The Promises of God
A Sermon on 2 Peter 1:4
Originally preached Sept. 27, 1964
Scripture
4Whereby 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.
Sermon Description
All of Scripture is about the promises of God. What does this mean? In this sermon on 2 Peter 1:4 titled “The Promises of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the great truth of God’s promises given to His people. It is these divine promises from Genesis to Revelation wherein God tells that He will grant peace and blessings. How does God give Christians all these things? The answer is in the person of Christ Jesus. It is Jesus that gives all peace and happiness because it is He who saves from all sin. Sadly, many have mistaken the law of God for the promise itself, for the law looks forward to Jesus, but it is not the promise. The law brings condemnation on all because they are sinners. Jesus, however, delivers His people from sin and fulfills the entire law for them. The only question to ask is, “do you hope in the promise of God, namely Jesus Christ?” Those who die apart from Christ will never know the peace of God. There is no more pressing matter than belief in the great Savior, Jesus Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon focuses on 2 Peter 1:4 which speaks of the "exceeding great and precious promises" that God has given to believers.
- The promises were central to the lives of Old Testament saints like Abraham, Moses, and David. They endured trials because they believed the promises.
- The promises refer to God's purpose of salvation and redemption as revealed in Scripture. They point to paradise regained.
- Faith leads us to believe the promises. Faith gives us assurance of the promises and makes them real to us.
- The promises can be divided into ultimate promises (e.g. Christ's second coming, deliverance from corruption, partaking in the divine nature) and immediate promises (e.g. the Holy Spirit, God's provision, forgiveness of sins).
- The ultimate promises refer to Christ's second coming, deliverance from sin and corruption, and sharing in God's holiness and glory. They give us hope for the future.
- The immediate promises refer to God's presence, provision, and forgiveness in the present. They give us comfort and help us persevere.
- We should rejoice in the promises, be certain of them, and long for their fulfillment. They are meant to thrill our souls.
Sermon Q&A
What Are the Exceeding Great and Precious Promises According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
What are the "exceeding great and precious promises" that Peter refers to in 2 Peter 1:4?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the "exceeding great and precious promises" are God's pledges throughout Scripture concerning our redemption and ultimate restoration. These promises represent God's plan to take us from "paradise lost" to "paradise regained." They include the promise of Christ's coming, our complete deliverance from sin and corruption, and our becoming "partakers of the divine nature." As Lloyd-Jones states, "All the promises of God in him are yea, and in him are amen to the glory of God the Father. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all the promises of God."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe these promises as "precious" and "exceeding great"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that these promises are "precious" because of their immense value to believers - they are "priceless beyond any computation or any attempt at evaluation." They are "exceeding great" because of their scope and abundance. These promises are what sustained the saints throughout history during trials and persecutions. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes, "When the world has done its worst and has robbed them of everything, it was then perhaps that they found the greatest moments of their happiness, because then they realized, as never before, the exceeding, great and precious promises of God."
How do faith and the promises of God relate to each other according to the sermon?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, faith is the channel that links us to God's promises. He explains, "Faith is not something that ends in and of itself. Faith is a kind of channel that leads us to or links us to the promises and the riches of God's grace and glory." Faith makes the promises real to us. As he puts it, "Faith is that which enables a man to know that the promise of God is true and that it's sure that it'll never be broken. Faith is that which enables a man to see these promises so clearly that he says, I'll risk my whole life and eternal future upon it."
What does it mean to become "partakers of the divine nature" according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones clarifies that becoming "partakers of the divine nature" doesn't mean we become gods or partake of God's essence. Rather, it means "we are going to be sharers in, participators in and partakers of the holiness of God himself, his righteousness, his truth." It's the restoration of God's image in us that was lost in the Fall: "When God made men at the beginning, he made him in his own image and likeness. That's what we have forfeited in the fall. We haven't got it any longer, but we are going to have it back." It means being entirely holy, without "spot nor wrinkle, nor any such thing."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones categorize these promises for practical application?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones divides the promises into two categories: ultimate and immediate. The ultimate promises refer to Christ's second coming, our complete deliverance from sin and corruption, and our sharing in Christ's glory. The immediate promises are those that sustain us in our present life, including the promise of the Holy Spirit as our Comforter, God's abiding presence ("I will never leave thee nor forsake thee"), and the assurance of forgiveness when we fall into sin. Lloyd-Jones explains that "everything that is necessary to life and godliness is already provided for you" while we await the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises.
Other Sermons
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.