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3-10-2019 Weekly Messages

Meditations on this week: Psalm 1: 1-6

Text: 2 Peter 1: 1-14

The title of the Word: God wants us to be the partakers of divine nature

     Apostle Peter is finally exhorting the saints who are children of God with a precious faith with him when the day he will take off his tabernacle of the flesh is near.

      When he wrote his first letter, he introduced himself as the “apostle” of Jesus Christ. In the second letter, however, he called himself “the servant of Jesus Christ, and the apostle Simon Peter.” When he was near to meet the Lord, he humble himself as the “servant” of Jesus Christ by saying “Simon” Peter.  Simon means the changing sand.  He confessed that he was like a sandy man, but now he is like Peter, a stone. Jesus said to Simon:

” Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:” (Luke 22:31).

 Apostle Paul also humbly introduced himself as a servant of Jesus Christ and apostle.

        Apostle Peter said he hoped to gain more grace and peace through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. In order to enjoy abundant grace and peace while living in this sinful world.  we must deeply know God and the Lord Jesus Christ through the Words of God. That his divine power gives us all that belongs to life and godliness and that he would be filled with grace and peace through his knowledge of Him who called us to glory and peace.

        This grace and peace are in the eternal life that has been given to us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself witnessed of this when he was in the final prayer:

” And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17: 3)

         When Apostle Peter was approaching the day of his departure, he confessed himself as a servant of Jesus Christ and indirectly testified that all the children of God must live a life of servant. Jesus spoke about  of the servant:

Not only that, the one who was God appeared as a servant and showed obedience unto death:

” But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

8And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? 9Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. 10So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. “(Luke 17 : 7-10)

        Anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and receives eternal life is not one who is going to be like him, but one who is fully one with Him.  Apostle Paul testified that God’s children are baptized into the body of Christ:

” Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. “(Romans 6: 3-4).

        Christians who have received the promise of this life eternal must have witnessed that they no longer desire to be fallen life on earth and become partakers of the divine nature. Now the old man died with Jesus and was put on  a new man, Jesus Christ. From now on, he says that he should be one with Him and live like Him. God’s children are not living a life that resembles their religious leaders like other religious people.

         Believing in the gospel of Christ, though spirit and soul are saved through God’s righteousness, even our bodies should be holy in the sinful world .  No one can live a holy life until they put off  the body of sin through the circumcision of Christ. But those who are circumcised by Christ and who put off  the body of sin can forsake the sins that remain in the body and heart, if they so desire. In other words, saved person is legally forgiven of all sins, but there are still  many evil and filthy things left in the body of the flesh. All these evil passions must be driven out through the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the whole spirit, soul, and body must be preserved so that there is no reproach until Christ comes (I Thessalonians 5:23)

         Apostle Peter is witnessing that all the sins must be driven out and filled with new characters of God. When we believed in Jesus Christ, we were saved by one time faith by “Believe in”  Jesus . However, even after being saved, we must continue to live a life of faith. It is to live a life of trusting, meditating, and obeying the Word of God along with the Holy Spirit. This  is to “Believe on“.

           Apostle Peter testified that Christians should now be partakers of God’s nature by obeying the Word:

” And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

6And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

7And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. “(2 Peter 1: 5-7).

          That’s right! Salvation is received by grace, but participation in God’s nature is by effort. The nature of God can only be known in His Words, so we must look into, meditate, and obey His Words.

           After believing and being saved, we must increase virtue, the vessel of faith. In virtue, knowledge, that is, knowledge of God, should be added, not the knowledge in the head, but the knowledge of knowing Him by fellowship with Him in the Words. The knowledge in the head gives rather a pride. Temperance in knowledge, no matter how much knowledge you have, is spiritually speaking in the presence of carnal  believers, easy to explain by speaking or speaking at the right level. In temperance, we must live patiently, that is, in a fruit of the Spirit, a long-suffering life. In patience, godliness, that is, the fruit of participating in the nature of God at this time. In godliness, brotherly love, that is, at this time, we will love our brothers unfeigned. It is charity to brotherly love, that is, love is not from earthly love but from God, that is charity. Apostle Paul testified in detail in 1 Corinthians 13 about the charity of  God:

” Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. “(1 Corinthians 13: 4-7)

         When we are filled with charity, the  love of God, we are neither lazy nor fruitless. But even though we are saved, we are filled ourselves with the Words of God and fellowship with him, and when we live  with the knowledge of knowing him, we are not become a spiritually blind. We always praise the Lord who cleansed us when we first believed in him looking forward far off with hope not to be fallen in the world But if anyone is lazy to live godly thinking himself “I am saved, so can go to heaven after death,” he cannot overcome the lust of the world to be blinded spiritually and to be stumbled..  Therefore, although we are  born again by the Holy Spirit, we must live a godly life that constantly strives to participate in the nature of God. Apostle Paul also exhorted the saints about God’s love:

”  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. “(Col. 3 : 14-15)

Amen! Hallelujah!