Exercising True Faith: Shepherding Ourselves and Others - 2 Peter 1:12-15

1:30It's right as long as I am in this earthly dwelling to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure, you will be able to call these things to mind. You know, life is sometimes like a photo album, right? At the end of life, look back, pull out the photo albums, and along life's journey, there's many snapshots. One of my kids' favorite thing to do is pull out the old photo albums and relive snapshots or moments from the past. Well, same is true with Peter. Peter, or the scriptures give us a sort of a photo album of Peter's life. And I want to remind you of a few of those snapshots. You remember in Mark chapter 1, verse 16 and 18, there is Peter out there on the Sea of Galilee, washing his nets, working his nets, doing his trade. Jesus comes and calls him, and he immediately leaves everything. He had heard of Christ. Christ came, called him. What a special privilege. And he recognized it in an instant, and he left everything.

3:00Then, of course, as time goes on, Peter is privileged to a whole lot of Christ's ministry. He witnesses things firsthand, not only just firsthand because he's one of the 12, but first among the first of the twelve. He was uniquely shown things that some of the other disciples weren't able to see, taken into special places. There was certainly a privileged position that Peter enjoyed even among the 12 disciples. He witnessed Christ's authority over the elements, over the demonic realm, over matter. He saw all that.

3:49And you can think that these could be a source of pride, maybe. Peter knew he was called, and that he knew who Christ was. He knew what Christ was going to do. And here he is, first in line many times. And so it's no surprise that another snapshot that we have of Peter's life shows up in various places, but certainly in Luke chapter 22 and 24, verse 24, there's Peter talking about being one of the greatest. I mean, pretty heady times. I mean, here's the king of kings. Here he is. He knows who he is, and he has handpicked Peter. He's in pretty heady times.

4:32And then, remember that other, we turn the page into another photo shoot of Peter's life. There he is in Matthew 26 and verse 51. And they've come to arrest Jesus, and he pulls out his sword or knife, cuts off the ear of the servant there, as if to say, I will use force. I will defend him with force. This religion that Christ is bringing, I am going to play a role in executing it by force. Of course, you know this.

5:11Christ says, Peter, put that thing down. I can call angels at infinitum and level this place. And shortly thereafter, just a few verses later, the one who talked about being the greatest, the one who was anxious to use force in bringing in Christ's kingdom is there, and he will not even recognize that he knows Christ. A picture of total failure. And he went out and he wept bitterly. And then there's this beautiful picture. That's not the end of the story for Peter, as you know. In John chapter 21, there they are.

6:00Out there, seaside, and Jesus comes up, makes some breakfast. And here we have the restoration moment of Peter. John chapter 21 and verse 15. So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon, Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Are you the greatest? Do you love me more than all these do? Of course, it drove a dagger into Peter's heart. Yes, you know that I love you. He said to him, Tend my lambs. He said to him a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? He said to him, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, Shepherd my sheep. He said to him a third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him a third time, do you love me? And he said, Lord, you know all things. As if to say, I cannot boast anymore. I don't know. You know the depth of my being. And as best as I can tell, with all my heart, yes, I love you. And he said to him, Tend my sheep. And then we have another snapshot in the photo album of Peter's life in our text this morning. It's a picture of that diligent love and obedience being poured out for Christ. Fact. It's the end point. It's the conclusion. It's the summary of that restoration moment on the Sea of Galilee. Yes, I do love you.

7:39And for the rest of his life, he sought to tend, to shepherd, to feed, to take care of that which was most precious to Christ. And here we have in our text this morning: Peter is probably in his 70s. His final hours are at hand, and he is spending them diligently feeding, tending, and shepherding Christ's church. That's the photo album highlights of Peter's life. You see, true shepherding ministry begins in the heart of a shepherd. We must first learn to shepherd our own hearts before we will be effective in shepherding others. And this is what Peter learned through life's journey: how to shepherd his own heart, how to bring his own heart under subjection to Christ and his will, not trying to impose his will upon the Christ, but upon subjecting his own heart to the Christ whom he loved.

8:51And Peter learned how to shepherd his own heart, and that's what made him such a great leader and such a great blessing to the church. Peter's heart was set on taking care of the church, and he knew how to do it because he knew how to shepherd his own heart. Peter was diligent in this task. This is what he lived for. This is what he died for. He was diligent. And he exhorts us to that same kind of diligence. He exhorts us by word, and he also exhorts us by example.

9:28He exhorted us. In fact, much of this book to date, look at 2 Peter verse 5 here, chapter 1. Look back. Now, for this reason, also applying all diligence in your faith. In other words, be diligent. And then in verse 10, look back. Therefore, brethren, be all the diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing you. For as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble. Be diligent. Be diligent. In fact, in verse 5, he's saying, be diligent to execute this chorus of virtues. It's in your bulletin again by way of reminder. You've seen this before. But be diligent to put on moral excellence. And to your moral excellence, knowledge, and to your knowledge, self-control, and to your self-control, perseverance, and to your perseverance, godliness, and to your godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love. Be diligent about these things. That's his message here.

10:30And then in chapter 2, in verse 3, verse 14, speaking about how the world is going to pass away and the new heavens and earth are going to come. And he says, therefore, in verse 14, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found in him in peace, spotless and blameless. There is a diligence to take care of your Christian walk that Peter is exhorting. He does that by exhortation throughout. But he also exemplifies or he also exhorts us by example. And there are three statements that Peter makes here in verse 12, 13, and 15. Verse 12, look at this. Three statements of his diligence. Verse 12, I will always be ready to remind you. Verse 13, as long as I am in this earthly body, guess what I'm going to do? Stir you up. Verse 15, and I will also be diligent. There is three statements of diligence. Peter is an example to us as believers and the diligence that God wants from us and what the work of the Spirit is doing in us. And it involves diligence. And we should imitate Peter in three ways, three ways.

11:55And that's what I want to look at this morning. Three ways that the Holy Spirit. By virtue of the example of Peter is giving us today three things. First, we are to be diligent. A diligent believer seeks to remind. A diligent believer seeks to remind, seeks to remind self and seeks to remind others. Look at verse 12. Therefore, therefore, therefore, in light of what? In light of what's just been said, all in chapter 1, verse, look back at verse 3. Therefore, in light of the fact of verse 3, seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. Has granted. You see, we've spent some time in Acts, haven't we? And this theme of what Christ has done, his granting repentance, his granting repentance to not only to Israel, but the grant also to the Gentiles. It's big in the mind of Peter throughout the early chapters of Acts. And that same thought is, again, present. He has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. So therefore, in light of that, in light of the fact that he's granted to you everything for life and godliness, be diligent in cultivating this chorus of virtues. Therefore, in light of that, but also look in verse 8. Also, for if these qualities are yours in increasing, they will render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wow, what a promise. In light of that, if these things, if this chorus of virtues is in you, you will neither be useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, be diligent. See where he's going. Look again in verse 11 or verse 10, another promise. Therefore, be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing you. For as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble. What an incredible promise. Therefore, in light of this promise that you can go through life and never stumble. Wow, incredible promise. Look at verse 11. For in this way, the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. Therefore, saying, Look at that. In light, there is the promise of a glorious entrance into the eternal kingdom. Therefore, therefore, in light of this, in light of all these promises, in light of this grand promise of a glorious and abundant entrance into the eternal kingdom, therefore I say to you these things. Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them and have been established in the truth which is present with you.

14:54Verse 12, I will always be ready to remind you of these things. Therefore, in light of all that's Said in chapter 1, I'm always going to be ready to remind you. Literally, the word is, I will always be about reminding you. That's literally what he's saying. I will always be about reminding you. That's my function. That's my goal. That's my business. That is my occupation. That is what I'm always going to be about is reminding you of these things. Now, what are these things? Well, the antecedent is specifically all the truths, but specifically this chorus of virtues that begin in verse 5. Now, for this very reason, also apply all diligence in your faith. He's granted you faith. He's granted you everything for a life of godliness. Now, therefore, these things, apply diligence, apply moral excellence, apply knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Listen, there's a kind of love that seeks to skirt these, that seeks to skirt moral excellence and knowledge and self-control and perseverance and godliness and kindness, but it's not the kind of love of the Bible. It's a very carnal and different kind of love. And what Peter is saying, if you want to he's saying that these are, he's going to always be mindful to remind us of putting these things into practice. These things are biblical truth. This chorus of virtues, they are biblical truths. He's going to always be about reminding them. And there are three things that he describes, or three different verbs here, participles that categorize what he means by these things. Look back at verse 12. They are truths you already know. They are truths that you have been established in. And they are truths that are present with you.

16:59You know what much of Peter's ministry was? A reminding ministry. Much of Peter's ministry was reminding people of truths they already knew. That's what he says in verse 12. Even though you already know these. And this is what feeding the sheep looks like. This is what loving Christ looks like. This is how Peter's expression for Jesus manifested itself. This is how he manifested brotherly kindness and love. You see, much of Peter's ministry was a reminding ministry. And guess what? Much of the church's ministry today, much of our ministry today, is a reminding ministry. As believers, we are called to remind people of eternal truths.

17:52In fact, I will say many of you will not hear any new truths today in this sermon. You will hear. Old truths that you already know. In fact, much of church life and church society is calling to mind truths that we already know. We are the society that is charged with keeping the thoughts, the biblical truths, alive and in the minds and hearts of people. That is, we're the only society, the only group that is commissioned with this responsibility.

18:34You know, it's interesting. He almost is apologetic. I know you know these things. Look at, make sure you see the spirit in which he is communicating here. He says, I'm telling you these things, even though you already know them. I remember after graduating and spending some time here in the Brazos Valley, I really had a desire to go to seminary, a strong desire, and decided I would take that first step. So I decided to go live in my brother's barn. Now, keep in mind, I've got a wife and one child in tow. And so I said, you know what, I'm going to go live in my brother's barn. They had a little apartment finished out on the top floor. And I remember my wife struggling at this time. She's given me permission to share this. But she said, look, I am.

19:30Going up to live in a barn. My husband doesn't have a job and doesn't really have plans to get a job that I can tell. And somehow I'm going to have to communicate this to my parents. What are they going to think? And she was saying this to my sister-in-law, who had a very godly perspective on life. And she said, You know, Nancy, I'm going to tell something to you that you already know. This is one of those times you just need to submit and go with it.

20:05She knew that. She goes, I know that. But there was a tremendous blessing in just hearing that old truth brought back. And I tell you, that move happened to be one of the most important moves that we made in our life, not only for our seminary aspirations or my seminary aspirations, which she shared, but also for my engineering career. And it was interesting, just as a side note, that when we got there, there was this bouquet of flowers from Nancy's parents that said, Welcome to your new home.

20:43But it was a blessing. But the thing is, much of our ministry is reminding people of old truths, truths you already know. And why? Question is: why do we need such reminding? Why did Peter, now think about this moment? Peter is at the last. Hours, days, weeks of his life, and here he is. What are you going to do with these last precious moments? Well, he's active in reminding believers of truths they already know. Why does he do this? Well, because we all have a tendency to fall asleep, we all have a tendency to towards spiritual lethargy, right? Spiritually speaking, a diligent believer seeks to remind self and others, but also a diligent believer seeks to awaken. A diligent believer seeks to awaken or stir up others and self.

21:51Look at verse 13. Peter makes a declaration. It is right what he's doing. It is right to remind people of biblical truth. Don't ever forget that. It's right. Peter considered it was right. Verse 13, I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder. And the idea is to stir is to awaken. It's not to aggravate. My job is to aggravate. I think some people get a little out of whack here when you think, well, yeah, my job is to stir you up. Well, no, it's not in that sense. But Peter makes no apology.

22:30He's saying it is right to remind others of biblical truth. It is right. The question is: why is it right? And he gives two reasons. First, we need to be reminded. People need to be awakened. We need to constantly be awakened. We have a habit, look at verse 9, of forgetting. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, if you lack these qualities, this chorus of virtues, you have forgotten. You need to be reminded. In fact, one of his big exhortations at the very end of 1 Peter chapter 5 is this image of a lion. Be of sober spirit. Be alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. There's a lion out there. And I think a lot of us, our spiritual journey goes something like this: Yes, I know there's a lion out there, and he's ready to take me out, and I'm alert.

23:36He's not going to get me. Peter knew exactly this because he fell asleep at a very critical time in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here he is talking about all the greatness, and yet he can't even stay awake for an hour. It's a picture of our Christian life. We have a tendency to drift off, to go into a spiritual stupor. Thinking all the time, we're fine. That's why Peter says, I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder. The word for stir you up is to awaken, to arouse, to get your mind in gear. It's the word when Jesus was asleep in Mark chapter 4 and verse 38, and the storm came up, and the disciples said, Jesus, don't you care that we're perishing? And they woke him up. Get your mind and action in gear. That's what the picture is on a literal sense. And in a metaphoric sense, it's the idea of get your mind in gear, pay attention, be alert. It's a real spiritual battle going on. There is a real lion. You have a real tendency to forget. So I am going to remind you. I'm going to awaken you with truths you already know. You see, repetition of biblical truth awakens the mind. You see, one of the biggest problems I think we face in our churches today is not that Peter, that people or believers do not know what God expects. I think intellectually we know, but we forget.

25:20Or we are unwilling to do the things we know that we're supposed to be doing. And so often we fail to be. Zealous to cultivate the moral virtues of the Christian life. We fail to be diligent with that which we already know. And so the purpose of church and the purpose of ministry and the proclamation of the word and Peter's ministry was to stir up people to awaken, to cause them to be zealous, to cultivate those disciplines that God has already made known to them.

26:03You know, I see often this cycle of sin and guilt and depression in believers' life. I see that over and over: sin, guilt, depression, maybe a period of confession and then a renewal, and then they'll march down the road for a while and then all of a sudden fall back into that same old pattern: sin, guilt, depression. The question is: how do you get out of that? The problem with that is that it's first and foremost a sin, of not being alert. It's a failure. The failure in that cycle and pattern of sin is that you are not zealous about the things you should be zealous for. And if you will be zealous about cultivating the morale, Virtues of the Christian life as what Peter has laid out here, guess what? You will not have near as many debilitating, tempting moments, whatever the nature of them may be. You know, Judges chapter 1, let me just read to you thing. If you've been marching through the Bible with us and reading the Bible and with us in our reading program, you will have just recently come across this in Joshua or Judges chapter 1. And I want to say this is probably one of the most dismal books in the Bible. You spend any kind of time in Judges, you see this cycle. God had been very clear to them: drive these nations out. It's because of them that judgment is coming upon their land. And I don't want you to become like them, because if you become like them, then my judgment will come upon you. So take possession. And then you read in Judges chapter 1, verse 27, but Manasseh did not take possession of Bethshean. And then 29, Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer. Zebulun, verse 30, did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitrin. On and on. Asher in verse 31 did not drive out the inhabitants of Akko. Verse 33, Naphthali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh. And on and on. And then you get. Down to chapter 2 and verse 11. Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.

28:42Their falling into sin was a direct result of them not being zealous about the commands that God had given them previously. And so they thought it made sense. Well, let's put some of them to forced labor. It'll be good for our economy. And don't worry, we've got mastery over this thing. And soon they go to sleep. And the next thing you know, their future generations are doing exactly what the nations did who were in the land before they came. The rest of the story, you know, God will drive them out as well because God is an impartial God.

29:26If it were not for his promises, there would be no hope. But he gives us promises. And it's important that we come back and we renew our minds. We bring these things and call these things to mind. That's why we go to church. You've heard me say it before. God does not have a will for you outside of the church. If you are a believer, he has placed you in the body and he expects you to be part of a local body somewhere, someplace.

30:01That is that society that grows in the knowledge of his word. Because by doing so, he reminds. We all need a reminding. The church is that society that reminds and keeps biblical truth alive in the minds and hearts of people. So if you think you don't need church, you're saying, I don't need awakening. I'm completely competent on my own to stay awake, be able to face the spiritual forces. But if you think you're able to do that on your own, I'm going to tell you two things, and I hope you will hear them in the light and context of Peter's life. Number one, you're proud. And number two, you're already asleep. If you think you do not need the society and body of believers to help remind you and keep you awake and alert, you're either proud or asleep, or both.

31:09And that's what Peter is saying. It is right. Verse 13, I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder. We need reminder, reminding. That's Peter's first reason. But there's a second reason why he considers it right. Look back, Peter. Considers it right because it's the best use of his time. Verse 14, knowing that the laying of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. What Peter is saying, as long as I have life, as long as there is breath in me, I am going to be active in exhorting people to obey the truth, even if it's something they've already heard, and even if I'm going to tell them that over and over and over, that's what I'm going to do because that is the best use of my time. So it is right, what Peter is saying. I consider it right to remind you of biblical truth that you already know.

32:10Look at the term he uses for earthly dwelling, or he likens his body to a tent. Like the nomadic tribes would have portable tents and they would fold them up and move on. Well, what Peter is saying is that my physical body is like a temporary nomadic house for my soul, and one day it's just packing up, it's throwing aside, and my soul is going on. And this description of his physical body tells us a lot about our own physical life, and it also tells us a lot of what happens at death.

32:51Our temporary residence in the body is like a temporary residence, house, or tent. Have you ever visited an old childhood home many years later and gone back? Maybe it's been abandoned, and that may have been a very special house growing up, but it's vacated. The personalities that were there are gone, but the memories are still there, and they trigger something, memory. And the question I have is: when people in future generations hear your name, what is going to come to their mind?

33:32Our bodies are like an old house that's going to be thrown aside. I remember heard me talk about it before: my childhood farmhouse in Arkansas, very lot of happy memories there. My dad bought this farm. He thought he was going to do some farming, and he did. Didn't make any money, but he did. But I remember what a special place it was. There was the little farmhouse. There was the big barn. He put this sawmill in it, and he would operate the sawmill. There were two grain silos for the grain. There was this beautiful white corral with the ponies and the horses. We had cows. I had a little Honda mini trail with this little bottle, and I'd had this little cow called Tinkerbell that would chase me around, and I would feed, and just some extremely happy moments. We had this pond, just a beautiful picture. Scene. And then the tornado took away the barn.

34:35We moved away. A fire burned up the little house and etc. I remember going back there not too long ago and they can't even find the place, Harley. It's so grown up, but you look around and the house, there's the house that's there's the ashes and the remaining, even the ashes are gone, and there's old appliances and old stuff. But it still brings back memories. And I remember the concrete porch that used to be right next to this big mimosa tree was still there. And that's where my mom would rock me when I was little and we would, during the big electrical storms that would go on. And all those memories can come back.

35:16But that's what our life is like. It's like an old, burned-up, ruined, tossed-aside farmhouse. And the question is: that's what this, our soul is going to move on. That's what Peter's saying. My soul is going to move on. This life is going to be over. And the question is, what do you want future generations to call to mind when they remember your name? Well, Peter was very clear. He wanted people to remember that he was about eternal truths and impressing eternal truths. And as we remember Peter's name, when his name comes up, what? Does our mind do? It turns heavenward over and over. And here we are, 2,000 years later, talking about this man's life. And the words were calling to mind his thoughts.

36:14It's a good use of life. In fact, in 1 Peter 1, he speaks about aliens, that we are aliens scattered throughout, or that he's speaking to these churches. chapter 1 and verse 17, he talks about the temporary nature of our time here. So conduct yourself in fear during the time of your stay on earth. And in 1 Peter 2, 11, he refers to the church as aliens and strangers. Our life is temporary. And it's good to remind people of eternal truths, even if they've already heard them. It is right. Notice the phrase, look at the end of verse 14. As also our Lord Jesus Christ has made it clear to me. Jesus is probably, this is probably a reference to that Galilee scene when he is asking Peter, do you love me? Yes, shepherd my sheep, tend my sheep. And then he said in verse 18, Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished, but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you and bring you where you do not wish to go. Now, he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. So Peter, Jesus had made it clear. To Peter, that his death was going to come. It's going to be painful. And maybe Jesus gave him some more revelation. Don't really know. But he knew. The point is, he knew at this point that his time had come. Peter knew that it's coming swiftly, imminent. It's the word. Sometimes that final period in a person's life is the most telling, is it not? He knew his time had come, and he sought to use the rest of his days stirring up people by way of reminder. It's a good use of time. It's as though Peter is saying, Look, I want to use my time impressing upon you the importance of being zealous for growing in virtue. Be zealous in these things. Be zealous.

38:20Why? Because it is right to do so. So a diligent believer seeks to remind. A diligent believer seeks to awaken. And third, a diligent believer seeks to equip. Equip. Look at verse 15. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure, you will be able to call these things to mind. He wants to leave a legacy. He wants it easy. He wants to make it easy for the next generation and for that present generation and for the next generation to call to mind these biblical. Truths, his diligence. The word for diligence means to hurry, to hasten, to expedite a process, to make every effort, to be zealous and eager, to be very conscientious and driven. That's what Peter is saying, that I am going to be diligent right now with the remaining hours that I have, so it will be easier for you in the future to call to mind these things that I am saying. Look at the word for departure, or you see the word departure. I will be diligent that after my departure, you know what that word is? That's the word Exodus. So Peter is saying, I am going to be diligent so that after my Exodus, you will be able to recall these things to mind.

39:46You know what the Exodus means, right? Departure, the big Exodus from Egypt, the mass departure. There also is a euphemism for death, an exodus. My soul is leaving this tent and going into the next. It's interesting. If you look, Peter's Exodus is in contrast, look back at verse 11, with the entrance of believers into the eternal kingdom. Look back. For in this way, the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. The word there is aesodus. You have Exodus and Aesodus. Exodus going out, Aesodus going in.

40:34He's making a contrast here. As he goes out, that is the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we exit one realm and we enter another realm. And look at his goal: your entrance, having heard his words, having put them into practice, having been diligent about this chorus of virtues that he has so talked about, as you do so, the entrance into the eternal kingdom will be abundantly supplied to you, overflowing. You see, Peter's message here is not for those who just want to get by. What's the minimum I need to do to enter into heaven? That's a question we ask ourselves a lot. We're minimalists. Peter is no minimalist here. He's saying, I want your entrance to be grand and glorious and abundantly supplied to you. So be diligent. Be diligent. So his effort is to equip others. He wants to leave them a legacy that would allow them to call to mind these eternal truths. And he's going to go on in the next from verses 16 and on and talk about the prophetic word made more sure, the graphe, the writing. The scripture.

42:02He was diligent to leave behind a written record so that all could call it to mind whenever they wanted. Look at verse 15, at any time. So, as we look at this, it's important to make some observations. Words are spiritual food. What Peter is doing, he is feeding the sheep, and he is loving Christ by feeding Christ's followers. Do you love me? Feed my sheep, or tend my lambs. Do you love me? Shepherd my sheep. Do you love me? Tend my lambs. And the one element of tending and shepherding is feeding. And so this is what he is doing. There is a great advantage to the printed word. Leave a legacy, just for yourself. Shepherd your own soul by reading the Bible, calling these things to mind, but also shepherd others by exhorting, impressing, and yes, writing. It might be a good idea for some of you to write letters to your loved ones about the truth of Scripture. Leave them something that makes it easy for them to call to mind the eternal truths of God's word.

43:20And I think one of the most debilitating sins of most Christians is a failure to be diligent about the right things. This is what Failing to love God with all our hearts, minds, and strength looks like. This is no new truth. Let me read to you, Deuteronomy 6:4. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your might. These words which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and daughters, and shall talk about them when you sit in your house, and when you walk, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates. This is the same command. Peter is saying, if we will be active in loving the Lord our God and applying diligence with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we will find that we don't fail in so many other areas. Israel's failure in the land was first and foremost a failure to be diligent in these things that he had told them. Well, Peter's final words are really about exhorting us to be zealous for cultivating godly virtues. Be zealous in these things. He has granted you all these things for life. Now be zealous in developing them. Yes. Yes, if you look at 1 and 2 Peter, he is concerned about the church. He is concerned about the persecution that's coming under Nero. He's very concerned about the persecution. He's also very concerned about the false teachers that have risen up, probably in response to the persecution and have morphed the truth into something else. And then a whole lot of other hosts of false teachers and their sensuality and their doctrine that's driven by their wicked hearts. He's concerned about all of that. But his solution and his heart is right here in these verses: you will be victorious if you will be zealous about doing what is right.

45:45You will be able to spot the false teachers. You will be able to stand in the face of persecution. If you will be zealous about this one task, be obedient in being zealous about cultivating moral virtue and godly virtues. And this is what Peter wants for the followers: a grand and joyful entrance into the kingdom. In fact, that's a theme. If you've been with us in 1 Peter, chapter 1 and verse 6, it speaks about the great rejoicing. 1 Peter 1:7, there's praise and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ in verse 8, so that you will be able to. Rejoice with joy inexpressible. This theme is throughout the Bible. Isaiah 35:10, the ransom of the Lord will come to Zion with joyful shouting, everlasting joy upon their heads. Then they will find gladness and joy, sorrow and sadness will flee away. Malachi 4:2 says this: that those who fear the Lord, the Son of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and they will go forth and skip about like calves released from a stall. And 1 Peter 1:11, he says this: this entrance being abundantly supplied to you.

47:13That's what he's going out like calves from a stall. You get the picture? Kicking up the heels, joyful. Well, that's what's on Peter's heart. And I hope you won't just take these things, toss them aside, and move on. I know these truths, but I would ask that you would remember them, and that maybe each day you will work on cultivating them. Be diligent. Put them on your list of things to do. Develop them so that we are not guilty of walking away here, forgetting, and falling asleep spiritually. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you. Thank you for the reminder. We thank you for Peter. Thank you for his letter. We thank you in the final hours of his days upon this earth that he was so moved to put in writing these things, these truths, so that we, 2,000 years later, can have easy access and call these truths to mind. Father, we ask that you would do whatever you need to do in our heart to bring us to a right relationship with you. Father, that you would give us joy in diligence. And Father, only you can do that. And so we ask you to awaken us, awaken us from our spiritual sleep, give us a hunger and thirst for that which pleases you most, and help us to number our days and be careful and wise and enjoy the life that you've given us, however many days you've given us, to the end that your name would be exalted and that your church would be edified, and that when people remember our names and this church, that their minds would be turned heavenward. We ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen.