12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. (2 Peter 1:12-15)
In 2 Peter 1:3 Peter wrote, "God's divine power has already given us all things which lead to life and godliness." Since God has given us the power of his Spirit, our efforts to experience eternal life now has great possibilities. We must never forget that we do not work to earn God's favor.
According to v.12, the things Peter is writing about are already known. Peter's readers are well grounded and established in the truth. Just before Peter denied Christ three times, Jesus said to him (in Luke 22:32) "When you have turned again, establish your brothers." This is the same word used here in 2 Peter 1:12. It is the truth that establishes or gives us the type of security that causes us to stare down the monsters in life.
In v.14 Peter's departure from earth is close. The Lord has shown him it will not be long. This implies that when we die, we go to be with the Lord. Peter says our bodies are like a coat and death means we lay the coat aside for a while and leave. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8, "We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
In addition, the death of the believer is not accidental. In John 21:18-19 Jesus predicted Peter would die by crucifixion. And, we know Peter died upside down on a cross.
Since Peter's hearers were established in the truth, and Peter's time was short on earth, Peter reminds us of these things. The word remember appears 166 times in the Bible.
I understand Peter's thinking. My father was told he had five months to live. And, sure enough after he was told in May, he died in October (1981). After my father found out his time was limited, he started teaching me what was most important in this life.
Even though we know the truth and are established in it, we need repeated reminders of the greatness of God's ways or we will forget. This is why God works in such ways in our lives. He wants us to persevere in the truth, but He is the secret behind our success. We must be diligent to not resist His lessons, even when they are unpleasant and difficult to receive.
I can't help but think of that scene in the movie Lion King when Simba hears his father remind him to remember who he is. This is what Peter is doing here in our text for today. We must remember that our value is best measured at the cross of the Lord Jesus. This is our greatest motivation to be engaged in the work that He has called us to in this world.
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According to v.12, the things Peter is writing about are already known. Peter's readers are well grounded and established in the truth. Just before Peter denied Christ three times, Jesus said to him (in Luke 22:32) "When you have turned again, establish your brothers." This is the same word used here in 2 Peter 1:12. It is the truth that establishes or gives us the type of security that causes us to stare down the monsters in life.
In v.14 Peter's departure from earth is close. The Lord has shown him it will not be long. This implies that when we die, we go to be with the Lord. Peter says our bodies are like a coat and death means we lay the coat aside for a while and leave. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8, "We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
In addition, the death of the believer is not accidental. In John 21:18-19 Jesus predicted Peter would die by crucifixion. And, we know Peter died upside down on a cross.
Since Peter's hearers were established in the truth, and Peter's time was short on earth, Peter reminds us of these things. The word remember appears 166 times in the Bible.
I understand Peter's thinking. My father was told he had five months to live. And, sure enough after he was told in May, he died in October (1981). After my father found out his time was limited, he started teaching me what was most important in this life.
Even though we know the truth and are established in it, we need repeated reminders of the greatness of God's ways or we will forget. This is why God works in such ways in our lives. He wants us to persevere in the truth, but He is the secret behind our success. We must be diligent to not resist His lessons, even when they are unpleasant and difficult to receive.
I can't help but think of that scene in the movie Lion King when Simba hears his father remind him to remember who he is. This is what Peter is doing here in our text for today. We must remember that our value is best measured at the cross of the Lord Jesus. This is our greatest motivation to be engaged in the work that He has called us to in this world.
To invest in BYM, click here
