Scripture: 2 Peter 1:1-21
I want to make three points in today’s sermon: Point Number One: Receiving. Number Two: Responding. And Number Three: Reminding…
My father died of cancer when I was 25. Although we all knew the cancer was terminal, the chemo treatment he received bought him an extra year or so of life—and about nine months of a pretty good quality of life. I made the most of it. I saw him nearly every day. Lisa and I and my extended family vacationed with him. We ate out together a lot. And every day that I visited him, Dad made a point of taking me aside and telling me how much he loved me and how proud he was of me. He gushed about it!
Which was kind of unusual for Dad; he had never been especially affectionate before. But Jesus got hold of him, praise God; he was a new man…even as his body was failing him.
But it’s as if Dad knew this kind of affection was unusual, because he would apologize for it. He would say, “You may get tired of hearing it, but I’m going to keep on telling you how much I love you.”
Very sweet… I hope it goes without saying that we ought to say these things while God continues to give us a sound mind, and we are healthy, since none of knows what will happen tomorrow. None of us is guaranteed another day of life in this world.
But Dad’s words to me affirm a truth: As we are nearing the end of our lives—if we know we’re nearing the end; often we don’t—but when we know that we’re nearing the end of our lives, we tend to say the most important things. And we keep on saying them!
That was true for Peter! He admits that he’s repeating himself, telling this church things that they already know… But he’s doing it, he says, because “our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.”
Notice these words: “Our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life”…
When did Jesus do this? Likely Peter is thinking back to that experience on the beach on the Sea of Galilee in John chapter 21, not long before the resurrected Lord ascended to heaven. In verses 18 and 19, Jesus told Peter,
I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”
“By what kind of death he would glorify God.” Interesting choice of words. It’s as if the author, John, were saying, “Peter is going to glorify God by some kind of death—regardless how he dies—but in Peter’s case, he’s going to glorify God by dying the same way Jesus himself died: on a cross… that’s what Jesus means when he says, ‘You will stretch out your arms.’” It’s very possible at this point in history Peter is in Rome, and he’s watching his fellow Christians suffering great persecution and martyrdom under Nero Caesar, he’s remembering Jesus’ words to him, and he’s thinking, “The time will come soon.”
I said this in my funeral sermon on Wednesday for our dear sister Betty Troup. Many of you were present to hear it, of course, but it bears repeating… I visited Betty and Bob the week before last. They had only just gotten the word about Betty’s cancer. Betty met me at the front door, in her walker. And except for her walker, she appeared as strong and vibrant as ever… She greeted me with that warm smile.
And, oh my goodness, she kept on smiling throughout our conversation. And when we sat down, the very first thing she said to me was… that she had just been reading scripture as part of our year-long “Journey Through the Bible” reading plan, which comes to an end today. We’re going to celebrate the ending after the service. But she had me read Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians chapter 4—which included these words:
Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 1
Betty was excited to tell me that this scripture perfectly described where she was, spiritually, with her cancer diagnosis.
It was clear that that while cancer might kill her, it was not going to conquer her… And it was not going to conquer Bob. It was clear they were both experiencing that divinely granted “peace that surpasses all understanding.”
In fact it was clear that God had done for Betty what Peter says he will do for all of us Christians in verse 2: “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.” It was clear that God had given Betty all the grace, all the peace that she needed to face her final trial before going home to meet her Lord face to face.
Now listen to verse 4: “And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” It was clear that because of her faithfulness to obeying God’s Word throughout her life, she had not only learned about God’s many promises to her—which we only learn from scripture itself—she also treasured them in her heart, and she held fast to these promises… even as she faced her death—even as she faced “the very worst thing” that can happen to us, according to the world’s standards.
Betty demonstrated the virtues that Peter describes, for instance, in verses 5 through 7. She showed the world the spiritual fruit of “knowledge,” of “moral excellence,” of “patient endurance,” of “godliness”—the fruit of what we call “sanctification.” Our sister Betty demonstrated that.
I also said this in my funeral sermon… I said that, truth be told, “facing my own death” scares me a little. To be clear, what scares me is not any concern whatsoever about Final Judgment, or heaven, or being with Jesus, or future resurrection of my body and life in God’s kingdom on a renewed earth. I know for sure because of my faith in Christ, and my ongoing life in him, that my eternal destiny is secure.
But what scares me is the transition from life to death itself. And when I think about my own death—which, God willing, is a long time from now—but the thought of when that time comes… That scares me a little.
And maybe you, too.
But you know what helps me? You know how Betty herself helped me, even the Wednesday before last when I visited her? I saw first hand how this beloved sister in Christ faced her own death. It melted my heart. She showed me… she gave me a living example of faith that makes a difference, of inner strength, and courage, and grace… I saw firsthand what Jesus did for her and thought, “Jesus will do that for me, too”…
Praise God! Betty wasn’t even trying to serve me, and to meet my personal needs, when I visited her. But she did! Look how God used her! And why was Betty able to do this? Because of this inner transformation that the Holy Spirit worked within her over her lifetime of listening to and obeying God’s Word, a lifetime of reminding herself of its many promises, she also demonstrated the truth of Peter’s words in verse 8: “The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Betty was productive and useful to others… She was certainly productive and useful to me… without even trying to be.
See, we tend to be like good ol’ Martha, the sister of Mary, in Luke chapter 10. Remember? We think of “productivity” and “usefulness” as something that we do… something we accomplish… We roll up our sleeves, we put in the hard work, and this is what we make of ourselves: we become “productive” and “useful.” Martha surely thought of herself as “productive and useful” when she was criticizing her sister Mary—who had the the nerve to just sit around at Jesus’ feet, listening to him teach, while Martha did all the work! Of cooking, cleaning, doing the dishes. That’s “productive and useful”! Mary, meanwhile, was wasting her time.
And indirectly, of course, Martha was criticizing Jesus because, after all, he was letting her just sit there, doing nothing!
And what does Jesus say? Jesus tells her in so many words, “Actually, dear Martha, your sister Mary is doing the best thing of all. And I’m not going to tell her to change her behavior!” 2
Because, according to Peter in today’s scripture, this kind of productiveness and usefulness doesn’t happen when we roll up our sleeves and “get to work”… It happens when all of us disciples “sit at Jesus’ feet,” alongside the “Marys” of the world… and let him do for us. Let him serve us. Let him be productive and useful for us.
That’s not selfish! We must receive from him first, primarily from God’s Word, in order to become productive and useful ourselves.
Who can argue that the apostle Peter himself hadn’t become incredibly productive and useful in his life and ministry—including by giving us the words of this and his previous letter? But even more impressive is the obvious change that the Holy Spirit had made in his heart through sanctification.
We see this change in Peter’s life, for instance, in Acts chapter 12, after he’s been arrested and chained between two guards and scheduled to be put on trial the next morning. He must know that execution is a very real possibility for him. Because his fellow apostle James, the brother of John, had recentlybeen executed. He can’t be counting on God to perform a miracle to rescue him, since James wasn’t rescued probably only days earlier, if that. No… Peter thought he was going to die. Yet what’s he doing in Acts 12:6? “[H]e was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate.” He was sleeping peacefully—even though, as far as he knows, he’s going to be tried and crucified the next morning?
As it turns out he’s rescued this time by an angel and escapes… but he doesn’t know that’s going to happen when he’s sleeping peacefully.
In fact, he’s doing the exact same thing that Jesus was doing in Mark 4:38—on another occasion when Peter thought he was going to die… Remember? This was when the disciples were on a boat on the Sea of Galilee during a terrible storm. And Jesus is asleep, seemingly unconcerned that—as far as everyone knows—they’re going die in this storm—at least before they wake up Jesus and he calms the storm.
Peter and the disciples ask Jesus, “Don’t you care that we’re going to die?” But now, many years later, this same Peter is doing the same thing his Master was doing—sleeping peacefully—in the face of death! So confident! So contented! So brave!
Where does that come from? It comes from God… It comes from the Holy Spirit… It comes through sanctification… It comes from the virtues that the Spirit produces within us—the same virtues that Peter describes in today’s scripture… It comes as a gift from God. It’s something we receive.
And that’s Point Number One… Receiving…
Point Number Two… Responding…
And for this point I want to look at three people whose productiveness and usefulness are a response to the grace that they first receive from Jesus. And I love that I can just quickly remind you of these people without a lot of detail because most of you have recently read about them!
Remember the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4. After talking with Jesus for a while, she realizes whom she’s talking to, and what does she do? The Bible says she left her water jar at the well—the very reason she went to the well in the first place was to get water… but in her excitement she forgets about that; she leaves the jar at the well; and she rushes back to town… and tells literally everyone in town about Jesus! Why?
Because what she found in Jesus was infinitely more satisfying than even her most basic human need for water! So of course she forgot her water jar!
Or remember Zacchaeus, the “wee little man” in Luke 19—a despised tax collector, hated by his fellow townspeople—who climbs a sycamore tree to see Jesus over the crowd of people. But Jesus calls him by name. And the Bible says, “So [Zacchaeus] hurried and came down and received [Jesus] joyfully.” And then, when Jesus comes to his house, he tells Jesus he’s giving away half his wealth, and pay back four times whatever he stole from others. Why?
Because what Zacchaeus found in Jesus was infinitely more satisfying than mere money! So of course he gave all that money away!
Or remember the former prostitute who crashes the dinner party at Simon the Pharisee’s house in Luke chapter 7: She’s making a public scene, anointing Jesus’ feet with her tears, her long hair, and with expensive ointment. Showing gratitude and honor to Jesus by kissing his feet. Everyone’s talking about her. Everyone’s gossiping about her. She’s embarrassing herself as far as the other dinner guests are concerned. Why?
Because what she found in Jesus was infinitely more satisfying than her livelihood, her earthly treasure, her reputation. She didn’t care what people like Simon thought of her. So of course she served Jesus in this way!
And see… that’s what all three have in common—the Samaritan woman, Zacchaeus, and the former prostitute: They served Jesus… by all means! You give away half your wealth… to the church? That’s far more than a tithe. We can all agree: that’s “serving” Jesus! The Samaritan woman was literally the most effective evangelist in all of scripture. Thanks to her witness, her entire village came to believe in Jesus! I mean, the apostle Paul reached more people in his ministry, but he also faced a lot of rejection along the way. Not this woman… she was batting a thousand in her efforts at evangelism!
We can all agree: that’s “serving” Jesus!
And the former prostitute? She was literally “serving” Jesus by performing the most humble act of service that even a slave in the first century could perform—washing a guest’s feet when he comes to someone’s house for dinner.
These people served, and they served, and they served… and there’s no arguing with that. But their service was nothing if not a response to what they had already received from Jesus… It was a response to grace previously granted.
So in verse 10, when Peter says, “So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen”—we may be tempted to think that our hard work is earning us something from God. “If I work hard enough, then God will accept me.”
Remember the Prodigal Son: Having quickly blown through his father’s inheritance, he is now starving in a distant country, and he plans on returning home. On the way home he rehearses a speech: “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”
Of course he doesn’t even get to give the full speech before his father restores him to a prominent place in the family. In fact, he doesn’t even utter a word before his father runs to him and hugs him.
My point is, before the prodigal can do anything to “serve” his father, to try to pay him back, he already receives everything from his father… for free! There’s not a thought on his father’s part about repayment, or earning something, or making amends. The mere turning and heading home is enough for the father!
Grace comes first! Whatever we later do for our Father merely proves that we’ve already received this grace.
And that’s Point Number Two… Responding…
Point Number Three… Reminding…
Notice the number of times Peter talks about “reminding” this church of what he’s previously said or taught: Verse 12: “Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught.” Verse 13: “And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you…” Verse 15: “so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.” He doesn’t use the word “remind” there, but same difference.
Now, when Peter talks about “reminding” them, he’s mostly talking about things that he previously told them… most of which is not contained in this letter, or even in 1 Peter.
“Darn, I wish he could have made a recording of what he told us, so we could be reminded, too!”
But we don’t have to worry about that. Why? Because whatever Peter told this church… we can be confident that that important teaching is already found in the four gospels, or the Book of Acts, or Paul’s letters, or the other apostolic letters, or the Book of Revelation… And by the way, in chapter 3 of this very letter, Peter famously refers to Paul’s letters as “scripture,” every bit as true, and Spirit-breathed and authoritative as the other scripture that Peter and the early church already possessed, which is our Old Testament. 3
Peter is reminding them of what he told them because they didn’t have within their possession the New Testament that we have today… they may only have hard a small part of it, if anything. So they needed to remember Peter’s words.
But Peter says that they already know and remember what he told them. So if they already know what he’s telling them, why tell them again?
Because… apparently… it’s good for them… to hear it again and again!
So, dear church, now that so many of you have read the Bible all the way through… is your work now done? Like, “I can check that off the list and get on with the rest of my life”?
Of course not. We need to be reminded of God’s Word. Chances are—so many of you who have been deeply touched by God over this past year of reading through the Bible have been deeply touched—in part—by scripture that you may have read a dozen times before!
But by re-reading it, you were reminded…
And what happened as you were reminded? The very thing that Peter promises in the blessing of verse 2: “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.”
Do you want more and more grace… and more and more peace in your life? I do!
So what must we do? We must keep on reminding ourselves… so that we’ll grow in our knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.” We must keep reading, and studying, and meditating upon the promises of God’s Word. We must keep listening to God speak to us through his Word. We must keep showing up to church to hear God’s Word read and proclaimed.
Indeed, we must keep showing up to church for Bible study… [Invitation to Wednesday night Bible study… First on prayer… then two classes: catechism and April’s leading a traditional study]