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The Book of Second Peter: Message Two
By Dr. Michael Guido, D.D.
Last week I had dinner with a
famous judge in Washington, D.C. Wanting to impress his boys, he
said, "There's the Speaker of the House, I know him. And
there's the Congressman from the first district of Georgia, I know
him." But one boy asked, "Yes, Dad, but do they know
you?" Do you know the Lord, and does the Lord know you? Let's
turn to 2nd Peter 1:2 and get to know him better.
Mark the favor. It's found in one
word - a word that brings pardon for every sin, strength for every
trial, healing for every spiritual sickness; and that word is grace.
"What's grace?" you ask. It's God Himself. You might as
well try to describe God as to describe grace. But let me bring out
two things about this grace. It's ennobling grace. The Bible says,
"By grace are ye saved." "It lifts us out of the
slavery of sin," testifies Hyman Appleman, "into the
sonship of salvation. It lifts us out of the degradation of Satan's
labor into the delight of the Savior's love. It lifts us out of the
bondage of endless fear into the bounty of eternal favor. It strips
us of the rags of transgression and clothes us with the robes of
triumph." This grace is empowering. That's what Jude meant when
he said, "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from
falling." That's what Paul meant when he said, "I can do
all things through Christ who strengtheneth me." The Lord
doesn't love us and then leave us. He doesn't deliver us and then
depart from us. By day and by night He's with us to guide us and
guard us. There's no prayer too hard for Him to answer. There's no
need too great for Him to supply. There's no passion too strong for
Him to subdue. There's no temptation too strong for Him to overcome.
Just let go and let God have His way with you, and you'll find that
His grace is sufficient.
"Beyond my greatest asking,
beyond my deepest need,
My Lord's abundance standeth, my
hungering soul to feed.
"From out His ocean's
fullness, a few scant drops I take,
When God hath freely promised 'all
things' for Jesus' sake.
"Oh help me, blessed Jesus,
now to appropriate
The fullness of Thy mercy for
Thine own glory's sake."
Mark the fruit. It's found in the
word "peace." Disobedience always brings a disturbance,
and so does doubt. Wickedness always brings woe, and so does worry.
But Jesus, because of His groundless grace took your place, assumed
your guilt, and died your death on the cross. He gave Himself to
cancel and cover your sins. When you receive Him as your Savior you
can say with the Bible, I "have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins." Then, because you've taken His
pardon, you may take His peace; for the Bible adds, "Being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ." But our Lord doesn't stop there. He adds assurance to
assurance by saying, "The peace of God, ..., shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." O, the devil will come
to you and say, "You're not saved. Your sins are too foul to be
forgiven." He'll try to make you doubt. But you can overcome
the devil and your doubt by saying, "I have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins." Then he'll try to make you
despair. But you can overcome that wicked one and your worries by
calling to mind that our Lord said, "I will never fail you nor
forsake you." He's the omnipotent One, and nothing can overcome
Him. He's the omniscient One, and nothing can take Him by surprise
or find Him insufficient. And He's the One who gives you His
presence and peace.
Mark the formula. It's written in
2nd Peter 1:2, "Grace and peace be multiplied unto
you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord." Do
you want more of His grace and peace? Then learn to know Him better.
How? Through His word. She was a woman of nervous temperament, and
her troubles threatened her strength and her soul. Weak and worried,
she consulted a famous doctor. After a careful examination, he said,
"Madam, what you need is to read your Bible more. Go home and
read your Bible an hour a day. Then come back to me a month from
today." She protested, but he opened the door for her to leave.
At first she was angry, but his prescription wasn't expensive, so
she thought she'd try it. Besides, it had been a long time since she
had read the Bible regularly. After following his prescription for a
month she returned. "Well," he said smiling, "I see
you're an obedient patient. Do you feel as if you need any medicine
now?" "No, doctor," she confessed, "I feel like
a different person." "Madam," he replied, "if I
were to omit my daily reading of the Bible I'd lose my greatest
source of strength and skill. Your case called not for medicine, but
for the source of peace, and strength, and comfort." That
doctor has gone home to heaven, but his prescription remains. Try
it, won't you?
copyright 2000 Guido
Evangelistic Association
All Scripture
verses are quoted from the New King James Version..
Click here to go to the next message in this Sower
Scripture Study on the book of Second Peter.
This series of
messages on the books of the Bible were originally
written for broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program,
"The Sower." They are collected and
reprinted here for your enjoyment and spiritual
edification.
