I’ll never forget my first whitewater rafting trip. Standing at attention in my blue life-jacket and yellow “brain bucket,” our young adult river guide warned of everything that could go wrong. Most ominous was the “High side right!”—an emergency scramble onto the raft’s right side (outside the raft) to avoid rapids swallowing us up. As we adventured down the mountainous West Virginia river, the guide’s intimate knowledge of the river impressed me. He enthusiastically spoke of each twist and turn, naming them as if they were personal friends of his.
We are embarking on an epic adventure through Peter’s epistles over the next few months, God willing. You’ll likely discover them to be more a jolting rush through churning rapids than “Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream.” The Lord has graciously guided me down this river off and on over the years, familiarizing me more and more with its unique twists and turns. Freely I’ve received, so freely I give. I pray you encounter more of Jesus and be inspired to search for yourself treasures more precious than gold.
The Peter of the epistles is not the same bumbling, foot-in-the-mouth, braggadocio we see in the Gospels. This seasoned veteran has learned much from his failures and has been transformed into the “Rock” that Jesus foretold. Peter had seen a lot of amazing things following Jesus. Miraculous catches of fish. Blind eyes opened. Bread multiplied. Dead raised. Peter had also done a lot of impressive things. Walked on water. Preached and 3,000 souls were saved. The sick healed by his shadow. So when all is said and done, what looms large on Peter’s heart?
In the warmth of a charcoal fire and satisfied with bread and fish for breakfast, Peter received mercy as Jesus reinstated him to his commission. “Do you love Me, Peter?” “Yes, Lord.” “Feed My sheep.” Those words, along with what kind of death he would die, were emblazoned on his soul. These memories resurface in his final letter: “…I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me” (2Pe 1:14 ESV). Jesus’ unforgettable words on that shore weighed heavily upon the aged apostle’s heart.
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day,” a well-known quote says, “teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” As Peter prepared to depart this earthly life, what burdened him was ensuring God’s people knew how to feed themselves. And it’s not the cliché, “Pray and read your Bible.” By penning a permanent record Peter proved the genuineness of his love for Jesus by teaching His sheep how to feed—and grow—for a lifetime.
What I find remarkable about these letters is that they acknowledge that the sheep already knew how to feed. Peter is preaching to the choir here.
Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder
2 Peter 2:12-13
A review differs from a first-time teaching in that it condenses and summarizes, presupposing a prior familiarity to fill in the gaps. An introductory teaching is more expansive and detailed. This review format makes it a bit more challenging when learning it for the first time. If you’ve only a casual acquaintance with Peter’s writings, I warn you (in a good way) that these whitewaters may startle you about viewing life here with God’s eyes.
These final letters by Peter, John, James and others that close out our New Testament function as a reality check. As such, they are very practical. One of Peter’s reality checks asks, “How do I know my faith is real?” I have joy in Jesus.
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9
Do you have this joy? Go back and re-read those verses. Is this an unusual experience of a few supersaints? No. Look who Peter is writing to: “To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” Here are cities Paul had reached with the gospel. This inexpressible joy is not theoretical; this is the experience of real people in real churches. How did these early Christians consistently experience this joy beyond words? We’re going to adventure down this river of the Spirit flowing through Peter in his maturity to discover our inheritance of joyful living in Christ.
Peter has a ginormous theme that pulsates through his letters. Joy is but one tangible byproduct of this great theme. What is it? We want to put our finger on it. Peter and Paul were in sync on it. These apostle-prophets deposited this common property to the church of God. Sadly, though, it wasn’t all that long before this property became overgrown with weeds and fell into disrepair.
Peter tries to rouse us to attention in his first letter’s opening chapter. It may seem at first that Peter is jumping around from topic to topic. He’s not. He has one theme. See it as a continuous flowing river rather than separate pearls of wisdom strung together. The prophets searched diligently about it, angels longed to see it, and even the Holy Spirit came from heaven to convey it. These examples are intended to stir us to action. But to what? In the weeks ahead we’ll unpack this “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,” trusting the Spirit to possess what’s more precious than gold. So strap on your brain bucket, buckle up your life-jacket, and get ready for an adventure on this river of Living Waters!
Glory Unveiled: Discovering Jesus 