2 Peter Series “Pay Close Attention and Listen”

                                                     “Pay Close Attention and Listen”

2 Peter 1:12-21

Peter is winding up his life, and he is adamant in the message getting through to the very heart and mind of the believers. Let’s look at the text. “Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.” 

Peter knows that his death is near, it seems that Jesus has told him. Peter is like a parent to his children, remember these important facts. What are these facts, truth, justice and fairness, grace and peace, knowledge of Jesus, the divine glory and power of the Holy Spirit, and the great and precious promises from God. Peter’s persistence is motivated by the shortness of his time left on this planet, and his love for the believers that Jesus has given him to shepherd. Peter’s words, “I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.”  

 Peter’s energy and drive to work hard come from his love for the believers. He doesn’t want anyone to miss any of the preciousness of knowing Jesus, and all that he did while with Peter and the other disciples and followers. 

Application - If you have ever practiced memorizing facts, numbers, and Bible verses. You will have practiced what Peter is getting across to the believers. It takes time, and for many time is something divided up between what is considered important and loved. As a pastor and parent, love should be the driving factor for the hard work of making sure those who are in my care, and those who were given to me by God to raise in the way and truth of God’s word have every opportunity to remember and memorize the Word of God and to know the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Like Peter, we shouldn’t shirk our duty to remind and stand firm on the truth of God’s Word. There is an old adage, “If you don’t stand for something, you're sure to fall for everything.” In this day of relativism, that truth is only what I believe is true, and it is not absolute. It is like quicksand, it looks stable, but once you are in it, it sucks you down into the darkness of its origin. 

We must work hard in these last days, to remind all those we love, of what Jesus has done in our lives, in our world, and of the precious promises Jesus gave to all who would believe and trust him for everything in their lives.

Second, Peter draws back to the encounter on the Mount of Transfiguration. He remembers vividly seeing Moses and Elijah, standing talking with Jesus who is now in His glorified state of being, his mighty and majestic splendor of light. And to top that, Peter also remembers the words from God the Father. It was not only about how much He loved and was pleased with His Son, but the last three words, “Listen to Him!” Matt.17:5 Let’s look at the text, “For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.” 

This encounter with heaven, must have burned into Peter’s memory bank and soul. He wanted to stay on the mountain and build shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. The fisherman is now a carpenter. And after hearing the words of God the Father, they were shaken to the very soul of their beings, “When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.” When they got up, all they saw was Jesus, their master, not shining brighter than the sun, but Jesus the master who loved them, and now told them not to tell anyone what they experienced, saw, and heard until He was resurrected from the dead. 

Peter now tells the believers and those who scoff as well, as skeptics, these are not made up stories or tall tales, it is his testimony. This really happened to him. 

Application - When I received Jesus, it was an experience like no other. I was standing there shaking like a man with the DT’s. (delirium tremens) and I was not an alcoholic. When Mrs. Steele placed her hand on my head, the peace of Christ actually flowed through me, from the top of my head to the innermost of my soul. I stopped shaking completely, and a joy filled me, I was changed completely, Jesus took away two-thirds of my vocabulary, and filled me with a voracious and unquenchable desire to read His Word and follow him. This is my Mount of Transformation. I had become a new creation (1 Cor. 5:17) I will never forget and will remind everyone what Jesus did in me. This is the type of experience Peter is telling, and will continually remind others of even after he has died. What is your testimony? What has Jesus done in your life? How has he transformed you into His image? (So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Cor. 3:8)  Tell others, everyone what Jesus did in your life and in His Word.

Last, Peter reminds the believers of the origin of the Word of God. It came to the prophets by the Holy Spirit. Let’s look at the text, “Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.” 

Peter was proclaiming an incredible experience, as well as the credibility of the Word of God and the prophets. Peter’s word to all believers who would read this letter was

“You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.” Peter knew the last days were coming, and that his life was coming to an end. He knew, experienced, and was completely convinced in the importance of the prophetic scriptures. Peter’s admonition was to pay close attention to the prophetic scriptures because it revealed more than the past, but illuminated the future like lamps shining in the darkness of the evil and moraless world. Peter remembered Jesus' words (Mark 13, Luke 21, and Matt. 24) on the Mount of Olives about the end times, and Peter knew the relevance of the prophets (Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Zechariah, Joel, and Amos) who had spoken well about these end times. Again, Peter is nearly shouting to pay close attention to the words of the prophets.

Application - 26.8% of the Bible is prophecy, and of that most of the prophecy speaks of the last days and end time events. Peter’s words should burn in our ears to pay close attention to the prophecies of the Old Testament Prophets, especially since it has been nearly 1,950 years since Peter’s letter was written to the churches. 

I am not a prophet, but I do want to take seriously the admonition from Peter to pay close attention to the prophecies of God’s Word. We are living in a time when these prophecies have been fulfilled concerning Israel as a country (its rebirth, its growth and dominance, and its battles against the enemy of God) and the rise of darkness over the world). Many prophecies have yet to happen, but it seems it could happen at any time.  

 The prophecy concerning the church, the rapture, is being watched by many christians, pastors, and teachers of God’s word. No one knows when, only God the Father, but Jesus told us to read and understand the scripture (whoever reads, let him understand, Matt. 24:15) and to pay attention to the signs of the times, for they would indicate the nearness of the coming of Jesus for his bride. (Matt.24, Luke 21, Mark 13)

I believe Peter’s words are paramount and tantamount for we who are living today. We are seeing the signs of the approaching of lawlessness and a darkness that is a void of godly morales, ethics, and spiritual truths. The rise of false doctrines and the demonic teachings, the seductive spirits alluring people away to darkness, and the love of many to grow cold towards God and towards each other are all taking place right now! As the church, we must be in the Word, searching the prophetic word for understanding, and living life as Peter, desiring all to know the Jesus who has changed our lives, who has given us his peace and purpose, and has given us His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, in order to stand firm against the enemy’s schemes and to demolish all false teachings and demonic attacks to our lives and minds by the weapon of God’s Word. (For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Cor.10:3-6)

In closing, please pay attention to the Word of God concerning the times in which we live. We do not live as the world lives, in fear (For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. 2 Tim.1:7-8). We live in the blessed hope of our Lord Jesus Christ’s soon return for his church (We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. Titus 2:12-13), and we are strengthened daily by the Holy Spirit who has sealed us for that day (And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Eph.4:30; Through faith you are being protected by God's power for a salvation that is ready to be revealed at the end of this era.” 1 Peter 1:5). 

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Until Next week,

In His Service, Mike Davis