Earthly Tents and Heavenly Words

If you have a Bible, I invite you to open up with me to 2 Peter 1:12 and we have a lot of ground to cover this morning. There is so much gold in these mines but we are going to finish chapter 1 today. If you were with us last week, I mentioned how 2 Peter is Peter’s version of 2 Timothy. These are the final words that the aged apostle has for the People of God and he is writing to them so that they can not only live well but they can die well. It was John Wesley who was quoted as saying of Christians, “Our people die well” and that may sound odd to many of you. If I were to ask you what it would mean to die well, I’m sure that many of you would have different answers. Some of you may say it is to die with dignity or honor. You might say that it means to be prepared as much as possible to die or to die for a noble cause and those are good elements but Wesley had something else in mind. To die well for the Christian means that we are not phased by the passing of this world, we aren’t clinging to the here and now and while we may be sad to leave our loved ones, death for Christian is a coronation day. For a Christian to die well is to have one’s heart so set on Heaven that at the moment that they pass, it is as if they were already there. One of my favorite Puritans Thomas Watson died in his prayer closet. Some say that Watson probably didn’t even realize that he died, he just went from glory into glory. As we come to 2nd Peter, Peter himself is preparing to die well but he is also emphasizing how we are to live well. We saw that last week and will continue to see that this morning. So we have a lot to cover and we’re going to look at 3 key themes: 1. The Christian and Death. 2. The Kingship and Deity of Christ. 3. The Sufficiency of Scripture for life and death. Let’s pray and then we will read 2 Peter 1:12-15

2 Peter 1:12–15 NASB95

Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.

The Christian and Death

As we go through these first four verses, Peter refers back to verses 3-11. Peter says, “Because Jesus has given to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, because we have true knowledge of Him, because we are the recipients of His precious and magnificent promises, because we have a certain way that we should live as followers of Christ, and are to be diligent to make our calling and election sure, because of that, I’m always ready to remind you of these things.” We should always strive to be reminded of the Gospel truths as well. Repetition of Gospel truth is never wasted. I love the phrase that Peter uses, “I will always be ready.” What a great image of the man of God! What a great reminder for us as well. Peter recognized that he had a personal responsibility for the welfare of the saints. Peter does not say, “I’m going to do what I can to get the associate pastor ready for when I’m gone.” No, he says, “I will always be ready to remind you of these things.” Before we even go much further from there, if you are a Christian, do you feel as if you could say that? Do you recognize that you have a personal responsibility to the people of God. You don’t need to be a pastor to encourage, you don’t need to be a pastor to remind of the truth, you don’t need to be a deacon or a Sunday school teacher to explain Scripture but we all have a personal responsibility to build up the saints. Peter said that he was to always be ready and I’m reminded of Paul’s command to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” There’s only 2 seasons for the farmer, there is the in season and there is the out of season, there is no wiggle room in Paul’s command because that’s all the time there is. Timothy is to always be ready, to always be prepared to preach, reprove, rebuke, exhort and while we may not all be pastors, we may all strive to be ready. Peter himself said in his first letter that the people of God should always be prepared to give a defense of what they believe in. Peter is ready to remind them of the truths of the Gospel. He says that he is going to remind the people of God of these things even though they already know them and that is another important reminder that we will flesh out a little more later but Peter is not teaching new doctrines to expand the church. Everything that we need to know to be a follower of Jesus Christ is already in the book that is before you. Any time a pastor comes in with a “new” revelation from God or a new command from God, we would be wise to ignore them or call them to point from Scripture where this comes from. We should always be in love with the old truths of Scripture. If it’s new, it’s not true. There is no new truth, there is only the eternal truth that God has revealed in His Word. What is the truth that Peter says the church has been established in? It is the Word of God! It is the truths of Scripture. Jesus Himself says in John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” Peter says that he considers it right that as long as he is in this earthly dwelling to remind the church of these words and this is where we see Peter’s view of death. Peter understands that all have a time limit. He may have a day or a week or a month or a year, however long, he understands that there is a time set on Heaven’s calendar where he is going to die. He also understands that as long as he is in this life, his entire life is devoted to Christian service. Peter says as long as I am in this body, my life is devoted to Jesus Christ and to service in the church. There is no retirement ceremony for the person of God until God calls that person home. It was Whitefield who said that we are immortal until our work is done. Peter understands what he is to do with his life and he understands that it is coming to a close but he also understands that death is not the end. Peter refers to his body, to his life as an earthly dwelling. Some translations refer to it as a tent. Paul would also say of his life in 2 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Later in 2 Corinthians 5:4 “For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.” When Peter refers to his earthly dwelling or the tent of his body, he understands that a tent is not a permanent dwelling. A tent is something that you set up for a little bit and then move on to the next location and while I am not much of a camper, I know that if I set up a tent, I’m not going to stay there long and I know that I have a true home that I will return to. Peter sees the Christian life in this very way. He sees our lives on this earth as only temporary and leading to something far greater. In fact, I believe that Peter is purposely contrasting the phrase “earthly dwelling” with the “eternal kingdom” that was mentioned in verse 11. In this life, we possess only something that is temporary but the next life is permanent. Peter says in verse 14 that he is laying aside his earthly dwelling and I looked up what that phrase means in the Greek and it is only used one other time and that is in 1 Peter 3:21 when Peter talks about baptism being more than just the removal of dirt but pointing to salvation. When Peter says he is laying aside his body, it is like something that is not supposed to be there is removed to make room for something far greater. In fact, the word implies the putting down of something in order to look ahead to something. Peter does not consider his death this great giving up of all that he dreamed of. Instead, he is willing to lay his life aside because he is looking ahead to seeing the glory of Christ. Peter considers death as simply moving from one place to another, to an abiding and eternal place. Peter says that he knows that his death is coming because Christ made it clear to him and this is likely a reference to John 21:18–19 where the Lord speaks to Peter and says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” Christ knew the day and the way that Peter would go to glory and this is good news for us as well because Christ knows the same thing of us. There is a sweetness in knowing that Christ is sovereign over death that it is God Himself who decides the time and the hour of our departure. Death ultimately bows to Him that destroyed it and Christians don’t arrive to glory a second early or later than God has assigned them to. Peter understands in verse 15 that he wants the people to be able to bring to mind what he has taught them at any point after his departure. As we can tell from this letter and 1 Peter and even the book of Mark, that Peter is said to have been a primary source for, Peter’s teaching truly has lived on after his departure. To this day we can recall what Peter said and what a testimony to God preserving His Word. God is able to use death in ways that we may not often think of and one of those ways is by reemphasizing what one had said in the past. One could argue that Peter’s words that have been preserved after his death have accomplished more than what Peter accomplished in his life and who else could do that but God? Think of some of the great saints throughout history that accomplished more after they went to glory! Think of the pre-reformer John Wycliffe. This man inspired Luther and Calvin and Tyndale and in those three men we have some of the greatest reformers, pastors, theologians, and authors that have ever lived! Without Wycliffe one could potentially argue that Tyndale never translates the New Testament into English! Or think of a man like David Brainerd that I have talked about before. Brainerd did more for the missionary world in his death than in his life by the publishing of his diary and journal! The same could be said of a more recent example of Jim Elliot! How many Christians in history have been inspired to reach the lost with the Gospel that have been inspired by the life and death of men like David Brainerd and Jim Elliot? This is what God does! This is what dying well looks like! Christians that live faithfully leave a lasting legacy that inspires people to see the faithfulness of God that brought them from death to life! How is it that Peter can be so certain about the Christian view of death? How can he be so certain about what he has taught? It’s because he has seen and knows Jesus Christ.

The Kingship and Deity of Christ

Turn to 2 Peter 1:16–18 “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.” We don’t have the time to dive into this as much as I would have liked but what I want to emphasize from these verses is that the only way that a Christian can stare death in the face and see it as gain is by knowing what Peter says in these verses. Peter says that he is not following cleverly devised tales or myths but is simply stating what he knows. He knows what the message is and what it isn’t because he has seen it for himself. He has seen the majesty of Jesus Christ. He says that he is making known to them the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and this is what John Calvin referred to as the sum of the entire Gospel. Peter references the event that took place on the mount of transfiguration where he saw and heard the majesty of Christ. We don’t have time to look at those verses but you can see them in Luke 9:28-36. Peter says that while on this mountain, Christ received honor and glory from God the Father. This stresses that Jesus of Nazareth is no ordinary human being, He is more than just a good teacher or a morally good man, He is God Himself! How do we know that Jesus is divine? Because God does not share His glory! Isaiah 42:8 we read, “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.” Yet this is what happens on the mount of transfiguration, the Father glorifies in the Son! He bestows honor on the Son! The Father says, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased.” God shares His glory with no other but Peter makes it known that the Father Himself is the One that delivers honor and glory to the Son. In Revelation 4:11 the saints sing: “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” This is a reference to God the Father but then one chapter later in Revelation 5:12–13 we read of the saints “saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” Who was the man that was with Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration? It was the King of Israel, it was the king of all creation, it was the Lamb of God slayed for the sins of the world, it was God in the flesh! If you want to be able to stare death in the face and think victory, you must submit to the Lordship and Kingship of Jesus Christ. Peter knew of the kingship, deity, and glory of Jesus Christ. If you do not know that, it does not matter what else you do know. There is so much more that we could say on this but I want to get us into verses 19-21. One thing that I want us all to reflect on as we leave this section of Scripture is that you need to know who Jesus really is. You need to know that the One that we come to worship is fully God of fully God, that He is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory, that He alone is the One that we must put our faith in. Do you know this Jesus? Because He is the God of the universe and He is the God of Scripture and we can know Him better because the Word of God is not man’s word and it is sufficient for all of us and it is that truth that we turn to now. Peter says in verses 19-21:

The Sufficiency of the Word of God

2 Peter 1:19–21 NASB95

So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Peter understood that everything that took place in the life of Jesus and that was confirmed on the mount of transfiguration was pointed to by the prophets. In these verses, Peter reminds us that we live in a dark and fallen world. We know that one quick look at the news confirms that we live in a world that does not fear the Lord but Peter does not want to leave us without hope. He reminds us that the Word of God is a light that shines in a dark place. The Psalmist reiterates this in Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” You and I need the Word of God. You and I need light in the darkness. You might be able to stumble about in the dark for a little bit but if you don’t have a sense of light, you are going to run into something. The world is no different. There is so much darkness that if we don’t cling to the light, we’re going to be overtaken by the dark. Peter wants us to remember that we have the light of God’s Word before us but the day is going to come when the light from the lamp is seen in full by the coming of the Son of God in glory. Peter references the morning star arising in our hearts and Jesus refers to Himself as the Morning Star in Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” Peter wants us to recognize that when the Morning Star arises in our hearts, when the thought of Jesus returning comes to mind, there is a tremendous amount of joy and understanding that is associated with that. He is saying, “right now we have a lamp but that light will soon be eclipsed by the full force of the Sun.” With the few minutes that we have left, I want to emphasize the sufficiency of the Bible. The book that you have before you is not man’s book. This is God’s book. These are not the words of men, these are the words of God and this book carries with it all of the authority of God Himself. Where the Bible speaks, God speaks. Peter says that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation and while the New Testament was not fully written or compiled by the time Peter wrote this, the New Testament is to be included as well. Remember what Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” All Scripture is inspired by God, Old and New. St. Augustine said that “The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed and the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed.” From Genesis to Revelation, it is all God’s Word and it all testifies to One person: Jesus Christ. All of Scripture is really saying one thing: God. God is our creator, God is our sustainer, God is our redeemer, God is sovereign over all things. You need this book. A.W. Tozer used to say that it takes a whole Bible to make a whole Christian. You need to take this book seriously. You need to understand what it is that you hold. It shocks me just how little effort Christians make to understand this book. It shocks me how much we complain about not wanting to go deeper with Scripture or how little we want this book to enrich our lives. I think far too many of us look at the Bible incorrectly. I think far too many of us are content with just a basic knowledge of Scripture with no desire to want more. We have a gold mine in our midst but we’re fine with only cashing in penny’s! We complain about being hungry when there is a feast before us! Are we truly using what God has given to us? This book is given for our benefit so are we using it to benefit our lives. If I were to ask you what your time in God’s Word looked like, I could tell a lot about your faith by the answer that you give. The greater you study, the more time you devote to God’s Word, the richer your faith will be. I hated reading before I became a pastor and now people complain that I read too much. Why do I read? Because I’m not content with only having a shallow faith. I’m not content with only knowing God to the smallest possible degree. I have the responsibility to not just present the word to teenagers, I have the responsibility to present the Word to my own family. What do you think is going to help me do that? More time studying or less? More time or less time in the Word and in prayer? If you wanted to be a great pianist, what is going to help you, more practice or less practice? Peter reminds us that there is not a single prophecy in Scripture that is a matter of one’s own interpretation. I’ll be honest, I have been to a lot of Bible studies, youth camps, youth meetings, churches and I have heard some horrible teaching. I have heard such shallow teaching that we should not be surprised that teenagers have such shallow faith or no faith whatsoever. We spend so much time with activities and programs thinking that is going to change our world but every time that revival has happened in history it is when the truths of God’s Word have been exalted and proclaimed. Martin Luther used to say that the church has no reason to gather if the Word is not being proclaimed. That really should make us think. If that is the bar by which we do ministry, how many of our programs would still exist? Where is the emphasis in our day that this book is worth knowing? We put so much emphasis on feelings and application that we miss what is really being said in this book. Far too often do we hear the question asked in small groups or Bible studies: what does this mean to you? What does this verse or this chapter mean to you? Let me save you some time at your next Bible study, who cares what it means to you? You didn’t write it and it wasn’t written to you. What matters is what did Paul mean when he wrote it? What did John mean when he wrote it? What about Moses, David, Isaiah, Peter, what did they mean as they wrote it? Understand, there is 1 interpretation of Scripture and that is God’s interpretation. Parents don’t be surprised when your kids reject the Word of God when they are older because you spent too much time showing them how unimportant it is in your own life. We need Bible men. We need Bible women. We need men and women that are students of the Word because there is no other Word that the world needs more of. You’ve heard me say this before, the problem in the world is not that there are not enough preachers, the problem is that there are too many preachers that aren’t doing any real preaching! Are you using the Word of God as God intended it? A shallow study, a shallow devotion to God’s Word will produce shallow Christians at best and nonbelievers at worst. So, what are you going to do with the Word that has been given to us? Will you choose to ignore it, cast it aside, saying that this book is no longer relevant to you? Or will you instead embrace this book as a lamp that is going to shine in this dark world? Embrace this book as God’s word that points to Jesus Christ and His kingship, His deity, and His glory? If you want to die well, you need to be a man or woman of this book. This book is trustworthy and the God who authored this book offers Himself to you this day. God in His mercy has allowed you to see this day and the fact that you are here now is a reminder that God is patient with you and that you may still have time to change course. You still have time to truly treat God’s Word as His Word. You have time to submit not only to the Word of God but to God Himself. As we close, I challenge you to examine your own life. If you were to die today, would you have the confidence of Peter? Would you be able to die well? If you want to be able to do that, it cannot happen outside of Jesus Christ and the best way to find Christ is through His Word. Let’s pray.