Sermon Tone Analysis

Verse 1

Last week we started an introduction to two letters: 2 Peter and Jude.

We got to know Peter quite a bit better where we learn that after his greatest failure he was restored back to fellowship and was reconciled again to Jesus who gave him the task of feeding and tending His lambs, His sheep.

We briefly looked at the Apostolic claim of Peter which is what gives him the authority to write this letter.

But Peter does not lead out with the word ‘Apostle’ but with the word ‘servant’.

Now anyone of you who follows me when I am reading the Scriptures note that sometimes I interchange the word servant with another word, and that is slave.

I especially do this in Philippians chapter 2 where it talks of Jesus becoming a bondservant, as it says in the NIV.

I always translate this as slave.

I think that we often think of period-dramas on our TVs and think of the butler or someone in Pride and Prejudice who happens to be the servant.

The servant here is never this kind of servant.

Servant in the New Testament is always a slave.

They are bound by law to a master.

The kind of master you had depended on pure luck.

Slaves were bought at a street market or they continued on with the one who caught them at war as defeated enemies.

A slave is totally possessed by the master.

Not only Peter leads out with this but so does Jude in the letter we are also looking at along with other writers of letters in the NT.

Let’s hear what these two men were saying in particular about their own situation.

They were slaves not of an earthly master but of Jesus.

They had been purchased and possessed by Christ.

Now I said earlier the kind of master you get is sheer luck but in this case they were chosen when Jesus bought them from the slave market of sin and redeemed them.

The slave only existed for his master and had no other reason for their existence which means there were no personal rights.

They were at the master’s disposal to do whatever He said to do at any time.

They completely belonged to the Master and was submissive and obedient to Him.

But these slaves whose Master is Christ were honoured to wear the name of slave.

These slaves had many privileges, promises and responsibilities in serving the King of kings.

And, by the way, we should also own the name of slave as we find elsewhere in Scripture:

We are not our own to choose what to do or not to do: we have been bought at a price.

We are either slaves to this world and its desires or slaves to Christ and His will.

Now I know that I spoke of the character of Peter last week but he did not always get it wrong, you know.

What was Peter’s name before he was known as Peter?

There is a key here in the first verse: his Hebrew name was Simeon and his Greek name Simon.

So, how did he become Peter?

Well, it was Jesus who gave him his name.

It was at Caesarea Philippi when Simon declared to Jesus ‘you are the Christ’.

At that very moment he was given a new identity, from then on he was known as Peter – no longer shifting sand but stable as rock.

Of course, this did not work out entirely in his lifetime but he gradually moved towards it.

Later on in the first verse Peter says our faith is precious which means it is priceless, beyond value for it gives us citizenship of Heaven.

This has come at a great cost, as Peter in his first letter puts it:

We have not achieved anything by our own righteousness but that which comes to us through ‘our God and Saviour Jesus Christ’.

We are clothed in His righteousness Divine.

We all have the same faith and righteousness that comes from God whether apostles or ordinary people like us.

How come?

For this righteousness is a gift to us who would receive by faith.

The apostles and us were in the same boat prior to being saved, that is,

And now we are all in the same boat by faith in Christ:

We can trust Christ who gives us eternal life because He is God.

Did you catch that here in this verse?

Our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

The Greek here is very clear – it cannot be any other way.

Jesus is equal with God and co-equal with the Father.

Our ability to stand before God someday as rescued and reclaimed persons depends entirely on the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

He alone has flown through this world without falling.

He alone can and did make atonement for sin.

Thus he alone can bring us home.

Ensuring that we remain in the faith is one of the main ideas this letter will pass on to us.

Verse 2

I’ll get to the introduction of Jude another time for there are key things to pick up there as we work through both letters together but for today I am staying with 2 Peter.

Peter continues in verse 2: Grace and peace.

These can only come to us with the right knowledge of God and of Jesus.

Without faith, without knowing God there can be no grace or peace.

The more we grow in this knowledge the more we will be aware of the grace and peace that comes to us in Christ.

Let us be clear about what grace is: It is the unmerited, undeserved favour and blessings of God.

Man does not deserve God’s favour; he cannot earn God’s approval and blessings.

God is too high and man is too low for man to deserve anything from God. Man is imperfect and God is perfect; therefore, man cannot expect anything from God.

Man deserves nothing from God except judgment, condemnation, and punishment.

But God is love—perfect and absolute love.

Therefore, God makes it possible for man to experience His grace which is only available through Jesus Christ the Son.

And peace is to be assured, confident and secure in the love and care of God.If we turn from this knowledge or do not grow in it then we are liable to be deceived by the false teachers that the Church is full of and of which this letter warns about.

Continuous study of Scripture should equip us to deal with such things as they arise.

Walking daily with our Lord in growing our personal relationship with Him should be our priority.

We have to remember that this is Peter’s purpose.

That we grow in our knowledge of God in mind and by experience with firsthand relationship with God that can only come through knowing Jesus.

J I Packer said, in his book, Knowing God:

What were we made for?

To know God.

What aim should we set ourselves in life?

To know God.

What is the eternal life that Jesus gives?

Knowledge of God.

“This is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3).

What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight, and contentment than anything else?

Knowledge of God.

“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me” (Jeremiah 9:23)

Peter later claimed that if we add to this knowledge we shall never fall.

He does not want us to experience what he experienced when he failed.

He wants to prevent that from happening and why he has written this letter.

We are to give our full obedience to God.

Yes, Peter fell, but he still managed to finish the race.

His faith did not fail throughout it all and we have a Saviour who is praying for us.

Let us learn from him and learn how to finish well ourselves.

Verse 3

But let us not think that somehow we can do it all in our own strength but instead we have been given all we need by God in His divine power.

And who is more powerful than God?

And His power is on hand to help us.

What a relief!

Not in our strength but His we will finish the race.

This divine power is already ours as His people.

He has made everything that we need for life and godliness available to us.

“Life” is eternal life, whereas “godliness” is godly living; the latter cannot be obtained without the former.

We heard in the Great Commission this morning that Jesus has promised to be with us and we have His authority and power to achieve that which He has given us to do.