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Scripture Reading: 2 Pet. 1:3-11; 2 Cor. 12:9; Matt. 6:31-33; Phil. 4:19
I. The divine power of God — 2 Pet. 1:3:
А. Through our knowing the One who has called us by His own glory and virtue.
B. Having granted to us all things which relate to life and godliness:
1. Life being the inward divine supply — with God as life.
2. Godliness being the outward divine expression — God lived out.
II. The precious promises of the Lord — v. 4:
А. By His own glory and virtue.
B. The Lord having granted to us precious and exceedingly great promises.
C. That we having escaped the corruption which is in the world by lust.
D. That through these promises we might become partakers of the divine nature.
III. Our diligent cooperation — vv. 5-11:
А. Upon the seed of the equally precious faith allotted to us, through six steps, developing to the love which is God — vv. 1, 5-7.
B. Constituting us neither idle nor unfruitful — v. 8.
C. Making our calling and selection firm — v. 10.
D. Being richly and bountifully supplied to enter into the eternal kingdom of the Lord — v. 11.
This is a training message for the working brothers and sisters. When I was seeking before the Lord on your behalf, I felt that if the working brothers and sisters are to be adequately and properly participating in the church life, they need to receive the life supply continuously. What you need is not so much to do something, to learn something, or to bear some burdens. What you need is mainly to receive the life supply. If there is not the adequate supply to our physical life, it will be difficult for us to walk, not to mention to bear burdens. It is the same with our spiritual life. The most important thing is to obtain the life supply.
In the Bible there are many places that speak about God’s requirements. For example, there were the requirements of the laws in the Old Testament. However, due to the inability of man to keep the laws by himself, there is Christ as grace to supply us in the New Testament. Furthermore, the first book of the Gospels, the Gospel of Matthew, is not a book of supply but a book of requirements. Moreover, its requirements are higher than the requirements of the law; they are the kingdom requirements. Matthew 5, 6, and 7 show us that these kingdom requirements surpass the requirements of the law. The requirements of the law are of the letter, but the kingdom requirements are of life. Unless a person has the life of God, he will definitely not be able to keep them. This would be like asking a dog to live like a person; this is not feasible. If a dog is to work like a man and live like a man, then it must have the life of a man. Not only does it need to have the life of a man but also the life supply of a man. Hence, following Matthew, when you get to John, there are no more requirements but rather the supply. This shows us that the law requires, but grace supplies; the kingdom requires, but life supplies. The Lord came to be this life supply so that we can meet the requirements of the kingdom, live the kingdom life, be the kingdom people, and fulfill God’s eternal purpose on the earth.
The Bible fully presents to us these two matters of requirement and supply. There is no doubt that God requires of us, but God does not expect us to fulfill this requirement by ourselves. First, He requires of us in order to show us that we are not able. Then He comes into us to be our life in order to supply us so that we can meet His requirements and fulfill His eternal purpose. This is an ironclad principle in the Bible. Outwardly speaking, the church life is a requirement to us. It requires us to pay a price, but in reality we are enjoying, and we obtain Christ as our supply.
Besides the four Gospels and the book of Acts, the other twenty-two books in the New Testament tell us about the supply we enjoy in the church life so that we can satisfy God’s requirements. What we enjoy is Christ Himself, and this Christ is the embodiment of the Triune God. All the riches and the fullness of the Triune God dwell in Christ. Today this Christ is the life-giving Spirit within us to be our life for supplying us. Only by this life supply can we carry out our commission before God in order to satisfy God’s requirements.
There is a portion of the Word in 2 Peter 1 that is most fitting to the need of those who enjoy the Lord in the church life today. It says that the divine power of God has already granted to us all things related to life and godliness. Moreover, in order for us to enjoy this life and live out this godliness, He has also given to us the precious and exceedingly great promises. He did not only grant us life and godliness within, but He also granted us a new testament without. In this testament there is God, and there are the precious and exceedingly great promises. These promises tell us that although the requirements of our God are so high, He wants to completely fulfill them within us and upon us. Therefore, we do not have to bear a heavy burden or be worried about living the church life. All we need to do is enjoy the Lord in a simple way. Then however the Lord leads within us, we will just do it. There is just enjoyment and work with no laboring, heavy burdens, or worries. God’s supply always follows God’s requirement. If God has a requirement, He will also have the supply. This is an ironclad principle and is the clear teaching of the Bible.
All the ones sitting here are working saints. When I was young, I was also working. Because my background was poor, I had to work when I was a teenager. Afterward, I got saved, and because of the Lord’s calling and attracting, I was very happy being a Christian. Whether I was reading the Bible, praying, or preaching the gospel, I enjoyed it very much. But sometimes I read some words in the Bible that caused me to feel sad. For example, the Bible says, “You shall be holy because I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16). It also says, “You therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). In another place it says, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:27). I thought in my heart, “How can I be holy? How can I be perfect as my heavenly Father? To ask me to carry the cross to follow the Lord is an impossible task. However, I cannot just drop it and forget about it; it was not up to me to decide whether I should be a Christian.” Therefore, I was really sad and full of worry.
My Christian life was like this year after year. More and more I found myself to be no good. If we still have some hope for ourselves, it proves that we still consider ourselves to be all right. I finally reached a point where you may say that I knew myself thoroughly and realized that there was not even one bit of hope with me. I could not be holy, I could not follow the Lord, I could not overcome, I could not be spiritual, and I could not be perfect as God is perfect. I could not do it at all.
It was at this time that the light of the Bible enlightened me to see that God never said that we are all right. We are rotten to the core. It is impossible for us to be holy and perfect. When I was subdued, the life supply came. I saw that it was due to my being no good that I needed Jesus to be my life. Afterward, when I went to read the Bible, the situation was different. What had formerly been words of requirement in the Bible was all changed in my reading to become words of supply. As I was reading 2 Peter 1 when I was working in Manila about thirty years ago, I was greatly opened up to see that the divine power of God has already granted to us all things related to life and godliness. Life and godliness include sanctification, perfection, spirituality, overcoming, and all the requirements in the Bible. Therefore, we do not have to worry, because all these have already been granted to us.
I know that many working brothers and sisters, after finding a job, experience pressure from their boss, competition from their co-workers, plus the jealousy of the aggressive ones. It is indeed not a simple situation. Not only so, after marriage they will have a wife, and not long afterward they will have children. It is indeed troublesome. Although there is enjoyment in these things, they are not without troubles. What shall we do? This is just like Hymns, #841, which says,
Thou art all my life, Lord,
In me Thou dost live;
With Thee all God’s fulness
Thou to me dost give.
By Thy holy nature
I am sanctified,
By Thy resurrection,
Vict’ry is supplied.
The last stanza says,
I would cease completely
From my efforts vain,
Let Thy life transform me,
Full release to gain.
This is just like what the Bible shows us. The divine power of God has granted to us all things related to life and godliness. The sufficient life supply will meet all our needs. Therefore, we do not have to worry; we need only to draw on God’s supply by faith.
Second Peter 1 opens by saying that we have been allotted equally precious faith from God. Through this faith all the things related to life and godliness will become reality to us, and we will be led into this reality. The divine nature will also become the element of our Christian living and experience. Then holiness and perfection are not hard matters to us; even overcoming and being spiritual are very easy. This is like my sitting inside a 747 jumbo jet flying from Taipei to Los Angeles. I will get there after flying for fourteen hours. Actually, it is not I who am flying; I am merely enjoying. Similarly, what delivered Noah and his eight family members from the destruction by the flood was not Noah himself but the ark. The ark delivered them from the judgment of the flood, yet they themselves were inside enjoying God’s preparation.
Today our Christian life is also like this. Everything in Christ is an enjoyment. If we are not in Christ, our being a working one is a heavy burden. Marriage and rearing up children are all burdens. What a suffering it is! Therefore, we should not forget that the beginning of 2 Peter 1 tells us that the divine power of God has already granted to us all things related to life and godliness. God within us is our life, and He is also supplying us day by day.
The sad thing is that although we have Christ as the “747,” we often do not get into the plane. We have Christ as the ark, yet we often do not go in. We still try to use our own efforts and schemes, yet the result is that we bring to ourselves burdens and difficulties. Then how do we get into the spiritual “747”? How do we enter into the ark? As long as we are contacting Christ, it does not matter where we are or what time it is, because He belongs to us. First Corinthians 10:4 says that the Israelites in the Old Testament had a living rock following them, which was Christ. Today Christ as the real rock is following us. We may contact Him at any time. We may call on Him from our heart at any time, “O Lord Jesus!” Even though one call seems so simple, yet it is really something; we can get the deliverance. Just by our calling, we enjoy the Lord as life within, and we will manifest godliness without. When we call on Him unceasingly in this way, we do not see Him outwardly, yet in our spirit we can contact Him and enjoy our organic union with Him. By this He becomes our content and supply.
We have to realize that all our problems occur because our union with the Lord is broken. If the electricity stops in the day-to-day life, the lights, sound, and air conditioning will all be gone. We will not be able to do anything. But as long as the electricity is connected, all of these will be available. This is a very good illustration. Sometimes we may be wrong and may not be clear concerning the Lord’s leading. This is the result of our fellowship with the Lord being broken and of our having lost the joy and the peace within. I have had many human experiences and also a lot of difficulties. For example, I have many children and many grandchildren. All of these are burdens. So I have only one way, which is to contact the Lord and call on Him. As soon as I call, immediately I get the enjoyment and feel happy and peaceful.
The divine power of our God has already granted to us all things related to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). This granting is something living. It is like an electric current flowing into us. It was by this divine power that God called us. We were drawn like being caught by a fishing line. This is what it means for the Lord to call us by His own glory and virtue. From now on we are like a fish hooked and caught; we cannot run away any longer. This is the calling of God. It was the glory and virtue of God that captured us. Moreover, by this glory and virtue He granted to us precious and exceedingly great promises (v. 4). This word virtue in the original language means “excellency,” denoting the energy of life to overcome all obstacles and to carry out all excellent attributes. When we heard the gospel, were enlightened, and called on the Lord Jesus, there was something attracting us within, causing us to feel that the Lord is good, glorious, and excellent. This is the Lord’s virtue becoming our calling, through which He granted to us many promises.
We may say that every word of the entire New Testament is a promise. I have selected two of the more obvious portions. First, on the spiritual side, Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12 that he had a thorn in his flesh causing him to suffer. He prayed three times to the Lord that the thorn might depart from him. But the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness” (vv. 7-9). This shows us that the Lord’s grace and power were sufficient to sustain and supply Paul and bring him through these sufferings and difficulties. Therefore, Paul said that he would rather boast in his weaknesses so that the power of Christ might tabernacle over him. The original meaning of the word tabernacle here is “to fix a tent or a habitation upon.” This portrays the power of Christ, which is Christ Himself, being like a tent tabernacling over us, overshadowing our weaknesses.
Every time when we feel heavily burdened, we need to listen to the Lord’s voice saying, “My grace is sufficient for you. My power is perfected in weakness.” If we consider ourselves to be strong, then we will not be able to enjoy the Lord’s power. Therefore, our weakness is precious. It is due to our weaknesses that the Lord’s power has the ground to manifest itself and that we are able to enjoy His power. What a promise this is!
Concerning material things, the Lord said in Matthew 6, “Do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed? For all these things the Gentiles are anxiously seeking. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (vv. 31-33). Formerly, I always prayed to the Lord concerning my daily needs. But gradually I became clear about the Lord’s revelation. I do not need to pray for all these things; He knows all these things already, and He will take care of me as long as I seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. His kingdom is the church, and His righteousness is Christ.
As long as we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, whatever we might need, He will add to us. He will not only give us the kingdom and the righteousness but will also add to us whatever we need in our living, such as what we need to eat, drink, and clothe ourselves with. I have not yet seen a person who followed the Lord die of hunger or freezing. I have only seen those who love the Lord and experience the Lord being richly clothed and adequately fed. Therefore, we do not need to worry about our living, because this is altogether in His hand. We should do our duty and work diligently, experiencing the Lord as the overshadowing power within us. At the same time we should also believe that He will bear the responsibility regarding all our outward circumstances, daily needs, and financial arrangements.
Therefore, in the way we use our time, we should also have some arrangement. You work five and a half days a week. Each day, besides working, eating, and resting, there are at least two hours that can be used, plus half a day on Saturday and a whole day on the Lord’s Day. These times can be used for serving the Lord, for preaching the gospel by visiting people, for caring for the saints, or for attending home meetings, group meetings, or district meetings. Even if there are some who, because of family burdens, need to work two jobs, I absolutely believe that regardless of how busy they are during the week, they can set apart at least half a day to attend a meeting. This is altogether dependent on our feeling and our viewpoint toward things.
God’s creation follows a set of laws. If a person knows only to work, without adequate rest, then it will not be too long before he cannot make it anymore. Man also needs to have entertainment. According to my human experience, the best and the highest entertainment is to live the church life. The church life not only gives people joy and satisfaction but also uplifts the standard of morality of human beings. Although many worldly entertainments do afford pleasure, yet they may cause us to suffer loss, or even to be defiled by downgrading our morality. Only the church life causes us to be blessed. It is beneficial to our body, soul, and spirit. If in our whole life we do not practice the church life, love the Lord, and serve the Lord, then not only is there a great effect on ourselves, our family, and our children, but the loss we will suffer is beyond estimation.
God has already granted to us precious and exceedingly great promises so that we may escape the corruption which is in the world by lust. Then through these promises, we can partake of God’s nature and enjoy God’s essence, which is love. As long as we receive these promises of God, He can cause us to escape the corruption which is in the world by lust and to practice the church life in peace, enjoying Christ and being happy and joyful.
Dear brothers and sisters, I would speak a word of love to you. You should take the attitude that as long as there are clothes to wear and there is food to eat, you should be content and carry out your duty to practice the church life and enjoy Christ according to what you have learned and experienced. All the other things are in His hand; we do not need to plan for them. Because the worldly people do not have the Lord and His promises, they have to plan and worry for everything. But we have a Father in heaven who thinks about us and bears our responsibility. All we need is to live in His promises and do our duty, restfully and stably enjoying His presence and His divine essence. What a blessing this is!
Second Peter 1 continues by saying that we need to cooperate with God and work with God diligently. He has already allotted to us equally precious faith. We have to go forward to develop this faith, to supply in our faith virtue; and in virtue, knowledge; and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control, endurance; and in endurance, godliness; and in godliness, brotherly love; and in brotherly love, the love of God.
When we have such an enjoyment of God, these things will exist within us and abound. They will constitute us neither idle nor unfruitful. The Lord in John 15 said, “I am the vine; you are the branches” (v. 5). The branches are for fruit-bearing. Therefore, we need only to exercise the allotted faith so that the virtues of the divine life can be developed step by step to reach maturity unto the bearing of fruit to glorify God. This will cause our calling and selection to be steadfast. Eventually, we will obtain the rich and bountiful supply to enter into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the reward of the kingdom, the enjoyment of His kingship, and the joy with Him in the kingdom. These are the precious promises we received from the Lord and also the living we ought to have by the divine power of God.
