Today I would like you to turn
in your Bible to the epistle of Peter, 2 Peter 1. And let's read our Bible together
this morning. I'd encourage you to get your
Bible and let's study this verse together. Simon Peter, a servant
and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like
precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and
our Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to bring you a message
this morning and ask you, what do you consider to be precious? What do you highly esteem or
cherish above everything in this life that you possess and consider
to be precious? Many would give a variety of
answers. I've heard people talk about their precious children,
their precious grandchildren, We sing songs about precious
memories. People talk about precious jewels
or even mention precious health. But to the believer, to the believer
who trusts and rests in Christ alone as all his salvation, the
only things that he finds to be precious are the things that
are connected to the gospel of grace that he believes, the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The only thing the believer finds
to be precious or the things that are connected with the gospel.
Peter, in these two epistles, mentions five things that are
precious to a believer. The first one is this. He mentions
in this verse that we read, precious faith, precious faith. Now, why is faith called precious?
Why is faith precious to the believer? I'll give you two reasons. First one is this. Without faith,
it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11, 6. Those who are
without faith are without Christ. Those who are without faith are
without life. He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life. But he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Faith
is God's ordained means to lay hold of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the man who is without faith is without Christ. Christ is
the only Savior of sinners. And the Lord Jesus Christ saves
sinners in a way that is consistent with God's character, consistent
with God's holiness, a way that is pleasing unto God. And that
way, my friend, is grace and grace alone. Being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's why faith to the believer
is precious. Without faith, it is impossible
to please God. Without faith, we're lost and
without Christ. The second reason that faith
is precious is this. Faith is a gift of God. For by
grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It
is a gift of God, not of worthless. Any man should boast. It says
in our text that we have obtained like precious faith. We didn't
earn it. We didn't merit faith. It was
given of God. Faith is not the product of a
sinful creature. It is sovereignly given as a
purchased gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is not an offer
to all men. It is given to those for whom
Christ died. That's why it says in this verse
that this precious faith was obtained through the righteousness
of God our Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ bought
faith with His own blood. That's why faith is precious
to the believer. Now here's the second thing we
find that Peter writes about. These things are precious to
the believer, precious promises. In this same chapter, verses
three and four, according as his divine power has given unto
us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the
knowledge of him that called us to glory and virtue, whereby
are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by
these you might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped
the corruption that is in the world through lusts. Here we see these precious promises
of God. The promises of His eternal word
are sure, sure promises. That's why they're precious.
These precious promises are based upon the word of God. In this
same chapter, verse 19, says we have a more sure word of prophecy
whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that
shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and day star arise
in your hearts. Knowing this first, that no prophecy
of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy
came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake
as they were moved by the Spirit of God." So these promises that
the believer rests upon are sure promises we find in God's Word,
and they're precious because they're written of God, sent
of God. The second reason these promises
are precious is that these promises are all realized and found in
Christ. That's why they're called exceeding
great precious promises. These precious promises were
purchased, guaranteed and freely given because Jesus Christ secured
them by his righteous sacrifice and glorious resurrection. He
was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. All that God promised in Christ,
he's able to perform. He didn't fail to secure every
promise by his blessed obedience under God. These precious promises
speak of the exceeding great and precious things that Christ
has purchased for us. It mentions one of them in the
text. He said that by these, you might be partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust. He's made us Through these precious
promises He secured, He's made us new creatures in Christ. We
have pardon through His blood, the blood of Jesus Christ. His
Son cleanses us from all sin. We have peace through the blood
of His cross. He made peace for us. A sinner
can't make peace with God. This is the work of Christ alone.
We have perfection through His blood. These are the promises
of God. were justified by His blood. We shall be saved from
all wrath through Him, because the blood cleanses us and presents
us holy and harmless, undefiled before God. He purchased us through
His blood. We are a bought church. He purchased
us. God had purchased us with His
own blood. Acts 20, 28. The promises of
God are precious and sure promises unto the believer. Romans 4 16
declares, therefore, it is a faith that it might be by grace to
the end. The promise might be sure to
all the chosen of God, all the seat of God. Precious faith. We rest upon and precious promises
that God has given us. The third thing we find that
is precious is found over in first Peter, first Peter, chapter
two, first Peter, chapter two, verses six and seven. You get
your Bible and read with me first Peter. Chapter 2, verses 6 and
7, Wherefore, also it is contained in the Scripture, Isaiah, Behold,
I lay in Zion in chief cornerstone, elect and precious. He that believeth
on him shall not be confounded, shall not be ashamed. Unto you,
therefore, which believe, Christ is precious. We have a precious
and most glorious Savior. Unto you who have seen something
of your guilt before God. We know whatsoever thing the
law saith, it saith to them that are under the law that let every
mouth be stopped and all the world become guilty before God.
Unto you who have seen your guilt, unto you who have seen your inability,
dead and shut out, dead in sin, unto you who have seen your need
of an all-sufficient Redeemer, of an all-powerful Savior who
put away our sin, who did not fail to Accomplish all the purpose
of God unto you who believe Jesus Christ is precious and altogether
lovely. He's precious in his person.
Who is Jesus Christ? And my friend, he's God almighty
come in the flesh. That's why Paul said without
controversy. Great is a mystery of godliness.
God was manifest in the flesh. He's precious in his person.
He's precious in his office. He's precious in his work. We
have one God, one mediator between God and men. That is the man,
Christ Jesus. He's precious in all his offices,
prophet, priest, and king. He's a prophet to reveal the
gospel unto us. He's the priest of God to make
effectual atonement for our sin. He's the king of God, sin of
God. He's God's king, God's anointed to rule and reign over us in
absolute dominion. He said, all power is given unto
me in heaven and earth. We have a precious Savior, precious
faith, precious promises, and we have a precious Savior. Fourthly,
Peter mentions this in 1 Peter 1, reading at verse 18. Forasmuch as you know that you
were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot, who was verily foreordained before the foundation
of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
Precious blood. Precious blood. Believers know
beyond all doubt that their redemption from all is not by the weak and
puny efforts of our sinful flesh. We're not redeemed with corruptible
things. We plainly read in the scripture
that we're not justified by our works. By the deeds of the law
shall no flesh be justified. But thank God we know the believers
knows and have experienced in our soul that sinners are redeemed
by the all sufficient blood atonement that Jesus Christ made on behalf
of his elect. He died as a sinner's substitute
to put away their sin. He is our great high priest who
came to represent us, not with the blood of bulls and goats,
but with his own blood. He entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Now, listen
to me carefully. Our Lord was not the helpless
victim of unjust men when he died. He was the appointed sacrifice,
the anointed sacrifice, the sense sacrifice of a holy God. Acts
2 23 declares him being delivered by the determinant counsel and
foreknowledge of God. You have taken with wicked hand
and have crucified and slain the Lord of glory. What God did
that day at the cross is our hope. Not what men did. What men did at the cross didn't
secure our salvation. What God was doing there is our
hope of redemption. God made him to be sin for us
who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of
God unto him. His sacrifice, therefore, is
precious unto God. God provided it. God sent it.
And the sacrifice of Christ was unto the father. It was a sweet
smelling sacrifice unto God. And it satisfied God's holy justice
that we have offended. His sacrifice is precious, not
only unto God. His sacrifice is precious unto
the elect. It is a blood that justifies
our soul. It is a blood that makes atonement
for our soul. It is a blood that puts away
our sin. Nothing but the blood, my friend.
That's the believer's hope. None for whom Christ justified
and redeemed by his blood shall ever perish under the wrath of
God. That's why there's no condemnation to those who are in Christ. Throughout
eternity, the elect of God will sing of the precious blood of
the lamb who shed his blood to secure everlasting salvation
for his church, for his elect. That's why we sing unto him who
loved us and washed us from our sin in his own blood. We're redeemed with the blood
of Christ who was foreordained before the foundation of the
world, but was manifest in these last times for you. We have precious
faith given of God, precious promises. We have a savior that's
precious. We're redeemed with the precious
blood. And lastly, we read in this same
epistle, first Peter, chapter one, Verses 6 and 7, we read
of something else, precious trials, wherein you greatly rejoice,
though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through
manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith being much
more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried
with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at
the appearing of Jesus Christ. God has reason and purpose for
every trial and affliction that He brings into the believer's
life. Psalm 119 verse 75 says, I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments
are right and that Thou in Thy faithfulness has afflicted me.
Those to whom the Lord loves. and has redeemed by this precious
blood as a loving father brings trials our way for our eternal
good and his infinite glory. That's why we read it. And we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose. True faith will
endure these God sent trials to the praise and the honor and
the glory of Christ. And he gives us illustration
found in verse seven of first Peter. He gives us this illustration
of the gold. When gold's put into the fire,
it comes forth more refined and more pure, having all the dross
and the impurities drawn off. So, too, faith that comes through
trial is purged of pride and self-righteousness and unbelief
and hypocrisy. These trials don't produce faith.
They just reveal and revine faith to be genuine. That's why when
he says in 1 Peter 4, verse 12, turn over there, 1 Peter 4, verse
12, He said, Beloved, think it not
strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as
though some strange thing happened unto you, but rejoice in as much
as you partakers of the sufferings of Christ, that when his glory
shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. Don't be surprised when trials
come. They're God sent and they're
common. They're the common lot of all God's elect. God has only
one son without sin. Such a high priest became us
who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separated from sin. But He
has none without suffering. Our Lord was tried and tempted
and tested in every point like as we are yet without sin. So
don't be surprised when trials come. God sends them our way
for our good and His glory. In John 16, our Lord said, These
things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace.
In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have
overcome the world. May God give us grace to say
thank you, Lord, for every trial. And thank you, Lord, for the
grace to endure these trials. May these trials always be precious
unto the believer. Precious trials. Things that
are precious. If you would like a copy of today's
message, you write to me and I'll send it to you free of charge.
My address is Zebulon Baptist Church, 6088 Zebulon Highway,
Pikeville, Kentucky, 41501.