You Need Fortitude • Overview of 1 & 2 Peter
42:32 Teaching begins
Notes
We are going to begin a study in 1 and 2 Peter.
I like to do introductions to my series so we have an idea of what we’re getting into and what we can expect to get out of this study.
To do that I want to start in Proverbs 24:10.
1. What are these epistles of Peter here for? What need do they meet? For that I want to look at Proverbs 24:10 If you are slack in the day of distress, your strength is limited.
A. The day of distress we would now call a crisis. It’s a time of trouble, when things go wrong. It’s a turning point for better or for worse, and it looks like it might go worse.
B. You show yourself to be weak. That’s the word “slack”. You don’t have enough strength to resist the outside pressure and force. You give way to superior power and strength.
C. The crisis doesn’t make you weak. It only reveals what your true strength is. You don’t need strength when things are good. Relax, have a good time. But when it’s dangerous, when there is opposition, when it’s discouraging, when it’s challenging, that’s when you find out if you have the assured power to resist.
1. Here comes a two year-old with a rubber knife in his hand. He’s going to cut you. Do you have the assured power to resist him?
2. Here comes deadlines. Here comes unemployment. Here comes an eviction notice from your landlord. Here comes taxes. Here comes cancer. Here comes covid-19. Here comes death. Do you have the assured power to resist?
D. You don’t want to wait until the crisis arrives for you to find out if you can face it. Because if your strength is limited, you won’t survive the crisis.
E. Peter started out as a disciple of Jesus. He had a lot of crises. The most painful was when Jesus told him that he would deny his Lord three times before the night was over. He said, no, I’ll never do that. And then after Jesus’ arrest he followed Jesus and tried to stick up for Him, but found he could not do it. He was scared and he denied Jesus three times, to a little servant girl and some men around a charcoal fire.
F. Jesus had told him,“When you have turned back again, strengthen your brothers (Luke 22:32).” And that’s what Peter wants to do. He is writing to believers in Jesus and they are going through their crises. The pressure is on for them to not be different from those around them. Then they won’t get persecuted for following Jesus. If they live for Jesus they will suffer persecution, ridicule, opposition. There are all kinds of opposition, different ways of saying, “You are wrong. What you say is not true. Jesus is not the Messiah. You should not be different from us. Our way is right.” It questions your trust in Jesus. You become unsure, anxious, it looks like a good time to lay low and not take any risks. Who needs danger, opposition and ignorance?
G. You need fortitude. There’s no better word. It is the strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage. It comes from the Latin fortis, meaning strong. The antonym of this is spinelessness, lacking strength of will or character. A shameful lack of courage in the face of danger.
H. Peter needed fortitude. He found fortitude that enabled him to face danger and persecution as a believer in Jesus right up to the end of his life. In 2 Peter he is writing knowing he is about to die. But he isn’t worried about himself. He is thinking of other believers who will live long after him. He wants to give them fortitude, the assured power of resistance.
2. Peter meets the need by doctrine first. That’s always the biblical way.
A. In his first epistle Peter reminds them of Jesus, the things they have already learned. These are things we already know, too. They are facts about God our Father, about Jesus Christ, about our salvation, about where we are going when we die. We get them in both of Peter’s epistles.
B. These are facts we need to be thoroughly aware of so that we master these facts. Not only do we know them, but we are also qualified to teach others. We’re supposed to do this, this is disciple-making. We are supposed to learn until we can turn around and teach others to do the same thing, who will also teach others. How long have you been a believer in Jesus? Who have you taught to follow Jesus?
C. We cannot afford to be weak in our grasp of these facts.
1. We resist danger because we are firm in our faith. Jesus did rise from the dead. He is alive right now. He is with me right now.
2. When the crisis comes it tests our grasp of those facts: is Jesus with me? Am I with Him? Or am I all by myself? Why am I freaked out like I’m all alone and no one is with me? I’m ignoring Jesus. I’m acting like there is no God. I’m a virtual atheist. It doesn’t make sense, but we do this.
D. So here’s one part of Peter’s message: thoroughly learn and master the facts about Jesus. Become strong in the faith. That is the first chapter of Peter to about verse 12. Plus Peter mixes in teaching with his application, so we will note the teaching when we come to it.
3. We get strong in the truth by practicing the truth.
A. That is, since this fact here is true, here’s how it becomes practical in my life. I live in the light of this truth.
B. This is called application of the truth. We put the truth into practice.
1. It doesn’t matter if you are any good at putting truth into practice. Nobody is any good at a thing when they start. You make steps. Attempt things. Begin to do exercises and drills. You keep working at putting truth into practice.
2. You learn by doing. If you don’t put the truth into practice, then you remain in the realm of theoretical. And your life is still the same as it was before you believed in Jesus. Nothing has changed until your life changes.
3. The truth is supposed to master your life. You become a master at the truth, you become thoroughly aware of that truth, so that your life is now directed by the truth. The apostle Paul said 2 Corinthians 13:8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.
C. We can only notice some of the applications.
1. Your individual attitude towards following Jesus: Prepare your mind for action, v. 13. V. 15, be holy in all your behaviour, v. 22 fervently love one another from the heart. Chapter 2:2, long for the pure milk of the word that you may grow in respect to your salvation.
2. Know what God has called you to be, v. 9 a chosen race, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.
3. The truth affects your relationship with the world, keep your behaviour excellent among the Gentiles, vv.13-17.
4. Relationships with slaves and masters, or employees and employers, vv. 18-25.
5. Relationship between wives and husbands, 3:1-7.
6. Be humble, vv. 8-12.
7. Be prepared to suffer for doing what is right, 3:13- 4:6. Don’t be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you. It’s suffering and humility first, glory afterward.
8. Chapter 5 looks at the relationship of pastors to the church, and then resist the devil
D. The whole epistle is contained in 5:12. This is the true grace of God, stand firm in it. Know the teaching about the true grace, and the exhortation to live it out because it’s true.
4. 2 Peter brings in the idea of remembering what we have learned.
A. Once again Peter begins with doctrine: great and precious promises that by them you may be partakers of the divine nature. You either partake of the divine nature or you are corrupted by lust, desire that can never be satisfied because it’s sinful. There is no peace for the wicked, no satisfaction.
B. Then Peter applies the teaching, the truth is to be lived out in practice.
1. Access the supply of the divine nature by your faith in Jesus Christ.
2. If you lack these qualities you have forgotten your purification from your former sins.
C. Peter says I will always be ready to remind you of these things. 2 Peter is about remembering. This is the power of the mind to recall what has been learned in the past and make it active in the present.
D. Chapter 1 is remember the facts of our salvation and practice them. When you remember and access these promises by trusting in the truth you will be useful and fruitful. You will see things as they really are, not be blind and short-sighted.
E. Chapter 2 is remember the truth to be safe from false teachers who introduce destructive heresies. Denial of truth leads to slavery to sin. You can’t believe wrong and live rightly. When you live badly it means you believe something that isn’t true.
F. Chapter 3 is remember the truth to be ready for the return of Jesus Christ. People will doubt His return and make it seem like it’s not going to happen. He is coming like a thief in the night. Remember and be ready.
G. 2 Peter is summed up in 3:17-18 hold fast to the word and make it your constant companion so you resist evil and grow in Jesus.
5. So what?
A. Our natural attitude is to not want to master New Testament teaching. It’s not necessary. I already know Jesus. There’s other more interesting things to do.
B. But then the crisis comes and we are unprepared. Our strength is shown to be limited, narrow. Not equal to the crisis.
C. Will we quit following Jesus?
1. Because of the covid and the lockdown lots of people have quit following Jesus. They were churchgoers before covid hit, but now they aren’t venturing out. People not only stop going to church, they stop following Jesus. They don’t have the strength. They don’t stand against the fear. Fear is in control of peoples’ lives, not the truth.
2. Somehow people can still go shopping for food, but they will die if they go to church.
3. The only place to get ready to die is church. Jesus shows us how to live and how to die.
D. Jesus faced the end of His life with courage. He had fortitude. He had fortitude, the assured power to resist and to stand. He did not cave in before the religious leaders, before the Roman governor Pilate, before King Herod. He despised the shame. How did He do that?
1. Well, you say, He cheated. He was God and it was easy for Him. That is not true. He prayed for three hours in the garden that the cup would pass from Him, but that He would do the will of the Father. Have you ever prayed for three hours? He was not looking forward to being beaten, whipped, and crucified. He prayed so fervently against any disobedience on His part that His capillaries ruptured and the blood was mixed in His sweat.
2. He had the assured power of resistance. It came from knowing that He was going to rise from the dead. Let them do their worst. They can only kill the body but they cannot kill the soul. He knew He was going to rise from the dead.
3. Jesus had the assurance of perfect righteousness with God. He knew He was perfectly pleasing to the Father in every respect. Righteousness is the basis for the resurrection. If you are not perfectly righteous before God He will not raise you from the dead. You will go to the pit, the place where God forgets you. When the pit gives you up, you will go to the lake of fire that burns forever, the total wrath of God and the ruin of your soul, forever.
E. Do you have perfect righteousness with God? Do you know that when you die you will be raised from the dead? Do you fear dying by covid-19? Or cancer, or diabetes, or heart attack, or stroke, or dementia? Do you fear death?
F. Where do you stand with Jesus this morning?
1. I sympatise with anyone who is not trusting in Jesus. If you don’t have Jesus living in you, you would be crazy not to fear death. Death really is the beginning of ruin forever.
2. But if you have Jesus living in you, why do you fear death? Jesus did not fear death. Peter says you must put your hope and trust completely upon Jesus’ dying in your place, dying for your sins, taking your punishment upon Himself. You must receive Him as your substitute. He will give you His righteousness.
G. Then you will have the assured power of resistance against all things that we face in this life. Nothing is going to hurt you because you have perfect righteousness, and you know that God will raise you from the dead. There is no other name given to men under heaven by which we must be saved.
H. We’re going to take communion this morning. This is the body and the blood of Jesus. We are proclaiming His death until He comes. We are proclaiming the forgiveness of sins and perfect righteousness for those who receive Him. Receive Jesus now. Put your trust in Him now. Live with Him.
Let’s pray.