Without having been there, we can try to imagine a little of what it must have been like on 9/11 after the planes hit the towers. The buildings were shaken, as were the people. Fire and smoke filled many rooms. We know many fire fighters were dispatched and entered the buildings to rescue those in peril. Could it have been, at least on the lower floors, that firemen went into smoke-filled rooms with flashlights calling out to those in need? If so, the victims could have reached safety by listening to the calls, following the flashlights, and heeding instructions that would lead to safety.

Peter’s second epistle reveals that the Jewish Kingdom saints were in spiritual peril. Evil men whom he called “false prophets” (II Peter 2:1) had entered the safety of their churches with dangerous lies. These men “were even denying the Lord that bought them…” (vs. 1). Unfortunately, as they called out this bad doctrine, Peter said: “And many shall follow their pernicious ways…” (vs. 2). No doubt the hearers thought they were following the light of truth to safety when, in fact, they were being led the wrong way. It was in this context that Peter told his fellow saints: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished” (vs. 9). This verse sounds quite similar to I Corinthians 10:13, which says: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” How does God deliver believers from temptations? The answer is essentially the same in every dispensation. The Lord does not commandeer our will. We must choose to allow Him to lead us to victory by listening to the right voices of influence, following the light of God’s truth into paths of safety, and yielding in obedience to the Holy Spirit who always leads us away from the perils of sin.

The Jews in Peter’s day needed to stop listening to the confusing false teachers and to simply heed the truths they had heard from sound teachers. Similarly, today, we need to choose to yield to the Holy Spirit, who always leads away from sin, and listen only to teachers who are consistent with truth taught by Paul.

My wife and I have a large 3D-type painting of the face of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. When you look closely, a detailed account of the crucifixion emerges from the hidden details within the picture. We have a plaque which reads: “A soft answer turneth away wrath,” taken from Proverbs 15:1, emphasizing a key to harmony in our home. Another plaque reads: “Love one another,” based on I Thessalonians 4:9 and Romans 13:8. This highlights the glue that holds families together. We’ve intentionally placed these constant reminders of our faith on the walls so their truth will become deeply imbedded into our souls.

After instructing the Jewish saints to add a list of virtues to their faith (II Peter 1:5-8), Peter goes on to say three different times that he will continue to remind them of these truths. He says: “…I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth” (vs. 12). Peter knew that even saints who are well grounded in truth tend to forget the truths of Scripture, or can even be swayed by false teaching. Peter was well aware of our Lord’s parable about the sower sowing the Word of God and the “wicked one” coming to snatch that seed away (Matthew 13:19-20). So he told his readers he would be intent on constantly reminding them of the virtues they needed to add to their faith. Peter put it this way: “Yea, I think it meet [or appropriate], as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance” (vs. 13). It may have sounded like a broken record to some. To others his reminders would be like the saints in the hymn “hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.” As long as he was alive, Peter intended to sing this same tune to remind them of needed truths. Finally, Peter told them another reason for his persistence: “I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance” (vs. 15). My father had over a dozen memorable quotes about wisdom in life that he repeated over and over. This repetition has branded these saying into my mind. So, I am certain Peter’s repetition of truth was effective.

Believer, we suggest you constantly review the truths, and even basic doctrines of God’s Word with your family. Doing so will assure they won’t be easily forgotten.

We have Christian friends in Canada who own a fruit orchard.  A few years ago, they had an unusually warm and early spring. All of the trees grew beautiful new blooms in preparation to produce a hefty harvest. Then a severe cold snap with snow swept in, killing all those new blooms and any hope for a good harvest. It didn’t matter how deeply rooted the trees were, or how beautiful the trees looked in summer. Those trees were going to remain barren and unfruitful for one whole year.

In Peter’s second epistle, he gave a meaningful promise to his fellow Kingdom saints about spiritual growth. After discussing their “precious faith” (II Peter 1:1) unto salvation, and their “precious promises” (vs. 4) of a new nature and eternal hope, he told them to give “all diligence” to add six things to their faith. First, he told them to add “virtue,” which means manliness, valor, or excellence (vs. 5). Believers needed courage and toughness to face trials, rather than being too soft. Paul urged the same mindset when he told us to “quit you like men, be strong” (I Corinthians 16:13). Second, they needed to add “knowledge,” which refers to an assimilation of basic doctrinal facts to know what the Lord expected of them. Third was “temperance,” meaning self-control. They would never be spiritually stable if they exercised no restraint in sinful tendencies. Fourth was “patience,” referring to endurance. They must not establish a pattern of crumbling every time hardship came. Instead they must draw on God’s grace, endure, and remember this victory for future strength. Fifth was “brotherly kindness,” or brotherly love. Just as one is incomplete without being loved, one is incomplete without demonstrating a kind love for other saints. Sixth was “charity,” which refers to an unconditional love for others. This quality is the needed icing on the cake of Christianity. Peter promised “if these things be in you, and abound…ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful.” To be barren of spiritual fruit would indicate a barrenness, emptiness, and lack of spiritual life within the soul. Instead, allowing the Lord to produce these qualities would bring real spiritual life and inner joy.

Peter’s list is mirrored by two references from Paul. Romans 5:3-4 refers to maturing through tribulation, patience, experience, and hope. Then, in Galatians 5:22-26, he specifies the fruit of the Spirit. If you want to never be barren or unfruitful, allow God to grow these qualities in you.

Our family used to enjoy watching the small prairie dogs in the Black Hills of South Dakota. These animals live in underground communities connected by a series of tunnels and surface holes. For safety reasons, when they come outside for food, they stay very close to a means of escape. They frequently stand up on their back legs looking, with great vigilance, for any predator. They aren’t the smartest of God’s creation. Hunters often shoot one of the prairie dogs and another standing right beside it simply looks in bewilderment at its dead companion. But if a human gets anywhere close, they quickly vanish into the safety of their den.

In Peter’s parting words in his first epistle, he warns: “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8). The intended word picture is one of a powerful, hungry, and mature lion on the prowl looking for prey. Its victim may not even be aware it is being stalked with stealth until fatally within the lion’s unmerciful clutches. As a spiritual being, Satan is an unseen enemy who constantly prowls searching for any he can attack, particularly believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan can use false teachers, appeal to our flesh to pursue sinful paths, or even use other believers to “devour” us in discouragement. The Lord wanted Peter to inform the saints of this constant danger and specifically warn them to be “vigilant.” Being vigilant means to be awake, watchful, or alert. Believers must not become careless or indifferent to the attacks of our enemy. If we do not choose to be consistently alert to our ever-present danger, we will make ourselves easy prey for our enemy. Therefore, believers are to be “sober,” or serious minded, about this threat. This means to not only look for Satan’s attacks, but to “resist,” or stand against them, in the power of the Lord. James gave the encouraging promise, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Satan cannot overpower a believer, nor can he be successful, unless one is careless, unprepared, or facing Satan in one’s own strength.

The Apostle Paul likewise warns about our constant struggle against satanic forces (Ephesians 6:11-13). To be prepared for this danger, we are instructed to put on the “whole armour of God” that we might be able “to stand” victorious in His power. Are you dressing for this battle daily?

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When I was twelve years old, I drove our pickup into a field and parked on a hill. While I was walking away, the pickup started moving. I quickly ran to the front hood and pushed against it with all my might. I was resisting its forward movement, but the power of gravity, with all that weight, made my effort futile. In the end, the pickup rolled to the bottom of the hill. Thankfully, it didn’t hit anything, and I was able to get out of the way without being injured.

As Peter wrote to Kingdom saints, he addressed proper conduct in their local assemblies. He addresses the elders who led the churches, urging them to minister willingly as good examples (I Peter 5:1-3). Then he directed his instructions to younger saints saying: “…submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (vs. 5). In these words, we have an extremely important principle. It is noteworthy that when Solomon listed seven things that God hates and that are an abomination, at the very top is “a proud look” (Proverbs 6:16-19). God hates pride because it hardens one’s heart toward Him and leads to further sinful behavior contrary to His will. Peter was implying that, when any refuse to submit themselves to church leadership, the real reason would be pride, causing God to resist their efforts. To “resist” means to oppose or set oneself against. What a futile condition when believers put themselves in a position where the power of God, like a weighty object, is working against their efforts. Furthermore, they miss out on the grace, meaning God’s divine influence on the heart, which would otherwise be given to them. The Apostle James likewise wrote: “…God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6). The context reveals that James was addressing “… fightings among you” in local churches, improper prayer, and worldliness (vss. 1-5). Here again, these saints are warned that God will resist the proud conduct of those who harden themselves to the Lord’s work in their hearts that produces proper conduct.

In I Thessalonians 5:12-14, Paul addresses this same subject with similar instructions. Compare them for yourself. In your circumstance, are you humbly submitting to God or proudly refusing to submit, bringing God’s resistance? Choose the path of humility.

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As a teenager, my girlfriend, her parents, and I trusted Christ within days of one another. In short order, we began attending a Bible-teaching church fifty miles away. My childhood church background had been in a liberal, modernistic denomination where attendees never heard a true gospel. When my former pastor learned that I was attending a church out of town with my girlfriend’s parents, he went to their place of work, railed on them, and tried to get them fired. These were difficult times for them, but they trusted Christ, and kept attending the new church where they were growing.

When Peter wrote his first epistle to Kingdom saints, they too were enduring persecution for their growing faith. Peter encouraged them with these words: “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil-doer, or as a busybody…Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf” (I Peter 4:15-16). The saints to whom Peter was writing had been “scattered abroad,” throughout the known world, by persecution over their faith in the Lord Jesus as their promised Messiah (James 1:1). Unbelieving Jews, like Saul before he became the Apostle Paul, pursued them wherever they went, seeking to imprison and torture them until they renounced their faith in Christ. If they would not recant Christ, many were murdered. It was in this context that Peter instructed these saints about suffering. They were to be careful to never engage in sinful activities that would bring negative consequences. If they suffered for the sake of Christ, they were to not “be ashamed,” or shrink from their stand for our Lord. Instead, they were to respond with verbal praise, sing praises, and remain steadfast, therein bringing glory to God. Peter himself had done so when beaten and commanded to no longer speak in Christ’s name. He responded with “…rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). Likewise, Paul and Silas “…prayed, and sang praises” (Acts 16:25). Responding with angry words or threats would not glorify Christ, but demonstrating godliness would do so and enhance their testimony.

In every dispensation “…all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (II Timothy 3:12). Be bold in sharing Christ in a wise and godly way. When persecution comes, respond in a way that will “glorify God” (I Peter 4:16).

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