1275. Preservation and Perseverance

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Senior's intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services today.

That tradition continues with fervent biblical preaching from the University travel platform today on The Daily Platform were continuing a study series entitled our great salvation which is a study of the doctrine of salvation or so to reality today speaker's seminary professor, Dr. Layton Talbert Beach EU president Dr. Steve Pettit will introduce him this morning.

We are honored to have Dr. Layton Talbert who will be speaking is one of our seminary professors at the Bob Jones University seminary is talk courses like old and New Testament exposition, hermeneutics, New Testament theology apologetics in other courses is one of our favorite teachers in the seminary he's authored two books to outstanding books. The first beyond suffering discovering the message of Job and secondly not by chance chance learning to trust a sovereign God. He's written over 200 periodical articles, journal articles and book reviews and that he's always brought a fantastic message. And as we are coming close to finishing up the semester on our study of our great salvation. I believe it's been a help to many of you, I think today's message will be another outstanding challenge entitled preservation and perseverance. Dr. Talbert you open your Bibles please to first Peter chapter 1 and will begin reading in verse three Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and unfading reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith under salvation ready to be revealed in the last time the Ranger's material.

Logical reality is that this series is explored can really be divided pretty much the two major categories God's object of acts the things that God alone does in order to save us grace, atonement, propitiation, election calling regeneration justification and are subjective acts, the things that God commands us in order to save us. In order for us to be saved and that we are held responsible for repentance and faith. So, yeah, but those those two doesn't God also have to enable those as well are those in a sense something that God has to do while that's true, in a sense the New Testament does teach that. But the fact remains that God doesn't repent for us, he commands us to repent and holds us accountable when we won't go doesn't believe for us. He commands us to believe and holds us accountable when we won't.

On the other hand, God provides atonement for us. He doesn't command us to do that he provide propitiation force he doesn't command us to do that.

God calls an election regenerates and justifies not us. That's that's the point. That's the difference of two weeks ago. Dr. Oberlin took us into the doctrine assigned vacation. So where does that fit objective or subjective answers yes right side vacation is a process that combines both God's ongoing object of work in sanctifying us as well as our ongoing subjective obedience and growth in grace in our topic today is an extension of that same chemistry between God's activity and ours between God's promise to preserve and my responsibility to persevere and you can see it spelled out very plainly in the verse itself in verse five, you are kept by the power of God through faith this morning was for just a few minutes exploring God's preserving power and my persevering faith and obviously we barely have time to skim over the surface of this issue, but if you want to do some further reading in this area.

There are couple of recommendations you can jot down preservation is fairly clear. I think most of us actually door the Peter uses here literally means to keep secure, it can be used of keeping a prisoner in jail to to keep under guard, but it can also be used with reference to something like a treasure to keep safe to safe guard to secure to protect is a safeguard, protect, does that mean that nothing hurtful or harmful will ever happen to me while yeah actually it does nothing lastingly hurtful. Nothing ultimately harmful you said and some very reassuring well all I can say is, and you need to start thinking the way God teaches us to think about time and eternity and the fact is Peter's not trying to hide anything from us about the potential for suffering. Looking at verse five.

You are kept by the power of God under salvation. That's final ultimate eternal deliverance ready to be rebate revealed in the last time and in that salvation you greatly rejoice, though now for a season if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations or manifold trials that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold parishes. Even though your faith be tried with fire. It might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ drop down to verse nine receiving the end of your faith.

Even the salvation of your work, just briefly on that because I think sometimes when we read language like that in our Bibles about heaven and about the salvation of our souls that there is a disconnect between what we envision and what God is actually saying what God actually means because your soul isn't just some ethereal, immaterial, shadowy leftover part of you.

Once your body is gone. Your soul is the whole real you in your entirety. All of you. You are a soul your mind your emotion, your will, your spirit and your body. All that is part of the biblical teaching of what a soul is because the New Testament teaches that salvation includes resurrection and glorification and eternal existence in a very real, very material very physical body forever just like Jesus, I think, are scripturally underinformed imagination sometimes cheat us of that reality. When we think about heaven and eternity, and our soul's.

That's a doctor who wants to be preaching about in the final message of this chapel series and I want to get in trouble for poaching on his property so what were we talking about preservation K Peter points out verse four that believers have an inheritance and in decaying, undefiled, unfading inheritance, reserved in heaven, but as one writer points out, it's not much use to carefully preserve an inheritance. If the air is not going to live to receive it. So in view of the tribulations of their facing.

Peter reassures his readers that they are being kept safely by God, by the power of God. The inheritance is reserved for them and their being preserved for the inheritance. But then Peter adds this in verse five. Believers are kept through faith were kept by the power of God, but were also Through our faith. Both of those are tied together right there in the text both of those are essential elements of the formula.

You can't remove one or the other water equals hydrogen plus oxygen unless both those elements are our present and bonded. There is no water salvation. Verses five and nine. What is talking about equals God's preservation and my perseverance unless both those elements are there and present and bonded. There is no salvation. So how exactly are they bonded what you could say it this way, God's preservation enables your perseverance and your perseverance is the evidence that God is preserving you. So let's explore the second half of that formula a little bit more human perseverance and there are plenty of passages that don't just included. They actually emphasize it. Although that emphasis may kind of go biased sometimes and some of these passages on to mention just three first Corinthians 15 moreover brethren I declare to you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand. By which also you are saved, if you keep in memory come back to that if you keep in memory what I preached in the EULA. Unless you have believed in vain. Most of the translations that you're looking at capture this idea of holding fast by this gospel you are saved, if you hold fast what I preached to you theirs and if there and there's a continuation implied there. Colossians chapter 1 and you, that were previously alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled to present you holy and unblamable and and were provable in his sight.

If you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard Hebrews 3 where brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. For we have become partakers of Christ.

If we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, the Lord's faith secures salvation because God guarantees what he promises in the evidence of saving faith is perseverance are perseverance doesn't save us. It simply proves that God is saving us perseverance doesn't mean sinlessness doesn't necessarily mean immunity from serious sin doesn't even necessarily mean total permanent victory over besetting sins.

Perseverance simply means continuation, continuation in a direction persistence in a persuasion persistence in a pursuit because saving faith isn't just a static event like a birthday party where you get stuff and then it's over. It's a relational change of life event like a wedding where you actually enter into a relationship. In fact, that's a metaphor that God uses for the nature of his relationship with his people. Saving faith isn't an end that's done got that taken care of.

Now I can go on to other things like a marriage saving faith is a beginning it's the beginning of following Christ and becoming more like Christ. That's why Peter says what he does in his second epistle, would you turn over just a couple of pages are user thumb a little bit on your electronic Bible. That's were to using a look at second Peter chapter 1 Dr. Oberlin brought us to the doorstep of this passage two weeks ago I wanted just take us walk us through the door that Peter opens here. Second Peter when I will start in verse two that were headed a little bit later than that grace and peace be multiplied and you and the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who has called us to glory and virtue by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Now verse five, but also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge. Knowledge, self-control, and self-control patients or the work to be translated.

Perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness to brotherly kindness, love how you do that.

Hey just add something like moral excellence. I just add self-control to your life, your faith, honey, just add perseverance, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, godliness, love how you just add those things you do that the New Testament elsewhere specifically identify some of these as part of the fruit of the spirit, something the spirit of God has to produce. So how can Peter say just go add these things to your life. Some of the translations you're looking at may read something like furnish instead of add or supplement or supply that moves us. I think in the right direction of what Peter is getting at with the term that he uses because the word Peter uses here actually had reference to what a wealthy patron would do when a theatrical group. For instance, would come to a town and want to put on a production in one of the ancient amphitheaters like the one you're looking at now this happens to be at Caesarea Maritime on the Mediterranean coast of Israel what he would do is furnish the money for the production for the for the props for the actors for the costumes today we call somebody that does something like that.

A sponsor of the production and put it more bluntly there that what they're doing is bankrolling the production. The sponsor isn't in the production. These are the one going on stage and actually performing he's not.

He's not doing the production there just bankrolling it there doing what's necessary to make the production possible and no sponsor wanted a reputation for putting on a cheap chintzy shoestring budget kind of production they tended to come up compete with each other and outdo each other and extravagant provision for these things abundantly supplying is the idea of the term here so it's Peter saying because you can't just add self-control or godliness or love to your life like you would add a can of tomato soup to your shopping cart, but you can bankroll their production by abundantly supplying to the spirit of God, every opportunity to work these things in your life you can furnish the means by which God accomplishes these things in your life how by investing in what the Scripture with theology also is identified as means of grace by spending, not money, but time being regularly in the word of God because that's the means he uses to produce these things by spending but by seeking God's face in prayer asking him to produce these things in you because ultimately he's the only one that can by spending the time, sometimes maybe the money to expose yourself to Christian literature that motivates you to pursue these kinds of Christian versus virtues by putting yourself in the kind of church and the kinds of relationships that are conducive to that foster your growth in godliness. In his book essential virtues, which is an extended study of this passage in second Peter chapter 1 Dr. Jim Berg describes Peter's command in verse five as cultivating the conditions for these things to be grown in our lives.

That's what Peter is talking about. So Mitch is a metaphor just a moment. I've been investing a fair amount of time in a fair amount of money over the last few weeks preparing my garden for the summer. Moving the rich compost for my compost piles into my garden beds and tilling it in the soil and adding per fertilizer and so forth. Another was doing everything I can to ensure a richer, more abundant harvest of tomatoes and potatoes and beans and corn and cucumbers to make dill pickles and sweet pickles which I make every summer. The fact is I can't make any of that stuff grow. I can't if I just throw all the seeds out in my front yard onto the unfilled surface of that hard orange clay that people around here call soil. Guess what I get single thing I already get out of my front lawn, crabgrass dandelions, while violets about a dozen of the rezoning of the names for I might get a little pathetic corn thing that starts to sprout. I make it a couple of bean plants that start described.

I'm not to get any harvest.

If the soil isn't prepared, but if I compost and cultivate and fertilize and prepare the soil and then sow the seed I'm still not the one making it grow. I can't do anything to make it grow even in my garden. Only God can do that but I can do a lot I can invest a lot. I can bankroll a lot to provide an environment that is conducive to growth.

I can't do anything to make these Christian virtues grow in my life. Only God can do that but I can do a lot to sponsor to supply to cultivate an environment that is conducive to their growth. That's what Peter is talking about. Or I can do nothing and Peter will talk about that in a moment as well.

But another word for what is talking about is sanctification. Another word for what is talking about is continuation perseverance because those are inextricably connected now is he see next verse eight for if these things be in you and abound, they make you usually the be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, your knowledge of Christ is supposed to grow and produce fruit in your life is not just static mental data verse nine but he that lack of these things is blind and cannot see a far off and have forgotten that he was purged from his old sins uses a well at least he was purged from his old sins that that has to mean that even if he's not persevering, he still has to be preserved. Right.

That's not Peter's conclusion. Look at verse 10. Wherefore the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things shall never fall.

We talked in the series about calling and election gracious acts of God in salvation, but you can validate the reality of your calling and election fact, Peter positively charges us to validate the reality of our calling and election by seeing to it that we are cultivating our lives for God to grow these Christlike qualities in us. This is a relationship, a lifelong one and the promise that God attaches to this is astonishing. Look at verse 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you. So I'm behind on my slides area paying attention to my little codes here for someone entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Guess what that word supplied is same words or five because God is not the one making this entrance we are but he's going to furnish he's going to bankroll he's going to lavishly supply everything necessary to make entrance into his presence into that incorruptible, undefiled, unfading inheritance. A spectacular production beyond anything you can imagine. You will be jaw dropping league's done at the lavishness of the stage. God sets for your entrance into his presence, you will weep for joy and for overwhelming beauty and for the embarrassing undeserved fitness of your will come into his presence.

Imagine Bunyan's description of heaven at the end of Pilgrim's progress. When children actually goes into the celestial city.

Add to that CS Lewis's description at the end of the last battle pull in you a latte day assigned by a million voices and you're not even close to what it's good be like because Paul puts it this way. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, neither has it entered into any human heart.

What God has prepared for those who love him. We spent most of our time at the feet of Peter this morning and is not surprising that he was the Holy Spirit's choice to give us some of the most important passages on the swing twin teachings of preservation and perseverance are close with asking to consider a brief tale of two disciples, Judas and Peter were in the middle of Easter week when both of those men distinguished themselves in surprisingly similar ways. Judas knew Jesus heard Jesus follow Jesus for three years, but in the end he betrayed Jesus for personal gain regretted even despaired to the point of suicide but he never returned to Christ or continued in the knowledge that he had instead he became the New Testament's most notable example of what it means to be an apostate one know what the opposite of perseverance is. That's it.

It's apostasy Peter to knew Jesus heard Jesus followed Jesus for three years and on the same night that Judas left to act out his betrayal of the Lord. Peter was the object of Christ's warning, you will deny me thrice, but he was also the object of Christ's interest, sensory preservation, you will deny me thrice but I have prayed for you. It's a singular pronoun.

I've prayed for you in particular Peter that your faith fail not. And when you have turned back around again, strengthen your brethren. It was Peter an hour of intense pressure who fell so low as to deny that he even knew who this Jesus of Nazareth was when that hour was over he went out and wept bitterly, and he was the disciple whom Jesus after his resurrection specified by name go until my disciples and Peter.

Peter knew what it was to struggle to falter to fail miserably to question his own genuineness but to continue after Christ and to return to Christ and to find forgiveness and restoration.

Peter fell, but Peter persevered because Christ was interceding for him and preserving him in the proof that Christ was preserving him is that he persevered. Wouldn't it be awesome if you knew if you knew that Jesus was praying that way for you that your faith would not fail for your preservation. If you're Christ's. If you have come to God through him, and repented and put your faith in him to become a disciple, a follower a continue work.

He is he is praying for you is interceding for you just like he did for Peter read the verse it's right there, just like he prayed for Peter that night. He prays for you he preserves you to persevere in following him so your hope. Our hope is to cling to Christ and to follow him all our life that is what it means to be a Christian right board. When we consider what you have done to save us. It is astonishing the condescension, the self-sacrifice board will reconsider what you will do and welcome it welcoming us into your presence. It is astonishing the things that you have promised to those who love you, who follow you. We freely admit because of your gracious working in our lives. Help us, O God, to be confident in your preservation by your power and to persevere in following you. All of our lives. We pray in Jesus name, amen. You been listening to a sermon preached by seminary professor, Dr. Layton Talbert thanks for listening and join us again next week for the final sermon in this series are great salvation on The Daily Platform