Abounding In Grace I - Part 1 of 2

Welcome to today's edition of the Baptist Bible Hour, a daily program proclaiming the sovereign grace of God.

My name is James Kenneth. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for joining us for the Baptist Bible Hour broadcast today. On today's program, LaSire Bradley Jr. begins a short three sermon series entitled Abounding in Grace. This three sermon series is based in the first few verses of chapter one of 2 Peter.

After we listen to the following song, we will begin the first half of the first message in the Abounding in Grace series. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know he holds the future. And life is worth the living just because he lives. God sent his Son.

They called him Jesus. He came to love, heal and forgive. He lived and died to buy my pardon.

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives. Because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know he holds the future. And life is worth the living just because he lives. Yes, my life is worth the living just because he lives.

Because he lives. Grace is a wonderful theme that is emphasized over and over again in the Word of God. We find in the writings of the Apostle Peter that he would have us not only to believe in grace and rejoice in grace, but to abound in grace. To abound by walking in the light that God has given us in harmony with the knowledge that we have concerning his Son Jesus Christ. I want us to look at the book of 2 Peter chapter 1.

We began reading with the first verse. 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. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. Verse 8. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. If these things be in you, and in the verses that we skip for the moment, it talks about things that we should be adding to our faith. I initially intended to use a larger portion of this first chapter and came to realize that there was too much material to cover in a single message. So we'll come back to that part that begins then in verse 4 and continues through a greater portion of the chapter.

We're going to be looking at five words. First of all, in verse 1, the word faith. In verse 2, the word grace. In verse 3, the word power.

And when we come back to part 2 of this message, we'll be looking at the word promises in verse 4 and the word diligence in verse 5. Peter identifies himself as being a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. When he describes himself as a servant, he literally speaks of the fact that he is a slave. In that day, one who was a slave was in total subjection to the master.

They had no right to make any choices or decisions of their own. They were completely controlled by the master. And Peter is saying, I'm a servant. Yes, I'm an apostle, but I'm a servant of Jesus Christ. And all of us should recognize that if we're truly following Jesus Christ, we are his bond slaves. We are totally surrendered to him, desiring to be submissive to his will in all things.

And so he speaks of faith in verse 1 that you have obtained like precious faith. Man is unable to produce it. He's dead and trespasses and in sin, so he is incapable of producing faith. Being alienated from God, he has no desire for it.

Being blind, he sees no need of it. So man left to himself would never be able to produce faith. It is the gift of God. Peter says here, you have obtained it.

You did not produce it. It does not come by imitation, but by regeneration. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8, for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

It is God's gift. If you have faith today, you should be continually thankful for it, recognizing that it is God's gift, and it is by his grace that it has been bestowed upon you. Then he describes it as being precious. You have obtained like precious faith with us, and it's through the righteousness of God, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

It's precious because this faith is directed to our precious Savior. He's the object of it. He's the one in whom we believe. He's the one that we trust. It's my faith that we see him, embrace him. Now he is referred to here as God our Savior, Jesus Christ. True faith embraces him as God our Savior. Not just a teacher, not just a good example for us to follow, but he's God. If he is not God, then he was a terrible imposter. He led many to believe during his lifetime that he and the Father were one, that he had been sent down from heaven by the Father. He was here to do the Father's will.

And the Father spoke from heaven on more than one occasion saying, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Some today will say, Well, I admit Jesus was a good man. He was an outstanding leader.

He was a great example. But they stopped short of acknowledging that he was God, the God-man. He was holy God and holy man. The truth of the incarnation, we cannot fully comprehend, but we believe it to be so because the Scriptures declare it and Jesus continually confirmed it in his ministry. And so this faith is precious because it directs us to our Savior, Jesus Christ, who is precious. He is called a Savior, and a Savior brings salvation. A Savior saves. Jesus saved in many ways while he was here on this earth. He saved many who were sick from their sickness. He saved some who were possessed of an evil spirit from that terrible state. He saved some who were blind from that darkness and gave them sight. And certainly he saved many in moving upon their hearts and drawing them to him. He went to the cross. He saved a multitude of people that were given to him by the Father in the covenant of grace before the world began. He paid the price of redemption.

He paid it in full. He finished the work that was intended for him to accomplish. And so when we read the words in Scripture, some of which were spoken by the Father from heaven, acknowledging that Jesus was his Son and that he was well pleased with him, and we read the writings of the apostles that over and over again confirmed his divinity, and then we respond even to the work in our heart.

If indeed the Spirit of God has moved upon us, convicting us of sin, moving upon us by the Holy Spirit and giving us this precious faith, we can say that this one who is now abiding in us is described as Christ in you, the hope of glory. You come to recognize and firmly believe that Jesus Christ was no ordinary man. He was not just a man. He was God. He was the God-man. And so we respond and say yes to each word to the apostle.

He is God, our Savior. And so as he speaks of this precious faith, we know that it's precious because it deals with his precious blood and with his precious work of redemption at the cross. The gospel is foolish, Mr.

Son, a stumbling block to some. Someone will say, well, that just seems preposterous to me to think that by the shedding of blood, some soul is going to be redeemed. How can blood blot out sin? But you see, the point is that when Jesus went to the cross, the wrath of God was poured out upon him so that he suffered for every soul given to him, for every soul that will ultimately believe on him, paying the price.

Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. Those types and sizes of the Old Testament pointed to the fact that there must be death. The lamb that was slain on the Jewish altar was pointing to the fact that one day the Lamb of God would come and it would buy the shedding of his blood because he bore the penalty. He suffered what guilty sinners should have suffered and paid for them what they never could have paid for. And so by the shedding of blood, there is remission of sin. There is cleansing. David prayed in Psalm 51, wash me, cleanse me. He knew that he needed the cleansing.

It could only come from God. It is precious because it is evidence of our calling. This faith, this precious faith is evidence of our calling. If you have come to faith in Jesus Christ, true faith that you believe upon him as your Savior and as the Son of God, it is evident that you have been called. There are many times God's children can go through seasons of doubt.

It's easier when looking at self to become disheartened. Say, why is it if I'm one of his that I still struggle like I do? Why is it if I'm one of his that some attitudes I find in my heart that are not right, some faults that cross my mind, some desires that I have in my flesh that I know are dishonoring to God, could it be that I'm one of his? But if your faith is in Jesus Christ and in him alone, you have that evidence that you have been called. This faith is precious because it's the very channel of communion with God. When you come before him in prayer, it's not just a matter of reciting certain words, using some familiar expressions and think that somehow this is acceptable. You come in prayer because you want to have communion with God. You want to pour out your heart before him.

You want to feel that he is there, that he's hearing you, that he's fulfilling his promises. And so the faith by which you come to him is the very channel of communion with him. This is precious faith because it involves the promises of God. By faith you believe what God says. There are times in the seasons of darkness that you may cry out with the psalmist, Is thy mercy clean gone forever? It seems that the Lord has hidden himself for a time. But you come back to his promises and you say, I believe what God says and God says he will never leave me nor forsake me, so I'm trusting him.

I know this fact. God cannot lie. So his promises are reliable. This word precious is one of Peter's favorite words it seems. In this first verse of this chapter from which we have read, he speaks then of our precious faith. And then in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 7 he says, The trial of your faith being much more precious than gold.

That may be a little hard to grasp. When your faith is being tried, when you're being opposed to persecuting, when you're suffering, when you're enduring difficult challenges in life, and you don't understand, and you can't comprehend. Why is God leading me down this path?

Why are these burdens so heavy? And yet Peter says this very trial, the trial of your faith is itself much more precious than gold. Because God is using the trial to teach you, to bring you to greater dependence upon him. The trial of your faith is precious. 2 Peter chapter 1 of the fourth verse speaks of precious promises.

Surely when we recognize our desperate need of his blessing and presence in every detail of life, and we read those wonderful promises in his word, we say they are precious promises. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 19 he speaks of the precious blood of Christ. And thus we not all say indeed his blood is precious.

Because without it we would have no salvation, without it there would be no way for our sins to be washed away. 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 4, To whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. Speaking of course of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is a living stone, disallowed of men.

Multitudes of those to whom Jesus spoke while he was here upon the earth, rejected his message, ultimately showed their hatred for him as they nailed him to the cross. Disallowed of men, but chosen of God and precious. And then 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 7, Unto you therefore which believe he is precious. So you can say today if you are a believer, if you've rested your case in the hands of Jesus Christ, if you expect some day to see him face to face and to live with him in heaven, you can say he is precious.

He is the friend that sticketh closer than a brother, and you have found him to be that precious friend over and over again. Yes, this is precious faith. And then in verse 2 he speaks of grace. Salvation is brought to us by grace. By grace he gives us what we do not deserve. Many people are great complainers.

Constantly complain because they feel like they have not received what they deserve, what they are entitled to. Well the fact is if we all receive what we deserve as fallen sinners, as rebels against God, we would receive nothing but condemnation. But grace means that he brings us something we do not deserve. Grace means that he comes to us in our fallen and ruined state, does for us marvelous things, transforms us, rescues us, puts in us his Holy Spirit to make a difference in our daily walk in life. 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 10, But the God of all grace, and I'd like to just pause there a minute.

That's a wonderful expression. The God of all grace. We need all kinds of grace. Saving grace, living grace, praying grace, grace to overcome temptation, grace to overcome our discouragements and our depressions, dying grace we'll need someday. Well he's the God of all grace, he's the source of it. Who have called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus.

After ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, established, strengthened, settled you. This God of all grace has called you. And he's called you unto eternal glory. What a wonderful thing to anticipate that time when at last we're at home with him and enjoy eternal glory. Living in the new heaven and the new earth where there will be no distinction but total peace. Where there will be no sadness but eternal joy.

Where there will be no complaint but constant thanksgiving and praise given to the name of our God. He has called us unto this eternal glory by Christ Jesus. It's by him that we are called and drawn.

And he says after you suffer a while, you're going to have some sufferings here, you're going to have some trials. But what's the purpose of it? To make you perfect or mature or complete.

To establish you, to strengthen you, to settle you. Then there is more grace. You think about the grace by which you are saved, the grace by which you were brought to life in Christ Jesus, the grace by which you were given faith.

2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9. My grace is sufficient for thee. He's talking about grace and peace being multiplied. So we're talking about more grace. Here he's telling Paul, when you prayed for the thorn of the flesh to be removed, my grace is sufficient for thee. Whatever your trial may be, if it's physical suffering, if it's mental anguish, if it's financial difficulties, whatever it is that may be casting you down at the moment, this text is applicable, this promise can be yours.

My grace is sufficient for thee. Some through fire, but all through the blood. Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song.

In the night season and all the day long. Though sorrows befall us and saves not those, God leads His dear children along. Through grace again, God, with His feet are close, God leads His dear children along. Away from the fire and away from the plague, God leads His dear children along. Away up in glory, eternity's day, God leads His dear children along. Some through the waters, some through the flood, some through the fire, but all through the flood. Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song. In the night season and all the day long.

In the night season and all the day long. Today on the Baptist Bible Hour, we have heard the first half of the first message in the Abounding in Grace series. This short three-sermon series is based in 2 Peter 1, and Lacerre Bradley Jr. has brought us the introductory portion of the first message today. I encourage you to join us again on our next program to hear the conclusion of this first sermon. In the meantime, thank you so much for listening today, and I pray that the message has enriched your life. Be sure to listen again next time to another message of God's sovereign grace.

Until then, may the Lord richly bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you and give you peace. Praising my Savior! Praising my Savior! Praising my Savior! All the day long.