#9 - Sermon
Peter’s Reminder to Remember
2nd Peter1:12-15
August 19, 2007
Sun Oak Baptist Church
Introduction
A. Please turn with me to 2nd Peter 1:13-14 and I encourage you to take out your sermon notes as well. 2nd Peter 1 is on page #817 in the pew Bible.
B. One of the more profound experiences I have ever had was caring for a man that was literally dying. He was in the last stages of emphysema and required 24-hour care. A number of people in our church signed up for rotating shifts to help relieve his wife from carrying the burden of his care alone. He was on oxygen 24-hours a day; we administered breathing treatments every three (3) hours; he had reached the point where he didn’t have the strength to get out of bed. It was a profound experience and if you have ever had a similar one then you know that there’s something sobering…“stilling” about being in the presence of someone close to death – the things they talk about…the things on their minds.
And that’s kind of the position that we find ourselves in when we come to Peter’s 2nd epistle – the Lord had actually shown Peter that he would die shortly. Read 1:13-14. As we know from history Peter did die shortly after this letter was written. So what did he talk about; what was important to him; what was his focus knowing that he time was short?
C. Last week we saw his plea – his plea in verses 8-11 for Christians to be diligent in their pursuit and commitment to grow in their faith; to be diligent to keep adding the Christ-like character traits in verses 5-7 to our lives; his plea to make our calling and election sure in verse 10; and his plea to be diligent in these things so that we might have an abundant entrance into Christ’s everlasting kingdom. Read 1:11.
And this week we come to what I’m calling Peter’s Reminder to Remember. Peter’s plea in verses 8-11 is to keep growing and his reminder is to remember. In verses 12-15 he addresses a fundamental deficiency in human beings that goes all the way back to the Book of Genesis: the problem of “remembering” things – the problem of our predisposition to forget. As I read remember again the importance of the phrase “these things” that we saw last week.
Read 12-15 and pray.
D. How many of us have ever lost our car keys? How many times have we lost something around the house – or misplaced it only to find it weeks, or even months later? How many of us have forgotten an anniversary; an important birthday; an appointment – even a bill payment?
I could go on and on with example after example of things that demonstrate the trouble human beings have with their memory, and it’s not that I’m trying to suggest that anyone purposefully sets out to forget things – I’m just stating the fact that it’s a problem we can all relate to.
1. And here’s the problem with this problem applied to the Christian life: our struggle with remembering things is a problem that God specifically says will directly and profoundly affect our relationship with Him.
God specifically says that our tendency to forget things will directly and profoundly impact our relationship with Him and this problem is THE problem that was foremost on Peter’s mind as he wrote this letter. Look at verses 12-15. He uses the word “remind” three (3) times here: in verse 12, verse 13 and again in verse 15 – three (3) times. Why? Why the word “remind?” Because he’s ringing a bell; he’s sounding an alarm; he’s holding up a sign that reads: “Remember!! ‘These things’ are so important in your life, they have the potential to impact your relationship to Christ so much, I’m going to do all I can to help you remember the things I am writing about.”
2. Turn with me to Deut. 8:11 – you might want to put your bulletin in 2nd Peter because we’ll be coming right back. Throughout the Bible God repeatedly warns us that our tendency to forget has the potential to seriously impact our relationship with Him. Read 8:11-14 and Ps. 50:22-23.
3. Now flip back to 2nd Peter 1. We can go to passage after passage in God’s Word that issue the very same warning.
4. We don’t have time to develop it this morning, but the reason every human being has problems remembering things is the result of the Fall. The reason we struggle in this area of our lives is because of the Fall; it’s one of the consequences of sin. In fact, perhaps one of the clearest demonstrations of the biblical doctrine of sin is our tendency to forget and we could go through Scripture and easily support this conclusion.
E. What I want to do this morning is to take this problem of our memory; the very real danger of forgetting things we want to remember and unpack three (3) principles here in verses 12-15 that, if we are diligent to apply them to our lives will be a tremendous help towards guarding against the danger of forgetting the truths of God’s Word.
I. Principle #1: there is a difference between knowing truth and living out truth. See 1:12.
When it comes to our tendency to forget things, remember that there is a world of difference between knowing truth and living out that truth.
Read 1:12. This is huge in the lives of people that attend church because Peter is warning us about the danger of thinking that because we are aware of (or know) a particular thing (for example thinking we are a Christian), that that “thing” is in our memory. Now I know that’s a mouthful so let me say it again.
In verse 12 Peter warns about the danger of thinking that because we believe we are aware of (or that we know) a particular thing, that that “thing” is in our memory. Now I had a little trouble getting my arms around this so maybe this will help – it helped me.
A. If we can remember back to what it was like when we attended school we can get what Peter’s saying here.
1. Think back: we are sitting in class one day and the teacher lectures on a number of facts: pick a subject – any subject. As we are sitting there listening we say to ourselves: “Oh – I know that, I remember reading that, I am aware of that” – so we don’t take the trouble to take notes. A month or so later we are taking a test on those very facts and we find ourselves struggling to remember the very facts that we were previously so sure of. We remember the lecture; we remember reading about the subject; but for some reason we can’t exactly recall the facts. We are aware of them, we know them to a certain degree, but the low grade on the test proved that we really did not possess those facts in the sense that Peter means here – we couldn’t live them out – we weren’t “established” in them.
2. That’s the principle: there’s a huge difference between knowing a truth and living out that truth, and this difference can have major consequences in a person’s Christian life. The Bible clearly teaches that there is a world of difference between knowing what is good and doing it – between knowing a truth and being established in that truth. James 4:17: “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” There is a world of difference between knowing Biblical truth and living that truth out.
3. On his death bed as it were, Peter is warning us that a person can know the essentials of Christian growth in verses 5-7, they can be aware of them, but if they aren’t engaged in the ongoing process of adding these things to their lives and growing in them then they don’t really remember them – they aren’t established in them.
B. So here’s Peter’s reminder: if we aren’t careful to differentiate between “awareness” of truth versus practicing truth that truth means nothing in our lives. Faith without works is dead – knowledge without execution means nothing. Why is reminding us to remember so important to Peter? One reason is that the difference between knowing truth and living out that truth is literally the difference between eternity in hell or eternity in heaven.
II. Principle #2: our memories must be exercised. See 1:13.
Read 1:13.
A. In order to be effective and profitable our memories must be exercised and this is done by “stirring” them up.
1. The word “stir” means to wake up or to vigorously agitate something like we would do to stir up the mud off the bottom of pond – chocolate milk illustration.
That’s the idea here: these things are so important in the Christian life that as long as he has a breath to breathe Peter’s going to do all he can to remind us to remember; to stir up the Biblical truths these Christians already know in order to keep them and us from turning into Christian couch potatoes.
2. God saves us in verses 1-4 and then our response in the following verses is to be diligent to keep the things he’s been talking about actively present in the center of our minds so we can live them out. Don’t let our memory of the Biblical truths we learn settle into the bottom of our minds like sentiment settles to the bottom of a lake.
B. There are two (2) aspects to the “stirring” here.
1. For one, think back to the school example for a minute: ever try to take a test without studying? Ever try to cram for a test? Ever try to take a test after only reviewing the material once? When I take tests I have to review, review again, review again, and basically do everything I can to “stir up” the mud of the facts I learn in class that settle to the bottom of my mind.
The first aspect of the “stirring” here is the importance of keeping things we learn about being a Christian right in the front of our minds. For example, if we aren’t reading our Bible everyday, keeping our nose in the Book, then truth we have learned in the past just settles to the bottom of our memories and does us no good. The only way to keep Biblical truth “stirred up” so that it produces fruit in our life is to purpose, by God’s grace, to constantly be in God’s Word – that’s one (1) aspect of the “stirring” here.
2. And a second aspect has to do with living in the past – it’s the danger of trying to live on memories that have settled in the backs of our minds – it’s the old saying: how soon we forget. We tend to think that just remembering Independence Day, 9/11 and so on, is enough for that particular memory to make a life-long impact on us – but it doesn’t.
For example, do we still ache over what happened on 9/11 the way we did two (2) years ago; three (3) years ago – or the day after it happened? Sin has a way of giving us the idea that we can live under the influence of old memories, but we can’t. We can’t live in or live on the past and yet, we all probably have met people that try to do just that. They try to live on past memories; the memory of a successful career; the memory of their love for someone special that has died; and so on. Someone once said this is not living – it’s “existing.”
Here’s one: many people that attend church have been baptized at some point in their life. Peter is warning about the very real danger, and I have seen it often, where a person goes on in their life thinking that their baptism is enough. I meet countless people that grew up in church, or were baptized, but the life that they are living today is no more a “Christian life” than someone that has never been to church. And I could go on and on with other examples of this.
C. So principle #1: there is a difference between remembering things about the Christian life and living those things out, and principle #2: in order to be effective and profitable, our memories must constantly be stirred up. The Christian life demands and requires consistently reminding ourselves and thinking about Biblical truth. This is the incredible importance and value of reading the Bible every single day; the incredible significance of praying every single day; the incredible importance of making it to church each and every Sunday no matter what; and the incredible importance of meaningful Christian relationships and fellowship.
III. Principle #3: one of the primary purposes of the church is to constantly remind us about Biblical truth. See 1:14-15.
Read 1:14-15. The primary purpose of a church is to bring glory to God and one of the primary ways that a church does this is by consistently and faithfully exposing and reminding us about Biblical truth – to keep “stirring” up the truths of God’s Word.
Peter’s about to die: what’s on his mind? He keeps talking about reminding these people; he wants to ensure that they will always have a reminder of “these things” after he’s dead. How will that happen? The answer is the church – one of the primary purposes of the church is to faithfully repeat and reminds us of the eternal truths of God’s Word. Israel quickly forgot these truths and basically, if we follow the news at all, then we know that the same thing has happened in the church today.
When it comes to “these things” there are three (3) truths in particular that were on the forefront of Peter’s mind and we find them right here chapter one (1).
A. First of all: always be remembering that it’s God that saves.
1. Always be stirring up the truth that we have nothing to do with salvation – God does it all. Read 1:1-4.
2. Peter’s dying wish was that the Christians he was writing to would always remember “these things” – the immediate context refers to the things he’s been talking about, but the broader context refers to all of the truths of God’s Word. The truth Peter starts his letter with is the truth that it’s God who saves us. There are incredible consequences to forgetting this truth and begin to believe that we somehow can earn favor with God, or somehow earn our way to heaven by the “good things” we do – when nothing could be further from the truth.
3. So first of all Peter want us to always be remembering the truth that it’s God that saves
B. Secondly, always be remembering the critical importance of Christian growth – of being sure that our life is producing fruit. Read 1:5-8.
That’s Peter’s plea – and now it’s his reminder. Don’t forget these things – don’t forget to seek first the kingdom of God – to make it your life’s primary purpose to grow in your faith.
C. And third: be always remembering the final end of man’s life. Read 1:15.
1. The word “decease” here is such a great word. Of all the words Peter could have used for death he chose the Greek word for “exodus” – the end of verse 15 could read “after my exodus.” That’s death for the Christian: it’s just an exodus; it’s Israel leaving Egypt; crossing the Red Sea and the Jordan River and finally entering the land of Canaan with all of its amazing possessions – that’s the picture of Christ’s everlasting kingdom.
2. This is how the NT says Christians should face the end: our “decease” is the objective of our life. Death isn’t terror; it’s nothing to fear; it’s simply the folding up of the tent and moving on and for the Christian that is diligent to do the things Peter is telling us to do in this letter death means an abundant entrance into Jesus Christ’s everlasting and eternal kingdom. Read 1:11.
Conclusion
A. Do me a favor: if you can’t remember my words remember the words of a dying man. History tells us that shortly after he wrote this letter Peter was crucified upside down, like a common criminal, outside the walls of Rome. And knowing this death was coming, under the inspiration of God, Peter calls us to remember – to remember!! He warns us about the dangers that our tendency to forget will impact our relationship with God.
Don’t forget your anniversary; don’t forget about the importance of coming to church; don’t forget to be diligent to grow in the Christian life; don’t forget that knowing truth and living out truth are two (2) completely different things; don’t forget that our memories must constantly be stirred up in order for them to be effective; and don’t forget that the first purpose of a church is to glorify God and the second purpose is to constantly remind us about and expose Biblical truth.
B. Biblical prophecy teaches us this: as long as sin remains in this world, there will be trouble and that eventually, a final cataclysmic event is coming – it’s not “if” it’s “when.” There is no superficial optimism in the Bible; it talks about wars and rumors of wars; it talks about death; it talks about Christians being hated for their faith – but it also tells us that the Son of God who has already conquered death and sin and the grave, will return again finally to cleanse the world, and that all the forces that are against God and antithetical to God will be finally routed.
Turn to 2nd Peter 3:10-13. There is a glorious crowning day coming, there is a real exodus to look forward to, there is an ultimate apocalypse. As the Bible asks us to look back to what Christ has done, it also tells us to look forward to what He is yet going to do. Read.
C. The ultimate thing that Bible always reminds us of, and which it always urges us to keep in remembrance, is that the greatest and the most vital thing in this world is to know the Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot live on memories; we cannot live on hopes; but on the Lord Jesus Christ we can always live. We must never forget His sacrifice and His rising again. This truth is what transforms everything else – even the fact of death itself. In Him and in Him alone we triumph over death and have eternal and everlasting life. These are the things to keep in remembrance.