SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
6/5/2012 8:18:02 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The Christian Life Begins With Faith (Pt-3)
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2Peter 1:4
Message of the verses: We begin today with the last part of this first main section in the book of 2nd Peter by looking at the last sub-point which gives a look at verse 4.
This faith involves God’s promises (v. 4): “4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
“4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” (NLT)
As we begin to look at this verse I want to first do a little word study of the word “precious” and its use by Peter.
A. 1 ¶ This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. (2Pe. 2:1)
B. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold-though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. (1Pe. 1:7)
C. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. (2Pe. 1:4)
D. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
E. unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious, (1Pe. 2:4) (AKJB)
F. For this is contained in Scripture: "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." (1Pe. 2:6) (NASB)
G. This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, "THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,’” (1Pe. 2:7) NASB) Precious Savior.
We have not only received all we need from God for life and godliness, but He has also given us His Word that will enable us to develop this wonder life. The promises that we find in the Word of God are precious promises. When we think of the Word of God we have to believe that this wonderful book was written by men through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit actually used the personality of these men as they wrote the Word of God. “2Pe 1:21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
In listing to a message by John MacArthur that was on the last chapter of the book of Mark he stated that we have over 2500 copies of the Word of God that in some cases date back to OT times. The Dead Sea Scrolls are an example of this. When you think of other books from the past the most copies we have is only six. What this proves to me is that the Word of God is important, it is perfect, and the God of the Word is completely able to make sure that His Word is kept so that people can read it. The Bible is by far the most printed book of all times and the most printed book each year. This wonderful book has all we need in it to live holy lives.
When a person is born into the family of God the Holy Spirit of God will use the Word of God to impart the life and the nature of God within him. Now when a baby is born into this world it will share the nature of their parents, and so it is when a person is born from above that they too will share the nature of their new Parent, that is God. I mentioned that the raising of Lazarus is a picture of salvation in an earlier SD. We see Lazarus lying dead in a grace and then we see the Lord Jesus call to him as an individual to bring him to new life and then the Lord asks to have his grave clothes taken off of him so that he can begin this new life. The Bible tells us that we are all born spiritually dead because we are all children of Adam and it will take a calling and effectual calling from the Spirit of God using the Word of God to give us this new life. We are then to remove our old grave clothes in order to begin this new life in Christ. Dr. Wiersbe writes “Mankind is under the bondage of corruption (Rom. 8:21), but the believer shares the freedom and growth that is a part of possessing the divine nature.”
When we look at the word nature we know that this word has to do with appetite, for a pig wants to live in the mud and a dog will return to its vomit (2Pe. 2:22), however when we look at a sheep they desire to green pastures. Not only does nature has to do with appetite, but is also has to do with behavior. We look at different animals and we see different behaviors that they have. An eagle flies because it has the behavior of an eagle, and a dolphin has the nature of a dolphin so it swims. Nature also determines environment for we see a squirrel climb a tree to live in and moles live in the ground. It also determines association, for we see lions travel in prides and we see sheep travel in flocks and fish in schools.
Now let’s carry this over to the life of a believer for as believers we are to have an appetite for the Word of God, for what is pure and what is holy. Our behavior should be like that of our Father, and we should live in the kind of “spiritual environment” in which is suited to our nature. We should want to associate with other believers, those who are like minded. In Hebrews we read that we are not to forsake the coming together with other believers, which is we should desire to attend a church with like minded people. As believers we should have a desire to grow and to produce fruit, and to do this we must study the Word of God and we must remain or abide in the vine.
Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on this section with the following words: “Because we posses this divine nature, we have ‘completely escaped’ the defilement and decay in this present evil world. If we feed the new nature the nourishment of the Word of God, then we will have little interest in the garbage of the world. But if we ‘make provision for the flesh’ (Rom. 13:14), our sinful nature will lust after the ‘old sins’ (2Peter 1:9) and we will disobey God. Godly living is the result of cultivation the new nature within.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Cultivate godly living and “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” By putting on the Lord Jesus Christ I believe that Paul is speaking of putting on the spiritual armor that is found in Ephesians 6:10-18, for each piece of this armor is seen in the Lord Jesus Christ.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Make no provision for the flesh by putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and His armor and by remaining in the vine.
6/5/2012 9:27:07 AM
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