Natural Reminder of Supernatural Truths

ME: Intro - Awkward/Frustrating Repetition

Raise your hand if you had a New Year’s resolution at the start of this year.

Keep your hand up if you remember what your resolution was.

Now, keep your hand up if you have actually accomplished your resolution.

My wife, Stephanie, and I,

Resolved to run a marathon by August of this year.

Technically, we still have a little more than 2 weeks to accomplish this.

At this point, though, I concede that we will not meet this goal.

But I think we are both okay with it,

We set the goal as a way to keep ourselves accountable to run more.

And we have done that at least.

We generally go a couple times a week to General Clinton to do a 30 minute jog.

If you’ve ever gone for a walk or jog at a place like the park,

You notice how each lap you see the same people over and over again.

This repetition can get awkward.

I am the weird guy who thinks I am being friendly by making eye contact,

Smiling, giving a wave and saying “hi,” or “how are you?”

Every single time.

Some will match this simple greeting every time we encounter one another.

Others respond to the awkwardness of this repetition by keeping there eyes locked straight ahead,

Unwilling to acknowledge that anyone else is even at the park.

And still others take their friendliness to another level.

Almost as if they are using the repetitive encounters as an ongoing conversation.

Each lap they will try to make a conversational comment;

“Nice weather today, huh?”

“I like your shoes!”

“How about them Yankees, huh?”

As this happens I begin questioning my own perceived friendly greetings.

Each of these reactions are different examples of our human attempts at responding to the awkwardness of repetition.

Repetition can feel awkward.

It can also feel frustrating.

You may have seen on Facebook that Stephanie and I got a puppy a little over a week ago.

We are trying to train this thing,

And we have to just repeat the same things over and over and over again.

Crate, Crate, Crate.

Potty, Potty, Potty.

Good girl, good girl, good girl.

This repetition can be both exhausting and infuriating, at times.

Despite the potential for repetition to be frustrating or awkward,

It is helpful.

For example, each time the dog hears us repeat ourselves,

It is reinforcing good habits.

She is learning what pleases her master.

And guess what,

The same is true for us.

Every time we hear an instruction, we become a little more familiar.

When it comes from God,

Repetition helps us learn and remember what pleases our master.

So, despite the potential tension caused by the awkwardness or frustration of repetition,

Our response to repetition from God is of the utmost importance.

And the Apostle Peter takes this challenge to heart.

In 2 Peter 1:12-21,

Peter gives Natural Reminders of Supernatural Truths.

He says in the opening verse,

“I intend always to remind you of these qualities,”

Referring to the qualities we looked at in vs. 5-7 last week.

But the specific Supernatural Truth Peter focuses on in our text is the truth of Christ’s return.

The false teachers of his day were mocking the idea that Christ granted His people the tools needed to live godly lives.

Out of this mockery grew the lie that Christ would not return.

So, they concluded that since Jesus is not coming back,

There will be no future judgment of sin,

Therefore we can live however we want with no need to worry about any consequences.

This lie began luring believers away from living godly lives.

So, Peter gives A Natural Reminder of Supernatural Truths.

Specifically, how remembering Christ’s return reinforces godliness in our daily lives.

The outline for our text this morning is;

A Natural Reminder (vs. 12-15)

A Natural Witness (vs. 16-18)

A Supernatural “Lamp” (vs. 19-21)

Pay attention to the light of God’s reminders.

Peter reminds us of Christ’s second coming.

Because forgetting about Christ’s second coming negatively impacts the way we live our lives.

That is why, before he dies,

Peter determines to do everything in his power to remind us of the need to live godly lives,

And to have assurance of our salvation,

So, we can confidently enter God’s Kingdom when Jesus returns.

He repeatedly expresses this.

In vs. 12, he says, I intend to always remind you.

I think it is right to stir you up by way of reminder, in vs. 13.

I will make every effort so that you may be able to recall these things in vs. 15.

Peter obviously was burdened by our need to be reminded of these things.

We need this reminder because we live in a culture that promotes ungodly living.

Peter wants to ensure we do not buy into the lies of our culture.

He wants us to remember the true gospel,

That teaches that we are saved by grace through faith,

That includes ongoing spiritual growth as assurance of that salvation.

And comes to its culmination with the return of Christ.

WE: A Natural Reminder (2 Pet. 1:12-15)

So, In vs. 12-15,

Peter begins with a natural reminder of the true gospel that is crucial for our growth in Christ,

And pierces through the false teaching of our culture.

Peter is so transparent about his heart.

He reveals that his desire is to always remind us of the teachings that we might be tempted to lay aside,

Even if we are well-grounded in these truths.

Peter complements his readers by acknowledging their knowledge of the truth.

These are Christians who are genuinely maturing.

The Gospel has taken root in their hearts and lives.

Some think Peter is just trying to be polite when he says this,

But it seems more likely that he truly believed this to be true about the recipients of his letter.

Either way, It shows that Peter knows we may be established Christians,

But the question is,

Does our lifestyle show that we remember these truths?

Peter is perhaps the best person to ask this question,

Because he experienced this firsthand.

In Luke 22:33, Peter emphatically stated that he was ready to go with Jesus to prison and the grave.

Luke 22:32–34 ESV

but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”

Then, as Jesus predicted one verse later,

Peter turned around later that night and denied Christ,

Not once,

Not twice,

But three times.

Before Peter’s emphatic statement,

Jesus reminded Peter what he is to do once Peter repented of his denial.

Peter experienced the highest of spiritual highs,

And the lowest of spiritual lows.

But most importantly,

Peter experienced what it was like to rise up from his spiritual lows.

This is why he says that he intends to always remind us of these things.

This reminder works like fresh water being poured out on the seed of godliness,

Producing continuous growth.

We may be able to point to examples of godliness in our past,

But it does not mean that it will continue to grow without the ongoing nourishment of reminders.

Because our tendency as humans is to be much better at forgetting than remembering.

Therefore, we all need repetition of spiritual truths in our hearts and minds.

It is far too easy to slip into ungodly thought and actions,

As Peter acknowledges, even for the most seasoned believers.

In vs. 13, Peter says he believes it is right to remind us of these things,

To stir us up with these reminders.

This is a strong idea of stimulating us in a fresh way.

He is hoping his reminders will be like an electric shock that will jab us awake,

So that we will reject the lies of the world around us.

He intends to do this as long as he is in this body.

The Greek word Peter uses for body here is the same word as tent.

By using this word,

He is emphasizing the temporary nature of the physical body.

One day, like Peter, our physical bodies will be put off like a tent.

Paul expresses a similar idea in 2 Cor. 5:1.

Our earthly body is a temporary living arrangement.

While God is building us an eternal house in the heavens.

Peter understood that he was an interim leader,

The same is true for us all.

As a pastor here,

I am only here on an interim basis.

Pastor Ryan is only here on an interim basis.

We are only in our physical body temporarily.

We will eventually leave this world,

Then another pastor will serve as an interim pastor as long as he is in his body.

This cycle will continue until Christ returns.

We all are campers, living in our bodily tents in this world,

Waiting for the day when we will fold up our tents,

And move into our eternal heavenly home that God is building.

When writing this,

Peter knows he does not have much time left in his tent,

He says, because Christ made it clear to him.

Therefore, Peter expressed a sense of urgency to remind us of spiritual truths.

That is the focus of his letter.

Not so much that time is running short for him,

Rather, the need to remind us of these things,

So, that we will pay attention to them.

Even though we may think we know the gospel,

We need to be refreshed with reminders daily.

God desires that we would savor His Gospel in our hearts,

We do this by repetition of the Gospel in our mind and heart on a daily basis.

Peter amplifies his desire to remind us of the gospel in vs. 15.

Last week, we talked about how Peter called us to make every effort to supplement our faith with godly virtues.

Peter follows that up in vs. 15,

Using the same phrase,

Saying he too will make every effort to remind us of these qualities.

Peter does not want us to forget.

This is his deep and earnest desire.

His purpose in writing this letter is to establish his readers firmly in the truths of the gospel.

He wants us to be able to recall these things at any time.

Peter wants us to hold the gospel in remembrance.

As he is nearing death, this is so burdensome to him.

He wants us to be ready at all times.

This is more than just the ability to recall the information of the gospel in a given moment.

This is consistently living in a state of gospel-mindedness,

So that the gospel readies us for any momentary circumstance.

Peter is giving us a natural reminder with important application.

He does not want us to have only an intellectual recall of the gospel.

He wants to ensure we do not forget the gospel in a functional sense.

What this means is that we may be able to recite the gospel,

But we forget to live out the basic truths of the gospel.

We can know in our head that Jesus died to forgive us of our sins.

But never embrace this in our lives,

Never overcome guilt and condemnation of your past,

Never forgive yourself or others,

Or fear what may happen in the future,

As if you do not have the hope of the Gospel.

Jesus calls us to live godly lives,

But if we functionally forget the gospel in ways like this,

We do not allow godliness to take hold of our soul,

And inspire the way we live.

Dr. Jim Shaddix summarizes it this way;

“We are called to remember the gospel in a tangible and practical sense, and the repetition of its truths—in both word and ritual (e.g., baptism, communion)—is a necessary component of our readiness for vibrant Christian living.”

GOD: A Natural Witness (2 Pet. 1:16-18)

In 2 Pet. 1:16-18, Peter ups the ante on the importance of godly living by sharing the certainty of Christ’s return in glory,

Based upon his experience as a Natural Witness.

Peter begins this section by linking his witness with the witness of the other apostles.

He says “we” multiple times in vs. 16 to show that all the apostles preach the same message.

Remember, the specific issue Peter is addressing is the return of Christ at the end of history.

Peter is telling us not to forget this important component of the gospel!

Remember that Christ is coming back.

At our present stage in human history,

The gospel truth of Christ’s return is the greatest motivation for growing godly virtues in this life.

As Tom Schreiner simply says;

“Living a godly life is optional, to say the least, if one’s heavenly destiny is not involved.”

If a person is a believer in Christ,

Living a godly life is not optional,

Because heaven is a certainty.

Peter determined to focus on the issue of Christ’s return over all others,

Because that is the truth that was under attack.

So, he identifies himself as a natural witness,

Who can jog the memories of believers about the certainty of Christ’s return.

He does this so that his readers would pursue godly living until Christ’s return.

But before getting into the message he preaches.

He talks about the message he does not preach.

Despite the accusations against him,

Peter and the other apostles do not follow cleverly devised myths.

The truth he follows is the power and coming of Christ and His majesty.

This is the center of Peter’s argument.

The “coming” Peter is talking about here is the Greek word, parousia.

This is a specific term used throughout the NT to refer to Christ’s second coming.

His second coming, as Peter says here,

Will be in power.

This is a reference to the deity of Christ.

The apostles know about Christ’s second coming,

Not from some sort of myth,

In Matt. 17, Peter, along with James and John,

Witnessed the transfiguration of Christ.

They were able to describe the glory of this spectacular event.

On top of the holy mountain,

They witnessed the Father declare the glory and honor of the Son.

He declared Christ’s superiority over the law,

Represented by the presence of Moses,

And the prophets,

Represented by the presence of Elijah.

Being a natural witness of this validates Peter’s message.

The transfiguration foreshadowed the revelation of the same glory and honor when Christ returns.

What Peter witnessed was without a doubt a preview of Christ’s return.

That is why Peter brings this event up here.

It represented and anticipated Christ and His powerful return.

But why was Christ’s return under attack by false teachers?

Because people were too busy clinging to their love for this world,

God’s plan of renewing this world interrupted their plans of keeping this world they love more than God.

And it is no different today.

Many people cling to this world with a love greater than God,

People from outside of the church,

And people from within the church.

This is why Peter leverages his experience as a natural witness of the transfiguration,

He wants the people from within the church who are tempted cling to this world like those from outside the church,

To be confident in the gospel truth that one day Jesus will return.

And this reminder is to draw the hearts of believers back toward God from this world.

Peter’s testimony as a natural witness of the transfiguration increases his credentials in a way that the false teachers of the day couldn’t touch.

Peter heard the voice of God from heaven.

No false teacher could top that.

Peter elaborates in vs. 17 on the majesty he witnessed at the transfiguration,

Saying it was given to Christ by the Majestic Glory,

A term used to communicate reverence for God in a way that shows He is the source of all majesty and glory.

When the Father spoke He bestowed this exalted status of honor upon Jesus,

His glory was radiating around Christ.

Vs. 17 quotes the Father from the transfiguration,

When He said Jesus is His beloved Son,

With whom He is well pleased.

This expression reveals the deep and abiding love that exists between God the Father,

And God the Son.

The Father takes such great pleasure from this loving relationship with His Son.

This declaration is God’s way of affirming both the person and the work of Christ.

The natural witness of Peter is a reminder that your faith is not rooted in a myth.

The sources of Christianity can be traced back to historical facts,

To the testimony of not just this one natural witness,

But many.

These witnesses had a viable knowledge of this literal, historical person,

Jesus Christ.

Peter did not craft any tall tales about Jesus.

He saw Him, He lived with Him, He learned from Him.

Having Peter as a natural witness ought to build up your confidence as a follower of Christ.

And this natural witness reminds you of the glory and majesty of Christ.

This reminder ought to stir you up to live a godly life,

Even in the face of the lies of this world.

YOU: A Supernatural “Lamp” (2 Pet. 1:19-21)

Not only does Peter make every effort to remind you of this by his testimony as a natural witness,

He points to a second form of verification,

In 2 Pet. 1:19-21, he points you to a Supernatural “Lamp”

The supernatural “lamp” is a reference to the prophetic word Peter talks about in vs. 19,

And the prophecy he mentions in vs. 20 and 21.

This supernatural “lamp” is the Bible.

In these verses, Peter gives one of the clearest teachings on the inspiration of the Bible.

As Dr. Shaddix comments;

“Few passages magnify the supernatural origin and nature of God’s Word as clearly and succinctly as this one.”

In vs. 19, Peter says the Bible is more fully confirmed,

When he says the Bible is confirmed,

He is saying it will not fail or give way.

Being more fully confirmed

Means it is even more unlikely to fail than his witness of the transfiguration!

Peter is saying him, James, and John witnessed the transfiguration of Christ,

They saw a glimpse of the glory of Christ’s second coming,

Despite the confidence of this experience,

Both the apostles, and believers for all time,

Have more solid proof of the glory of Christ’s second coming than personal experience,

And that proof is the Bible.

Many of us treat personal experience as if it is the most authoritative truth in our lives.

How many times have you thought to yourself,

Or said to someone else,

That you know something to be true because of a personal experience.

Peter is teaching here,

That belief based on experience is limited at best.

Satan is more than capable of creating experiences or feelings,

Or manipulating circumstances.

A person could have years of a variety of experiences,

But if it is all bad experiences,

Does that make the person an authority?

Not necessarily.

We really see how faulty this thinking is when our personal experience seems to contradict the Bible.

When this happens,

We must alway trust in the Bible over our personal experience.

This is the idea the Bible talks about when it says we walk by faith and not by sight.

We walk by faith in God’s Word,

Not by the sight of our personal experiences.

The point Peter is making is that Scripture must always maintain a higher level of authority than our personal experiences.

He is a great example for us.

Because he is saying Scripture is more authoritative than this incredible experience of witnessing the transfiguration.

When we, like Peter, do this,

We will find that Scripture can actually validate our experience.

That is what Peter is saying here.

When the authority of personal experience falls short,

Go to the Bible.

Peter is confident that the Bible is the highest form of authority,

Not his personal experience.

The reason the Bible is the highest form of authority is because of its supernatural origin.

Look ahead to vs. 20-21,

In these verses, Peter highlights the reliability of Scripture,

Teaching that the Bible came from God.

The same God he heard speak at the transfiguration spoke through the prophets who wrote the Bible.

This is important because people will try to make Scripture say what they want it to say,

Rather than what it actually says.

This changes the meaning of the Scripture,

Removing the authority of the words being used out of context.

Peter is saying in vs. 20,

We can trust the Bible because a proper understanding does not come from someone’s own interpretation.

This statement is also a prohibition against misusing Scripture to fit your own agenda.

When you do this, the misuse of Scripture is not authoritative.

And no one has the right to misuse Scripture to make it say what we want it to say.

When someone rightly speaks God’s Word,

The authority is not coming from that person,

Or their interpretation,

It is coming from God.

Peter continues to spell out where Scripture comes from in vs. 21.

He says Scripture does not come from the will of people.

Therefore, since the bible did not come from people,

We people have no right to twist it to say what we want it to say.

So, if the Bible did not come from people,

Where did it come from?

And why do we talk about the people who wrote it, like Peter?

Peter says it was written and spoken through people,

From God,

By the Holy Spirit.

So, it is God who is the source of the Bible.

This is what makes the Bible the highest source of authority.

And when false teachers take the words that God spoke and crowbar them to fit their own agenda,

They are actually putting their own words in God’s mouth.

And I am sure you all can relate to what it feels like to have someone else put words in your mouth.

People will twist God’s Words to justify their preferred way of living.

But before you pick up your rocks and get ready to cast stones at those people.

Take a moment of self-reflection.

What is different from reading a few verses of the Bible taken out of its context,

Let’s say in a topical devotional,

And drawing meaning from a single detail of the passage?

What is different from reading a few verses in a connect group and discussing what it means to you,

While everyone affirms each person’s different interpretation?

What is different about a pastor reading a few verses,

Then going on about a personal frustration that barely has anything to do with the passage that was read?

Each of these examples are similar forms of misusing Scripture in a way that undermines its authority and discredits God as the source of the message.

When we do things like this,

It is not the voice of God speaking,

It is someone’s own interpretation,

And no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.

Peter is clear that we can have confidence in what the Bible says,

Because though Scripture was transmitted through people,

The Holy Spirit is the source of prophecy.

The Holy Spirit enables people to speak and write the Scriptures we have today.

This is the idea of inspiration.

The people who spoke and wrote God’s Word,

Spoke and wrote infallible truths,

Not because they themselves are infallible truth-tellers,

But because the Holy Spirit has rendered the person in such a way that everything he asserts is true,

Whether it was an informational fact,

A doctrine, or a moral principle,

No matter what it is,

It is true.

The Holy Spirit did this by carrying these people like the wind carries a ship across the ocean.

We can picture this like the authors of the Bible opening the sails of their souls,

And the Holy Spirit blowing and directing them where He wanted them to go.

Through these people God wrote His message.

Each authors background and personality can still be felt in their words,

They were not just writing as God was speaking like they were a robot.

They each had a part in God’s overarching message about Himself to us.

Instead of writing about random topics regarding life.

What this means,

Is that when we read the Bible,

Or when it is taught in a way that uses Scripture to interpret Scripture,

We can be confident that God is the One delivering the message,

It is not from someone’s interpretation.

WE: Conclusions

Let us conclude our text by going back to the second half of vs. 19,

Where Peter uses a metaphor to explain that the Bible as a lamp shining in a dark place.

Similar to what the psalmist said in Ps. 119:105;

Psalm 119:105 ESV

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

This world is gloomy,

It is severely dark,

It is this way because of sin.

But God’s Word shines like a torch in this world,

Believers must live by the light of this supernatural lamp.

We must pay attention to it, Peter says, and obey it.

This is the main point of our passage this morning.

To pay attention.

To pay close attention.

And act upon what you are paying attention to,

Embrace and follow what you are paying attention to.

In doing so, Peter says, you will do well.

You will do what is right,

You will do what is correct,

If you pay close attention to God’s Word,

As to a lamp shining in a dark place.

This means obeying Scripture is more than just a good idea,

It is the right idea.

So, pay close attention to God’s Word, not just because it will benefit you,

But pay close attention to God’s Word because it is right.

And do not worry,

It will still benefit you.

God’s Word is the torch that illuminates this dark world.

And illuminates your life personally.

It will bring to light what is dirty in your life,

Making it easier to be cleaned.

Do not be deceived by the darkness of sin,

Or the darkness of false teaching.

Again, in the context of Peter’s audience,

False teachers were denying that Christ would return.

The thought was that since Christ is not coming back,

He is not coming back to judge sin,

Therefore you can live however you want.

This is living in darkness.

It is groping around in a dark room,

With no light to provide direction or guidance.

This world will remain in darkness

Until, Peter says, the day dawns and the morning star rises.

The day is the day of Christ’s second coming.

God has given supernatural revelation of Himself, His purposes, and His plans,

This is the supernatural “lamp,”

This is God’s Word.

It is not merely the record of God’s revelation,

It is the revelation of God Himself.

It is God disclosing His divine secrets and knowledge to us humans.

The morning star is an allusion to Num. 24:17,

Which is a messianic prophecy.

An allusion used to refer to Christ twice in Revelation as well.

The morning star specifically alludes to Christ as the source of light at His second coming.

When He comes,

Peter says He will rise in your hearts.

This is an interesting phrase for Peter to say here.

He is possibly referring to the hope that lives in your heart as you look ahead for Christ’s return.

The other possibility is that Peter is talking about the effect the full revelation of Christ will have on you when He returns.

This is the idea of being re-created in Christ on that day.

If you trust in Christ,

This inner transformation has already begun by grace through faith,

It is presently happening through the work of the Holy Spirit as we pay close attention to God’s Word,

And it will be brought to completion when Jesus returns.

As John says in 1 John 3:2;

1 John 3:2 ESV

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

Brothers and sisters,

We look forward to the day when our entire being,

From the inside out,

Will be fully renewed,

Because Jesus will fully illuminate us with the presence of His glory!

But until that day comes,

He has given us a flashlight.

The flashlight of His Word,

To shine in the darkness of our world and our lives,

Showing us how to clean ourselves up into His image,

And direct us on the path of godly living.

There is so much repetition is throughout the Bible.

But our tendency is to push back against repetition.

God knows we need a natural reminder of supernatural truths.

From the opening pages in Genesis,

To the final words in Revelation,

The Bible repeats the Gospel,

It repeats the story of God’s redemptive plan for His creation.

The importance of remembering Christ is coming back cannot be overstated.

This is a key part of the Gospel.

It is a primary motivation for godly living.

Christ’s return is the culmination of God’s redemptive plan for creation.

So, while we journey through this dark world,

Pay attention to the light of God’s reminders,

Until the day that Christ returns.

May His reminders compel us to live holy lives,

So, that we are ready when that moment comes.

Pray.