001 Securing the Sheep - part 1

2 Peter 1:1-11

August 8, 2010

As you know, tonight we kick off a new Sunday night study.

We are looking at the second letter of Peter.

And as we commonly do, before we dive into our detailed study,

I sort of like to give the book a little introduction.

I like for you to see the whole,

So that when we go back and start looking at the parts,

You will know more accurately what we are looking at.

(If I dump a bunch of pieces of wood on your floor you would be confused, but if I first show you a picture of a dresser, then the pieces begin to make sense)

(1-2) “Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;”

We know here that Peter is the writer,

And we see how he identifies himself.

“a bond-servant”

I’ve told you before, the word here is DOULOS and it speaks of a willing slave.

Its roots are in Exodus

Speaking of a slave who must be set free:

Exodus 21:5-6 "But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,' then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.”

It is one who was under the full charge of his master in all things,

And one who was there willingly.

“apostle”

This indicates that Peter was sent by Christ on a special mission

With full authority.

1 Thessalonians 2:5-6 “For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed — God is witness — nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.”

So in one sense, he was a lowly slave,

And in the other sense, he was a divine ambassador.

So it is with all who serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

But there is obviously more to be learned

About who exactly Peter was.

Peter was formerly known as Simon.

(It was actually Jesus who changed his name to Peter)

He was NOT the first disciple Jesus ever called,

In fact, it was Peter’s brother Andrew who led him to Jesus.

PETER WAS NOT THE FIRST, BUT HE WAS THE LEADER

Matthew 10:2 “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;”

Simon (or Peter) was called “the first”

This is obviously not a chronological reference

Since he was not the first to follow Jesus.

Rather “first” translates PROTOS

“chief”

The same word Paul used when he called himself “the chief of sinners”

Or “foremost of all” sinners.

Peter was the leader of the 12

(that is perhaps why most of the time we see Peter doing the talking)

NOT ONLY WAS PETER LEADER OF THE DISCIPLES,

BUT PETER WAS ALSO GRANTED LEADERSHIP OVER THE CHURCH.

Matthew 16:18-19 "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."

Luke 22:31-32 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

It was Peter whom the Lord singled out in John 21

Three times telling Peter to “Feed My sheep”

And it is obvious that this was a responsibility that Peter accepted.

On the day of Pentecost

It was Peter who arose to address the masses

It was Peter who confronted their decision to crucify Jesus

It was Peter who gave the invitation for salvation

And when the early church had issues, they came to Peter

We could easily say that Peter was a man

Who was fully concerned about the flock of God at all times.

He was a true pastor in every sense of the word.

Where Paul was the traveling missionary, continually planting churches,

Peter stayed to take care of the flock.

(This does not mean Peter never went on mission,

He was actually the man who saw the first Gentile convert – Cornelius)

BUT PREDOMINANTLY PETER WAS A PASTOR

This was his duty, this was his charge, and he fully embraced it.

That also helps us understand what Peter said in his first epistle.

1 Peter 5:1-4 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

Peter knew his role as a shepherd of God’s flock.

After all Jesus had said, “Feed My sheep”

And Peter encouraged others in a similar role to do the same.

And so while it should be obvious to us,

It becomes especially clear now that Peter was a man

Who was devoted to the flock of God.

AND THAT IS WHY HE WROTE THIS LETTER.

He writes (1) “To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours,”

He is writing to those who have made a profession

To be followers of Christ, just as Peter did.

It was this same group that Peter addressed in his first epistle

As those who were “scattered”,

And Peter wrote to encourage them in their suffering.

And so Peter was a man who was

Fully concerned about God’s flock at all times.

And now, according to 2 Peter

He was concerned for them even after he would be gone.

2 Peter was written just before Peter’s death.

You may remember that our Lord

Had previously revealed to Peter how he was to die.

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!"

Jesus told Peter that his life would end with the death of a martyr.

And apparently Jesus has now also revealed to him

That it is time for that death to occur.

2 Peter 1:13-14 “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.”

So here we have Peter,

The leader of the disciples,

The leader of the early church,

A man consumed with the well-being of God’s flock.

And he knows that it is now time for him to die.

This is the end, and this letter holds his final words

Of encouragement to the flock he is about to leave.

When Moses was about to leave he preached Deuteronomy

When Paul was about to leave he wrote 2 Timothy

When Jesus was about to leave He preached “The Upper Room Discourse”

And as Peter is about to leave he gives 2 Peter.

The purpose is clear.

He wants the flock to remain strong, even after he is gone.

2 Peter 1:13-15 “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 will be able to call these things to mind.”

Every good preacher understands that when he preaches,

He is not just preaching for the invitation

That will occur in the next 30 minutes.

He is also preaching for decisions

That will be made in the next 30 years and beyond.

Every faithful preacher longs to have his flock

Prepared for the moment before it arises.

And that is precisely why Peter is writing this letter.

So that they will be prepared in the future.

Peter is also writing because he knows what is coming.

When Paul gave his final address to the Ephesian elders he said:

Acts 20:29-32 "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them."Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. "And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

Paul knew that when the shepherd is gone

The wolves will try and attack the flock.

He also knew that the only hope for the flock was if

They would stay committed to the truths of God’s Word.

“I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up”

Before Jesus left, He told the disciples:

Matthew 7:15 "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

Matthew 10:16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”

And now before Peter leaves, he sends along the same warning to us.

2 Peter 2:1 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”

Peter knew that savage wolves were coming.

He knew that they would try to deceive the flock and devour them.

And therefore he knew that the only hope for the flock

Was to be built up on the word of God.

2 Peter 1:19 “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

2 Peter 3:17-18 “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

And so you understand the purpose of 2 Peter.

It was written by a faithful shepherd who is leaving the sheep.

But he desperately wants to prepare the sheep for what is coming.

And just in case you doubt the accuracy of Peter’s prediction.

In 2 Peter 2:1, Peter said false prophets will come,

Secretly introducing destructive heresies.

By the time Jude wrote his epistle, the wolves had arrived.

Jude 4 “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

That means for us Peter’s encouragement is very important.

He is telling the flock how to survive

In a world filled with wolves.

His letter closes with:

2 Peter 3:17-18 “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

So tonight, let’s begin our study of 2 Peter

And understand the importance of a true knowledge of God,

So that we are not easily led astray and devoured by the wolves.

I want to start our study by reading the first 11 verses.

(Because these make the first thought,

And you really can’t study any part of it independent from the whole)

READ 2 PETER 1:1-11

If you’ve ever worked one of those mazes some people start at the beginning and try to work their way to the end.

Others have found it easier to start at the destination

And work their way back to the beginning.

That is sort of the approach

We are going to take to these first eleven verses.

(FIRST IN OVERVIEW, AND WE’LL COME BACK IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS TO GET THE SUBSTANCE)

The point of these first 11 verses is clear to us:

THE SECURING OF THE SHEEP

We know that because of verses 10-11

(10-11) “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.”

Peter’s main concern is that none of those he is writing to stumble,

And thus fall away from the faith.

He knows that if they never fall away, then

“the entrance into the eternal kingdom…will be abundantly supplied.”

So he is writing to make sure the sheep are not snared

To stumble and fall away from the faith,

But that they stand strong until the end and enter the kingdom.

This is why he stresses that they make certain that they are God’s flock.

(10) “be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you”

In other words,

· You claim to be called by God and chosen by Him.

· You claim to be His child; His sheep.

· You claim to know God.

But you need to stop and make sure that this is really the case.

One of the key phrases in these first eleven verses is the term “knowledge of God” (2) again in verse (3) again in verse (8).

Peter stresses the true knowledge of God

Because there IS such a thing as “false knowledge of God”

Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'”

Jesus spoke of those who had a false knowledge,

Made obvious because it did not result in obedience.

PETER WANTS HIS FLOCK TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT IS NOT THEM.

They make certain, by examining their fruit.

(8-9) “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.”

Now we will see the specific qualities in a moment,

But it is obvious that Peter is looking at a list of fruit

And telling his readers that if this fruit is not only evident in their lives,

But also on the rise, then they have a “true knowledge of our Lord Jesus.”

On the other hand, if these qualities are not present,

Then they are “blind or short-sighted” and they have forgotten

That the whole purpose of salvation was to purify you from sin.

And so the path is becoming clear.

We don’t want you to stumble from the faith.

The way to not stumble is to make sure you are really in the faith.

The way to know if you are really in the faith is to examine your fruit.

WHAT IS THE FRUIT?

(5-7) “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.”

These are the attributes that ought to be present in the life of anyone

Who claims to have a true knowledge of Christ.

And as we noted, according to verse 8, these qualities not only need to be present,

But should also be “increasing”.

And so Peter simply asks his readers to examine their lives,

And see if it is obvious that they really do know God.

And that poses for us another question.

WHY ARE THESE ATTRIBUTES GOOD INDICATORS THAT I KNOW GOD?

Today people bank on all sorts of things to prove they know God.

Religious involvement

Participation in baptism

Having prayed the sinners prayer

Family heritage

Many people use those types of things as indicators, but Peter didn’t.

He used “diligence” “faith” “moral excellence” “knowledge” “self-control” “perseverance” “godliness” “brotherly kindness” and “love”.

WHY ARE THOSE THE INDICATORS?

Because you can’t achieve those things in your life by your own ability.

If you have those things it is because God gave them to you.

(3-4) “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

It is God’s divine power that gives us what we need

For “life and godliness”.

And that divine power comes

“through the true knowledge of Him who called us”

It is God who has granted us “His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you become partakers of the divine nature”

All those attributes listed in verses 5-7

Are divine attributes, not earthly attributes.

And therefore Peter says that we should carefully examine ourselves

To see if we have them, and if they are increasing in our lives.

If they are, then we truly know God and we are protected from stumbling, and we can be assured of entering the eternal kingdom.

If they are not, then we have cause for concern, and it is apparent that we are “blind or short-sighted” and need to return to the Lord.

HENCE, THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO THIS COIN

THE DIVINE SIDE – in which God equips us

THE HUMAN SIDE – in which we take full advantage of His equipping

And the result to that is

That we know we are in the faith, and we are kept from stumbling.

So the study of these first 11 verses is clear:

THE SECURING OF THE SHEEP

And in it we learn that

A true sheep is one who knows God and follows God.

John 10:27-29 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”

And Peter wants to make sure that all of those who read this letter,

Evaluate themselves in such a way.

WHY DOES PETER BEGIN THIS LETTER LIKE THIS?

Because he is about to die,

And he knows that the wolves are coming.

And he knows that the wolves will exploit with false words and deceive people and lead them away from the faith.

And if those he is writing to do not have a true knowledge of God,

Then they will most certainly be led astray,

And will never make it into the kingdom.

(And we will get into the specifics next time)

SO IN CLOSING, LET ME REMIND YOU

There is absolutely nothing in your life that matters more

Than your relationship with Jesus Christ.

If you are right about everything else, but wrong about that,

Your entire eternity will be in shambles.

SO MAKE SURE IT IS REAL

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”

We live in a day where people get routine checkups.

Mammograms

Physicals

Blood tests

If that is true physically, how much more important is it spiritually.

Getting tested is not always pleasant.

Getting negative results can be extremely painful.

But how important is it to know the truth

So that it can be corrected while there is still time?

So let me encourage you, put Peter’s advice to practice and “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.”