Calvary Bible Church - Pastor Ken’s Weblog

Passage for Sunday, June 1, 2008

II Peter 3: “Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this `coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

The Christian’s Hope, the Second Coming of Christ:

Part I “Scoffers”

This week we begin the final chapter of this letter of Peter’s to “those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours.” Though he probably didn’t realize it at the time he penned the words, he was writing to you and to me, if you have a “like precious faith” that is. The Spirit who “carried” him along as he wrote knew it, and as a result this letter is as contemporary today as it was almost 2000 years ago when he wrote it. The truths he presents are still true, the dangers as real and the promises just as sure, though most have been lingering unfulfilled for all that time. We get the impression that he intended for the letter to be read and preserved and reread from his statement in 1:12-15. “So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.” While we do not have the original autograph, the original letter, the Lord has miraculously preserved very accurate copies, and Peter’s desire is being fulfilled even today as we read and study this letter. In the first chapter, he pointed out the importance of our knowledge of God and Christ. He said first of all, in the second verse, that grace and peace are ours in abundance through our knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. How wonderful is that? He then pointed out that it is through our knowledge of God that we are given “everything we need for life and godliness.” Amazing! I just can’t seem to get enough of that statement! We get off-track, and think it’s jobs and paychecks and other people and position and things that bring us what we need for life, but we’re looking at a wrong perspective of life when we attempt to gain it through those things. Remember Jesus words of wisdom from Matthew 6:31-33 “So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?’ or `What shall we drink?’ or `What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” What a great promise for us to remember and apply in our lives. The wisest man who ever lived said in Proverbs 10-23: “A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.”

Peter then said that knowledge is to be one of our character traits as we “make every effort” to become mature, effective and productive Christians. He reminded us that he wasn’t just making up clever stories like the false teachers, but that he and the other apostles were eye-witnesses of Jesus Christ’s ministry and majesty! He and James and John were privileged to “hear” the very voice of God as he pronounced a blessing on His Son and authenticated His divinity. Our knowledge too is to be that of experience, not simply “biblical facts” or information. Knowledge of the Bible is critical, but experiential knowledge of the God of the Bible, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that lines up with biblical truth, makes us effective and productive witnesses, just as it did those first believers. Knowledge of the Truth is also our chief line of defense against those who would distort the truth, the false teachers that Peter exposed for us in chapter two. As he closed out chapter one he reminded us that “…prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The false teachers he warns us of, those who are “among” us, deviate from truth, and are motivated by greed. But he says, their condemnation awaits and their destruction has not been sleeping. He reminds us in verse 13a of that second chapter that: “They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done.” Part of that payback he alludes to in verses 20-22: “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.” Peter is NOT speaking about the possibility of losing your salvation, but the increased accountability that knowledge of the truth and subsequent rejection of it brings. That brings us, finally, to today’s passage:

II Peter 3:1-2: “Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.” Wholesome thinking is a great antidote for mindless following after the wrong crowd or leader. Paul said to the Philippians in 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” It’s a major part of the solution Paul gives for us to break away from being conformed or “squeezed into” the pattern of this world in Romans 12:2a. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” We are to live lives that are visibly different from those who live immersed in the corruption of this world. Peter says he wants his writings to stir us up to wholesome thinking. Reminds me of the what the writer of Hebrews said in 10:24 ” And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Christianity is a “thinking man’s” religion, but it is also an active one. Peter points us again to the power and truth of the Old and New Testaments when he refers us to the “words” of the Holy Prophets and of the Lord as taught by the apostles. Peter places the OT prophets and the NT apostles on an equal plane. Both are vehicles of God’s sacred truth. Peter, being one of the apostles, speaks to us with knowledge and authority. His transformed life speaks to us as clearly as his writings.

He continues in Verses 3-7: “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.” (Sound just like the false teachers from chapter two, don’t they? Peter points out that these guys come, not seeking truth, but scoffing at it. Scoffers come scoffing. It’s what they do. And dogs return to their vomit and pigs to their wallowing in the mud. “They will say, “Where is this `coming’ He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.“ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” Ignoring the flood as a “divine intervention” was not an oversight; it was deliberate. They did not want to face up to the lie in their argument. Not much has changed, has it. They still don’t want to admit the flood happened, much less that it happened as a result of judgment at the hand of an Almighty and Holy God! But scripture tells a different story, and Peter points us back to scripture as our standard of truth. Turn with me back to the beginning. Genesis 1:1-3 ” In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” And then it all changed. Verse 3: “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” The “World” HATES that. By the very word of God the heavens existed and the earth was formed, as Peter said, out of water and by water. Look at verses 6-10: “And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning–the second day. And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.” God “said” let it happen, and it happened! Denying that it is true does not make it so. But it didn’t end there. Peter reminded them and us, that “By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.” The Noahic flood is a historical fact, not simply an old Bible story. (Although that’s good enough for me!) Genesis 6:17: “I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.” Peter said they deliberately forget that there has been a divine intervention; everything does not go on “as it has since the beginning of creation” like they claim! Seems like the Old Fisherman knew his Bible! Peter points out that it was the Word of God that brought about the Creation, it was at God’s word that the world was judged by the flood and: “By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” To quote one commentary: “The word of God that brought the world into existence and that brought watery destruction on the wicked of Noah’s day will bring fiery destruction on the world that exists today and on its wicked people.” God is in absolute control. All things come about according to His purpose and plan. One of my favorite Old Testament quotes is from Isaiah 46:8-10: “Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” See, that’s the God I serve, the God I fear. God said it, and Peter believes it! So do I! He said “I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets.” Ignore the false teachers and scoffers, listen to the Word of God.

Peter elaborates a little for us in Verses 8-10: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” The eternally existent One does not mark time like we do. He is outside of time. While it may seem as if judgment is not coming, the opposite is true. Paul said in Romans 13:11-12: “And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” The early Christians regarded the death and resurrection of Christ as the crucial events of history that began the last days. Since the next great event in God’s redemptive plan is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, “the night,” no matter how long chronologically it may last, is “nearly over.” The “Day” refers to the appearing of Jesus Christ at His second advent, which ushers in the consummation of the kingdom. If our final salvation is nearer now, so is the judgment of the wicked. Peter then gives us another glimpse of the incredible love that God has for His creation: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Here Peter shows us that God’s seeming delay in bringing about the consummation of all things is a result not of indifference but of patience in waiting for all who will come to repentance. But His patience has a limit, and Peter declares that to us emphatically in verse 10: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” Peter knew what he was talking about. Listen to this….”On March 5, 1979, nine U. S. satellites simultaneously radioed back to earth that a gamma radiation explosion occurred in a nearby galaxy known as N-49. This explosion lasted for only one-tenth of a second, but released more radiation than our sun does in 3,000 years. Doyle Evans, an astrophysicist at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratories in New Mexico, noted that had this explosion of energy occurred in our galaxy, it would have instantly vaporized the earth! Remember what Peter said? “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” Is this cause for fear? Not if we know this about Jesus Christ: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” These verses from Colossians Chapter One are the key to why planet earth and our solar system in its galaxy continues. Science has no convincing explanation as to why our planet stays together and why our whole solar system continues intact. The apostle Paul, writing in Colossians. 1:15-17, tells us that our magnificent Creator and Sustainer keeps it all together. He has a purpose and a plan. Peter said: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” This would be a great time for you to do just that, while you still have time! Don’t get caught with the scoffers

In His Grip,

Pastor Ken

Message for Sunday, May 11, 2008

Scripture Text: II Peter: 2  “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you”

“Crop Report”

Kind of a weird title for a Mother’s Day message isn’t it!   The text is even weirder, but that’s because this message is not a “Mother’s Day” message!  To be honest, I had the message selected before I realized it was going to be Mother’s Day when I gave it.  So Mom’s, don’t take this message personal unless it applies!  It’s a message for all of us, not just the Mom’s!  The last Sunday that I was here, before we went on vacation, we tackled the first three verses of this chapter, and Peter warned us that false teachers would be “among” us.  That is a sobering thought.  We expect them to be active out in the “world” and we do a pretty good job of identifying and avoiding them and their heretical teaching, but “among” us?  That’s an area we may not have thought much about, but hopefully will pay more attention to after heeding Peter’s warning.  He pointed out that “many will follow their shameful ways” which means we need to be on guard not just for ourselves but also for one another.   Some “among” us will want to follow false teachers.  Hypocritical liars paint a pretty picture, a kind of “you can have your cake and eat it too” spirituality.  But as we saw two weeks ago, when they deny the Word of God they deny the God of the Word!  Remember the quote from the prophet?  Jeremiah 5:30-31: “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way.  But what will you do in the end?” The problem is, some of God’s people do love it that way, as Jeremiah pointed out, and many times their churches are full, they have the appearance of success, even of God’s blessing.

Peter’s second observation or warning was that by their behavior, they “bring the way of truth into disrepute.”  Those who call themselves “Christian” but by their beliefs and actions deny it, harm not only themselves but also all who claim the name.  The watching world doesn’t discern between those who have and practice the truth and those who are apostate.  They lump us all in together, and every time sin is judged and brought out into the open, they feel justified in their distrust and avoidance of anything “Christian.”  Peter pointed out that false teachers are motivated by greed, either for the praise of men or for material wealth, and often both.  Peter also pointed out that they wouldn’t get away with it, at least not in the end.  Peter says their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.  God is watching, and will bring judgment.  Although delay makes it seem that they have escaped God’s judgment, destruction is a reality that is sure to come upon them.  We closed with Paul’s reminder from Galatians 6:7-8: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”  That brings us to the topic of our message today, “The Crop Report”.  Again, it’s those first three verses that give us the context.

“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.  They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them–bringing swift destruction on themselves.  Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.  In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.  Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.”  Peter then gives us some well-known examples of God’s judgment in the past, demonstrating that while their condemnation and judgment may be postponed, God’s patience has a limit.  One characteristic of God’s nature, that which makes Him God, is His immutability.  He does not change.  Malachi 3:6a “I the LORD do not change.” That’s about as clear as you can get.  Listen to this from Numbers 23:19: “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.  Does he speak and then not act?  Does he promise and not fulfill?”  He is also a God of justice.  His justice demands that sin be punished.  Nahum 1:3a “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished.”  To make his point, Peter then gives us a few examples of God bringing judgment in the past on those who deserved it.
Verses 4-9: “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)–if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.”   Here Peter gives us three examples.  First, because it was probably the first transgression, the first episode of sin, he speaks of the angels who joined Satan’s rebellion and sinned.  Understand that scripture does not clearly explain the specific sin of these angels, but it would appear it was the sin of rebellion against God’s plan and purpose.  One source said: “the sin referred to in this verse probably occurred before the fall of Adam and Eve.  The angels who fell became the devil and the evil angels, probably the demons and evil spirits referred to in the NT.”   God judged their sin, and “sent them to hell”, lit., “Tartarus”, a word used only here in the New Testament.  Tartarus was the term used by the Greeks to designate the place where the most wicked spirits were sent to be punished.  Why some evil angels are imprisoned and others are free to serve Satan as demons is another one of those things not explained in Scripture.  Their “sending” to hell is a process, evidently, and will be completed in the final judgment.  The logic Peter points to is that if God so punishes angels, surely He will not spare these false teachers.  He then points to one of, if not the most profound judgment leveled against mankind, the Noahic flood.  “if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others…..”

Here we first see God’s mercy in His judgment.  He brought the flood on those ungodly who deserved it, but spared righteous Noah and his family.  Genesis 6:5-11: “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.  The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.  So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth–men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air–for I am grieved that I have made them.”  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.   This is the account of Noah.  Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.  Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.  Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.  God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.”  We struggle to imagine how far man had fallen since creation.  We live in a sin-filled and sick world today, but this was even worse.  Listen to what Matthew Henry said as he describes man’s condition: “The wickedness of a people is great indeed when the most notorious sinners are men of renown among them.  Things are bad when bad men are not only honored notwithstanding their wickedness, but honored for their wickedness, and the vilest men exalted.  Wickedness is then great when great men are wicked.  Their wickedness was great, that is, abundance of sin was committed in all places, by all sorts of people; and such sin as was in its own nature most gross, and heinous, and provoking; it was committed daringly, and with a defiance of heaven, nor was any care taken by those that had power in their hands to restrain and punish it.  This God saw.”

We think we see the evil in the world around us, but much is hidden and takes place where we don’t attempt to go, but God sees it all, thoughts as well as actions, and will one day judge it.  It is almost beyond our comprehension, this world-wide enacting of justice.  We have no idea how many people perished.  We know no righteous persons did.  Of the entire population of the whole earth, 8 people were saved due to their righteousness.  Noah preached for 120 years while he built and fitted the ark, yet evidently only his family believed and were saved.  The point Peter makes is that they were saved!  God protected Noah and his family while passing judgment on the ungodly.  Today, people will say: “But what about the animals?  They didn’t sin.”  True, but they are animals.  If God had not destroyed the animals, Noah and his family would have been overrun by them, and that was not His plan!  God gave man dominion over the animals, and He protected that by sparing those who entered the ark with Noah and his family and destroying the rest.

One lesson we can learn from that is that the consequences of our disobedience can have widespread effects.  Then, as if to show that ungodliness didn’t die in the flood, Peter gives his third example, that of Sodom and Gomorrah and “righteous” Lot.   Verses 6-8: “…if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)”  You probably remember the story.  Abraham pleaded with God to spare the city for the sake of 10 righteous people.  (He started with 50, but bargained down to ten.  He knew his nephew Lot and his family lived there, and probably had hope they had been a positive influence on some of the people of that wicked city.)  So God agreed.  He said if there were 10 righteous people there, He would spare the city.  They found four.  Well, one evidently, and his family.  (I’ll be honest with you, I struggle with these verses describing Lot as a “righteous” man, but that’s a sermon for another day.  Ryrie gives this explanation, and it’ll have to do for now: “He was a righteous man in that he believed God and was vexed at the licentiousness of the wicked people about him, though his life was lived for himself.”  I have to simply trust that Peter, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, knew something about Lot that we miss as we read the account in Genesis 19.  (Fortunately, I don’t stand in judgment of him, God does, and God knows his heart.)   But again, the point is that God brought just punishment on the ungodly and rescued those He saw as deserving it.  And that’s Peter’s point in Verse 9: “–if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the Day of Judgment, while continuing their punishment.”  Peter says history demonstrates that God is paying attention and that He does deal with Saints and with Sinners according to what they deserve.  Peter reminds us that God’s goodness led him as forcibly to save Lot as his justice did to destroy the ungodly.  His goal is to show the people to whom he was writing that, although God would destroy the false teachers he had warned them about, God would also powerfully save his faithful servants from their wicked influence and from the destruction that would come on them.
This is a powerful promise for us, but we need to make sure we properly understand it.  God does not promise to prevent trials and temptations, but to rescue us in them!  Psalm 34:15-22:  “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.  The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.  The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.  A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.  Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.  The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.”  The Lord knows how to rescue godly men.  The key for you and me is to live a godly life!  That is our part, that and trusting Him to do His.  History demonstrates He will.  It also demonstrates we tend not to!   That’s one reason Peter reminds us that the Lord also knows how to hold the unrighteous for the Day of Judgment, while continuing their punishment.  Interesting statement there, “continuing” their punishment.  Sin is its own punishment.  It may seem exciting and fun, but the reality is far different, and God knows that full well.

Peter wraps this section up with a final warning for a specific group of people.  Verse 10a: “This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.”  Peter says God is a just God who punishes sin, especially that of following the corrupt desire of the “sinful nature” and despising authority.  In the context it would seem he is talking first of all primarily of sexual sin, homosexuality to be even more precise as evidenced by the example of Sodom and Gomorrah, but in reality any sexual sin.  Romans 8 sheds a little more light on following the desires of our flesh.   Romans 8:5-8:  “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God.  It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”  The question for you today is: On what do you have YOUR mind set?  What dominates your thought life?  The things of the world or the things of God?  Are you heading toward and focusing on “life and peace” or death?  It is a critical question that must be asked and honestly answered.  Romans is also a great place to go to see more details on what “despising authority” is all about.  Chapter 13, right?  (You knew I’d take ya there, didn’t ya!)  Actually, that’s probably not what Peter is talking about here, so today I want to have you listen to Titus instead.  You can do Romans 13 for your homework!  Titus 3:1-2: “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”

That gives us a glimpse, but I think Paul nails “despising authority” in his description of what people will be like in the “last days’ with these words from II Timothy 3:1-5: (I know I used this reference last time too, but like Peter said in verse 12 of chapter 1, “I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them…I think it is right to refresh your memory…”) Listen to Paul one more time for me: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God–having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”

To me, that describes despising authority.  Living for self, making my own rules, doing it my way.  Finding a way to make scripture say what I want it to, rather than adjust my life to conform to it’s guidelines.  Peter warns that such people will attempt to infect the church and its doctrines, and that they will enjoy success, at least for a while.  But false teachers and false doctrines and the people who follow along will ultimately be judged, and it is a judgment you and I want no part of.  Stay alert.  Keep up your guard.  Concentrate on the “Truth” so that you can better detect error.  And remember, God knows how to rescue godly men, and how to “hold” the unrighteous for the day of punishment.  Don’t sell the glory of eternity for the vain pleasures of this life.  Don’t get caught in the lie.

In His Grip,

Pastor Ken

Passage for Sunday, April 27th, 2008

II Peter:2  “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.  They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them–bringing swift destruction on themselves.  Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.  In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.  Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

“The Danger Within”

Reading this chapter you get the impression that Peter gets a little worked up about those who attempt to mislead God’s people, don’t you?  Last week he made it very clear that Scripture is the very Word of God, and that Scripture, and that which aligns with it, is the only truth.  He dedicated his life to the advancement of the gospel, the Truth, to feed, protect and Shepherd Christ’s sheep, and he understood the danger from those who would change the gospel message to fit their own schemes and plans.  Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah, and the many Scriptural prophecies fulfilled by his birth, life, substitutionary death and resurrection support that claim.  But there were those who attempted to deny it then, as there had been in ancient times and, he says, there will continue to be.
In Jeremiah 5:30-31 the Prophet reports this chilling statement from the Lord: “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way.  But what will you do in the end?”  Not much has changed in all the time since he penned those words, has it.  Prophets, preachers, preach lies, rule by their own authority rather than submit to God’s as revealed in the Word, and the people “love it” that way.  How did Paul put it?  II Timothy 4:3-4: “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”  Sometimes the people initiate the false teaching, sometimes the Teachers do.  Recently, one such group that subscribes to false teaching and follows a false Teacher has made quite a splash in the News.  I’m talking about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  FLDS for short, the group in Eldorado, Texas most recently under fire for their abhorrent “religious” practices, this time again accused of forced marriages between very young teenage girls and older men, marriages allegedly arranged by the Church’s “Prophet” and Elders.  The church currently practices the “law of placing,” where a young woman of marriageable age is assigned a husband by “revelation from God” to the leader of the church, who is regarded by the people as a prophet.  The prophet elects to take and give wives to and from men according to their worthiness.
FLDS is a splinter group that broke with the Mormon Church in the 1930’s over the issue of polygamy.  The Mormon Church had agreed to abandon the practice as a condition of Utah statehood in 1890.  Their current “Prophet”, Warren Jeffs, was convicted in Utah on two felony counts of accomplice to rape for his part in the 01′ marriage of a 14-year-old follower to her 19-year-old cousin.  He was sentenced to two consecutive prison terms of five years to life.  Today he sits in a cell in a Kingman Arizona jail, awaiting trial on similar charges related to two other child-bride marriages.  The power of the lie is evident in the way his followers still follow him and his teachings, and still look to him as their God appointed Prophet.  No wonder Peter was concerned.
I want to take you back to verse 19 of Chapter 1 as we begin today’s message, to give you again the context of Peter’s statement. I’m going to read through verse 3 of chapter 2:  “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.  Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (False prophets always claim their message comes from God, but if it contradicts the Word, it is a lie.  The Holy Spirit will never contradict scripture.)  “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.  They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them–bringing swift destruction on themselves.  Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.  In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.   Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.”
Peter first establishes the veracity of the Scriptures, God’s very Word. We looked at that last week.  Having established the standard, he then warns that just as there have always been those who would mislead and twist scripture, they will continue.  His desire is to warn his readers, to help them be aware of the danger.  The battle for truth and trust in what God has said has been raging for all of recorded history.  The Enemy introduced a destructive heresy in the attack against Eve.  Listen again.  Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.  He said to the woman, “Did God really say, `You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  First he calls into question what God really said.  He inserts the seed of doubt.  Did God “really” say…?  They use the same tactic today.  “Does the Bible really say…..?”  And then he deliberately inserts error; he denies God’s character by calling Him a liar.  Verses 4-5: “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.  “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Here is the destructive heresy Satan introduces: God lied, and is withholding something good from you.  And she chose to believe the lie.  And Adam stood there and failed to protect his wife from the attack, instead joining her in following the liar. People still do.  Satan’ tactics haven’t changed much because they don’t need to.  Why change what works?
There is one notable example of his tactic failing however.  When he tempted Jesus in the desert, he used the same basic tactics, but Jesus successfully resisted him.  He trusted in the indwelt power of the Holy Spirit (in each of the Gospel accounts the “temptation” followed His baptism and Holy Spirit anointing or indwelling) and the truth of Scripture to resist the temptation and win the battle.  Scripture was His defense against the Enemies schemes, and when the Enemy tried to use Scripture, he had to “misuse” it to attempt to make his point.  They will do the same thing today.  Jesus saw through him and told him to go away!  (Which, by the way, he did!)  He gave us the example to follow.
Drawing on the power of the indwelt Holy Spirit, knowing Scripture, and knowing when and how to use it, is our best defense against false teaching and Satan’s attacks as well.  Peter points out that the false prophets were “among the people.”  They blended in, seemed to be viable, trustworthy, were widely accepted as “one of them.”  So will the false teachers against whom we need to be on our guard.  The attack on the 21st Century Church rarely comes from outside, but begins when those inside secretly introduce destructive heresies.  There are several other warnings in Scripture for us besides Peter’s. Naturally, Jesus said it best: Matthew 24:4 “Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.”   But he wasn’t the only one.  Paul shared Peter’s awareness of the danger and mentions it several times.  Here’s just a few: Acts 20:28-31a: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.  Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.  I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  So be on your guard!”  One function of your church Elder Board, your Shepherd and under-shepherds, is to guard the flock against the wolves (danger from outside the church) and the sneaky sheep (danger from inside the church)!  Paul says in Colossians that he presents the word of God in its fullness, proclaiming Christ, so that no one may deceive them by fine-sounding arguments.
Knowledge of the truth is our best defense.  He goes on with this warning in 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”  Anytime the focus is on tradition or worldly principles (business strategies and numerical growth for instance) you need to be on your guard.  He really gets down on the false teachers in I Timothy 4:1-5:  “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.  Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.  They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.  For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”  Notice how it is the awareness and knowledge of truth that defend against error?
I’ll give just one more.  Paul is given a pretty bleak picture of humanity as the end comes closer, and when you hear his description you can’t help but see our world today.  II Timothy 3:1-5: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God–having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”  I can’t help but think of the cult in Texas, and the women and children caught in that trap.  Where did they first get tangled up in the lies and false teachings?  Maybe a quick look at what defines a cult will help.  I found this information at “gotquestions.org”, it’s a site I recommend.
Often in our minds we think of a cult as a group that worships Satan, sacrifices animals, and takes part in evil, bizarre, and pagan rituals.  In reality, though, most cults appear much more innocent.  The specific “Christian” definition of a cult is a religious group that denies one or more of the fundamentals of Biblical truth.  Or, in more simple terms, a cult is a group that teaches something that will cause a person to not be saved if they believe it.  In distinction from a religion, a cult is a group that claims to be Christian, yet denies an essential truth of Biblical Christianity.
The two most common teachings of cults are that Jesus was not God and that salvation is not by faith alone.  A denial of the deity of Christ results in Jesus’ death not being a sufficient payment for our sins.  A denial of salvation by faith alone results in salvation being achieved by our own works – something the Bible vehemently and consistently denies.  The two most well-known examples of cults to most of us are the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons.  Both groups claim to be Christian, yet both deny the two key doctrines I just mentioned.  Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons believe many things that are in agreement with and/or similar to what the Bible teaches.
However, the fact that they deny the deity of Christ and salvation by faith alone qualifies them as a cult.  Many Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and members of other cults are “good people” who are genuinely seeking God and genuinely believe they hold the truth.  Our hope and prayer is that many people involved in these “Christian” cults will see through the lies and will be drawn to the truth of salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.  The danger of cults is not so much for us, as our children and friends.  Seldom does someone leave a mainstream fundamental church to join with the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses or cults of their like.  But our kids do.  Once away from home and the influence of their local church they are often attracted to the zeal and seeming lack of hypocrisy in these cults.   They do live their faith, oftentimes more convincingly than professing Christians.  It’s one reason why it is so important that what we profess to believe is evidenced in how we live, especially in our homes.
Our kids are watching, and they are not going to be impressed with our “religion” if they see rampant hypocrisy in our lives.  But, as Peter reminds us, the real danger comes from within.  We need to be aware of those who would “secretly introduce” destructive heresies.  We read that Satan, masquerading as the Serpent, was more crafty, variously translated as: more cunning, more subtle, sneakier, or more clever.  He seldom uses a frontal attack, but sneaks up on your blind side, ambushes you, catches you when you aren’t expecting it.  In the church it may be a new program, an idea brought forward by a trusted member, a suggestion to follow what “worked” at a different church, etc.  None of these are bad in themselves, it’s just that we need to carefully examine any changes we make.
It can be just as wrong and harmful not to make changes.  “We have always done it that way” are the seven last words of a dying church, or so the saying goes!  We may not like to hear that, but there is truth to it in certain areas.  The truth never changes, but the presentation of it often does.  Peter’s point is that the change introduced “subtly” is a destructive heresy, not simply a different look at truth.   One source defined destructive heresies as: “Divisive opinions or teachings that result in the moral and spiritual destruction of those who accept them.”  Satan’s plan is to render the church ineffective.
Division will do that, so we must guard against an introduction of opinions or teachings that divide us.  God’s will for us is unity.  John said in II John 1:7-11: “Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world.  Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.  Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.  Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.”  It’s the message that matters, not the format.  Paul, writing to the Philippians said in chapter 1:15-18a: “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.  The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.  The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.  But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.  And because of this I rejoice.”
That’s spiritual maturity!  We get all caught up in arguing and fighting about the method, and the Enemy grins, cause we’re being divided.  But, says Peter, the false teachers are even more insidious, because they deny the sovereign Lord who bought them.  John agrees, and identifies them for us very clearly.  I John:2:21-23: “I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.  Who is the liar?  It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ.  Such a man is the antichrist–he denies the Father and the Son.  No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”  You can’t deny the Son without calling the Father a liar, and that will bring “swift destruction’ on those who do it.  Not swift in the sense of “say it today, pay for it today,” but swift as in when it comes it comes swiftly.
Peter points out several results of these false teachers and their heresies.  First of all, he says “many will follow their shameful ways.”  It seems there is no shortage of people, even in the church, looking for a way to please their own sinful appetites while pretending to serve God.  Immorality often accompanies deviant theology.
We have, as an example, once orthodox churches accepting homosexual behavior, not simply in their congregations, but in their pulpits and leadership.  Many “seeker-sensitive” churches condone, by their silence and unwillingness to confront sin, couples openly living together and raising children outside of marriage, as well as those involved in other “alternate lifestyle” choices against which Scripture clearly speaks.  By denying the Word of God they deny the God of the Word!
But, people like it, as Jeremiah pointed out earlier, and their churches are full.  Peter’s second observation is that by their behavior, they “bring the way of truth into disrepute.”  Those who call themselves “Christian” but by their beliefs and actions deny it, harm not only themselves but also all who claim the name.  The Christian faith is not simply a matter of correct doctrine but also correct living.  Peter points out one motive behind many false teachers, greed.  They are greedy either for the praise of men, or material wealth, and often both!  They abandon scripture and teach “made up” stories and doctrines to exploit those who follow them.  (Why does the word “Televangelist” come to mind?)   But Peter also points out that they won’t get away with it, at least not in the end.  Jeremiah again, remember?  Jeremiah 5:30-31: “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way.  But what will you do in the end?”  Peter says their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.  God is watching, and will bring judgment.   Although delay makes it seem that they have escaped God’s judgment, destruction is a reality that is sure to come upon them.
Remember what Paul said in Galatians 6:7-8: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”  What kind of crop are you sowing?

In His Grip,

Pastor Ken

Passage for Sunday, April 20, 2008
II Peter 1:  “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.  Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

The Certainty of the Word

I hope you’re not tired of hearing me read that first chapter of II Peter!  I think we’ll finish it today; at least that’s my goal!  I realize I probably don’t need to read the whole thing each time, but I like the context it gives as we sort of pick it apart each week.  This morning we’ll be focusing primarily on the last nine verses, 12-21.  Last week we took a look at Peter’s formula for “spiritual” growth.  He basically told us that the faith we received to believe wasn’t the end of the story, but the beginning, and that while the faith is God’s gift to us, our gift to Him is the “adding to” or supporting of that faith with the divinely enabled character traits of goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness and love.  He told us to “make every effort” to incorporate these character traits into our lives, which indicates that, number one, it isn’t going to be easy, and, number two, it should be a priority.  (I think I forgot to mention that part last week!)   If you desire to actively participate in the divine nature, which will enable you to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (your own and others), you need to “make every effort” to bring your life in line with God’s requirements.  When you do, your life will exhibit the spiritual qualities or characteristics mentioned.  Peter says to make it a priority, “make every effort”.

Not when you get time, or if you get around to it, but make it a priority in your life.  It’s not a suggestion he is giving us.  Like the old Nike ad used to say, “Just Do It!”  If you do, Peter says, if you own these qualities as your own, in “increasing measure”, never stop growing, then you will be productive and effective children of God, victorious Warriors.  If not, then you are ineffective and unproductive.  I’m reminded of the “lukewarm” Christian the Lord told John he would just as soon “vomit” out of His mouth in Revelation 3:15-17:  “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit (vomit) you out of my mouth.  You say, `I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’  But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”  One of the hardest things for a believer to see in those they love is their not recognizing their wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked condition in the eyes of the Lord.  Often others can see in us what we cannot see in ourselves, and Peter’s goal is to help the people he loves avoid that spiritual blindness.  We see that in this next section.
Verses 12-15:  “So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.”  This area of emphasizing the basics is another one of those areas where I agree with Peter.  He understands that his accountability to God as one of His Shepherds means he will occasionally step on the sheep’s toes, hurt their feelings, even run the risk of irritating them as he takes them from pasture to pasture, making sure they are fed a balanced diet.  It is never a waste of time to go back and refresh our memory with the basics.  John 3:16-18 preaches, even to seasoned saints.  We sheep have a tendency at times to wander off into pastures of deep theological discussion and debate, neglecting in the process the basic responsibility of actively loving God and one another.

I drove truck last week, took a run down to Remington Indiana and back.  It had been 350+ days since I had last driven a “Big Truck” and even longer than that since I had driven through the craziness and construction challenge that is the Chicago traffic experience.  So I did it twice in one day!  But before I started, I went through a mental reminder of the basics of safely driving an 18-wheeler.   I did a thorough pre-trip inspection, which although required by law is often ignored.  I checked my fluids, tires, brakes, suspension, lights and other safety equipment, cleaned my windows and mirrors, made the necessary adjustment to the mirrors and seat and driving controls, familiarized myself once again with the gear pattern, emergency brakes, horns, lights and all the other basic controls.  And, when I pulled out of the yard, I took it easy and got the feel of it again as I headed for the highway.  It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to drive a “Big Truck” or that I had forgotten, but I have a high level of respect for the potential for harm that comes from not being properly prepared, or thinking you are better prepared than you are.

Peter doesn’t write this letter to the Believers because they don’t know what God requires of them, or how to grow and live to please God, but to remind them of the basics, to refresh their memory because he wants them to stay firmly grounded and growing.  He understands the importance of continuing to authenticate their claim to faith by living the life God has called them to live, to remain “firmly established,” and he remains aware of his responsibility to God to properly “shepherd” the sheep.  He continues: “I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.”  We don’t know for sure if Peter was speaking of the prophecy the Lord gave him that morning on the beach, when, after breakfast, He took Peter aside and told him the type of death he would die, or if he had received a more recent message.  We only know that Peter knew his time was short, and wanted to ensure the message remained fixed in their memory.  “And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.”  Peter did his part; he committed his instruction to writing, here and in his earlier epistle.  One source said he also achieved this goal, whether intentionally or unintentionally, through the Gospel of Mark, which early tradition connected with Peter.  The source went on to say: “Mark’s Gospel is a simple, succinct, unadorned, yet vivid account of Jesus’ ministry, emphasizing more what Jesus did than what he said. (Kinda sounds like Peter, doesn’t it?)  The book as a whole is characterized by the opening verse: ” The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”   The life, death and resurrection of Christ comprise the “beginning” of which the apostolic preaching in Acts is the continuation.”  Peter goes on then to validate his message.
“Verses 16-18: “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”  Peter’s message was based in part on his own eyewitness account of the supernatural events that marked the life of Jesus.  It was not made up of myths and imaginative stories, as was the message of the heretics he partly wrote this letter to combat.  Out of all the experiences he shared, the many miracles he witnessed in the roughly three years he walked, talked, ate, slept and lived with the Lord, he points to one particular event that made an indelible impression on him.  “For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”  We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain.”  You probably remember the story.  Matthew 17:1-9 “After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  There he was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.  Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.  Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters–one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”  When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.  But Jesus came and touched them.  “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”  When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.  As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”  It wasn’t unusual for Peter to be speaking, but it was the first and I think only time he was interrupted by the voice of God speaking audibly!  That would tend to leave an impression!  But that wasn’t the point Peter was making.  He and the “Sons of Thunder” had been privileged to see Jesus Christ in his glorified state!  That left an impression!  Jesus’ appearance changed before there eyes.  The three disciples saw Jesus in His glorified state, a preview as it were, of things to come!  And then, as if that wasn’t enough, they heard the “voice” acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God.  If ever they needed confirmation that this One whom they had “left everything” to follow was whom He claimed, they had it.  And now, they were carrying on the mission of testifying to what they had seen and heard, throughout Jesus ministry, and especially His death, burial, resurrection and second coming!  Peter goes on.  His message rests on two solid foundations: His personal experience of witnessing the transfiguration and hearing the voice from God at the transfiguration, and the even more significant testimony of Scripture.  Even more significant?  Yeah, even more significant!  How can that be?  If I heard the voice of God I wouldn’t need anything else!  Really?  Not if history is any proof.  Remember the children of Israel and the events of the Exodus and the march to the Promised Land?  Almost unbelievable experiences, yet their bones littered the desert because of their unbelief.  Peter knew that experience, no matter how incredible, fades with time and becomes susceptible to doubt.  Not so the written word of God, the “word of the Prophets” that he talks about next.
Verses 19-21:  “And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”  Hearing the “voice” and seeing Moses and Elijah talking with Christ authenticated for the three disciples not only Jesus, the “Living Word”, but also the “Written Word.”  This experience affirmed the prophetic word.  Jesus’ transfiguration and the Father’s declaration confirmed the fact that Jesus was the Messiah predicted by the prophets.  Isaiah 42:1-7:  “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.  He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.  A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.  In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;  he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.  In his law the islands will put their hope.”  This is what God the LORD says–he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:  “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”  Peter had just told his readers that he and two other disciples were eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ’s transfiguration—at which time they distinctly heard the Father’s voice declaring Jesus Christ to be his beloved Son.  Thus, Peter could say, “We have the word of the prophets made more certain” (certified) — following which he said, “and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”  The apostles’ experience on the Mount of Transfiguration confirmed to them the accuracy of the OT.  We have not had the same experience, but we have the same Word, which has now been confirmed, made sure.  We must pay attention to it, diligently read, study and obey it, as to a light that shines in the darkness.  John 1:1-5:  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

Jesus said it well also: John 3:19-21: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”   I’ll give ya one more.  Jesus again speaking, this comes from the “Sermon on the Mount” as we call it.  Here is Jesus’ command regarding our testimony. Matthew 5:14-16:  “You are the light of the world. (How amazing is that?) A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Jesus says don’t hide your faith, take a stand, let your light shine!  Those in darkness need to see a light.  The light of the Word of God shining out of our lives, in our visible, tangible, expressions of love.  The morning star, rising in our hearts, illuminating us with His light.  That “treasure in jars of clay” that Paul talks about.  It is the Light of the Word of God that directs our paths and transforms us into the children of God we are called to be, and it all points to the “Day” of Christ’s return.  Peter then continues with one of the most powerful phrases in all Scripture: “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.   For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”  He is here preparing to attack the false teachers, who promote a man-made doctrine.  He begins by defending Scripture.  No true prophecy originated through the prophet’s own interpretation.  Peter is talking about the origin of the apostolic message, in comparison to the message of the heretics that he is preparing to attack.  Did it come from human imaginings, or was it from God?  In v. 21 again the subject is origin.  No prophecy of Scripture arose from a merely human interpretation of things.  Men were involved, true, but not in charge.  The Holy Spirit was in control, supervising or superintending what the human writers put down.  One commentary put it this way: “In the production of Scripture both God and man were active participants. God was the source of the content of Scripture, so that what it says is what God has said.

But the human author also actively spoke; he was more than a recorder.  Yet what he said came from God.  Although actively speaking, he was “carried along” by the Holy Spirit.”  Paul agrees. He affirms God’s active involvement in the writing of Scripture, an involvement so powerful and pervasive that what is written is the infallible and authoritative word of God.  He states in II Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”   Peter wants his readers to understand that the word of God is the light they need to walk the path God has directed them to.  That it is trustworthy.  That it is the foundation for his faith and ministry.  His experience was important, but primarily because it lined up with the truth of the Scriptures.  In his mind, the Scriptures were more certain and sure than even His own eyewitness account!  Our blessing is that we now have that eyewitness testimony as scripture.  It’s doubtful he realized when he penned it that it was!

He knew it was true, but he pointed his readers to the established Word, the Written and the Living, for the basic truth.  The Holy Spirit was controlling him, like the rest of the writers of Scripture, as he wrote.  They were consciously involved in the process; they weren’t taking dictation from God nor were they writing in a state of spiritual ecstasy.  No wonder we believers have a word of prophecy that is certain.  And no wonder a Christian’s growth and development must depend on the Scriptures, and not just experience.  They are the very words of God himself!

In His Grip,

Passage for Sunday, April 13, 2008

II Peter 1
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Spiritual Growth

Last week we started with kind of an “overview” of Peter’s spiritual growth as we walked quickly through a short time-line of his life and ministry.  I think I told you (I intended to at any rate!) that one purpose of that “overview” was because I believe that the better you understand the author of the letter, the better you will understand that author’s message.  When you know where Peter came from, the struggles he had, and how he had grown, it helps you understand his desire to see you become the man or woman God has called you to be.  This week, we’ll take a look at some guidelines Peter gives on how we can achieve the spiritual growth necessary to accomplish the ministry God has called us to as His children.  Spiritual growth is a part of God’s plan for His children, He does not intend for us to remain spiritual babies.  Saving faith and participation in the divine nature through the indwelling Spirit of God are a wonderful beginning, but they are the beginning to our abundant life and ministry, not the end!
I get a kick out of my Grandsons.  (They, of course, as are all my grandchildren, are above average in intelligence and good looks.)  We spent a couple days up there the other weekend, basking in the glow of bein Poppa and Grammy, and I want to tell you, those boys are obsessed with growing “bigger.”  That’s the passion for growth the Lord wants us to have.  Tate, the 5½ year old, was telling me some of his plans from now till he’s 12.  Seriously.  He’s not too sure what he’s going to do after 12, but between now and then, he’s got it figured out!  Seth, who’s 3½, is determined he is almost as big as his brother, and tries to prove it whenever he gets the opportunity.  Whatever he sees his big brother do, he wants to do too, and he’s pretty sure he can do it just as well!  They continually want to demonstrate their growth!  Why are we so content to stagnate?  Why is the goal of spiritual growth and maturity so unappealing to many Christians?

Why are we so content to be “Insurance Policy” Christians?  Listen to the tone of Paul’s voice as he addresses the subject of spiritual growth to the believers at Corinth: I Corinthians 3:1-3:  “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly–mere infants in Christ.”  Wow!  How would you feel if I started my message with a line like that?   He goes on:  “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.  Indeed, you are still not ready.  You are still worldly.  For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?  Are you not acting like mere men?”   You can read the disappointment in his voice, can’t you?  Spiritual growth is expected of us.  The work of the Holy Spirit, if unhampered, should produce change, positive change.  We shouldn’t remain worldly, nor act or behave like “mere men”.  We’re Children of God, Holy Warriors!  Listen to Paul’s prayer for the believers in Philippi:  Philippians 1:9-11 “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.”

That’s a prayer for spiritual growth!  The writer of Hebrews speaks to the issue as well.  Listen as he expresses his frustration in relating spiritual truth to his readers: Hebrews 5:11-14:  “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.  In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again.  You need milk, not solid food!  Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”  Our righteousness is at least partly expressed or demonstrated by developing the ability to discern between good and evil, choosing the good, and then displaying those choices in the way we live our lives.  Put simply, right living instead of wrong living.  As Peter said last week, escaping the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  Such living is a sign of spiritual maturity.
Last week Peter let us in on a huge spiritual secret.  Well, not a secret really, but a critically important spiritual truth. Listen again to what he said God has done:  “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.  Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”  That is an important truth to try to wrap your mind around, isn’t it?

God, in His grace, gives us everything we need to grow spiritually.  He doesn’t just tell us what to do; He also equips us to do it!  We only fail if we choose to fail.  That, my friends, is the plain truth.  Peter expands on the idea by giving us a formula, so to speak, of how to grow.  We pick it up this week in Verses 5-7:  “For this very reason,” (What reason?  So that through the promises of God we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  God desires good for us!) “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”  That’s Peter’s formula for spiritual growth!  It starts with that saving faith, a faith, he said, as precious as that which the apostles themselves had.

But it doesn’t stop there.  Adrian Rogers said: ” We are saved by Faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone!”  Peter here shows us seven virtues that come alongside that faith to produce growth.  Salvation is the beginning of the new life, and we are expected to do our part to become mature, effective Christians.  Peter shows us how.  First, you will notice that it requires hard work.  Maybe that’s one reason so many never grow very much.  He says: “make every effort” to “add to” your faith… and then lists seven Christian virtues necessary for spiritual maturity.  A “virtue” is an attribute not innate to any human—it is a divine attribute made available for the believer’s appropriation.  We participate in the divine nature, Peter told us.  The Psalmist nails our natural bent in Psalm 69:5:  You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you.”  The word folly means “morally deficient behavior.”  Folly may sound better, but we are morally deficient apart from the power of God in our lives through the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Our only hope for virtue is through the power of God in us.

The good news is that we already have it!  We can live victoriously in this world.  We can grow up!  We can escape the corruption if we choose to.  Hard work?  Yes, definitely.  But possible?  Yes, definitely!  Let’s take a closer look at the virtues and the process.  You’ll notice that as Peter presents it here, it is a process of growth.  You start with faith, then supplement or support or supply it with it these other virtues. (”Add to” gives us kind of a misconception.  We don’t “add to” our faith for salvation, but for growth.)  Peter begins with goodness; otherwise translated as virtue, moral character, integrity, literally “moral excellency.”  One source described it as “manliness.”

I kinda liked that, “man-up” in other words.  The first virtue to shore up or support the faith you have as you strive for growth is moral character, integrity.  Without integrity of character all you have is empty promises.  With it you have virtue in action.  Not just doing good things, but actually being good.  Your goodness then, Peter says, is supplied or shored up with knowledge.  Not just a head full of facts and information, a scholastic degree, this is spiritual knowledge, which comes through the Holy Spirit and is focused on the Person and Word of God.  And remember, Peter says we must make “every effort” to acquire these virtues, they don’t just happen; the Spirit doesn’t just “zap” us with them.  He enables us, but we have to do our part too.  Spiritual knowledge is acquired through diligent reading and studying of the Word of God, and then applying the truths discovered there in every-day life.  This becomes then the “personal and experiential knowledge” of God and his Son, Jesus Christ, as Peter pointed out back in verse 1.  Peter is talking about this knowledge being “applied” in a manner that affects your daily life in visible, tangible ways!
Faith, goodness, and spiritual knowledge, effective and necessary as they are, are not enough for a Christian’s walk.  He must also make every effort to practice self-control.  This basically means to have your passions under control.  This is in sharp contrast to the world’s viewpoint.  The world says indulge your passions any way you want.  If it feels good, do it!  And sadly, many a professing Christian has swallowed the lie and gone along with the world’s philosophy in this area.  Not the spiritually growing Christian.  Our passions are not the problem by the way, it’s the expressing of them that requires the self-control.

Passions are God-given blessings when used in accordance with His purpose and plan.  (Yes, even my passions for chocolate and for mint chocolate chip ice cream!☺)  The virtue that supports or supplements self-control is perseverance.  It’s a critical attribute.  What good is your self-control if it’s only temporary?  We need to persevere, not just in the area of self-control but all of them.  Many times the only difference between success and failure is perseverance.  Listen to James in James 1:12  “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”  What do you call the guy who doesn’t persevere under trial?  Defeated!  James is the one who said earlier, in Verse 4, that “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Perseverance is critical to our spiritual growth.  I’ll let Jesus have the last word on it.  Explaining the parable of the soils to His disciples, Jesus concluded with this verse: Luke 8:15: “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”  Peter then gives us the virtue that helps keep our efforts from becoming fuel for pride.  He says to our perseverance, we are to add godliness.  My favorite definition of godliness is: “a personal attitude towards God that results in actions that are pleasing to God.”  We persevere because we desire to please God, not for our own glory.  Godliness keeps our focus on Him.  Another good definition is: “A genuine reverence toward God that governs one’s attitude toward every aspect of life.”  That works well here too.  In order for our godliness to be properly directed, Peter says we are to add to or supplement or support it with brotherly kindness.  One source defined brotherly kindness as: “Warmhearted affection toward all in the family of faith.”  Adam Clarke feels it a bit stronger.  He says it is: “Love of the brotherhood—the strongest attachment to Christ’s flock; feeling each as a member of your own body.”  Paul stated in Romans 12:10: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

This is a practical concern and response to others needs.  Peter sums it all up by saying we are finally to bring in as the final virtue the greatest of all, love.  Agape. The love that seeks the others good above your own.  The love only possible for us to display or demonstrate because we receive it from God.  It is the love that produces the kind of outgoing, selfless attitude that leads one to sacrifice self for the good of others.  John defines/explains it well for us in I John 4:7-12: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”  Peter begins with faith and ends with love.  That’s his formula for spiritual growth.  Listen to his summation:
Verses 8-9:  “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, (continual spiritual growth) they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  One would hope that it is the goal of the Christian to be an effective and productive member of God’s family.

If that is your goal, then cultivating and continuing in these seven divinely inspired and enabled character traits: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love are going to be visible in your life. To experientially know Jesus Christ is to participate in his divine nature and then manifest the characteristics listed.  This knowledge, then, is not mere intellectual understanding, as we said but full, experiential knowledge of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Peter then gives a warning:  “But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.”  We need to examine ourselves.  We need to seek out a brother or sister we can trust to be truthful to us and ask if these virtues characterize our lives.

If someone were to describe you to someone who had never met you, would they use these descriptions?  If not, maybe you are fooling yourself.  Maybe you suffer from myopia, maybe your eyes are closed and you have forgotten what Christ has done for you, you have forgotten that through the precious blood of Christ you have been cleansed from the filth of your past sins.  Anyone who remembers that cleansing stays motivated to respond in obedience.
Verses 10-11:  “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.  For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”   Peter is not talking here about living a perfect life or earning your salvation by works.  He is saying that your works authenticate your claim of saving faith.  You authenticate, make sure, your calling and election, your salvation, by living in obedience and exhibiting godly character.

A person who lives like that will not fall and will be welcomed into heaven!  Every once in a while, I will tell you about a verse that I think is so important that everyone should commit it to memory.  Here is another one for you: Psalm 37:23-24  “If the LORD delights in a man’s way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with His hand.”   Powerful promise, isn’t it?  James said in James 3:2: “We all stumble in many ways.  If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.”   Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 7:20 “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.”  These verses aren’t justification for sin, just stating simple truth.  Peter is talking about spiritual growth, living an obedient life, not becoming perfect.   I’ll close with this “spiritual growth checklist” I came across.

Seven rules that promote good health in babies can be adapted and applied to a Christian’s spiritual growth:
1.    Daily Food:  Take in the “pure milk of the word” through study and meditation.
2.    Fresh Air:  Pray often or you will faint. Prayer is the oxygen of the soul.
3.    Regular Exercise:  Put into practice what you learn in God’s Word.
4.    Adequate Rest:  Rely on God at all times in simple faith.
5.    Clean Surroundings:  Avoid evil company and whatever will weaken you spiritually.
6.    Loving Care:  Be part of a church where you will benefit from biblical teaching and Christian fellowship.
7.    Periodic Checkups:  Regularly examine your spiritual health.

In His Grip,

II Peter Chapter One
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Restoration Results

The message last week got me thinking about Peter and about restoration and about the results of the restoring power of God in a believer’s life.  As most of you know, Peter is one of my favorite Bible “Heroes” and one with whom I often relate well.  Not so much in personality, but in his struggles to be the man God called him to be.  The fact that he learned obedience and submission and became the “shepherd” Christ commissioned him to be gives me great hope in my own struggle.  Peter is a “success” story, and I intend to be one too!  One reason I love the restoration and reinstatement story we looked at last week is because I too have been reconciled, restored and reinstated by the Lord I once denied.    Peter also reminds me that the Lord can call into service a regular guy, one who is already married and possibly has a family, has his own career going, even has business partners, and radically transform him into an instrument in the Lord’s hand.  Now of course, not everyone who is called and responds to that call has as dramatic a ministry as Peter did, but some may!  And all have a ministry!  Ephesians 2:10, remember?  “For we are God’s workmanship, (work of art) created in Christ Jesus (Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  II Corinthians 5:17) to do good works (ministries), which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  We’re going to spend the next couple weeks in II Peter, so I thought I’d begin this morning with a little more background information to add to what we saw last week so we have a better idea of the man God called, equipped and used.  In fact, is still using!

We first meet Peter in John 1:40-42: “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter) (rock).”  In the Gospel accounts, we see that Peter was anything but a rock; he was often impulsive and unstable.  In Acts however, we see him grow and Luke portrays him as a pillar of the early church.  Jesus named him not for what he was but for what, by God’s grace, He knew he would become.  It would be a process, to be sure, but Jesus knew his potential!  Jesus calls us not for what we are, but for what we will be, as we yield to his control.

As we saw last week in Luke 5, Simon was a fisherman by trade, in business with his brother and had as his partners James and John, and probably their Father, Zebedee.  We know that he was married from the Synoptics and a statement Paul made in I Corinthians.  Luke reports it this way: Luke 4:38-39: “Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon.  Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.  So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.”  He may well have been one of the oldest, if not the oldest, of the 12, and is the only one mentioned in the gospels as being married, though Paul alludes to the fact that some of the others were by the time he wrote I Corinthians.  His age and position may have been one reason he tended to be the “unofficial” leader of the 12.

His name is usually listed first in accounts that list the 12 by name.  He, along with James and John made up kind of an “inner circle” of disciples who experienced a special privilege with the Lord.  They were the ones allowed to witness Jesus raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead (Luke 8:51-56), were the witnesses to the “Transfiguration” of Jesus on the Mount (Luke 9:28-33) and were asked to keep watch with Jesus in the garden at Gethsemane. (Matthew 26:37-38)  Peter was the one who usually is credited with first professing Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, though Jesus reminded him that the revelation came to him from the Father, it wasn’t something he figured out on his own.  (Matthew 16:13-17.)  He also was the one who took it on himself to take Jesus aside and “straighten” Him out!  (Matthew 16:21-23.)  He questioned Jesus’ ability to discern a singular touch in the midst of a crowd pressing in on Him.  (Luke 8:45.)   And yet, he was the only one with enough faith to actually step out of the boat onto the water.  (Matthew 14:25-33.)

For all that, it would seem he had a pretty clear idea of where he stood compared to the Lord, as we saw last week in his heartfelt confession after the first miraculous catch of fish when he said: “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” in Luke 5:8.  We see another glimpse of Peter’s sense of unworthiness in his initial refusal to let Jesus wash his feet.  John 13:1-9:  “It was just before the Passover Feast.  Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.  Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.  The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.  Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.  He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”  Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”  “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”  Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”  “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well!”  Peter meant well, he just didn’t “get it” yet!  He was still trying to tell Jesus what to do!  But again, he was the only one who protested the Lord taking on this servant task.  Then last week we saw his last arrogant display, claiming a greater love than the others, vowing that he would face imprisonment and death before he would deny the Lord, his futile attempt to protect Jesus in the garden and then his failure, three times denying he even knew Him, and his brokenness at the realization of his failure.

We see him three days later as one of the first disciples to run to the tomb to verify the report that it was empty and that the Lord had risen.  In fact, in John’s account he reports that even though he beat Peter in the foot-race, got there first and looked inside, Peter, when he got there, went right inside the tomb to really look around!  (John 20:3-7.)    Last week we saw too the restoration and reinstatement of Peter by Jesus after an early breakfast on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  We saw a changed man, humbled and ready to serve, commissioned to “shepherd” God’s flock.  In Acts 1:15-22 we see him once again take a leadership role as he guides the disciples in finding a replacement for Judas.  We see Peter stand and defend the believers at the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and the effect of this now “Spirit empowered” apostle as he preaches his first sermon, and 3000 people believed!  In Acts 3 we see Peter healing a man crippled from birth and hear his second message.

This mornings reading was the account of Peter’s first arrest for his witness, the results of that second message and his bold witness in defense before the council, and we saw a man once afraid, now emboldened!  In Acts 5 we see his leadership in the church with the prediction of Ananias and Sapphira’s death for lying to the Lord, his growing evangelistic and healing ministry and his second arrest and imprisonment, prompted by the jealousy the high priest and the Sadducees, his first miraculous release by an angel, his first flogging and his reaction to it; rejoicing for being counted worthy to suffer for Jesus.  Fast forward past his ministry to Samaria, his visits to Lydda and then to Joppa where he raised Dorcas from the dead and had a vision of a sheet containing clean and unclean animals. Continue on past where he receives the servant of the Centurion then goes with him to Caesarea; preaches to and baptizes the Gentile Centurion and his household in Acts 10.  Past where he advocates, in the council of the apostles and elders, the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles in Acts 11, to Acts chapter 12.

I think this story gives us a picture of the Peter who had become the “Rock” Jesus named him so long before. “It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.  He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.  When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also.  This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each.  Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.  So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.  The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.” (Now that is what I call a man at peace.  Facing trial and almost certain death in the morning, Peter sleeps, chained between two guards.  The “Rock” had learned to trust the Lord whatever his circumstances may be.  “Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell.  He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.  Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.”  And Peter did so.  “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him.  Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.  They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city.  It opened for them by itself, and they went through it.  When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.  Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”

If we had the time, we would continue to follow his spiritual development through the book of Acts, but I think you get the point.  The aging apostle who wrote this letter at the end of his life was a very different man from the impulsive, arrogant and headstrong fisherman who first went with his brother to see the Messiah.  Let’s turn again to our text.  I think it’s interesting that his position and fame apparently didn’t go to his head, it seems he never forgot who he was, where he had come from:
II Peter 1:  “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,” (Peter was Jesus’ slave.  That’s what the word servant really means.  And it usually means a bond-slave, one who chooses to sell himself to bondage to his master.  His life was the Lords; he lived to serve Him.  He also was an apostle, and the letter carries apostolic authority.)

To those who, through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, have received a faith as precious as ours:  Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”  First of all, it is important to point out that Peter clearly and intentionally acknowledges here the Deity of Jesus.  Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he intentionally wrote the words: “our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”  This asserts that Jesus is both God and Savior.  Secondly, he was writing to a group of primarily Gentile believers, and he points out that the faith they have is as precious as that of the apostles own.  God, in his justice (one aspect of His “righteousness”) imparts to people the ability to believe, regardless of race, ethnicity, social status, wealth, sex or any other distinguishing feature.  People.  We have received a faith, a saving faith, through the righteousness of God.

He is not talking here about a “body of truth to be believed”–the faith–but the act of believing, or the God-given capacity to trust in Christ for salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9, remember?  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”   He is writing to those who have believed.  To them he states:  “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”  Grace is the unmerited or undeserved love and favor of God expressed toward man.  John records Jesus’ promise of peace in John 14:27:  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  One commentary said: “the term speaks, in effect, of the salvation that Christ’s redemptive work will achieve for his disciples–total well-being and inner rest of spirit, in fellowship with God.  All true peace is His gift, which the repetition emphasizes. I do not give . . . as the world gives. In its greetings of peace the world can only express a longing or wish.

But Jesus’ peace is real and present.”   No wonder Peter could sleep chained between two guards, awaiting trial and execution!  Peter says that the key to abundant grace and peace in the life of the believer is a fuller, more thorough knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  The concept of Christian knowledge is prominent in II Peter, part of the reason he wrote the letter was to combat heretical teaching, and he knew that one of the best antidotes for heresy is the clear understanding of true knowledge. The old analogy of the counterfeit money comes to mind.   Peter goes on.

Verses 3-4: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.  Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”  What an amazing promise!  Did you hear that?  Look at it again.  “His divine power has given us (That means it’s a done deal.  It’s in the bank, its already happened.)  everything we need for life (specifically life eternal) and godliness” Did you catch that?  EVERYTHING we NEED for LIFE and GODLINESS.  What else is there?  What else do you need, besides life and godliness?  And Peter says it is ours!  Are you kidding me?  Nope, it’s right here in the Bible.  Well, there must be a catch, yer thinkin’, right?  There is.  Look at the next couple words: “through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”

The key is the knowledge of God. Not just awareness, head knowledge, but experiential knowledge.  Listen to the opening words of Jesus longest recorded prayer, what is commonly called the “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17:1-3: “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.  For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.  Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Eternal life won’t consist of sitting around on clouds, playing celestial harps; it will be living in relationship, knowing God and Jesus Christ.  Back to II Peter.  Peter reminds us that it is through God’s glory and goodness that we have been called.  One commentary stated: “glory and goodness: the excellence of God: “Glory” expresses the excellence of his being–his attributes and essence; “goodness” depicts excellence expressed in dee