Precious Promises

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This program is called 15 Minutes With Jesus. Today we’re going to talk about Precious Promises. Let’s turn to 2 Pet 1:1-21, Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Verse 16, For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;  knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Verse 2, Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. The promises are through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. The promises come through the Lordship of Jesus in your life. 

Let’s turn to Phil 3:7-14, But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. We have to be diligent to make our calling sure; with faith, virtue, which is excellence, knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, temperance, which is self control, Godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. In 1 Cor 13: 4-8, we read about love:  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. In Matt 11:28-30 Jesus said, Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and Godliness; the exceeding greatness of His mighty power which He worked in Jesus when He raised Him from the dead. Eph 1:15-23, Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. 

There are so many wonderful promises which God has given us in His Son Jesus Christ. There’s no way, in this program, that I can share all of them. I just want to share a few of them. Here are some Precious Promises:

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever lives and believes in Him should not perish, but inherit everlasting life. 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

Forgive and you shall be forgiven. Show mercy and you will receive mercy. Give and it shall be given. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. 

When you pray, believe that you have received what you are asking for, and it shall be given you. 

If two or three of you shall agree as touching anything that you shall ask, it shall be given unto you.

If you walk after the flesh you shall die, but if you through the Spirit do put to death the deeds of the body you shall live.

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all things that you need shall be added unto you.

If you love Me, Jesus said, keep My commandments, and I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter that He may abide with you forever.

The Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, He shall teach you all things.

Shall not the Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?

Jesus said, If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love.

Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

In John 6 we read, Jesus said, He that comes to Me shall never hunger, and he that believes in Me shall never thirst.

He said, Him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out. Hallelujah!

He said, Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believes on Me has everlasting life.

In John 11, Jesus said, He that believes on Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live!

Whosoever lives and believes in Me shall never die! Do you believe this?, He said to Martha. Do we believe it?

He also said, As the Father has loved Me, so do I love you. Continue you in My love. Do we believe that? 

Do you believe that Jesus loves you as much as the Father loves him?

In 1 John we read, This is the promise that He has given to us, even eternal life. In Him is life. He that has the Son has eternal life. He that has not the Son of God shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

In John 14 Jesus told His disciples, I will come again and receive you unto myself.

Jesus said, Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  

He said, If you abide in Me and my Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.

He said, If you keep My commandments you shall abide in My love.

Through these Precious Promises of God we can partake of the Divine Nature; we will be conformed to the image of God’s Son; we will be like Him. If we will seek after Him with all our hearts we will find Him, and we will escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. As you draw near to Jesus and seek to know Him, if you will take His yoke upon you and learn of Him, He will lead you in righteous paths to break you of your stubbornness and rebellion, and He will wash you and cleanse you of your corrupt ways that you learned from your fathers and from your old friends in the world. And He will give you His peace and righteousness and joy in the Holy Spirit, more and more, as you stay with Him and follow Him. Jesus said, If you will continue in My Word, you will be my disciples indeed, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

We must do something. We must repent of our evil ways and deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him every day. We must believe what He accomplished  through His sacrifice for us on the Cross. We must yield ourselves to Jesus to be baptized in water. Have you been baptized in water since you believed in Him? If you have been baptized, do you understand what took place in you? Jesus said, He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. Through water baptism you are baptized into His death, you are crucified with Him, and you are raised with Him into newness of life. It is very real and essential; it is not a religious exercise. The reason you don’t want to be baptized is because you don’t want to die. You want to continue as lord of your own life and continue in your own corrupt ways, which will inevitably  bring about your own destruction. Water baptism is the first step in following Jesus. You must be crucified and die with Him that you may inherit eternal life and live with Him. Your old sinful nature is destroyed thereby and you will be able to follow Him. You must then take the second step in following Jesus and be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, I’m going to be with the Father, but I won’t leave you alone. I’m going to send the Comforter. He shall teach you all things. It is absolutely essential for you, as a believer in Jesus, to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, that He may teach you all things and reveal Jesus to you; that you may be led by Him to do the will of the Father; to follow Jesus in the way. They that are led by the Spirit of God are the sons and daughters of God. The righteousness of God’s law is fulfilled in them who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Again, you have to yield; you have to surrender your own stubborn will to Him and let Him lead you in His good way. You will never regret it! Come to Jesus! Yield to Him! Take His yoke upon you and learn of Him; learn of all the things He has promised you if you will love Him and obey Him. He is not a respecter of persons at all. If you will yield to Him and obey Him, He will work His Precious Promises in your life, as you believe Him and trust Him. You have to trust Him because sometimes He will even lead you through the valley of the shadow of death. But He will be with you! He will be there in His power to comfort you! Oh the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out!