25-0704A_THE STATURE OF A PERFECT MAN PT-14 (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: 

Jas 1:1  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. 
Jas 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 
Jas 1:3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 
Jas 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 
Isa 48:10  Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. 
Isa 48:11  For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another. 

*THROUGH SUFFERINGS, THROUGH ANY KIND OF WAY IT WANTS TO COME, WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? WE'RE GOING TO MEET GOD.

THE.TESTIMONY.OF.A.TRUE.WITNESS_  JEFF.IN  V-15 N-6  SUNDAY_  61-1105

  43    Knowing this, that when this life is over, we have a life on the other side, where we turn back to young people again, and will live in His Presence and His blessedness for ever and ever. I trust that every precious mother in here, and every daughter, every son, and every father, will die in the Lord. "Even so saith the Spirit; for they rest from their labors, and their works do follow them." Some bright day we'll go and see them. Yes.

If that isn't so, then why are we standing here this morning preaching in vain? But, friends, our religion is not in vain. It's the power of God, tested right down with the acid test of death. Through sufferings, through any kind of way it wants to come, what difference does it make? We're going to meet God.

*HIS PURPOSE IS THAT AFTER WE HAVE SUFFERED AWHILE WE WOULD BE MADE PERFECT, BE ESTABLISHED, STRENGTHENED AND SETTLED.

You see, they could not figure out God's love. They thought that love meant no suffering. They thought that love meant a baby with parental care. But God said that His love was "elective" love. The proof of His love is ELECTION--that no matter what happened, His love was proven truly by the fact they were chosen unto salvation (because God hath chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth). He may commit you to death as He did Paul. He may commit you to suffering as He did Job. That is His prerogative. He is sovereign. But it is all with a purpose. If He did not have a purpose, then He would be the author of frustration and not of peace. His purpose is that after we have suffered awhile we would be made perfect, be established, strengthened and settled. As Job said, "He puts strength in us." (Job 23:6b) You see He, Himself, suffered. He learned obedience by the things that He suffered. He was actually made perfect by the things that He suffered.

*HE HAS LEFT HIS CHURCH A MEASURE OF SUFFERING THAT THEY, TOO, BY THEIR FAITH IN GOD WHILE SUFFERING FOR HIM, WOULD COME TO A PLACE OF PERFECTION.

Hebrews 5:8-9,

 "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered;

And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him."

 In plain language, the very character of Jesus was perfected by suffering. And according to Paul He has left His church a measure of suffering that they, too, by their faith in God while suffering for Him, would come to a place of perfection. Why did He want this?

James 1:2-4,

 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

*AND SINCE HE WANTS US TO SHARE EVEN HIS THRONE ON THE SAME BASIS THAT HE OVERCAME AND IS SET DOWN IN HIS FATHER'S THRONE…

  117-1    SMYRNAEAN.CHURCH.AGE  -  CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.4

Why does He stand by? The reason is in Romans 8:17-18,

 "And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

 Unless we suffer with Him we cannot reign with Him. You have to suffer to reign. The reason for this is that character simply is never made without suffering. Character is a VICTORY, not a gift. A man without character can't reign because power apart from character is Satanic. But power with character is fit to rule. And since He wants us to share even His throne on the same basis that He overcame and is set down in His Father's throne, then we have to overcome to sit with Him. And the little temporary suffering we go through now is not worthy to be compared to the tremendous glory that will be revealed in us when He comes. Oh, what treasures are laid up for those who are willing to enter into His kingdom through much tribulation.

*NOW THIS SPECIAL CONDITION IN SMYRNA MUST BE APPLIED TO EVERY AGE. THERE IS NO AGE FREE FROM IT.

  117-3    SMYRNAEAN.CHURCH.AGE  -  CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.4

Now this special condition in Smyrna must be applied to every age. There is no age free from it. There is no true believer free from it. This is of God. This is the will of God. It is needful. We need the Lord to teach us the truth that we are to suffer and be Christ-like in doing it. "Love suffereth long and is kind."

Matthew 5:11-12,

 "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.

Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

*AND HOW SHALL I PROVE MY LOVE TO HIM? BY BELIEVING WHAT HE SAID, AND BY CONDUCTING MYSELF WITH JOY AMIDST THE TRIALS THAT HE IN HIS WISDOM ALLOWS TO COME TO PASS.

  118-1    SMYRNAEAN.CHURCH.AGE  -  CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.4

The cloudy skies and storms of life are no signs of God's disapproval. Neither are bright skies and still waters signs of His love and approval. His approval of any of us is only IN THE BELOVED. His love is elective which He had for us before the foundation of the world. Does He love us? Ah yes. But how shall we know? We shall know because He SAID SO, and manifested that He did love us for He brought us to Himself and gave us of His Spirit, placing us as sons. And how shall I prove my love to Him? By believing what He said, and by conducting myself with joy amidst the trials that He in His wisdom allows to come to pass.

*THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER WAY IN WHICH TO GAIN PATIENCE. IT HAS TO COME BY THE TRIAL OF OUR FAITH.

  224-1    THYATIREAN.CHURCH.AGE  -  CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.6

"I know your faith." Now he does not say here as He did to the church in Pergamos, "you hold MY faith". He is not talking about His faith now, but He is commending them for their faithfulness. And as He does He also mentions their 'patience.' Now faithfulness and patience go together.

In fact patience is the outcome of faithfulness, for it says in James 1:3,

 "The trying of your faith worketh patience."

 There is absolutely no other way in which to gain patience. It has to come by the trial of our faith.

*AND THAT PERFECTION IS PATIENCE--WAITING ON GOD AND WAITING FOR GOD. THIS IS THE PROCESS OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

Romans 5:3,

 "Tribulation worketh patience."

 How highly God regards this outworking of our patience is seen in James 1:4,

 "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire lacking nothing."

 God's will for us is Perfection. And that perfection is patience--waiting on God and waiting for God. This is the process of character development. How highly God has commended these saints of the Dark Ages. Patient as lambs led to the slaughter, lovingly, faithfully they served God. That is all they wanted out of life, just service to their Lord. How great was to be their reward.

*IN FACT IN HER IS SUMMED UP AND MANIFESTED THE ETERNAL WISDOM AND PURPOSE OF GOD.

  80-1    EPHESIAN.CHURCH.AGE  -  CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.3

…In Exodus 25:31, it says,

 "And thou shalt make a candlestick of PURE gold; of BEATEN work shall the candlestick be made; his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same."

 The true church of Jesus Christ, the bride, is likened to PURE gold. Her righteousness is HIS righteousness. Her attributes are HIS own glorious attributes. Her identity is found in Him. What He is, she is to reflect. What He has, she is to manifest. There is no fault in her. She is all glorious within and without. From beginning to ending she is the work of her Lord, and all His works are perfect. In fact in her is summed up and manifested the eternal wisdom and purpose of God. How can one fathom it? How can one understand it? Though we cannot do that, we can accept it by faith, for God hath spoken it.

*BUT NOT ONLY IS THE CANDLESTICK OF GOLD, IT IS OF BEATEN GOLD. HAND-CRAFTED OF BEATEN GOLD, ACCORDING TO HER BLUE PRINTS WHICH WERE SPIRIT-GIVEN.

  81-1    EPHESIAN.CHURCH.AGE  -  CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.3

But not only is the candlestick of gold, it is of BEATEN gold. Hand-crafted of beaten gold, according to her blue prints which were Spirit-given. Outside of her Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, was ever a people so beaten and purged as the bride of Jesus Christ? Surely she is filling up the sufferings that Christ has left behind. Her goods are despoiled. Her life is in jeopardy. She is accounted as sheep for the slaughter. She is killed all the day long. She suffers much, but in it all retaliates not, neither does she cause others to suffer. Worthy of the Gospel is this lovely bride of Christ. And as gold is malleable, whereas brass will break with the beating, this gold of God will bear her suffering for the Lord, not bowed, not broken, not destroyed, but formed as a thing of beauty and a joy forever by the trials and testings of this life.

*HE KNOWS HOW TO ENCOURAGE US IN THE RIGHT MATTERS AND DISCOURAGE US IN THE WRONG MATTERS.

  81-3    EPHESIAN.CHURCH.AGE  -  CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.3

How beautifully the Saviour praises and commends His children. He takes full account of their fine spiritual attitudes and behavior. He knows that there is weakness amongst them, but as yet He does not cry out against it. Isn't that just like the Lord? He knows how to encourage us in the right matters and discourage us in the wrong matters. We could all learn a good lesson right here in running the church and our families. And better still, we could all learn a good lesson in that God deals with each one of us in exactly this way. Don't ever be discouraged, Saint of God, for God is not ungracious to forget your labors of love. Whatever we do, even giving a cup of cold water to someone, has a reward and blessing from the Lord.

*GOD'S PEOPLE DO NOT ONLY WORK FOR HIM IN A LABOUR OF LOVE, BUT THEY SUFFER FOR HIM WITH JOY.

  82-1    EPHESIAN.CHURCH.AGE  -  CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.3

"I know thy works, thy labour, and thy patience." As He walks in the midst of His church, He is aware of the suffering of His people, and He cares. As it was in the days of the captivity in Egypt when He heard their cries, He Who never changes still hears the cries of the oppressed as He walks amongst them. The very word, labour, signifies a weariness through oppression. God's people do not only work for Him in a labour of love, but they suffer for Him with joy. They are patient in bearing the yoke. This first age suffered great persecution. It had to work hard to preach the Gospel and shed forth truth. Their high calling in life was to serve God, and when their hopes in life were blighted they were patient and committed all to Him Who had promised a lasting recompence in heaven for what they had given up for Him on earth.