Holiness and the Promises of God

I want you to turn here this morning with me to 2 Peter chapter 1. If you find James, then you get 1st and 2nd Peter, then 1, 2, and 3rd John, but we're going to 2nd Peter here this morning. We're continuing on this series, The Promises of God, The Promises of God. I think it's important we hear what the Spirit of God says.

I don't believe we're just preaching something for you to learn. I believe there's an emphasis in these messages that this church must hear. You as individuals need to hear concerning the promises of God.

All across the church, generation after generation, our extremes, it's like a pendulum swinging. All through church history, and I studied church history 2,000 years of it. Constantly, I studied church history.

Deeply, thoroughly, vigorously. You know why? Because you see the same trends happening all across the church, all across the nations, all the time, time after time, the same things happen. And you start to see just something happening that goes on all the time.

And you know what? The church, one moment, it swings that way to an extreme. And after an extreme that way, it always swings back to another extreme. It never just comes to the middle.

But God always raises up people who'll preach right down the middle, a balanced message. When it goes too far that way, it's got to come back to center stage again. Goes too far that way.

Listen, in running away from an alligator, you could run right into the mouth of a big hippo. Because you've only got your eyes on the alligator. Others only see the hippo, hippo, hippo, hippo.

And you know what? They run right into the lair of an alligator. What am I saying? All across the church, church history. One of the greatest issues of church history is law and grace.

You get the church, one minute, they all go hyper grace. But you just watch. There's going to be a swing away.

Then they go legalistic to law. And then it swings back the other way, back and forward. You know what? We as the church of God are to hold a balance in all of the things of God.

And you know what? We're a church that emphasizes holiness, and the commands, and obedience, and instruction. But you better not go to an extreme in your own walk with God, or we as a church, or me as a preacher. You know what? The promises of God flavor all of the commandments of God.

And I've always preached this, but I'm emphasizing, I'm making an issue of this, that you may understand it. All my preaching has always, for 30 years, been founded on the basis of the new covenant, the covenant of grace, and no other basis. I preach them blood, atonement, and sacrifice.

But you've never heard me neglect the commands, the warnings, the dangers of Scripture. Let's go to our message here this morning. This is part four, as we deal with the promises of God.

And here in part four, there's my message, holiness and the promises of God. 2 Peter chapter 1, verse 1, reading down to verse 4. 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 Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

According as His divine power, and I want you to notice this so very carefully here this morning. According as His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue. And this is my text I'm going to preach from especially this morning.

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. Let's pray together. Father, we realize our great need of you, of your teaching, of your instruction, of you opening up these divine scriptures.

These promises, these teachings are too much for us to comprehend with our natural mind. We can read them and read them and read them, but we need the illumination of your Holy Spirit. We need light to be shone upon them.

Lord God, we're so grateful for the Holy Spirit who indwells us, who is called our teacher, who has been given unto us to lead us into all truth, to not let us walk in our own way, but Lord God, to go the way of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Father, I pray here this morning that you'll show the purpose, the benefit, the blessing of the promises of God to make us a holy people, that the promises are given, that your commitments are given, that all of your benefits and privileges, oh God, all of your provisions of Calvary are given to make us a holy people. You don't merely command us to be something.

You don't merely threaten or warn us if we lack to be it, but oh God, you come in all of your graciousness and your mercy and kindness. Lord God, you undertake by oath itself and covenant. Lord God, to make us such of what you've spoken us about.

And Lord God, you never call us to be what you do not promise to make us, to give us the power. And Lord God, to be power itself that we need to be changed into the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Bless your word to us and sanctify our minds, change our minds, renew our minds, wash our minds, renovate our minds.

Lord God, change us as a church that Christ might be revealed in our midst. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Our message here, we dealt with salvation and the promises of God last Sunday. On Wednesday night, we went further looking at this issue of faith by faith. The promises of God, you obtain them by faith.

How do you obtain them, make them work, fulfill them in your life? By faith, not your efforts, not your good works. You don't deserve, not one promise do you deserve. But by faith, we obtain, possess, inherit all the promises of God.

And all those promises like we dealt with in part one are in Christ. All the promises of God are in Christ Jesus. Thousands, tens of thousands of promises are yours in the Lord Jesus Christ.

It says here in 2 Peter 1, verse 4, whereby are given unto us, unto Christians, unto those in Christ, unto those that are born again, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. And notice in this verse, it tells you the reason. Why does God give precious promises? Why does He give so many exceedingly great? I mean beyond imagination, beyond comprehension.

Why does He write things in promises? Why does He undertake in promises? Why does He proclaim and write down many promises, which your little mind, your feeble understanding can hardly accept, hardly comprehend, and it'll take you a lifetime working these things out. Why does He give so many great promises? Well, it says here in this verse that by these, that by these, that by these, ye, you, you, you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. My message, holiness and the promises of God.

My first point here, I want to preach to you, God's will is your holiness. That is God's will. You ask me, what is God's will for my life? I know God's will for your life.

We've got people all over the church running to and fro trying to find God's will for your life, trying to find God's partner for you, God's plan for you, God's call for you, the right person to marry, the right man, the right woman, their whole life is caught up in that one singular goal. Do you know that could deceive you, burn you, hurt you, deceive you, lead you in a wrong direction? But I want to tell you, I know God's will for you. I don't need to prophesy over you.

I don't need to lay hands on you. I don't need to say, sayeth the Lord, I know infallibly the most important will for God, for your life. I can authoritatively say, I know what God wants for you this morning.

It is holiness. God's will is your holiness. Now some ignore and neglect the commands of scripture, and that's a danger.

When we come to speak about holiness, many neglect holiness in this hour. That's the emphasis of this hour. Holiness is neglected in the church of this generation.

You hardly find a holiness preacher, a holiness church, or a holiness Christian anymore. Most Christians in the church do not understand holiness. They emphasize grace and they run from holiness.

That's deception. That's a false teaching. And so they neglect the commands of scripture.

All through the New Testament, from the words of Paul, the words of Jesus, the words of Peter, there are commands, instruction. But today's church is allergic to commands. They say we're under grace.

We're free from all that. You're making us feel condemned. Those things are too heavy for us.

What they don't realize is they're saying no to the new covenant, no to the grace of God. They don't even understand the word of God. They think a command is law and a promise is grace.

But that actually is not true. You see, most today place an emphasis on the promises, at the neglect of commandments. They think you can take the promises and they misunderstand what a promise is.

They think a promise is God undertaken to give you lots of things. Do this for you, provide for you, but not what you're to become. I want to tell you this morning, I believe every promise in the Bible is connected to you becoming something, not you getting something from God, not you getting your own way, not you saying, I want, I want, I want like a spoiled baby or a very spoiled beagle dog at home.

I want to tell you, we live in an hour where people think the commands are heavy, a burden. They call it legalism. If you preach the will of God, the plan of God, the purpose of God, they talk about you being under law.

If you say, but the Bible says, and so that is an extreme and it's very dangerous. But the promises are given to us, not merely so we get something, but the God gets an inheritance out of us. He makes us into something.

People think I want the promises, not the commands. Then you don't understand the character of God, the word of God or salvation, because you can never separate commands from promises. Never, ever, ever.

As soon as you separate them, you've destroyed the word of God. And in fact, you're creating an idol that you're worshiping. You may ridicule and condemn a Catholic that bows down before an idol, kisses its feet or worships it.

You may condemn them, but I want to tell you amongst born again Christians, there's far more idolatry in this hour. We have created a Jesus of our own imagination. We leave out the bits we don't like.

We throw away that portion that we say doesn't embody what we think of who Jesus Christ is. And so I want you to see in this verse from 2 Peter chapter one, that we begin to see that the promises are essential to holiness. I want you to see how all of this fits together.

Look with me again, what it says here. It says that God has given us promises for a reason and a purpose. God has given exceeding great and precious promises for a reason.

You see, why does God give promises to make you holy? The whole emphasis of promises is your holiness, your purity, your cleansing, your sanctification. If you think promises have none to do with holiness, you don't even understand promises. Look what this verse says.

It says God has given promises that by these promises, you might be a partaker of the divine nature. I believe this is one of the most neglected scriptures in the Bible in this hour. That men don't even realize promises are given to make you holy, to make you sanctified, to make you Christ-like.

We think the commands are given for that, but not the promises. You're totally wrong. God has given us many promises and in these promises, they are so important because these promises are given that you might be a partaker of the divine nature.

God's will through the promises is that you partake of the divine nature of God. Let me break this down here for a moment. You as a Christian born again by God's grace, the promises are given that you might partake of the divine nature.

That word partake, it means to be a sharer with God, with Jesus Christ. You are a partaker. Are you sharing? You become a partner.

You're commonly sharing the same thing together. What is it? The divine nature, the character of God, the nature of who God is. So you and God himself are partakers together.

You're sharing in the same divine nature. I'm not preaching Mormonism or JWism or anything else. I'm preaching biblical Christianity.

A real Christian is a partaker of the divine nature of God. It means to be closely connected with, to associate with, to participate with, or to be in fellowship together around this thing, the divine nature of God, how God thinks, how God speaks, how God acts, the nature. What does nature mean? It's what you are.

My nature is something inwardly. It's my character, my nature, what I am fundamentally, what I am as a Christian. You see, if you're wicked in nature, you're not a Christian because that contradicts the divine nature of God, how you think, how you decide, what you are, what you desire is your nature.

And so the scripture here says, God has given us promises that you might partake, associate with, enter into fellowship with God in his divine nature. You become a partaker. You associate in the divine nature of God.

Who would deny the divine nature of Jesus Christ? Was God divine? Is he God manifest in the flesh? Is his nature godly and Christ-like and holy and pure? Well, you know what the Bible says, God gives promises so you can actually partake or enter into the divine nature of God. That means his nature becomes your nature. Godliness becomes your nature.

Christ-likeness, that you become holy or pure or obedient, or you live right. How are you gonna do that? Through the promises of God. God has given you his promises.

How? Why? To make you holy. Do you see how dangerous it is that a Christian can think, God gives me promises so I can be blessed. I can live my own life.

I can do my own thing. No guilt, no condemnation, no conviction, no burdens, no responsibilities. That isn't Christianity.

That is a perversion. Because you know what? God gives us remarkable promises so that we can partake of the divine nature of God. What does a Christian look like? Who's partaking, associating with, fellowshiping.

Do you know you need the promises of God? What are they? Where are they contained? In the Bible, in God's word, in the teachings, in the letters, in the Psalms, in the stories. God's promises are contained all through them. And then those promises are certain commitments that if you receive, meditate on, spend time in, believe, have faith in, that you're actually gonna become holy in nature, not by your own efforts, but by believing the word of God.

This is what it says here, that we are to become partakers of the divine nature. And look at verse four, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Either the promises of God are gonna draw you into the divine nature of God, or lust, fallen human lust is gonna draw you into the corruption of this world.

There's two powers in this world. Lust drawing you to destruction, or the promises of God drawing you, enticing you onto godliness. So we begin to see in this verse that the promises of God are given to you that you might be holy.

This is a purpose of the promises, not for you to get your own way, not for you to feel like it's easy going on me. I can just live as I want and I'm fine. God's promises are given that you might be holy.

They make you holy. Also that you might know that it is God's word for you, God's will for you to be holy. God gives us promises that you might know this.

Listen what it says in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 3, for this is the will of God. Do you wanna know God's will for you? I'm about to read it. It's infallible, written by the Holy Spirit to you.

For this is the will of God. Even your sanctification, being sanctified, made holy, that you should abstain from fornication. That means sexual sin outside of marriage.

Do you know there's so-called Christians think it's okay to sleep around? Sure, God understands. I'm under grace. I'll be forgiven.

That isn't God's will for you. That's the devil's will for you. That's perversion.

That's opposed to the will of God. It's got nothing to do with the promises of God or the grace of God. No one walking in the grace of God would do that.

No one enjoying the promises of God is gonna so twist the word of God to say, I can live like I want, but I've got rights to the promises of God. No, you do not. You destroy all the provisions of God.

Unholiness will steal the promises of God from you. Sin is very dangerous and destructive. It'll destroy all the provisions, all the blessings.

It is a thief. You know, we've often said and emphasized sin comes to steal. It'll take you further than you want to go.

You say, I can play with this and I'm in control. No, you are not. Sin is like a fire you take in your bosom.

Oh, I can hold it and enjoy it. You will burn yourself badly. And you know what? Sin always keeps you longer than you want to stay.

It'll take you further than you want to go. It'll take you to a place you would say, I would never go there. Yes, you will.

When you play with sin, sin is a very dangerous thing. And so the Bible says, the will of God for you is your sanctification. That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel or his body in sanctification and honor.

So that's the first thing that I really want you to say. God's will is your holiness. The promises are given that you might know the will of God, the plan of God, the provision of God.

That you might have faith that you can be made holy. Not faith in yourself, but faith in God. The promises are given saying, God has provided power to make you holy.

The promises are given to take your eyes off yourself. But I can't do it. I can't attain onto this.

This is too hard. I can't make myself holy. Okay, look at the promises.

Because the promises say time after time, I will make you holy. I will cleanse you. I will sanctify you.

I will make you a partaker of the divine nature. I will change you. I will conform you.

Do you know that before the world was created, God made a plan concerning you. If you're redeemed by the blood here this morning, if you're saved and born again, God made a plan before he created the moon, and the sun, and the stars, and the planets, and the universe, and the galaxies. Before he created any of that, he made a plan.

He said, I'm making a plan how to change you, to make you to become like Jesus Christ. Predestination. It's not something scary.

It's God's plan that he had before he ever saved you to say, I'm gonna make you like Jesus. You know, some of you are going, I don't have the ability to become holiness. You don't even spend time meditating on God's plan to make you holy.

You don't even consider that God predestinated. That if he justified you, there is a plan at work to change you. He's got a plan.

He'll use the situations in your work, and your trials, and your temptations, and your troubles. You're there saying, it's over. I can't do this.

You need to open your eyes this morning. See here, you're deceived this morning. You're deceived this morning.

If you're locked in such a quagmire pit saying, I can't be this. You're deceived this morning, and the devil's playing with your mind. Because the promises of God, as you begin to read them, he had a plan.

Then he not only has a plan, he has the power. He says, I will give you the power to change you. You look at yourself.

Why are you looking at yourself this morning? You look at yourself and say, but I don't have the power. Well, why do you think the promise talks about this power? Imagine the Lord calling me to do his work, and saying, I want you to go do that. It's going to cost a billion euros.

I don't have that. And he says, I'm calling you to do this. This is my call.

Go do it. And I'm going, sorry, Lord, I can't go because I don't have that. You've called me to it.

That's ridiculous. You know what I'm going to do? If he's called me to it and said I'm to do it, I go do it. It's the same with holiness.

The power is in me. Why do you sit still saying, I can't do this? Look to Jesus Christ, and you're going to see the power of God. Look what it says in 1 Peter 1, verse 14.

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as he which has called you is holy. Now, look at the calling he has in your life. He wouldn't have called you if he didn't have a plan to make you holy.

As he that has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation or lifestyle. Because it is written, be ye holy for I am holy. Peter is quoting the scripture.

At this point, he's not quoting from the New Testament. Where's he quoting from? Where's he quoting from? The Old Testament. He's actually quoting out of the law.

I'm sick to the back teeth of these Christians saying, we're not under law. We're not under law. That's in the law.

You don't know your Bible. Peter, the preacher of Pentecost, a preacher of grace. He is quoting the holiness of God.

God's nature is holy. You're called to be holy. And then he says, it is written, be ye holy for I am holy.

He's quoting from Leviticus chapter 11. Leviticus 19, Leviticus 20. When you get a New Testament apostle preaching on the character of God's holiness, calling you to be holy, he reaches back into that Levitical law.

He takes one scripture that's still applicable to the church and says, God is holy. Don't call that Old Testament. It's not.

And the requirement to be holy, Peter quotes it out of Leviticus. And he says, you, the church, be holy. You're called to be holy.

See, I'm tired of these people that play with the law of God, play with scripture, and they don't know what they're doing. They're cutting up the Bible. They don't know the law.

They don't know grace. They don't understand either. And they get confused.

They're calling the hippo a horse and the horse a hippo. I've seen it all over. We are seeing utter confusion in this hour.

You know, there's people who mock, including Obama in 2006, Barack Obama, as President of the United States. He went public to the nation, quoting Leviticus, talking about Christians, trying to undermine the Christian history of the nation because he hated it. As a smart aleck, he began to mock Leviticus.

Oh, what do you? And he was trying to defend homosexuality. He wanted to be the great proclaimer of homosexual rights. And he was the first.

He brought it right into center stage. You know what he done to defend homosexuality? Remember what it says in Leviticus 18, 22, Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind. It is an abomination.

So in order to destroy that first, he goes into the law and he says, Come on, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, you've got slavery. You've got shellfish. You've got stolen your child for being a rebel.

And then he attacked the Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament. He said, Come on, it's so radical. No one could follow that.

You've got men like this and that attitude. The same spirit is in the church of this generation. They hate the word of God.

They're confused on holiness and the will of God. I want to tell you, Leviticus does talk about homosexuality being an abomination. And listen, it also talks about in Leviticus 19, 28, You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you.

I am the Lord. Some Christians and preachers mock Leviticus saying, Hey, it's the new hour as far as homosexuality. Their bodies are being tattooed because they say we're not under law.

That's under law. I want to tell you, most Christians in this hour don't even understand law and grace. It is the great battlefield of the church and has been for 2,000 years.

And I'm telling you, we're going to hit our greatest hour concerning law and grace. What am I saying? Peter, that we're dealing with, takes us back into the Old Testament and says, It is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. The promises of God, the new covenant of grace is given by God to make you holy, to sanctify you.

So that's the first great point from this scripture. God's will is your holiness. The promises of God are given to show you, you can be holy.

It's his will that you be holy. He promises to make you holy. He provides what it takes to make you holy.

All you have to do is believe him, meditate on the word of God, spend time, renew your mind and say, Oh God, do it. I've never been condemned with true, strong preaching. Never in my entire life.

When I've sat in church, many times my heart gets pricked. Many times I've been convicted. Many times the word of God uncovered me.

I'll never forget the first school of Christ I sat under with Brother Clendenin. I hid myself under the table more than one time. I want to tell you, I was on my face groaning, but it never condemned me.

It convicted me. It never condemned me. And you know why I'm never condemned over those things? Even where I'm found lacking, I say, Lord, you wouldn't be speaking it if you aren't undertaken to do it in me.

Will you change me? Will you do that? I desire this. Oh, I'm not this yet. I'm not.

I'm in a process. Oh, there's so much ground to attain onto, but I want this. This is who I am.

This is my nature. This is my prayer. Lord, will you do it in me? Will you work it in me? I can't do this.

I love it where Brother Clendenin says, the Christian life isn't hard. It's impossible. And I go, amen.

Then, Lord, you come to do this in me. The second point, God's way to holiness is by his promises. Not only is his will holiness, but God's way to make you holy is by his promises.

He uses the promises. Look what it says. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.

The first word in verse 4, whereby, it means through which. So you have to look at what's in the previous verse. Verse 3 to understand verse 4. In verse 4, he says, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises.

Through which? Through what? How does he give you these great promises that are going to make you holy to escape this sinful world? Well, look at verse 3. Through the knowledge of him. The latter half of it. Through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue.

Do you see that? These promises of God are given through the knowledge of the one that's called you. Through knowing him. Through perceiving him.

That's where the promises come to you. The promises aren't things out there that you just pick and choose and go searching for. It comes out of the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Your redeemer. Your savior. The one who died on the cross.

The beloved of the father. It's through knowing him and fellowship with him and walking with him and worshiping him and desiring him. I know him.

I know Jesus. All these promises become yours that are going to carry you into holiness. Saints of God, you can't know this God.

Without the promises of God. The provisions of God being revealed unto you. You see, the knowledge of God is the source of everything we need.

To know God. To understand God. You're going to find every question is answered.

Every problem is rectified. Every need is supplied in the knowledge of God. The words know or knowledge are used 13 times in 2 Peter.

13 times. The word to know means personal experiential knowledge. It means to have this intimate experience of knowing God.

It's not intellectual. It's not merely reading words on a page. It's not understanding things with your mind.

To know God is an experience. A walk with him. Not mere theory.

This is walking out a life with God. And you know what? As you walk with God, as you know him, as you love him, you know what happens? He reveals his promises. You can't walk with God and not reveal his promises.

You cannot be in love with someone. I mean really in love with them. Going with them.

Engaged with them. Or married to them. You cannot have an intimate relationship with anyone without opening your heart.

And beginning to reveal things on the inside. You know what? To know someone. To know someone means their heart becomes open.

And begins to reveal promises, desires, commitments. Telling the other person, I want to do this for you. I desire to help you.

I want to bring you through. I can be there for you in this. That's what knowing someone.

That's what a relationship is. You cannot know God. You cannot walk with him without him saying, I want to help you with that issue in your life.

Saints of God, he's not trying to catch you out. He has come into a relationship to make you into something to conform you to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we see that God's way to holiness is by his promises.

So out of this true knowledge of God, look what it says at the beginning of verse 3. According as his divine power has given unto us all things. All things are yours. How? By his divine power.

Deity. He's God. He created the planets.

He created mankind. He designed the animal world. All power.

That's divine power. Divine power is you know everything. Almighty power.

You can do anything. And what the scripture is actually saying here, according as his divine power has given us all things. Do you believe this? This is a promise in scripture.

God's divine power has given you all things. Saints, this is what I was saying earlier. This is almost impossible for our minds.

If you know what's written here, it's almost impossible for you to accept this. Take it on board or really believe this. Because it's so phenomenal, so unbelievable, so outside of our experience that this God who has all power says, by my divine power, by my sovereign power, by my deity, I give you all things.

I give you everything you need. He's not talking about selfish things or a car or things of this world. He's talking about nature and holiness and righteousness and the fear of God.

And so here he undertakes, he says, I don't ask you to become something without giving power to accomplish it. Is there any command he gives that you think cannot be accomplished in you? Then you need to get your eyes on Jesus Christ. Do you realize he calls you to things? But he then undertakes to give you the power that it takes.

He has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. All things. Where's my car? Where's my house? Where's this? Where's that? Hold on.

That pertain to godliness. Do you want to be godly this morning? Do you want to be Christ-like this morning? Then God, by his sovereign power, gives you all things to make you godly. Do you hear me? When you don't know the promises of God, you don't even know this.

If you don't spend time in 2 Peter chapter 1, you won't even know this. That God undertakes with all of his power to give you everything. I mean everything in his power, in his sovereign deity.

He gives you everything in order to make you godly. Saints of God, you need to realize there's a great power. There's a great force.

There's a great will. There's a great provision that makes you holy. It's not left to your bank account.

Everyone is in this room. I would dare to say it because I know I'm guilty of it. We're all guilty of it at some place or some time.

We go to our own spiritual bank account and say, it's bankrupt. It's all, it's on red. I'm running on red all the time.

Saints of God, that's your bank account. But this car is minute drive on a divine source. There is a whole different realm of source.

You're looking at your little clock. You're looking at feeble humanity. You're looking at who you are and what you are.

And your abilities and your past experience. Why not lift your eyes? There is a God who says, I provide everything that you need for living godly in this life. And if you believe me, if you pray, if you meditate, you're going to see a great power break in on your life.

You know what the key to all of this is, is the promises of God. Do you see how you receive in walking with God, knowing God, the promises begin to open up. That's what God's doing right now in this message.

The second. Do you know what he's doing? He's opening up promises. And this sermon, he's going like this.

It's written there for anyone to read. There's my provision. Will you believe me? Do you want to struggle and fail trying yourself? Or this morning here, are you going to say the promises? Show me what God actually wants to do.

Not for someone else, but for me to make me godly. Divine power is dunamis. Holy ghost power.

You know, we always concentrate on the holy ghost power to operate the nine gifts. Or to speak in tongues on the day of Pentecost. That was dunamis.

The 120 speaking in tongues in the language of people. That's dunamis. You know what? They can't do that.

They can't speak those languages. They can't work miracles. Peter and John can't lift up the lame man and say, silver and gold have we none but whatsoever we have.

Give it on to you. Rise up and walk. Peter, you can't do that.

Peter, you're bankrupt. You're not a healer. But you know what? He tapped into the dunamis of God.

Some of you in this room, in your walk of holiness, you have not been looking at the dunamis of God. You're there trying to pull up blind men and deaf men and push people out of wheelchairs. There's no power.

That's what you're like in your holiness. And you go, see, it's not for today. There's no power.

It's not real. We all have to play a game here. We all have to pretend that we're doing pretty good.

I want to tell you there's a dunamis, a supernatural holy ghost power that we rarely draw on for our godliness. We're trying, we're trying, we're trying. We're drawing on ourselves.

Saints of God, it's time to stop. Look up to Jesus Christ, the dunamis power of God. Listen, it says, are given unto us promises.

Given. Do you know what given is in the Greek? It means he gives abundantly. He's almost throwing them at you.

He's actually coming into your house and pouring them out on the table. Remember when Ruth come back to Naomi's house and she'd been out there gleaning, some gleaning, gleaning. Are you kidding me? She's just footing around trying to get a few bits in the corner of a field.

You know what? She'd come back with a big garment filled. She comes in and dumps it all on the table. Naomi goes, where have you been? You didn't glean this.

No way. No, there was a certain man in that field. Boaz.

I'm telling you, do you know what? If you, you're going to be like Ruth. How come you're walking in purity and holiness? How come? Where did you get this power? Boaz. I wasn't there just gleaning in a field.

There is a dunamis power of the Holy Ghost coming down. Saints, it's all contained in the promises. Given unto you are the promises of God.

God has given you promises. You know, he's trying to convey. I want to do this for you.

It's like a sinner who isn't saved. They're looking on this and they hear this and go, I could never live the life. I couldn't be like that.

I couldn't change. I don't think like that. I don't desire like that.

That's not the issue. Do you want to be born again? Do you want forgiven of your sins? Will you allow God to change you? He will do all of that. Always looking for someone to say, let the power of God come and change me here today.

I can't change myself. I can't repent of myself. But God, I'm asking that the dunamis power, it's contained in the promise.

Does God promise to save you? Then he'll save you. He's not a liar. Does he promise to sanctify you and make you holy? He's not a liar.

He's not asked you to make the promise. He says, I promise to change you. But will you believe me? Will you receive the promise? Will you believe that I'm not a liar? I'm not making up a false Christianity that's unreal.

They create, see the promises of God. Do you know what they do? They create stepping stones for you to walk on. And as you begin to walk on the promises of God, step after step across the river, they begin leading you somewhere.

You find you can't go to the left and the right or you're in the water. So once you embark on this, you begin walking in a certain direction. And the promises of God lead you somewhere, all in the will of God.

And you know what? The promises of God always lead you to a walk of holiness in Christ Jesus. Because then the promises, you find commitments, his provisions. You find him with all of his power, making it available to you.

See, we haven't drawn on the resource of God. That's why we struggle so much. You would not and could not believe if it was not written down.

If I said, if I just, without the Bible said, God has undertaken and provided from all his divine power to give you everything for your holiness, your personal walk of holiness. You couldn't believe that if it wasn't written. It would be so far-fetched.

Listen, the promises to hide them in your heart will make you holy. Says in Psalm 119 verse 11, Thy word have I hid in mine heart. Then he gives the reason that I might not sin against thee.

Do you realize hiding God's word in your heart is a cure for sin? This isn't a joke. This is a man who knew what it was to sin against God. And he says, I had God's word in my heart so that I wouldn't sin against you.

There was a preacher in Northern Ireland. He died quite recently. He was an elderly man, great preacher, godly man.

And he set himself all through the years of ministry. He learned one scripture every single day of his life. One scripture every single day.

He memorized that and had it in his heart. And there's the reason why he said he'd done it. He said, the reason I learned a scripture a day was that I wouldn't sin against God.

Not for ministry, not for preaching, not for head knowledge. But he said, I hid the word of God every day. One scripture in my heart so that I wouldn't sin.

These are real things that we're dealing with. What about Joshua in the Old Testament? Joshua chapter one. Do you remember what God says to him? Says, I'm going to bless you.

Begins to tell him, I've given you the whole land. Everywhere you put your foot belongs to you. What are those? Those are promises.

I'm going to defeat all your enemies. I'm going to make you prosper. I'm going to make you blessed.

These are all the blessings of God. But listen, listen to what he said. Imagine making all these promises.

But here's the key. The book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth. But thou shalt meditate therein day and night.

That thou mayst observe to do it according to all that is therein. For then shalt thy way be prosperous. And then shalt thou have good success.

I'm telling you, many of yous and online are suffering for neglecting the word of God. If you spend a little bit of time, the time you ought to, replace certain things in your life. Don't dare travel in that car without listening to scripture.

Turn off the radio. You don't need it. Turn off YouTube.

You don't need it. Turn off documentaries and politics and news. Listen to the word of God.

Man, when you're shaving in the morning, every time you shave, five minutes, 10 minutes, whatever. Some of yous aren't. Your back's slidding.

You'll have to find something else to do in another place. Ladies, when you're doing your makeup, we have bountiful time, bountiful time. But we squeeze God out and say, I don't have any time.

I'm so busy. And you're a failure as a Christian. You hit a brick wall.

You fall flat on your face. And you come to the poor preacher, pastor and say, preacher, I don't understand what's going on. I just don't get it.

It works for everyone else and not me. I need to learn to ask more questions. It says in 2 Corinthians chapter 7, 1. Let's turn to this if you can.

2 Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 1. A very important scripture. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved. Do you see that? Dealing with the promises of God again.

Having, having. What's having mean? You have them. Sorry, I'm teaching you to suck eggs.

But I want you to think. Having means you have. Do you know why I'm saying that and not being funny? Because we don't even stop to think.

The scripture says, having therefore these promises. You have them. You possess them.

Dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Do you know what this verse says? Having these promises. In other words, certain promises that God makes to you are the basis, the foundation.

The promises create the foundation for you to go forward into holiness. Don't try to embark on holiness merely through the command. Be ye holy and try on.

No, you do it on the basis of the promise. All these promises have been given to you, dearly beloved loved ones. You're loved.

Hey, guess what this morning? God loves you. Don't forget it. He loves you.

He's trying to help you. He's trying to catch me out. No, he's not.

That's your fleshly, law-induced mind. He wants to help you. He says, I'm giving all this power.

You're neglecting it. You're neglecting my promises. You're neglecting my power.

You're forgetting what I say, and you're in such a quandary. I'm trying to help you. So he gives you promises.

Don't try to go forward into holiness without the promises. Don't do it. Don't start trying to cleanse yourself unless it's on the basis of promises.

In other words, God says, I will, I will. I want to do this. I'm going to do this.

Don't try to embark unless you've got God's word to say, I am going to do this. And to cleanse yourself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Don't do that unless you have the promises.

God's commitment, not your attempts. Do you see how subtle this is? How subtle. You suddenly move to go, I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying.

No, go to the promises. Get his word. Get his commitments.

And then start cleansing yourself. Deal with that issue and that issue. God, you promised.

God, you promised. This is a promise. God's going to cleanse me.

God is going to bring this idol down in my life. God is going to wash me. He's going to renew my mind.

Scripture after scripture after scripture. Go to war. Don't embark on holiness in your own power, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

If you go back just before to the end of 2 Corinthians 6, you see what the promises are on what agreement has the temple of God with idols. For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them.

Look at the promises. I will. I'm going to dwell in you.

I'm going to walk in you. Don't get many sermons on that. God walking in us.

Do you know what? That's a promise. You can go to prayer tonight and say, God, you said you'd walk in me. God, who created all things, who has all power.

You said you would walk in me. We need to learn to have faith in the promises of God. And I will be their God.

And they should be my people. Wherefore come I from among them. See how commands are connected to promises.

They're interlinked. Don't just take commands. Don't just take promises.

Don't try to obey the command without standing on the promise. Some of you are trying to obey the command and you're not being encouraged by the promise. You're not relying on God.

You're not praying and asking God to do it in you. So you try to separate yourself. You try to be clean.

You try to be his temple. But you're not saying, God, you said these are I wills. I will.

I will. I will. I will.

No bride ever had I wills like this. But we the church too. I will.

And look at the character of God behind it. Wherefore come I from among them. Then notice verse 18.

And I will be a father unto you. And you shall be my sons and daughters. And the Lord almighty.

Says in verse four. That by these, by the promises, you might be partakers of the divine nature. Please listen.

I could preach easily for another hour. And I'm going to stop in a couple of minutes. This is so important.

I beg you and beseech you. Give me your ears. Before I close.

Listen to what it says in verse four. By these, the promises. That ye might be partakers of the divine nature.

See that statement, ye might be, is one Greek word. I give you promises that you might be one word. Partakers of the divine nature.

And I would you enjoy, you associate. You're living out the divine character of God. Underline that.

Ye might be one Greek word. What is it? It's the Greek word genomi. It's the word for giving birth.

So here it means to become. Or to have birthed forth into existence where it didn't exist before. Do you know what God is saying here? I've given you promises.

Promises. That by these promises, you're literally going to become something you weren't before. As a Christian, it's not to a sinner he's saying this, but to a Christian.

I am going to make you become something that you aren't presently. But it's the promises that make you this. It's the promises that birth this forth.

See that word genomi. It's the same word used in 2 Thessalonians that I've mentioned many times. Remember about the Antichrist? Remember about last days? And it talks about until he be taken out of the way.

That's the word genomi. It doesn't mean anything taken out of the way. Look at the Greek.

I've said this many times. It doesn't mean being taken away. The word genomi used there concerning Antichrist means that he's going to be birthed forth in the midst of.

It's all about the context. 2 Thessalonians isn't about the church being removed. It is about the Antichrist being manifest and brought forth as a living person.

In the world seen physically, visibly. Okay, now don't get distracted on prophecy. Let me bring you back now to this verse.

Do you know what it's saying? I've given you all these promises to birth forth the nature of God in your life. I've given you amazing promises. Look what it says about the promises whereby are given unto us exceedingly great.

The word exceedingly great. He didn't just say great. If he just said promises, that's enough for me.

If he said great, that would be amazing. But he doesn't stop there. He says exceedingly great.

Do you know when he said these promises are exceedingly great? He means they reach the furthest boundaries. There's nothing greater. There's nothing remotely like them.

There's nothing comparable. And I've given you these promises. God has made promises to you that nothing on this earth is remotely can even come near to.

The word exceedingly great is mega ethos, mega, massive, incomparable, beyond any extent or imagination. Do you know why they're exceedingly great? Because they're divine. They come from God, not man.

Because they're certain. There's no doubt about them. Because they're eternal.

They'll never come to an end. Because they're exact. They fit your situation.

They're varied. There's promises about your salvation, for your trials, in the time of your temptation, for direction when you need it and you're going in circles and don't know what to do. God makes promises so that you can find your way.

He says, I will guide you. Why are you trying to find your own direction? I can't, I don't know what to do. Then why not seek him? I'll guide you with my eyes.

I used to indicate in the Psalms, green was always for guidance in the Bible. I just flick through. I'll guide you with my eyes, guide you with my hand.

I'll guide you continually. Those are promises to help you. Promises about consolation.

I'll be your refuge. I'll be your foundation. I'll be your strong tower.

I'll be your defense. I'll be your shield. I'll be your light.

I'll be your source. Saints of God, do you realize what the promises of God are for? But not only exceedingly great promises, they're called precious promises. That means they are valuable.

They are costly. They are highly prized. They are of genuine worth.

They're irreplaceable, incomparable, nothing. You can't even pay for one of the promises of God. None of you in this room have enough money to buy any one single promise in the Bible.

But through the blood of Jesus Christ, through faith in Christ, He says, I give them all to you in Jesus. All the promises to show you what I want to do in your life. And if you believe me and walk with me, what I'll do.

You don't have the power. I have the power. I have the provision.

I have the plan. I have the desire. I've got the infallible nature.

I'll never rest nor slumber. And if you allow me, I'm going to work this in your life. They're precious promises because He spoke them.

Because of what is spoken in them and because of who they're spoken by. Saints of God, will you stand with me here this morning? I pray, and this is my prayer at the beginning of this message, that the Spirit of God would open up unto you a whole new world of provision in the promises of God. The promises of God are to do with your godliness and your sanctification and becoming Christ-like.

And He makes commitment after commitment after commitment saying, I will, I will, I will, I will. And you have been struggling because you're looking at the commands and going, I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm struggling. I don't have the power.

I can't find the resource. I'm getting discouraged. I don't know what to do.

Maybe this morning you need to say, Lord, will you help me to look afresh at the promises of God, the character of God, the nature of God. And to see that the commands are interlocked with promises. He's given the promises to enable you to fulfill the command.

He never just tells you what to do, but He actually provides and says, I promise I will. Now go and do it. I'm telling you where to go, but I'm making all the provision and I bring all my power behind it.

Did I not save you? Did I not send my son, my only begotten son to die for you? And will I not do it if you allow me? This altar is open this morning. Let's come and pray. Let's just find a place.

Just as brother Soph leads us, just to kneel, just have a meeting with the Lord, speak to the Lord. Maybe you need to come and dedicate yourself afresh. Maybe you need a fresh start again.

Maybe you need to renew your mind. Maybe you need to see it afresh from God's perspective. Maybe the promises of God here this morning, in this one text, in these few verses, begin to open up something that you're missing, that you're not seeing.

And yet God says so clearly and distinctly that He gives you all of these promises that you might partake of His divine nature, that you might enjoy a life of godliness and holiness, of purity, of obedience in this world. Let's ask Him this morning, if you humble yourself, if you cry out for help, He's going to help you this morning. I promise you, on the basis of the word of God, if you ask Him, He will come suddenly.

He will help you. When you throw yourself at the feet of God, knowing that the power is of Him, knowing that the work is Him, it is Him that worketh in you, both to will and to do of His own good pleasure. You're to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

That's what you need to do this morning. But if you work out your salvation with fear and trembling before God, He will come and He will will within you. It's not just you willing or making the decision.

God promises that He will will in your heart. It's not left to you to make the decision. Just let God will in you and do in you.

This is the salvation of God, the power of God, the provision of God. Just let Him work mightily this morning. Living God, we desire you, we need you in this altar, in this church today.

Oh God, I pray, open the eyes of our understanding. Lord God, pour out your Holy Spirit on these lives. My God, create a new desire for holiness, for purity, for righteousness.

Lord God, by your covenant of grace, that you come and visit us anew to lead us into holiness again. Lord God, open the eyes of our understanding. Let us see the promises of God.

Let us hear the voice of our God saying, I will, I will, I will. I'll sanctify you. I'll cleanse you.

I'll wash you. I'll renew you. I'll establish you.

I'll anchor you. I'll make you to grow. My God, will you bring forth your commitments in this hour, the promises, the pledges.

Remind your children this morning in Jesus' name.