Puritan Wisdom

On II Peter 1:1 --

“Hereof this reason may be rendered, because they after a speciall manner are imployed in the service of Jesus Christ. Other men may serve him, and yet walke in their Callings, but Preachers have no other calling but this, even to performe Gods will in the preaching of his Word, wherby soules may be gained unto his kingdom.” – A. Symson, An Expostion upon the Second Epistle Generall of Saint Peter, 9.

"Accursed Children!" Sermon: II Peter 2:10b-16

"Accursed Children!"
[II Peter 2:10b-16]
July 13, 2008 Second Reformed Church

Chapter two of II Peter is all about the false teachers – how to recognize them and why to reject them. Peter’s language is violent and unforgiving, and that should cause us to take notice.

Last week we looked at the first third of this chapter, and we saw that it is a truth, that where true prophets prophesy, false prophets will prophesy, and where true teachers teach, false teachers will teach. And this is the same for us as it was for the first century Christians. Nothing changes – there are always liars combating the truth. We also saw that the godly have a promise that they will be rescued in Jesus, but the wicked will be damned. Although it may not look like it now, sometimes, God will recuse the godly and damn the wicked in His Time.

In this second third of chapter two, Peter tells us three things about the false teachers:

First, he tells us that the false teachers blaspheme those who are above them. Peter tells us that they blaspheme the glorious ones – these are some sort of heavenly being that are worthy of blasphemy, because Peter also says that the angels who are greater in might and power than the glorious ones do not dare to blaspheme and pass judgment on them – that is the prerogative of God alone.

These false teachers who claim to have knowledge of one type or another, are not knowledgeable at all, Peter explains. They are merely following their natural instincts, they are behaving like wild animals – wild animals that will be caught and destroyed. And we’re told that God created them to be destroyed. They are an example to us of receiving wrongdoing for wrongdoing.

Second, the false teachers engage in their sin in the daytime and before witnesses. Rather than having any conscience of modesty and hiding their sin in the darkness, they flaunt their sin, calling it liberty. They engage in their orgies of flesh and food before anyone who happens to be there. They seek out sin – they desire to sin as much as possible – because, in truth, they hate God.

Third, the false teachers are unsteady souls whose primary motive is greed and whose primary goal is gaining wealth. What a contrast to the words that Jesus spoke, “And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food” (Matthew 10:7-10, ESV). And “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21, ESV).

And Peter’s summary judgment of them is “accursed children!” Children under the curse of God. Damned, false teachers. They are not knowledgeable – they are not even adults – they are evil, condemned children, trying to get others to follow in their evil ways.

Peter is very serious – urgently serious – about rooting out the false teachers. He is very serious about making sure they are stopped from teaching and not allowed to deceive more people. In our age of “toleration,” we do not find it so easy to condemn and banish false teachers, but we must. We cannot allow them to draw people away for the faith.

Peter then gives the example of Balaam the prophet, that they might understand what to look for and the seriousness with which we must attend this subject:

Balaam was a prophet in the days of Moses as the people of Israel were battling their way to the land of Canaan. God was leading Israel to kill all those who lived in Canaan and all those who opposed their taking the land of Canaan.

Now, Moab was a nation to the south-east of Canaan, and Balak, the King of Moab, was afraid that Israel and the God of Israel would destroy Moab. So Balak sent messengers to Balaam, who was known as a prophet of the God of Israel, to ask Balaam to curse Israel, so they could not defeat Moab – so Moab would be victorious in a war against Israel. And Balak sent his messengers with the usual fee for prophesying a curse.

Now, if Balaam was truly a prophet of God, he would have cursed Moab and sent them home. But that’s not what Balaam did. Balaam told the messengers that he is a prophet of God, and he has to pray to God and ask if God will permit him to accept their bribe and curse Israel. So Balaam asked God, “Lord, would it be alright with You if I pronounced a curse in Your Name against Israel, Your chosen people, in exchange for the money I am being offered.” And God told him to go back and tell the messengers that Israel was blessed of God and Balaam was not allowed to curse them. So Balaam went back to the messengers and said that God said “no.”

The messengers came back, bringing princes and high officials of Moab and lots more money, gold, and silver. And they again pleaded with Balaam that he curse Israel. And instead of telling them that God had already spoken, he said, again, “Well, I have to go pray to the Lord and ask Him if He will allow me to curse Israel for this big a bribe.” And God told him that if he wanted to go with them, to go, but to only do what God had said.

Balaam, thinking God has just given him the “O.K.” to curse Israel, took the bribe and headed off with the messengers of Moab. And God was angry. Balaam started down the road, and his donkey turned into a field. So Balaam beat the donkey and started out on the road again, but the donkey pushed him against a wall so he couldn’t get loose, and he beat the donkey again. Balaam pushed the donkey to go forward, and she lay down on the ground. And Balaam was filled with wrath and beat the donkey with a staff.

And, then, as Peter mentions in this morning’s text, “Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?’ And Balaam said to the donkey, ‘Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.’ And the donkey said to Balaam, ‘Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?’ And he said, ‘No.’ Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. And the angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live’” (Numbers 22:28-33, ESV).

And, as we might expect, after being rebuked by his donkey, and then being told that the Angel of the Lord was there to kill him, Balaam cried and pleaded and repented and promised that he wouldn’t curse Israel. And the Angel of the Lord told him to stand and go with the messengers, but not to curse Israel – in fact, the Angel of the Lord said that He would give Balaam the words to speak.

Balaam arrived and Balak asked where he had been – why it had taken him so long – the army of Israel was approaching. And Balaam told him not to worry, he was there now. So they went up on the mountain, offered sacrifices, and Balaam began to speak. And the Lord filled his mouth and Balaam blessed Israel. And Balak said, “What are you doing? You were supposed to curse them, not bless them!” And Balaam said, “It’s not my fault, God made me bless them.”

But Balak said, “Alright, maybe this isn’t a good mountain for you. Let’s go over to that mountain and offer sacrifices there.” So they do. And Balaam opened his mouth, and the Lord filled it with blessings for Israel. And Balak was dumbfounded. Yet, he suggests they try one more mountain, but again, Balaam blessed Israel.

Balak was now furious, “I hired you to curse Israel, and you have blessed them three times! What is wrong with you?” And Balaam again responded that it wasn’t his fault, that God made him bless them. So Balak called out to his men and told them that they were going home – they’re going to get away from this Balaam. But Balaam stopped him and said that God wanted him to hear one more prophecy – and Balaam prophesied that a king of Israel would come and slaughter the Moabites, and not only that but God would deliver the Amalekites, and the Ashurites, and the Eberites, into the hands of Israel. And they both went home. (Numbers 22-24).

Then we’re told that during the war with Midian, the Lord commanded Moses to kill all of the Midianites, but Balaam went behind Moses’ back and spoke to the soldiers, telling them it would be a waste to kill all of the Midianites, “After all, the virgin women of the Midianites are extremely beautiful, and we need to increase our population. So, let all the virgin women of Midian be saved as wives for the soldiers.”

And when the war was over, Moses was enraged and demanded to know why all the virgin women of Moab were still alive. And the soldiers told Moses that Balaam instructed them to kill all the males and all the children and all the women who had known men, but to save the virgin women for themselves. So, Moses told them to purify themselves for a week, according to the law. And he ordered that Balaam be beheaded (Numbers 31).

Remember Balaam.

Remember that Balaam blasphemed God by saying that God might change His Mind and allow the prophet to curse Israel.

Remember that Balaam was openly contradicting God before Israel and the Gentiles – his meetings were not in secret.

Remember that Balaam was driven by greed and for sexual pleasure.

That’s what a false teacher looks like. A false teacher may teach the truth 90% of the time, but if he teaches falsehood 10% of the time, he is a false teacher And the only way we will know if a teacher is teaching the truth or not is to know our Bibles, to read them, to search them, to compare the teachings we hear with them.

Balaam was a wild animal, and accursed child. The sake of our eternal souls depends on our being able to recognize the Balaams in our midst. Let us work hard to know the truth that when they do come before us, we will be able to remove them quickly, before they lead some astray.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, help us to recognize the false teachers and to put them out. Give us True Knowledge and Wisdom that we would recognize the Truth, and not be led astray. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

"The Lord Will Rescue the Godly" Sermon: II Peter 2:1-10a

“The Lord Will Rescue the Godly”
[II Peter 2:1-10a]
July 6, 2008 Second Reformed Church

When all is said and done, will you be saved? It’s the most important thing to be sure of. The crowd on the day of Pentecost responded to Peter’s sermon by crying out, “What must we do to be saved?” “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:37b-38, ESV).

Peter wrote his second letter to Christians on the run from the Roman army. They were being hunted down and slaughtered. And Peter wrote them to remind them that there is salvation in Jesus Alone, and we are to respond to that salvation by doing good works. Peter said that being under a death sentence is not an excuse for unbelief and for not doing the good works we have been called to do.

Peter warned them that the false teachers were coming and were already there – persons who said that the apostles were wrong, that Jesus was not going to return to earth as Judge, so Christians are free to live and do whatever they want.

Peter warns them that this is a lie of the devil and tells them to believe the testimony of the apostles over the new – and false – teachers for two reasons: the apostles are eye-witnesses to Jesus’ Glory, and the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy is found in what the apostles have taught, not in what the false teachers are teaching.

And then we come to the second chapter of II Peter, and we find what the commentators say is, perhaps, the most terrifying and horrifying chapter of the entire Bible. There is, perhaps, no chapter in the Bible with more accusatory and damning language than this chapter that we begin today. It is rarely preached on. There is not a single hymn that directly relates to it in our hymnal. But it needs to be heard, and we shall hear it, if the Lord wills, over the next several weeks.

Peter reminded the Christians that the prophets of the Old Testament did not make up their prophecies based on their experiences, but they were given their prophecies by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit directed them to write their prophecies, just like a violent storm directs a ship on the ocean.

And so Peter beings chapter two by reminding them that just as there were prophets to whom God gave prophecy, and then the false prophets came, in the same way, teachers of the Truth – the True Gospel – came among them and the Church was born, so now, false teachers had come and were coming among them. In other words: nothing changes. When the Word of Truth is preached, false preachers come. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote, “That is the New Testament philosophy of history – as there were, even so there shall be. In other words, the world remains the same, and there is nothing so pathetic as the belief that because we are living in the twentieth century we are in a different world from the world inhabited by our forefathers. The answer of the Bible is that since the fall of man this world has remained exactly and precisely the same. Of course there are superficial changes, but they are irrelevant” (Expository Sermons on 2 Peter, 126).

Peter warns them that these false teachers come into the church secretly. They come in, seeming to believe and teach the historic faith, but they eventually suggest some things might be different, maybe the apostles misunderstood Jesus. “Maybe He’s not really going to return in the flesh. Maybe He meant that He would be in their hearts. Maybe the judgment is just against those who have not been forgiven. If Christians are forgiven, how can they be judged? Maybe that means we can do whatever we want.”

They will be subtle and sneaky, but their fangs are real and they seek to promote doubt and eventually outright rejection of the Gospel. Even, Peter says in verse one, “to denying the Master who brought them.” The false teachers are people, often, who were brought up in the church and eventually came to deny Jesus, but still like the structure and the power of the Church for their own evil ends. And Peter says that their destruction will be swift.

We can understand people who don’t want anything to do with Christianity because of the sins of the Church. We must admit that – the Church has sinned, we have sinned. But it is throwing the baby out with the bath-water to reject Christianity because of the sin of the Church. The Church is not a collection of people who of their own ability have perfected themselves. No, the Church is the collection of those who understand that down to our very nature, we are sinners, dead and hopeless, without a Savior to intervene and raise us and change us. Christians have been saved by the Savior, but the process of becoming holy – sanctification – is a life-long one that is not completed until Jesus brings us into glory.

And there is a difference between Truth and falsehood. There is a difference between the True Gospel of Jesus Christ and the lies of the devil – no matter how subtle they might be, and we must train ourselves to be able to know the difference between the two. Peter was urging the first century Christians to be on the lookout, to root out those who taught false doctrine in the Church.

Those that bring these destructive heresies into the Church, Peter tells us, seal their own doom. They will teach, in one form or another, that it is perfectly natural to follow after the lusts of the flesh – if it feels good, do it. They blaspheme the Name of the Lord in teaching what is contrary to the Scripture, and they are cut off because of it. Their real goal is to exploit, to fulfill their greed – to gain money, power, prestige – look at most of the TV preachers. Since God is sovereign over history, God has always known the false teachers and they have been damned from long ago, and though we may wonder why God doesn’t intercede now and take them out of the Church, God has promised their destruction is sure.

In verse four, Peter gives an example to prove his point – that God will punish the wicked – in His time. Peter goes back into the writing of the prophet Moses and tells us that the damnation of the false teachers is sure, because, “if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell [Peter actually uses the Greek name for hell, Tartarus] and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;” – if God did not spare them, as is the witness of the prophet – that they are being kept until the judgment, how much more sure is it that God will not tolerate humans who persist in false teaching and in misleading the Church. The day will come when they will be judged and damned, and it will be swift.

And we might imagine that the Christians of the first century would be glad to hear that God’s Justice will be upheld in the end, but we might also find them wondering about their own rescue – their salvation. Will they be saved – in this lifetime and the next? Is God going to intervene for them in this persecution?

In verses five through eight, Peter gives two examples to show that God will rescue the godly:

Again he turns to the prophet Moses and reminds the first century Christians of what happened. “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animal and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry I made them.’ But Noah found favor with the Lord. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on earth. And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them from the earth’” (Genesis 6:5-13, ESV).

And Peter reminds the Christians, “If he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly,” then God is able to rescue the godly. We remember what happened: Noah spent nearly one hundred years, with his sons, building the ark, and collecting animals, so when God had finished purging the earth, they could repopulate. During those hundred years, we can imagine that Noah’s neighbors mocked him and laughed at him when he told them that God’s judgment was coming upon them. But righteous Noah just kept following God.

Of course, when we talk about the godly and the righteous in this context, we are talking about relative godliness and righteousness, as well as the righteousness that is given to us by Jesus when we believe. No human being, except Jesus, has ever been perfectly righteous and godly on his own. But compared to the rest of the world, Noah was righteous, and, by faith in the Savior who was to come, Noah received the righteousness of Jesus, by which he is truly righteous.

Peter reminded these Christians in his first letter that Noah and God’s rescuing of him and his family is symbolic of our salvation: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought to safety through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” (I Peter 3:18-22, ESV).

Just as God saved righteous Noah through the water, while every other human being was drowned, so God saves His people through water, in the sense that baptism is symbolic of the death and resurrection of Jesus, through Who we have eternal salvation.

The second example from Moses reads, “Then the Lord said, ‘Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.’ ... And as morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Up Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.’ But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. And as they brought them out, one said,
‘Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away’” (Genesis 18:20-21; 19:15-17, ESV).

Peter reminds the Christians “if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard).”

Again, Lot is comparatively righteous and actually righteous through Jesus the Savior, but not of his own works. We remember when the people of the town wanted to sexually assault the men who were visiting with Lot, Lot tried to offer them his daughters – not a very righteous thing to do, but, through faith in the Savior who was to come, God rescued Lot from the fire that punished the ungodly.

And Peter, in his first letter, uses the imagery of being saved through fire as symbolic of our being purified in Christ: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, as was necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the testing of the genuineness of your faith – more precious that gold that perishes thought it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:3-7, ESV).

Just as God saved Lot through the fire, while every other human being in the cities was burned alive, so God rescues His people through the fire which purifies us and makes us a holy people for Him.

So, Peter concludes this section, “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.” So they had the promise and we have the promise, that the Lord will rescue the godly – those who are righteous in Jesus, and God will punish the wicked – the ungodly – on the day of judgment – and they will especially be judged harshly who claim to be free to engaged in all types of sexual perversions and those who despise the authority of God and those God has put over them.

These promises would be a great encouragement to those who were being hunted down for their faith, and it should be a great encouragement to us. God will not lose us. If we belong to Him, we are forever His. And yet, we might have to ask, “Wait a minute, Peter, Christians are being killed – God is not rescuing everyone – you, yourself, will soon be crucified – God is not going to rescue you. What gives?”

The answer is this, as Jesus said, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28, ESV). The promise of rescue is not necessarily referring to rescue in this life. Some of those first century Christians were going to be put to death at the hands of Rome. Some Christians today are put to death for their faith. The promise of rescue is that of eternal rescue – that all those who believe in Jesus Alone for their salvation are rescued from the Wrath of God and the pit of
Hell. We may still suffer in this life; we may die for Jesus in this life, but He has neither forsaken us, nor forgotten us, but by His Work, He has rescued us, and will bring us safe unto the Father’s House. That is our hope, and the Promise of God.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You that You will not allow Your Justice to be compromised, but You will see that all sin is punished, by the ungodly suffering eternally, and, on behalf of those who believe, in Your Son suffering hell on the cross. We thank You that, not matter what we may suffer on this earth, we have the sure and confident promise and hope that we will be rescued, and on the other side of this veil, we shall be with Jesus in Paradise. For it is in His Name we pray, Amen.

July Sermons

D.V., in July, I plan to preach:

7/6/08 Communion II Peter 2:1-10a "The Lord Will Rescue the Godly"
7/13/08 II Peter 2:10b-16 "Accursed Children!"
7/20/08 II Peter 2:17-22 "The Dog Returns to Its Own Vomit"
7/27/08 II Peter 3:1-7 "Deliberately Overlooking This Fact"

"God-breathed" Sermon: II Peter 1:16-21

“God-breathed”
[II Peter 1:16-21]
June 29, 2008 Second Reformed Church

We have seen over the past few weeks that Peter was about to be put to death, so he wrote this letter to get the most important information out to the Christians scattered across the known world – to remind them of the Truth that was now being challenged, even in the churches. The Truth, Peter said, is this: Salvation is by Jesus Christ’s Work Alone, with no help or input from us, and we respond to, but do not add to, that salvation by thankfully doing good works. Salvation is completely a gift, and we respond to that gift by doing good works. That is something they – and we – need to hear over and over, because we forget and there are false teachers trying to get us to believe something other than the Truth of the Gospel.

In this morning’s Scripture, Peter is responding to one of those false teachings that was making it’s way through the first century church. If we look at Peter’s response, and we can figure out what the false teaching was. Peter wrote, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (ESV). So, the false teachers were saying that Peter and the apostles were teaching “cleverly devised myths when [they] made known to [them] the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Peter and the apostles were teaching that Jesus is going to return with power and majesty and glory, and as Judge. The false teachers were teaching that Jesus was not going to return and that Jesus certainly doesn’t care what you do.

The false teachers were teaching that Jesus was not going to return – after all, it had been more than thirty years. Wouldn’t He have returned by then, if He was going to return at all? And, they taught, Christians are free from the moral law and judgment – after all, Jesus forgave all of our sins, so, they said, we can do whatever feels good, whatever we enjoy, and we won’t be held accountable.

Peter argued against them saying that they had not spread myths: “they were eyewitnesses to his majesty.” Like Moses and Isaiah, Peter, James, and John had the unparalleled and rare experience of seeing some of the glory of God while they were still sinners, and they survived. As Peter summarized, “For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son,’ we ourselves heard the very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain” (ESV).

Peter is, of course, speaking of the Transfiguration, as Matthew records, “And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’ When they heard this they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Rise, and have no fear.’ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only” (Matthew 17:1-8, ESV).

Peter told them, “James and John and I were on the holy mountain. We were witnesses to the Transfiguration. We witness a little of the unveiling of the glory and the holiness of Jesus. The false teachers did not We were terrified in the presence of the Glory of Jesus and when God the Father spoke from Heaven. If Jesus is holy, and we are eye-witnesses to His Holiness, then He cannot, by nature, allow sin in His Presence. And, after His Resurrection, Jesus said He would return, and this He said in the presence of witnesses. And, whereas the Law requires two or three witnesses for a thing to be believed (Deuteronomy17:6), in fact, “he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive” (I Corinthians 15:6a, ESV).

So, Peter’s first argument against the false teachers is that there are more than five hundred eye-witnesses, most of whom were still alive, that can attest to Jesus’ Promise to return and judge, plus, the witness of the three to Jesus’ Glory and Holiness, as they saw Him at the Transfiguration.

And we might imagine how the first century false teachers would respond: “Mass-hysteria. On the mountain, you three were stressed out and tired. You heard Jesus speaking, but you didn’t really see what you thought you saw. Neither did the five hundred disciples who were afraid of persecution after Jesus’ crucifixion.”

If we dismiss the eye-witness testimony, no one will ever be able to prove anything by eye-witness testimony again, and to so totally doubt our senses is irrational. Besides, even if someone maintained that no eye-witness testimony can be used as proof, such a person will demand that eye-witness testimony be used as proof if he is an eye-witness to a crime that effects him or his loved ones. Still, Peter has a second argument against them:

Our pew Bible has: “So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed” (NRSV). That is at least a clumsy translation. What Peter says is, “And we have something more sure, the prophetic word,” (ESV). Peter says, “If you’re seriously going to argue against five hundred eyewitnesses who are in agreement about what they saw, alright. But I have an even more compelling, more sure evidence: the Word of God.”

Peter’s second argument against the false teachers is to point them to the prophecies of the Old Testament. See how every prophecy about the Incarnation and the Birth of Christ came to pass exactly as the prophets said it would. There are no prophecies in the Bible that have turned out to be wrong. Every word of the Scripture is True Truth, in every sense that that can mean. And the Scripture says that Jesus will return as Judge.

And someone might argue today, “Well, the Bible says that God created humans out of the dirt of the earth, and science tells us that humans evolved from lower species. So, the Bible is wrong.” And we must say to this person, “You are half right: the Bible says that God created humans out of the dirt of the earth, and there is a popular scientific theory that tells us that humans evolved from lower species. That theory does not prove the Bible wrong.”

Peter argues that the Church ought to pay attention to the word of the prophets, to the Word of God – we ought to read it and know it, so we can recognize it as it comes to pass before us and be ready for the return of our Savior and Judge, Jesus Christ. After all, the prophetic word is “as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (ESV).

This world is clothed in the darkness of the anti-Christ, and the Only Light – not matter who bears it – the Only Light in the darkness is Jesus and His Word. The early church father, Justin Martyr said that any truth any false teacher has was stolen from Moses. In other words, all truth is God’s Truth, and there is no truth apart from the Truth of God. And when the Truth comes again, He will expose what has been in the darkness, as Jesus said, “So have no fear of [those who persecute you], for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops” (Matthew 10:26-27, ESV).

“Knowing this first of all” – Peter gives us two facts about the prophecies of the Bible: First, no prophecy is a matter of human interpretation. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says we can restate that as, “no prophecy of Scripture originates in the prophet’s own understanding of things” (Expository Sermons on 2 Peter, 95). The prophecies of the Bible are not lucky guesses – in fact, they didn’t come from the prophets at all, but God gave the prophecies to the prophets, which is the second point: “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (ESV). Our pew Bible says, “men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (NRSV). The question in understanding what Peter is saying is what does he mean by “carried along” or “moved”?

Paul was a prisoner, on his way to Rome to be tried and executed, and they took him by ship. And we read in chapter twenty-seven of Acts, “Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. But soon a tempestuous wind, called a northeaster, struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing the wind would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus we were driven along. Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison cargo. And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned” (Acts 27:13-20, ESV).

The ship was “driven” along by the tempest northeaster. The ship was “driven” towards the Syrtis. The prophets were “moved” or “carried along.” They’re all the same root word, pharo. Just as the ship did not will or desire or decide to travel as it did in the violent storm, in the same way, the prophets did not will or desire or decide the prophecies they wrote. Just as the violent storm took the ship wherever the storm went, so the prophets were taken by the Holy Spirit wherever He desired them to go.

And we moderns protest, “But the Bible is full of errors ” I challenge anyone to bring me an error. Not something like creation versus evolution, but a real error in the Bible. It’s never been done. It’s a popular myth that the Bible is full of errors. If it is so full, why has no one in my forty-one years been able to show me a single one?

“But what about The Da Vinci Code?” What about it? “Well, in the Preface, he wrote, ‘all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.’” Point of fact: that statement, like the utterly unsubstantiated blasphemy he wrote about, is fiction. Whether he is a liar or something else, I don’t know, but I have a stack of books showing that he misquoted and distorted and made up evidence throughout the novel.

“Well, what about The Gospel of Judas?” At the time of the “so-called” discovery of this text, in a bank safe deposit box, where Judas had left it two thousand years ago, I produced for us documents showing that this gnostic lie was known by the second century and easily debunked. And the current The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the text was mistranslated and sensationalized for profit and that the text actually “depicts a Judas who turned Jesus in as a sacrifice to a demon god named Saklas” (World, June 28/July 5, 2008, 12). All scholars now agree it is fiction.

The devil and the false teachers are counting on us not knowing the Word of God and not really believing that it is the Word of God. We must commit ourselves to the Word – to reading it, to knowing it – and to not accepting just anything anyone says is true without testing it. The Bible is True Truth – the Only Light in this darkness.

And Jesus is returning, and this time He is returning as the Judge of the world. Over five hundred eye-witnesses were around at the time the New Testament was written, who agreed that this is what Jesus said. And all sixty-six books of the Bible agree and have no errors in them, and every prophecy that was made about the Incarnation and Salvation and everything that has occurred up until this day was accurate. Because this is the Word of God. It is not something humans made up, it is what God the Holy Spirit drove the prophets to write.

The Christian musician, Larry Norman sang, “Some folks say that the Good Lord’s dead, that He doesn’t exist ‘cept inside your head. Well, I wonder how many gonna be surprised, when they look straight up and see Him coming through the skies. You gotta watch what you’re doing.”

Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for giving us both eye-witnesses to Your Son and His Salvation and for Your Word, which God the Holy Spirit drove the prophets to write. We thank You that You cannot and do not lie, but You have built Your Church upon Your Word, where it alone stands. Now, drive us to Your Word, convince us, convict us, teach us, and help us to remember, as we confront the false teachers of this age, and those willing to peddle lies for a profit. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

You Don't Look 92!

Tomorrow, D.V., we will be celebrating the 92nd Anniversary of Second Reformed Church! Join us for Bible Study, worship, and a pot-luck lunch as we celebrate. Everyone is invited!

"Make Your Calling & Election Sure" Sermon: II Peter 1:9-15

“Make Your Calling & Election Sure”
[II Peter 1:9-15]
June 22, 2008 Second Reformed Church

Is it your heart’s desire to be seriously, urgently, zealously making every effort to live a godly and holy life? Are you seriously urgently, zealously responding to the salvation that God has given you by doing the good works He has called you to do? Are you seriously, urgently, zealously working to bring together all those graces – those virtues – that Peter names in the passage just before this one – through the conduit of faith, into a harmonious, balanced choir? We saw last week that if you are a Christian responding in this way, you are an effective and fruitful Christian in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

In this morning’s Scripture, Peter tells those Christians scattered throughout the known world – and us – that any Christian who lacks this response of good works, as he has described it, is so nearsighted as to be legally blind. That is, he has forgotten that his sins have been forgiven in Christ – that he has been cleansed by Christ’s Blood, and he is now to carry out those good works for which he was created.

Notice, Peter is talking about Christians. Peter says in verse nine, “for anyone who lacks these.” Anyone of who? Anyone of those Peter has been talking about – those who have an intimate knowledge of Jesus and have received His Salvation. So this is a warning to us: although it is not possible for a Christian to “lose” his salvation, it is possible for a Christian to become so deluded – so blinded – that he does not walk in the good works that God called him to walk in – for a time.

Let us remember the two extremes that Peter is warning against: there are two major false teachings about the relationship between our salvation and our good works: this first says that good works are a part of our salvation – that salvation equals faith plus good works – that God saved us part way and we save ourselves the rest. That is a lie of the devil. The second goes to the other extreme and says that we are saved by faith alone, and we never have to obey God or do the good works that He has called us to do. That is also a lie of the devil. What the Bible tells us is that we are saved by faith alone and then we must respond to that gift of salvation by doing those good works that God has called us to do.

Paul wrote, “[Jesus] gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are jealous for good works” (Titus 2:14, ESV). And, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10, ESV).

Peter tells us that the Work of Salvation belongs entirely to God. It is God Who sent His Son to live and die and rise, having paid the debt for our sin and credited our accounts with His Righteousness. And the natural response of a person who has come to know Jesus in His Salvation through faith is to be thankful every moment for the rest of his life and to live out that thankfulness by telling others and doing other good works to the glory of God. Yet, amazingly, it is possible for a Christian, for a time, to not respond rightly to God.

Therefore, since it is possible for Christians – for us – to find ourselves in such a deplorable and unthankful state, he tells us in verse ten to “confirm your call and election” or “make your calling and election sure.” Peter says that Christians ought to find assurance of their salvation. Peter says we ought to all establish proof that God has saved us. The Scripture tells us that before the foundation of the world, God called and elected some to believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God chose some to be His based solely on His Sovereign Good Pleasure. And Peter tells us not to be fools, not to be blind, but to be assured – to have proof – that we are the called and the elect of God.

How? By answering two questions: First, do you know and believe that Jesus is the One and Only Savior from your sin and the Wrath of God? And second, are you zealously pursuing good works as your thankful response to God’s Salvation? If you truly believe in Jesus Alone for your salvation, if you believe all that is written of Him in God’s Word, then you are called and elect of God. And if you are responding to that salvation by striving to do all that God calls us to do, then you may be assured that you are called and elect of God.

And, if you receive that surety – that assurance – then, Peter tells us “you
will never stumble.” Literally, it reads something like, “you will never fall, never at any time.” One of the problems these Christians were experiencing were false teachings coming into the Church, teaching things other than what the apostles taught. They were confused about what to believe, and some were following after the false teachers. So, Peter reminds them, and us, that if we are grounded in the Scripture, if we are learning more and more each day through the reading of God’s Word and hearing it read and preached and taught, then we won’t fall for the cunning arguments of the false teachers. If we know our Bibles well, we will not be fooled when some smooth-talking character gets into the Church and teaches things contrary to the clear Word of God.

And, Peter says, “for in this way” – if we are an assured people, a strong, believing people, a people who know our Bibles and can distinguish between false teaching and truth, a people who pursue the good works of God with every part of our being – “entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.”

What does that mean? Peter is saying that if we have been called by God to salvation, if we are elect to salvation, if we have believed and received His Salvation, and we have assurance and proof in our lives of His Salvation by the way we are living, then we can also be assured that Jesus has already richly provided for us entry into the kingdom of God. There is no doubt, Peter says, that every Christian will be received into the kingdom. How? Through the Precious Blood of Jesus. Through the riches He shed to cleanse us from our sin. In other words, we do not earn the kingdom, the kingdom is also a gift that Jesus worked for and gives to us. Paul wrote, “[God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14, ESV).

In verses twelve through fifteen, Peter tells these Christians why he is reminding them of these things – these foundational issues of Christianity. The reason is, humans have a tendency to forget. Humans have a tendency to forget. You and I have a tendency to forget – what we have been taught, what we have learned, the details of what we have believed. Would you agree that you sometimes forget? If you say “no,” would you be willing to summarize last week’s sermon for us?

I had a friend when I was in Drew Seminary who dropped out of the Masters of Divinity program because he decided that once he preached through the Bible, there would be nothing else to say. (He said that as though he could preach through the Bible in a rather short period of time.) I have no fear of that – for three reasons – first, I don’t believe I will live to preach through everything in the Bible. Second, even if I do live to preach through everything in the Bible, I will not have preached the fullness of the depths of the Bible – there is always more in God’s Word, which is why I can preach on the same text over and over, and it is one reason that we can hear two very different messages preached by two ministers on the same passage. And the third reason I have no fear of running out of preaching material is that you forget. And I forget. We need to be reminded week after week and for all of our lives, and then we will only have begun to understand everything that is in the Mind of God.

So, Peter tells these Christians that he is writing them, reminding them, because we are prone to forget. Peter tells them that he is reminding them, even though “you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you.” Peter is not writing these things to non-Christians – he is writing them to believers – people who have already heard these things and believed in them. However, false teachers had come into the Church, and humans tend to forget – and the Gospel is the most important thing we can ever hear and believe, so Peter tells them, even though they have heard this all before and believed it, he is going to remind them again, because it is likely that they have forgotten some, and they need to remember to be able to defend themselves against the false teachers. And the same is true for us today. There may even be more false teachers in the Church today. We need to know what we believe and be reminded of it again and again, so when a false teacher comes in, we can say “no” to his false religion. Jude tells us the same thing about the serious need to be reminded: “Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe” (Jude 5, ESV).

Again, Peter tells them that he thinks it right that he remind them of all these things because he will soon be put to death, “as indeed our Lord Jesus made clear to me.” Peter especially wanted to remind them of these things because he would not be alive on earth for much longer – he was soon to be crucified for his faith – as Jesus told him. Do you remember when Jesus told Peter about his death – how and when it would occur?

Remember that while Jesus was on trial, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. Peter was crushed to hear the rooster crow and recognize that Jesus’ prophecy concerning him had come to pass. However, do we also remember, that after the resurrection, Jesus came to Peter and asked him – three times – once for each denial – if Peter loved Him? And Peter confessed his whole-hearted love for Jesus, and Jesus commissioned Peter to “feed my lambs,” “feed my sheep,” and “feed my sheep.” In this way, Jesus restored Peter and forgave him for his sin.

And then Jesus said this to Peter: “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.’ (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, ‘Follow me’” (John 21:18-19, ESV).

We don’t have time to unpack all this amazing word this morning, but notice this: Jesus told Peter that he was restored, that he would die when he was old (he was probably 70 or so when he wrote II Peter), and he would die by crucifixion to glorify God. And the historians tell us that Peter was crucified, but Peter thought it too high an honor to die as his Savior had died, so they permitted Peter to be crucified upside-down.

Peter knew his time was short. He was soon to glorify God through being crucified, so he wanted to remind these Christians one more time of the salvation that they had received as a gift and how that salvation must change the way we live.

And one more time, Peter comforts them, telling them in verse fifteen, that he was making arrangements so after his death, others would continue to remind them of everything he had taught them. And that promise has been kept to this day, because God has graciously caused humans to gather the sacred texts together in one volume, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and God continues to call ministers to preach the Word of God, as the Holy Spirit has preserved it for us, that we all might hear the Gospel and believe and respond and be reminded again of all the things that God has revealed to us through the prophets.

Very quickly then, having heard this word this morning, what shall we do?

Let us remember that our salvation is wholly the Work of God through Jesus by which our sins are cleansed and we are credited with Christ’s Righteousness.

Let us make our calling and election sure – let us prove our salvation by Jesus Alone – receiving assurance – by zealously pursuing the good works God has called us to do.

And let us never think that we know everything there is to know of God’s Word and the Gospel, nor that we won’t ever forget anything. Let us recognize the forgetfulness we all suffer with, and let us, at every assembling of the saints, gather to learn and be reminded of the Great Good News of God. As the author of Hebrews wrote, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV).

Let us pray:
Almighty God and Savior, You Who are pleased to make Yourself known to us, we lift up our hearts in thanksgiving to You for saving us by Yourself, through Your Son, since we were unable to do any good thing. We thank You for the gift of salvation and the kingdom, and we ask that You would continue to be with us and remind us through many and various ways of all You have done, and then spur us on to thankfully do the good works You have set before us, that You would be glorified in our lives and in our deaths. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Banner Redeux

Our Consistory requires me to give a brief summary of "what I learned" during my study leave. As it was, again, the Banner of Truth Minister's Conference this year, perhaps it will whet your appetite for next year to read this skeleton:

This year’s topic was “The Preacher’s Task.”

The opening sermon on John 21 presented the teaching that the secret of following Christ closely is knowing Him deeply.

The second sermon on II Timothy 1:6 taught that (1) the ordained ministry is a gift from God, (2) this gift can be extinguished, so we must continue to excel though the goal is not within our reach, (3) we can “fan the flame” of the gift because the Holy Spirit empowers us, and (4) we can extinguish the flame by created a fan club out of the congregation, so we must be about reading the Word, preaching, teaching, prayer, and the sacraments.

The third sermon on Hebrews 7:26-28 taught that Christ is the only Perfect Priest, that He offers Himself to God, so our chief message is to be the Atoning Blood of Jesus.

The fourth, on Romans 11:33-36, taught that it is not the minister’s call to gain members (“the church rises and falls as the ministry rises and falls”), but to preach the Word, to be an example of humility, and to lead exalted, praise-directed worship.

The fifth, we ought to have friends amongst God’s people, we ought to have contact with the unconverted, and we need to gain a deeper communion with God.

The sixth, on Titus 2:1-3:2, we ought to teach the flock: (1) sound doctrine, (2) how to live out sound doctrine, (3) according to the type of people in our congregation, (4) with motives for obeying God, (5) by being an example to the flock, and (6) by exhortation and rebuke with authority.

The seventh, we need (1) less self-confidence, (2) measured and persevering faith in God, (3) guidance in the best use of our time, (4) a regular time of self-examination, (5) knowledge of our temperament, (6) time to read all the best books, (7) to read the Bible before e-mails and blogs, (8) to not lose time on controversies, (9) to not see in our churches what we cannot change, (10) to be in constant prayer, working towards revival.

The eighth, on Hebrews 13:9-14, we must be well-verse in sound doctrine, because there is much false teaching in our churches that we need to quash.

The ninth, on Isaiah 42:1-4, as the servants of God we must be (1) completely dependant on God, (2) unyielding in our faithfulness to God, (3) consistently humbled before God, (4) delighted in God’s Son.

Then there was a preaching panel with all of the speakers in which many questions were discussed.

The tenth, on II Corinthians 5:18-21, we are to reach the lost: (1) by announcing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and (2) by appealing/imploring that they be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

Next year’s topic will have something to do with John Calvin, as it is the 500th anniversary of his birth.

Check it out by clicking on the Banner of Truth link.

"Be Effective & Fruitful" Sermon: II Peter 1:5-8

“Be Effective & Fruitful”
[II Peter 1:5-8]
June 15, 2008 Second Reformed Church

Peter was in prison, waiting to be crucified. He wrote this final letter to the Christians who were on the run from Nero and his army. And Peter told these Christians, scattered throughout the known world, that the most important thing – the thing he wanted them to do – was to live holy and godly lives. Peter said that what is most important for the Christian is that he be living a life that looked like Jesus – not just as a mask, but as one who is being changed into the image of Jesus.

Peter told them that as Christians, they had an intimate and passionate knowledge of Jesus, and Jesus had given them everything they needed via His Precious and Very Great Promises which are coming to pass. God, in fact, has called every Christian to live a life of holiness and godliness – and every Christian has been freed by Jesus’ Righteousness from moral depravity and the lust of the world.

Peter wanted the Christians to understand the Gospel – that God does all the work of salvation first, and then Christians respond to what God has done – the Gospel begins by receiving. He wanted them to keep from falling into two heresies – two errors – the first which says we are justified by our works. This is what the Roman Catholic Church teaches – that we are made right with God by our faith plus our works. That is not what the Bible teaches. The second, called antinomianism, says that we are made right with God by faith alone and we never have to obey God’s Law. That is not what the Bible teaches, either. What the Bible teaches us is that we are justified – we are made right with God – by faith alone. Thus, we are saved. In response to that salvation, then, we live out lives of good works, following after what God has said to do. Our works add nothing to our salvation, but they are the proper response to it.

In this morning’s Scripture, Peter explains what living lives of holiness and godliness look like. He tells them that this is the way they ought to be living. And if being hunted by the Roman army was no excuse against these things for them, nothing that happens to us qualifies as an excuse either. When we think we can’t follow after God, consider if it would be worse for you if someone was seeking to kill you. If that would make your life worse, remember, Peter said that is no excuse for not following after God’s Call.

“For this very reason” – since everything Peter said up to this point is true – “you must make every effort” – and the words that he uses here tell us that he is not telling us just to “try.” No, Peter is telling his fellow Christians – and us – that we ought to be seriously, urgently, zealously making every effort to live godly and holy lives. Have we put that much effort into it? Have we truly been seriously, urgently, zealously making every effort to live godly and holy lives? Peter said, since those things are true about God and Jesus and our salvation – we must be seriously, urgently, zealously making every effort to live godly and holy lives.

“To support.” When we read Peter saying that we are to support this list of things that follows, let us not understand him to be saying that we need to put supports or legs under them. Let us not understand him to mean that we must pile them one on top of another. No, what Peter is saying is that the Christian life is one of maturing and growing, and it seeks a balance – like a choir with a balanced set of Sopranos, Altos, Tenors, and Basses, singing in perfect harmony. Or a sound system that has been devised and set to sound as though the music was being played right before us. Understand “support” in that way here.

In a similar way, Paul puts forth this balance: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9, ESV).

So Peter tells these Christians to begin by supporting – abundantly supplying – perfectly balancing – their faith. Let you faith be alive and active. Remember, faith is a conduit – and this is why Peter names it first – it is through faith that everything else he says will be applied to each person. If you don’t have faith to begin with – a living, active, working faith – then nothing else that comes in this passage will work.

It’s important to say this is not moralism – Peter is not suggesting that we live a good and moral life, period. He is saying that the only way we can live a good and moral life and finally achieve being in the likeness of Jesus is through Jesus’ Righteousness – through all that He has already done for us. Jesus is the Foundation and the Power to be alive and to respond. This is nothing that anyone can do without Jesus and His Salvation.

This is the choir Peter says should be seen in Christians – through faith:

“To faith goodness.” The word Peter uses here means good deeds and moral uprightness. It is that which is the opposite of the moral depravity we were born with and are now delivered from through Jesus’ Righteousness. The first sign of a heathy faith, is that one has turned away from moral depravity and is living a life of moral uprightness, doing good deeds. If anyone is to believe that we have left the through of depravity behind, we must not be found persisting in them. In this life, we continue to sin, until the day of Christ Jesus, but we ought to be sinning less, and sin ought to upset us more, and we ought to find ourselves and be found less and less often at the trough of depravity.

“To goodness knowledge.” An intimate, persistent, zealous knowledge of God and self, and our outward carriage is necessary to temper our good deeds and lead them in knowledge. Without deep knowledge of Who God is and who we are and the way we ought to carry ourselves in the world, we have no guide to lead us in the good works and moral uprightness we ought to be about. We need help to keep from neglecting goodness, but we also need help in keeping from being impulsive – as Peter’s life is a prime example. Early on, Peter did not have this knowledge added to goodness, and we see him impulsive jumping out of boats, swearing he would never deny Jesus, and so forth.

We are all called to lives of holiness and godliness, but based on our gifts and the time we have spent plumbing the Scriptures, and praying to God, we have different areas we are to work in and work on. What good works ought you to be about? Begin by reading your Bible, regularly attending worship and the sacraments, and praying. Start with these and you will be led by God the Holy Spirit Who leads in you. And your brothers and sisters in the faith may also prove helpful in discerning the work you are called to. Don’t be embarrassed. Dive into God’s Word, and ask when you need help.

“To knowledge self-control.” Knowledge, itself, can go to extremes, especially in the physical realm. We are to use self-control to guard against our impulses and desires. We are to strive for modesty in all things and for moderation in all things. Now, that doesn’t mean we are only to do the exact average or middle of everything. What it means is that we ought not to go to sinful extremes: for example, physical relations within marriage are good and worthwhile – the knowledge that a husband and wife have of each other is good and right. But lust is a sin. And, as we find the Corinthians engaged in – physical relations with anyone or anything outside of marriage is a sin. Paul tells the Colossians to use self-control, saying, “Put to death therefore what is earthy in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another...” (Colossians 3:5-9a, ESV).

“To self-control patience.” Or endurance. The patience Peter says to add here refers to patience with ourselves, others, and with God. The author of Hebrews wrote, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised” (Hebrews 10:36, ESV). We are to be patient and endure with ourselves as we build this choir of virtues, not that we should think lightly of our sins and failings, but we need to be realistic about where we each are in our conforming to the image of Jesus. Different ones of us will be at different rates and in different areas. And that’s why we need patience and endurance with each other – again, not to let someone off the hook when they sin, but to understand that we are all maturing at differing rates and in different areas. We ought not condemn each other for not being as mature as we are or think we are – if the person in question in sincerely striving after godliness and holiness and maturing in the faith.

And the patience we need extends to God, as we have probably all asked God, “When?” As the armies of Nero were beating down the doors, hauling Christians away, and crucifying them on the road, surely, some cried out to God to know when He would return, when this trial would come to an end. But Peter tells them to be patient, to trust in God, to wait on His perfect timing. We need to understand – and Peter talks about this – that God’s timetable is not our timetable. God’s time is perfect, and He will accomplish what He intends, but, sometimes, it is not clear to us. We ought to find ourselves growing in humility towards ourself, others, and God.

“To patience godliness.” Here, when Peter talks about godliness, he is referring to what he just said about “partaking the divine nature” – that we would become like God in His Holiness. This patience and humility precedes the godliness we are called to embody. Godliness comes, in part, as we live out the understanding of who we are and who God is – as we humbly submit to God’s Plan and Time and see all of us as God sees all of us..

“To godliness mutual affection.” If we are able to see each other the way that God sees us, then we can have mutual affection – and Peter means this to be among Christians. The word Peter uses is philadelphia, which many of us will know, means “brotherly love.” This is not a love among all people, but between people who are of the same conviction. You and I and all Christians are “brothers in the faith” or “brothers and sisters in the faith.” And because we are joined together in that way, we must love each other in the faith. We’ve seen this before – we don’t have to be best friends with every Christian. We don’t have to invite them over for tea every day. But we absolutely must love them in Jesus and for the sake of His Salvation. Think of the Christian you find most annoying – what this means is that you must love that person in Christ and be able to worship – truly worship – with that person. Why? Because the Same Jesus gives the Same Salvation to all Christians. He has united us for His Sake.

“To mutual affection love.” Peter uses a different word for love here – agape. This word refers to a sacrificial love. It is the love for all human beings for the sake of the Gospel. It is the love that extends to those soldiers hunting us down to kill us, as they hunted down the Christians of the first century. It is a love that includes our enemies and tells them that the worst they can do to us is kill our bodies, so we are compelled to let them know the Gospel – that there is Only Salvation through Jesus Alone. That the Only Hope of escaping from the Wrath of God is to repent and believe in Jesus Christ – that His Life, Death, and Resurrection would cleanse you from sin and credit you with Jesus’ Righteousness that you may stand before God, no longer condemned, but as a child of the Father.

The Christian musician, Larry Norman, was asked if he had any goals, and he said, “Yes, I want to die.” And we can understand that in the context of Peter’s letter – once we have died, we will be with Jesus, we will be glorified, perfected, unable to sin, and we will be before Him in worship for all of eternity.

Yes, we are to live this life, Peter says that Christians who build this choir of graces through faith, will be effective and fruitful Christians. That’s what we are called to be – effective and fruitful. Yet, our ultimate goal, is to be with Jesus.

So, the Romans are banging at the door. They’re crucifying our fellow Christians. And they’re coming for us next. But, if we have Jesus’ Salvation, if we’re growing in these things, if we’re becoming more like Him, then we can be joyful, knowing that the worst they can do is bring us closer to Jesus.

So, let us build this choir of virtues that grows us in godliness and holiness, and let us prepare ourselves to tell the Gospel in love to every man, woman, and child, because every one of them needs Jesus. Let us be effective and fruitful, to the glory of Jesus Christ.

Let us pray:
Lord, we want to be fruitful and effective Christians. Convict us with the truth that You have already done the Work of Salvation, and now You have given us the power and everything we need to accomplish these things. Cause our heart’s desire to be seriously, urgently, zealously making every effort to live godly and holy lives, because You are our God and Savior and in response to all that You have done for us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

"Don't Waste Your Life"

Our study continues, D.V., tomorrow at 3:30 PM at the church. Join us!

Praise Jesus!

Praise Jesus! With the exception of a short time on Tuesday, I have been without electricity since Monday -- it came back on today, Friday, at 6PM, and I pray it will stay on! And I thank God I live in days of electricity!

"Called" Sermon: II Peter 1:3-4

"Called"
[II Peter 1:3-4]
June 8, 2008 Second Reformed Church

Your faith is not enough.

Last week we looked at the salutation -- the opening -- of the Peter's second letter to those Jewish Christians who were scattered throughout the known world due to the Roman Emperor, Nero, hunting them down with his armies to kill them. And we noted that Peter had been caught by this time and knew that he would soon be crucified, so this was his final word -- his last will and testament -- to his fellow Christians.

We saw that the introduction to this letter is packed: Peter reminded them that they were once slaves to sin, but they are now servants of Jesus Christ. He reminded them that Christians received their precious faith as a gift from the Righteous Jesus Who, Himself, makes them righteous and holy and calls them to a growing, passionate and intimate knowledge of Jesus, which brings about greater faith and greater peace.

But your faith is not enough. James wrote, "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can that faith save him?" (James 2:14, ESV).

Understand, the Bible teaches that we are saved by faith alone -- our works have absolutely no bearing on our salvation. Our works cannot and do not contribute to or cause our salvation. Our salvation is completely, 100%, an act of God's Sovereign Good Pleasure. However, as James tells us, if we claim to be a Christian, and we claim to have faith in Jesus Alone for our salvation, and that's where our Christianity ends -- then our faith is dead, it's hypocritical, it's not real, and it's certainly not saving faith (James 2:17).

One of the reformed slogans is, "We are justified by faith alone, but not by the faith that is alone." In other words, the proof that God has saved us by Himself with no help -- not by any works of our own -- is that after we have been saved, we respond to that salvation by doing good works.

Paul wrote, "[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began" (II Timothy 1:9, ESV).

D. M. Lloyd-Jones wrote that we can summarize this morning's Scripture by saying that first, we are to know God, and second, we are to become like Him (D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Expository Sermons on 2 Peter, 13-14). Peter told those Christians on the run -- and the message is the same for us this morning -- that God calls us to have faith and knowledge of Him and Salvation in His Son, but God also calls us to become like God. If you are a Christian this morning, God calls you, God commands you, to become like Him. That's the goal of the Christian life. Our liturgies speak of growing into the image of Christ Jesus. Jesus is our God and Savior. We are called to become like God.

What does our text tells us?

"His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his glory and goodness" (NRSV).

First, God has called us to become like God, and God has given us everything we need to live lives of godliness and holiness.

Peter told those Christians running for their lives, and he tells us as we sit in front of our TVs, that God, by His Divine Power, through the knowledge of Himself that He has given to us, has given us everything we need to live godly, holy, morally upright, God-glorifying lives. Peter said that Christians are able, by the Power of God, which He has given us, to live lives that imitate God in His Holiness. Peter said, we have been obliged and enabled by God to live lives for God that show what God is like. And God has taken away every excuse we can come up with for not living God-like lives.

"Well, you don't know how I was brought up. I'm too old to change. I'm too young to be like that. I can't understand God's Word. I can't stop doing x, y, and z. I can't focus on that right now, I'm being pursued by the Roman army." And so on.

God says, "I have chosen and changed you. I have empowered you to be able to live like I live. I have called you -- commanded you -- to live holy lives. I cause you to be able to live holy lives." Paul wrote, "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19, ESV).

God has done away with all of our excuses; God has and will fill every need we have so we are able to live holy lives and accomplish what He has for us to do.

"Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises," (NRSV).

Second, God has given us promises to prove to us and assure us that He will meet every need we have and cause us to be able to live God-like lives of holiness. What kind of promises? Precious and very great promises. The Greek is in the superlative tense, so these are the most precious and the greatest promises.

Listen to a very few of these promises:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:16-17, ESV).

"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I say to you that have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day'" (John 6:35-39, ESV).

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more. But you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him" (John 13:15-21, ESV).

We could go on like this for days.

God has given us the greatest, most precious promises, and we know them and even begin to see them come to pass now.

Peter went on to explain that two things follow from the gift of these promises:

"so that through them you may become participants of the divine nature," (NRSV).

First, Peter said that God giving us these precious and great promises cause us to become "participants in the divine nature" or "partakers of the divine nature." What does that mean?

We must be very careful: a quick read could have us conclude that we become divine or gain a divine nature or become God or gods. That cannot be. Paul said this of one who will claim to be God, "Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God" (II Thessalonians 2:3-4, ESV).

The Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints, the Mormons, teach that every human being becomes a god after death. But God said there is One and Only One God, and anyone else who declares himself God is an anti-Christ.

Then what does it mean to "participate in the divine nature"?

The author of Hebrews wrote, "For [our fathers] disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but [God] disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness" (Hebrews 12:10, ESV). And John wrote, "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him; because we shall see him as he is" (I John 3:20, ESV).

Through God's Promises and His meeting our needs, God is growing us in His Glory and according to His Holiness. In Second Peter, when he says that we "participate in the divine nature," what he means is that we become like Jesus, like God, as we grow in the faith and in holiness.

"and escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust" (NRSV).

Second, Peter said that God giving us these precious and great promises causes us to become free from the corruption of the world due to lust or moral depravity. And this brings us full circle: we have been given the ability to escape corruption and lust -- in fact, all things that go against God's Nature and His Holiness. In other words, these promises that God made help keep us from giving in to temptation and sin. So, we never have to sin.

With these things being true, how then shall we live?

D. M. Lloyd-Jones wrote, "I, personally, am much more concerned about the state of the church than I am about the state of the world. We are all clear about the world. The world is in its muddle, its wretchedness, and unhappiness, because it is heedless of the Christian message. It does not pay any attention to the Gospel of Christ and I suggest that one chief cause of this is the fact that it does not see the quality of life in us. When it does see it, then it will begin to pay attention. I would urge once more therefore that it is the business of the church to concentrate on herself and not on the world that is outside. Revival starts in the church, and revival comes when Christian people begin to realize how far short they fall of the standard that is depicted in the New Testament" (Expository Sermons on 2 Peter, 13).

Let us understand and recognize what God has done and live accordingly:

Let us put away every excuse that we use against godliness -- against living holy lives. When we find ourselves faced with the temptation to do those things that are not godly, and to sin, let us stand firm, and call on God in prayer, believing His Promise that He has and will always give us what we need to keep from sin and to live a godly life.

Let us surely believe that God is making us like Him and Jesus. Let us be more conscious of the way that we are living, and each time we find ourselves about to do something that we cannot imagine Jesus doing, or something that He has said not to do, let us call on God in prayer, believing His Promise that He is and will make us into the image of His Son.

Let us pray that our goal would be to be like God -- living a life that glorifies our God and Savior. Let us make it our goal, each day, to know God better, through His Word, prayer, and the sacraments, and then let us take that knowledge of God and live like Him.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You that You do not merely call us to salvation and then leave us to our own devices, but You also call us and work through us for all of our lives to make us into Your Image. Let our excuses fade away. Let our belief be strong in Your Sure Promises. And let us desire with everything we are to be like You in Your Holiness. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

"Don't Waste Your Life"

Our video and book study of Rev. Dr. John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life will begin (D.V.) tomorrow at 3:30 PM. Come one, come all, whether or not you signed up! It will be ninety plus degrees here in Irvington -- the study will be in an air conditioned room! Find out if your life is worthwhile in the sight of God.

Yes, I Went to Classis

"I, personally, am much more concerned about the state of the church than I am about the state of the world. We are all clear about the world. The world is in its muddle, its wretchedness, and unhappiness, because it is heedless of the Christian message. It does not pay any attention to the Gospel of Christ and I suggest that one chief cause of this is the fact that it does not see the quality of life in us. When it does see it, then it will begin to pay attention. I would urge once more therefore that it is the business of the church to concentrate on herself and not on the world that is outside. Revival starts in the church, and revival comes when Christian people begin to realize how far short they fall of the standard that is depicted in the New Testament." -- D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Expository Sermons on 2 Peter, 13.

"Faith, Grace, & Peace" Sermon: II Peter 1:1-2

"Faith, Grace, & Peace"
[II Peter 1:1-2]
June 1, 2008 Second Reformed Church

This morning, we begin a look at the second letter of Peter. Peter wrote this letter around 68 A.D. At this point, Peter was in jail, and he had been condemned to crucifixion. So, this is his final word -- his last will and testament, if you will. This was his final opportunity to address his hearers. What would you say if you knew you were about to die? If you had one last opportunity to get a message to your loved ones before you died, what would it be? As we look at this letter, let us remember, not only the circumstances of the people he was writing to -- which we'll look at in a moment -- but Peter's circumstances: he knew he would shortly be crucified.

This morning we're only looking that the salutation of the letter -- the opening of the letter. As you read through the Bible, do not neglect to spend time considering the opening and closing of the letters -- we have much to learn from them, as well as from the body of each letter.

What do we find in the salutation?

First, from the very stating of his name, we see that Peter wanted them -- and also us -- to remember that we have been transformed from merely sinners to servants of Jesus Christ.

Peter opened this letter, not like his first letter, where he simply says, "Peter," but with "Simeon," or Simon, "Peter." Why? To remind his readers that he was once Simeon, the fisherman. There was a time when he was a slave to sin, living only for himself, for his wages as a fisherman. There was a time when he was not concerned with the things of the Spirit -- just like there was a time when we were not concerned with the things of the Spirit. But the day came for him, as it comes for all who believe, when he was transformed from Simeon, the slave to sin, into Peter, the servant of Christ. And even more so for him, Peter was an apostle -- he was one who was an eyewitness to the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter told them to remember who he was before Christ -- to remember who they were before Christ -- and to consider who they have become now. Paul wrote, "[God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:13-14, ESV).

We cannot -- we dare not -- forget that we have been changed -- we are not the people that we were born. All those in Christ have been freed from slavery to sin, from being merely sinners, and we are now servants of God. Does that fact bring you joy? It ought to. David said, "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked" (Psalm 84:10, ESV). Never forget where you came from and where you are now in Jesus Christ.

Second, Peter explained that we -- all believers -- are united in a precious and costly faith that we have received by the Will of God, which continues to grow until we are received into glory.

Let us remember to whom Peter was writing: in his first letter, he wrote, "To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" (I Peter 1b, ESV). Peter was writing to Jewish believers -- those Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah -- the Savior, and were now being hunted down by the armies of the Roman Emperor, Nero. Peter was writing to a suffering, persecuted church -- to the people of God, literally on the run for their lives. Peter, himself, had been caught by the time he wrote this second letter.

Peter wanted them to know, that though they were on the run, thought they were being hunted to death, though they were scattered throughout the known world, they were still together the One Church of Jesus Christ -- as are we, and all of us are united together in that most precious faith that God gives, by His Own Will, as He pleases, and this faith is not stagnant, but continues to grow in us while we are alive, until the Day of Christ Jesus.

And we ought to remember, faith is the conduit that God gives us through which we receive the sure belief in Jesus Christ Alone for our salvation. We are united in the same faith, given to us by the Same God, that we would receive the same salvation. This faith cost Jesus His Very Life, and this faith is given to us only by the Will of God Alone. We cannot chose it or take it or make it our own -- it must be given to us as a gift. And the gift of faith that we receive is the same for all of us -- it is one faith, and it is a faith, we will see, which is a growing faith. Paul explained, "Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is no Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all" (Colossians 3:9-11, ESV).

Now, of course we understand that there were still Greeks and Jews, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarians, Scythians, slaves, free. Paul does not mean that there is no longer any physical or national difference among people. No, what he is saying is that such categories are irrelevant to salvation. We’re told elsewhere that there is neither male nor female in Christ. That does not mean that, in Christ, men can also bear children. No, what it means is that the fact that one is male and another is female is irrelevant to the reception of the Gospel. Men receive salvation as the exact same gift from the exact Same God as women do. In salvation, we are equal, but we are still people -- whatever and whomever we may be. Men and women and all people are equal before God and receive the same salvation through Jesus Christ, but that does not mean that there are no differences among people: Christian men cannot bear children simply because Christian women can.

Third, Peter explained that we -- believers -- receive that precious faith through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ, He Who is, our text tells us, both God and Savior.

What does that mean? What Peter is saying is that Jesus is Righteous -- He never sinned and kept the whole Law of God completely. He is the One and Only Holy Man. Therefore, He could be our substitute in taking on the punishment for our sin, and He could impute -- He could credit to our account -- His Perfect Keeping of the Law, so that we are not merely legally innocent, since our debt is paid, but we are seen in Jesus by God as holy. God looks at us and sees Jesus. Because Jesus is both God and Holy Man, He can give to us: faith, righteousness, and salvation.

Paul wrote, "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it -- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and you are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, who God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:21-26, ESV).

Fourth, Peter stated his desire that his readers would grow abundantly, that they would multiply in grace and peace. So, through faith, and as God wills, we receive grace and peace which continues to multiply; they continue in abundance. Grace and peace are not received once in their fullness, but are received and grow.

Remember that grace is that gift of the undeserved Favor of God which causes believers to grow spiritually and be spiritually strengthened, and the peace is that peace which comes from God and passes all understanding. It is the peace that can endure anything and everything for the sake of Christ knowing that Christ and His Salvation are worth more than everything else that can be endured.

If we sin, we still need more grace, more peace. If we love Christ, if we understand that He and His Salvation are precious -- worth more, indeed, than everything else put together, we will pray and strive to receive more grace and more peace until we are filled to capacity. Well, how is that done?

Fifth, Peter explained that grace and peace grow in us as we continue to progress towards the full knowledge of Jesus, which will culminate on the Last Day. Those who are growing in the knowledge of Jesus understand that He is Savior, God, and Lord. Understand, this is not just a book knowledge, it is not just a collection of facts -- the word that is used for knowledge -- epignosis -- is a word that signifies an intense and intimate knowledge. Certainly we learn a great deal from the Scripture, but the depth and intimacy of the knowledge that we need for growth and strength can only be found in spiritual interaction with our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. And when does that occur? In reading the Bible, hearing it read and preached. In receiving the sacraments. And through prayer.

Do you want to grow and be strengthened? If you love Jesus, is that not your delight? To know Him more fully day by day? Jesus said, "And this is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom you have sent" (John 17:3, ESV). So read your Bibles, take part in our studies, be in worship to hear the Word read and preached, go to other services, as you are able, to hear biblical preaching of the Word of God, listen to biblical preaching on the radio, on the TV, on the Internet. Read biblical sermons. Be baptized, and then receive the sacrament of the Lord's Supper frequently. And pray, anytime, whenever you feel the need or the Spirit's nudge. If you need help, ask me, and I will help you. I am here for you -- to lead you to Jesus.

Considering these things, how ought we live?

First, we ought to be thankful to God and careful in the way we carry ourselves. Faith, or the lack of it, is lived out in our actions.

If what Peter says in these opening verses is true -- if we have been changed from slaves to sin to servants of Jesus, if we are all united together through that salvation, having received a precious, costly faith from our God and Savior Jesus, if we are growing in grace and peace through the intimate and intense knowledge of Jesus as we spiritually meet with Him and He ministers to us -- we will find ourselves forever and always thankful! He has done what we could not do and never wanted -- He has saved us and given us His Name and His Righteousness, so let us live lives that make much of Jesus, let us live lives that show we really do believe in Him and His Word, let us face our suffering with the confident hope, that Jesus is better -- Jesus is worth more that the worst we can endure on earth. So let us live in a way that shows Him to be worthy.

Second, we ought to love each other and bear with each other and encourage one another in the faith.

All believers are brothers and sisters, part of the Body of Christ, fellow Christ-bearers. If we love Christ, we will love the bearers of His Name and Salvation. It doesn't matter if so-and-so is not your type of person. It doesn’t matter if so-and-so doesn't do things the way you do, or belong to your denomination, or political party, and so forth. What matters is that Jesus lived and shed His Blood and rose from the dead for me and for every Christian, and we are now, together to let the world know: "Here is the One and Only Salvation, the Only Hope for the World, repent of your sins, believe in Jesus, be amazed by Him with us -- let us joint together in lives of worship."

And we are also to encourage each other, to lift each other up, to remind each other of the Promises of Jesus and His Unsurpassing Worth. When our fellow Christians hear Nero's chariots closing in, we must do whatever we can to encourage them to stand for Jesus, no matter what is done to them, because Jesus is More.

Third, we ought to strive for more grace and peace through knowing Jesus better. Bible, sacraments, prayer. Are you taking advantage of the opportunities we have in this church? Are you making suggestions so you can be part of this body of Christ? It is not possible to be a Christian alone; we commune with Him and grow in grace and peace together. Let us drink deeply of Him together.

If you are a Christian this morning, Jesus has been ministering to you through the reading and preaching of God’s Word, giving you His Grace and Peace. And now as we prepare to receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus is ready to meet us in the bread and wine and continue to minister to us, to continue to cause us to grow abundantly, to multiply, in grace and peace.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for Peter's second letter, and we thank You for meeting us and ministering to us in the reading and preaching of the Word. Let us be like those suffering Christians, remembering what we once were and the Righteousness of Christ through which we receive faith, as a gift, the most precious gift. Train our eyes and hearts on You and multiply grace and peace in us that we might be a light to others, leading them both by word and example into the passionate knowledge of Jesus. And may we all, with the apostle Paul, sigh more deeply each day, as he wrote, "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:33-36, ESV).