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The Gospel Observer
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to
observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to
the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).
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July 3, 2011
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Contents:
1) 2 Peter 1:10-15 (Tom Edwards)
2) News & Notes
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-1-
2 Peter 1:10-15
by Tom Edwards
Last week, we considered the virtues that need to be diligently added
to our faith, as mentioned in 2 Peter 1:5-9: moral excellence,
knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness,
and love. For what good would our faith be if we lacked these
qualities? As Peter shows in verse 9, to lack these would make
the Christian "blind or short-sighted."
Therefore, in view of that possibility, Peter exhorts the brethren with
the following instruction: "Therefore, brethren, be all the more
diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as
long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this
way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ will be abundantly supplied to you" (2 Pet. 1:10,11). This
is an excellent passage to point out the need for man's compliance with
God's plan of salvation: For it is not all entirely up to the
Lord. Therefore, by submitting to His commands, we can make our
calling and election sure; and, as we have seen, if we do not do that,
we would lose out on heaven itself. For as Peter shows in verse
11, "for in this way [that way of making our calling and election sure
by diligently practicing those virtues] the entrance into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied
to you."
It was in obedience to the gospel that we were put into God's kingdom,
the church. As Paul shows in Colossians 1:13, God has
"...delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the
kingdom of His beloved Son." And John speaks of being in the
kingdom in Revelation 1:9, "I, John, your brother and fellow partaker
in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was
on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the
testimony of Jesus." But now Peter exhorts the brethren to live
in such a way that they will gain access to that "eternal kingdom" (in
heaven itself). So, throughout this life, we must continue to
strive for that ultimate goal of eternal bliss in that heavenly abode
where God dwells.
After speaking in the previous verses of the need to add those specific
virtues to our faith, in order that we may strive to make our calling
and election sure, Peter then states in 2 Peter 1:12, "Therefore, I
will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you
already know them, and have been established in the truth which is
present with you." To be reminded is not to learn something new,
but to draw our attention to that which we already know, but need to
reflect on. The need for reminders, along with the benefit of
them, is seen in several places of the Scriptures. For instance,
Paul states in Philippians 3:1, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in
the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is
a safeguard for you." So it was to their advantage to hear
again that which they had already known. For in this case, it was
that which could protect or defend them. One of the reasons why
Jude urged the brethren to "contend earnestly for the faith" was due
to the false teachers that could lead Christians astray. And to
illustrate that possibility, Jude went on by saying in Jude 1:5, "Now I
desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the
Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently
destroyed those who did not believe." Jude then also reminded
them of the angels that abandoned their proper abode (v. 6), the
destruction incurred by the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah and the
cities around them (v. 7). He mentioned "the way of Cain," "the
error of Balaam," and "the rebellion of Korah" (v. 11). Yes, they
needed to remember those who had fallen away in time's past -- even
those fallen angels --
and not be like them. This is also what the Hebrew writer warns
about in Hebrews 2:1, "For this reason we must pay much closer
attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from
it." He then goes on to say in Hebrews 2:2,3, "For if the
word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression
and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we
neglect so great a salvation?" So we are sometimes reminded of
what not to do through the examples of those who had fallen into
sin. Another reference to this can be seen in 1 Corinthians
10. Here, Paul speaks of Israel of old whom the Lord brought out
of Egyptian bondage, with the cloud of God above, and the parting of
the Red Sea, of their spiritual affiliation with Moses and with the
Lord, as they all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same
spiritual drink; yet, with most of them, God was not
well-pleased. Rather, they were destroyed in the wilderness due
to their sin. Paul even cites some of their specific sins: they
"craved evil things"; they were "idolaters"; they "acted immorally"
(and 23,000 fell in one day, as a result); they tried the Lord (in the
sense of testing or tempting) and were destroyed by serpents; and they
"grumbled" (and were destroyed by the destroyer). Paul shows in 1
Corinthians 10:6 that "these things happened as examples for us,
that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved" -- nor
commit the other sins that we just considered. He then repeats
this and gives a conclusion in 1 Corinthians 10:11,12: "Now these
things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our
instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let
him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall."
Another thing we can point out about these examples is that since they
are examples for us of what we are not to do, then they are not merely
something that we are to learn once and forget about; rather, we need
to remind ourselves, from time to time, of Bible examples of this
nature. They are for our good.
Even those who know the Bible completely, sometimes still need to be
reminded. Consider, for instance, what Paul said about the Roman
brethren in Romans 15:14,15: "And concerning you, my brethren, I myself
also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with
all knowledge and able also to admonish one another. But I have
written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again,
because of the grace that was given me from God."
Sometimes we can learn much by simply remembering the lives of certain
individuals. This is certainly true when it comes to reflecting
on the life of the apostle Paul. For instance, 1 Corinthians
4:15-17: "For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you
would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father
through the gospel. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of
me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved
and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which
are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church." The
gospel that Paul taught was also what he lived by. An examination
of his life, therefore, would be a look at God's word being manifest in
the life of a faithful follower. In 2 Timothy 2, Paul exhorts
Timothy to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus," to "Suffer
hardship...as a good soldier of Christ Jesus," to be truly dedicated
toward serving the Lord, and doing so according to the rules, to
"Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead," to know that "if we died
with Him, we shall also live with Him; If we endure, we shall also
reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny
us...." Paul then goes on to say in 2 Timothy 2:14,
"Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence
of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the
ruin of the hearers." The "them" of this passage refers back to
those "faithful men" of verse 2, whom Titus was to "entrust" with the
gospel, that they "will be able to teach others also." Paul
also instructed Titus to remind the brethren of certain things that
would make them good citizens and better people, in general, in Titus
3:1,2. He states, "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to
authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign
no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all
men." Since they are to be reminded, then they already know these
things; but sometimes the reminder itself can be an encouragement and
help rouse determination, commitment, and zeal. Compare also 2
Peter 3:1,2: "This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to
you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy
prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your
apostles."
Even the Holy Spirit served in reminding the apostles of those things
they needed to refresh their minds with. In John 14:26, the same
Greek that is translated as "remind" in 2 Peter 1:10 is also used, but
rendered with the phrase "bring to your remembrance." The verse
states, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in
My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance
all that I said to you." This was one of the Lord's promises to
the apostles.
Sometimes what we have already learned might make even more of an
impression upon us when we recall it at a different time. I would
imagine, for instance, that such was the case of Peter in Luke
22:61,62, after he had just finished denying his Lord three times and
the rooster crowed. The passage says, "The Lord turned and looked
at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told
him, 'Before a rooster crows today, you will deny me three
times.' And he went out and wept bitterly." How deeply the
words of Christ must have now penetrated Peter's soul, as he remembered
them. For before his denial, it appears that Peter had just
brushed off those words, thinking that surely he would never deny his
Lord.
In 2 Peter 1:12, Peter refers to these brethren whom is addressing as
having been "established in the truth." They were not merely
those who had heard about the Lord and knew some about the gospel, but
they had become a part of the Lord and His truth. For they
accepted God's word by faith and obedience; and, as a result, they now
had Jesus as their sure foundation and were made a part of the church,
the Lord's spiritual kingdom.
The Greek word for "established," in this verse, is "sterizo," which
Thayer defines as "1) to make stable, place firmly, set fast, fix
2) to strengthen, make firm...." The same Greek word is also seen
in these following passages: "Now to Him who is able to ESTABLISH you
according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to
the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages
past" (Rom. 16:25). In 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, Paul's
desire for the brethren was that God would "cause you to increase and
abound in love for one another...so that He may establish your hearts
unblamable in holiness...." In 2 Thessalonians 3:3, the same
Greek word is translated as "strengthened" and is used in regards to
what God will do for His follower. Paul writes, "But the Lord is
faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil
one." Of course, we must cooperate with God so that this may be
so.
So though these brethren whom Peter is addressing already knew the
truth he was teaching and were established in that, he still saw the
need to remind them of certain things. And his attitude toward
doing that can also been seen in the next passage -- 2 Peter 1:13-15:
"And I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to
stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my
earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made
clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my
departure you may be able to call these things to mind." Peter
viewed his reminding the brethren as being a "right" thing to do.
For it was a way of "stirring" them up. "Stir," by the way, comes
from the Greek word "diegeiro," which Strong defines as "to arouse
completely"; "to wake fully, that is, arouse (literally or
figuratively)."
The apostle also saw an urgency in reminding them, knowing that his own
life was soon coming to an end. And this was not a mere intuition
or just some feeling that he had, but the Lord had actually made this
known to Peter that his departure was at hand. Do we have
recorded for us in the Scriptures of any time in which the Lord had
anything to say to Peter about his death? Yes. John
21:18,19, "'Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used
to gird yourself, and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old,
you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will gird you, and
bring you where you do not wish to go.' Now this He said,
signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had
spoken this, He said to him, 'Follow Me!'" Though we do not read
of a time element here -- other than it would take place "when you grow
old," the Lord had apparently revealed to Peter the nearness of his
demise prior to his writing 2 Peter. For, by that time, Peter
then knew that his remaining life on earth would be short.
So Peter focused on what would be a most important thing he could do --
and that is to encourage the brethren to serve the Lord, and to
instill within them the desire to always do that, so that after Peter
was gone, his influence would continue to exhort the brethren toward
living that life of godliness. In a similar fashion, we are
reminded, for instance, what the Bible says about Abel in Hebrews 11:4
that "...though he is dead, he still speaks." And, sometimes it
is even people who lived hundreds of years ago, whom we do not even
know by name; but even they still speak. For example, what about
Acts 8:4? It declares, "Therefore, those who had been scattered
went about preaching the word." We are not told who all of these
Christians are, but we are still encouraged -- even today -- by what
they did. Their faith and dedication to the Lord continues to
speak to us and motivate us toward doing likewise.
Peter speaks of the time of his passing as a "departure." The
Greek word is used only three times in the NT. It is
"exodos." Thayer gives several definitions of it: "1) exit, i.e.
departure 2) the close of one's career, one's final fate 3)
departure from life, decease." In Hebrews 11:22, it is
transliterated as "exodus," and refers to that time when Israel
departed from Egyptian bondage. The verse states, "By faith
Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of
Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones." It is also
translated twice in the NASB as "departure," such as in our text under
consideration (2 Peter 1:15) and Luke 9:31. Notice how it is used
in this latter verse with regard to the Lord: "who, appearing in glory,
were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at
Jerusalem." The those who were speaking with Jesus here were
Moses and Elijah at the Mount of Transfiguration. They had both
also departed this life, but were still very much alive in
spirit. As in the exodus of Israel, not only were they departing
from a place, but they were also seeking to enter another place.
Even so, Christ did not merely exit this world, but also ascended to
that greatest of all realms of heaven itself. To all who exit
this life, there will be the entering into another realm; and what that
realm will be -- whether bliss or agony -- depends on whether we make
Jesus our Savior and Lord or not, while here on earth. Choose
wisely, and live toward keeping that commitment, and you will be
eternally grateful!
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News & Notes
For those of us who are Christians, let us continue praying for the
following people:
Danny Holton, who has
pancreatic cancer in the 4th stage.
Dottie Newcomb and her
7-year-old grandson
Caleb Newcome who were involved
in a
recent 3-wheeler motorbike accident that put them both in trauma
hospitals in Memphis.
Bill Barfield, who has prostate
cancer. He is 85 and doing poorly. Since his stroke 11
years ago, he has not been
able to walk very well and seldom has been out of his house over the
last couple months -- and, then, just mainly for doctor
appointments.
Anthony Branton, Ken
Robertson's
nephew, who recently had surgery in New Orleans for
Crohn's disease, which resulted in the removal of his entire large
intestine. He is only 28.
Bill Holt, who has been in the
hospital the last several days, due to intense pain, which is thought
to be caused by a stone in his pancreas.
R.J. Evans, who is being treated with antibiotics to try to
lower his PSA level (which can be
indicative toward prostate cancer).
Cheryl Crews, who has been
having various health problems -- and even more so, over the last
couple
months.
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel,
for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the
deity of Christ (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins
(Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ
(Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water
for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4;
Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet. 3:21).
6) Continue in the faith;
for,
if
not,
salvation
can
be
lost
(Heb.
10:36-39;
Rev.
2:10;
2
Pet.
2:20-22).
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Park Forest
CHURCH OF CHRIST
9923 Sunny Cline Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70817
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 6 PM (worship)
Tuesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go (Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html (audio sermons)