30th message in a series on 1-2 Peter
Pastor Ron W. Hammer
5/21/2000
God’s Sure & Dependable Word
2 Peter 1:12-21
Introduction
Yesterday afternoon I was driving home and as I looked off in the distance, you could see a storm in full force in the distance. A storm is an awesome thing to behold. I’ve always found it somewhat awe inspiring to watch the impact of a storm.
I remember as a young man growing up in San Diego, we would sometimes go down to the beach and watch the waves roll in after a storm that was hundred’s of miles away at sea. I remember a particular storm that brought in massive waves and some of us decided to go out and body surf these huge storm waves. I remember two things about that day. First, I remember having one of the most AWESOME rides of my life. I caught one wave so perfectly that it carried me for what seemed like forever.
The second thing I remember was not knowing when enough was enough. I decided to try one more time. Nature has a way of reminding us who is in charge and it did that on my second wave. That wave picked me up and dropped me off the front and then crashed on top of me. There was a moment as I was pinned to the sand by the force of this incredible power that I wondered if it would ever let me up. It finally did and I meekly and carefully swam to shore and went home.
A storm can bring with it incredible power to disrupt and change our lives.
What do you do when the storms of life roll in? What do you do when the wind begins to blow in your life and the clouds grow pitch black and the rain begins to fall? Where do you turn?
For many people they have no where to turn, but themselves. This can be a distressing state of affairs.
Where do you turn when the storms of life roll in?
The book of 2 Peter is written to people who were facing that question. The storms of life were indeed rolling in for them. Times of difficulty were clearly visible on the horizon. It was obvious that the Roman Empire was growing more and more intolerant of this little band of followers of Jesus who were beginning to turn the world upside down. Persecution, difficulty and even death lay ahead for many of his readers.
Where would they turn. Could they depend on Peter? Would this great Apostle be one to whom they could turn to and rely upon for answers during life’s difficulties? Peter realized that as much as he loved these people and desired to encourage them in their growth towards maturity that the storms were beginning to roll into his life, as well! Peter had already seen the death of some of his closest friends and he had a personal promise from his Lord that he would also face the ultimate challenge - giving his life for the cause of Christ. Peter was certain that these days were not far off, so he was determined to anchor to give his readers another resource, one that could be depended upon, one that was powerful and alive, one that was unchanging. Peter challenged them to remember and grow in their knowledge of God’s Word.
Turn with me this morning to 2 Peter 1:12-21. (Take out sermon outline.) As you turn, let me tell you that this is a rather intriguing passage. I believe that more than any other passage in the New Testament, there appears to be in this one an awareness on the part of the author that the words that he is writing will have a life that goes beyond a mere letter of instruction. In this passage, Peter speaks of the truths that he is teaching them and the experiences that he has had and the word of God itself almost interchangeable.
I believe that Peter may have been one of the few biblical writers who may have had a sense that God was using him to record a part of the lasting message that would make up his written word to man. But, at the heart of this passage is Peter’s desire to give his readers something upon which they could depend. In the face of the advancing storm, Peter wanted them to be anchored to something that wouldn’t toss and turn in the rough seas of life, but would provide an anchor, a dock and shelter in the time of storm.
In this passage he tells them four thing about God’s Word that are essential for every believer to understand. Four truths about God’s Word that make it a proper and usable tool in times of difficulty. He begins in verses 12-15 by talking about …
1. God’s Word: REMEMBERED (:12-15)
I was thinking this week about the number of Bibles that I have. If you were to walk about my house and my office you would find tons of Bibles. [PULL OUT BIBLES AND TALK ABOUT THEM.]
But, one thing is true of all of these Bibles - if I don’t know and remember what is in them they are of no value to me. We have seen the last two weeks how easy it is to forge things. We talked about forgetting who we are and what we’ve received. We saw that it is possible to forget your eternal salvation and your eternal destiny. Peter was constantly mindful of this tendency and worked hard to overcome it. Look at verses 12-15
[READ :12-15]
Three different times in those four verses, Peter mentions his ministry of reminding. Peter understood that a major part of teaching is constant reminder. This is especially true with God’s Word. Peter’s point is simple and profound. The truth of God’s Word is so vital that I will stop at nothing to ensure that it is communicated in a lasting manner. The truth of God is so central to your growth and maturity, your ability to handle adversity, that I must be sure that you have these truths in your life and that you remember them!
There are two principles that stand out to me in this passage:
I will never consider myself too proud, too self-indulgent, to keep me from telling you something that you already know!
Peter says, in essence, "I don’t care that you’ve heard it before, I don’t care that you are firmly rooted in these truths, no matter how much you’ve heard it before, I will never neglect to CONSTANTLY remind you of what you already know! There are some things that bear repetition:
You can’t say NO too many times to a salesman on the phone!
You can’t say, "I love you!" too much to your spouse or children!
And you can’t remind someone too much of God’s truth!
I tell you, this is a tremendous relief to me. As a pastor its good to know that I can never be accused of teaching God’s Word too much! Really, I have a very simple job, to take the Bible and communicate it to you in a way that is clear and understandable and, perhaps memorable (in the sense of being easy to remember).
The second principle that Peter points out about remembering God’s Word is that his readers couldn’t depend on a person to always be there to tell them the Word.
Peter knew that his life was short! In fact, Jesus had made it clear to him that he would die the death of a martyr on the cross. (By the way, to a person who’s life was marked with inconsistency and denial, this was an incredible encouragement to Peter.) Peter was wise enough to turn them to God’s Word and his teaching so that they would not be dependant upon HIM, but upon God’s Word.
Don’t ever become dependant on a person to deliver God’s Word to you! Whether that person be me or some radio or TV preacher, or some author! I would hate to see people in this church become dependant upon me as the only source of God’s Word in their life. One of the most important aspects of discipleship is growing to the point of being a self-feeder. Just as infants need to grow up to where they can feed themselves, so Christians need to grow up to where they can feed themselves from God’s Word.
Sometimes when I talk to women I get the feeling that there are some men who could starve in a kitchen full of food. One of the things that I appreciate about my Mom is that she taught me how to cook and how to feed myself. I want you to know, over the years I haven’t missed many meals simply because their wasn’t someone to prepare it for me.
But, in the same way there are some Christians who can live in a house filled with Bibles, and they are unable to feed themselves spiritually unless someone prepares the meal for them. One of the things that I appreciate about the man who discipled me, Stan Akins, is that he taught me how to prepare my own spiritual supper from God’s Word. I want you to know, over the years that I have been a Christian, I haven’t missed many meals simply because their wasn’t someone to prepare it for me.
Are you a self-feeder? Do you keep God’s Word in your life? Are you feeding on the truths of its pages? The second thing that Peter says about God’s Word is that it is CONFIRMED!
2. God’s Word: CONFIRMED (:16-18, 19a)
READ
I want you to notice the flow of this passage, the flow of the thought:
:11 - Don’t forget about what lies ahead and assure yourself that you will have an abundant entrance into the Eternal Kingdom by living a Godly life now!
:12-15 - Thinking about this entrance into God’s Kingdom reminds Peter of his own prospective exit from this world and entrance into God’s Kingdom
:16-19a - this reminds him of an experience that he had which confirmed the truth of Christ’s return and our eternal hope.
In these verses Peter is talking about the Transfiguration. This was an incredibly powerful event in the life of Peter. It was an event that was confusing when it happened, but which had become very clear to him in the years that followed. Over time, Peter came to realize that the Transfiguration was "A Preview of Coming Attractions!"
Movie Previews - ones that show too much
This preview was one that simply whetted Peter’s appetite for the wonder that lies ahead for those who believe in Jesus Christ. And it confirmed the truth of what Jesus taught. Peter is in essence saying, we didn’t make this stuff up. We saw it first hand!
What an incredible privilege Peter had. To see what Jesus would be like when He returned in His glory! This wasn’t just some passing moment. It was an event that stuck with him and 30 years later it is still on his heart.
I wish we had more time to dwell on this, but, let’s move on to the third principle about God’s word in our passage:
3. God’s Word: OBEYED (:19b)
[READ]
Peter’s point is this: We need to heed God’s Word until Jesus returns. There is never a time prior to the return of Christ when it becomes unimportant to heed God’s Word. It is a powerful tool. Earlier, Bob read from Hebrews 6 about God’s Word being like a two-edged sword and its penetrating and revealing power. I think if the writer of Hebrews were alive today, he might say that God’s word is like a laser! A laser can be so powerful that it can cut through steel. On the other it can be used today as a surgical instrument to do delicate eye surgery like Lisa Akley had done about a week and a half ago to improve her eyesight.
But, for God’s Word to do its work we must use it, we must listen to it, we must obey it! God’s Word is a light that shines in the darkness of our sinful world and if we will listen and believe and make it part of our lives it can change us completely!
The Bounty & the Bible (Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, pp. 50-51)
"The Bible can change not only a life but an entire lifestyle. Most of us have heard the story of the Mutiny on the Bounty, but few of us have heard how the Bible played a very vital part in that historical event. The Bounty was a British ship which set sail from England in 1787, bound for the South Seas. The plan was that those on board would spend some time among the islands, transplanting fruit-bearing and food-bearing trees, and doing other things to make some of the islands more habitable. After ten months of voyage, the Bounty arrived safely at its destination, and for six months the officers and the crew gave themselves to the duties placed upon them by their government.
"When the special task was completed, however, and the order came to embark again, the sailors rebelled. They had formed strong attachments for the native girls, and the climate and the ease of the South Sea island life was much to their liking. The result was mutiny on the Bounty, and the sailors place Captain Bligh and a few loyal men adrift in an open board. Captain Bligh in an almost miraculous fashion, survived the ordeal, was rescued, and eventually arrived home in London to tell his story. An expedition was launched to punish the mutineers, and in due time fourteen of them were captured and paid the penalty under British law.
"But nine of the men had gone to another distant island. There they formed a colony. Perhaps there has never been a more degraded and debauched social life than was found in that colony. They learned to distill whiskey from a native plant, and the whiskey … along with other habits, led to their ruin. Disease and murder took the lives of all the native men and all but one of the white men, [a man] named Alexander Smith. He found himself the only man on an island, surrounded by a crowd of women and half-breed children. Alexander Smith found a Bible among the possessions of one of his dead companions. The Book was new to him. He had never read it before. He sat down and read it through. He believed it and he began to appropriate it into his life. He wanted others to share in the benefits of this book, so he taught classes to the women and the children, as he read to them and taught them the Scriptures.
"It was twenty years before a ship ever found that island, and when it did miniature Utopia was discovered. The people were living in decency, prosperity, harmony, and peace. There was nothing of crime, disease, immorality, insanity, or illiteracy. How was it accomplished? By the reading, the believing and the appropriating of the truth of God.
The point is, obey God’s Word until He returns. As President Ulysses S. Grant once said,
Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet-anchor of your liberties; write its precepts in your hearts and practice them in your lives. To the influence of this book we are indebted for all the progress made in true civilization and to this we must look as our guide in the future.
Problem: What does Peter mean when he says that we need to heed this light "until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your heart."?
First, he is referring to the time of the second coming (the day dawns). The point is that we need to obey God’s Word until Christ returns, at which time we will have His Word written on our hearts and we will know Him as He is!
But, what does this mean when it says "the morning star rises in your heart"? At first glance it might appear that Peter is saying that the return of Christ is only something that happens "subjectively" in our hearts. But clearly many other passages teach that this is an objective event. There are two possibilities:
Peter may be saying that you must heed God’s Word until the second coming when (for those who are alive at His appearing) you will receive an illumination from that experience like what I received on the mount of transfiguration. So the idea is that the morning star rising in our hearts is that illumination that will occur at the moment Christ returns.
Perhaps a better understanding, is a far simpler one. This would see that the phrase "in your hearts" is best taken as referring to the phrase "which you do well to heed." This makes the phrase "as a light that shines in the darkness and the morning star rises" a parenthesis. In fact I have my Bible marked with just such a parenthesis. The easier way to read it would be to move "in your hearts" before the parenthesis and read it like this:
(2 Peter 1:19) And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed in your hearts (as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises);
(word order rearranged)
I would say that grammatically and exegetically this is the best option.
Lastly, Peter addresses the origin of God’s Word …
4. God’s Word: INSPIRED (:20-21)
READ
Peter speaks here about the way that God’s Word came into existence. Verse 20 has been the source of much discussion, The Bible Knowledge Commentary says:
"The statement, No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation, has been interpreted several ways: (1) Scripture should be interpreted only in context, that is, a prophecy cannot stand alone without other prophecies to aid in its understanding. (2) Scripture should not be interpreted according to one’s own individual liking. (3) Scripture cannot be correctly interpreted without the Holy Spirit. (4) The prophecies did not originate with the prophets themselves. The word epilyseo4s ("interpretation," lit., "unloosing") and the word ginetai ("came about") favor the fourth view. The Scriptures did not stem merely from the prophets themselves; their writings came from God. Verse 20, then, speaks not of interpretation, but of revelation, the source of the Scriptures."
Verse 21 takes makes this even clearer:
"As the authors of Scripture wrote their prophecies, they were impelled or borne along by God’s Spirit. What they wrote was thus inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16). "Borne along" or "carried along" translates the word pheromenoi. Luke used this word in referring to a sailing vessel carried along by the wind (Acts 27:15, 17). The Scriptures’ human authors were controlled by the divine Author, the Holy Spirit. Yet they were consciously involved in the process; they were neither taking dictation nor writing in a state of ecstasy. No wonder believers have a word of prophecy which is certain. And no wonder a Christian’s nurture must depend on the Scriptures. They are the very words of God Himself!" (BKC)
The Bible is God’s inspired word. His revelation of Himself! But it must be remembered and obeyed if it is to have an impact in our lives. Because ultimately God’s Word has one purpose - to point us to Christ. It’s not just about knowing some concepts - it is about knowing Jesus Christ.
I’ve often marveled at the work that goes into translating the Bible into another language. It is an incredible task, but it is worth it because if enhances the ability of God’s Word to be used to point people to Christ!
I was reading last night on the Wycliffe Bible Translators Website about the publication of the 500th New Testament that Wycliffe has been involved with. It was in Suriname, a small country in South America. Let me close with this story:
Paidie Karijoredjo, a literacy worker in Suriname, South America, had always treasured the Bible. He kept a Dutch Bible in his home for 21 years, sometimes sleeping with it under his pillow for protection. But he never understood it well because it wasn't in his heart language.
Like many Indonesian immigrants to the former Dutch colony of Suriname, Paidie usually spoke Suriname Javanese, his mother tongue, with his friends and family.
When his wife brought home a copy of the gospel of Mark in Suriname Javanese, Paidie secretly took it to his night watchman job. He sat on a folding chair and read it throughout the long nights. For the first time in his life, the Scriptures began speaking to his heart in a personal way. As his wife brought home more New Testament books in Suriname Javanese, he took them to work also. One night he read Philippians 3:10: As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death.
In that moment, while reading the Scriptures, Paidie was moved to pray, "I want to know you, God."
On March 18, Paidie and many other Suriname Javanese celebrated the completion of the entire New Testament in their language.
The goal of Bible Translation is not merely putting this book into another language - it is to point people like Paidie to Christ. It is Christ who is the sure anchor in a time of storm. It is Christ that is the one who makes His Word satisfying and fulfilling!
"I tasted it and it was good," a Kayapó man from Brazil said after reading a section of the almost completed Kayapo New Testament. "I went back for a bigger piece and I liked it!"