Sermon: James 5: 7-11 Fruitful - Patience

This morning we’re thinking about patience. Now, when I was growing up, my granny had a saying that went like this: ‘Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can. Seldom in a woman, and never in a man.’ Do you think that’s true?

So let’s do a little test. On a scale of 1-5, with 1 very patient and 5 not very patient, how are you...

when you’re counting down the days to your birthday
when you’re stuck in traffic
when you’re sitting in waiting for a delivery
when you’re in a queue
when you’re in the dentist’s waiting room
when you’re looking forward to half-term holidays

Now, if you’ve kept a note of your scores, then I’ll tell you later on what your score means... And if you couldn’t wait to hear what your score meant, then you’re probably impatient!

So how patient are you? If granny’s rhyme was true, then we all have some work to do. We’re not as patient as we should be. But why should we be patient? Why are we even thinking about growing in patience?

We’re looking at patience today because it is one of the fruit of the Spirit. We’ve already sung about the full fruit of the Spirit in our service - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And we’ve been looking at each of them in turn at our Church Family services to see what it is God the Holy Spirit wants to grow in us.

Some of us might be more patient, because of our natural personality, and some of us might be less patient, because that’s the way we are. But all of us can grow in the patience that the Holy Spirit wants to grow in us - because he is at work in us when we belong to Jesus.

So to help us think about growing in patience, I’ve brought along some things to help us. I need someone to help me - someone who is good at gardening and growing things. So I’ve got a planter, some soil, some seeds, and we’re going to plant these lovely flowers. We can see what it’s going to look like, we see the pattern and example here on the packet.

And for the fruit of the Spirit, the Lord Jesus is our pattern, and our example. When we want to see what the fruit of the Spirit look like in real life - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, we can look at Jesus, and see how he demonstrated all the fruit of the Spirit.

And when we read the gospels, we find how patient Jesus was. He always had time for people, he spent hours and days caring for people and healing people, he was never in a hurry, in a word, he was always patient.

And in our first reading, we see just how patient the Lord still is. You see, Jesus lived, and then died on the cross as our Saviour to take away our sins. He was raised to new life on the first Easter Sunday, and he ascended back to heaven, promising his disciples that he would come again. Peter says that, as time goes on, and Jesus hasn’t yet returned, people are going to be asking, so, where is he?What about this return that he promised? And some will even think that Jesus isn’t going to come back at all.

But in verse 9, Peter tells us what’s going on. ‘The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.’ The reason that Jesus hasn’t come back to this earth yet isn’t because he’s slow at keeping his promises. No, he is being patient, giving us more time to turn to him, to repent and trust him. If Jesus had returned fifty years ago, then many of us wouldn’t have been in his kingdom. Or thirty years ago, or ten years ago. Some of us here in Richhill have become Christians, followers of Jesus, in the last year - that’s why Jesus hadn’t already come back this time last year. He was being patient. And maybe the reason he hasn’t already come back is so that you repent today - as we’ll see in the Baptism questions a little later on, to repent is to turn away from sin, and to turn towards God.

The Lord is patient towards us, not wanting us to perish, but wanting us to turn to him, before he finally returns. And because Jesus is patient, we who follow him, we want to be patient too, to be like Jesus in every way. That’s what our other reading is about. Being patient.

Do you remember what we planted earlier on? I’m just wondering to myself, have those seeds done anything yet? Have they started to grow and sprout? So I’ve got my little trowel here. Boys and girls, do you think it would be a good idea to dig them up to see if they’ve started to grow?

It would be a bad idea! I need to be patient, to wait for the seeds to sprout and grow in their own good time. It wouldn’t help the seeds if I was digging them up every five minutes to see if they’re doing anything. I need to be patient. And that’s what James, the brother of Jesus tells us in his letter. He says: ‘Be patient, then brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.’

The farmer doesn’t harvest his crops until they’re ready. He has to wait for the rains in the autumn and in the spring before his harvest is ready. And we need to be patient as we wait for Jesus to return. But that’s not always easy. We see all the bad things happening in the world, and we know that Jesus will put all things right when he comes, and so we have to wait patiently.

And we need to be patient with other people - just like Jesus was. We need to see people the way Jesus sees them - as the people we are to love and care for and help and talk to about Jesus.

Many of us will know Psalm 139. It’s a Psalm about how amazing and wonderful God is, that he knows everything about us, wherever we go, whatever we’re about to say - God knows everything about us. And no matter where we could go, God is always with us. And, as we come to the Baptism of little Rachel, the Psalm also talks about how God ‘created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.’ And then it says this: ‘All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.’

So often we’re always looking forward, always rushing on to the next thing. So maybe you were eagerly waiting for Rachel’s birth - we can’t wait to meet her! And maybe you’re eagerly waiting for her to start walking and talking - we can’t wait for her first steps! But all of us can get caught up in this - we can’t wait to finish school. We can’t wait to start our first job. We can’t wait to get married. We can’t wait to get a bigger house. We can’t wait to have children. We can’t wait to retire. We’re always looking forward, wanting the next big milestone to come. Always rushing on, a microwave society always in a rush.

But every one of our days has already been written down. God knows how long we’ve got. And so we don’t need to rush on. We can be patient, taking each day at a time. Seeing what God has prepared for us to do today - in the people we meet, the opportunities we have, the places we find ourselves. It doesn’t come naturally, and it may not come easily. But God is calling us to be patient, and to grow in patience, to become more like the Lord Jesus. And God gives us the Holy Spirit to help us to grow his fruit of patience in us. So let’s pray, as we seek to follow Jesus in this way.

This sermon was preached at the Church Family Service with Baptism in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday morning 17th February 2019.

Finishing 2 Peter - sermons and reflections

On Sunday we finished our series in 2 Peter, looking at God's precious and very great promises. I really enjoyed getting to grips with the letter again, having previously organised a preaching series in Dundonald.

But it's not enough to think, ok, I can put a big tick beside 2 Peter now, we all know it. We must continue to reflect on the truth God has taught us through this particular portion of his word. For me, one of the things that stood out, was about how the whole letter is about God's word - his precious and very great promises. Peter links the 'other' scriptures of the Old Testament with the scriptures Paul has written in his letters, and urges us to pay attention to them, and all the more because of the false teachers who will come. Will we have the confidence to hold onto God's word when all around us try to persuade us away?

On finishing a series, it's also a good idea to reflect on it, to think of how you would do it differently. The more I've considered it, the more I reckon I would have needed an extra sermon - but not to divide chapter 2 into two portions, I think it works as one sermon. The difference would come in the very first sermon - to separate the two truths of what we have received, and what we need to do. It seemed to be a bit rushed, a bit cramped, and there is a lot more detail that I didn't get to really dig into in the opening 11 verses. The opening sermons would then be 1:1-4 (the privileges of what we've been given) and 1:5-11 (the increasing qualities of godliness). Perhaps the next time we revisit this letter I'll get it right!

Here are all the sermons that were preached in the series - click on the links to listen or download the sermons.

2 Peter 1: 1-11 Growing in godliness

2 Peter 1: 12-21 Total recall

2 Peter 2: 1-22 This messenger will self-destruct

2 Peter 3: 1-10 The promise of his coming

2 Peter 3: 11-18 What sort of people?

Sermon: 2 Peter 3: 1-10 The Promise of his Coming

The moment has finally arrived. After weeks of telling his friends all about his new girlfriend, John has arranged for them all to meet up. So his friends are there, and John is there, but there’s no sign of Kate. Half an hour passes, and still no sign of this supposedly wonderful girlfriend. John’s friends start to get a little bit suspicious. Is she really coming? Does she even exist, or has John been spinning a tall tale about a made-up girlfriend? Well, where is she? What’s keeping her?

John waits for her arriving. No matter how much his friends doubt him, and make fun of him, John holds on to her promise, that she would be there.

This is something like what’s going on in our Bible reading today. You have people like John, who are waiting eagerly for someone’s arrival, holding on to their promise. And you have others who don’t believe that the person will come at all. But this is much more important than whether Kate will turn up or not - what we’re thinking about this morning is the return of the Lord Jesus to the earth.

And perhaps you’re like one of John’s friends, quietly sceptical, wondering how we could possibly believe such a thing. Are there really people who believe that Jesus will indeed come again? For a few moments, let’s look at what Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, says about the return of Jesus.

First of all, we see that this is a final reminder. Now sometimes final reminders can arrive in the post. Dear so and so, this is the final reminder of the amount you owe. It’s a call to action, to not ignore the reminder. And Peter opens this chapter like one of those letters. ‘This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved.’

Peter has written to these people he loves once already, and now he’s writing again. Earlier in the letter he says that he knows his time is short, so this is his second and final reminder. But this isn’t a demand for payment. Instead, this is a final reminder to... remember. Verse 2: ‘Remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles.’

Peter wants to make sure that the church will remember what the prophets have predicted about Jesus’ return; and also remember what Jesus has commanded, through the apostles (that is, Peter and the other 11). It’s so urgent, because of scoffers who will scoff.

In the wee story of John and Kate, John’s friends could well have said this: ‘Where is the promise of her coming?’ Where is she? Well, that’s exactly what the scoffers will say, and are saying. ‘Where is the promise of his coming?’ Where is Jesus? If you say he has promised to come, where is he? And to back up their doubts, they continue in verse 4: ‘For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’

They seem to be saying that everything’s going along just fine, that the world keeps going, and will keep going just fine without Jesus. So here’s the objection: Where is Jesus, if he promised to return? Based on every day up to now, he’s not likely to return.

Now Peter tackles the two challenges in reverse order. In verses 5-7, he shows that everything hasn’t just continued from the beginning. He points back to a moment of disruption, when things weren’t business as usual, a moment that these scoffers ‘deliberately overlook’ - they forget about it, they don’t want to remember it, because it challenges their worldview. And what was this moment Peter is thinking of? The flood of Noah’s day. God’s word had formed the earth out of water and through water, and God’s word then brought about the flood: ‘by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.’

So things haven’t always continued on as normal. And God promised with the sign of the rainbow that the world would never again be flooded. But here in verse 7, Peter says that the heavens and earth are stored up for fire, kept until the day of judgement and destruction of the ungodly.

Having answered the second objection, Peter then returns to the main question - Where is the promise of his coming? Where is Jesus? Why has he not returned? And to answer, he picks up a verse from Psalm 90:4 ‘For a thousand years in your sight as but as yesterday when it is past.’ And he says, don’t overlook this, don’t forget this - that one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. He’s saying that God’s sense of time is different to ours.

It’s like the story of the man who was asking God some questions. God, he says, what is a million years to you? And God says, A million years is just like a second to me. Then he asks, What is a million pounds to you? And God says, A million pounds is just like a penny to me. So he says, God, could I have a penny, and God says, Sure, now just give me a second...

Now that’s just a joke, but if you think about it, time seems to move at different speeds, depending on whether you’re on a roller coaster or in a dentist’s chair. Or when you say to a child, give me five minutes... to them it can seem like eternity! Peter gives us a final reminder that Jesus’ return us sure, not slow. Verse 9: ‘The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness’. So why the delay? ‘But is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.’

Jesus isn’t slow in coming, as if he’s been delayed. No, he is patient, giving time for repentance, giving people time to turn around from their sins, and to turn to him, to believe the promise of forgiveness, to escape the judgement and destruction on the day he returns.

Jesus hasn’t returned yet, so that you can turn to him. Today, this opportunity of repentance is given to you. You see, you are not here by accident today. Perhaps you’re here to celebrate the birth of a new family member, to witness a baptism, or you’re just being polite as you wait for the party afterwards. You’re here, today, to hear of the promised, sure, return of Jesus, and to have this opportunity to turn to Jesus.

He hasn’t returned yet, so that you could hear and receive him today. For some of us in the church family, he didn’t return last year, or ten years ago, or fifty years ago, or one hundred years ago, so that you could turn to him. You know the old saying - patience is a virtue, possess it if you can, seldom in a woman, and never in a man. Peter says God is patient. He has brought us to this day, and this moment, and gives us this opportunity to repent.

One day, though, it will be too late. You see, the Lord’s return, demonstrating his patience is not slow, but it is sure. One day Jesus will return. ‘But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.’ Sure, but unexpected. Mr burglar doesn’t ring up to say that they’ll call in tonight at 2am. They just appear. And Peter says that Jesus will come like a thief, in a moment, when we’re not expecting him.

Imagine that, right now, as we’re sitting here, a helicopter came overhead and lifted the roof right off the church building. We’d be totally exposed to the elements. Peter says that when Jesus comes, ‘then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.’

Now, this might sound a little bit strange, but one of my hobbies is visiting old graveyards, and reading the headstones. One day I came across an inscription in the graveyard at Rathmullan, near Tyrella Beach in County Down. It said ‘This grave never to be opened.’ There may have been good reason for it - perhaps the lady had some infectious disease; or maybe it was a condition of her will. But what Peter is saying here is that the grave of Jane Archer of Downpatrick will one day be opened, as the sky melts and burns, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed, and Jane Archer will face Jesus, to be delivered, or condemned.

We too, will face that same day. Our works, our lives, will also be exposed. The motives of our hearts. The things we think we’ve gotten away with. The secrets we keep. Would you be happy with that exposure? Your every thought, word and deed written for all to read? Could you stand before the judge?

Peter gives us this final reminder that Jesus’ return is sure (not slow), and displays his patience. Will you believe the promise, that Jesus will return? And given that Jesus will return, will you rejoice in his patience, and repent? In a few moments, I’ll ask some questions to the parents and godparents. Those questions get to the heart of repentance - there’s saying ‘no’: rejecting the devil, renouncing evil, repenting of sin; and there’s saying ‘yes’: turning to Christ, submitting to Christ, coming to Christ.

Tomorrow is guaranteed to none of us. The Lord could return today. So while you have this opportunity, turn to Christ, receive his promise, and wait for his return.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 26th June 2016.

Sermon Audio: 2 Peter 2: 1-22

On Sunday, I was preaching from 2 Peter 2, on the danger of false teachers. Just like an episode of the TV and movie franchise, it can seem like 'Mission Impossible' to resist the alluring messages of the false teachers, who plug into our sensuality and greed. Yet Peter says that it is possible for us to stay on mission, especially because these messengers will self-destruct. As we hear the warning, how do we apply and obey a whole chapter of the Bible which doesn't contain a single command? Listen in here to find out.

Sermon: 2 Peter 2: 1-22 This Messenger will self-destruct

Does anyone know the TV/movies with this as the opening theme? [Play clip] It is Mission Impossible, the 1966 TV programme, with four films since 1996 starring Tom Cruise. When that distinctive music is playing, the spy listens in to a tape giving him directions for the impossible mission. ‘Your mission, if you choose to accept it is...’

As Peter continues in his letter, it might feel like a mission impossible for his readers. As we’ve seen so far, Peter is urging us to press on to grow in the knowledge and grace of Jesus. Having received from God our faith; everything we need for life and godliness; and his precious and very great promises, we’re urged to increase in those qualities which confirm that we’re growing in grace - virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love.

It can be hard enough to try to grow in these qualities (how have you got on over the past 3 weeks?), but today’s passage might make it seem like mission impossible. While affirming that God has given us the scriptures, written by men carried along by the Holy Spirit, pointing us to Jesus, and confirming the promise of his return, Peter now gives us a stark warning. A warning that might discourage us, making it seem much harder for us to grow. It’s the warning of false teachers.

This weekend, the nation is celebrating the Queen’s 90th birthday. At her coronation, the Queen was given a copy of the Bible, with these words ringing in her ears: ‘We present you with this book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; This is the royal Law; These are the lively Oracles of God.’ All true, and Peter would affirm it - yet he says that alongside the true prophets, there were false prophets. And because it happened in the Old Testament, it will also happen in the New; in the church. ‘Just as there will be false teachers among you.’ Not maybe, there will.

Look at what they will do - ‘who will secretly bring destructive heresies.’ Now heresy isn’t a word that we tend to hear very often. A heresy is a belief that strays from the truth; something out of line. So if you have true prophets and false prophets, you also have true teachers and false teachers. They might sound good; you might like what they say, but it’s not true, it’s not good, and in fact, it will lead to destruction.

Now you might be thinking - this really is a mission impossible. How do I know if I’m listening to a true teacher or a false teacher? But you’d almost think that Peter knew about the Mission Impossible theme tune. If you remember it, when the spy listened to the tape, the last thing they would hear was this: ‘This message will self-destruct in five seconds.’ There would be a bang, and the tape was gone; no one else would be able to hear the secret mission.

If we can change that phrase slightly, we see what Peter is saying to us. The false teachers are ‘bringing upon themselves swift destruction.’ Or in other words, ‘This messenger will self-destruct.’ The false teacher will self-destruct.

That’s a good reason to be careful, to be wary when you’re listening to someone. Make sure you’re not listening to a false teacher, bringing destruction. So how do you know? Well, in verses 2 & 3, Peter gives us a flavour of their heresies. It’s all about sensuality - all about feelings, particularly in the realm of sexual pleasure; if it feels good, just do it, with whoever and whenever. And it’s motivated by their greed - they’ll say whatever it takes to exploit you, to take advantage of you.

Further down the passage, Peter shows us how to spot a false teacher. And that word ‘spot’ is one to bear in mind. I’m sure you’ve seen the adverts for Clearasil. Look at verse 13. They are blots and blemishes, they are out of place, like a big spot on the forehead when you’re heading out on a hot date.

In a number of short, snappy sentences, Peter shows us what they’re like. Revelling in the daytime. Eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. Enticing unsteady souls. Hearts trained in greed. Accursed, because they have gone astray, wandered from the right path. They’re like Balaam, who we find in Numbers 22-24 - a prophet for hire, he’ll say anything, curse anyone, for a fee - yet he was rebuked when his donkey spoke back to him.

Now maybe you’re wondering what the big deal is. Why can’t we all just get along, and listen to every sort of viewpoint? Why do we have to worry about true and false, right and wrong? Isn’t it narrow and restrictive? Could Don Carson, the theologian be right when he says that the only heresy left today is that there’s such a thing as heresy.

We see the danger in verses 17-22. ‘They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption.’ The promise of the false teacher is that you can be free, do what you like, no limits, no boundaries, but they’re actually leading people into greater slavery. It’s like a wasp calling his mates to an abundant supply of jam or sugar, not realising that he’s caught in the trap.

The pictures Peter uses are the dog returning to its own vomit (which we’ll not dwell on, before you eat your Sunday lunch), and the sow, washing herself, becoming clean, then rolling in the muck again. Listen to the false teacher, and having experienced freedom, you’ll actually become entangled in the defilements of the world. The last state worse than the first. No wonder Peter warns us about them. These messengers will self-destruct, and will take you with them, if you follow them.

Is it mission impossible to spot them, and to avoid them? So far we’ve only looked at the warning, but there is some encouragement in this chapter as well. And it all begins in verse 3. ‘Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.’ How can we be sure? Well, remember the scriptures, written by men moved by the Spirit? Peter turns to them to illustrate his point, with four big ifs.

‘For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgement.’ Did God do it? Yes. ‘If he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah... when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.’ Did God do it? Yes. ‘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.’ Did God do it? Yes. ‘And if he rescued righteous Lot.’ Did God do it? Yes.

Oftentimes in sport, previous form is a good indicator of future success. And going into Euro 2016, the team with the current longest unbeaten run is, Northern Ireland. I’m hoping they can continue that run tonight against Poland. But think about God’s form in those verses. Every time, he was able to condemn the guilty, and rescue the righteous. That’s the contrast between Noah ‘a herald of righteousness’ and the ungodly who perished. It’s the same contrast between righteous Lot and the sensual wicked of Sodom. All those ‘if’ statements are true, and here’s the point, verse 9: ‘then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgement.’

God has kept the righteous in the past, and he will keep doing it, no matter how many false teachers come their way. And God will bring the false teachers to the judgement - they will indeed self-destruct. Both these truths hold together, and it’s vital that we remember them.

As I was preparing to preach this, I wondered what we are meant to do about this all. Now, you might have noticed that there are no commands; no doing words; no instructions in what Peter says here. There’s a lot about what the false teachers are like; there’s the promise of rescue; but there’s nothing to do in this chapter. Isn’t that strange?

And then it dawned on me. You see, we’re so used to reading chapters as if they’re in separate boxes. In our Bibles there might be big chapter numbers and headings to mark off the new chapter. But those aren’t part of the original. Sometimes, they can be distracting, and sometimes they can hide what the author is saying.

Do you remember the contrast at the start of the chapter? Look at how it begins - ‘But false prophets also arose...’ This follows on from Peter’s instruction about the scriptures. The application for chapter two is one that we’ve already heard, already thought about - but now brought into sharper focus.

Can you remember it from last time? Pay attention to the prophetic word. The authentic message. And as you listen to the true prophetic word, the Scriptures, heed the warning about false teachers. Weigh carefully what teachers say, check if it lines up with the Bible, and don’t listen if it wanders from the path.

Pay attention to the Bible - when you’re in church; when you’re in a Bible study and someone gives a new way of looking at something; when you’re channel hopping and come across the God Channel. Be aware that there will be false teachers. And don’t follow them and their self-destructive ways. The Lord will rescue the godly. His promise is sure. So pay attention, and don’t be led astray.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 12th June 2016.

Sermon audio: 2 Peter 1:12-21

This morning's sermon audio from our latest series in 2 Peter 'Precious and very great promises'
Peter reminds us of the glory of Jesus revealed to him at the transfiguration and revealed to us through the Spirit-given Scriptures.
Listen HERE

Sermon: 2 Peter 2: 12-21 Total Recall

Last words can sometimes tell us a lot about a person. Captain Oates, on his ill-fated Antarctic exploration, full of duty to the last, is reported to have said. ‘I am just going outside and may be some time.’ The comedian Spike Milligan’s last words were ‘I told you I was ill.’

Last words stick in the memory - whether we’ve been able to spend time with a loved one, and we know that moment is coming, and we get one last conversation; or even if a loved one has been taken suddenly, we remember the last thing they said as they left the house that morning.

In our reading today, we have some of the apostle Peter’s last words. In verse 14, he knows that ‘the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.’ So what will Peter focus on? What does he want to say to the people who received his letter?

Oftentimes, last words are about remembering - maybe remembering the good times we had together, or remembering the love that we shared. And Peter is all about remembering - look at verses 12-15. It’s all about remembering. Look at the words he uses: remind you; reminder; recall. Three sentences and three remember type words. So what is he reminding us of?

Verse 12: ‘Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.’ Now if you’re asking ‘what qualities’ then it might show us how much we need these reminders! Last week, in the first 11 verses, Peter shows us what it looks like to grow in godliness - based in what we have received (faith, everything we need and promises), we’re to add on virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love.

So how did you get on this week with them? Did you find any opportunities to be patient rather than rage? Did you learn anything new about God this week as you read your Bible? Were there moments of triumph in self-control when before you would have indulged?

Even though we know them and we’re established in the truth, it’s so easy to forget. Other things take over our focus, and we begin to drift again. That’s why we need the reminder!

It’s maybe not the weather for it, but imagine a big pot of stew. If it’s left alone, it’ll settle, and start to stick to the bottom of the pot. It needs to be stirred up. This is what Peter is dedicating his last words to - while he’s in the body to stir you up by way of reminder, and after his departure, so that we may be able to recall these things.

So don’t forget about these qualities. Don’t think, yeah, we learnt about those last week. now onto something else. Remember them. Keep thinking about. Keep pursuing them. Could you put them on a sticky note on your bedside table? Or by your mirror?

Now why is Peter so insistent on remembering these qualities? Why is he focusing on us growing in grace and knowledge? What’s the point? He has already seen the glory of the King. He knows what is just ahead of us. He has experienced a glimpse of the eternal kingdom to which we’re journeying.

Verse 16: ‘For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.’ Maybe some people thought that the whole story about Jesus was just a story, just a myth, all made up. And especially the bit that still lies in the future. You see, that word ‘coming’ isn’t about Jesus’ first coming, his birth at Bethlehem. It’s a technical word (Parousia), which always means his second coming, his return in glory.

But Peter says, it’s not made up. It’s not a clever story, it will happen, because we have already seen his majesty. In our first reading we heard of the transfiguration, and here Peter looks back on that day, telling us what he saw, as an eyewitness. The honour and glory as Jesus’ clothing became dazzling white. But Peter also tells us what he heard - the voice borne to him saying ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’

Peter says that ‘we ourselves heard it’ - Peter and James and John. Having seen Jesus in all his glory once, Peter knows that Jesus will return in all his glory for all to see.

I wonder if you’ve ever found yourself thinking - is it all just made up? Is it all a waste of time to follow Jesus, who we’ve never seen? Could the Da Vinci Code and all the other conspiracy theorists be right? Listen to Peter’s eyewitness testimony. He was there. He saw Jesus, and writes it down so that we can be sure, so that we have a glimpse of the one who will return.

But that’s not always easy. It was all right for Peter, he got to see Jesus like that. We just have to take his word for it. Is that all we have to go on? Thankfully not. You see, as Peter goes on, he says that we have something more sure. Something that we can rely on. Something that will help us as we look forward to the return of the Lord Jesus. And what is it? ‘The prophetic word.’ (19)

Peter points us to the Old Testament scriptures, the words of the prophets. And you might think... oh. I’ve been trying to read the Old Testament and it’s such a struggle. I try, and I don’t understand it. I don’t know what it’s all about. And this is something more sure?

Peter gives us a picture. The prophetic word is like ‘a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.’ Again, there’s the forward focus. The day is coming, the glory of Christ is dawning, but until then, we have a lamp, a light. The lamp of the scriptures points us to the dawning of day, the morning star, the coming of Christ.

In over 300 scriptures, the birth, life, death, resurrection and return of Jesus are foretold in great detail. We see how Jesus fulfils the details, so that the lamp is like the sunlight before the day comes.

Now how was that possible? Did someone follow Jesus around and then write the Old Testament to make it look like he was fulfilling it? Of course not! These scriptures were written at least five hundred years before Jesus was born. And the two camps in the EU referendum can’t decide what life will be like in a month’s time if we vote in or out...

Look at verse 21. ‘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.’ The scriptures are God given, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to point to Jesus, and by that, to encourage us to grow in godliness.

Now why does Peter tell us all this about the prophetic word? What does he want us to do with it? ‘Pay attention.’ Listen up! Are we walking by the light we have in the darkness while we wait for the day to dawn? Or are we stumbling about in the darkness, not using the light God has given us?

If we are reading it, how do we do that? It’s great that we’ve been reading through the Bible this year - but do we just scan it to be able to put a tick beside that day’s bit? Are we turning pages for the sake of the achievement? Or are we paying attention, listening carefully to what’s being said?

Peter wants to encourage us to read it, to pay attention to it, not out of guilt or duty - this is something I have to do. But rather, realising that this is God speaking, God giving light for the path. Not, ‘I have to do this’ but ‘I get to do this!’ I get to spend time with God, hearing him speak to me, showing me how to grow in godliness as I wait for the return of his Son.

What a change that could bring, as we sit down to read. Asking God to speak to us. Thinking about what we read, and what God is saying to us through it.

Peter’s last words stir us up to remember his reminder of these qualities of growth in godliness. To help us we have his eye and ear witness word - the glory of Christ is coming, it will all be worth it. And the prophetic word shines the way for us while we wait.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 29th May 2016.

Sermon: 2 Peter 1: 1-11 Growing in Godliness

It’s always really sad to see someone who doesn’t live up to expectations; who doesn’t reach their full potential. Whether it’s a football player who is on the team, but doesn’t put the effort in; or someone in work who doesn’t pull their weight; or a pupil whose grades aren’t where they could be. They’re ineffective and unfruitful.

How much worse, then, to be a Christian, to have a knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and to be ineffective and unfruitful. Like an adult who has never really grown up, there’s little maturity. Such a waste.

As we begin our new series in 2 Peter, the apostle Peter wants to make sure that we aren’t going to be ineffective or unfruitful as a Christian - that the knowledge we have of the Lord Jesus will be effective in our lives, and that we will be producing the fruit of godliness. How can we be effective and fruitful as Christians?

It’s the concern of the whole letter - our growth in godliness, but don’t just take my word for it. Very often, as we look at the letters in the New Testament, we can see the theme clearly because it is what starts and ends the letter. So if we top and tail 2 Peter, what do we find? 1:2 - ‘May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.’ Turn over to 3:18 ‘But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.’ Growth in grace and knowledge (with the day of the Lord in view).

In these verses, Peter is going to tell us how we can grow in godliness, and it all boils down to remembering what we have received, and making every effort. Now even as I say that, you might be thinking, surely they are contradictory? Stay with me, and we’ll see how they fit together.

So first of all, then, what we have received. Let’s look at verse 1. Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. It’s the standard way of opening a letter at the time - not putting the name of who it’s from at the very end (as we do), but right at the start. It’s Simeon Peter, Peter, a servant and apostle. This is one of the twelve, one of the three, one of the prime leaders of the early church - the one who took the lead on the day of Pentecost.

How amazing would it be to get a letter from Peter. I’m on Twitter, and sometimes some of my friends try to get a ‘tweet’ from a famous celebrity - a wee message direct to them from their favourite singer. Here we have a letter from one of the top men in the church, but he says something even more amazing straight away: ‘To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.’

We might think of ordinary Christians being on one level, missionaries slightly higher, Christian celebrities higher still, and Peter and the apostles right at the top with a much more important level of faith - no, says Peter - to be a Christian means you have a faith of equal standing with the apostles. But it’s not something we have worked up ourselves, or performed for ourselves - no, we have obtained it through the righteousness of Jesus (our God and Saviour).

What a great start, as we think about how to be effective and fruitful as Christians - recognising that we are on an equal standing with the apostles, not second class or amateur league compared to them. But there’s more. Verse 3 - ‘His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.’ As well as giving us our faith, God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness - everything we need to live a godly life, becoming more like Jesus. How has he given us these things? What do they look like? It’s through the knowledge of him who called us. As we come to know the Lord Jesus, as we come to know more of him through the Bible, we see what pleases him, we see how he lived, and we are given the resources to do it.

There’s still more! Verse 4 - God has ‘granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature...’ We have been given faith, given all we need for godliness, and on top of all that, we have been given God’s precious promises. Through the rest of the letter we’ll see more of these promises, but you can immediately think of what some of them are - forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, comfort, assurance, hope of eternal life / heaven and many more. Through these promises we come to share in God’s eternal life, escaping the world’s corruption of sinful desire.

As a Christian, even this morning, you can see how much God has given you - faith, everything you need for godliness, and precious promises. As you think of all these, you might say to yourself, well, if God has given me all this, then I can just sit back and relax. It’s all in hand. You might even have heard the saying ‘Let Go, Let God.’

If that’s your slogan, then what Peter says next will give you a great shock. Look at verse 5: ‘For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue...’ and so on. It’s not that someone else has taken over and is promoting a kind of works do it yourself religion - no, it’s because God has given us all these things, for this very reason, make every effort.

It’s the same kind of “both and” we find in Philippians 2: ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you...’ So what is it we have to make every effort to do?

Supplement your faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. Such a list, and we don’t really have time to explore each of them in the detail we would like. Suffice to say that these are the marks of the Spirit working in our lives - you’ll notice certainly similarities to the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5. I don’t think Peter is saying that you necessarily follow in a strict line; that you have faith, then add virtue (wait until it’s good) then add knowledge - rather that each of them are increasing. They’re rooted in what God has given us, they’re based in the faith we have received, and yet we can make an effort to increase them.

What happens if we don’t have these qualities? Peter goes on to tell us in v8-9. The reverse of verse 8 suggests that if we don’t have these, then we’ll be ineffective and unfruitful, as we see further in verse 9: ‘For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.’ To reject this work of the Spirit in your life, to refuse to make an effort to become more like Jesus, Peter says, is to be nearsighted so much as to be blind, forgetting the sins that have already been forgiven and cleansed. It’s to say to yourself, well, I’m not so bad really, am I?

As we come towards the end of the passage, Peter gives us some encouragement to be effective and fruitful as Christians; to keep making the effort towards godliness. ‘Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’

Peter isn’t saying here that our calling and election is made sure because of our works - but rather that our works are a sign that we have been elected, chosen by God, called by him, that we are being kept by him, and that we are heading for this rich welcome into Christ’s eternal kingdom. Do you see that? You, who have been given a faith of equal standing to Peter, won’t be entering heaven through a back door, through the tradesman’s entrance, just about making it and no more. No, there’ll be this great welcome, this richly provided entrance. We are headed for heaven - what an encouragement to keep going, making the effort, pushing ahead.

So how do we apply this passage? What will you take away with you today? Perhaps you haven’t even started on the journey. You can’t supplement your faith with anything, because you haven’t even got faith in the first place. This assurance, these qualities aren’t really for you until you are a Christian - to try to perform these qualities by themselves won’t provide any assurance. You see, we can’t make it on our own - we need that righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ to make us right with God. We’re here, we’ll be delighted to help you find out more about how to become a Christian.

Or maybe you’re someone who is an activist. You come to every Bible passage, every sermon wanting to know the one thing you need to do. Perhaps your mind is racing with ways to make every effort to improve these qualities. Remember that our effort must be rooted in what we have received - pause, and remember all that God has given you - your faith, everything you need for godliness, his precious promises.

As you remember God’s mercy towards us, take some time by yourself this week and work through the list - ask yourself - how is my self-control; how am I doing with virtue; where are the areas I need to work on, making an effort in? How can I continue to become more like Jesus?

Think as well about this time last year, or five years ago - are they, in the words of verse 8 ‘yours and increasing’? To ask these questions and to be serious about answering them means that we’ll together become more effective and fruitful as Christians - and all for the glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 22nd May 2016.

Sermon audio: 2 Peter 1:1-11

This morning we began our new series in 2 Peter. In the opening verses, Peter shows us how we can grow in godliness.

Bible Briefs: 2 Peter

Series Introduction: Bible Briefs are a short introduction and summary of the overview of a book of the Bible, with a view to helping people take up their Bible and knowing what it's about.

Have you ever wondered what it was like when the first generation of Christians began to die out? The first disciples had walked and talked with the Lord Jesus. But they were beginning to die, mostly by martyrdom. The next generation hadn’t met Jesus during the days of his life on earth; they depended on the apostles’ teaching. So what do you do when the apostles are dying?

It’s this very circumstance that prompts Peter’s second letter. He knows that his own death is imminent (1:14), so he writes to the Christians who will come after him. What can they depend on? What should they hold on to? Peter’s resounding and repeated answer is to hold on to God’s word as the means to growth in the ‘grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ (3:18)

God has granted us ‘his precious and very great promises’ (1:4) which assure us of sins forgiven, our entrance into the eternal kingdom, and spur us on in the path of sanctification - adding to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love. (1:5-7).

Peter is making sure that these promises are recorded and remembered after he has put off his body (presumably through Mark’s Gospel), because Peter was an eye-witness and an ear-witness of the events of the Transfiguration: ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’ (1:17) Yet we have something more sure - the prophetic word, spoken by men carried along by the Spirit (1:19-21).

Just as in the Old Testament there were false prophets alongside the true, so the ongoing life of the church will have false teachers exploiting and corrupting. But don’t worry - Peter reminds his readers of how in the Old Testament God was able to rescue his people while punishing the unrighteous - Noah and Lot as prime examples. (2:4-10)

Holding to God’s word (by remembering the predictions of the prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour 3:2) through the apostles will help us answer the scoffers who ask what has happened to the promised return of Jesus. (3:4) God made the world by a word, the same word that now reserves the heavens and earth for judgement and destruction. But we shouldn’t be fooled into thinking that God is slow to fulfill his promise - that supposed slowness is actually patience, in giving opportunity for repentance, but the day of the Lord will come, suddenly, unexpectedly.

Even as the earth is destroyed by fire, we have the promise of new heavens and new earth - where righteousness dwells. Holding on to this promise spurs us on to be ready for the new world - just as Paul in writing the scriptures has urged us.

From start to finish and beyond, God’s precious and very great promises give us everything we need for life and godliness - forgiveness, hope, clarity, witness to the person and work of Jesus, safety in the midst of false teaching, and the certainty of our eternal future with Christ. It’s all in God’s word, written for us, so keep reading, and keep going. and growing.

Sermon Audio: 2 Peter 3: 11-18

On Sunday evening, I was preaching on
Growing in Grace as we finished the series in 2 Peter. Here's how it sounded.

Sermon: 2 Peter 3: 1-18 What Sort of People?

All over the country, men and women are following a strict regime. Rising at unearthly hours, they hop in a boat and cover miles upon miles as they row; they spend hours in the pool; they practice their technique over and over again. They carefully watch their diet; they don’t overindulge. It sounds terrible, if you like the warmth and comfort of your bed; if you prefer to eat lots of chocolate and sweets; and would rather watch others play sport than get involved.

But stop one of those men or women (if you can!), and ask them why they’re putting themselves through this, and you’ll see their eyes mist over. They’ll travel in their mind’s eye to a day about 450 days away, when they stand on a podium, and the National Anthem is played, and a gold medal is hung on their neck. To win that gold in London 2012, they live every day between now and then in preparation for it. They will order their life now to reflect the glory of that day.

The apostle Peter is urging us to live in the same way, as he finishes his second letter, but don’t worry, he’s not calling us to get our trainers on and get running for the Olympics (thankfully!). Rather, he’s calling us to live in the light of the day of the Lord, the day of God, as he puts it in verse 12. Last week, you might remember, we were considering the return of the Lord Jesus - while some people may mock and scoff, we can trust God’s promise, we can be certain that Jesus will return - and with it the heavens will pass away, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up.

But given that’s going to happen, it leaves us with a big question to ask: ‘Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be?’ If this is what’s going to happen to the earth and sky, then how should we live? Will it change how we do things, and what we do? As we’ll see, Peter calls us to live in the light of eternity, in other words, doing now what we’ll be doing then.

Let’s look first at what we’ll be doing then. We’ve already looked at verse 10, at what will happen to the heavens and the heavenly bodies, and Peter virtually repeats himself in verse 12. Given that we’re told that all this is going to happen, then you might be tempted to think that it doesn’t matter what you do, think or say. If everything is going to be burned up, then what difference would it make to how I treat Mrs Jones up the street or whether I change?

But the day of the Lord isn’t the end of the world - do you see how Peter continues? ‘But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.’ After the day of the Lord, these new heavens and new earth will be formed, and we will live with God forever - if we’re trusting in him and his promise.

Sometimes as I visit people, and particularly when discussing funerals with the bereaved, we get to talking about what heaven will be like. Sometimes peoples’ notions can seem very unheavenly - a place where you go fishing all the time, or whatever (that would be horrible!), but what does Peter tell us? Heaven, the new heavens and the new earth is ‘in which righteousness dwells.’ It’s a place where there is perfect righteousness, people in perfect relationship with God and each other, where there is no sin, no sorrow, and we can perfectly please the Lord.

This is what we’re aiming for - taking our place in the new heavens and the new earth, rather than being on the podium receiving a gold medal. After all, one day those gold medal winners will be too old to take part, someone else will break their record, win their medals, and take their place. The new heavens and the new earth are permanent, they can’t be taken away from you when you arrive there! But if that is where we are aiming for, if this is how we will be, then how should we be living now? To ask again, ‘what sort of people ought you to be?’

In verse 11, we see the big picture of what it will look like. Peter talks of lives of holiness and godliness - being separated, set apart for God, and reflecting God’s goodness in our life, becoming more like God. It might be obvious to some, but remember that we can’t live lives of holiness and godliness by ourselves - Peter isn’t calling us to just do it ourselves, try harder to be better. Remember that he’s writing to Christians, to those who have that faith of equal standing with the apostles (1:1) - holiness and godliness will only come after we’ve been justified/saved, not before.

So if holiness and godliness is the big picture, Peter gives us some of the particular details of what that will look like. Look with me at verse 14. Here we see the doing now what we’ll be doing then perhaps most clearly: ‘Therefore beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.’ It’s the contrast with the false teachers we met in chapter 2 - ‘blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you...’ (2:13). If we’re going to spend eternity living where righteousness dwells, then we need to be living that way (as best we can) now.

Imagine you decided to move to France. You would spend lots of time learning the language, learning the culture, so that when you move, you’ll be able to settle in and live in the new place. We’re on our way to a new place as well. Are you speaking the language of heaven? Are you living according to its culture and practices? Are you at peace with God and your brothers and sisters?

One of the ways to help prepare for moving to a new culture is to have a guidebook. If you are planning to move to France, Amazon have 91 different books that could help - ‘Living and Working in France: A Survival Handbook’; ‘The French Property Buyer’s Handbook’; ‘Moving to France with your Children’; or ‘Retiring in France’ to name but a few. As we prepare for our new home, Peter says that we have a guidebook as well - the Scriptures.

These verses are really significant as we seek to understand the Scriptures. ‘And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also write to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.’

Isn’t it reassuring to see that Peter thought that some parts of Paul’s letters were hard to understand? Yet nevertheless, Peter regards Paul’s letters as Scripture, on a par with the other writings (which we’ve already seen in 1:21) of the Old Testament. They may be hard to understand sometimes, but keep working at them, keep studying them, as they help us prepare for the day of the Lord and heaven.

You see, false teachers are a constant danger, ignorant and unstable people are going to twist the scriptures. But you know they’re going to do it, Peter warns us of this, so that his final two verses are a great summary of how to use the Scriptures as we live now in light of eternity:

‘You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.’

Don’t follow the errors of the false teachers, the lawless people - if will make you lose your stability, and prevent you from increasing in those qualities from chapter 1. Instead, grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus - through holding to his promises, trusting his word, and learning it so that it changes how you live and prepares you for the new heavens and the new earth.

Perhaps you realise that you’re not ready to live where righteousness dwells - it would seem like hell to you. Before trying to change how you live, you first need to be changed yourself - the invitation is open tonight, to come, and trust God’s promise that when you have faith in Jesus, you will live with him in the new heavens and the new earth.

But maybe you are a Christian, and yet the thought of heaven doesn’t fill you with joy. Are your affections tied up with this earth? Are you only concerned with this life, its pleasures and worries? It’s all going to pass away - so set your minds on the new earth, not this old one. Take some time to consider where your heart really is; where your treasure is.

And ask, am I becoming more ready for heaven as each year passes? Am I growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus, or am I wasting my remaining time on earth? How terrible if those Olympic athletes give their whole lives chasing a gold medal, and put us, who are assured of heaven, to shame with our miserly and weak efforts to be ready for the day.

The athlete seeks glory for himself or herself through swimming, or running, or cycling, or shooting - all eyes are on the person standing in the gold medal position. Our motivation to live now in the light of eternity isn’t for our own pride, our own glory. Rather, as Peter’s final words in the Bible declare, it’s all for Jesus - ‘To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.’

This sermon was preached in St Elizabeth's Church, Dundonald on Sunday 17th April 2011.

Sermon Audio: 2 Peter 3: 1-10

Last Sunday evening I was continuing the series in 2 Peter, looking specifically at The Promise of His Coming. While many may scoff at the thought of the Lord Jesus Christ returning, Peter outlines the reasons we can trust his promise.

Sermon: 2 Peter 3: 1-10 The Promise of His Coming

The End Is Nigh. Maybe you’ve seen the wee man with the sandwich board proclaiming his message while down in Belfast. He’s sincere, but how is his message received? A fairly common reaction is probably one of mockery - does he really believe that? Why not just get on and enjoy life rather than worrying about something that may never happen.

It’s one thing when it’s the wee man you don’t know seen on the street. But what about when friends or colleagues ask you if you think the same. Do you really believe that Jesus is going to return some day? Do you really think that the world will end in an apocalyptic fashion?

Now perhaps with all the events in New Zealand, Japan, and other places, people are slightly more willing to imagine that the end could be near. But even then, they’re not going to connect it to Jesus returning - just that the world is affected by global warming and nuclear danger and we destroy it by ourselves.

So how do you answer? What do you really believe? What will you say? Thankfully, the apostle Peter can help us out with this very question. Remember that he’s near the end of his life, he’s writing to the churches to help them to hold firm to God’s word when the apostles are no longer on the earth; and he’s giving them the reasons for trusting God’s word.

Do you see the question there in verse 4? ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’ Ever since creation, it’s business as usual, they’re saying - it’s as if God just wound up the world like a watch, and then hasn’t been seen or involved since. And as for this Jesus bloke returning, well, we haven’t seen him since he was crucified. He’s not coming back.

Have you ever encountered this kind of scoffing? It might be those outside the church; but it could be those inside as well - false teachers who don’t believe that Jesus is coming, and therefore you can live how you like. Peter helps us to see why they scoff and mock - ‘following their own sinful desires.’ Jesus isn’t coming, there’s no judgement, so you can do what you want.

So how do we respond to such people? Do we give up believing what Peter has said, what Jesus taught? As we’ve seen before, Peter urges us to remember (v2), he’s writing as a reminder (v1) - we already know what has been taught, but he wants us to remember it, to hold firm to it. And there are two things in particular he wants us to remember: the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles. As we consider these in turn, we’ll see that the Lord’s return is sure (not slow) and displays his patience.

So we’ve seen the objections, the scoffing; let’s turn to Peter’s answer, which comes in reverse order. The scoffers have said that things are continuing as they always have, ever since the creation. But they’ve ignored one important event - let’s see what Peter says of it. ‘For they deliberately overlook this fact... that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.’

As we remember the predictions of the holy prophets, as well as pointing forward to the great day of the Lord, they also testify to the flood in Noah’s day. One time before, God intervened in judgement and the world perished (except for the eight who were saved). Things haven’t always been going on as normal. And just as God promised never to destroy the world by flood, so the world is stored up for fire on that day of judgement.

So you see, Noah isn’t just a nice wee story to tell the Sunday School children about a floating zoo - it’s a sign that God takes sin seriously and will act in judgement. To deliberately overlook this is to blind yourself to what God has already done, and what he will do on that great day of the Lord.

The prophets testify to the day - it is sure. As Peter reminds us of what Jesus has said, we’ll see that the day is sure, and displays his patience. Have you ever noticed that time can seem very slow or very fast, depending on what you’re doing? It can go very quickly if you’re on a rollercoaster, enjoying the ride; or very slowly if you’re waiting on a bus or in the dentist’s chair.

Moses declared that ‘a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past.’ (Ps 90:4) - God’s timing is different to the way we view time. So if we’re going to think about when Jesus will return, we need to see it from God’s perspective. Let’s look at verse 9: ‘The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness’. Peter is writing within 40 years of Jesus’ ascension, and already some people think that he’s been gone too long. Is that (as Elijah had laughed at Baal) he’s sleeping? Why is he so slow? Is it like the scene in many households that the husband is sitting waiting, ready to go, waiting on his wife to choose her clothes, do her make up etc, He thinks she’s slow?

Actually, as Peter goes on, the delay isn’t because God is slow; it’s to display God’s patience. ‘The Lord is not slow... but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.’ We must trust that the Lord’s timing is right, and use the delay to reach out, to ensure people hear the good news and repent, in order to escape the coming judgement.

It’s not what we expect is it? Perhaps you, like me, wish that Jesus would come now, or last year, or the minute after you had become a Christian. You’re tired of waiting, living with the miseries of this sinful life (as the funeral service puts it), and impatient to get to heaven. You’re all right and want to go now. But in the Lord’s patience, we are given the opportunity to bring others to share in the joys of repentance and the hope of eternal life. How gracious, then, that the Lord tarries, to give time for others to repent.

Perhaps you’re wondering over that wording - that all should reach repentance. Will every person who ever existed repent before death? In context, Peter himself says no - as near as verse 7 he speaks of the destruction of the ungodly. All may have the opportunity to repent, but not all will.

Maybe as you join us this evening, you realise that you are the scoffer; you can’t believe that Jesus is returning; you haven’t repented of your sins. What a great opportunity this evening to come in repentance. As Paul writes, ‘Behold, now is the favourable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.’ (2 Cor 6:2)

Very often you hear people say, it’s too early, I’ve plenty of time, I’ll repent on my death bed. But life is short, life is fragile, illness and death can come on us very suddenly and unexpectedly. And as Peter goes on, while Jesus’ coming is certain, we don’t know when it will be. He echoes Jesus’ words as he says in verse 10: ‘But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.’ You don’t know when he will return - this could be the day; tomorrow might be that day. It’s not marked in your diary, you’re not told when it will be; but it is certain.

And what a surprising day it will be. Look at what Peter says: ‘and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved.’ Sometimes our mics don’t work here in St Elizabeth’s; suddenly there’ll be a loud noise or a bang. Those noises are nothing to the sound of the heavens passing away - with a ROAR! Imagine that you’re in church, and suddenly a helicopter hovers overhead and then the roof is lifted clean off - that would still only be a very small and poor reflection of that day and the roar.

As the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, stars, sky; everything that God made and said was good; as they all burn and dissolve, what a fearful and wonderful day! It’s as if the background scenery is all removed, and the earth is exposed. Face to face with Jesus the judge.

I like to explore old graveyards, reading the inscriptions, finding out about the people buried. One day in Rathmullan, near Tyrella, I came across a strange inscription: ‘This grave never to be opened.’ There may have been good reason for it - perhaps the lady had some infectious disease; maybe it was a condition of her will. But what Peter is saying here is that Jane Archer of Downpatrick’s grave will one day be opened, as the sky melts and burns, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed, and Jane Archer will face Jesus to be delivered or condemned.

Jesus’ return is sure (not slow) and displays his patience. How do we apply our passage? We’ve already thought about the need for repentance, to take the opportunity grace affords now. But what if you’re a Christian?

Do you truly believe the Lord’s promise about his return? It’s been nearly two thousand years now, will we still trust his word? Peter is urging us to trust the Lord’s promise - this world is not all there is; this world will not always exist. So why are you so tied to it? So in love with it?

Are you helping others be ready for the day of the Lord? When someone asks if you really think Jesus is going to return, will you share the promise?

And are you truly thankful for the Lord’s patience towards you? So often we think that application is only go and do - but stop and think, and thank the Lord for his salvation.

This sermon was preached in St Elizabeth's Church, Dundonald on Sunday 10th April 2011.

Sermon Audio: 2 Peter 2: 1-22

On Sunday evening I engaged in a bit of a mission impossible - trying to preach the 22 verses of 2 Peter 2 on false teachers. To keep with the theme, it was entitled This Teacher Will Self-Destruct.... Here's how it sounded.

Sermon: 2 Peter 2: 1-22 This Teacher Will Self-Destruct

In the church today, the only heresy left is that there’s such a thing as heresy. So says Don Carson, as he surveys the state of the church in this postmodern age. What he’s saying is that anything goes - you can say, think, believe whatever you like. The only wrong belief is that there’s such a thing as wrong beliefs.

We’re continuing our series in Peter’s second letter, and, in contrast to today, Peter insists that there is such a thing as false teaching - and we must be aware of the dangers of following such false teaching. We’ve already seen how Peter is urging us to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and Johnny helped us last week to see how the Scriptures help us to do just that, because they are God’s word - written by men led by the Spirit.

Look at verse 1. While men spoke from God, in the history of the people of God, there were also false prophets. Think of Korah, who set himself up against Moses (Num 16), or the 400 false prophets promising Ahab victory in war when Michaiah proclaimed he would be killed (1 Kings 22), or those who opposed Jeremiah, declaring ‘peace, peace’ when there was no peace. And Peter is saying that, just as there were false prophets before, so now in the church there will also be false teachers among us.

You see, there is such a thing as false teaching. It’s clear from what Peter says. Look at verse 2 - ‘because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.’ If Christianity is the way of truth, then they have turned off that path, they’ve left the truth and are teaching lies - false words in v 3, gone astray in verse 15.

Let’s look more closely at the marks of a false teacher, the way to identify a false teacher before seeing what God will do about false teaching.

In the middle of verse 13, we have a description of the false teachers as ‘blots and blemishes’. In a sense, it’s a bit like a spot or a pimple on your face. It’s something that doesn’t belong, something that doesn’t look right, something that (with all those TV ads) you can get rid of. The false teacher is a blot and blemish at the feast, because they stand out, revelling in their deceptions.

Some of the ways they stand out are in their sensuality, their blasphemy, and their greed. Look at verse 2. Many will follow their sensuality, just as in verse 18, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh. It’s all about being sensual, what you feel, indulging in the sinful passions of the flesh - with eyes full of adultery (14), insatiable for sin.

There are those who will say, especially to younger Christians, if it feels right, do it. Don’t be bound by rules, just go with your instincts. Lady Gaga (while not being a false teacher, is certainly a preacher of modern culture) insists that ‘I'm beautiful in my way 'Cause God makes no mistakes, I'm on the right track, baby, I was born this way.’

So some will say, it doesn’t matter how you live, how many partners you have, whatever your orientation, just do what feels right. Sensuality - which goes down really well with our sinful nature, but certainly does not please God.

As well as sensuality, false teachers will be marked by blasphemy (or slander in the NIV). They blaspheme the glorious ones (10), speaking about things they really don’t know anything about (12), seeming to speak with authority, but totally in the wrong. There are some who will speak for a long time and say very little; those who speak with impressive speech, but haven’t a clue what they’re talking about; others who will declare with authority things that aren’t actually clear.

It’s why it’s so important to have the Scriptures open in front of you when listening to the preacher - to make sure that what he is saying is what the Bible says, and not just unhelpful speculation. There are things that we aren’t told, things that may be a mystery until we stand in the new Jerusalem, but it doesn’t help to speculate or declare what God has not revealed!

So we’ve thought about sensuality, blasphemy, but we also see the false teacher is marked by greed. Did you notice it as Stuart read the passage? It’s there in verse 3 - in their greed they will exploit you with false words; and we also see it in 14-15: ‘They have hearts trained in greed... They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing.’

Balaam is someone we meet in Numbers 22-24. Balak, the king of Moab is afraid of the people of Israel as they journey towards his land on their way from Egypt to the promised land. So he summons Balaam, who is a kind of fortune-teller or prophet - you pay him enough, and he’ll curse your enemies so that you can win the battle. Despite being told not to go to Moab, Balaam goes ahead - putting his greed ahead of God’s word.

It’s not hard to see greedy preachers in today’s church - whether it’s a megachurch pastor with his own private jet, or a minister saying nice things to people so the congregation increases and his pay increases as well. It’s another warning sign, if there’s greed in the heart of the teacher.

At it’s heart, false teaching is so dangerous because of what it can do to congregations and individuals who are led astray by it. Look down to verse 19. ‘They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption.’ Come, follow us, and you can be free to do what you want; come, listen to us, and you don’t need to worry about anything. It sounds so attractive, doesn’t it?

But it’s like a bee sitting on a blob of jam calling out to his friends, come on, it’s great, lovely sweet jam, as much as you can eat... not realising he’s stuck, and the lid of the jam jar is fastened tight. To follow the false teacher is like a sow washing herself and then getting dirty; a dog returning to its vomit; to turn away from the knowledge and truth of the Lord Jesus, and to be even more enslaved than before.

So if that’s what false teaching looks like, what should we do about it? Will we become like some, who are so constantly watchful and suspicious that everyone else is a false teacher apart from themselves? Will we become fearful, confused as to who to listen and what to do?

Thankfully, alongside his warning, Peter also gives us some encouragement. While calling for us to be watchful - listening to the apostles teaching and the prophetic word of Scripture, he also points us to what God will do about false teaching.

Look at verse 3. ‘Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.’ False teachers are condemned, and facing destruction.

There’s condemnation because they have turned away from the truth, they have exploited with false words, but perhaps the most surprising thing is that their condemnation is from long ago - because God does not change, and God’s word is truth, then the condemnation stands for all time - the curse of disobedience and false teaching (just as the serpent was condemned in Eden).

The condemnation leads to destruction. As you hear that word, you might think, well, that’s a bit harsh, but we can see the connection right there in the first verse: ‘false teachers... who will secretly bring in destructive heresies... bringing upon themselves swift destruction.’ Because the heresies are destructive, they themselves face destruction. Now it’s not, as some may think, annihilation, so that while God’s people enjoy eternal life, the wicked simply cease to exist; but rather it’s ‘the gloom of utter darkness’ (17) - despite what Rob Bell may think about hell not being forever, or there being escape routes from it, there is destruction for the false teacher.

We see that so clearly in the one section we haven’t touched yet. Remember how Peter says that the Scriptures were written by men moved by the Spirit? He turns to those Scriptures to show how God in the past has punished false teachers and kept his faithful people. From verse 4 there are four ‘ifs’ - if God cast the sinning angels into hell; if God brought a flood to destroy the ungodly (but preserved Noah and his family); if God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah as an example; and if God rescued righteous Lot - do you see the contrasts there - Noah the preacher of righteousness as opposed to the ungodly all around him; righteous Lot as opposed to the sensual conduct of the wicked in Sodom - if all these things happened (and they did!), ‘then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgement.’

Back in 1 Samuel God declares that he will honour those who honour him; those who keep his word. It’s a hard thing to do, when faced with so much false teaching, tempting teaching, sensual teaching, but Peter wants us to look at where the two paths are heading.

False teachers will be destroyed, virtually self-destructing as they pursue their agendas. Steer clear of false teachers; hold firm to the scriptures - God’s precious promises, and particularly this promise that God will rescue you from trials, as you trust in him.

So who are you listening to? While promising freedom, those false teachers bring slavery and condemnation. It’s only in the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that we find rescue, and freedom, and life.

This sermon was preached in St Elizabeth's Church, Dundonald on Sunday 27th March 2011.

Sermon Audio: 2 Peter 1: 1-11

On Sunday night past I kicked off a new series from 2 Peter, seeing how Peter encourages us in Growing in Godliness. Here's how it sounded.

Sermon: 2 Peter 1: 1-11 Growing in Godliness

It’s always really sad to see someone who doesn’t live up to expectations; who doesn’t reach their full potential. Whether it’s a football player who is on the team, but doesn’t put the effort in; or someone in work who doesn’t pull their weight; or a pupil whose grades aren’t where they could be. They’re ineffective and unfruitful.

How much worse, then, to be a Christian, to have a knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and to be ineffective and unfruitful. Like an adult who has never really grown up, there’s little maturity. Such a waste.

As we begin our new series tonight in 2 Peter, the apostle Peter wants to make sure that we aren’t going to be ineffective or unfruitful as a Christian - that the knowledge we have of the Lord Jesus will be effective in our lives, and that we will be producing the fruit of godliness. How can we be effective and fruitful as Christians?

It’s the concern of the whole letter - our growth in godliness, but don’t just take my word for it. Very often, as we look at the letters in the New Testament, we can see the theme clearly because it is what starts and ends the letter. So if we top and tail 2 Peter, what do we find? 1:2 - ‘May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.’ Turn over to 3:18 ‘But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.’ Growth in grace and knowledge (with the day of the Lord in view).

In these verses, Peter is going to tell us how we can grow in godliness, and it all boils down to remembering what we have received, and making every effort. Now even as I say that, you might be thinking, surely they are contradictory? Stay with me, and we’ll see how they fit together.

So first of all, then, what we have received. Let’s look at verse 1. Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. It’s the standard way of opening a letter at the time - not putting the name of who it’s from at the very end (as we do), but right at the start. It’s Simeon Peter, Peter, a servant and apostle. This is one of the twelve, one of the three, one of the prime leaders of the early church - the one who took the lead on the day of Pentecost.

How amazing would it be to get a letter from Peter. I’m on Twitter, and sometimes some of my friends try to get a ‘tweet’ from a famous celebrity - a wee message direct to them from their favourite singer. Here we have a letter from one of the top men in the church, but he says something even more amazing straight away: ‘To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.’

We might think of ordinary Christians being on one level, missionaries slightly higher, Christian celebrities higher still, and Peter and the apostles right at the top with a much more important level of faith - no, says Peter - to be a Christian means you have a faith of equal standing with the apostles. But it’s not something we have worked up ourselves, or performed for ourselves - no, we have obtained it through the righteousness of Jesus (our God and Saviour).

What a great start, as we think about how to be effective and fruitful as Christians - recognising that we are on an equal standing with the apostles, not second class or amateur league compared to them. But there’s more. Verse 3 - ‘His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.’ As well as giving us our faith, God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness - everything we need to live a godly life, becoming more like Jesus. How has he given us these things? What do they look like? It’s through the knowledge of him who called us. As we come to know the Lord Jesus, as we come to know more of him through the Bible, we see what pleases him, we see how he lived, and we are given the resources to do it.

There’s still more! Verse 4 - God has ‘granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature...’ We have been given faith, given all we need for godliness, and on top of all that, we have been given God’s precious promises. Through the rest of the letter we’ll see more of these promises, but you can immediately think of what some of them are - forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, comfort, assurance, hope of eternal life / heaven and many more. Through these promises we come to share in God’s eternal life, escaping the world’s corruption of sinful desire.

As a Christian, even this evening, you can see how much God has given you - faith, everything you need for godliness, and precious promises. As you think of all these, you might say to yourself, well, if God has given me all this, then I can just sit back and relax. It’s all in hand. You might even have heard the saying ‘Let Go, Let God.’

If that’s your slogan, then what Peter says next will give you a great shock. Look at verse 5: ‘For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue...’ and so on. It’s not that someone else has taken over and is promoting a kind of works do it yourself religion - no, it’s because God has given us all these things, for this very reason, make every effort.

It’s the same kind of “both and” we find in Philippians 2: ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you...’ So what is it we have to make every effort to do?

Supplement your faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. Such a list, and we don’t really have time to explore each of them in the detail we would like. Suffice to say that these are the marks of the Spirit working in our lives - you’ll notice certainly similarities to the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5. I don’t think Peter is saying that you necessarily follow in a strict line; that you have faith, then add virtue (wait until it’s good) then add knowledge - rather that each of them are increasing. They’re rooted in what God has given us, they’re based in the faith we have received, and yet we can make an effort to increase them.

What happens if we don’t have these qualities? Peter goes on to tell us in v8-9. The reverse of verse 8 suggests that if we don’t have these, then we’ll be ineffective and unfruitful, as we see further in verse 9: ‘For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.’ To reject this work of the Spirit in your life, to refuse to make an effort to become more like Jesus, Peter says, is to be nearsighted so much as to be blind, forgetting the sins that have already been forgiven and cleansed. It’s to say to yourself, well, I’m not so bad really, am I?

As we come towards the end of the passage, Peter gives us some encouragement to be effective and fruitful as Christians; to keep making the effort towards godliness. ‘Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’

Peter isn’t saying here that our calling and election is made sure because of our works - but rather that our works are a sign that we have been elected, chosen by God, called by him, that we are being kept by him, and that we are heading for this rich welcome into Christ’s eternal kingdom. Do you see that? You, who have been given a faith of equal standing to Peter, won’t be entering heaven through a back door, through the tradesman’s entrance, just about making it and no more. No, there’ll be this great welcome, this richly provided entrance. We are headed for heaven - what an encouragement to keep going, making the effort, pushing ahead.

So how do we apply this passage? What will you take away with you tonight? Perhaps you haven’t even started on the journey. You can’t supplement your faith with anything, because you haven’t even got faith in the first place. This assurance, these qualities aren’t really for you until you are a Christian - to try to perform these qualities by themselves won’t provide any assurance. You see, we can’t make it on our own - we need that righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ to make us right with God. We’re here, we’ll be delighted to help you find out more about how to become a Christian.

Or maybe you’re someone who is an activist. You come to every Bible passage, every sermon wanting to know the one thing you need to do. Perhaps your mind is racing with ways to make every effort to improve these qualities. Remember that our effort must be rooted in what we have received - pause, and remember all that God has given you - your faith, everything you need for godliness, his precious promises.

As you remember God’s mercy towards us, take some time by yourself this week and work through the list - ask yourself - how is my self-control; how am I doing with virtue; where are the areas I need to work on, making an effort in? How can I continue to become more like Jesus?

Think as well about this time last year, or five years ago - are they, in the words of verse 8 ‘yours and increasing’? To ask these questions and to be serious about answering them means that we’ll together become more effective and fruitful as Christians - and all for the glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

This sermon was preached in St Elizabeth's Church, Dundonald on Sunday 13th March 2011.

Happy New Year

A happy new year to you!

It's now 2011, and time to start using the new calendar and diary. I'm making the big step of moving from my bulky Filofax to a sleeker Moleskine diary this year - which is all great, except it's a diary for the international market so doesn't have the Twelfth of July marked as a holiday here in Northern Ireland! I'm sure I'll remember it, though.

My prayer for 2011, for myself and for you, is that we will see 2 Peter 3:18 in our lives this year:

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (2 Peter 3:18)

Amen indeed.

Sermon Audio: 2 Peter 1: 16-21

Here's the sermon audio mp3 from Sunday week ago, on Why I Believe The Bible.