005 A Shepherd’s Heart

2 Peter 1:12-15

September 19, 2010

Well, we finally move past that initial portion of Scripture

That Peter opened his letter with.

So have a pretty good understanding of why he wrote this letter.

THE SECURITY OF THE SHEEP

And in that concern, he has two focal points.

1) That the sheep be secure.

Making sure that they are actually sheep, and therefore eternally secure.

2) That the sheep know they are secure.

By showing them how to know they are useful and kept from stumbling.

Peter knows that wolves are coming with all their deceptive heresies

To try and lead people away from the truth.

And so he opened with a very thorough description of what a Christian is,

And how a Christian should live.

He gave those 7 qualities that must be ours

And that must be on the increase in our lives.

And then said:

“for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.”

In short, not only do those qualities reflect genuine Christianity,

But they are also vitally important to our lives

For they actually serve to protect us from the deceptive

And destructive strategies of the enemy.

In short, those qualities are essential to living the Christian life effectively.

That was the sermon.

Now comes the explanation.

Peter explains why he is so adamant, why he is so direct.

I don’t know what comes to your mind when you read that list,

But obviously there are some who see it as SOMEWHAT REDUNDANT.

Moral Excellence – Knowledge – Self-control – Perseverance – Godliness – Brotherly Kindness – Love

I mean, really we’ve heard it all before.

DID PETER REALLY THINK IT NECESSARY TO WRITE A LETTER ABOUT SUCH OBVIOUS THINGS?

This is like Pam repeatedly teaching her girls that “True Love Waits”.

Well, if Peter sounded redundant to you there is a reason why.

And the reason is because Peter knows the frailty of humanity

And the power of temptation.

Let’s all remember Peter’s past for just a moment.

It was right near the end of Jesus’ life and Jesus told His disciples that

There was a night of great temptation coming,

And that all the disciples would fall away from Him.

But Peter disagreed.

Peter was ARROGANT.

Peter was self-confident.

Matthew 26:31-35 “Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ' I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE SCATTERED.' "But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." But Peter said to Him, "Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away." Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You." All the disciples said the same thing too.”

It is some kind of arrogance to argue with Jesus about the future,

But apparently Peter was that confident in his own strength.

He was certain that the coming temptation was not too difficult for him.

He didn’t know exactly what the Pharisees had up their sleeves, but whatever it was, he was certain he could handle it.

But that isn’t the only thing we remember about Peter from that night.

We also remember that Peter was DROWSY

Matthew 26:36-46 “Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me." And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will." And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done." Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Then He came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. "Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!"

This can certainly still be seen as arrogance as well.

For here Peter’s over confidence is on full display.

Not only is he certain he can handle whatever is coming,

But he is so certain, he doesn’t even feel the need to pray about it.

There is no need to seek God.

There is no need to prepare himself.

There is no need to do anything.

Instead he will just go to sleep.

He obviously wasn’t worried about the enemy at all.

And of course we know the result of that drowsy arrogance.

Peter did the unthinkable and denied the Lord 3 times

Before he went out and wept bitterly.

The blessing of it all was that Jesus re-commissioned Peter

And asked him to feed the flock.

That experience now stands as the motive behind Peter’s letter.

HE IS SHOWING US HOW A TRUE SHEPHERD

APPPROACHES THE FEEDING OF THE FLOCK.

Just as Jesus left him behind to serve,

Now Peter is about to leave his flock behind to serve.

And Peter is seeking to safeguard them from the mistakes he made

And to prepare them to continue in the ministry.

As we study these verses you will see that

Peter is writing to 3 types of people.

#1 TO THE STRONG

2 Peter 1:12

Now we know who we are dealing with here.

We are dealing with the strong.

They are those who “already know” the truth Peter just preached.

They are those who “have been established in the truth”

They are those who have the truth “present with” them.

In other words these are not ignorant people.

These are educated people.

And the qualities Peter preached on earlier in the letter

Are not foreign qualities to them.

THEY KNOW IT

(They get it already)

In fact, that may be what scares Peter the most.

1 Corinthians 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”

He remembers what it was like to be so sure of yourself.

He remembers what it was like to have all the answers.

He remembers what it was like to have it all figured out.

And so while these people do know the truth.

He still said, “I will always be ready to remind you of these things”

And what we learn is that

TO THE STRONG – PETER WAS THOROUGH

He did not take their knowledge for granted.

He did not take their strength for granted.

He wanted to make sure they all really knew all they needed to know.

And so he told them again.

Isn’t that why mothers harp on the same truths over and over?

Isn’t that why coaches teach fundamentals every year?

They don’t want to take the little things for granted.

They are thorough.

And by the way, this is one of the essentials to being a good shepherd.

God intended for those who instruct others

To be thorough in that instruction.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

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.”

In other words it is a protective measure.

I love John MacArthur for being so thorough in his preaching.

It’s like the old hymn.

“I love to tell the story, for those who know it best seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest, and when it scenes of glory we sing a new new song, twill be the old old story, that I have loved so long.”

The point is be thorough, even to those who already know it.

And the reason is obvious.

There is a difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge.

We may preach it once and get it into your head.

But we preach it over and over to get it into your heart.

And we know it’s in your heart when it comes out of your life.

Peter knew that even the strong can fall during temptation

So he wrote to remind the strong, because even they need it.

So Peter writes to the Strong.

#2 TO THE SLEEPY

2 Peter 1:13-14

Again we are reminded that Peter knows his time on earth is short.

(14) “knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ as made clear to me.”

You will remember what Jesus told Peter after He rose from the dead.

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!"

And it is obvious that rather because of external circumstances or because of his age (many believe over 70), he realizes that the time is near.

And it is because of that that he writes this final letter of encouragement.

“I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,”

When Peter says he considers it “right” the word he actually uses

Is the same word that is often translated “righteous”.

This is not just something that seems like a good idea to Peter,

This is something that Peter has learned is righteous to God.

This is after all what Jesus did,

And that makes it the right course of action.

And then Peter says, “to stir you up”

Translates DIEGEIRO (dia-gy-ro)

And it literally means “to arouse from sleep”

It is the same word for what the disciples did to Jesus

When He was sleeping in the boat.

Mark 4:38 “Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"

And this is what Peter is doing here.

In fact, this is not the only time he mentions it.

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.”

It is obvious that Peter wants to make sure

That his sheep are not asleep in the garden.

He is writing to wake them up.

They may not feel as though the situation is serious,

But Peter tells them otherwise.

The game the false prophets are playing is serious.

They play for keeps and they are good at what they do.

2 Peter 2:1-2 “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. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;”

This is not some little insignificant threat.

This is serious, and God’s people need to take it serious.

Don’t be caught sleeping.

It was sleeping servants

Who allowed the tares to be planted among the wheat.

And so Peter here writes to wake them up.

· He wants to point out the threat.

· He wants to point out the danger.

· He wants to bring you to a point of alert.

Paul was no different.

Romans 13:11 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.”

1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”

Peter was writing to the sleepy

And it is obvious that he was writing with URGENCY

“knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent”

In other words, I am about to leave you have to wake up and keep watch.

That is the sermon Jesus preached to Peter in the garden,

And now Peter is preaching it to you.

The enemy is real

The attack is coming

Wake up and be ready.

And so while Peter may sound a little redundant in his message,

It is with good purpose.

He is being thorough to the strong because even they need to be reminded.

He is being urgent to the sleepy because the threat is real and it is coming.

To the Strong To the Sleepy

#3 TO THE SURVIVORS

2 Peter 1:15

And here again we see why Peter not only continues to preach these truths, but also why he puts them down in ink.

“that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.”

This must be the heart of every teacher.

Today people have fallen into a rut where every sermon

Is really only intended to effect the invitation that is coming in 20 minutes.

But a sermon is not preached to effect the next 20 minutes.

A sermon is preached to effect the next 20 years (and beyond).

We don’t preach to move you down the aisle.

(Following Christ is easy in church)

We preach so that in 10 years when faced with an all out attack

And you stand all alone,

You will both be ready for it and will know what to do.

You see, when Peter writes this letter the enemy isn’t here yet.

He is coming, but he isn’t there yet.

Peter is writing for the sake of those who will outlive him.

Isn’t that what Jesus did for Peter?

John 14:25-26 "These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. "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.”

Jesus made sure Peter was equipped with the truth after His absence,

And now Peter does the same for his flock.

And just let me say, Peter was successful.

Based on the obvious similarities

We know Jude must have possessed a copy of this letter

When he wrote his epistle, and notice what Jude says.

Jude 17-23 “But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, "In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts." These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”

Peter was writing to aid those after him, and it obviously worked.

His writing strengthened Jude

Who in turn took the same truths to strengthen others.

THAT IS EFFECTIVE PREACHING.

He was preaching to minister to those even after he was gone.

Paul did the same:

2 Timothy 4:1-8 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Paul knew he was about to die.

But he wrote this letter for after he was gone to say,

“Stand firm and preach the truth”.

And that is what Peter is doing.

He is writing to the SURVIVORS

And so he is writing with DILIGENCE

“I will be also be diligent”

To the strong he was thorough

To the sleepy he was urgent

To the survivors he is diligent

He does what he does now because he knows it will help them later.

And how diligence is needed today.

Take all those teachers who teach children in Sunday school,

Or those on Wednesday nights who teach the kids.

There is very little immediate reward.

And the temptation is just to wing it.

Just do something fun

Just do something entertaining

(after all, the kids aren’t listening anyway)

But a true shepherd refuses to take the easy way out,

Knowing that he is not teaching for today,

But is in fact teaching for tomorrow.

And the fact is he or she may not even be alive to see

The payoff to the seeds they are sowing.

They are diligent today because people will need it tomorrow.

And I am so thankful for this type of diligence.

At any time I can pull off of my shelf commentaries written by:

Charles Spurgeon

John Calvin

Matthew Henry

I can turn on the radio and listen to Adrian Rogers

Men who were diligent in their studies and preaching years ago

So that they could encourage me today.

And that is what Peter is doing.

And this is precisely what God intended.

Joshua 4:19-24 “Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho. Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. He said to the sons of Israel, "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What are these stones?' then you shall inform your children, saying, 'Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.' "For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the LORD your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever."

That is what Peter is doing.

He was building a rock pile.

And tonight we learn both lessons.

If you think you are strong, you still need to be reminded.

If you are sleepy, you need to be awakened.

If you are walking alone, you need to be encouraged.

But on the flip side.

We also want to be true encouragers to others,

Especially those of us who are in teaching roles.

BE THOROUGH – even the strong need to be reminded.

If Satan is going to continue with his lies

Then you need to continue countering them.

BE URGENT – the enemy will attack at a moment you are not ready, don’t let anyone be found sleeping.

BE DILIGENT – even if you preach or teach for years and it just doesn’t seem relevant, push through it anyway, if it is God’s word it is relevant and people need to know it.

This is what Peter was because he was a faithful shepherd.

He was making sure his flock was ready for the coming battle.

So be ready and make sure others are ready as well.

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.”