Growing in and Praying God’s Precious Promises

Word of Encouragement

 

Earlier this week, we considered the assurance of our salvation in our W*O*E. One of the ways that we grow in our faith and so in our assurance of salvation is through believing the precious and very great promises of God (as we considered in 2 Peter 1:3-11). Let us look at a few of the precious and very great promises of God from the Apostle Peter’s first letter.

 

I encourage you to pray these to God this morning (or in a time that you might have later), confessing who you are in in Jesus and then I will challenge you to pray with me, as you pray for yourself, your family and our congregation according to how we are to live in light of it in the conclusion below. I truly believe as your pastor that if we would pray these truths for ourselves, our families, and our congregation at KCPC, we would continue to see the glory of God in Christ. Let us pray together always (Eph. 6:18-20).

 

Who are you in Jesus?

 

  • I am an elect exile (1 Peter 1:1-2). I have been chosen by grace before I was born from eternity past; I am a pilgrim-exile here who longs for a Heavenly Home where Jesus is and prepares a place for me (Heb. 11:13-16; John 14:1ff; Revelation 21:3, 7).
  • I have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus (1:3). As Jesus has been raised from the dead, so I will be raised from the dead (and am already seated with Christ in the Heavenly Places now, Col. 3:1ff; Eph. 2:5-8).
  • I have a great inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading (1:4). My inheritance no person can steal, nothing can destroy, no one can take from me. It is kept with Jesus and is one of my greatest hopes and should be the content of my most fervent prayers (see Eph. 1:15-23).
  • Although I live by faith, I believe Jesus and His words to me and so I am filled with a joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory (1:8).
  • I have been born again, not of perishable seed, but imperishable (1:23). God has acted on me by His power and Spirit so that I am who I am because of grace alone!
  • I am a spiritual house where the Spirit of God lives (2:5); I am part of a chosen race, a royal priesthood and holy nation (2:9); I was formerly under God’s wrath, now I have received mercy (2:10). I am the temple of the Spirit of God, and part of a family of those privileged to know Jesus, and one for whom Christ died; I am part of a priesthood of people who make God known to the world, and have the privilege of entering the Most Holy Place where Jesus is (Heb. 4:14-16).
  • I am one for whom Christ died, and thankful that Jesus bore my sins in His body on the tree, that I might die and live to righteousness; by His wounds I have been spiritually healed, though privileged to suffer physically with him (2:22-25).

 

How should I live and pray today?

 

ESV 1 Peter 3:8-12: Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; 11 let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

 

Lord, let me and others in my family and congregation at KCPC…

  • Lord, let me and others in my family and congregation at KCPC have unity of mind. Let us all be like-minded in our knowledge of the Savior, and know that you love us. Let us be committed to one purpose (1 Peter 3:8).
  • Lord, let me and others in my family and congregation at KCPC be sympathetic (3:8) with each other and with our neighbors. Let us have a sympathy with each other like Christ has, and give us strength to grow in sympathy because of His Spirit and our union with Christ.
  • Lord, let me and others in my family and congregation at KCPC possess deep brotherly love and affection (3:8) for one another (also 2 Peter 1:5-7). Let us grow in this and so allow our faith to mature into assurance and deepen our joy in Jesus.
  • Grant us a tender heart (3:8). Let us be humble before you, resisting the world, the flesh and the devil, drawing near to you, standing firm in our faith (1 Peter 5:6-10; James 4:6-10).
  • Lord, grant us humble minds (3:8). May we learn from one another; may we learn from others who we least expect to teach us. Grant that we humble our minds before you and be teachable.
  • Help us never to repay evil for evil, but let us bless others (3:9).
  • Let us take part in your promised blessing of Psalm 34:12-16 (Quoted in 1 Peter 3:10-12): (1) Let us keep our tongues from speaking evil and telling lies so that we can enjoy life and see pleasant days for ourselves, our family and our congregation (3:10); (2) Let us seek peace and pursue it, turning away from evil, and doing good (3:11). Let us not merely live with one another, but be actively seeking peace and pursuing it as a family and a congregation at KCPC. (3) We know that you will hear us, O Lord as you have promised:

 

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer” (3:12).

 

As Peter taught men earlier to live with their wives so that they might not be hindered in their prayers (3:7). So Peter here teaches all of the saints who make up the congregation to live righteously in light of who we are in Jesus, so that our prayers will not be hindered (3:12)>

 

I leave you with the blessed promise that if we know who we are in Jesus, and we live like it, then we can confidently believe God’s precious and very great promises to us in Christ, and we can grow in our faith and thus grow in our assurance of the love of Christ for us; as we grow in faith and then assurance, so we will grow more in our faith and so on, and so on, and so on, forever and ever. Amen!

 

Love in Christ,

 

Pastor Biggs

07/14/11