25-0418A_THE STATURE OF A PERFECT MAN PT-4 (PARTAKERS OF CHRIST'S DIVINE NATURE)

2Pe 1:1  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 Saviour Jesus Christ: 

2Pe 1:2  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 

2Pe 1:3  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: 

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

2Pe 1:5  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 

2Pe 1:6  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 

2Pe 1:7  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 

2Pe 1:8  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. 

2Pe 1:9  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 

2Pe 1:10  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 
Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 
Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 

*VIRTUE MUST BE IN US, AND UNTIL WE GET VIRTUE... THEN WHEN WE GET TRUE VIRTUE, WE CAN ADD IT TO OUR FAITH.

THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  23-6    The first song that I ever loved in--in the hymns, one of the greatest, was: "To Be Like Jesus." Well, if I'm going to be like Jesus, I've got to have virtue and a pass that it can pass forward from me to the people, because virtue went out of Him to the people: virtue. And before you can let it out, you've got to have it first. If you haven't got it, it won't come out. There's nothing for it to come out of.

What if someone tried to draw virtue out of us, the--the check would return "insufficient funds." See? No, no, none there to draw from: check bounced. Somebody looking at you as a Christian and tomorrow see you out here carrying on like a sinner, not much virtue can be drawed from that. See? That's right.

Virtue must be in us, and until we get virtue... Then when we get true virtue, we can add it to our faith. That's the next foundation wall.

*IF HE HAD VIRTUE TO GIVE TO THE PEOPLE, HE EXPECTS US TO HAVE VIRTUE TO GIVE TO THE PEOPLE.

THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  24-3    Now, first you must have faith. Faith alone won't do it. You've got... Peter said, "Then add virtue to your faith." You must have virtue in order to add it to your faith. Now, then... It might be the reason you don't have it, because many churches of today teach you don't have to have it, or the days of it's passed. They don't have to have it. Only thing you have to do is just join church. "Yeah, days has passed." Virtue, anyone knows what the word "virtue" means (See?), and we must have it.

If virtue went from Him to heal the woman that was sick, He's expecting the same virtue in His church, because He was our Example. And if He had virtue to give to the people, He expects us to have virtue to give to the people. And what is virtue? "Virtue" is "strength, power." Some of them don't even believe in power of God. They say, "That--that--that's passed. Only thing you have to do is just put your name on the book. Be sprinkled or poured, or baptized, or whatevermore, and that's all you have to do."

But Peter said here, "Add virtue."

*HAVE VIRTUE FOR THE WHOLE WORLD.

THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  24-5    Now, Peter's talking about building a House of God (See?), the Temple of God, fixing it to a place. And after you have virtue you must have--after you have faith, you must have virtue with it. That's right. Have virtue for the whole world.

Look at the lily. It comes from way down in the muck; and every minute of the day it has to be drawing from the earth. See? And what does it do with this virtue that it draws? It gives it out. It makes a beautiful sight for the admirer. It opens up itself for honey, for the bee to come and get his part. Don't complain; it just got it to give out. What if a bee came in there, "Insufficient funds," no honey. That little bee would scratch his head and say, "What kind of a lily is that?"

*BEFORE HE CAN GIVE OUT HONEY, HE HAS TO HAVE IT…'FORE YOU CAN GIVE OUT VIRTUE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT.

THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  25-1    …..And a spiritual man--growing, needs something to eat on. That's the Word of God. I believe every word of It.

…..That's right. Yes, sir. He's got it. The church has it. The church of the living God is built up into this perfect man of the knowledge of Christ.

  25-5    Now, now, you must have virtue. I said then, the first thing you know there's somebody loves to smell the odor. He ain't selfish; he's got odor. Before he can give out odor, he has to have it. Before he can give out honey, he has to have it. Before he can give out beauty, he has to have it. 'Fore you can give out virtue, you have to have it. So add to your faith virtue. Amen. Understand? We can stay on that a long time, but our time would get away from us. Adding virtue to your faith...

*JUST--JUST BY FAITH, FEEL THAT VIRTUE OF GOD COME MOVING DOWN INTO THOSE SICK BODIES.

HEAR.YE.HIM_  KLAMATH.FALLS.OR  TUESDAY_  60-0712

  E-100    …..Now, shut yourself in with God. There's nobody in here but you and God now. Just--just by faith, feel that virtue of God come moving down into those sick bodies. The Holy Spirit, you felt Him a few minutes ago. Feel Him right now? That moving, that soothing feeling moving through you, charging your body, that's His healing power.

KNOWLEDGE

*AND THEN THIRDLY, YOU ADD KNOWLEDGE. KNOWLEDGE, NOW THAT DON'T MEAN WORLDLY KNOWLEDGE…..BUT KNOWLEDGE TO JUDGE.

THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  25-6    Now, first, it's faith; then virtue. And then thirdly, you add knowledge. Knowledge, now that don't mean worldly knowledge, 'cause that's foolishness to God, but knowledge to judge. Judge what? Right from wrong.

How do you judge it then if you've got Christian knowledge with your virtue and faith, you judge whether the Word is right or wrong. And if you can lay aside all your creeds and all your unbelief, everything that you claim you have done, then you have knowledge to believe that God cannot lie. "Let every man's word be a lie, but Mine be True." See, now you're getting knowledge. That's supreme knowledge. You don't have to have four degrees in some college or something like that to have it, because all these virtues are given to you by God to place upon the foundation of your faith, that you might come to the full stature of a real living man of God. Yes, sir.

*….. KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WORD. YOU MUST BELIEVE IT IN THIS WAY THE.STATURE.OF.A.PERFECT.MAN_

  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-18  SUNDAY_  62-1014M

  26-1    Add--add knowledge, because--knowledge of His Word. You must believe it in this way. Such as... You should believe today that the--and accept it that the days of miracles is not passed, knowledge that what God says, God's able to perform.

Abraham believed that. And when he was a hundred years old, he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief. Look how ridiculous that Word looked.

Here's a man a hundred years old looking for a baby to be born into his home by a woman ninety years old (See?), almost fifty years a past, barren, lived with her since she was a young girl or a teen-age. And here he is; his life stream was dead, and Sarah's womb was dead; and all hopes was gone as far as hopes. But yet against hope, he believed in hope, because he had knowledge that God was able to keep everything that He promised.

Rom 3:3  For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? 

Rom 3:4  God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.