2 Peter 1:5-21

Let's pray. Father, we give thanks again for the immense privilege that we have to be here under the sound of the Word of God, to be gathered together in this capacity with our Lord in the midst. And Father, to be given help by the Holy Spirit to understand that which we read, to take in divine things.

For these things we truly return thanks. Father, we want to acknowledge again the goodness of God towards us and pray now as we open these sacred pages that we will be given fresh help. Father, we ask these things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen. I'd like you to turn with me to 1 Peter again. We'll just read the concluding part of this chapter.

First Peter, sorry, 1 Peter, 2nd Peter, I beg your pardon, 2nd Peter. I was just seeing if you're all awake. 2nd Peter, chapter 1 and we will read from verse number 16.

2nd Peter, chapter 1, verse 16, for we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty for he received from God the Father honour and glory when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased and the voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy where unto you do well that you take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts, knowing this first that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation for prophecy came not in the old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

We've been attempting to glean something from this epistle. As is common to all second epistles, the Apostle Peter takes up the subject of apostasy and departure in last days, but before he goes into that subject, he wants to bring to our attention the necessity for there to be growth in our life as believers, that we may be forfeited for that which is before us in chapter two, that we may be strengthened as believers and that we may experience what it is to have divine growth in our lives. And so we have been looking briefly at some of these verses from this first chapter in relation to this.

Now Peter needed to be educated on two very important subjects. He did not understand the cross and he did not understand the program of God in relation to the kingdom, and so he needed to be instructed by our Lord on both of these subjects. But by the time you get to the end of his life and this second epistle, he's come to an understanding of these two great subjects and he now includes them in this epistle and we can see evident from what we read in both of his epistles, his first epistle and this second one, that he's come to an understanding of the cross and he's come to an understanding of the program of God in relation to the kingdom.

And so Peter's going to write something about this. We thought of those seven necessary ingredients which he exhorts the believers to add into their faith, that they may become part of us and that we may grow thereby. And he speaks about the fact that if we fail to do so, if we neglect virtue and we neglect knowledge and we neglect temperance, self-control, and we don't bother about godliness and brotherly kindness and charity etc.

If we neglect these things in our Christian life, then he says we will become blind. And if you go back to verse 9, he speaks about he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. What a serious state to come into, beloved brothers and sisters.

To be blind and not able to see afar off. The thought with blind is not to be able to discern my surroundings and a failure, a neglecting of adding these ingredients into my faith will lead me into this state of blindness. I noticed that my brother Phil is long-sighted.

He puts the glasses on the end of his nose so that he can see the scriptures before him and he can see the audience at the same time. And that's the evidence of the fact that he has trouble seeing close up. That's to be long-sighted and that's exactly what Peter speaks about here, about we will become long-sighted Christians.

We will fail to discern self and surroundings and sin if we neglect these ingredients from our lives. You know, if we sit here in ministry meetings like this and as soon as we hear ministry, it's always for the brother or sister next to me or someone up the back or someone across the way. It's because I've become blind, a failure to discern that I need it myself first and foremost.

And it would be because I'm neglecting these things that Peter exhorts to add into our faith. And so we need to go back over this ground and see, ask myself the question, am I living in the good of what Peter speaks to us in relation to these ingredients? But he says you not only become blind and not able to observe or or discern your surroundings and yourself and your sin, but he says you'll lose the big picture. You'll fail to see afar off.

And how typical it is and you would know this, I'm sure I confess that I know this too, that a neglect of these ingredients, it has an effect in our lives whereby we forget about the future. We take our eyes off the coming of the Lord. We put our eyes on material surroundings and we fail to see Christ, the future, the kingdom and eternity.

And that's what Peter is going to lead us through right through this book. He's no pain. The former things have passed away.

And by the way, just while I say that, that's not heaven because sometimes, well not sometimes, often we hear that, you know, the no tears and no pain and no death and no suffering, that verse there in Revelation is about heaven. Well, it's about the new earth because there's still going to be death and sin and sorrow in the millennium, right the way through the millennium until the last enemy is destroyed, which is death. And then the door closes to the dispensations of time and opens to a new world, a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness and those things will never taint that place.

And so we see it's not until then that we'll come into the true good of all those things. Don't worry, we won't be dying when we get to heaven by the way. But just to set that verse correctly in its context.

But he says that we become blind and not able to see afar off and forgotten that we purged from our old sins. What a state to be in. So he says, wherefore, verse 10, the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if you do these things you shall never fall.

For so an entrant shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom. Now when you come to this verse, verse 10, make your calling and election sure. What it doesn't mean, it does not mean make sure that you are saved.

And it does not mean prove to others that you're saved. That's an impossibility not only in the context but it's theologically wrong too. I don't prove to myself that I'm saved by doing works.

I'm saved by faith on the grounds of faith exclusively. That's how I've come into the good of salvation. And I don't prove to others that I'm saved by doing works.

No, I come into the good of salvation exclusively on the principle of faith. But what it means here is that God in relation to His purpose, He has a program whereby we are going to move into this everlasting kingdom. And what He wants for us to do is live a life where we're adding these ingredients into our life which makes the pathway to this kingdom stable, sure.

That's the word that's used here. Make your calling and election sure. God has His purpose in calling and in election.

That will never be thwarted as we've been hearing already this weekend. That will never be thwarted. It's not that we're in danger of going into the, whether in danger of missing out on the kingdom here.

No, we're going into the kingdom on the principle of faith. Put a full stop at the end of that. I'm not going into the kingdom because of some works that I've accomplished.

So then He says, be diligent then adding these things to your faith. Give diligence to do so, to make your calling and election sure, the pathway under your feet stable. For if you do these things, that's adding these things into your faith, you will never fall.

And what will be the result? You will have an abundant entrance. It's not about an entrance per se or just the entrance. That's guaranteed because of what the Lord Jesus has accomplished and I exercise faith in that great person and His work.

But if I add these things into my faith, there will be an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom. And we were reminding the young people last night at the hymn sing of this great truth. If I'm a lazy Christian now and I don't put in the effort and I neglect these ingredients and I live my life carelessly, and that can happen by the way looking good on the outside and sounding good on the outside.

I can still be a neglectful Christian. I can still live under the influence and power of the flesh and we must be warned about that. Brothers and sisters, if I neglect these things, I'll miss out on an abundant entrance.

We'll miss out on place and privilege, position, reigning with Christ. No, I'll never miss out on eternal salvation. I won't miss out on the kingdom itself.

But brothers and sisters, let us be reminded that God wants to give us the very best. He doesn't want to withhold things from us and at the judgment seat of Christ, where I may suffer loss, there will be regret. There will be.

I think we need ministry on the judgment seat of Christ. Sometimes it's been made out to be a place where it's only happiness and reward. You know, if my works are burnt up at the judgment seat of Christ and I suffer loss as a consequence, I'll regret it.

To suffer loss is a very serious thing. Loss of reward. Those who are saved so as by fire.

And it's not my subject now, but we could look at many verses in relation to this and warnings that the scriptures leave for us in relation to how I live my life now as a Christian. So Peter, when he gets to verse 16, he makes this note to the believers that he has not followed cunningly devised fables. What does this mean? Well, obviously what he's insinuating here is that there are those that have followed cunningly devised fables or are following cunningly devised fables.

And we know that when we get to chapter two, because it speaks about false teachers and their pernicious ways. And it says many have followed their pernicious ways or many are following their pernicious ways. And concerning the false teachers themselves, when you get down the chapter, it says those false teachers are following the way of Balaam.

And so we see Peter has in his mind here those who are following after hollow myths, empty stories. And I think I would reiterate the warning that's already been given to us this afternoon by brother Phil. We must be careful what we read and we must be careful what we watch as Christians.

We must be careful where we go and who we listen to. For this is of great seriousness. And their YouTube is full of erroneous doctrine, false teaching.

And I must be very careful as a Christian, particularly as a young Christian, as to what I listen to and who I follow. And so Peter says here, we have not followed cunningly devised fables or carefully set out stories that really just end in a puff of smoke. When we made known to you the coming, the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, what a moment it will be, brothers and sisters, when he comes in power and great glory.

We've just been singing about it. Are you looking forward to that moment when he will come in power and great glory? Romans 8, the manifestation of the sons of God. Yes, this is not speaking about the rapture.

We'll be taken up in the rapture. When in the two advents of the Lord Jesus Christ, there are two parts to each advent. The first advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, there was a public appearance.

That was for 33 and a half years. The Lord came publicly and displayed himself to the people of earth. But then there was a private appearance in that first advent.

For after the resurrection, he was with his disciples for 40 days. And he only showed himself to a very few people, over 500 people at once. People here and there he showed himself to.

Witnesses that were chosen beforehand, says Luke in Acts chapter 10. And so there was this public display and there was this private display that belongs to the first advent. Well, reverse that and move to the second advent and that same thing will take place.

There will be a private coming. And that will be to take the Christians out of this scene of time and the world will not see him. Just the chosen Christians, the church, will move out in resurrection and in translation, transformation.

But then there is the second part of the display in the second advent, when he will come back to earth and we will come with him, displayed as his bride. What a privilege. What an honor.

The manifestation of the sons of God and the curse will be lifted. And we'll see earth as it was ever intended to be. But so Peter says here, the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You know, he will have power. This dynamite power that is being, that is spoken of here. And this coming will be to draw near.

It's really what the word indicates for us. He will draw near to the people of earth, the nation of Israel who will mourn for him. He will draw near to them and he will comfort them as their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The master, the man, the Messiah. And there will be great power at his coming. You know, all the armies of earth will be arrayed against him.

I've often just tried to envisage this scene. You come to Revelation and you read this in Revelation. Let me quote it for you.

I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against his army. What a moment. Here comes the Lord, steps out from heaven with his bride and comes down into space, into the very realm of this world, into the air.

And all the armies of earth and the beast, the false prophet, they have their weaponry trained upon this man as he comes out. As it says here, the beast and the kings of the earth and the armies gathered together to make war against him. And in great power, he'll dismiss them.

The beast and the kings of the earth and the armies gathered together to make war against him. Nuclear armament, tanks, guns, bombs, whatever it may be, in great power. Listen to what it says.

The beast was taken and with him the false prophet. And it says they were both cast alive into the lake of fire. And that's power.

And so Peter says, this is not a cunningly devised fable. This is reality, brothers and sisters. You look out at this confused world, a world that it seems impossible for there to ever be any order.

And we read that he is coming in great power. But then he says, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. This is another thing that he speaks of, that this is not a hollow myth.

This is not a story that we made up. This is not a figment of our imagination. No, he says we actually were eyewitnesses of a preview of this coming day.

What it will be, brothers and sisters, or what it would have been for these men, these three chosen men. You know, there are previews in scripture of coming millennial glory. Isaiah chapter 6, it's just a little preview of coming millennial glory, when the whole earth, it says, will be filled with his glory.

The train will fill the temple. The seraphim will stand, veiled, ready for his, to do his bidding. Angelic movement between heaven and earth.

And so we see that they were eyewitnesses of his majesty. If we were to go back to the transfiguration experience, I would encourage you to do so. We would learn many lessons.

I want to just think of just a few of them now. But you can read it, of course, in Matthew chapter 16. Well, it's Matthew chapter 7. It begins, Matthew chapter 16, the last verse.

But it goes on into Matthew chapter 17 and Luke 9, of course, and Mark 9. But there are a number of threes associated with the transfiguration experience, which I want to just highlight for you. The three synoptic writers. When we come, by the way, to the transfiguration mount experience, it is not the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ that is in view.

We're not given a preview of his deity. What we are given a preview of, and what those three favored disciples were given a preview of, is his glory in manhood. God needed a perfect man.

And by the way, when we come to this perfect man, it wasn't a second Adam that God called for. No. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 speaks to us about the last Adam and the second man.

And we must keep that distinction clear in our minds, because as the last Adam, he closes the door on the Adamic race. And I thank God for that. And as the second man, he opens a door to a new race.

And the second man is the Lord from heaven. And we've been learning about that this week. But when we come to the transfiguration experience, what we find is that we are given a display of this perfect man in his kingdom.

Glorious man. And so we read that this is recorded for us by three of the gospel writers. Only one of the gospel writers leaves this out, and that's John.

Because what was going to take place on the transfiguration mount is that this man would be altered. They would be given a preview of what we will see in a coming day transfigured before them. And in relation to transfiguration, it's his humanity that's in view.

So when you come to Matthew's record of it, and Matthew is the record of the king, it says there that he bringeth up into a high mountain. That would be consistent with the king. And Mark says that he leadeth them up.

That would be consistent with the servant. And Luke says he took them up. That would be consistent with the son of man taking others with him.

And so in each of these records, you can see these distinctions. But John omits this. Because as we have been taught and well taught, deity cannot be transfigured.

And so John omits the transfiguration experience. Ten times in the Word of God, Peter, James and John are mentioned together. Some times, three times on their own, and of course that leaves seven times that there are others involved too.

But ten times in the Word of God, you'll find Peter, James and John together. And it's always Peter first in the list. But I'm very thankful, brothers and sisters, that although by sovereign choice he was placed first in the list, he didn't allow this to go to his head.

Because he himself speaks in his first epistle about being clothed with humility, for God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. And he was a man who was a humble man, a bond slave, and an apostle of Jesus Christ. But these three men were taken on three distinct occasions.

And on each occasion, it was death that was in view. Do you remember the garden of Gethsemane, and Jairus's house, and the transfiguration experience, speaking of his decease, his exodus out of this world? And so death is firmly in view. But the key lesson on each of these occasions when our Lord takes these three men, is to teach them something.

And the three key lessons is death, resurrection and the kingdom. Death, the garden of Gethsemane. Resurrection, the house of Jairus.

The kingdom, the transfiguration mount. And on that transfiguration mount, there were three groups of people. Or let me rephrase that.

There were three groups. There were Moses and Elijah. There were the three disciples.

And you'll understand why I took that back. Because there was the father and the son. But each had a word for Christ.

Moses and Elijah spoke to him about his decease, his exodus. The father spoke to the son. The disciples spoke to the son.

And there are valuable lessons that we can learn in each of these conversations that took place. Moses and Elijah spoke to him about his decease. You would know, of course, that Moses represents the prophets.

Sorry, the law and Elijah the prophets. But they spoke to him about his decease. And I wrote over that comfort.

I don't know the details of what was said, because we're not told. But I do know this, that Moses left this world. His exodus from this world was through the article of death.

And so would our Lord's be. And Elijah's exodus from this world was by translation. And so would our Lord's be.

You see, our Lord's pathway did not end in death. It included it. But he would be raised and he would know what it is to be translated into the heavens.

And so these two men had very real experiences that they could identify in some measure with our Lord. And they spoke to him about his decease. And as I've said, we don't know the details of the conversation that took place, but what it must have been for them to speak to him about this.

Then we noted that in verse 17, it says that he received from God the Father honor and glory. Now we must stop and just think about that for a moment. He received from God the Father honor and glory.

First of all, it's interesting to say the least, or thought-provoking to say the least, that these two words are used here, honor and glory. You remember our brother Coulson has already been bringing to our attention from Hebrews, and again from Psalm 8, that which was prophetically spoken, in relation to first of all Adam being crowned with glory and honor. And Adam surrendered that crown to the feet of Satan.

He was crowned with glory and honor, but he surrendered that crown. And so we needed a second man, the Lord from heaven. And he came and we've been hearing about it, and I won't go into those details again, but I find it thought-provoking that here, when the perfect man is in view, and the kingdom is in view, when God finally gives, or when the Lord Jesus gives these disciples a preview of what God finally will have, a glorious man who shall rule this earth for God.

He will take the title deeds to the universe, Revelation chapter 5, and he will come back to earth to set up government for God. What a blessing these two words are used, honor and glory. And so I don't think it's without significance that Peter says, he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, the dwelling place of deity, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.

He was highlighted by God given honor, dignity, glory. We could think of course of his essential glory in deity, and his regal glory, and his moral glory, but what is in view here is his glory in manhood, and as we've been hearing, his essential glory in manhood. But there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.

Hear ye Him, if you remember the gospel writers. First of all, why does Peter leave off, hear ye Him, in this record, the part that he was corrected. Peter had to be corrected three times publicly, he had to be corrected more than three times publicly actually.

He was corrected publicly by the apostle Paul, when he withstood him to the face in Galatians chapter 2, we read about that. But he had to be correct corrected three times publicly, once each time by each person of the Godhead. He was corrected publicly by the Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter 16, when he was rebuked, get thee behind me Satan.

He was corrected publicly by the Father on the transfiguration mount, hear ye Him. And he was corrected publicly by the Holy Spirit, when at the denial, when he denied the Lord three times, it just says the Lord looked at him, the Lord didn't say a word. But the Holy Spirit smote the conscience of Peter and he went out and wept bitterly.

And so he was a man who knew what it was to be publicly corrected. By the way, our God is very gracious and very seldom corrects us publicly. I have been corrected publicly by God before and it's not a nice experience.

I was corrected by God publicly once in a fish and chip shop. If you want to know how and why and what and where, you can come and talk to me afterwards. But there were no other Christians around, so I'm thankful for that.

But God very seldomly corrects us publicly. But we find here that Peter was corrected publicly, but he doesn't record it. It's not applicable to the context, number one.

Number two, why he doesn't record it is because once we've been corrected and we've been, as our brother has been speaking about, if there's a necessity to be corrected and there's a necessity to be repentant and there's a necessity to be forgiven and to be restored, once we have confessed and we have experienced restoration, forgiveness and restoration, for that's the order, confession, forgiveness, restoration. Don't try to skip any of those, by the way. Someone can't be truly restored until there is repentance.

That's basic with salvation and the principle flows on into our Christian lives. And in the principle of forgiveness, by the way, which we may learn more of during this coming week, still trying to decide on that, but we may learn more of this coming week. In the principle of forgiveness, yes, if someone has offended you, you should have forgiveness ready to be dispensed.

But really and truthfully, it can only be dispensed properly on the grounds of repentance and that's when restoration takes place and that is the same when it comes to discipline and assembly fellowship, etc. So, restoration is expected and it's wonderful when it happens. So, Peter had been restored, and when we are restored, do we keep bringing the matter up? No.

Do you keep reminding your wife of faults that she's put right? Do you keep jibing your husband on past things that have been dealt with? If we do, we're wrong. And so here, it's not only not applicable to the context, but he leaves it off because he's been forgiven and there's no need to mention it anymore. But note verse 17, it says this, there came a voice to him from the excellent glory.

It's only Peter that tells us that this voice was for the Lord Jesus. If you were reading the gospel writers, Matthew, Mark and Luke, you would just read about the Father speaking and you would never know, I would never have known that this was for the benefit of the Lord Jesus. I learn a lesson in this too.

I not only learn a lesson from this directly, that the Father had communion with the Son. Three times in the Word of God, the Father publicly speaks to the Son. Once at His baptism, once on His entry into Jerusalem and here on the Transfiguration Mount, My beloved Son.

But we learn from Peter here, this was directly for the benefit of the Lord Jesus. Can you just stop and think of this with me for a moment? He's on His way to Calvary. He's on His way to the cross.

He's on His way to the kingdom, but what stands between Him and the kingdom is excruciating suffering, humiliation, and He receives this Word, You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. You think of what that must have meant to the Lord Jesus, to receive from the Father publicly this commendation. My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

I take a practical lesson from that. Do I compliment my sons, my children? Do you? This of course now is the practical lesson to us. It has nothing to do with the Father and Son here, but am I always barking at my children and that's all I ever do? If I do, I'll be driven away.

I think it's a tremendous thing to hear a parent compliment their children. I don't have a father. I lost my father when I was 17.

He's still alive and it makes it more painful. Someone once said to me that the greatest grief, I'm not sure whether I agree with them, but the greatest grief is the death of someone who's still alive, because I know he's alive, yet I can't talk to him, and he won't talk to me, and I can't have anything to do with him, and he won't have anything to do with me. Do you know I'm 45 years old and I don't look at, but from 17 to 45, I have craved a compliment from my earthly father.

I'd love one, just a well-done son, but I have a heavenly father, and I'm very thankful that I've come into the family of God. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm glad of the pain.

I have an earthly mother, too, but she's the same, and I was going to say I'd do anything for a mother's hug, a real mother's hug, and I know she's over there in England and I can't give her one, but I've come into the family of God, and God has given me by His grace a wife and children, and so I want to make sure that they get some compliments and some hugs too, and then I'll get some back, but there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. Verse 18, this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with Him in the holy mount. It was a holy mount, probably the lower slopes of Mount Hermon.

It was a holy mount because the Lord Jesus was there, sanctified by His presence. This voice came from heaven, it says, when we were with Him, but in verse 19 it says, we also have a more sure word of prophecy. Now, I want us to be careful about this statement too, because I've heard before statements like, we have a more sure word of prophecy that, first of all, it's talking about the Old Testament Scriptures, we're in no doubt as to that, we have a more sure word of prophecy, and the prophecy that Peter is speaking about, of course, the New Testament canon wasn't fulfilled then, he's speaking about the Old Testament Scriptures.

Number one, the Old Testament Scriptures are not more sure than the Father's voice. There are three voices in this section of the chapter. There's the voice of the apostles, the voice of Peter and his companions, there's the voice of God, the Father to the Son, and there's the voice of the Old Testament.

And so, he's saying here, number one, it's not more sure than the Father's voice, it couldn't be. And it's actually, I don't think he's saying, I'm sure he's not saying that it's more sure than what I'm relaying to you, because we know now that this has been put down indelibly in Scripture. But what I think Peter is saying here is, we have a more sure word of prophecy is this, I'm telling you these things, I'm writing to you these things, I'm telling you and I've told you about this transfiguration experience, but you know what? For years, I missed the cross and the kingdom, the program of the kingdom, when it would happen, how it would happen, what would take place.

Peter says I missed it, but you know, while I missed it, it was always there in Old Testament prophecy. It was always there as a sure word. And he said, once my eyes were open to it, I realized this more sure word of prophecy had always been there.

What a blessing to go back into the Old Testament Scriptures and see the kingdom, see the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, whereunto you do well that you take heed, you take heed as unto a light that shineth. Yes, that is the lamp and the light, the candle and the torch.

It will illuminate what you see around you and it will give light in relation to the future. And so Peter says, it's a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your heart, knowing this first that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. For prophecy came not in the old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Finally then, the day dawn and the day star arise in your heart. I wonder if Peter has those two things in mind in relation to the second advent. Yes, there will be the coming of Christ to the air, the day star, the morning star shall arise.

I often enjoy looking to the east and seeing the morning star. Sometimes we're driving along early in the morning and about three o'clock in the morning you'll see the morning star arise and I often think as it comes out of the east what it will be when the Lord Jesus comes. But what's following that morning star is the morning sun and the sun will arise for Israel with healing in his wings.

What a day it will be for them, the day will dawn and they'll see it for the first time. But Peter says it was always there in the Old Testament Scriptures. May God help us to understand these things.