Dr. LaRondelles letter to Van Wyk

26 June 2009

 

Dear Dr Van Wyk:  Interesting how you use the death of the American pop-star to exalt Jesus as the saving Michael.

I happen to have the sermon in Sarasota, FL tomorrow and have prepared a sermon on GROWING IN CHRIST, according to Simon Peter (2 P 3:18).

The life and character of this unusual disciple, apostle, and martyr (as O. Cullmann's book is entitled) is an inspiring story.

I have read EGWhite in DA, chs 41 and 45; and AA 50 and 51 and concluded that she had a much deeper insight in Peter than I had.  So I am grateful for her testimony.  I can attach what I have written now to you, knowing I must choose only a part in a sermon.

 

Warmly, your friend in Christ,

 

Hans LaRondelle

 

 

Sermon HLR 6/27/09         Hymns: 577—492 (1,4) 

GROWING IN CHRIST

2 Peter 3:18 

Nearing the end of his life, the ap. Peter became increasingly concerned about the spiritual growth of Christian believers.  He directed his two letters to “God’s elect, strangers in the world,” who were scattered throughout the Roman province of Asia Minor, now called Turkey.  Peter’s application of the Jewish term “God’s elect” to the young churches in the Gentile world shows already his own growth in understanding God’s covenant with Israel.  To trace Peter’s process of his maturing is an inspiring story.  He knew from own experience what they should strive for, as in 1P 2:2: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” And in 2 P 3:18, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior JC.”

Peter warns us against stagnation and complacency with our present beliefs.  He wants us all to make progress, to mature by way of growing in our knowledge of God and of Christ our Savior. 

The questions that will lead us this morning are: What did Peter mean by “growing up in Christ,” and what is our part in this process of a sanctified life?

  • To find the answers we must know where to look:  1) the two letters of Peter, the second of which is particularly helpful for the last generation; 2) in the four Gospel writings; 3) the book of Acts, where Peter is the central figure of the first 12 chs.
  • We will benefit from the profound insight by EGW in DA (ch 45).

As a shepherd of the flock, Peter wants every believer to accept the challenge of suffering for Christ, if called upon, and to be able to stand in the final test in the Day of the Lord.  This perspective of hope shows the urgency of our need to grow up in Christ, and to follow Him wherever He goes. Peter makes our readiness for the 2d coming his ultimate concern: *2P 3:11-14. 

Here’s the challenge: “What kind of people ought we to be?”  To find courage for our commitment: How did Peter come to grow up in Christ? 

Moments of growth in Peter

Peter’s character was an open book to Jesus.  He saw in Peter an impulsive but loving heart, a man who was ambitious and self-confident, yet quick to repent and willing to be taught by Christ.  That openness to Christ and clinging to His mercy were Peter’s secrets of his spiritual growth. Let’s consider some remarkable moments of growth in certain settings of Peter’s life.

      As a Jewish believer, Peter accepted that Israel’s Redeemer God was also Israel’s Teacher.  Key text: *Isa 54:13, “All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children’s peace.”  The Jewish people saw God’s teaching realized in His giving of the Torah, the sacred Scriptures.  In Jesus’ days the rabbis and Pharisees considered faith in the Scriptures as the way to salvation and life eternal.  Jesus is aware of this conservative mindset, but sounds a note of correction: *Jn 5:39-40. 

  • The Scriptures are inspired testimonies that point to the Messiah as the way of salvation.  Jesus claims that he was that promised Messiah or Christ.  But more than a belief in a Messiah was at stake:  the critical issue was the nature of Jesus’ messiahshipJesus did not want to be a political Messiah and fight for an earthly kingship.  He did not call to arms against the Roman oppressors.

The next important ch, John 6, describes how Jesus demonstrated the nature of His messianic kingship in specific miracles and how Jesus interpreted these for them as a new test of faith in Him. The first sign of Jesus’ messiahship in Jn 6 is the feeding of a crowd of 5000 of His followers on a hillside near the Sea of Galilee.  This was Jesus’ sign to Israel that He himself had come as the heavenly Manna from heaven.  But how did they interpret this messianic sign? 

Jesus read their intention “to come and make him king by force” (Jn 6:15).  For that reason Jesus withdrew himself from the crowd into the hills.  Thus Jesus did not fulfill the Jewish expectations of a political and military Messiah.  That caused a crisis even among Jesus’ closest disciples, the Twelve.  Not one of them understood the spiritual kingship of Christ: “a mystery they could not fathom” (DA 385).    Amazed about their unbelief, Jesus tried hard to explain His miracle in connection with Israel’s experience under Moses in the wilderness, as we hear in: *Jn 6:41-47.

  • Here is the new truth:  The promise of Isa 54 (“They will all be taught by God”) was being realized before their very eyes but they did not recognize it!  Christ had come from God as the heavenly Teacher: “Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me!(Jn 6:45).  That is the advancing revelation of God in Israel’s history. Jesus explains the messianic significance of God’s feeding of Israel for 40 years in the wilderness with bread that came from heaven: this typology did not imply a repetition of miraculaous feedings but the mission of the Messiah:  “I am the living bread that came down from heaven… If a man eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (51). This messianic interpretation of the antitype of the manna was misunderstood by literalizing Jesus’ words.  It became a stumbling block for Jesus’ disciples and many left Him:   *Jn 6:60-61, 67-69.

 

Jesus even asked the Twelve: “You do not want to leave too, do you?”  And Who spoke up at this moment of crisis with true faith in Christ Jesus?  “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.

This was Peter’s finest hour!  He spoke as the representative of the other believing disciples.  His faith had grown firmly and his attachment to Jesus was close.  But he was not yet fully instructed in the nature of Jesus’ messiahship. New testings of Peter’s faith and love were to come, and his failures humbled him deeply.  One incident, recorded in Mt 14 may be mentioned briefly.

  • That very evening, when Peter and the others sailed to the other side of the lake a storm threatened to sink their boat.   When they saw Jesus coming to them over the waves they became terrified.  It was then that Peter asked, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.”  When Jesus replied, “Come,” Peter actually dared to step into the waves and moved to Jesus.  It was at that moment of self-confidence that Peter began to sink and cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus saved him immediately but asked, “Why did you doubt?”  Peter never forgot his failure to trust fully in the Lord.

But a greater test would come to Peter, when Jesus explained His messiahship.

Peter’s test of faith in a suffering Messiah

No sooner had Peter confessed his faith in Jesus as the God-sent Messiah, or Jesus advanced to teach them the unique mission of His messiahship.  This would be a turning point in their traditional messianic hopes: *Mk 8:31.

Here Peter’s spontaneous reaction to rebuke Jesus for such a gloomy scenario of suffering and death shows a shocking failure to comprehend Jesus’ mission: *Mk 8:32.  That prospect overwhelmed all his Jewish hopes and expectations.

Jesus was disappointed in Peter’s self-confidence and replied with one of His harshest words: “Out of my sight, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

  • Explanation: Jesus senses that Peter is used by Satan to tempt Him to give up His divine mission to sacrifice himself as a ransom for many.  Jesus addressed therefore Satan directly, just as He had done earlier in the wilderness.  Compare: *Lk 22:31-32.  See: *1P 5:8-9.
  • This incident point up a failure of Peter’s knowledge of God because of his religious tradition, in spite of his true confession about Jesus as the Son of God.  But Peter was willing to learn!  This teachable spirit allows his constant growth: he accepted Jesus’ rebuke of him and later became the apostle who stressed suffering as the way of following the Lord all the way. Peter was always willing to learn from Christ and thus he became a pillar of strength in the early church.  In his first letter he writes that we are redeemed from ourselves by “the precious blood of the spotless Lamb” of God (1 Pet 1:19).  

 

Peter’s spiritual growth at the footwashing

John 13 reports the occasion of Jesus’ washing the feet of His twelve apostles during His last Passover feast in Jerusalem.  Here Peter’s faith in a humble Messiah was tested.  He could not accept such a lowly act to be performed by the godly Messiah. “No, you shall never wash my feet!” he exclaimed to Jesus.  How did Christ respond to Peter’s pride and self-esteem?  “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”  Separation from his Lord was the opposite of what he wanted. So Peter was quick to accept the reproof and said, “Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”  Growth in Christ!

Peter’s apostasy, repentance, and rehabilitation

Undoubtedly the greatest test of Peter’s faith came when Jesus was imprisoned by the high priest.  All his apostles had fled the scene.  Peter went however to the courtyard, where one servant girl asked him if he belonged to “that Jesus the Nazarene.” Three times he was asked and three times he cursed himself, saying ,”I don’t know this man!” Immediately a rooster began to crow the second time (Mk 14:72). It reminded Peter of Jesus’ warning for him.  One Gospel says: “Just as he was speaking, “the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter,” and he “went outside and wept bitterly” (Lk 22:62).

      This moment of new self-knowledge brought Peter a heartfelt repentance he would never forget; it was for him a humiliating self-knowledge yet also a spiritual growing experience!  Ever since then that look of Jesus with forgiving pity kept Peter a humble man, trusting more in Jesus than in himself.   After his resurrection from the dead, Jesus went to the seashore and joined His apostles.   He then asked Peter three times one pertinent question: “Simon Peter, do you truly love me?” Peter answered each time: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Peter gave the evidence of a true repentance of his shameful dishonoring of Christ.  Now Jesus gave him the test of his most essential qualification: his love for Christ!  Thus he regained the confidence of his brethren.  Jesus then reinstated Peter among His apostles with these words, “Feed my lambs,” and “Feed my sheep” (Jn 21). This rehabilitated Peter. 

EGW comments: “Because of his humiliation and repentance, Peter was better prepared than ever before to act as shepherd to the flock” (DA 812).

Peter received an important task for the young and the old: to testify of his experiences with the Lord Jesus to all of them. As Jesus had explained it to Peter earlier:  “I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.  And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Lk 22:32).

Peter’s final testimony to Christ came when he was led away to be crucified himself at the order of emperor Nero.  He was now prepared to share in the Lord’s mission of self-sacrifice.  At his own request, he was crucified with his head downward. “He thought it too great an honor to suffer in the same way as his Master did” (DA 816).  This sealed his conviction that suffering for Christ is an honor: *1P 4:12-13.

Peter never stopped growing in Christ

Peter’s growth in Christ was to keep learning all his life. On one occasion he received a heavenly correction of his shortsightedness. In Acts 10 we hear that Peter was visiting a tanner whose house was near the sea in the town of Joppa.  Peter went on the flat roof to pray.  There he received a vision about a large sheet being let down to earth filled with all kinds of animals, even reptiles and birds of prey.  Then a voice told him. “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord, he replied, I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” Then the voice said, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times.  Then he woke up, because there were strange visitors calling at the gate of the house:  three Roman soldiers were asking for Peter by name to receive an invitation to come immediately to the house of their commander Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Regiment, who was a God-fearing Gentile and respected by all the Jewish people.  A coincidence or a providential guidance?  Peter was at first puzzled but then the Spirit said to him: “Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” When Peter arrive in the home of Cornelius in Caesarea, he began to realize what the Lord Jesus was teaching him a wider concept of mission that would break him out of his narrow Jewish tradition of avoiding all contact with the unclean Gentiles.  Coming in Caesarea, Peter acknowledged: “God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.”  Before his Gentile audience, Peter confessed: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”

      While Peter was giving his gospel message about Jesus, the H. Spirit came on all who heard the message, so that all the circumcised believers were astonished that the gift of the H. Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles!  Then Peter said, “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the H. Spirit just as we have.” 

Peter was called to account for this deed before the church council in Jerusalem, but he gave there such a convincing report that all the conservative church leaders gave their warm approval of his new initiative to accept believing Gentiles into the Jewish-Christian church.  No one could deny that the risen Lord Jesus was guiding Peter to break the church open to all non-Jews.  Thus all the believers began to grow in Christ and to expand their vision according to Christ’s leadership. 

We can see in Peter’s first general letter how he learned his lesson to include the Gentiles in the chosen people: *1P 2:9-10. 

      This does not mean that Peter now was considered to be infallible in his judgments.  In fact, there is a remarkable report of Paul in his letter to the Galatians in which he stresses his apostolic judgment over against that of Peter.  The issue here is not that of his higher authority but rather one of moral example in which Paul criticize Peter for his failure to stand firm when he needed to stand up against the Judaizing leaders who still maintained a line of Jewish superiority over the Gentile believers: *Gal 2:14. 

  • Here we see how Peter once more needed to grow in his courage to stand firm for the gospel and its consequences in a time of crisis.

Peter became the most respected senior apostle in the early church, one of the “pillars,” who wrote two important letters to the church at large.  He closed his second letter with these words of final encouragement: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

In ch 11 follows the emotional testing of John the Baptist who is suffering in a dungeon and is confused about Jesus’ gentle approach to sinners.  Jesus suggests a reminder of God’s saving purpose as predicted by the prophet Isaiah: *Mt 11:2-6. (closing with His messianic claim).

Why then did the Jewish religious leaders and intelligent rabbis not perceive in Jesus the God-sent Messiah?   Jesus deals with this mystery in a challenging answer: *Mt 11:25-26.

Here Jesus makes a fundamental distinction between human wisdom and God’s wisdom.  Whom did Christ designate as “little children”?  Is He defending ignorance as a virtue?  Not at all, as His next words indicate, but He contrasts self-sufficient religious knowledge and the attitude of openness in humility.  The “little ones” are the teachable ones, those who humbly seek for more God-knowledge. Jesus acknowledges that this hunger and thirst for knowing God is  God’s own design for our spiritual growth: Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.” No one can be the Master of our knowledge of GOD but GOD Himself.  Jesus clarifies His words in: *11:27.

This counts as one of the most stunning declarations Jesus ever made (spoken in contrast with the teachings of the scribes and rabbis of His time).  He claims exclusive mutual knowledge between the Father and the Son!

  • Jesus comes not as another messenger of divine wisdom; He is the embodiment of the Wisdom of GOD.

When some of the Jews grumbled about His claim to be the Bread that came down from heaven, Jesus appealed to Isa 54:13 and gave it a Messianic fulfillment in: *Jn 6:45-47.  

Who could know this from simple reading the Scriptures?  The new truth came from encountering the Lord Jesus Himself!  This is told in *Jn 7:17.

  • The historical situation is described impressively by Mrs EG White in:

See*DA 459 [QUOTE:Humanity was flooded with the glory of divinity] 

Such a gospel experience cannot be taught by words alone.  It takes Christ Himself to touch us and to assure us.  Luther gave this personal testimony: 

  • “It is not knowledge of the gospel if you just know doctrines and rules of this kind. But you will know the gospel when you hear the voice which tells you that Christ Himself is yours, together with His life, teaching, work, death, resurrection, and everything that He has, does, or can do” (Preface to NT).

 

When Christ is present, His power revives the soul and His wisdom enlightens the mind and dispels the darkness.  The NT brings us the testimonies of those who met Jesus in real life.  Their personal experiences invite all who hear them to receive the same liberating touch from Christ.  More than that, such a soul experience calls us to be a witness ourselves of the Lord Jesus, someone with a heavenly mission.  Consider the example of Peter. 

How then can Israel or the gentiles participate in this Wisdom of GOD?

*Mt 11:28-30.

Jesus explains the two stages:  1) Coming to Him;  2) learning from Him.

What is the reward for His learning followers? Rest for soul and conscience.

  • Rest is here a synonym for salvation and life in the Kingdom of GOD: the true Sabbath rest coming from a living fellowship with the Creator Redeemer.  It is all about intimacy with God Himself: the saving and sanctifying experience of His Presence. 
  • It means the liberation from the burdens that religious teachers place on the consciences of people as a yoke of obedience.

Jesus offers His own “yoke” of walking with GOD: His own interpretations of the Torah and the laws of GOD: the gospel of God’s grace in the Lamb of GOD.  That will be realized in the last generation, we read in *Rev 14:1.

What counts is not what one knows but by Whom one is known.

Peter’s advancing knowledge of Christ

One who eagerly learned from Christ was Peter, an older fisherman in Galilee 

Peter first directs us to the Hebrew Scriptures, but then offers his gospel testimony as the key to understand the Scriptures.  We have to come to the OT through Jesus Christ or we fall into a shortsightedness of some form of literalism. How can we experience such an encounter with Christ today?

Peter matured more and more until he could write in his letter to the Gentile churches: *1 Pet 2:1-3.

Grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!” (2Pet 3:18).

Van wyks letter to dr. LaRondelle

26 June 2009

 

Dear dr. LaRondelle

 

Excellent material and analysis!

I like your word "advancing revelation". It is very appropriate in that passage in John 6:45. It means that  Jesus is not talking about a static past revelation stagnated and bound up to be seen as "ancient". He is  both. He is advancing, stepping forward and saying to them, that one of the past is Me. I am here in front of  you, not then only, now also. Come to me now!

 

My father likes to tell the part of Peter starting to walk on the sea (as EGW 381) that Peter was looking  over his shoulder in selfconfidence to the other disciples saying "what do you think of me?". Then he sank  since he lost focus with Christ. My father loves this part.

 

Peter wept bitterly after the denial for his mind could still see those soft eyes looking at Him in His pathetic  situation.

 

Paul and Peter definitely were experiencing a peer-group struggle many times: You mentioned Galatians  2:14.

 

It may be possible that Peter was also involved in those spies of Paul's lifestyle mentioned in Galatians  2:4c.

In Galatians 2:14 I find the reverse "lifestyle spies" on Peter from Paul's side.

 

Although they may have shared jails at the end, Peter reconciled with Paul and called him "our beloved disciple  Paul" in 2 Peter 3:15.

 

However, even this statement has a little negative footnote about  the literature of Paul "that is difficult to  read at times"  2 Peter 3:16.

Peter do say that he studied Paul's works and has a good bookreview to give.

 

Something else:

Currently I enjoy your dissertation Perfection very much. Footnotes and text have jewels embedded and thoughts that are very analytic and balanced!

As I enjoy dr. Edward Heppenstall's Christ our High Priest because of Heppenstall the philosopher, so I  enjoy your Perfection for LaRondelle the Analytical Theologian! I really appreciate the thoroughness.

 

Thanks very much

Cordially

koot van wyk

26 June 2009