The Promises Of God - 2 Peter 1:4

Have you ever considered the reality that God,

the maker and the creator of the world, the holy

sustainer of all things, the one who spoke the

world into existence, the one who sustains the

world as it is, the one who's redeemed his people,

that this God, has given promises to His people.

That He has made promises to undeserving sinners,

brothers and sisters. That He's given us these

grand and these glorious realities that are guarantees

that will take place, that will come about because

His sovereign being will bring them about. God

has given you and I as believers in Jesus Christ

promises. How ought we as believers to relate

to those promises? How ought our hearts to relate

to those promises? How ought we to think about

those Blessed, those glorious promises that God

has given to us. How ought those promises to

affect our lives and our souls, our love for

Christ, our faith, our worship, all that we are

and all that we have. Peter helps us with these

questions today. He says in verse 4, For by these

he has granted to us his precious. and magnificent

promises. Notice how Peter characterizes the

promises of God as precious and magnificent,

so that by them you may become partakers of the

divine nature, having escaped the corruption

that is in the world by lust. I want to consider

three things with you today. The promises that

are precious and magnificent in this text. And

secondly, the reasons for their preciousness

and the reason they are magnificent. And lastly,

I would like to consider the precious and magnificent

character of these promises. The reality that

Peter gives us his estimation. His understanding

of these glorious, these grand promises that

God has made. And he says that they are precious

and magnificent. So first, the promises that

are given, the promises that are precious and

magnificent. How do we identify what promises

Peter is discussing, he's talking about? Well,

we have to consider the promises with relation

to what has come before in this text. Notice

that he says in the first part of verse 4, For

by these he has granted to us his promises, his

precious and magnificent promises. Notice that

he says, for by these, meaning what's come before.

There's two different thoughts on what he's referring

to in particular here. He's either referring

to everything he's just talked about in verse

3, the divine power, life and godliness, the

true knowledge of God, or he's talking about

God's own glory and excellence. I tend to think

he's referring to everything that's come before.

But we know this much. The promises that Peter

is referring to here are gospel promises that

are given to those who know Christ. Those who

have a true knowledge of God in Christ. Those

who God calls to himself. Those whom God brings

to himself. They're gospel promises, brothers

and sisters. But particularly, we know from the

context of verse 4, that these promises have

to do with one's break from sin. This separation

that takes place, this definitive break and split

that the believer experiences with sin, these

promises have to do with that. That's why Peter

says in the last part of verse 4, escaped the

corruption that is in the world by lust. The

pollution, the corruption, the remnant of sin

that remains in us are sinful natures. These

promises have to do with the believer being freed

from the bondage of sin in themselves. But these

promises also have to do with the believer's

conformity to the likeness and character of God.

Now, this is not speaking about deification.

This is not talking about the possibility of

believers taking on the essence of God, taking

on the deity of God. It's talking about the fact

that believers in Jesus Christ who have been

called by the gospel and by the Spirit of God,

those believers are progressively and distinctively

in regeneration made to be like God in His character

and holiness and godliness and love in many other

ways. These promises have to do with the believer's

transformation and the new birth and their ongoing

renewal and progressive transformation and becoming

like God in His character and His holiness and

His righteousness and His goodness and His faithfulness,

brothers and sisters. But these promises also

have to do with usefulness and fruitfulness.

We read in verse 8. For if these qualities are

yours and are increasing, they render you neither

useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge

of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the promises that

Peter is speaking of have to do with believers

being useful. Believers bearing fruit in their

life. Not only that. These promises have to do

with the saints' entrance into Christ's eternal

kingdom. Verse 11 says, For in this way, the

entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord

and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied

to you. Those in possession of these glorious

promises, those who receive these promises, Those

who have been given these promises will enter

into the kingdom of God. That visible manifestation

of the kingdom of God in one day. They will.

And it will be abundantly supplied to them. So

this text seems to be speaking of the reality

that... Christ's work is applied to individual

believers. The application of redemption to the

life of the saint, to the life of the believer.

Now, there are several texts I'd like us to look

at to help us understand what this is speaking

of when it talks about the believer taking part

in the divine nature. Of God. We read in Titus

Titus 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3. For we also once were foolish ourselves.

Disobedient. Deceived. Enslaved to various lusts

and pleasures. Spending our life in malice and

envy. Hateful. Hating one another. But. When

the kindness of God. Our Savior and his love

for mankind appeared. He saved us not on the

basis of. Deeds which we have done in righteousness.

But according to his mercy by the washing of

regeneration. And the renewing by the Holy Spirit.

Whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus

Christ our Savior. So that being justified by

his grace. We would be made heirs according to

the hope of eternal life. Peter is referring

to the grace of regeneration. The renewing work

of regeneration. And he's connecting it to our

inheritance with eternity. Our inheritance with

the kingdom of God. We read in Ephesians chapter

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

4 in this vitally important text. We read starting

in verse 20. But you did not learn Christ in

this way. If indeed you have heard him, And I've

been taught in him, just as truth is in Jesus,

that in reference to your former manner of life,

you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted

in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that

you, being renewed in the spirit of your mind,

and put on the new self, which in the likeness

of God, has been created in righteousness and

holiness of truth. What's Peter referring to

here, brothers and sisters? He's referring to

the reality of regeneration. The reality that

every single person who knows God has been made

a new creature, a new principle of life has been

planted within them. A new nature has been given

to them, and this new nature is in the likeness

of God and has been created in righteousness

and holiness. He's saying this is who you are.

This is what you are as believers. And then he

even says in verse 25, Therefore, laying aside,

falsehoods speak truth, each one of you with

his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

Why does he say that? He's saying this is who

you are in Christ. This is who you are as a new

creature in Christ. Now live in accordance with

who you are. Live in accordance with that new

nature that God has given you by regeneration.

Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children.

And walk in love. Just as Christ also loved you.

And gave himself up for us. In offering. And

a sacrifice to God. As fragrant aroma. Part of

the way in which. We are children of God. Is

the reality. That we've been made. Like God.

In his character. In regeneration. We've been.

Given a new nature that's created in righteousness

and holiness. We've been made new creatures in

Christ. We read in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse

2 Corinthians 5:17

17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is

a new creature. The old things have passed away.

Behold, new things have come. And then verse

18. Now all these things are from God. Who reconciled

us to himself through Christ and gave us the

ministry of reconciliation. New creatures in

Christ. And what are the new things? What are

the things that are from God that he refers to

in verse 18? Now all these things are from God.

All the new things, brothers and sisters. All

the new things that come as being a new creature

in Christ are from God. So Peter, I believe,

is referring to these glorious promises where

the work of Christ is applied to God's elect

sinners. Where they're born again. And a new

principle of life is implanted within them and

they are progressively and gradually renewed

and transformed and changed until the day of

their death and they enter into glory. He's referring

to the fact that we have been made like God in

regeneration. In regards to his character and

the moral character of God, But also, brothers

and sisters, that we've been made new so that

we can live and act in a gospel state. So that

we can live and act as gospel Christians. So

that we have renewed affections. A new heart.

A new mind, brothers and sisters. New longings

and new desires. So that we can live. in reality,

in this life, in the midst of this sinful world,

as new creatures in Christ. It's by holding fast

the word of life, Paul says in Philippians chapter

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

2, that we stand out in the midst of this perverse

generation. Who holds fast to the word of life?

Those who are regenerate. Those who are born

again. Those who have been changed by God and

made to be new. These are the promises that he

speaks of. And it's also important, brothers

and sisters, to realize that these promises,

they're not fully and finally realized just yet.

The day is coming when they will be fully and

finally realized when Christ returns. Now, we

can already see a little bit of why these things

are so precious. We can already understand to

a small degree why these things are magnificent.

But I want us to consider also the reasons these

promises are so precious and magnificent to Peter.

Brothers and sisters, they're precious because

they are given by God. He says, In verse 4. For

by these, he has granted to us his precious and

magnificent promises. Now, you might say, well,

why does that make these promises special? Why

does that make these promises precious and dear

to the saint? Well, brothers and sisters, That

means that all of divine sovereignty, all of

divine power, supports these promises. That means

that all of the divine character of God, the

divine being of God, supports these promises

that He has given to His people. That means that

He has the ability and the power and the means

to accomplish them and bring them about. To see

to it, that they come to fruition in the life

of God's saints. But it also means, brothers

and sisters, that God is not going to contradict

Himself. He's not going to give the promises

and take the promises back. He's not going to

give the promises and go back on His Word and

go back on what He's declared to take place and

to bring about for the life of His people. Brothers

and sisters, knowing that these are divine promises

given by God, let me ask you, can they be stopped?

What God has promised to you as believers in

Jesus Christ, can those things be thwarted in

your life? Can they be undone in your life, believer?

Can they be undone in your soul? Is there any

power or force on earth that can stop the sovereign

hand of God? Brothers and sisters, we ought to

find these promises very, very dear. Very, very

precious because God has given them to us. But

we also find that this is because they are gracious

promises. The text says, For by these He has

granted to us His precious and magnificent promises.

These are promises that are freely bestowed,

freely given by a sovereign and a holy God. These

are not promises that are won or lost. These

are not promises which can be forfeited or given

up or sacrificed by those they've been given

to. These are promises that are established and

built on the very character and being of God.

They are gracious promises. That also means,

brothers and sisters, that the fulfillment and

the completion And the success and the power

of these promises is not contingent upon your

merit, your worth, or your work. What are they

based on? What are they contingent? What is the

fulfillment and the provision of these promises?

What do they depend on, brothers and sisters?

The grace of God. Why will God be faithful in

your life to bring about every single thing that

He has promised to you as a believer? Is it because

of you? Is it because of me and my fickle heart?

Is it because of you and your difficulties and

your struggles? No, if you're a believer and

God has given you these promises, then He will

bring them about by His grace and by His mercy

and because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's why they'll come about. Because of Christ's

merit and Christ's work and Christ's worth, brothers

and sisters. Because of His faithfulness. They

will come about and they will succeed and they

will be enjoyed in our lives because of the grace

of God. These promises are precious because they

are secured and guaranteed by our great God and

Savior, Jesus Christ. Christ, as Peter refers

to him. I think it's important that we make note

of this. These promises will not be revoked.

The work of God will not be taken away from you,

brothers and sisters. Do you know why? Because

Christ has died. Because Christ has died for

sinners. Because Christ has shed his blood on

behalf of God's people. Because Christ went to

the cross and died for the sins of the world

that men might receive these blessed promises.

That they might enjoy these blessed promises.

The promises of God will not be taken away or

revoked any more than the crucifixion, the resurrection,

and the life of Christ will be taken away, brothers

and sisters. You see, here's where we find this

blessed connection between Christ and his people.

If he died for you, if he gave his life for you,

if he shed his blood for you, listen, then you

will enjoy the promises that he has for you.

Then you will enjoy the blessings and the privileges,

everything that he has for those he died for.

We see this blessed, this sweet connection. Are

these promises showing themselves to be precious

to you yet in your hearts and your minds? Is

there a longing and a desire within you to know

them more, to know them better? There's several

reasons that they're sweet. They're precious.

They're magnificent. Peter, I believe, holds

them to be magnificent or exceedingly great also

because of the sheer magnitude of these promises.

Think about the reality that every single saint

that has ever lived, that every single elect

sinner that's ever come to know Christ, is a

new creature by the divine power of God. It's

a work that He's undertaken for the ages, through

the ages, and He will continue to bring about

and continue to accomplish for the whole church,

for all time, for every age. God will raise the

army, as Ezekiel chapter 36 talks about, how?

Ezekiel 36 · chapter mention

By breathing new life into those dead bones.

God will accomplish this work. It's giving life

to sinners who have no life in and of themselves,

but these promises go far beyond that. The promises

of the Lord Jesus Christ, the work of salvation,

is much bigger than just my personal reconciliation.

It's no smaller than that, brothers and sisters.

But it's much larger than that. It's much more

vast than that. The work of the Gospel, Christ's

death and His resurrection, what He's done on

behalf of sinners, do you know what else it reconciles?

Do you know how far -reaching and vast the promises

of God are? That it goes beyond your soul, beyond

your heart? What does it reach? Everything in

the cosmos. Everything in the world. The promises

of God won't just reconcile your soul, but it

will reconcile the entire world, brothers and

sisters. Are those things not precious to us?

Are they not magnificent and exceedingly great?

The promises. Spoken of these grand realities.

I believe that Peter holds them in such a way.

Because they are not yet fully realized. We think

of all the wonderful blessings that we enjoy

as believers. As those who know Christ by faith.

The work of the Spirit in our souls. Fellowship

with like -minded believers. worshiping God,

hearing the Word, reading the Word, fresh deposits

of grace and power in our lives, spending time

with Him in prayer and fellowship with God, having

joy and contentment and peace and satisfaction,

knowing that the righteousness of Christ is ours

because of the work of the Lord Jesus. These

many grand and great privileges that we have

and what is to come. But many of them, brothers

and sisters, are not full or final. That means

that there is more to be known. There is more

to be experienced as the people of God. This

isn't it. There's more to come. And Peter knows

this, and Peter recognizes this. This is why

Peter focuses on... The promise of Christ's coming.

In 2 Peter chapter 3. He says specifically in

2 Peter 3 · chapter mention

verses 10 through 15. But the day of the Lord

will come like a thief. In which the heavens

will pass away with a roar. And the elements

will be destroyed with intense heat. And the

earth and its works will be burned up. Since

all these things are to be destroyed in this

way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy

conduct and godliness? Looking for and hastening

the coming of the day of God because of which

the heavens will be destroyed by burning and

the elements will melt with intense heat. Listen.

But according to His promise, we are looking

for new heavens. and a new earth in which righteousness

dwells. Brothers and sisters, the promises of

God aren't done yet. They are to be fully and

finally realized in that one great day when Jesus

Christ returns and He transforms everything.

In that day, every single promise that He's ever

given to His people, will be known and felt and

experienced in a degree and a way that we can't

even fathom right now because of the presence

of sin in our lives. But it's coming. And Peter

knows it. He's got an eye to the future. He's

got an eye to that great day when Christ returns.

And where's his eye being cast to? Beyond his

death, following the return of Christ. That's

where his hope is. following the return of Christ

in the new heavens and the new earth wherein

righteousness dwells. Brothers and sisters, these

are sweet and precious promises, not just because

of the nature of them, but because of the scope

of them. Our salvation in Christ is bound up

with the fate of the whole world. If you know

Jesus Christ, Your salvation is bound up with

the faith of the whole world and eternity. Those

are the promises that Peter is speaking of. And

these are why they're precious and they're magnificent.

There's many other reasons we could say. There's

many other reasons we could say they're precious

and they're lovely and they're sweet and they're

excellent. But Peter has given us plenty in this

text. Now this leads us to the last thing we

have to consider. The precious and magnificent

character of these promises. When we consider

this text, we have to ask the question, why does

Peter... Refer to them in this way. We've seen

these reasons. And what is it showing us about

Peter and his heart? Peter and his relationship

to these promises. These grand and these glorious

realities that God has given to believers. To

salvation. What does it demonstrate and show

us? about his heart, about his mind, about his

understanding, about his relation to these things.

It shows us how he feels about them, doesn't

it? It shows us that he understands them with

his head, yes, but brothers and sisters, we also

see that his heart is bound to these glorious

realities. They're precious. They're dear. Peter

says that they have great worth. Great value,

dignity, virtue, and excellency. But he also

says that they are exceedingly great. They are

magnificent. He understands them with his mind.

But Peter loves them with his heart, brothers

and sisters. He holds them high. We can see his

perspective in this and why he has characterized

them in such a way. His heart's affection is

set on these glorious realities. His greatest

longings, his greatest desires, his greatest

wants. The place where he finds the greatest

pleasure and the most fulfillment, the most satisfaction

is where? In these grand realities that God has

given to his people. In these grand realities

that God... has promised to his people. He has

to understand them with his head, doesn't he?

He's got to wrap his mind around these things.

He has to understand the work of the Spirit.

He has to understand the death of Christ. Brothers

and sisters, he has to comprehend who Christ

is, our great God and Savior. He has to know

who he is, doesn't he? But Peter is not simply

satisfied, and he's not simply showing us an

unfelt relation to these promises, is he? He's

showing us that they are precious to his heart.

He's showing us that he loves them with the very

depths of his being. He's showing us that He

cares about these things in a great deal, in

a great way. He's showing us the priority of

His affections in many ways, isn't He, brothers

and sisters? He's showing us that His affections

are rightly ordered because His affections are

set on the promises of God in Christ. The work

of God in Christ. has done, what he is doing,

and what he will do one day. That is what Peter's

affections are set upon. So we have to remember,

brothers and sisters, that promises are given

that they might be what? Believed. God gives

us promises and He will bring those promises

about. He's given us the glorious realities of

salvation. He's accomplished it. He's going to

accomplish it. And He's going to bring everything

about that He said that He will. But brothers

and sisters, listen. We need to believe these

realities. We need to look to these realities.

And we need to believe these specific promises

that he's given to us. What does that mean? That

means that we need to believe what the Bible

says about who we are as believers in Christ.

That means that you as a believer in Christ need

to believe what the Bible says about your relationship

to sin, that it has no power, no dominion over

you, that you're a new creature in Christ. That

you are a new person that's been made new after

the image and likeness of God in holiness and

righteousness and the truth. Do you believe that

about yourself? Believer, I'm asking you, do

you believe that God has made you a new creature

in Christ? That you have experienced the divine

sovereign work of God in changing your very being?

That you are no longer the old man in Adam, but

you are a new man in Christ, and that sin has

no power or authority or dominion over you. Do

you believe that about you? Because that is true

of every single believer in Christ. Do you believe

that there's been a decisive break with sin in

your person? It's true. Do you believe... brothers

and sisters, what God has promised to do in the

future. Do you believe what Christ will do when

he returns? Do you look to that reality? Are

your affections set otherworldly? Are the affections

of your heart resting in this world? Or are the

affections of your heart resting on the very

promises of God and what He has done in Christ,

what He is doing, and what He will do when He

returns? Peter wants us to understand that they

ought to be set on those. As we look to these

realities by faith, we must never, ever be satisfied

and content with unfelt recognition and comprehension

of these glorious realities that God has brought

about. Brothers and sisters, if we can look at

the work of Christ, if we can think about what

Christ will do when He returns and feel nothing

in our hearts, then the problem is our heart.

The problems are sin. Brothers and sisters, we

must never settle for just understanding them

with our minds. We must never be okay with just

grasping the principles. We must pursue and seek

out a love in our hearts for these realities.

Are you seeking out a love, a desire, and a longing,

Heartfelt appreciation of these glorious realities

that Christ has accomplished. That he is accomplishing.

Or are you okay with just seeing them the way

that you see them? Or are you okay with just

understanding them conceptually? We must never

be content with just knowing these things. We

must seek. To see and understand with our hearts

the excellency, the virtue. Brothers and sisters,

the amazing reality of what they are. The truth

of these promises. We must seek to have rightly

ordered affections in our life, ought we? Shouldn't

we? We must seek to have our affections. Resting

and set upon these realities. That means that

many of the problems that we face in our lives,

many of the problems that we face in our day

-to -day lives, many of the struggles, much of

the turmoil, much of the tribulation that we

bring on ourselves, why is it? Because our affections

are all wacky. They're all out of order. They're

set on things they ought not to be set on. They

were never designed to be set upon. They need

to be set on what? God, Christ, and His work.

What He's promised He will do, and what He's

going to do, and what He has done. Many folks

are miserable. In their lives. Because they love

the wrong things too much. And they don't love

the promises of God enough. They love the things

of this world so much they hold them dear. They're

precious. They're magnificent in their very souls.

They sparkle and they glitter. But brothers and

sisters, those things won't do anything for you.

But the precious promises of God, if you will

hold them high and place your heart upon them,

you will find hope and you will find confidence

and you will find fresh power and life for your

soul to press on and persevere and be diligent

in your life. We need to rightly order our affections

and we have to do that. If we are to live in

this world in any sort of content or joyful,

or happy manner as believers. That's our responsibility.

That's our duty. To take our affections and place

them on God, Christ, and His work, what He has

done, and what He's going to do. We know the

problem. Our hearts love all kinds of things

that they ought not to love. And our hearts love

certain things that it's okay to love, but we

love them too much. We get them all wonky, don't

we? So it's our job to look at the Word of God,

to look at the Lord Jesus Christ, to look at

the law of God, and to see how our affections

ought to be organized. To see how our... our

hearts ought to be prioritized to where we ought

to set our affections and what we ought not to

and where they ought to be placed in our system

of prioritization. What's out of whack in your

life, brothers and sisters? What is your heart

set on that's too much and what's it set on that

it ought not to be set on, period? Take it off

of those things. Remove it from that and put

it on Christ. Put it outside of this world so

that it's steady, so that it's steadfast, so

that it's an anchor, so that you have hope for

this life. We need to pursue rightly ordered

affections that we find this great example of

in the Apostle Peter. But brothers and sisters,

we also need to be encouraged. to be comforted

by these promises. These glorious promises ought

to, and I think this is one of the reasons that

they're so precious to Peter. He knows that he's

nearing the end of his life. We read in 2 Peter,

2 Peter 1, verse 13, I consider it right, as

2 Peter 1:13

long as I am in this earthly... to stir you up

by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside

of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our

Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I

will be diligent that at any time after my departure

you will be able to call these things to mind.

Peter knows, brothers and sisters, that his life

is about over. He knows that he's about to die.

He's going to meet his maker one day. Paul's

the same way in Philippians. He says that I might

obtain the resurrection in some way. He doesn't

know how he's going to die. For to me to live

is Christ and to die is gain. And he's split.

He's torn. But brothers and sisters, where do

they find comfort in the face of death? Where

do they find comfort to face that last great

enemy? Where do we find comfort to face the problems

and difficulties of tomorrow? Sickness, disease,

loss, pain, suffering. Where do you find comfort?

In those grand realities that will come about

because God himself has promised them. The promises

of God. These things are true no matter the situation.

no matter the condition of your heart. They're

true, brothers and sisters. Find great comfort

in them.