Open your Bibles, if you would,
to Ephesians chapter one, and then also open your Bibles, if
you would, to 2 Peter 1.4. The name of the message, one
word, partakers. partakers. Now, beloved of God,
let us marvel that we who are the born-again blood-washed saints
are saved from all our sins. All of them. And it's all according
to the good pleasure of God's will. All according to his will
and purpose. And we are saved through the
Lord Jesus Christ, not of ourselves, not by anything we do, but all
by what Christ has done. As you've heard me say more lately,
we are sinner saints, aren't we? We're sinners who are called
now saints of God, who are saved by the blessed grace of God in
and through Christ alone. And it's his precious blood that
has washed us clean. It's his precious blood that
has purchased our eternal souls. And the scripture says we're
bought with a price, we're not our own. And it's amazing. As Paul writes these words in
Ephesians, let us always remember who he's writing to. He's not
writing to everyone in the world. He's writing to a specific church.
So we as God's people, we now get to read these wonderful letters. And I heard someone say this
week, the Bible's like a love letter to God's people. It's
absolutely incredible. because it tells us about Christ,
the one who loved us and gave himself for us. It's absolutely
magnificent. Let's first of all read these
verses in Ephesians 1, verses 3 to 7, and this is gonna segue
into 2 Peter 1, 4, where we will see the word partakers. Beloved, we are partakers. This
is amazing, this is amazing. Look at verses three to seven
in Ephesians chapter one. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And look at these words, who
hath blessed us. It's not we may be blessed if
we do this or do that. No. None of the blessings of
God are dependent upon us. It's all dependent upon Christ.
Look at this. who had blessed us with all spiritual
blessings, every one. Justification, adoption, sanctification,
the list goes on, it's absolutely amazing. With all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places, here we go, in Christ. That's the key right
there, beloved, in Christ. According, now look at this,
marvel at this verse. Paul's writing to sinner saints
at Ephesus. And he says this, according as
he, being God, hath chosen us, sinner saints, in him before
the foundation of the world. That's remarkable, but this is
what the scripture says. Look at this, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love. Those who are unholy
by nature, us, sinners, are said to be because of God's grace
and mercy shown to us in Christ, we who are the redeemed of the
Lord will one day stand in front of God, holy and without blame
before him in love. That's amazing. And it's all
because of what Christ did. Look at verse five. having predestinated
us into the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will. That's amazing. It gets better. To the praise and the glory of
his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Sinners
accepted by God. in the Beloved." Who's the Beloved?
The Lord Jesus Christ. The one who the Father said,
this is my Beloved Son, in whom I'm well pleased. Oh, it's wonderful. So if you're in Christ, God's
well pleased with you. It's just incredible. In whom
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of his grace. Look, it's all about God. It's all about God's grace shown
to sinners such as we, in Christ Jesus, our Lord, and through
Christ. It's amazing. Now let's turn
to 2 Peter 1, and we'll read verse four. So, oh my, we're made accepted in
the beloved. Now look at this. Here's where
we'll pick up the word partakers. 2 Peter 1.4. whereby are given unto us exceeding
great and precious promises. Do you know all the promises
of God are yay and amen in Christ? Isn't that wonderful? So the
believer has all the promises of God. They're yay and amen
in Christ. Spurgeon used to say, let's pray
them back to God. Oh, it's wonderful. It's absolutely
wonderful. Whereby are given unto us exceeding
great and precious promises. You can't measure them. that
by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, that's
Christ in us, the hope of glory, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust. Now, being a partaker can
be a wonderful thing, depending on who you are partaking with. To partake in the text simply
means to take part. It means to share, to partner
with, and to be a companion with someone. It means to belong to
someone. Oh, beloved, we belong to Christ. We belong to him because he purchased
us with his precious blood. Isn't it wonderful? It's wonderful. Oh my, we belong to God, beloved,
through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Marvel at how glorious then the
thought of what being a partaker of the Lord Jesus Christ is.
In 2 Peter 1, 4, we're giving exceeding great and precious
promises that by those, right, by God's promises, we might be
partakers of the divine nature. That's again, Christ in us, the
hope of glory, which is all by the power of God, the Holy Spirit.
When we're born again, And all according, remember this too,
all according to God's sovereign will and purpose. It's absolutely
amazing. All according to his power, because
of his power and because of his might, according to his will
and all for his glory were made righteous in Christ Jesus, our
Lord and beloved. The unrighteous are made righteous.
And we have Christ's righteousness imputed to us. It's spectacular,
beloved. And we are giving exceeding great
and precious promises that we are made partakers of the divine
nature, the promise of a new and everlasting covenant, our
forgiveness, sanctification, union with Christ in eternal
life. And by these promises, we are made partakers of a new
nature. We're born again by the Holy
Spirit of God. We now have a new man. We're new men, and we have
a new life, which again is Christ formed in us. Do you know that
we are constantly going to be battling the flesh? And we have
that war in us now between the flesh and the spirit. Why wasn't
that there before we were saved? before we were born again, because
we didn't have the Spirit in us. Now we have a war within
us. Oh my, and so Paul's telling
us to put away corrupt manners, put away vices, put away bad
conduct and the principles of this world. Our new nature makes
us inwardly seek holiness, doesn't it? We desire Christ, who is
our holiness. We desire to be conformed to
the image of Christ, knowing that it's God who does that for
us. And we desire to avoid the prevailing corruption of the
times that we live in, beloved. But we only participate in the
blessings and benefits of Christ by a genuine preserving faith,
a God-given faith. And then we find out that it's
God who keeps us. It's absolutely incredible. He
saves us when we can never save ourselves, and then he keeps
us because we could never keep ourselves. It's wonderful. Praise the mighty name of Jesus.
Praise the mighty name of Jesus. No man in Christ is in Christ
by a temporary faith, no. No, or false faith. No, or second-hand
faith. No! We're born again by the power
of God, the Holy Spirit. And every believer is given the
same faith, beloved. Oh my. There are examples throughout
the New Testament. Turn if you would to Colossians
chapter one. There's examples throughout the New Testament
of faith that was not saving faith, but saving faith is faith
that saves. And it's God-given faith. It's
not something we muster up. If we mustered up faith, then
it's not going to last long. A storm's going to come, and
it's going to fold like a deck of cards. Oh, my. But genuine, God-given faith
continues growing in strength and confidence because it's God
who keeps us. Isn't that wonderful, beloved?
By nature, we want to run away. By grace, God keeps us looking
to Christ. It's amazing, beloved. Look at
this in Colossians 1, verses 21 to 23. And you that were sometimes
enemies in your mind by wicked works. I remember those days
to you. I remember being alienated. I
didn't think I was, but I sure was. I look back now and say,
oh man, I was so alienated from God. And in my mind, I was an
enemy to God by my wicked works. It says, and you that were sometimes
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
have been reconciled. Praise be to God, we're reconciled
in Christ, beloved, in the body of his flesh, that's Christ,
through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable
in his sight. Think of this, think of this.
We who by nature are unholy, we who by nature are blameable,
we who by nature are reprovable, now, oh my, in Christ, he can
present us one day holy, Unblameable and unapprovable in his sight,
in God's sight, if you continue in the faith, grounded and settled,
and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. Who's the
hope of the gospel? The Lord Jesus Christ, which
he ever heard, and which was preached to every creature, which
is under heaven, whereby I, Paul, am made a minister. So rejoice,
beloved of God. Here's a few points of being
a partaker. Rejoice, beloved God. God's people,
number one, are partakers of the heavenly calling. Oh my,
in Hebrews 3.1, it says, wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the
heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our
profession, Christ Jesus. Let us keep our mind upon Christ.
And then it says, the next point, is in Christ Jesus, God's people
are partakers of the Holy Ghost. Isn't that amazing? We're born
again. Listen to this, Hebrews 6, 4.
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and
have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the
Holy Ghost. My oh my. And then, third point,
in Jesus Christ our Lord, God's elect people are partakers of
God's amazing grace. God's amazing grace, Philippians
1, 7. And as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because
I have in my heart and so much as both in my bonds and by the
defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partakers
of my grace. They have the same grace as Paul.
And then number four. In Christ Jesus, God's elect
people are partakers of spiritual things, Romans 15, 27. It hath
pleased them verily, and their debtors they are. For if the
Gentiles have been made partakers of the spiritual things, their
duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. And number
five, in Christ Jesus, God's elect are partakers of the benefit,
1 Timothy 6, 2, and they are And they that have believed,
believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are
brethren, but rather do them a service, because they are faithful
and beloved partakers of the benefit. Well, Christ is our
benefit, isn't he? Oh my, it's wonderful. These
things teach and exhort. And then in Christ Jesus, number
six, God's elect are partakers of Christ's divine nature, which
we saw in 2 Peter 1, 4, whereby are given unto us, exceeding
great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers
of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is
in the world through lust. We have a hope, Christ in us,
the hope of glory. And then number seven, in Christ
Jesus, God's elect are partakers of Christ's holiness. We're unholy
by nature, but listen to this. Furthermore, we have had fathers
of our flesh, which corrected us, and we gave them reverence.
Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of
spirits and live? For they verily for a few days
chastened us after their own pleasure, but he, for a profit,
that we might be partakers of his holiness. Oh, my beloved. And then lastly, in Christ Jesus,
God's elect, his people, are partakers of his inheritance. Praise his mighty name, beloved.
Colossians chapter 1, verses 12 to 14. Giving thanks unto
the Father which hath made us meet, to be partakers that meet
there is qualified. in the Greek, qualified to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who had
delivered us from the power of darkness, oh, that's what we
were in, and has translated us to the kingdom of his dear son,
that's by God's power, beloved, it's wonderful, in whom we have
redemption, praise God, we're bought with a price, beloved,
through his blood, the precious blood of Christ, even the forgiveness
of sins, all our sins, Aren't you thankful, beloved? Let you
and I be thankful, beloved, that we've been made partakers, partakers
in and through Christ Jesus our Lord, all according to the good
pleasure of our great God. Amen and amen.