Our Precious Possessions (2 Peter week 3)

2 Pet. 1:1-4 OUR PRECIOUS POSSESSIONS

Intro: Five times in his two epistles, Simon Peter mentions possessions that are precious to the people of God. Now, when we think of something precious, we think of a thing that is valuable, of something that is to be cherished, of something that needs to be put under a guard and watched very closely. We all think of our children as precious. Some even feel that way about the spouse. We cherish them and want to protect them and we hold them in high regard. Some of you own things that are precious to you. It may be a family heirloom, a piece of jewelry or an automobile. Whatever it may be that you hold precious, you know precisely what I am talking about.

I remember going to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. There in the Museum of Natural History, they have a rock called the Hope Diamond. This stone is considered to be absolutely priceless. If you ever go there and view this stone, you will look at it through a thick piece of glass that allows you to peer into the vault where that diamond is kept. This stone is also protected by an elaborate alarm system and armed guards. Why go to all this trouble for a rock? I mean it was big, but it didn't look all that special to me. The reason? Someone, somewhere considers the Hope Diamond to be a precious thing.

As believers, there are things which we possess that are truly precious. Al the material wealth that we esteem will one day perish. All the people we count to be so precious will also perish from this earth. Even the Hope Diamond, with all the millions of dollars spent on its protection and safekeeping will also perish. However, we have been given some very precious things by the Lord that will never perish or be taken away. I would like to share these precious things with you tonight. To accomplish this, we are going to have to travel through both of Peter's epistles. However, it is a journey worth taking. Notice with me Our Precious Possessions.

I. 1 Pet. 1:7 THERE ARE PRECIOUS TRIALS

1 Peter 1:7 ESV

7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

A. Peter tells us that the trials of life are very precious things. We may look at the valleys we are forced to navigate and think that our lives are horrible things. Yet, Peter tells us that trials have a way of helping us. (Ill. Note that Peter refers to the refining process that is used to purify gold. When we are put to the test in life, it has the effect of removing the impurities from our lives. Often, it is the trials of life that will bring us closer to the Lord.)

B. In the valleys of life, we are reminded of several great truths that we often forget when life is easy. Allow me to share some of them with you today.

1. We are reminded that Jesus is always with us - Heb. 13:5. (Ill. The Disciples in the storm - John 6:16-20) 2. We are reminded that even our valleys are planned by the Lord - Rom. 8:28; Isa. 45:7. 3. We are reminded that our trials are helping us grow in the Lord - 2 Cor. 4:17. 4. We are reminded that something better is waiting just down the way - Rom. 8:18. 5. We are reminded that even when times are bad, God is still good - Job 1:20-21.

C. The trials and valleys of life are no fun and we would all rather be spared having to go through them, but when we have gone through the valley and come out on the other side, we will know the Lord better than we could have otherwise and we will be stronger in the faith than we ever could have been.

(Ill. The Disciples would have never known that Jesus could walk on water if there hadn't been a storm. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would never have known that God would come to their aid if there hadn't been a fiery furnace. Noah would have never known that God could keep him safe in the ark if there had never been a flood. Mary and Martha would have never known that Jesus could raise the dead if Lazarus hadn't died. The 5,000 would have never known that Jesus could fed the multitude if they hadn't first become hungry. The list could go on, but the truth is plain to see. The valley show us a side of God we could never see otherwise.)

I. There Are Precious Trials

II. 1 Pet. 1:19 THERE IS PRECIOUS BLOOD

1 Peter 1:19 ESV

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

A. Peter tells us that the Blood of Jesus is a precious substance. He means that it is something that is of great price and is to be held in honor and great esteem.

B. What is it about the blood of Jesus that makes it so special?

1. It is the price of redemption - 1 Pet. 1:19 2. It is the proof of God's love for us - Rom.. 5:8 3. It is the only substance known to God or man that can cleanse away our sins - Rev. 1:5; 1 John 1:7. 4. It is pure blood that was shed by an innocent men. His blood and His death were accepted in place of our own by the Father in Heaven. His blood is precious blood!

C. Since the blood of Jesus is precious, it deserves to be cherished by the believer. We make much of the cross in our Christian churches. However, the cross doesn't save anyone! It was what happened at the cross that makes the difference. It was when the Lamb of God poured out His life in His blood that sin was forever atoned for, and redemption completed! (Ill. There are some that would take the Blood out of the hymnals. There are those who like to preach a dry cleaned plan of salvation that contains no references to the blood of Jesus. My friends, those of us who still cherish the blood need to take our stand on the side of right and guard the precious blood of Jesus. We must se to it that there will always be a group somewhere that is preaching and teaching that the blood, and the blood alone, makes me right with God. His blood is precious blood and we need to cherish, protect and proclaim the blood of Jesus.)

I. There Are Precious Trials

II. There Is Precious Blood

III. 1 Pet. 2:6-7 THERE IS A PRECIOUS SAVIOR

1 Peter 2:6–7 ESV

6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”

A. Peter now moves on to tell us that Jesus Himself is precious. The word used here refers to a thing of great value. Peter is telling us that Jesus is valuable to those who believe. In fact, His value to us is beyond all human comprehension

B. Allow me to tell you why I believe Jesus is a precious to the saints of God.

1. Because He loves us - Jer. 31:3; Rom. 8:38-39. 2. Because He cares about us - 1 Pet. 5:7. 3. Because He understands our needs - Heb. 4:15. 4. Because He is always near to help us - Psa. 46:1. 5. Because He paid the ultimate price to save us - John 15:13. (Ill. You can't put a price on things like that! Men will fail you, those you love will let you down. People all around you may never understand you or what you are having to face in life, but there is a precious Savior named Jesus who can and does understand and care. He is a precious Savior.)

C. One more thing that makes Him precious to me is the fact that when I came to Him for salvation, carrying all the baggage of my sins, He still wanted me. He didn't turn me away, but He saved me by His grace - John 6:37. Since then, there have been many time that I have failed and many opportunities that I have wasted, but not once has the Lord turned me away when I came to Him with a repentant heart. He has been faithful to forgive and to restore that which I have broken in my foolishness, 1 John 1:9. When these things are all added up, it is easy to see why He is called a precious Savior!

I. There Are Precious Trials

II. There Is Precious Blood

III. There Is A Precious Savior

IV. 2 Pet. 1:1 THERE IS A PRECIOUS FAITH

2 Peter 1:1 ESV

1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

A. Now, Peter moves on to tell us that our faith, that is, our system of belief is a precious thing as well.

B. Many of us grew up hearing about the cross, the blood and the plan of salvation made possible through the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we often take what we have in Jesus for granted and fail to realize how special it truly is. You see, our faith is precious because it is the only one that is valid in the eyes of God! All the people involved in all the other religious systems in the world are being deceived by their false doctrines. There is one, and only one, means of salvation and that is through faith in Jesus Christ, John 14:6.

C. Our faith is precious because:

1. It is free - Rev. 22:17; Isa. 55:1. 2. It is open to all - John 3:16; Rom. 10:13. 3. It is complete - Heb. 7:25. 4. It is totally the work of God - Eph. 2:8-9; Heb. 12:2. 5. It is foolproof - Acts 16:31. 6. It is eternal - John 6:37; John 10:28. 7. It is something that can be lived - (Ill. In all works based religions, I would always be worried that I had left out something and that when I got to the end of the way, I'd be left out. Our salvation, on the other hand, has been paid in full and we have been given an internal guide to help us understand the road map (the Bible), and to get us home - John 14:16-18; 26; John 16:13.)

D. Considering the precious nature of our faith, we should never be guilty of taking it for granted, but we should promote it and protect it against the evils of our day. You see, the way we believe is being attacked by the world. We are called intolerant and narrow-minded because we say that Jesus is the only way a person can be saved. However, according to the Bible, we are totally right! Therefore, we must cherish our faith. How? By living for Jesus with every fiber of our being! By cherishing and seeing the value in the things He has given to us. By protecting the faith and passing it on to another generation. Faith is a precious thing, therefore, let us ever seek to treat it so.

I. There Are Precious Trials

II. There Is Precious Blood

III. There Is A Precious Savior

IV. There Is A Precious Faith

V. 2 Pet. 1:4 THERE ARE PRECIOUS PROMISES

2 Peter 1:4 ESV

4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

A. Peter's last statement about precious things is found in this verse. Hetells is that there are some promises of God that are valuable and are to be held in great esteem.

B. Allow me to just remind you of a few. Some of which I have already touched on this evening.

1. There is the promise of His Love - Rom. 8:38-39; Jer. 31:3 2. There Is the promise of His Presence - Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5 3. There is the promise of His Provision - Phil. 4:19; Matt. 6:25-33 4. There is the promise of His Grace - 2 Cor. 2:9 5. There is the promise of His Heaven - John 14:1-3; Rev. 21:4

C. It has been said that there are over 7,000 promises contained in the pages of the holy Scriptures. I have never counted them personally, however I do know this; every promise God ever made, He will bring to pass! He will never be caught in a lie, because He can't lie - Heb. 6:18. He will never be found unfaithful, because He has the power to do what He has promised - Rom. 4:21. If God promised it, then you can take it to the bank!

D. In this world in which we live, there aren't a lot of things that we can hold on to. People change, their promises fail, but the promises of God are forever! You can hold onto them for they shall never fail! That makes them very precious and valuable to the child of God!

Conc: I think it is plain for us all to see this evening that God has indeed given us some very precious and valuable things. Are you cherishing them as you should be? Are you guarding the things of God and passing them along to others so that there will be another generation that knows God and will walk with Him?

Maybe you need to claim one of His promises tonight, they still work! Maybe you need to come and thank Him for being faithful to you. He is worthy of your praise.