Theme: Come Down from the Mountain to
the Plain
1. To personally grow in the grace and
knowledge of Christ.
2. To publicly defend and proclaim the
Word of God
We all know what it feels like to have
such a good day that you don’t want it to end. It could be a day where
everything goes your way, or a day when you reach the culmination of a long
goal or hard work. Sometimes, it’s about a day where we’ve had a fun time with
family or friends, or maybe the weather was excellent. There can be a certain
feeling of sorrow when a day like this comes to a close. Life continually moves
along and so nothing good lasts forever and so it can be difficult to come down
from the high of a good day.
We get that sense when we think of
Christ’s Transfiguration. The sight was so magnificent that Peter requested
that three tabernacles be built; one each for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. Part of
this was Peter responding in a moment that he didn’t fully understand. But,
there was also an element of joy to Peter’s request. He didn’t want this to
end. He wanted to continue being in the presence of His Lord’s glory. But, as
happens with all good things, it came to an end. We sang of that in the final
verse of hymn 135:
“Tis
good, Lord, to be here.
Yet we
may not remain;
But
since Thou bidst us leave the mount,
Come
with us to the plain.”
The hymn writer captures the scene well.
Up on the mountain, in full display of the Lord’s glory, things seemed pretty
good. But, the end was not yet. God still had work to do and work for His disciples
to do. In order to follow Jesus, they needed to descend to the plain. So, too,
it is in our lives. We have not witnessed the Transfiguration of our Lord, but
there are moments when we are called to descend from the spectacular and
inspiring down to the common and lowly.
The Transfiguration clearly made a big
impression on Peter. He would write about it later as a defense of the validity
of His faith; remarking how he did not follow false fables when it came to
Jesus but he actually was an eye-witness of Christ’s glory. He was talking
about the Transfiguration. Later on in the same letter, Peter describes what it
means to descend from the mountain to the plain. This portion comes as our
sermon text, from the end of Peter’s second letter:
2 Peter 3:14-18 Therefore, beloved,
looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace,
without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord
is salvation-- as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to
him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of
these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and
unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the
Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware
lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error
of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
Part 1: To
personally grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ
The Lord beckons us to come down from
the mountain to the plain, first of all in order to personally grow in the
grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. If there was anyone who knew the
importance of growth, it was Peter. The books of Acts, and 1 and 2 Peter paint
an entirely different image of Peter than do the Gospels. Peter’s early track
record with Jesus was nothing to boast about. He was certainly impetuous and
eager in many things. Boldness was not something he lacked. But, it was wisdom
that was often in short supply. I’m sure in the later years of his life Peter
probably reminisced with a smile about his former ways. When you look at the
composite view of his life in the Scriptures, Peter was certainly someone who
grew.
But in order to grow as a Christian, you
must be in the thick of this world. You have to come down from the mountain.
New life by faith in Christ can certainly feel inspiring. But, life is not
lived in an isolated bubble of good feelings. In order to grow one must be out
in the world, on the plain, in order to learn and experience the guiding hand
of Christ by faith. Peter was thrust into this scenario right after the
ascension of Jesus. In the early chapters of Acts, Peter is the main leader in
the church. He is one who is preaching boldly, leading the Christians, and
suffering for it. Peter displayed his growth by rejoicing after suffering a
beating for Christ’s name. He epitomized the early church’s motto of “we must
through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).”
Jesus even prepared Peter for this,
saying near the end of His ministry: John 21:18 "Most assuredly, I say
to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished;
but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird
you and carry you where you do not wish." Ultimately, Peter would give
his life in service of His Lord.
We may not be subjected to the same
dangers as Peter and the early Christians, but we are still faced with the
decision to stay on the mountaintop or come down to the plain. Perhaps your
mountain is church. Is that the only place where you grow in the Lord? Just for
one hour or two on a Sunday? Is this the only time you surround yourself with
the Lord’s Word? Furthermore, is church the only place where you are willing to
talk about your faith? Do you keep it distant when you’re out during the week
and only bring it out on Sunday? These are examples of ways that you might be
staying in your “safe space” while refusing to come down to the plain.
Life on the plain isn’t easy, that’s why
it’s the plain. But life is not lived only in the extraordinary, either. The
measure of our days is built upon the successive things we do in the common and
ordinary times. To encourage you in your personal growth, Peter writes, Therefore,
beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in
peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of
our Lord is salvation. This is an interesting statement because literally
Peter is saying, “Eagerly be a patient Christian.” He implores you to wait upon
the Lord’s power, mercy, and word but to do it eagerly. That’s a hard line to
walk. But, that’s why Peter also says, “Consider that the longsuffering of
our Lord is salvation.” Jesus is the engine that drives our personal
growth. It took extreme patience to come to earth and live, suffer, and die in
our place; so much so that patience itself isn’t’ even a complete enough word.
Jesus was more than patient; He was “longsuffering”. Jesus did more than wait,
He suffered continually in our place. He proved Himself worthy as the Son of
God and as our Savior by never once stepping out of line in the midst of that
longsuffering. And so Peter tells us, this is our salvation.
When we come down from the safety of the
mountain to the frustration of the plain; we grow because Jesus did the same
thing, and now uses His grace to bless and strengthen us.
Part 2: To
publicly defend and proclaim the Word of God
The rest of this text goes on to tell us
why life on the plain is difficult and what we should be invested in while we
are there. When it comes to that most important teaching of salvation in
Christ, Peter warns, as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the
wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles,
speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand,
which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do
also the rest of the Scriptures.
When Peter was on the mountaintop with
Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, there were no dangers present. He was simply in the
presence of His Lord, completely protected. Coming down, though, things would
get much more difficult. Life would go back to normal. That’s also what makes
the different mountaintops of our lives so enticing. We are protected. We are
safe. We don’t have to venture outside of our comfort zone.
Peter explains to the Christian reader
some of the things they will have to deal with on the plain. There are many out
in the world who would tear down the work of Jesus Christ. Some may do it in
ignorance, but Peter speaks of others who would deliberately do it. They
actively twist and distort God’s Word. They obscure the message of salvation to
the point that someone cannot receive it. This is the true danger we are
confronted with.
It’s interesting that if you think about
it, almost all false teachings are done with good intentions. People often do
it because they think they will gain something better by it. For example, if a
particular word from God is not popular in the current world, change it and we
can get more people in our church. Or, if God calls something a sin, but no one
else wants to believe it, just let the matter go and you’ll never have to have
that difficult conversation of admonition. No one changes the Word of God
because they think it’s a harmful thing to do. They always feel like they know
better or they’ll get something better for doing it. Peter tells us the truth.
Anyone who changes God’s Word does it to his own destruction.
And for the Christian, Peter also
reminds us, you know these things already so be prepared. Yes, life on the
plain is difficult, and yes, we are confronted by many enemies and opponents.
But, we know this already and we know what our hope is. We have Jesus, and His
gift of salvation. Nothing can rob us of that, unless we are willing to give it
away.
Here’s where we must ask ourselves about
our willingness to contend for the faith. Jude writes, “I found it necessary
to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once
for all delivered to the saints, for certain men have crept in unnoticed, who
long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace
of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ
(Jude 1:3-4).” Growing personally in Jesus Christ is important, but so is
publically defending and proclaiming His Word. Both tasks are involved in
descending from the mountain of safety to the plain of real life.
Have you asked yourself recently, “How
am I doing at defending my Lord’s word?” Are you ready to stand up in the face
of opposition and give your confession of Jesus as Savior and Lord? This
doesn’t mean you have to be expert apologists or theologians. Oftentimes, it’s
the simplest of God’s followers that give the best defense of His Word; people
like young children, the elderly, the sick, or those who have next to nothing
in the material possessions of the world.
We live at a time when social movements
rise up all the time in the face of disrespect or offensive actions. Would you
rise up for God if someone disrespected Him? Would you come to His defense
before those who would twist and distort His Word? Or, would you hold it in
until you’re back on the mountaintop of safety? Remember that when you defend
your faith you’re doing it for more than just God. Peter tells you that those
who change God’s Word do it to their destruction. What does it say about
us as Christians if we know that but don’t care enough to say anything about
it?
You know this beforehand, don’t allow it
to lead you into falling away from your steadfast foundation in Jesus. It takes
courage and it takes patience. Life on the plain is difficult. But, it the
same, and even more, for us to have anything worth defending. The longsuffering
of our Savior is salvation. That is the steadfast foundation we have been
given. That is what we risk losing when we fail to grow to grow in or share the
same.
Protection and safety in our spiritual
lives is not about hiding from the enemy, nor is about keeping that good
feeling of being a newborn Christian. We, too, must through many tribulations
enter the kingdom of God. That’s life on the plain, but as the hymn-writer
wrote, so we believe. Jesus is by our side.
The peace of God which surpasses all
understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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