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Sermon #5736

Preciousness of Faith

A Sermon on 2 Peter 1:1

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Scripture

2 Peter 1:1 ESV KJV
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: (ESV)

Sermon Description

How will a Christian stand fast in the midst of trials, and not be discouraged by the continued attacks on Christianity and how few people are following the Lord? In this sermon on 1 Peter 1:1 titled “Preciousness of Faith,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains how believers can honor the Lord and hold fast to His word in the midst of persecution. Often when Christians are in the midst of hard times, they tend to think that they need something new to help them out of the rut they are in. However, Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that they need to grasp what they already believe—that God is all-powerful and that their salvation is precious. In this passage, Peter describes faith as precious for a couple of reasons. First, it is rare—many believers are discouraged when they see how many people are not Christians when instead they should be rejoicing that they are part of His family. Instead of counting heads, Christians should look to the character of the few. Second, it is rare because it cost God His own Son. Third, it gives so many blessings—forgiveness of sins, being partakers of the divine nature, companionship, and more. The Christian faith is the most precious thing in the universe, and this alone is a magnificent truth they can stand on in the midst of hard times.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. Peter is writing to encourage Christians who have become discouraged and unhappy in their faith.
  2. One reason for their discouragement is that they have become slack and negligent in their faith. They have failed to continue growing in faith and knowledge.
  3. Another reason is that false teachers have been teaching them wrong doctrine and leading them into sinful living. This has upset their faith.
  4. Peter reminds them that they do not need any new message or gospel. They simply need to remember what they have already been taught.
  5. Peter calls their faith “precious” because of how they obtained it - as a gift from God through His grace, not by their own works or efforts.
  6. Their faith is precious because of who gave it to them - God Himself at the cost of the sacrifice of His Son.
  7. Their faith is precious because it is rare and scarce. While few people find the way of faith, they have been chosen by God to receive this gift.
  8. The character of the few with faith also makes it precious. Their faith is the same as that of the apostles and great heroes of the faith. They belong to that noble company.
  9. Their faith is precious because of what it gives them - forgiveness of sins, adoption as children of God, escape from the corruption of the world, access to God, and entrance into the eternal kingdom.
  10. Christians should rejoice in their precious faith and share it with others. Their joy and confidence in God should draw others to faith.

Sermon Q&A

What Did Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Mean by "Precious Faith"?

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes faith as "precious" for several important reasons. His sermon explains why Christians should value their faith above all else.

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say that faith is precious?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, faith is precious because:

  1. It is obtained, not earned - "Not one of us has got faith this morning as the result of our own efforts or our own endeavors. None of us is a Christian because we are good people, are better than somebody else."

  2. It comes from God Himself - "God has chosen to give us this precious gift. That's why we're here. That's why we're Christians. Nothing in us, nothing we've done."

  3. It cost God greatly - "To give us the gift of faith has cost God, even God, more than anything... in order to give us the gift of faith, it cost God to sacrifice his only begotten son."

  4. It is rare and scarce - "In an age of darkness, godlessness, vileness such as this, that we belong to this small company who have received from God himself the gift of faith."

  5. It connects us to noble company - "You belong to the select circle, the noblest people, the most wonderful people the world has ever known... the category of the apostles."

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "obtained" faith?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the word "obtained" in the Scripture carries a specific meaning:

"This word translated here by 'obtained' is a very interesting word. According to these learned authorities, this word, as used in the Greek, was a word that can be traced back in its origin to the idea of what was called casting lots."

This means that faith comes to us not through our own doing but through something outside ourselves - it's given to us by God's choice, like how a lot is cast to decide something. It's entirely a gift, not something we earn or create ourselves.

What benefits does faith provide according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes faith as "the golden key that God gives his children which unlocks the door" to God's treasures. These benefits include:

  1. Forgiveness of sins - "You know that alone is of greater value than the whole universe."

  2. Becoming a child of God - "You become a child of God... partaker of the divine nature."

  3. Escape from worldly corruption - "As Christians and by faith, we've been delivered from the corruption and the pollution."

  4. Access to God - "The companionship of the boy... Access to God, wherever you are."

  5. An abundant entrance into heaven - "The Christian doesn't merely shuffle out of this world... An abundant entrance shall be administered unto you into the everlasting kingdom."

Why were the Christians in Peter's letter discouraged?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, these early Christians were discouraged for several reasons:

  1. Their own negligence - "They themselves had been somewhat slack and negligent... the temptation to believe and to think that having believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, we have nothing more to do."

  2. False teachers - "Certain false teachers had been upsetting these people and they had been saying that the Lord Jesus Christ was only a man."

  3. Denial of key doctrines - "These false teachers were not only denying the person of our Lord, they were denying his atoning death as the only means of salvation."

  4. Scoffers mocking their hope - "There shall come in the last days scoffers walking in their own lust and saying, where is the promise of his coming?"

Itinerant Preaching

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.