Exceeding great and precious promises. (Quality: good)

[0:00] If the Lord should be pleased to help me, I will read from the chapter we read, the second epistle of Peter and the first chapter and reading verse 4, 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.

[1:00] Seeing we are so near at this season of the year, some might say, well, what a strange text.

[1:12] One might be expected to say or to set forth such words as the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory.

[1:27] Or who gave himself to redeem us from all iniquities and purify unto himself a people.

[1:39] But, well, friends, this word seemed to cover everything. And I would look, coming to our text, I would look at the previous verse firstly.

[1:57] According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.

[2:23] how this word speaks. How this word speaks. And what a depth there is in it, according as his divine power hath given unto us.

[2:38] One might say, who are the us mentioned there? Well, they are those whom Peter addresses here in the opening of this epistle.

[2:53] And in the opening of the first epistle he says, to the strangers scattered abroad. And the Lord knows if that has any appealing as it were to us or speaks anything unto us.

[3:14] Strangers scattered abroad. Through Pontus, Galatia and those many countries. And here he speaks this us to be of those that have obtained like precious faith with us.

[3:34] Those whom God has blessed with a grace of faith in exercise to receive the Lord Jesus by faith.

[3:46] And then the source and center of all things is fixed here upon the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[4:04] According as his divine power. Oh, blessedly Peter sets that forth. The divine power of God.

[4:16] The appointment of that divine power and majesty. Nothing of the creature. Nothing of human nature.

[4:30] But by his divine power hath given unto us. Not merited.

[4:42] No claim that can be laid. But given us. And look at the scope of things.

[4:54] All things. All things. What a covering. I say what a covering. All things.

[5:05] It takes in everything. It takes in everything in the life of a child of God. In his everyday life.

[5:17] Providential. Spiritual. All things. Given unto us. All things that pertain unto life.

[5:30] And I feel this sets forth life. And Godliness. And Godliness. Because it says. And Godliness.

[5:42] So then. It pleased the Father that in him should. Awfulness. Dweck. All that a poor sinner can need for life.

[5:55] And in Godliness. Is laid up. In the Lord Jesus Christ. By that divine power.

[6:08] Omnipotent hand. Of a gracious God. Is laid up there. Omnipotent hand. Pertain unto life.

[6:21] And therefore. What a covering. Is here. To all the. Elect. People of God.

[6:33] Everyone. Who. In that. Covenant of grace. Ordered in all things. And sure. We cannot wonder at David.

[6:46] Giving such expression. And saying. This is all my life. My whole. This is all my desire. This is all my salvation.

[6:59] It's there. It's laid up. And it's laid up in store. And it's freely given.

[7:11] Can we wonder at the poet. Saying a fullness resides. In Jesus our head.

[7:22] And ever abides. But then it's not enough for us to know. Is it? Then. There's a fullness there. We want to receive.

[7:35] What can that fullness be. To us. Unless we receive. From it. And that will be the earnest desire.

[7:50] The earnest pressing. As it were. To obtain. To be a partaker. Through the knowledge.

[8:01] Of him. There's something to be obtained. We don't wonder. Paul saying. I press towards the mark.

[8:12] I feel. I say it friends. With reverence. And solemnity.

[8:24] I feel. The child of God. His life. Is ever. Oppressing. Towards. The mark.

[8:36] It's to obtain. What God. Has laid up. And has purpose to give. But.

[8:47] There's a pressing. To obtain. Naturally. There are things we need.

[8:59] To maintain. Life natural. And. Where there's life. There's a hunger. To obtain. Those things.

[9:11] There's a necessity. And needfulness. For. For. That life. To be maintained. And without. That supply. Naturally. We must perish.

[9:22] A much more. Spiritually. So. It's to obtain. It's to have that. Which must meet.

[9:33] The need. The need. And maintain. That life. Within the soul. And that is. And that is maintained. Through.

[9:43] Through. Through. Through. Through the knowledge. Of him. That hath called us. Unto glory. And virtue. Then.

[9:56] It's to them. That are called. Called. To glory. And virtue. And virtue. And this dear apostle.

[10:08] In another place. He. He moves the hearts. Who. Make your calling. And election. Sure.

[10:19] And that will be something. Which. Every living soul. Will seek to know. That I am born.

[10:31] Of God. Born of the spirit. That there is something. In me. Which I possess. Which once I did not possess.

[10:43] Which. Is of. A divine nature. Something that. Derives. Not from the creature. But from.

[10:55] The creator. Of all blessings. Friends. But I would not. Stay up in this. It's the next verse. Friends. Whereby.

[11:07] Are given unto us. All the giving. Healer. Whereby. Are given unto us. Exceeding.

[11:18] Great. And precious. Promises. Is. Hmm. Hmm. What would the word of God. Be to us.

[11:29] Hmm. If there was no promises. In it. Hmm. A void. Of all goodness.

[11:40] Would the whole word of God be. Hmm. Where there were no promises of God. Hmm. To his people. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Have we felt it?

[11:54] Hmm. Have we been brought to feel this reality and blessedness of the word of God? Hmm. I know we often seem to scan perhaps and do not enter into the opening of God's word in the book of Genesis.

[12:12] But even there in the opening. Hmm. Is the opening of the everlasting love of God's heart. Hmm. To poor fallen man.

[12:25] Hmm. In that precious promise in the Garden of Eden. And there we have the first promise. Hmm. To poor fallen man.

[12:38] Hmm. Death. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. And as we look through the words of God. What a continuation. Hmm. There is of the promises.

[12:49] Hmm. Of salvation. Hmm. Hmm. To poor fallen mankind. Hmm. And how they're spreading through the Old Testament.

[13:02] Hmm. And the new. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Now the apostle says. Hmm. Whereby are given unto us.

[13:12] Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. They're given. Hmm. Here again. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. We cannot take these things out of the word of God. Hmm.

[13:22] Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. It often takes my mind to a young man who was killed in the last world war. Hmm.

[13:33] A neighbor of ours. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Who was struck down by a shell and killed. Hmm. Hmm. And evidently the neighbors knew this poor sinner was a man who professed religion.

[13:49] And they came to me to know if I could find a word in the word of God. Hmm. Or in the sounds that were suitable that could be fixed as it were for the funeral of the young man.

[14:05] Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Oh. What a solemn thing. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.

[14:16] Hmm. My heart trembled. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Tremled. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. That the ignorance of man should be so great. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.

[14:26] Concerning this young man as if I could fix a word of God. Hmm. Hmm. and all I could fix in my own heart and mind to them the wicked shall go into hell but with the righteous it shall be well while life endures and well when called to die but we cannot take these precious promises or we cannot take and fit just to our natural understanding the words of God to cases and conditions but when the Lord is pleased to fix and to give rather these precious promises now he gives so he gives so and oh if we can this evening look back into your heart and mine there if we can pull a pair of fingers as it were upon the precious promise that the Lord has given us or that you can truly feel the Lord has given you that precious promise he has fixed some precious word which is a promise to you of some attaining to so much spiritual need or want or some building up which God has promised in true godliness that you have been brought to fill your need it may be in providential circumstances it may be in grace but which are given unto us exceeding great why does he call them great well I feel

[16:29] Peter knew something of the greatness of a precious promise why Peter had said I will go with thee even unto death I will go with thee even unto death the Lord turned to Peter and he said Peter Satan hath desired to have thee that he might sift thee as wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not and oh could not Peter look at the witness when the Lord looked upon him how he must have felt the greatness of that precious promise I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not and when they are converted strengthen the brethren and we have it here we have it here strengthen the brethren those great promises and not only are they great but exceeding great and where is their greatness they are in Christ Jesus they are fixed in the everlasting mind and purpose of a covenant God in Christ Jesus in a faithful unchanging God who changes not oh the greatness and I do feel if the Lord has given you and I one of these precious promises if he has fixed that in your heart and if the Lord has given you to know and feel the fulfillment of it oh great oh great

[18:54] I hope I can say we have the witness sometimes of the Sabbath morning of the greatness of a promise which the Lord gave me when we took the past the victory that Jervisbrook and we come to that place often on a Sunday morning and in the week emptied of all goodness but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus and has he failed us?

[19:49] No how often I've walked up those pulpit stairs feeling a fall but nothing but have the Lord thus far thus far have the Lord as richly supplied that need and we can say this they've been some of their best times in the pulpit when we have felt the Lord's blessing the richness of a stream given unto us and what he gives the poor soul gathers and sweetly enjoys and I feel we can say the Lord blesses it blesses it and blesses it to your soul because he gives it and he gives it freely unmerited where it's needed my God shall supply all your need and look at the source from when it flows and this is the greatness here whereby are given unto a succeeding great and then he says precious promises why are they so precious one thing they're precious because they're needful they're needful the Lord supplies the needs of his poor and needy people and I say it with reverence but the

[21:53] Lord doesn't cast his blessings away broadcast or bestow them to where they're not wanted now but the Lord supplies the needy soul the needy shall not be forgotten he satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness they that are really in want shall not want any good thing but want the Lord will meet their need and in his own time and way richly supply that need again their precious promises because they're raw eggs they're in

[22:54] Christ Jesus they're costly they're costly look at that precious promise in the work of redemption thy sins which are many are all forgiven thee the forgiveness of sins no costly you cannot say if you have received some little sweet intimation from the atoning love and blood of the Lord Jesus that that blessing is likely esteemed for this shall everyone that is godly seek after in a day when thou mayest be found there's a finding there's a bestowing and for this shall everyone that is godly seek after it is something which is costly and which the Lord

[24:10] Jesus suffered laid down his life died an ignominious death and shed his whole precious blood to take away the guilt and stay isn't it precious it's a blessing that flows through the precious atoning blood and it costs the dear lamb of God as Titus Paul writing to Titus says who gave himself gave himself he laid down himself he was willing he came to this very purpose and end to lay down his life that sinners might live

[25:14] I am calm he says that they might have life and that they might have it more abundant land and that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature how the blessing is conveyed to faith and love in a poor sinner's heart through these precious promises the blessing channel which God uses through which they flow as it were so sovereignly and freely into the soul's experience of a child of God he receives the blessing through the promise it enters by faith into his heart it heals as it were the wounds that sin has made oh some of those precious promises brought home to a poor tried tempted soul and when the Lord is pleased to bring those promises if they bring comfort if they strengthen up all weak fainting soul and the

[26:53] Lord uses them and I say again where there were not these promises why where would your religion be where would there be any manifestation of that divine peril of God as experience in the fulfillment of those precious promises and yet every one of them according to the word of God they're yea and amen in God's dear son in what the Lord Jesus has done here's the source here's the living head here's the father of all your mercies here's the great fainting of living waters can we wonder at a poor sin stricken soul in whatsoever case you may be brought a child of

[28:07] God and the Lord uses various means to draw a cry out of the souls of his living people as they use his various means and that will be one of the manifestations that we are called that blessed mark will be a cry of a living soul a manifestation of divine life just as much as that natural cry from a newborn bag which marks that baby a living bag and so in sovereign grace and if you and I have been called by grace is not that a mark in your soul if the Lord has brought you to a need in whatever so way the

[29:09] Lord in use whether it's been within your own breast and that's where your trouble will begin it will begin in your own heart in your own soul a need a need of salvation a need of want to deliver and that need will be so pressing it will be a cry it may be only a sigh an inward sigh your felt ignorance and coldness may be such in your utter inability you can't put into words what you feel a babe sometimes doesn't cry very loud it may be just but the mother she she knows she knows the need and how much more the

[30:12] Lord Jesus in his perfect knowledge of his dear people every marks as one dear poet says the upward glancing of an eye when none but God is near he understands says one a sigh divine then marks a secret grow but it knows what it wants and so does that living soul that by these he might be partakers of the divine nature and what does this set forth something more than nature I feel it sets forth what the apostle so blessedly set forth being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever is a divine holy principle the new man of grace that divine nature implanted in the soul of a sinner

[31:40] Paul says this concerning this new life he says old things are passed away behold all things have become new a new creature a divine nature a holy principle which can only live upon holy things it has an appetite and this appetite cannot live upon the things of time and sense it brings forth in the life of a new this new creature a separation as Paul said old things are passed away what a depth there is there in that word of the apostle when he says old things are passed away the natural appetite through grace it declines it declines there's a new appetite it's forgotten a godliness it's for that which the lord will speak his approbation upon in the tasting handling and feeling of it as the soul enters into the experience of the holy things of god as he enters into them or they enter into his heart and is made a partaker of as the spirit of truth comes down and reveals to faith the things of

[33:36] Jesus that so feeds upon that everlasting bread that bread of life it's food for the new man of grace partakers of the divine nature oh and where this divine nature is there will be a love a love to the things of god a love to the savor of sinners and it brings forth that precious truth of this same Peter in another place where he says unto you which believe he is precious he is precious and he grows more precious as the

[34:39] Lord imparts saving the knowledge of the Lord Jesus and this will be what that soul will hunger for for knowledge saving them an understanding heart in the scriptures of god's truth and these are the blessings which will satisfy the longing soul he fills his need up his faith wants to be fed with that saving knowledge as revealed by the spirit of god to that divine nature to a living faith that he may drink it that he may receive by that living faith the things which god has purpose to give and purpose to give so freely why it's his life but may i just say this dear friends is that what brings us sometimes to the means of grace god has appointed the means whereby the gospel in its blessedness as you've been singing of shall be made known god's purpose it's god's appointed means of the gospel being brought home and it tasted had them felt experience in the souls of his people and is it not that the life that divine life implanted within like the prodigal he began to be in what and don't you find sometimes you may get mixed up with the world and the things of it and it gives nothing satisfying to your to the life of god in your soul now and you get where the prodigal was he began to be in one he remembered his father's hairs he had tasted he'd experienced he'd lived as it were upon the blessings of his father's hairs where he had access to and so the lord brings his dear people into that knowledge of being in the glorious inheritors and as sons and daughters they have a right to the father's table to come and be partakers just as much as we when we were children we had a right to come and sit as it were at our father's table being sons and daughters it was our privilege but they much more spiritually so and they are blessed when the lord leads his dear people with his love shed abroad in their hearts to follow on in those commands and are brought there by sovereign grace and the love of god shed abroad in their hearts to know and feel their sonship then they have a right to come and sit at the lord's table and feed as it were and feast upon those heavenly things which god has provided in the gift of his beloved son and perhaps some of you dear friends know what it is in your own soul's experience so to draw near to the table when you come there to partake as you do on the first sabbath in the month when the lord said do this in remembrance of me and then why then that soul is brought to feel something of the depth of the riches of this word which

[39:26] I have read this evening whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises whereby that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through last here's the grace of God the power of that divine spirit the way was it last evening in that eighth chapter of Romans so blessedly it sets forth as we read it last evening for the law of the spirit of life in

[40:28] Christ Jesus saith the apostle hath made me free from the law of sin and death is to have that spirit of Christ that divine power the spirit of God and the Lord said and if you have not the spirit of Christ you are none of his but that mighty power that divine power of God which worketh salvation it's a manifestation in measure of that mighty power of God which was manifested that brought the Lord Jesus from the tomb the holiness and purity that grave could not hold him the holy son of God who knew no sin and that's that divine power and principle implanted as God sees fit in its measure in every living soul

[41:48] I know friends we may seem to possess so little sometimes but the Lord knows and where the Lord has planted this life he will maintain it he will maintain it he says I will watch over it night and day that none may harm or hurt it and whilst the Lord Jesus the maintainer of it whilst he lives they can never die and what a comfort that is sometimes to the tried tempted people of God but the sum and substance is this they're exceeding great and precious promises because they flow from an unchanging and a faithful God who is able able to fulfill because he is very God very God and there is none else

[43:14] I would leave it here may the Lord be pleased to add his blessing to these few remarks Amen Amen