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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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.