul writes in Second Thessalonians, to avoid those that are walking disorderly and even if they have done something.
Bahamas said something against us. We should not allow that to be a means of retaining bitterness in our hearts toward them. We see a lovely example of that in Peter on this occasion.
And then another thing that we learned from this.
As our beloved brother Paul has written unto you.
I judge that that's the book of Hebrews because Peter was the impossible with circumcision, and the only epistle that Paul wrote to the Hebrew believers is the book of Hebrews. And perhaps that's one way we can be certain that Paul wrote Hebrews, although he does not attach his name to that question.
And perhaps for the very reason that he was not exercising his special partial ship, which was to the Gentiles, of course.
Of course, says we all remember that in the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Lord Jesus is the apostle.
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Of an high priest of our profession, that's another lovely reason why.
Paul's name does not appear in that book, but some have questioned whether Paul wrote the Epsilon. But that would suffer accord or settle the matter, I'm sure, although that is not how important for us to be occupied with to any extent.
But what I was going to finish my little talk of saying is this, that Peter recognizes Pauls writings as scriptures and that shows that those inspired men of war for God raised up at the beginning of the history of the church apostles who were inspired men.
And we find that one inspired man.
Recognizes the inspiration of another inspired man.
All right, brother down, just going to mention that that Peter himself, who was called for the ministry to the circumcision, was a very instrument God used to open the door by using the key of the Kingdom to the Gentiles.
Chapter 10. And so our one epistle of Paul being the exception to his general line of ministry is Hebrews, but it makes Paul write 14 epistles. Then we have seven other, what we call Catholic confessors, the two of Peter, one of James, and the three to John.
In June, I was going to say it'd be difficult for Peter to write the first verse of the second chapter first Peter without this spirit that he showed in this chapter, wouldn't it?
Wherever laying inside all mallets and all dial, and hypocrisy and enemies and all evil speakings, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that she may grow thereby. Someone who said that this passage that Peter wrote.
In this second chapter is like plowing the ground up before you put the seed in it's it's that state of soul that's open and ready for the truth of God, both in connection with learning it and to minister it. Now in this verse, the 16th verse of the.
3rd chapter of Second Peter before we go to our chapter.
I believe we should read this and be helpless to read it in another translation that is.
On top and ill established. It should be untaught and ill established.
Now, sometimes you hear people saying, well, I don't understand that. I don't believe that. And you ask them, well, now how many times have you read it? Well, I haven't read it very much, but and they read the scriptures as though they were on newspaper. But you know, if we're going to be established in the scriptures.
We have to read them in the fear of God and in His presence, for the consciousness of what we are in ourselves, that we know nothing. We have to be taught. And this word rest could easily be translated reason, could it not? It's a question of the human mind entering into the things of God. Now the things of God must be accepted by faith. If it's a question of history, well, we'll say science, for instance.
Chemistry are these things.
Mathematics, we use them in connection with this life, but when it comes to the things of God, we cannot allow reason to enter into it. It must not be allowed. That'll be the ruination of our testimony down here, if we allow the reason to enter in because reason was not given us.
When we have a direct revelation from God as to His mind.
And we must accept the Scriptures just as they are now. We may not understand them, and that's why the Holy Spirit uses one and another as an occasion like this, that we might be helpers together in the truth.
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That we might all grow up together, as the Scripture says in Ephesians, not to hear. So we need this. We need our reading meetings. We need these exhortations. We need these.
A little helps along the way, but it's the Word of God. We must obey, we must believe, just as it is.
Becoming very common in many groups of higher learning, we probably mixed that with this character that is pertaining to this client. I know that there are many people who refreshed me who clenched in the Mart of God and they put of the opposition to what is known to be fired to speak facts to find the new world and invariably what happens is that they disapply.
Got or they had something to it and this is one of the standards of being progressed to strictly one of the biggest means something that never was intended to me.
The Word of God was never intended to be assigned to participate in the Sinner, but it was never meant to explain all the facts of science. The young person who's studying in school never needs to worry about the word of God. None of you know, so to speak. They find that there appear to be some discrepancy of self disagreement. It's only because we are finite in order to call it interest.
And we find that as we get to know more about the scientific world thought him that's to understand it the horrible that how close it is, how how accurate it is, but it was never intended to get scientific textbooks. And I would like to just mention that the believer will never bring anyone to Christ by finding argue about the scientific world using the Bible as his text. The word thought is not intended to exist.
The only answer comes to becoming really a plaintiff of the Word of God.
I remember my father also saying that, the way of saying that I was getting to know how to get money. If you're handling the real thing off the tires, as soon as you become so sensitive to it, something falls, comes across the standing, know that immediately. Same with the believer, the young person going to school.
The professor tells you how you're the work of the God is wrong. He starts quoting, so you'll know if you were reading the word of God. You'll know right away where he's making his mistakes, because he won't be 40 and writing, or else he won't be writing and writing the order through the sympathy default and applying it to the right place.
But now I say it's so important to become well established in the Word of God and there's somebody disappointed your Lord, your senses to the part of the ocean and the spirit we have.
We get a principle of that in Isaiah 28, starting in the ninth verse 1.
Thank you.
My brother mentioned about Paul and Peter being inspired man and I'm very sure he will agree with his comments that back which they wrote and which is included here in the word of God is inspired.
I know our brother will agree with this because it doesn't really mean that everything that Paul ever wrote and everything he ever uttered was inspired. That which was written and included here in this precious book, the Word of God is inspired.
All of it is, but I believe it's right to say nothing else is. There are no other inspired writings in this world other than method. We have in this wondrous book from Devon Borelli and it's all inspired. The writings of Paul are inspired of God. The writings of fear are inspire God and it's a wonderful confidence to the soul of our brother in this remark, even though we may not be able to identify the inaccuracy of something that are others.
Or how many of us continue to be?
And find law that confidence is so given to us that this infallible book is inspired God man of today say what they will not respond off wondrous grace. It doesn't pass the faith that rests upon the inspired word of God. And I am saying that there are no other writings inspired except this but once in Ohio leaders such as paper.
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This or that author or speaker was inspired and that if you wrote or said because I don't really.
Possibly be entertained for a long they may have been later the Lord. They may have had the mind of thought and what they say not inspired refers to that because that made it in the covers of this book and nothing else.
Though an Angel from heaven, I was thinking of this 20th verse of the first chapter that we've had before it that we have before us this afternoon.
Another principle connecting with what we've just been Speaking of, knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scriptures of any private interpretation, for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but the holy men of God's fake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Now, in order to understand the word of God, we cannot just take one verse and expect to understand the meaning from that one verse.
We have to have not only the context, but we have to have what Paul speaks of as a form of sound words. Now that's an outline of truth.
And though most of us will never learn much of the Scriptures in detail, yet we can have a general outline in our minds and hearts. And I think every Christian should strive for this, so that we'll be able not only to enjoy truth in its general.
Aspect as we hear our brother speak of a certain line and he says, well that's in the Psalms. Immediately it comes to our mind.
Character of the songs and.
For the conscience.
That then if we.
If we want to.
Understand.
The meaning of the epistles, we have to realize who the writer is and the subject of hand. Paul's ministry is the glory, the gospel of the glory. It has to do with the mystery. Now these things are general. That's an outline of sound words, and I believe it's important. No, no prophecy of the Scripture.
Simply mean prophetic truth as we generally speak of that, I suppose it's the it's the thought of.
The scriptures themselves in general.
Is of any private interpretation. You cannot learn it from its own. Individual passages must be compared with the general word of God as is given to us.
No prophecy of the Scripture is had from its own particular interpretation.
That's very good, what you say, really, Nadine, that requires the whole word of God. And I was thinking too that if if the man thought of God.
Apostle Jesus Christ had difficulty and understanding some of Paul's ministry. What about you and me? Poor ignorant things that we are so we're not to be surprised if we find verses or subjects that.
We don't take in or we can't understand. Reminds me of what I read of a man.
Said that when he was eating fish and he bit on something hard, he laid it aside. He didn't throw the fish away.
But he laid it aside, decided it must be a bone. And so when we come across a verse that we don't grasp, can't get the meaning at the time, just lay it aside and wait. And sometimes you'll find that the very passage of the very verse.
That you didn't take in at the time becomes an in life to divine truth and some special truth that your soul will need, especially at another time.
The first verse of our chapter Simon Peter. If you'll connect that with the first epistle, you'll see that he simply says Peter.
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Now it seems to me.
At least this is the way. It is impressed me, dear brethren, that Peter has been growing between these two epistles, and I believe we should learn this for our own hearts. Simon was his old name.
And although he does in the first epistle, he says Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ, you know, he says Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. It's as though Peter was realizing, keeping with what we've read already in the last chapter, that Peter himself was nothing. He was just Simon except for the grace of God. And I believe this, this gives character to this ministry we have in this first chapter.
Of second Peter. Peter felt what he was as he ministered it, and he felt that it was only grace he speaks of the God of all grace.
What a marvelous thing Grace says, brother, because it's by grace that she stands and there's no other way that you'll stand except by grace Here Peters realizing it in his fuller sense. Simon Heater, a servant, an apostle Jesus Christ to them that obtained.
Like precious faith.
He's an apostle, the authority, but what he's stressing is that like.
Precious faith isn't that wonderful when you think of those men of golf?
Who had known the Lord Jesus in his pathway down here like Peter?
And had served God so faithfully all their days and.
Seen Inspired.
By pestilence to write. And yes, the faith they possess is the same faith that you and I possess. Same faith like.
With all how precious that faith is, and it seems that Peter especially delighted in the use of that word precious. He speaks of precious trials in the first chapter and also all that precious blood.
Of crisis, of a lamb without blemish and without spot, He says unto you that believe He is precious. Here we get precious faith, and then you get.
Precious promises.
You say how?
Servant of Christ like Peter. Not only these truths in intellectual intellectually.
As had them in his mind. But how he had developed these things in his heart and soul, The importance and the infinite value of these things in his life. Remember, Peter was right at the end of his journey when he wrote this system.
Just about ready to be offered up and think what a death awaited him. As he knew when Peter was writing this epistle, he knew that the time was near when he was to be nailed to a cross.
Now the rest of this verse gives us to see how God is true to his character. He had made his promises and now Peter speaks of the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ and fulfilling them. Is that the thought? Yes, righteousness there has the thought of faithfulness just as you say God faithful to his props and that takes away any.
On our part, that is. We have this like precious faith, but we can't boast of it. We can't say that.
At least we have the good judgment to accept the Lord while others rejected the Lord. The very fact we have this faith is not.
Faithfulness on our part. It's faithfulness on God's part and parting that faith to us.
One thing that we noticed in both the ministry of Paul and Peter, and I suppose the rest as well, that.
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There aren't many verses passed before he mentions the person of the Lord Jesus.
And I believe that's a little clue to any who would serve the Lord that.
We're liable to go astray if we get very far from this principle to bringing in the person of the Lord Jesus and then to his work. Those two things we find all through the Scriptures is person and His work. And so here at the very beginning.
It's God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Notice how many times?
He he mentions Christ as Savior, the verse you refer to and again on the 11Th verse, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the third chapter, in the second verse. Now the commandments of the apostles.
Of the Lord and Savior.
That's a very precious word, isn't it, Savior?
Because it reminds us of His left was and what He has done for us is death is crossed and sacrifice He made in order to save us, and not only save us from our sins, but save us for the coming glory where we shall be associated with Him.
I don't believe it's out of order in a reading meeting like this to present a fresh the way of salvation. Clearly that it's through the precious blood of Christ and that it's through that redemption which He wrought on Calvary Cross. There may be someone in this room this afternoon that doesn't know that Savior. And so we're told, Verily, verily, I say unto you.
My word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, believe in thine heart, that God has raised him from the dead. Thou shalt be saved, and then you can say He's my Savior.
Our Savior that takes in all the redeemed.
And joined together with delight and joy. Speaking of our Savior horses, who saves my Savior individually, but is our Savior collectively?
Peter very often seems to be delighted and I've noticed that in the second chapter of the first official, all the way through that chapter, he is exhorting them in one way and another. And he said you and he continually through the chapters.
Till he comes to that 24th verse who his own self bear our sins that though Peter does not to say when he came to this point, mine too. I've been into this, it met my niece so he said our face what a precious thing. He's the same brother Hale when he said whom having not seen ye love that he was feeling very humbled and humble in his soul to think of how he denied the Lord. So he doesn't speak of his love.
Even when calling attention to the love that others had for the Savior, whom having not seen ye, love, whom though now you see Him not yet believing, He rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
It's the language of historic Peter First, the second professor.
Here learn to walk and perhaps learn very quickly after the years was restored more to his brother, so now he could bring before and teach one of precious things. And you were noticing that at the end of the first verse.
The righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. But in the end of the second verse, he goes a step further.
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Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus. Our mortgage recognizes now and restored soul the warship of Christ.
Believe the character of the of these epistles of Peter are the strengthening of our souls when they are converted. Strengthen thy brother now, these epistles.
Are intended to strengthen us and that's what we have in this chapter primarily is it not the the building up of the soul in these various steps that are mentioned in the following verses. It's the strengthening the soul ready for that moment when we hear the shout we're gone as we have at 11 first.
The fourth Peter and Paul speak of grace and peace, and in the.
Dresses the same way or company of Saints. Mercy is omitted its grace and peace. But here Peter says, Being multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Now let's remember, and we think of the young people, that when you get that word, Lord.
It has to do with his authority.
He's not only our Savior, He's our Lord. That is the one we must obey, one we must be subject to, and this grace and peace.
Qualified and muscle only words that he uses as a result of.
Of the.
Pouring on in subjection to Jesus as Lord.
You see, the Lord Jesus has filled a deafness slave in connection.
With his own down here and he's he's their Lord. He's up in heaven. We're subject to him, Holy blood. We should go to him about all our affairs.
And this knowledge of God.
God that gave his Son and.
From Jesus our Lord.
Is the means of grace and peace being moved by? We're going through a world of sorrow and turmoil and trouble and danger on every side. The very foundations of society are trembling us at work.
They wonder sometimes just what is ahead of this country and other countries too. But the Christian can wend his way through this tangled scene with peace in his soul and enduring to the grace of God at unmerited faith, leading him and guiding him and directing him through all the difficulties of the way. And this is not just merely a knowledge we get.
To reading books or even reading the word necessary and important as that is what it's learning God's ways and His character as we go on.
Through this world, which, as we were singing, has become a wilderness wife.
Moses said, Show me thy way.
And so it says in Psalm 103.
He made known his ways to Moses. You know, God answers prayer. Show me thy way. So he he did show him his way. And I believe that's the character. And if we got the character Peter, it's a wilderness epistle and the character is his ways with us.
And so we have the Father and we have the discipline in Peter.
So that.
The knowledge that we acquire in this, that this chapter speaks about is that kind of knowledge.
It's a knowledge that's acquired.
Through the word of God, but by the experience and walking with God down here, learning his ways.
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I believe that's what Peter is speaking about when he says knowledge here, is it not?
And then we find that their power connected with that knowledge. That's the next verse, according as His divine power hath given them to us.
So we need power to one, because we have a very cunning enemy and there are many difficulties and dangers.
But we have not only power, but we have divine power.
And that divine power becomes.
A position, as it were, for us through this knowledge.
And we get the power.
To connect that, but the last verse of our chapter this morning, third chapter kind of passed forward.
Read the 17th and 18th, 1St the 3rd chapter. He therefore loved seeing you know these things before. Beware lest the author will be LED away with the error of the Wicked Hall from your home. Steadfast and plot roll in grace.
That's not all and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then as we grow in that grace, as we have that knowledge increases forward to that which the muscle fall brings before the Philippians that I may know of him of them. The apostle here says you'll ever be glory both now and forever. Amen.
I'll connect that to the grace of the second verse.
Presents Christ before the soul, drawing in grace and the mind of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Jesus Adam.
Interesting in the introduction nearly every arrest of the scene of this great and peace in our planet, and in practice every occasion.
Thank you. Good God. I think that's very remarkable, very striking, because it's only natural for us to feel.
A certain distance from God, and if we are not fully acquainted with the gospel, we'll picture God as being the ones.
Who would have done so had not been for the intercession and the mighty work of the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. And as a result, I fear that there are many progressives who are most thankful to the Lord Jesus for the wondrous work on their behalf. But they still feel a distance from dog and an uneasiness, shall I say. But we're great, and peace are mentioned there so often associated with the very particles.
These things are over 5 to the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord before you, Thy love, our heart of God, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the Lord, this grace and peace will be multiplied to us.
I know it's only natural for us to feel that the Lordship of Christ in some way involves the restriction and the restraint. And the same whisper that was heard by Eve long ago is still heard by our ears today. That the lordship of Christ brings restriction, that restraint, and then if we were just a little more free from this.
The liberty would be very pleasant, whereas the grace and the peace that God wants us to enjoy.
Is associated with his loving heart and with the Lordship of Christ our Savior recognize and express in our lives that not prove and there has to be that obedience.
And now it's been of lordship. Otherwise they there is not the joy in the Christian life, because joy goes along with obedience, does it not?
Now in this.
This third verse.
His divine power.
Just how would we apply this thought? This divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us by glory and virtue. Well, a person might say, I know that, brother, sister, so and so. They're very intelligent and they can lay hold of these things, but I can't.
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But that isn't true.
This is a question of natural intelligence.
The under the understanding and laying all of scripture is more connected with our state of soul than it is natural intelligence. And I believe we we have an example before us with the writer here that he was a he was spoken of as an unlearned and ignorant man.
A fisherman, well, yet look what he writes to us. But you see, it isn't in the power of the flesh. There isn't the power of human intelligence.
It's that it's the Spirit of God himself brings about and instructs in the soul. And so I think that this is where faith.
Comes in.
Faith must lay hold of this, according as His divine power half given to us.
It isn't something that we work for, but he has already provided this for his people. Now faith lays hold of it. And faith says he's given us this power in connection with all things, the understanding of Scripture, The Walking in the path of faith, enjoying communion. All these things belong to the Christian through the knowledge of him who is called we the Saints at Corinth.
We are so inclined to be dull because they were carnal.
And do you doubt with what we're living in days when the Saints of God are very, very much like this? Ain't Zakar?
They were reigning as kings. They were walking as men. They just shared the ordinary thoughts of men, as it were. And when we were on that level, a sluggish level, why we cannot be growing in the knowledge and the full knowledge of our God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
The apostle says to the Saints at Corinth, he says awake.
To righteousness.
For some now he's addressing Saints, for some have not the knowledge of God.
They they had come to know God as their Father in the gospel. That was their portion, but they were not getting further and deeper acquainted with the One who does love our acquaintanceship with himself.
Our confidence in himself.
See with himself now I can talk on these things, but my soul also would like to learn a little more practically these things. Now to the Saints at Colossi. The apostle Paul writes Colossians 19 and 10.
In verse 9 Morris to the full knowledge of his will, but verse 10 is what I want to get to.
Colossians 19 For this 'cause we also, since the day we heard, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with a full knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that he might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful.
In every good work and notice this increasing or growing.
In the OR by the knowledge of. That's a full knowledge of God.
True. No, that's good. The true knowledge of God. Now in our chapter, we've just been going over this verse. I want to touch the bond though, by going back to verse 2 again.
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the full knowledge. It has that significance through the full knowledge of God. Now that would be increasing our acquaintanceship with him and of Jesus our Lord. Now he's mentioned in the next verse. This is mentioned next verse again, according as his divine power hath given to us.
00:50:15
All things that pertain to life and godliness through the full knowledge of him that act called us to glory. Now in verse 8. For if these things be in you, and the found they make you, that ye shall neither be idle nor unfruitful in the full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And our brothers already read that the last verse that Peter writes. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
No question is fully equipped to meet every danger and every difficulty because it says here has given them to us all things.
You know, there's nothing that soldier dreads more than to be in the battle and to not have any ammunition. Well, he's cutting left for him. But to retreat, flee from the presence of the enemy, well, the Christian can never be in his spiritual warfare in that position.
It never can be, and he'd never be a time when he isn't fully equipped.
No matter how subtle the enemy is, or how clever his attacks may be, or how the world may present itself, the Christian is fully equipped if he uses the equipment that God gives him to meet every situation. No matter if we were in the time of fire and faith we're facing, maybe to be burned at the stake, or whether.
What we see today was perhaps more dangerous and difficult.
And even times of persecution, all the subtle efforts of the enemy to deceive, to rob us of our spiritual blessings, that's what Satan is seeking, especially, I believe in this land at the present time to do for the Saints and God.
He knows that we have Bibles everywhere. He knows that we have whole shells of books that have been written on every scriptural subject. He knows that we have the truth of the church and we know about the heavenly calling. Well, Satan is making every effort to rob us of these truths and to drag us down to the level of this lost world.
As soon to be under the fire of God's judgment.
But we're prepared and we should realize our danger and make use of all the equipment that gives that He has given us to face these dangers and not to as He fails to lose our steadfastness.
To turn and flee from the enemy.
And me the sad, humiliating defeat for nearly breaks your hearts. And all this know something that you have loved and seen walking in the truth to see how the enemy through private or in some way or the other has tripped them up. They're no longer going on. They're following the course of willfulness and disobedience.
Well, we need never to get into those.
Those those states where Satan will have the advantage of us if we make ills of the very things that are mentioned here.
What Brother Hail has brought before us is the knowledge of the heart of God and all the authority of our blessed Lord to let our wills and our thoughts go for nothing. If we have His mind and His will soon, isn't it beautiful like the very writer himself, willing to take such a humble place instead of insisting that he was right? When?
Younger man than himself who was converted long after Peter.
Takes a stand against him. He was fully humbly to admit that Paul was right, and to only speak of him was the dearest affection.
00:55:11
Which is significant to it is that the one who wrote this is the one who was upheld today. And having been the first Pope, I pointed this out to a couple of priests. One time I said in Peters himself, Tell us that his divine power has given unto us.
All things that pertain on the light and documents. They were insisting that we must also be bound by subsequent search teachings and relations and whatnot. And we were reminded they saw a warning that not they need to be added that which God himself had entrusted to it. Do you and I love to be in the enjoyment of the possession of eternal life.
We have involved all that we need in boredom. This may be our happy, happy ruins, evil, thy womb walking, loving us. We have again a word of God. All that indeed is the light, the wisdom and the power in order to walk through the dog in whatever circumstances your eye may be found dead, even in 1968 when circumstances are so very different.
From the circumstance in which this missile threat is divine power, half evidence was all things that pertain on the life of savage. How sad that it is to see in Christina, even in evangelical circles, that they will take this close as the basis of salvation and eternal life and they will be horrified. The keeping of the law or something like this. And they are both gospel versions by the dozens.
But then having done so, having found themselves in possession of eternal life, they clothed above, sat the same up around, and say one hour, How shall we serve God? How shall we worship God? What denomination shall we do? And they forget the feeder inspired, God tells us.
Where by our given unto us all things that pertain under life and documents the same book that gives us the assurance of eternal life gives us.
In our whole life, our assembly life of our testimony.
We not only need the sort of speak the equipment that we were speaking about all things that pertain unto the life of God, but we need an object before the soul or we might have the word at our fingers in and we able to to beat the animal.
So how his tax?
Are wrong.
But we must have an object before our souls, and that comes in in the last part of the verse, doesn't it?
Him that hath called us now read that instead of two.
By glory and riches, now there is the as the object before our souls.
We see in that little hymn that glory shines before me. I cannot linger here.
And not only to have the glory as the goal before our soul, but to have worth. The apostle speaks out here as virtue. That is, I think virtue as spiritual energy, something like the like Moses. Moses knew that.
Israel was God chosen people and that he had promised them.
The lands of Abraham as their position. But it took something more than that knowledge of that coming glory that laid before Israel for him to forsake Egypt. That's where virtue comes in, isn't it? It says that when he came to years, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, Pharaoh's daughter.
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. There we get moral or spiritual courage to to act upon the truth of the glory that was ahead.
Of course we have a brighter glory, the glory of the coming one. Who is going to?
01:00:02
Have to be exalted and reign over this world. And we associated with him as his bride. Sit on his throne. That's the glorious before us.
But it takes real energy and purpose of heart to go on with that glory before our souls.
I've enjoyed the few thoughts in the 84 Psalm in connection with what you've been bringing for us before us, brother.
As you said, God has called us, called us unto his eternal glory. It's the glory, the eternal glory that's before us. But you, you mentioned Israel, and we can apply what we get in this 84 song to ourselves in the.
In the fourth verse, Blessed, and are they to dwell in thy house?
Well, we're going to dwell in the Father's house. That's what's before us. But then in the fifth verse, blessed is the man whose strength is in thee. You mentioned spiritual courage. Well, if we have courage or strength, that which virtues pizza is, blessed is the man whose strength is in thee. That's where it comes from. It isn't in ourselves. And the state of soul has been mentioned. It says in whose heart of the ways of them I believe in other translations.
In whose heart is the highway that is here? It's Israel. On that journey you spoke out to Zion. For them, for us, it's the heavenly Zion. Well, it says whose and whose heart is the highway? Who passed into the Valley of Baca? Or tears or weeping? That's the character of this scene and Valley of Baca.
But it says they go from strength to strength. There's that virtue again, spiritual energy. There's progress because they have the end before them for us. It's Christ before the soul. They go from strength to strength. And I think the rendering should be every one of them shall appear before God and science. The end of the journey is sure we're going to be with the man and the glory and and then just not to take into all of these tales.
But in the 11Th verse, the Lord God is the Son and the shield the Son. There you get light and warmth that we need. And a shield would be for protection. Well, our strength. Blessed was the man whose strength is in thee. He's the one who's the shield for us. And it says he will give grace and glory, glory at the end and grace for the entire journey and all our needs down here.
Please call us by glory and virtue and but it's been mentioned the state of soul. No good thing will he withhold from them to walk uprightly. There has to be that uprightness, for that state of soul is characterized by walking uprightly.
If they ask a question.
What is Chris Dean?
First, Christian scripture.
Grace for Convenience, 6:00.
She is.
Say in my grace 24th quarter because this question smoke and it is.
01:05:05
Grace GRH.
The word.
Grace.
That's how we do the 1St.
Begins with second words Grace and she's the most that means they must have. I can't believe this.
Morals, Christian.
That which rises above our needs, is it not and?
After our needs are met, God is acting now according to what's in Himself, His own thoughts, not just what our needs require. He saved us, but He's called us by His grace. He saved us through grace as a gift of God. But grace takes us into the heavenly things and all the provision.
Place of sonship, the inheritance, and all these things, not because of a need, but because of what was in God's own heart. And that's where grace leaves us for all eternity. Well, in the next verse we find that we not only need power and we need an object, but we need encouragement along the way. And you get that encouragement in the fourth verse where you get where bar given unto us.
Exceeding great and precious promises, that by these you might be made partakers of the divine nature, Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Again we have our word precious, used by Peter.
For these promises are very precious to the soul, if we enumerated all the promises that happened made.
People, of course I've been romantic.
Well, one promise we have, the Lord says, Behold, I come quickly, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there he may be also. Isn't that a precious promise? And isn't it a great promise, greater than Abraham's promises for blessings in the land?
01:10:12
And it's really heavenly calling and blessings.
Brother Barry, I thought that by believing I had a divine nature. What does this mean?
Well, it's really the practical side. It's the new nature for them to action, isn't it? Peter looks at things in the practical side of things. He does not given so much to instruct us in doctrinal tools like Paul.
Whereby that He might be protectors of the divine nature. Of course we know from other scriptures. As soon as we were born again, we had a divine nature. We had the very nature of God Himself.
But that, that divine nature that we have, needs to be fed, put into action, and that's what these great and precious promises.
Are given for and you notice in this way, it says having escaped the corruption that is in the world through us.
Well, the more we're occupied with the precious promises, these wonderful trolls of the Word, enjoying them in our souls, the less the attraction of the world around us interferes with our blessing.
The Old Testament Saints had the divine nature, that is, they were born of God.
All the household of faith throughout all dispensation and just men, they all had a new nature.
And exercise faith too. But here there is that which rises above those past blessings. And so.
By these greater notice greater or greatest.
And precious promises, that is, it has to do with the heavenly and.
That by these ye.
May become partakers of the divine nature. I suppose this is an advance over Old Testament truth in that we.
Are now have eternal life.
In a special sense.
That is, we know of God as our Father. We have the Holy Spirit as the power by which we know Him can cry as a Father. That's relationship. We know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Redeemer, who has finished the work, has shed his precious blood. We know where his by redemption, by his blood, and therefore eternal life is the divine life of God.
Which we have in relationship to Himself with all the happy well, communion and blessedness of knowing Him as such. This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ in our sins. Now that's the character of that new life which we have in Christianity. And the Apostle Peter is rising to that very thing.
Don't you see? You see, Brother Brown?
In Crescent on today in the evangelistic groups, they are preacher gospel and all kinds of very powerful gossip and get people, people saved. And then how do they seek to hold those believers together?
Well, we see it ends up in entertainment. All kinds of entertainment becomes more and more of a worldly system.
Maybe they've got to have a band, music and all kinds of social affairs and so on.
And that kind of a thing is in danger, creeping among the gathered Saints. We don't need to condemn others when we see the same thing creeping in among ourselves. While God's way of preserving his His Saints is just what we get here, these great and precious promises.
01:15:15
Our heart feeds the divine nature and our use that we might escape the corruption that is in the world through us and that's why we.
We should press upon all the importance of attending the reading meetings, being there and being over the Word of God. If you take that away, if we have, we neglect the prayer meeting and the reading of the Word and together being over the Word.
We may have a very clear gospel and see how people get saved and then just fall into a worldly system of justice, entertaining our young people and so on, and ourselves too. Is there not a tendency of increasing social activities?
We ought to be discerning and on our guard, lest we be carried away with wanting an over amount of the social activities. I hope you understand me. I think a Christian act.
Available in that little story of the Pilgrim's Progress. When I read it. Then they had turned their backs on the City of Destruction, and they had the Celestial City before them, and they found it necessary to pass through Vanity Fair along the way. Well, there was plenty of corruption, charm, and things of interest in Vanity Fair. But you don't want to do The Walking through saying I must not, I must not, I must not. They had that which to them was.
Exceeding great and friends at the end of the journey to Celestial City.
And they went through Vanity Fair with their eyes fixed on that which lay ahead, much to the annoyance of the people in Vanity Fair who tried to distract this and, you know, give up. President, beloved young people, you and I are happening to a world that is positively characterized by corruption as well as by all kinds of things that are quick, charming. And how can we be delivered from it? By the grace of God, we have a exceeding grace and practice process. We have a glorious future ahead.
And surely.
We have even now in our soul, by the grace of God, that which can fill us with divide along the way. May we be more like things who went through Vanity Fair and their eyes on language lay on the other side. I want to just say this I I remember as a boy attending meetings just like this and sitting and listening Brother age rule and brother Potter and brother Heaney. I just said to myself, what are they talking about? I couldn't even.
Get the children things. I just wondered what it was all about. But you know, all the continual attendance of meetings like that, why they're not beginning to see things.
And things that I wasn't interested in, while they became a real interest to me by just being present, especially. But we play. Reading these news, I began to see there was something of real interesting importance. But if we give up because we don't understand.
The teaching why we don't miss the whole path.
This is divine speaking to the children about the danger of moving away to a place where the assembly it was somewhat delayed, misunderstood the comments that were made and 1St promoting would never be covered with any scripture to move away or this is simply.
We're advising our main district money for intended for young people, for children, not for grownups and Vikings being led of the war to go someplace where there's nothing that way. I was thinking later about the agenda I'm leaving the lions that started by one couple moving there. Living the age rules. The Lord may well leave may well establish godly family to settle down in a place where there is no assembly and.
Starting yesterday there come in history were primarily for young people who are not established in this matter who admits this very thing we're talking about may benefit of being under the sound of the word and having fellowship with the sink. There's so much need to early days.
01:20:32
Read it.
All the plants now trust him. Oh #23.
Oh God.
Will the Lord.