The Real Thing!

1 Peter 1:1a

Last year, Coca-Cola spent 5 billion dollars on advertising.

It didn’t affect me one bit – I don’t like it. If you wanna know, I like Root Beer. I think they probably spend 50 bucks on advertising.

Marsha and I were watching a program recently that documented the origin of Coca-Cola.

It was first created in 1886 by a pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia by the name of John Pemberton. He advertised it as a form of medicine – a medicinal tonic. He sold it as a medicine that cure headaches, fatigue, help you think better, and even overcome morphine addiction.

The problem was, the original formula included extracts from coca leaves, which contain cocaine. That was mixed with kola nuts, which are a source of caffeine. That’s where the name Coca-Cola comes from.

The early version of this drink contained around 60 milligrams of cocaine per serving.

Over time, the public became aware that they might be trading morphine addiction to cocaine addiction, and pressure grew to the point that by 1903, Coca-Cola dropped cocaine from the recipe, but kept the name.

But one thing they didn’t stop doing was advertising. They advertised that it could cure anxiety – calling it a “Brain Tonic” that could help you think better.

Advertising posters featured elegantly dressed women sipping Coca-Cola, suggesting that sophistication and confidence came with it.

As early as 1888, they issued coupons in newspapers for free drinks – the first-ever coupon in American marketing.

The advertising campaign I can still remember – when I was born in 1888 – the advertising campaign in 1969 was “Coke is the Real Thing!” Anybody else in here born in 1888? I mean 1969?

Through the years, advertising products has taken off. Coke was a leader, no doubt. But here’s what one article said – Coke wasn’t just selling soda, it was selling purpose and meaning in life.

Today, we now know that cocaine leads to addiction. Not a better brain but a muddled brain. Now we knowCoke doesn’t cure anxiety.

Have you ever wondered what people believe today about some product, that one day will be proven untrue?

Now, it’s one thing to get a soft drink wrong – it’s another thing to be wrong about life itself.

In the apostle Peter’s day, false teachers were selling their brand of religious experience, calling it freedom and liberty, when it was leading only to greater bondage.

John Phillips wrote in his introduction to Second Peter, that Peter was moved by the Spirit to write his first letter because of what Satan, the old lion, was doing. He is now moved to write a second letter because of what Satan, the old liar, is doing.

He goes on to write: Peter’s first letter dealt with the suffering of God’s people; his second letter will deal with the seduction of God’s people. [SOURCE: ^{John Phillips, Exploring The Epistles of Peter (Kregel Publications, 2005), p. 222]}

Seduced by the false advertising of a fallen world.

There’s an old Jewish proverb that says: “The Lord has created seven seas, but only one, the Sea of Galilee, is His delight.” [SOURCE: ^{Schuyler English, The Life and Letters of Saint Peter (Our Hope Publication, 1941), p. 17]}

That sea was the backyard where the apostle Peter grew up as a boy. He was born into a family of fishermen who knew the Sea of Galilee like the back of their hand.

Peter and his brother Andrew would have fished in those waters, played in them, swam in them – one day he’ll walk on top of it – and never forget it.

His hometown was Bethsaida, where he will meet the Lord. Bethsaida means “the house of fish” – it was a fishing village [where I imagine everything smelled like fish]. It was close to Capernaum, where Peter will later move. [SOURCE: ^{English, p. 21]}

Growing up on the seashore, Peter’s childhood would have mirrored the other Jewish children of his day.

There would have been a school in every village where boys would begin attending at the age of 6. The schools were called – in English – “The house of the book” and they focused on reading, writing and memorizing the Old Testament.

He would have studied the Mishna in those early years as well – a commentary on Jewish life and tradition.

From ten to fifteen, he would have studied the Talmud, which was an expansion of the Mishna, and included rabbinical debates, legal issues and ethical discussions.

I imagine Peter got into trouble at school from time to time for talking too much; but evidently he was a good student – his two letters will reference Old Testament passages nearly 20 times.

Now by the time Peter writes his second letter, around A.D. 67, he’s more than likely writing from prison, in Rome, just months away, if not weeks, from being put to death by Nero.

When Peter writes what we call Second Peter, he will be in his early 80’s.

Peter is belligerent in this second letter – it’s a dogmatic letter where he pulls the mask off false teachers and goes to war against their lies and deceptions.

He’s more committed than ever to protecting the church from error – from false advertising.

What the false teachers are selling won’t cure anxiety and lead to meaning and purpose in life.

But get this – Peter is a different man. He’s bold and courageous, but he isn’t swinging swords anymore; he’s not fighting for his own reputation as the greatest apostle ever. He’s not carrying an air of self-confidence and arrogance.

80-year-old Peter is a different man.

And that becomes obvious in his opening introduction. I invite your attention to the second letter from Peter.

In these days, when you wrote a letter, you signed your name first.

Here it is – verse 1.

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:1a

We’re more familiar with the Greek spelling of his name – Simon.

Here you have Simeon (Sumeon) which is the transliteration of the Hebrew name – the name Jacob gave his second born son.

Peter is the name Jesus gave him, which means pebble, or stone. That was the name he would grow into demonstrating.

It’s interesting that Peter gives us both names here.

Simeon or Simon, more commonly used, was the name associated with his failure.

This was the name Jesus reverted back to after His resurrection – where He asked Peter three times, “Simon – do you love me?”

The name Simon reminds everyone of Peter’s fall.

Peter is the name that reminds everyone of his faith.

So you would expect him to just stick with the name “Peter”.

Simon is his old life . . . Peter is his new life.

But now, facing imminent death, Peter is perhaps more aware than ever of the patience and grace of the Lord.

There is the story of redemption in combining these two names – He was both Simon and Peter; he was that new man but he still had his old nature. [SOURCE: ^{Adapted from J. Nieboer, Practical Exposition of II Peter (Our Daily Walk Publishers, 1952), p. 7]}

Like the apostle Paul who reminded us that the old wretched man of flesh was still clinging to him – still dogging his heels and causing him trouble (Romans 7).

I think Peter’s opening signature is a good reminder that the older we get the more we ought to admit we still have an old nature.

If the apostle Paul can admit in Philippians 3:12 – I’m not perfect – and in verse 13, “I haven’t arrived” – we should admit the same thing.

Beloved it doesn’t help younger believers at all for us to talk like we’ve arrived – that we live on a mountain top – that we move from one victory to another.

Let me tell you, long ago, Peter stopped sticking out his chest – and strutting around like a peacock claiming to be the only faithful disciple on the planet.

I don’t think he ever forgot that rooster. Peter knew better, now.

Yes, let’s press on to demonstrate our new nature in Christ, but don’t forget your old nature is still a battle – so stay alert to that old enemy of the flesh within.

So Peter opens this letter with a brief testimony, as it were – he’s both Simeon and Peter.

Peter goes on to describe why he’s a different man – he uses two nouns in his signature – notice the first one:

Simeon Peter, a servant … of Christ. 2 Peter 1:1a

The word for servant used here is doulos – the word commonly used for purchased slaves – the lowest possible position to hold in society.

Peter had written in his earlier letter that he had been bought with a price and he was no longer his own (I Peter 1:18-19).

He was bought off the auction block at the slave market. He now belonged, body, mind and soul, to Christ.

But think about it: given his stature in the early church, he had every opportunity to grow proud.

• He was the one who had preached the initial sermon of the church age on the day of Pentecost.
• He was known to have been close with the Lord.
• He had himself raised the dead to life, healing the sick and the lame
• He had walked on water
• He had been rescued by angels from prison and on and on.

Anybody today with just one of those experiences would be writing a best-seller on their experience.

One author wrote that news that Peter was arriving in town would have brought people running to meet him. They would have been full of questions – “What was your friendship with Jesus like?” “Did you really walk on water?” “What did that angel who freed you from Herod’s prison look like?” “What did he say to you?” [SOURCE: ^{Adapted from Phillips, p. 226]}

He had experienced decades of near adoration – you would think his letters would start with something more dramatic; “Peter, the great healer”; “Peter, the man whom prison could not hold” or at least, “Peter, the man who walked on water” – for a few seconds – never mind that.

No – look here – Peter, the slave of Christ.

That word – slave – to that first century world was tantamount to saying, “I have no will of my own; no will but to do the Lord’s will”.

“I have no personal interests of my own but to devote myself to the interests of the Lord.” [SOURCE: ^{Guy N. Woods, A Commentary on the New Testament Epistles of Peter, John, and Jude (Gospel Advocate Company, 1953), p. 147]}

Who are you, Peter? “I am the servant of a new master.”

By the way, he’s not just referring to his station in life, he’s referring to his expectation in life.

Decades earlier, a rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked him how to enter the kingdom of heaven. And Jesus touched the nerve that ran from this man’s heart all the way to his bank account. Jesus said, “Give everything you have away.”

Now Jesus wasn’t teaching him that you can buy your way into heaven; he was trying to show this young man what his true idol was in life. Get rid of your idol – your money – and follow me.

Well, after he leaves, Peter says, “Lord, we have forsaken everything – we’ve given everything away to follow you – so what are we gonna get in return? When do we get compensated?”

But now Peter understands – a slave doesn’t get a paycheck.

A slave’s satisfaction – his fulfillment – his purpose and meaning in life – is fulfilling His master’s will – that was enough.

Is that enough for you?

Or, are you waiting for the Lord to pay you back for the sacrifices you’ve endured?

At the age of 80, Peter no longer has his hand out – he’s satisfied with simply fulfilling his Master’s will.

Now Peter adds another noun to his signature:

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:1a

Apostle simply means “one sent forth” – “sent out”. [SOURCE: ^{Edmond Hiebert, Second Peter and Jude (Unusual Publications, 1989), p. 32]}

It can be used in a broad sense for a messenger or delegate – an official representative authorized by the one sending them. [SOURCE: ^{Fritz Rienecker and Cleon Rogers, Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament (Regency, 1976), p. 743]}

In a sense all Christians are apostles, in that we’ve all been commissioned by Christ, in His great commission, to go and make disciples of all the nations.

But there is a narrow sense – a restrictive sense – and no one can claim today to be an apostle over and above – or uniquely above – any other believer.

Peter is using the term apostle in that restricted sense which belonged to the twelve apostles who were chosen, and trained by Christ.

They had unique authority in the church. The Bible says they laid the foundation doctrinally of the church (Ephesians 2:19-20).

Soon after the Lord ascended, the apostles gathered to choose another man to fill the twelfth role – the office Judas had abandoned.

They had two requirements for an apostle – and let me tell you – these requirements can’t be met today.

Acts chapter 1, verses 21 and 22 demanded that the apostolic candidate was a man who was personally trained by the Lord; and the second qualification is that the man must be an eyewitness to the resurrected Christ.

The apostle Paul qualified later on, because Paul was trained by the Holy Spirit and taken on a tour of heaven (Galatians chapter 1), and he saw the glory of the risen Lord on the road to Damascus (Acts chapter 9, chapter 22 and chapter 26).

Paul never claimed to be the twelfth apostle, but he qualified as an apostle.

There are no more apostles today in the official sense.

Any man who takes upon himself the title “apostle” is either full of hot air trying to expand his authority over the church, or he’s never read Acts chapter 1 – or both.

But even though Peter was an apostle, would you notice that Peter doesn’t write here, “Simeon Peter, theapostle of Christ.” [SOURCE: ^{Michael Bentley, Living For Christ in a Pagan World (Evangelical Press, 1990), p. 182]}

He’s not claiming primacy or priority over the other 11 apostles. [SOURCE: ^{Nieboer, p. 9]}

That’s another error that Roman Catholic church continues to teach to this day –

• that Peter had primacy –
• that he was over and above the others
• that he effectively became the first pope
• that he became what they call him today, “the head of the church.”

There’s not a stitch of that in the New Testament – and all they need to do is read Peter’s own handwriting as it were – he’s not the apostle – and certainly not the head of the church.

The Bible clearly says in Colossians 1:18 that Jesus Christ is the head of the church. Paul writes in Ephesians 5:23 that Christ is the head of the church.

Peter is writing this second letter to warn the church of false teaching, and there’s already so much false teaching today in just the opening line of this letter.

Now Peter shifts the spotlight to his Master – he writes:

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:1a

Peter’s authority – Peter’s office – Peter’s delight – his writing – is flowing out of his relationship as one belonging to Jesus Christ.

By the way, Peter loves to combine these two names to exalt the Lord.

He never uses the name Jesus alone. One time he writes, “Jesus our Lord” and all the other times in this letter it’s “Jesus Christ”.

Jesus is the Lord’s human name – the name He received before His birth and it indicates His saving mission. Jesus is the Greek form of the Old Testament name Joshua – or Yeshua. It means Jehovah is salvation. [SOURCE: ^{Hiebert, p. 33]}

But the name “Christ” pulls back the curtain of deity.

Christ is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew title for the Messiah. [SOURCE: ^Ibid]

“Christ” really isn’t so much a name, as it is a title. It refers to the Son of God – the anointed Messiah – the Redeemer – the Lord – who came to save.

So right away, Peter is declaring that the Man he follows is the God-man; born in time as a human, but existing as the divine Son of God throughout all time.

Get this: Peter is poking every false teacher in the eye with this statement.

Jesus wasn’t just another prophet, succeeded by Mohammed or Joseph Smith. He wasn’t just a moral man, or just a good teacher.

When you say “Jesus Christ” you are stating perhaps the shortest creedal confession you can ever say – Jesus Christ – Jesus the man – is Christ the Savior.

It's tragic that in our world today “Jesus Christ” is the most common curse phrase you hear. You can’t hardly watch a movie without somebody saying Jesus Christ.

I’ve never watched a movie where anybody has ever cursed by saying “Oh Buddha” – “Oh Confucius” – “Oh Joseph Smith”. Why?

Because the heart of man loves to defy Christ the Creator God and Satan hates that name because of what it says – Jesus born among men = is the divine Savior.

One author wrote that Peter is thundering in this letter. He’s belligerent and bold and he’s about to remind the church of the real things that matter in life.

In fact, he writes down in verse 12 that this letter is to remind them; he writes that he intends to remind them . . . to stir them up by way of reminder . . . so that you can remember these things.

What are these reminders?

Here are some of them:

The church needs to be reminded of biblical truth – that’s the real truth.

Biblical truth that gives us what we need for a life of godliness and growth – that’s most of chapter 1.

The church needs to be reminded of false teaching – that’s a real danger

That’s chapter 2 and into chapter 3.

Beloved, you need to be skeptical – you need to be careful of false advertising.

I love the story where Billy Graham was visiting a town early in his ministry, he would be preaching that night in a church nearby – he needed to mail a letter.

Those are things you used to put in an envelope and use something called a stamp.

He didn’t know where the post office was, so he stopped a young boy on the street and asked him for directions. The boy gave him clear instructions, and Graham thanked him – and then said, “Hey, son, if you come to the church tonight, I’ll tell you how to get to heaven.”

The boy frowned, looked Billy Graham up and down, and then said: “No thanks, mister. You don’t even know how to get to the post office!”

There’s nothing wrong with being a little skeptical.

Third:

The church needs to be reminded of past judgment – that was a real event!

The global flood, in chapter 3:1-6, is described.

That event is denied by our world today and much of the church today doesn’t believe it ever happened.

Peter won’t leave any room for doubt.

The church needs to be reminded of future judgment – that’s a real promise

In chapter 3, verses 7 through 10, Peter is gonna spell out the coming fireball that will consume the universe and then following that, the creation of a new solar system and a new earth and universe where we will live forever.

The world certainly doesn’t believe that judgment is gonna happen – and many in the church doubt the literal prophesies that Peter will write out.

Peter’s an old man here – he doesn’t have time nor interest to spread false advertising.

He’s setting a good example by the way for us today.

Let me give you two thoughts that struck me as I began studying this letter in more detail.

The older we get, the more we should delight in simply belonging to Christ.

This is Peter’s joy – he belongs to Christ – he is the property of the Lord – that was enough for him – that was compensation enough.

Secondly,

The older we get the more we ought to be thankful for the patience of Christ.

He knows our past life – our days as Simeon – and He knows our current struggles.

Over in chapter 3 Peter will talk about the patience of the Lord in saving him.

I close with this: Ruth Bell Graham, the wife of evangelist Billy Graham, died in 2007 decided to use her tombstone and had this chiseled into her tombstone, “End of Construction -- Thank you for your patience.”

With sweet humility, she admitted that her life had been “a work in progress” until the day she died.

She was raised in China as a missionary kid – and by the way, the symbol at the top of her tombstone is the Chinese symbol for righteousness.

The symbol has two characters – the top one means lamb; the bottom one means I or me – a reference to yourself.

So righteousness – being right with God – is symbolized as a lamb over you – you are under the lamb.

That Chinese symbol was first discovered 3,000 years ago. A thousand years before the death of Christ. That tells you a lot about how the gospel was known by early civilizations around the world.

In China it was discovered on articles used in religious services.

Think of that – there was a time when China knew that a lamb could make us right with God.

Let’s echo the humility of Peter – the surrender of Peter – the exaltation of Christ, the gratitude of a Ruth Graham.

The Lord was so patient and kind to save us – to buy us – to shape us – and to use us – not to promote false advertising for a product that one day might be shown to be untrue –

No, but to give people the real thing – the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.