Summary: The perceptive preacher will challenge with the same scriptures BY WHICH HE HIMSELF IS STIRRED UP, otherwise preaching has become a farce and is empty. A man can not preach a word to touch others if he, himself, has not been touched initially by the word he preaches.

4. THOUGHTS IN 2 PETER - NUMBER FOUR - STIRRERS IN THE LORD – PETER IS A CORRECT STIRRER - 2 PETER 3:1-2

PART 1 – THE INTRODUCTION

We live in the days of professional stirrers. These agitators seem to be found at every protest, whether it be political, environmental, “gay rights”, mining opposition, fake climate change, rights for Hamas, etc. It is not far wrong to believe that that type of protest is negative and often isolationist. Whether anyone is helped by it in the long run, is a debatable issue. Many of these staged protests have as their basis, the disruption of government with the aim of introducing Marxism.

In the past two decades the alleged reasons for these protests are becoming more sinister and anti-Christian. The marching for more homosexual rights, and Black Lives Matter, and protests organised by the Marxist arm of politics become more deviant. In free, western democracies, more protests and disruptions are being caused by Islam, with hate marches against Israel and democratic governments. Professional agitators or stirrers if you wish, are usually bad because how often do you hear of this in Christian ranks? The closest Christians ever come to any form of protest, are the Rights to Life gatherings.

Peter introduces a stirring of his own in 2 Peter 3:1.

{{2 Peter 3:1 “This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in WHICH I AM STIRRING UP your sincere mind by way of reminder,”}} (NASB).

With this verse he reveals one of the chief purposes for writing this epistle while addressing all those who have received a like common faith (2 Peter 1:1). He says, “I am stirring up your sincere mind.” This word “stirring up” can be thought of as, rousing up, challenging, provoking, goading and stimulating.”

A Christian who thinks he/she has “made it” and does not need anything else is greatly deluded. We are never complete in the Lord while living on earth, but progress from grace to grace; from one step to the next, from one revelation of Christ to another, until we are complete in heaven.

Now that should cause the preaching among us to be bold and forthright regarding the message being preached as we rouse up, challenge, encourage, and goad the followers of Christ in their commitment and faithfulness to the blessed Lord. We must challenge the hearers, stir them to good works and deeper commitment to spiritual things, AND to one another.

Several thoughts spring from this. Firstly, we Christians need the same stimulation and challenge that the gospel message contains; just the emphasis is changed. Somehow it is thought correct to challenge the unsaved for a life-changing commitment to Christ, yet in preaching and teaching ministries, there is reluctance to challenge or stimulate the Christian in the matters of holy living, and promoting Christ through godly training and witness. (You might lose some from the church).

I suspect part of the reason for this is fear. There is a fear some church ministers have, that if they challenge their congregations as they ought to, (because God’s word does it!) then people might get the huff and leave or/and the finances might be down, and they might lose their “job”. This fear of man brings a snare, and that snare is a denial of the truths of the bible. Far too often church pastors and ministers are riding the popularity train, or they don’t want to rock the boat, or upset the apple cart.

Christians need this stimulation; they need to be stirred up to be good soldiers of Christ. We are in a battle in this world, not continual spectators living like tourists. There is a fight to be fought and we need to heed this – {{2 Timothy 2:3-4 “SUFFER HARDSHIP WITH ME AS A GOOD SOLDIER OF CHRIST Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.”}}

Jesus said something that is often dismissed to our peril and the detriment of Christian growth – {{Matthew 10:37-39 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me and he who does not TAKE HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW AFTER ME is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life shall lose it and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.”}}

That passage is all about priorities. A man who seeks to have his priorities correct will not object to his life being challenged. He will respond to the opportunity to have his life challenged and moulded into Christ. The old nature will resist that because it is so corrupt and stubborn and will not concede to God. We don’t understand just how awful this old nature we are born with is, when examined in the light of God’s great holiness and purity.

The natural man does not want to turn around and walk towards God. He is rebellious and fights against not only God, but also against the righteousness of God.

PART 2 – STIRRING AND REMEMBERING

{{2 Peter 3:1 “This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am STIRRING UP YOUR SINCERE MIND BY WAY OF REMINDER,”}} (NASB).

Secondly, Peter ends the verse with, “by way of reminder” (NIV - “wholesome thinking”; AV - “remembrance”). Oh, yes, we must be reminded often of the grounded beliefs that are our precious heritage and our responsibilities stemming from that. The thought of reminder is certainly contained in this hymn writer’s mind:- (Tell Me The Story of Jesus)

“Tell me the story slowly, that I may take it in -

That wonderful redemption, God’s remedy for sin.

Tell me the story often, for I forget so soon;

The “early dew” of morning has passed away at noon.”

The Holy Spirit knows the weaknesses of our minds. How we need to be reminded, and to remind each other, and stimulate and provoke each other to godliness and good works. I think this need is more evident for older folk too, as they (we) become more forgetful with age and responsibility. We can also become more settled in our ways that could be seen by others as being slack or in a rut. We need to stimulate one another.

Peter states that this truth relates to those of a “sincere mind”. The natural man does not have a sincere mind in a spiritual definition. He may be sincere according to the world’s estimation, but measuring oneself against man is awfully flawed.

Look at this word “sincere”. The AV translates as “pure” whereas the NIV translates as “to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.” Strong’s also used this wholesome thinking idea in translating and explaining.

There is a note here from Bishop Ellicott’s Commentary –

[[“Pure minds” (AV) - The word for “pure” means literally “separated” - according to one derivation, by being sifted; according to another, by being held up to the light. Hence it comes to mean “unsullied.” Here it probably means untainted by sensuality or, possibly, deceit. In Philippians 1:10, the only other place where it occurs in the New Testament, it is translated “sincere.”]]

In the AV and a few other translations, the Philippians verse uses “sincere” while most use the word “pure”. {{Philippians 1:10 “so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be SINCERE and blameless until the day of Christ”}} (NASB, AV, Legacy)

The “stirring” up for the result Peter wanted, will only apply to those of the pure/sincere mind, because the Laodicean “Christian” will give no response. We need to lay aside the sin that catches us up (this is a fact we need to appreciate).

Study these verses – {{Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and THE SIN WHICH SO EASILY ENTANGLES US, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”}}

Sin keeps trying to overcome the overcomers! It can trip us up, beset us as the AV says, entangle us, catch us out, deceive us, even take mastery over us. BUT the secret of verse 1 is found in verse 2 where it says “fixing our eyes on Jesus,” and when those eyes are fixed, then we do run with endurance, and run correctly.

A sincere/pure mind is one being kept in control by the Holy Spirit, but we are engaged in a battle against sin. The Christian may go to sleep instead of staying awake spiritually; neglect his duty as a soldier of Christ so the enemy enters in; allow him/herself to be distracted so the enemy eats away at peace, joy, confidence and love for the Saviour.

PART 3 – IT MUST BE SCRIPTURALLY BASED

Of course, where there is to be a reminder, then that must be based on a foundation of proven truth and Peter is not unaware of that, for in verse 2 he qualifies the basis of the stirred-up mind:-

{{2 Peter 3:2 “that you should REMEMBER THE WORDS SPOKEN BEFOREHAND by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour spoken by your apostles.”}}

The basis of remembrance, or wholesome thinking, of the pure mind, and Christian conduct, must find its justification IN THE SCRIPTURES. Peter draws attention to the words of the past with “beforehand” and that has to mean - the prophetic writings (Old Testament), and also to the Gospels and Epistles of New Testament writers. For these early Christians their scriptures were the Law and Prophets, in other words, the whole of the Old Testament. In all, the whole of Scripture is included.

I find it lamentable that some academics and know-it-alls think the Old Testament scriptures are not relevant to the Church under the new covenant. They are doing the devil’s work who is untiring at eating away at the bible to reduce it to an ineffective mess of words. Preachers must preach and teach and stir up from the Old Testament (also).

God’s word alone, is what we need to be reminded of. It is the Scriptures that will challenge, provoke, stir up, direct and lead. The perceptive preacher will challenge with the same scriptures BY WHICH HE HIMSELF IS STIRRED UP, otherwise preaching has become a farce and is empty. A man can not preach a word to touch others if he, himself, has not been touched initially by the word he preaches. A man in a surgical symposium can not teach surgical techniques unless he himself is a surgeon, tried and tested.

Peter’s appeal to the scriptures is well founded. A man who is firm in the scriptures can stir up the hearts of believers, and only on that basis. The great Apostle was inspired to record these very words – {{2 Peter 1:21 “for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men MOVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, SPOKE FROM GOD.”}}. We apply that verse, along with 2 Timothy 3:16, to the inspiration in the scriptures, BUT there is a sense in application, that the same can relate to the preaching and teaching of the bible from gifted preachers/teachers. They need to be stirred up by God and be inspired by God.

Charlatans are around. False teachers abound. Pulpits are filled with preachers who are academics in a career, and don’t know the practical teaching of scripture. Many are entertainers. These people do not stir up congregations according to experience. The great hymns came out of experience with the holiness of God, not from some exercise in trying to write down something to be strummed out on guitars with drums.

I don’t believe Paul was any great orator – he said this himself {{2 Corinthians 10:10 for they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive, and his SPEECH CONTEMPTIBLE.”}} BUT his message was not in oratory but in power – {{1 Corinthians 4:20 “The kingdom of God does not consist in words, BUT IN POWER.”}}. The so-called word of faith preachers have the gift of the gab as they sprout forth in great rhetoric, to thieve your money. That is Satan’s oratory, not God’s.

PART 4 – BY THE HOLY PROPHETS

The section of 2 Peter 3:2 that was relevant to the people of his time was this - “BY THE HOLY PROPHETS”. That was their scriptures in the Old Testament. It was the entire Old Testament as it can be so easily shown. I remember this saying from when I was young about the two Testaments – “The New is in the Old concealed. The Old is by the New revealed.” Our bibles confirm that.

There is a move afoot today to lessen the importance of the Old Testament Scriptures, claiming that we are members of the New Covenant found in the New Testament, and equally horrible is the belief by some that God has finished with Israel and therefore the Old Testament does not count any more. This claim that the Old Testament is less relevant for today is soundly rebuffed by Peter in verse 2.

I would suggest there are a number of practical applications arising from these two verses. Firstly, the individual application for us - Each ought to read the Scriptures as though we are being personally addressed by God Himself. We ought to read with the mind open to the challenge of God. We ought not to miss the Scriptures that would stir us up personally. Psalm 119 is beneficial in this regard. If we have not allowed the Bible to do that for us to start with, then we can not be used by God to assist others for that purpose.

Secondly - In relationships, wisdom is needed through correct stimulation of the word so that the word, in season, or the needful challenge, or correction or encouragement through the word, is not lost in social busyness, or through neglect, or discounting the importance of scripture.

Thirdly - We should not be afraid in our writing or in our delivery in preaching, or in personal communication, to challenge or stimulate our listeners and readers. The Lord did just that. We ought to be aware of it too, and I believe it can only flow from a conviction based practically in the word of God.

In closing, we must look at four other verses in 2 Peter:-

[[A]]. 2 Peter 1:12 “Therefore, I shall ALWAYS BE READY TO REMIND YOU of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you.”

[[B]]. 2 Peter 1:13 “And I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, TO STIR YOU UP BY WAY OF REMINDER,”

[[C]]. 2 Peter 1:14 “knowing that THE LAYING ASIDE OF MY EARTHLY DWELLING IS IMMINENT, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.”

[[D]]. 2 Peter 1:15 “And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you may be able TO CALL THESE THINGS TO MIND.”

Here Peter knows he must remind fellow believers (12) and stir them up (13) and challenge the readers to effective recall of these things (15) because his time is very limited and soon he would leave them in martyrdom (14).

That event was said to Peter in these verses – speaking to Peter – {{John 21:18-19 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished, but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God, and when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”}}

CONCLUSION

If these verses say anything to us, they suggest a willingness on our part to be receptive to the word of God as it stirs us within; and to be ready to stir up others with the challenges of this pure word; and individually, to call to mind the precious truths of this precious, infallible word.