Epistles of Peter

Good evening to everybody, and amazingly here tonight we're going to be finishing up the first epistle of Peter. We've got chapter 5 to go, and then we'll get started with some background to the second letter. Alright, first Peter 5, and we'll go ahead and get started. Just jump right into it. And Peter says, The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. Now, let's remind ourselves that we have had two overriding themes in this book, 1 Peter. The first theme was that we have hope in sufferings. We have trials, we have tests, we are afflicted, but there is hope. God has a marvelous future for us. The second theme that he keeps coming back to is the fact that Jesus Christ is going to return.

And so, here in this fifth chapter, first verse, I like the way he words it. He says to the elders out there, I write to you, and I am an elder with you. He didn't lord it over him. He mentions that he was a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker of the glory that will be revealed.

But again, I like the way that he words them. It's just a different man. Peter is a marvelous study. You have so much in the Gospel accounts where he, boy, he made one mistake after the next, and he just boldly would step out or speak, and he would be corrected repeatedly. But he had such a dominant personality, and yet, here we find a man years down the line, and he's different. And I like that. He just says, I'm an elder with you. In that verse, the word elder is from Presbyteros, and it's translated elders. All ministers are elders. And I really applauded the fact that as the United Church of God began, it was decided we're not going to be worried about ranks. Most of you remember back to World Wide Church of God, not all of you, but most of you. And there was a time when we had a local church elder. And back when I was too young, probably 20, oh, 5, 6 years old, I was ordained as an elder. And I was a local church elder, and the term denoted that I was an elder, but I also was working as an electrician at that time. Then there was a local elder, and that met somebody who's a full-time salaried employee, generally an assistant or associate pastor somewhere, or maybe a ministerial trainee that's just been ordained. Then we had a preaching elder, and Mr. Armstrong used that to denote someone who had full pastoral credentials. You know, you can marry, you can bury, you can preach sermons, you can counsel, you can conduct services. And of course then, as you remember, we had some who were more senior, and they were named as pastors, and then some as evangelists. I think it was God's inspiration. Just don't worry about rank. As the old saying goes, rank stinks. And it gets in the way. There was a time at conferences where you'd see the ones who were of higher rank kind of gathered off by themselves. And that's gone. But Colin always talked about that. Yeah, I bet Mr. Colin saw that for a lot of years. Okay, let's keep going then. I'm getting sidetracked a little. Verse 2, shepherd the flock of God, which is among you. And I think it's good to remind ourselves a shepherd leads, a shepherd provides, a shepherd serves. But the flock of God, so many times, whether it's Psalm 23 or John 10, the connection is made, the people of God are God's sheep. And you know, if you worked around sheep and cattle and horses and other animals, you lead sheep. You work with them gently. You have to be rough with cattle sometimes to drive them, to herd them. But God doesn't call us His herd. Well, we are the flock of God.

Serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly. So I should have mentioned the first several verses here are Peter speaking to the elders, meaning ministers. Then he shifts in verse 5, speaking to those who are elders, but they are elders by years.

And then midway through the chapter, well, toward the end of the chapter, the last few verses, various blessings and greetings are offered. But whoever serves, they are to willingly take that office entrusted by the laying on of hands. No man takes that office for himself. Again, through the years of the church, we've seen those who have campaigned for office. We've seen those who have played politics. And somewhere down the line, it usually backfires because their heart is not there to willingly be a servant of the servants of God. So, verse 3, nor being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. So he is to be an example. There is an accountability. There is a responsibility. I like the phrase that the Apostle Paul used. I think it's in the first chapter of 2 Corinthians, but he said that you are to be helpers of their joy. That's a good phrase for anyone who is in ordained office to ponder and to reflect on and to always be finding ways to help people's joy.

So, verse 4, when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. So, in verse 4, we have different places in the Bible where it refers to Jesus Christ as being the great shepherd. Here it says, chief shepherd. You could make a note, those of you taking notes, of Hebrews 13, verse 20, where it refers to Him being the shepherd of God's people. He is the one here who gives eternal life, that crown of glory that doesn't fade away. Now, verse 5, we're still talking about elders, but it clearly, from the context, is shifting to a focus on those who are senior in years. They've lived longer. They've been around 70, 80, 90 years. And the Proverbs have a lot of places where there's respect to go to the gray head. So, verse 5, likewise, you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility. 4, and then he quotes from back in Proverbs 3, verse 34, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. And so, God wants us to be submitting one to another in the fear of God. In any military unit in the world, they teach the fact that anyone who gives orders must first be able to receive orders. And we should beware and make note of those who lord it over people, those who cannot take orders themselves. You know, God exalts the humble, shouldn't we? God resists the proud, shouldn't we? The same.

Verse 6, therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. And we look to that time when he will do that, and it's all within his sense of timing. We don't know exactly when it's going to be, but like we were talking earlier about the death of John Ross Schroeder, I believe first is the one that mentioned, you know, he's got it made. He's resting in his grave, and you know, he's one of those, Mr. Holiday's letter, I believe it was, mentioned. They all graduated Ambassador College in 1963, so that's a long time ago, and he's faithfully been out there serving. So he does have it made in the sense that the Psalm says, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of one of his saints. But the rest of us have to endure to the end. But there is that time for each person when it is God's due time, when that race will be over for us. Verse 7, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. We humans are a curious bunch. We want to carry these heavy, heavy burdens around and bear it completely on our own. And then we have high blood pressure, and then we have health problems. And, you know, every day we go to God and we just lay our problems at his throne and trust him to lead us and to bear those burdens.

Verse 8, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And so here he shifts to the reality that we have an enemy. We have an enemy that hates God, God's way, God's plan. He hates God's people.

He is the accuser of the brethren. He will try every door he can to gain access to our thinking and our mind. And he's not going to give up. We need to actively be aware and be awake and be alert, is what he's talking about here, and resist him.

Verse 9, resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. So here he's shifting back into that primary theme of hope and sufferings. We all share that in common. We do have trials, tests, afflictions. We do suffer. But God's going to see us through.

And you know some of these men writing in the sixties and some later, but you've got things taking place in the world around them where grace is being perverted. Paul wrote along that line that they were being turned to another gospel. You had Gnosticism working there. And it was changing. Well, Jude wrote about it.

In fact, let me just see if I can find that verse in Jude quickly. Jude 4, certain men have crept in unnoticed for long ago. Who long ago were marked out for this condemnation? Ungodly men who turned the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

So Jude 4, they turned the grace of God into lewdness. And I think the old King James says, licentiousness. Licence to do as you please. They're sweeping away the law. There's nothing new under the sun. You know these things cycle through? Yes, sir. But we've got too many places in the Gospels. And the epistles, I mean to say, were they, the writers, continue to hinge together forgiveness, grace of God, undeserved, unmerited pardon, but hinged with obedience. We are to be an obedient people. So, anyhow, back to Peter, God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory. So there again, he's looking to that which will be established when Christ returns. But then he says in verse 10, right in the middle there, after you have suffered a while. You know, again, we humans are a curious bunch. There are so many places where it clearly told us, you're going to be tried, you're going to have many tribulations, and then something comes along and we think, what in the world is this? So, you know, I probably, my baptism counseling was so long ago, I was just, and I was young, and it was just a blur, you know, probably covered a lot of scriptures. And I always try to do that with somebody. Here's one after another, just to let them know, as a final note of caution, you will suffer. You will be afflicted. You will have trials. And so, anyhow, let's go on. Then after that suffering, he will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. Alright, verse 11, to him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. So, the glory always goes to God. And I think it's healthy for us to ask, in any given situation, would Jesus Christ do this? Would He be thinking this way? Would He be in this situation? So, now, the last few verses, he shifts here. In our introduction to 1 Peter, we somewhat looked here at verses 12 and 13, but again, by Sylvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I've written to you briefly. Now, Sylvanus, again, Paul refers to Sylvanus, and in the book of Acts, we have a man called Silas, who traveled with Paul after he and Barnabas went different directions.

And it's thought he's the same one. And we know from the story in Acts 16, where Paul and Silas were in Philippi, and they end up in prison, and that's when they were singing praises at midnight, and the earthquake took place and broke up the prison. Well, as you follow that on through, it was, as they pointed out, we're Roman citizens. Well, if Silas was a Roman citizen, he had access to benefits like education, plus Greek probably was his primary home language. And so that's, again, we discussed this in the introduction. Some questioned whether Peter could have written this book. You and I don't see it, because we don't understand Greek. But apparently, the Greek is very refined in the first letter, as compared to more of a rugged, not really crude, but a rougher version of Greek that is used in 2 Peter. And the most likely answer is Sylvanus was working as kind of his scribe. And, you know, if someone is writing for you and they're highly educated, they're going to correct your sentences. And why? I have to have people look at mine because I shift tenses and I, you know, don't use the right words. But at any rate, probably Silas Sylvanus did that for this letter. And then Peter probably more so wrote the second letter. Verse 12, in the middle, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. Verse 13, she who is in Babylon. Now, she, that's one of the mysteries we're left here. Who is this? We really don't know. She who is in Babylon. Was he referring to, I mean, our mother of the church, Book of Revelation, you've got the two women. You've got the true church, the false church. A lot of times a woman represents a church. So is that kind of a generic term for the gathering of the saints over there in Babylon where he was? Possibly.

There could have been a leading dominant woman in the church there who is sending her greetings. But Babylon, once again, and we, I've got a little here from Adam Clark. And on this verse, Adam Clark says, after considering all that has been said by learned men and critics, I am quite of the opinion that the Apostle does not mean the Babylon in Egypt. He's not referring to Jerusalem. He's not referring to Rome as a figurative Babylon, but rather to the ancient celebrated Babylon in Assyria.

Then James and Fawcett and Brown, a similar comment where they too connect this Babylon that there still was a thriving city there with a great many Jews. And again, remember, Peter was sent to the circumcised. Paul, Barnabas and others went to the uncircumcised. So it would make sense for him to end up over in Babylon if you have a large body of Jews who have been there for five, six hundred years since their captivity, and they just stayed there. As Babylonian? Babylonian? Right. The one in there on the Euphrates.

He just about had to leave that area after he got out of prison, because he was a wanted man. You're talking Peter. Yes. He was a wanted man, so it makes all sense in the world that he would have got out from under Roman control at that time.

Don't you think? I do. I do. Because he would have had a price on his head back in certainly Jerusalem, Judea. Since sixteen soldiers died for his escape. Yes. Okay. So, these greet you, and so does Mark my son.

And this is most likely, he viewed John Mark as being a spiritual son. It is refreshing since John Mark's departure was the factor that caused Paul and Barnabas to kind of go separate ways. But, you know, Barnabas made a valuable investment and encouraged this young man. And he was a valuable tool here to Peter.

Paul's last letter, 2nd Peter, he mentioned to Timothy, Well, when you come, bring John Mark with you and bring the books and especially the parchments. Because probably they were collecting and gathering some of the manuscripts that would make up the canon of the Bible, the New Testament by that time. Mark my son, and then verse 14, greet one another with a kiss of love, peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen. So, this kiss of love, you know, different cultures have different practices.

Mr. Cubic, when we were in California, which was 91 to 94, Mr. Cubic, during that first year, I think, was called in to assist. And he was there in church administration. And there were so many churches around that area, we had about every six weeks we'd have a planning meeting. And so I'd go down to Pasadena and have free lunch, which was always fun. But, you know, it was enjoyable to see colleagues, even though things were beginning to change, as you can imagine. But I loved it when Mr. Cubic would come and somebody would say, hey, Vic, tell us about what's going on for Ukrainians. And boy, that would just he'd be off and running.

And he'd be talking about them. But I know he mentioned on one of his trips over there, back in the Carpathian Mountains, where in Ukraine, you've got Sabbath keepers scattered all over. And he said their greeting, the men's greeting, was three quick smacks right on the lips. Now, Mr. Cubic, you know, he was born over there. He grew up in a Ukrainian household. So, you know, he was he was the right man to be over there, because if I'd been there, that would be tough.

But you wouldn't want to undo a door God's opening. But, you know, you go to other parts and, you know, most mainly here in our country, it's extend the right hand, the fellowship and give somebody a firm handshake and maybe a little, maybe a little hug from the side or something like that. And but you have different cultural notes. So he talks about the kiss of love and didn't I think Paul used the phrase greet each other with a holy kiss. I'm not sure what a holy kiss is.

No, no. OK, well, that that wraps up first Peter. Now, before we leave that, any questions, comments on this chapter five? All right. Going once, twice, thrice. All right. Will. Yes, sir. You said the second book of Peter, he wrote it himself, not the side. Well, that's the thinking. Yeah, that's the thinking because and again, sadly, we're limited because we don't speak and we don't read Greek.

But apparently those who are really trained in that, it's a very refined Greek in the first letter. And it's a rather rugged, rough Greek in the second letter. And that's that's the only. Well, I mean, there are I mean, if you want to go to commentaries, you can read all kinds of stuff. They write off these books that some say should never been in the Bible.

And wow, what we would we have missed if we didn't have these two. So, OK, well, with with second Peter, let's spend a little time just getting a bit of background. And here, like I mentioned with James, I think you should at least be aware of this term. Deuterocanonical. I know that you'll probably never need to know that, but the when not not in the Church of God at that time, they were gathering different manuscripts that go that would go into the New Testament and be added with the Old Testament Scriptures that the Jews had preserved.

But then later on, it's more like you get toward the third century, you've got the Christian world around them. And there is this process of gathering and putting a stamp of approval on which books go in the New Testament. And so it was, and I forget, I really I forget, I knew this a little while ago, but there was an initial canon that was then accepted in the Catholic Church, but it was in the 300s A.D.

You had a group of books that were proto-canonical.

You know, like a prototype is the first type of a new airplane, a new car, a new whatever. So the first wave of manuscripts, you had your gospels, axe, so many of Paul's epistles that they nobody questioned them, and they were in that first band. Then you had the deuterot, which speaks of a second or a repetition of the process, a deuterocanonical. And like I mentioned with James, James was questioned, well, it was added, approved back in the days of Jerome, and then second, Peter is another one of them. And yet with Peter's letters, it's because of the more rugged, unrefined Greek of this one. They questioned it.

Well, in the Church of God, we've always accepted Peter as the author. Peter was the author of the first one, but probably through an educated man, Silas. Peter is the author of this one. The Greek is rather unrefined compared to the first. He mentions events that almost nobody else would know about. For instance, chapter 1, verse 14, he says, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, he's talking about his physical life and body, just as our Lord Jesus showed me. Now, you may have a marginal note, my Bible does, back to John 21, verses 18 and 19.

And that's that discussion there, as John was the one lying there on Christ, and Peter was there, and, you know, feed my sheep different times that he was told. So there was a statement that Christ had made. So nobody else, almost nobody else would have known that.

Then verse 16, especially, verse 16, just the latter half, made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. And then verse 17 speaks of that voice from heaven, this is my beloved Son, whom I will please. Well, that's referring back to the Transfiguration.

And, you know, at the end of Matthew 16, you had the statement was made, Some of you won't die until you see, essentially, see me in my glory. And then it goes right into those early verses of Matthew 17, and it was Peter, James, and John who saw that. Now, James, remember, probably 20 years earlier than this, was killed. So you've got Peter and John, who were the only two living at this point, who were eyewitnesses of Jesus. They saw Him, kind of like the description of Revelation 1, saw Him in His glory. Peter made, he connected the dots, and here's Moses, and here's Elijah, and you want me to go make three tabernacles, three dwellings, because he saw the connection to the kingdom of God.

Okay, now, I should also mention chapter 3 verse 1, mentions, this is my second epistle. So, that is a factor, and then finally in verse 15, chapter 3 verse 15, he referred to Paul as our beloved brother Paul, and Peter was certainly one in a position to have had enough overlapping with Paul to call him beloved brother. So, those are, that's some of the evidence inside that narrows it down, that it couldn't be hardly anyone else but Peter or John, and obviously, some of the other things here narrows it to Peter. Okay, the date, date for the writing, 6768 AD, probably very shortly before his execution.

Now, his first letter began with a salutation to the church scattered through these different provinces there of Asia Minor, Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. This letter does not have a similar greeting, but we would conclude that it's written, intended for the church as a whole.

He doesn't specify a specific audience, however. Okay, where is it written from? In other words, what was Peter's location when he wrote? He ended 1 Peter 5 by saying he was in Babylon. And we thought that literally means Mesopotamian Babylon.

But we don't have clues in this one. It would be a fair surmising to say that he was probably still around that same area, but we really don't know. And it's not important, I don't think. Now, like the first letter, we have two main themes, but they're not the same as the two main themes of 1 Peter.

The two main themes of this second book is, first of all, warnings against false ministers and false teachings. So the first theme, warnings against false ministers and teachings. And then, secondly, we will see him continuing to come back, number two, to remain steadfast in the faith. Hold on to what you've been given. Don't let it slip out of your fingers. Now, as we look at, we have three chapters. And chapter one will predominantly hang on to the truth or be steadfast in the faith. The second chapter will go very strongly into dangers of false ministers and false brethren and false teachings. We're going to go through a whole long list of criteria that he offers as far as identifying those who are coming along and were creeping into the church and perverting the truths of God at that time. And then chapter three largely looks at, continue to watch for the day of the Lord, the day of the Lord's return. So he's going to focus on that. Okay, well, let's go right on into chapter one. The first few verses, like most epistles, you've got a greeting, you've got a little bit of exhortation. Then we have a number of verses. I like the way William Barkley calls them, the ladder of virtues. So we'll look at those in just a little bit. And then he reminds them to hold on to what you've been given. So, okay, chapter one, Simon Peter, verse one, Simon Peter, a bond servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. So there's his salutation or his greeting. And Simon, remember how Jesus changed his name to Peter, Peter from the Greek petros, foundational rock or stone. And of course, it was said there, Paul wrote of the apostles being the foundational stones along with the prophets of the church. But Simon, or Simeon, means hearing. Peter means rock or stone. Bond servant that comes from the Greek doulos, literally a slave of God, given his life completely and totally to Jesus Christ. And then apostle, an apostle was one sent forth. And in those earliest years, they also viewed an apostle as being one who had been there and had seen Jesus Christ. The disciples became the twelve apostles, of course, Matthias being added in the office of Judas. And then we had Paul added later, but of course, with Paul, he was one who was trained directly by Christ.

So that's why early on they said it's one sent forth, but also one who had seen Christ. To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. So he offers greetings in the name of God and in the name of Jesus Christ. In verse 2, he does the same. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. So God and Jesus, or God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Our Trinity booklet points this out. And you look at all of Paul's epistles, every last one of them, he'll have a greetings in the name of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Not one time do they offer greetings in the name of the Holy Spirit as if it is a third member of a Godhead. Now, some would say that's an argument from silence, but I think it's an important note to make. Not one time, if the Holy Spirit is to be viewed as being some type of a personage or being, not one time. Except where you have mistranslations and they say, he, this. And they use the wrong instead of the neuter gender, they use the masculine gender. But he bids grace to them, grace and peace. Again, grace was being corrupted. It was being changed. And we read Jude 4. But Barclay on this verse, William Barclay says it is clear that Peter is describing antinomians. Now, don't be afraid of that word. It just means people against the law. Anti is against. The dominant, the most common Greek word translated law is nomos. So an antinomian is someone who is against the law. And they do that by preaching grace. We're into grace, so forget the law. That's where they headed. That's where they ended up. So continuing, William Barclay says, these are men who used God's grace as a justification for sinning.

In all probability, they were Gnostics who said that only spirit was good and that matter was essentially evil. And that therefore it did not matter what we did with the body. And that we could glut its appetites and it made no difference. In other words, we could give in to sin all we want and it wouldn't matter. They lived the most immoral lives, immoral lives, and encouraged others to do so.

They justified their actions by perverting grace and interpreting Scripture to suit themselves. Well, there's nothing new under the sun. Ok, verse 3. As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.

So God has given us and has taught us everything we need to know to live a fulfilling, godly life. He has shown us the process of growing and overcoming and advancing and understanding and comprehension of God's way and how to live in harmony. Verse 4. By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises.

And wow, where we could go with that, just think of what God has promised us. A promise is something we have not yet received. And we still look to that promise of eternal life as God's eternal, spiritual sons and daughters. And we look to receiving rulership in the kingdom and receiving oversight of two or five or however many cities as God has it. And of a resurrection of the grave and a reunion beyond anything we can imagine with the saints all the way back to Abel, I suppose, to be the first one who went to that august body called the dead in Christ. And there is a reunion. Man, the stories. We'll need an eternity to hear the stories of what these men and women have gone through before us.

So verse 4, continuing, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. You know, it seems a primary drive in the world around us is lust. Just this insatiable appetite for things God doesn't give them. Verse 5. Now, this is where we get started in what I think Barkley uses a beautiful phrase there. He calls it the ladder of virtues. And we are to grow in these, to always be growing lest we stumble. So, but also, for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith. All right, so he starts with faith. And you know, one of the simplest definitions I've ever heard of faith is just simply to say faith is a degree to which you believe God. The degree to which we believe God, or we know what Hebrews 11, 1, and 6 says, you know, the assurance of things not seen. But begins with that belief. And then he says you add to that faith virtue. Now, virtue, the word here, the Greek word is translated different ways and different translations. Moffat says resolution. You have other translations that say goodness or character or moral character. So you add to your faith just the basics of character, of seeing, choosing what's right, and striving to do it. Then you add to this, to virtue knowledge, knowledge, Greek word, gnosis. There's knowledge of the natural world, the physical world around us. And that's certainly important. And yet more importantly is knowledge of the divine, of God. And we could tie in, we're familiar with 2 Timothy 2, verse 15, study to show yourself approved to God. We can't grow in knowledge unless we are studying. If we don't blow the dust off the Bible from one Sabbath to the next, then how are we going to speak the language? If we don't know what the Ten Commandments are, how can we be expected to live by them? So study. Alright, verse 6. He's just getting started. To knowledge you add self-control. Now if you have the King James, it calls it temperance. And the Greek word, Barkley points out, the Greek word egritea literally means to take a grip of oneself. I like that. In other words, just grab yourself and get a grip on yourself. Maybe that's where this phrase somebody's flipping out. Well, get a grip. Well, get a grip on yourself. Take charge of yourself. Be in control of yourself. Because the temptations of Satan the devil, and we'll talk about that Sabbath here in the sermon, but temptation is where he starts. So take charge. Take control. Okay, to self-control perseverance. Perseverance is a commitment to God to give ourselves to Him. King James calls it patience. It means being steadfast and to endure over time. Well, to perseverance you add godliness. And godliness will be to say that we're God-oriented, that we are focused on God at all times, that we're continually asking, what would God have me do? What is God's will? What would Jesus do? Verse 7, to godliness, brotherly kindness. And that's where the word is Philadelphia. And that's love of the brethren. And then this is followed by to brotherly kindness love. And that's the Greek word agape, which is the love of God. And so the love of God, Romans 5 verse 5, Romans 5 verse 5 tells us, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And so these are building blocks. And we start out with faith, and we add one after another after another, and it leads us toward the type of love that God has.

Now verse 8, for if these things are yours and abound, so if we're continually climbing this ladder, not content to sit down on the bench and watch others run the race, but if you're engaged in the battle with yourself, to enter the kingdom, continue working. Work on yourself. Let others work out their own salvation.

So if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And of course, that Passover night when Christ talked to them, those chapters in John, John 15 verse 16, He said, you know, you are ordained to bear much fruit.

He wants us to bear fruit, not be barren or unfruitful. Verse 9, for He who lacks these things is short-sighted even to blindness. So I think, you know, of course, you look around, so many of us have glasses that we have. Once in a while, I know not long back, I got up before Denise, and I grabbed something I had, you know, a sweater or something to pull on. And I walked out and I went to the kitchen.

I thought, oops, forgot something. I went right back. I usually, first thing I do is reach over and right there at the night table, I know exactly where my glasses are because I'm dangerous without them. Without them. And that's because of being severely nearsighted or myopic. And I think more people than are far-sighted are nearsighted.

But that's what He's using that. You know, if we are so nearsighted, almost to the point of blindness, and has forgotten that He was cleansed from His old sins. Now, this is the type of person that can't see the forest for the trees. I mean, it's right there, but He's so close.

It's kind of like Mary and Martha and Jesus in their home. And Mary sat there. I mean, how many times do you have? I mean, how many people have ever lived who have had Jesus Christ in their room talking to them? And Martha's bustling around doing all these physical things.

That's all she could see. And maybe Mary was to the other extreme by nature, but at any rate, what was important? Christ pointed out. Sit there and listen to what Christ has to say to you at that time. But He has forgotten that He was cleansed from His old sins. And God help us to never forget all that He has cleansed us of. And we didn't earn it. We didn't deserve it. We deserved anything but that. But God is love, and He proved it. Verse 10, Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things, you will never stumble.

Now, in part, what He's saying here is you work out your own salvation, your own life. You let others work on their lives. But with God's help, with God's guidance, if we continue taking steps up the ladder of these virtues, He says you'll never stumble. And verse 11, An entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So the end result of the process that He's describing is a receipt of eternal life in the family of God.

No fear of the second death. Okay, verse 12, kind of shifting a little bit here the focus, For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. I think it's interesting here, a couple of things. I will remind you always of these things. And I wonder what He says here, and there will be another statement later. I wonder if He was speaking to the fact that they were gathering some of the manuscripts of the New Testament. So there would be a written record, and here we are 19 and a half centuries later, and thank God we have this written Word of God that we have, that so many take for granted.

But it's a book that we should read and study and cherish as no other book, the words of God to us that are words of eternal life. But manasseh means forgetting, and human beings forget in general. But Israel was warned all the way back in Deuteronomy, and he said it strongly, several places, when you get into the Lamb, then beware lest you forget the Lord your God. So he was reminding them of all of these things that keep these basics in mind. They will protect you. They will establish you. And then he says the present truth. And that's an interesting phrase, because hopefully we're always growing in understanding, always growing in our ability to yield to God's lead through His Spirit.

Verse 13, Yes, I think it's right, as long as I am in this tent. Now, marginal note, this body. He's talking about His flesh and blood body, life. To stir you up by reminding you. Now, the Apostle Paul also used tent or tabernacle as a metaphor for the physical life that we have. 2 Corinthians 5, verses 1-8, you can just make a note of.

2 Corinthians 5, 1-8, Paul also again referred to the physical body as something temporary. Flesh and blood is not going to enter the kingdom of God.

Now, verse 14, knowing that shortly I must put off this tent, just as our Lord Jesus showed me. And so, he somehow was aware that his execution was going to be soon. Now, tradition says that he was told he was going to be crucified, and his dying request was, Please don't kill me in the same manner as our Lord. They still crucified him, but hung him upside down. And that sounds like a horrible... well, any of those types of death by execution sounds just horrible. So, he knew this is just about it. Verse 15, moreover, I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease. So, again, as he is this kind of code, he's referring to the fact that we're gathering manuscripts to preserve and to pass on. So, after I've died and I'm long gone, you will have the same words that God inspired, I think, very possibly. Again, Paul told Timothy, Come, bring John Mark, bring the books, and especially the parchments. And I think there was... it would be interesting to know one day, you know, more of the story of the canonization of not only the Old, but then the New Testament books. Verse 16, For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. Again, these are not fables of men. Of course, Paul warned there would come a time that people would have itching ears. They would turn to believe fables. But he's talking here at the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the first resurrection takes place. Satan is removed and bound, and the armies of human beings are put down. But he was one of the eyewitnesses of Christ in His glory. So Matthew 17, those first five verses, speak of that transfiguration. Verse 17, For he received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice...

Now, that voice we would surmise as an angel or was an angel. There's a scripture that says, no one's heard the voice of the Father at any time. So an angel would have been sent with a message. Came to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Verse 18, And we heard this voice... So again, remember, the we is probably Peter and John. They're the only two living at this time. We heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. So again, all of that, those three verses take us back to Matthew 17 and the transfiguration.

Verse 19, And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place. Have you ever been in a darkest situation? We've taken kids through caves, where it's a guided, and they have all the lights turned off.

Man, that's the darkest dark. But then they'll turn on one little bit of light. Or you walk, maybe you get up and go to the bathroom in the night, maybe you've got a night light. We've got one just a little faint glimmer. It's really energy efficient, just a little bit of glow, but it's enough to know where to step so you don't walk into the tub or something. So a light that shines in a dark place. What a beautiful metaphor God uses there. That God's word gives us light. We're in a world of darkness, but it shows us where to place our feet. Until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. So it is until that time, again, looking to the return of Christ. They had seen Christ after He was resurrected to glory also. I think we should also notice He would appear behind closed doors among them. And He could materialize at will. Knowing this first that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. So much care needs to be taken. The Bible generally, if God has even opened the understanding for us at that time, Daniel wrote things down. He was told it's sealed till the time of the end. But generally, if it's open for us to understand, the Bible is going to interpret itself. Or, you know, the Psalm, oh, forget where it says, Great peace have they that keep My law, and nothing shall offend them. As we keep God's law, we grow in understanding. And there's this peace that God gives to us.

It's not a private interpretation. Now, 21. For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. And you know what a beautiful thing. I believe it's accurate that there are 40 authors of books of the Bible. 66 books, 40 authors. And they go, well, probably chronologically, the first book written down was Job, back in the 1700s B.C. And there were certain things passed along, of course, that it was in the, you know, closer to 1400 when Moses is writing the first five books. And then a lot, you know, if you get to the time of the king, somewhere around 1000 B.C. and then you follow the story. I mean, these books are being written all the way to about 430, I think, with Malachi, Ezra, Nehemiah, some of those books. And then you've got this intertestamental period. You skip to the time when first the Gospels and then Acts and then the Epistles were written.

40 men. And yet what a marvel that we have here. And so many take for granted. But 2 Timothy 3, verse 16, you know, talks about all Scripture is God-breathed by inspiration of God, is profitable for documentary, proof, etc. And God brought all this together. It is of His inspiration. And let us always beware. There are regular basis. Somebody comes galloping in out of the setting sun as a lone ranger and they found something new. Well, God's going to teach us through His Word and He's going to teach us through His church. And there's a safety in that. So always beware the person that comes along and they've got an interpretation that nobody in 6,000 years has ever come up with. Okay. Comments, questions on Chapter 1. And that's where we'll... that's a natural break. Chapter 2 gets into kind of a heavy topic of these false teachings and false brethren. Okay. Well, that'll bring us to a close. Thank you all very much.