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WEEKLY
Volume 1 Number 22
29 October 2006
Ye Might Be Partakers of the
Divine Nature
(Message delivered by Pr Hien Nguyen at the
Sunday Worship Service, 2 pm, Oct 22, 06)
Text: 2 Peter
1:1-11
We can see morality is
declining, and immorality, worldliness, crimes, violence, terrorism,
ungodliness and apostasy are rampant in this sinful world nowadays. Many
people blame God for all these evils and argue that if God is loving and
good why does He let all these things happen? We also see various human
methods and measures are applied to solve these problems like
criminology, psychology, counselling, education, legal action, police
force, armed forces and so forth, but sadly the problems are still there
because people are dealing with the fruit and not the root, with the
sinful deeds and not the sinful heart of man. Our Lord Jesus says, “A
good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree
bring forth good fruit” (Matt 7:18). The reason is their lack of the
knowledge of the truth about God and man through God’s Word the Bible!
The Bible tells us that God is loving and good, holy and righteous. He
created human beings in His image, very good and perfect. However, Adam
and Eve disobeyed God and became sinful and separated from the Holy God.
Consequently, all the descendants of Adam and Eve including you and me
have a corrupt, depraved and sinful heart whether or not we admit to
that truth; not only that, all sinners will be judged on the Judgment
Day! However, because of God’s love, grace and mercy, He completed His
plan of salvation by sending His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to this
world to die for sinners and to rise again to save anyone who will
repent and receive Him as his Lord and Saviour.
We are to give thanks and
praise to God because He has given us Christians much more than what He
gave to Adam and Eve before their failure: “Ye might be partakers of
the divine nature.”
God’s Precious Gifts
God is the Creator and Maker,
and He has given men the breath of life and many good things they are
enjoying, but sadly many take it for granted or even deny Him or ignore
His blessings. The precious gift God has given to mankind is His only
begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, “For God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Is the
Lord Jesus truly precious to you and me and everyone? “Unto you
therefore which believe he (Christ) is precious,”
but unto them who are disobedient, Christ is rejected (1 Peter 2:7). The
Bible text today in 2 Peter Chapter 1, tells us more about God’s
precious gifts in Christ.
Precious Faith
(v 1). This is not man-made faith but God-given faith (Eph 2:8), the
living faith always connected with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Author and
Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2) and the Word of God (Rom 10:17). This
faith we may obtain or receive through “the righteousness of God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ” (v 1). The phrase “God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ” has only one definite article in Greek, referring to one
Divine Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is both our God and our
Saviour. The similar structure is “our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,”
(1:11; 3:18), “the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2:20). Thank God that
we may receive this faith, not through our good works or our
self-righteousness, but through the perfect obedience and righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ and through His death and resurrection. How do
you and I obtain this faith? Only by our humble reception of and
submission to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word.
Grace and Peace
(v 2). According to Peter’s prayer, this God-given grace and peace will
be multiplied or increased “through the (full) knowledge of
God, and of Jesus our Lord.” The more we know our God the Father and
our Lord Jesus Christ, the more we have His grace and peace. “God
resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
The more we know God’s sovereignty, greatness, love, faithfulness,
holiness and power, the more we humble ourselves before Him to receive
His grace and the more we trust in Him and commit everything to Him to
receive His peace. Then, how do you and I have God’s grace and peace
increased in us? Only by humbly trusting in the Lord and seeking to know
Him more through His Word.
Divine Power (v.3).
The apostle Paul shared his experience, “For I know that in me (that
is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with
me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” (Rom 7:18),
then he found the answer in Christ Jesus, “I thank God through Jesus
Christ our Lord” (Rom 7:25). To know and desire to do what is good
is not enough, but how to perform it is more important and does count.
We thank God that “his divine power hath given unto
us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” God
gives us power not to perform miracles but to do His will and live a
godly life, a Christ-like life. This power is also obtained “through
the knowledge of him that called us to glory and virtue.” The more
we know the Lord and His will, the more we need His power to do His will
and live according to His Word. And the source of this divine power is
in Christ, our true Vine, while we are only branches looking unto Him
with full submission and dependence. The Lord Jesus says, “without me
ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). Then, should we not humbly trust in
the Lord, rely on Him and look unto Him for His strength and power in
order to bear good fruit and virtue for His glory?
Exceeding Great and
Precious Promises
(v 4). What are the greatest and precious promises God has given to us?
The Lord wants us to “be partakers of the divine nature.”
It does not mean we may become gods, but we may have His eternal life
and be like Him in His holiness and righteousness. “And this is
the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life” (1 John
2:25), and the purpose of God’s chastening us His children is that “we
might be partakers of his holiness” (Heb 12:10). This is the
process of sanctification, growing more in God’s nature and dying more
to self and sin and worldly lusts, “having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust” (v.4). Thank God and praise Him
for sharing with us His divine nature, the eternal life He is living! It
is impossible to force a monkey to cite Psalm 23 in a spirit of worship,
or a fish to live on dry land, or a pig to fly in the air because their
natures are different. Likewise, it is impossible for human beings to
live a true Christian life or a Christ-like life because human nature is
sinful and corrupt while God’s nature is holy and righteous. God knows
this much better than we, so the first and most important requirement
for human beings to be a Christian is to be born again. There is no
other way. Our Lord Jesus confirms, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God…,
he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God”
(John 3:3, 5). This is the work of God alone, “Which was born,
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but
of God” (John 1:12-13). We are not born again automatically
through our Christian parents (not of blood), nor through our own desire
and efforts as many have tried in monasteries (nor of will of the
flesh), “So then it
is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that
sheweth mercy,”
(Rom 9:16), nor through the will of any man, even of pastors or parents.
We do desire our children and church members to be born again, and the
only way we can do is to pray hard for them and teach them God’s Word
and look unto the Lord for His grace and mercy. It is God’s gracious
work to regenerate them by the Holy Spirit and by His Word (John 3:5; 1
Peter 1:23), so all glory must be unto the Lord alone. My dear friends,
are you sure that you are born again and partakers of God’s divine
nature in holiness?
Growing in Christ
Being born again and partakers
of God’s nature by His grace, we are to keep on growing in His grace and
knowledge and divine nature (2 Peter 3:18). Only by growing, we shall
“neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (v 8), but shall make our “calling and election sure…and
shall never fall” (v.10) and “an entrance shall be ministered
unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ” (v. 11). Otherwise, we are blind or near-sighted, and
not sure of our salvation (v.9). Then what should we do to grow in
Christ?
First, we are expected to
give all diligence or do our best with zeal and urgency (vv
5, 10) to add in our faith (in Christ) virtue of
Christ because our human nature is corrupt and depraved and
cannot be improved. Just as Christ lived and walked on this earth, we
are to do the same (1 John 2:6) with His moral perfection, goodness,
gentleness, meekness, humbleness, kindness, courage, submission and
obedience to His Father unto death, and so forth. Then add to virtue,
knowledge of God and His Word. This requires us to seek Him
and His Word day by day and keep our fellowship with Him in His light (1
John 1:7). Then add to knowledge temperance or self-control,
which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). Only when we are
submissive to the control of the Holy Spirit can we control ourselves
and will not say and do what we like or as we please. Then add to
self-control patience or endurance, never give up our
faith, trust, and hope in the Lord no matter what may happen. Then add
to endurance godliness, with our devotion, loyalty,
reverence, and piety toward God as “godliness is profitable unto all
things, having promise of the life that now is, and that which to come”
(1 Tim 4:8). Then add to godliness brotherly kindness or
brotherly love, loving our brethren in Christ (Rom 12:10; 1 Thess 4:9).
And finally add to brotherly kindness love, divine love
from God, which is based on His holiness and truth, loving everyone and
desiring them to come to the saving knowledge of God and His Word. My
dear friends, are you and I growing in Christ day by day?
Conclusion
My dear friends, without Christ we can
never live a true Christian life nor grow in God’s grace and knowledge.
We must be born again, partakers of God’s divine nature and growing in
Christ so that we may live a true Christian life. God has given mankind
His only begotten Son with eternal life, precious faith, grace and
peace, divine power, and divine nature. If we cannot enjoy God’s
precious gifts, it is our fault. All these gifts are based on the
righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ and by grace through
faith alone. May God help us see our helplessness and hopelessness and
then humble ourselves and receive the Lord Jesus Christ and God’s Word
into our hearts and lives with our full submission and dependence. Amen.
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