Jump Start # 1332

2 Peter 3:17 “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”

  The last two chapters of Second Peter warns and addresses the coming threat from false teachers. The issue at hand was the coming of the Lord. Since Jesus returned to Heaven, a promise remained that He would come again. Some in Peter’s day were denying this promise. Their evidence was everything remains the same. Nothing has changed.

Peter shows God’s people that the false teachers had faulty reasoning. Things have not remained the same. The original world was changed by the flood. Many things were different after the flood. He then shows the readers that things will be different in the future. A new Heavens and a new earth were promised. This statement is first used in Isaiah to describe the time of the Messiah, but it is used here and in Revelation to describe yet another change that was coming. The word ‘new’ can be used in two ways. First, we may buy a new car. It’s still a car, has four wheels, a steering wheel, doors, it’s just a newer model. Second, the word new can mean different. When the car was first introduced it was a NEW form of transportation. It was different than the horse. Peter is using the word ‘new’ in the later sense. The new heaven and new earth are going to be a different world than what we have now. We see some of those differences in Revelation. There we are told that there is no death, no crying, no pain, no mourning. I met with someone yesterday. As I opened the door to let him in, he burst in tears and hugged me very tightly. There had been a sudden death in his family. He was devastated over it. Those things will be gone in this ‘new’ heaven and earth.

Christ is coming. He is not coming to start things here, but to end things here and to open the doors to Heaven. Some have the notion that Jesus is coming back to set up a kingdom. They are looking forward to Christ reigning. However, they missed a few things in that thinking. The kingdom has already been set up. The Colossians were told that they were transferred into the kingdom. John told the Revelation readers that he was in the kingdom. Jesus, Himself, had said, that some in the audience would not die until they saw the kingdom come with power. Now that either means the kingdom came in the first century, or there are some really old people on this earth. If the kingdom has not been established, it means that there are some people alive today who stood in the audience when Jesus preached. Does anyone really want to believe that there are some people more than 2,000 years old on this planet? The Corinthians were told that Jesus reigns until the last enemy has been destroyed. The last enemy is death. As long as people are dying, it shows that Jesus is reigning. They were told that Jesus is coming to deliver the kingdom back to the father. The apostles were giving the keys of the kingdom. Daniel prophesied that God would establish His kingdom in the days of the fourth kingdom. That fourth kingdom was Rome. Luke identifies Roman power in his gospel.

Folks confused about the kingdom isn’t something new. It happened in Peter’s days. It happens today. Put it all together. The kingdom is not armies, palaces, banners. Jesus told Pilate “My kingdom is not of this world.” His kingdom is spiritual. It’s the saved people today. It’s where He reigns today, the church.

In our verse today, Peter is reminding the readers, that knowledge is the key to fighting error. Knowing this beforehand is what Peter wrote. You know the right answer. You know the truth. When others start saying things, you’ll recognize what is right and what isn’t right. Fear and ignorance is what feeds Satan’s armies of false teaching. A verse here, a verse there, no thinking on your own, no questions asked, and before long, your head is swimming in confusion, you are not sure what to believe and you go along because they must be right. Calling for a time out. Calling for an explanation. Calling for a look at some passages, puts an end to error. This is exactly what Peter did. The false teachers were saying that Jesus was not coming. Their proof, nothing changes. Peter destroyed that. They were wrong with their proof.

Knowing beforehand. Peter wasn’t the first to come up with that concept. Daniel also used it. When taken to Babylon as a young man, he made up his mind ahead of time not to eat the king’s food. Knowing beforehand kept Daniel from making mistakes with God.

It is interesting how we understand this concept in other areas. Schools will practice fire drills and communities will test warning sirens before disaster happens. There is a plan. When you fly, the airline personal goes through a series of procedures in case there is an emergency. The exit doors, the oxygen mask, the floating seat cushion are discussed beforehand. Most parents have a long list of beforehand instructions that they go over with their teenage child prior to handing the car keys to them. Many of us have legal wills, insurance papers and other important documents in a certain drawer that we have told other family members about. We do this beforehand.

Knowing Beforehand. Peter was telling his readers what was really going to happen. They would know. There would be no surprises. More than that, they would not be moved off their foundation of faith by the wild speculations and unfounded theories of others. They would know. With truth on their side, error would be easy to recognize. With truth on their side, there was nothing to worry about. They knew. With truth on their side they could walk confidently with the Lord.

Knowing beforehand: here is a short list.

• Unless Jesus comes first, we will die. That shouldn’t surprise us, shock us and scare us. We know beforehand. Knowing that, what am I going to do about that?
• Someday we will stand before the throne of God. Knowing that what am I going to do about that?
• Someday all the stuff we have here will be gone. Knowing that what am I going to do about that?
• Someday we will be in eternity. Knowing that what am I going to do about that?

Knowing beforehand allows a person to prepare. Knowing beforehand allows a person to be ready. Knowing beforehand takes away all the mystery and doubt.

Knowing beforehand. That’s why we study the Bible.

Roger

Jump Start # 1331

2 Peter 2:4 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment”

  The second chapter of second Peter is a page of the Bible that many do not like to think about. God judges. The warnings of this page are directed toward those in Peter’s days that left the truth and were disturbing the faith of other Christians. The words are serious. The picture of judgment is severe. Peter walks through history, first with angels, then Noah, then Lot and ties it all in with the present. God doesn’t take lightly those who misrepresent Him, distort things, or exploit others with false words and ideas.

There are three historical accounts listed: angels, Noah and Lot. We know about the last two. They are found in Genesis. They are in chronological order. It’s the first one that brings questions to our minds. When did the angels sin? What was the occasion? Why did they sin? If these were all to be in a historical order, then it happened before Noah and the flood. Passages in Nehemiah and Psalms lead us to understand that God created angels when He created the world. Angels haven’t always been. Nor are angels a form of pre-humans that are later sent to earth. Nor are angels departed souls that turn into angels. Our images of cute, chubby babies that are angelic do not fit the picture the Bible gives us. Angels are definitely in. Go to a gift store and you’ll find all kinds of angel figurines. Most are those fat babies or long haired women, not what you find in the Bible. There are two angels we know by name in the Bible, they both happen to be male names. Many conclude that this is where Satan came from. He was an angel that went bad. There is a reference to Lucifer in Isaiah 14 that many think point to an angel being kicked out of Heaven. The arrogant words and rebellion led him to be cast down. There are two problems with this. First, Isaiah 14 is telling us about the king of Babylon, not the origin of Satan. Second, if Satan was an angel who sinned, why was he not cast into the dark pit with the others?

God did not spare angels when they sinned. That statement holds a lot of thought for us.

First, it tells us that God does not play favorites nor has a double standard. Angels dwell with God. We read of angels being sent from Heaven. There is that special expression, “the Lord’s angel,” which may be a special angel or one of unique position. No one seems closer to the presence of God than angels. When they disobeyed, they were condemned. They will be judged.

This ought to tell us that God doesn’t let us get away with wrong things because we are so cute or we are His children. If anything, Peter’s warnings remind us that we too must be obedient to God. Obedience is a word that has dropped off the chart when it comes to religious messages these days. You’ll never hear the popular national preachers talking about obedience. Jesus did. He did often. Obedience was a sign of our love to God. Today, the message is, “Just love.” The Beatles had it with “All you need is love. Love is all you need.” That works in a pop song. It doesn’t fly with God. Love is not an emotion, it’s a choice. You show love by doing what God said. Even angels were sent away when they disobeyed. If the angels couldn’t get away with wrong, you know that we can’t either.

Second, God did not have a saving plan for angels. Jesus didn’t die for angels. He died for mankind. Unlike the angels, God doesn’t send us away and put us in pits of darkness when we do wrong. Had He done that, most of us would have been in those dark pits since we were teenagers. We did wrong early in life. It didn’t take much but we sure were good at it. Most of us have followed that prodigal to the far country. Most of us know the shame, guilt, pain and trouble that has come from our disobedience. Caught by parents, caught by teachers, caught by the police—we know that we very well could have been in those dark pits where the disobedient angels are. Instead, God redeemed us. God gave us a second chance. God did not give up on us. God sent Jesus to save us, rescue us and give us a new life. God has done more for us than He did for the angels.

Third, these words are intended to serve notice to those who are going the wrong way. It’s not enough that they don’t care about their own souls, but they were twisting things and getting some of God’s people to go along with them. These words, these judgments, were a warning siren to startle, wake up and get people to realize what was going on. Some folks are never content with things. They always have to change. They even want to change God. They mess around with God’s word. They twist things, bend things and position God to say things that He never did. This happened then and it continues to happen today. People can read a passage and say, “it doesn’t mean that.” They stuff their ideas, their agendas, their theology into the discussion and before long, the outcome is something very different from what the Bible teaches. Churches take on cultural and social reform rather than preaching the saving message of Christ. Sin is tolerated. Folks are accepted without commitment and without changing. The church doesn’t look like the holy bride of Christ. Instead of changing the people, the message is changed. The wellness and happiness of man replaces the dignity and respect of God. Good times replace the Gospel message. Folks dance with the wolves rather than watching out and avoiding the wolves. Preachers smile. The pews are packed. The money flows in. Church buildings are replaced with stadiums. All is well. However, no one notices that God is no longer smiling. This word, these warnings are pitched aside. Error has filled the hearts and folks are believing a lie rather than the truth. These very words of Peter are not read. They are not taught. They are not understood. Pits of darkness does not make the sermon series. It doesn’t fit well with a happy church that has donuts in one hand and is rock climbing with the other. No time for judgment. No time for warnings. It’s a happy message for a fun people in the neighborhood. That sells. And the crowds are deceived. They are having such a good time how could God not be pleased.

Peter’s warnings remind us. God did not spare angels. God did not spare Noah’s world. God did not spare Sodom. It’s time to tighten things us and get back to what God wants. It’s time to quit playing and start becoming the people of God. It’s time to put down the food and pick up the Bible. It’s time to read every page of that Bible and think about what is being said. It’s time to study. It’s time to know things. It’s time to let God set the course.

Even the angels were judged.

Roger

Jump Start # 1330

2 Peter 1:9 “For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.”

  Following a list of virtues that the Christian is to be adding and increasing in his life, Peter gives this solemn statement that is our verse today. Forgetting where we came from, forgetting what has happened, being blind to those things, will lead to serious spiritual consequences. Earlier Peter said that if these qualities are yours and are increasing they will render you neither useless nor unfruitful. However, if the opposite is true, if one forgets where he came from, then he is likely to be barren towards God.

How is it that one can forget? We all have our own unique story. Our story may be long, painful and filled with drama. Others have a rather straight forward and simple story. All of us who are Christians have eventually ended up at the same point. Like a giant funnel that is large at the top, it narrows down to a simple point at the end. All of us ended up being baptized. It may have been after a Sunday morning sermon. It may have been during the week. We may have been baptized in the church building, or in a swimming pool, or some, years ago were baptized in rivers and ponds. My dad remembers cars lining up on a hill with their headlights on, so folks could make their way down to a pond where someone was going to be baptized in the dark. It may have been a preacher baptized you. It may have been your dad that baptized you. But we all come to that central point, purified from our sins by the blood of Jesus. Although the details of our stories are all unique, the conclusions are all the same. We believed. We decided to change. We confessed. We were immersed. The song, “Oh, happy day,” was sung at many of those baptisms. It was a happy day. It was a new day for us. We were given a clean page in our life’s story by God. Our names were added to the book of life. We were off on a journey with Christ.

Do you remember the moment after were baptized? The hugs, the pats on the backs, the “we’re happy for you,” comments. Sometimes, especially on a Sunday morning, there was a long line of people waiting just to hug you. You were standing there with wet hair, a bit scared and nervous, but you felt so good. You know you did right.

The next Sunday, we took the Lord’s Supper for the first time. We’d seen our family and others do it, but now it was our turn. Now it meant something special to us. Jesus had died for us. We were remembering that wonderful event. How special that was.

Time passed. You grew. You became a real student of the Bible. You prayed deeply. You started putting things together in your mind. Things were moving along. But for most the newness settled down into a comfortable routine. You got used to taking the Lord’s Supper. Seeing fellow Christians was nothing new. And for some, we might have lost the specialness of what happened and who we now were. Sin comes back. The lines of distinction between who we were and who we are got merged a bit. Things got taken for granted. Another service. Another Lord’s Supper. Another sermon. We leveled off. We stopped growing. Life and all the activities squeezed out our prayer life and our reading of the Bible. We just drifted along.

For some of us, this is where we are now. Some of us have been here for a long time. We are not spiritually dead, or even lukewarm, it’s just that our spiritual burner is barely on. We tend to be coasting. Things are not bad or even wrong, we are just not as excited as we once were.

Then something happens in our life. It could be a visiting preacher who stirs up something deep in us that we had forgotten about for a long time. His passion, his delivery, his reminders, plug us back in. Everything turns on. We become excited again about the Lord. For others, it’s a journey down some tragic path. A death. A car wreck. A divorce. The bottom seems to drop out. In those quiet moments, a person realizes that something has been missing for a long time. God has not seemed very close. A new interest takes place. A home Bible study. A new try at hospitality. Hope is found. Love lost is renewed in the Lord.

It’s good for us to remember. It’s good for us to take a moment and see where we are and what’s happened on our journey. The church of Ephesus had lost their first love. They weren’t throwing in the towel on Jesus, He just wasn’t first with them any more. The admonition is to remember and do what you did at first. Peter is telling us to remember. Remember your purification from sins.

Do you remember who baptized you and when it was? Do you remember what the day was like? Do you remember the feeling when others found out? Have you ever thanked the Lord for that person in your life? Have you ever given thought to what happened to that person? Have you thought about those people who came and smiled and hugged you? Go down memory lane. Give it some thought. It’s like our spring flowers that are coming up, it brings joy and happiness to remember those precious memories.

Remembering will also stir a passion in you. Remembering will help put God back into the center of things. Remembering will help you grasp your resolve and commitment to the Lord. Remembering will put you back on the path and continue your journey with the Lord.

Don’t forget. Don’t ever forget. Several years ago, I received an email from a young man. He’s now preaching. He was remembering me baptizing him. It was an anniversary of his baptism. He reached out to me. I’d forgotten the details. He never did. It made my day knowing that he never forgot.  You might want to do that with someone in your life. Maybe they didn’t baptize you, but maybe they were your first Bible class teacher. Or, maybe they were a real friend to you when you started out. Or, maybe it was a lesson that really changed your life. Years later, you have never forgotten. That too has happened to me. Years ago, a man in Colorado came to hear me preach one evening. He remembered a sermon I preached when he was in college years ago in another state. He had gotten a cassette tape and literally wore the tape out listening to it over and over. I’d long forgotten that sermon. It was stuffed away in some box somewhere. He hadn’t. It had stayed in his heart all these years later. He remembered. He shared that with me and thanked me. It does a person good to share with others the good that they have done for us.

Remember…I hope this has stirred your mind and heart today. Oh, the names, the places, the people, long ago, who helped us become who we are today. Thank God for them. Thank them if you can. Then, become that kind of person for someone else.

Roger