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THE CONVINCING FACTS IN PETER'S LIFE!

      A seemingly minor fact here and there may not mean very much to anyone.  But facts can and do pile up on us.  As they do, we slowly, or perhaps rapidly, become convinced of what we never dreamed of becoming convinced of in the first place.
      Andrew, for example, was present when John the Baptist pointed out that Jesus was the "Lamb of God."  That same day, Andrew literally followed Jesus and ended up spending the day with him.  By the end of the day, he was convinced that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.   The next day, first thing, he found his brother Simon and introduced him to Jesus.
      Immediately, Peter was attracted to Jesus, perhaps even captivated as was Nathanael when he was first introduced to Jesus.  But, being captivated isn't the same as being thoroughly convinced.  Being captivated can happen in an instant, becoming thoroughly convinced takes a little bit more time.
      A month ago the sports world was captivated by rumors about Michael Vick, Atlanta's rising quarterback, being involved in dogfighting.  Today, it appears that everyone is convinced he was deeply involved in the "sport" as well as in the associated gambling that goes along with it.  What happened?  Well, the facts piled up and even Michael Vick became convinced of his guilt!
      Yes, Peter was initially captivated by what he saw in Jesus.  Then, as he witnessed one miracle after another, as he listened to Jesus, as he observed the manner in which Jesus handled himself in the face of criticism, he became convinced that Jesus was indeed the long-awaited-for Messiah.  So much so that when others deserted Jesus, Peter clung to him.  We see this clinging to Jesus in John 6:60 - 69.  We read:
      On hearing it (that Jesus was, and is, the bread of life), many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
      Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?  62 What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!  63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.  64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.  65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
      From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
      "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.1
      Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
      Here is the true test of discipleship.  It is following Jesus not when the crowd is along for the ride, or in this case for the free lunch,  but when so many fail to see any sense in following him at all.  When others chose to desert, Peter clung to Jesus.  As a matter of fact, he once again confessed that Jesus was indeed the Holy One of God.  Evidently, the facts had accumulated to the point that eleven out of the Twelve were convinced Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be - the bread of life.
      It is perhaps for this reason, the value of accumulated facts, that the encouragement to enhance our faith with knowledge is found at the beginning and the end of II Peter.  We see it in v. 5 of chapter one where we're challenged to add to our faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.  But it is the last few verses of chapter three where we see why adding knowledge is so important.  In vv. 17 - 18 of II Peter 3 we read:
      Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.  18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.2 
      Here are the facts of two individuals in the class.  Somewhere along the way both have grown in the grace and knowledge of their Lord and Savior, both have been convinced that Jesus is indeed the bread of life.  For they have walked with Jesus through the ups and downs of life for a long time.  The first is relatively new to the class, her name is Cindy Dappen.  Here are the facts which give a hint of convincing facts:
      - I have been a Registered Nurse since 1974 and currently a school nurse at
         Holdeman Elementary School in Tempe.
      - I am married to Robert Dappen (a Cardiologist) for 34 years and have 3
         grown children and 2 grandchildren.
      - I am the oldest of 11 kids (8 boys and 3 girls).
      - I was raised in Mitchell, South Dakota.
      - I had the nick name "Monkey woman" as a child.
      - I have lived in Tempe for 17 years.
      - I have been a Christian for 31 years and I joined Bethany in Feb. 2007.
      What do the facts suggest to you?  What fact, or which facts, would you like to explore?  What questions do you have of Cindy that would uncover the accumulated facts that led her to Christ?
      The second person is Linda Merrill.  She has been in the class for a very long time and yet not everyone knows her.  Not everyone knows her for she comes in late and leaves early, as she has served in the Information Center for as long as I can remember.    Here are the facts which give a hint of convincing facts:
      - I was born in East Los Angeles and raised in Las Vegas.
      - I was almost literally raised by my church.
      - I was a Girl Scout as both a child and an adult.
      - Gary and I fell in love because of a Philosophy of Mathematics class.
      - We have two married children, no grandchildren but 7 antisocial grandcats.
      - I teach Statistics at Valley Christian High School.
      - I enjoy making baby quilts.
      What do the facts suggest to you?  What fact, or which facts, would you like to explore?  What questions do you have of Linda that would uncover the accumulated facts that led her to Christ?
      In Peter's case, in addition to an accumulation of facts, there was one fact that solidified his faith beyond all the others.  It is found in each of the Synoptic gospels, but we will simply look at Mark's account of it.  In Mark 9:2 - 10.  We read:3
      After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.  3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.  4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.4 5 
      Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters-one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."  6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
      Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"
      Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
      As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.
      I don't know about you, but when I think back to this passage of Scripture, I tend to think about it as the time when Peter blurted out something really stupid.  I think of it as the time Peter opened his big mouth and stuck his foot in it.  But that is not how Peter remembers it.  Sure, he remembers saying something stupid and he readily admitted to Mark that he doesn't even know why he said it.
      But this isn't how Peter remembers the Transfiguration.  He remembers it as the defining moment for him, the moment in which every trace of doubt disappeared forever and ever.  We know this not because we can imagine it being a defining moment in anyone's life, but because Simon Peter essentially tells us that this was the moment when his faith was solidified.  We glean this from II Peter 1:12 - 18 where we read:
      So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.  13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,  14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.  15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
      We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."  18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
      Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784) is credited with saying, "It is not sufficiently considered that man needs to be reminded, more so than informed."  It's clear that Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, knew this long before Dr. Johnson.  Hence, as he is on the verge of departing from this world, he doesn't hesitate to share with his readers what they already know to be true.  Why?
      First, even in the best of times truth needs to be repeated again and again.  It needs to be repeated because we are a forgetful people.  Second, truth needs to be  repeated because Christians in Peter's day, as well as in our day, are constantly bombarded with cleverly devised stories - myths.6
      But how does one differentiate between the claims of one person and the claims of another?  Why is Peter so sure of the reminders he intends to leave behind for the sake of his readers?  He is sure because of what he experienced on the Mount of Transfiguration, an experience that confirmed the prophetic words of Scripture.7           
  
     

1     For most, the circumstances of life are such that there are times when following Jesus is hard for we don't seem to be being blessed by Him.  We may even think he is asking far too much of us.  This is precisely the juncture in which we choose discipleship or what we believe the world has to offer us.
2     In the previous verses Peter reminds his readers of how difficult and distressful the last days will become as we near the end of life on earth as we now know it.  When you add false teachers to the extreme difficulty of the last days it is easy to imagine many deserting the faith.  It is for this reason that Peter encourages us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
3     See Matthew 17:1 - 13 and Luke 9:28 - 36.
4     You  might be wondering how Peter, James, and John recognized Elijah and Moses.  There is an easy answer to your unspoken question.  They wore name tags!  All kidding  aside, no one has the slightest idea as to why the three knew Jesus was speaking to Elijah and Moses.
5     Only Luke tells us the topic of discussion.  The three were speaking of Jesus' upcoming departure - his exodus.
6     In our world, we need to look no further than the material peddled by the Jehovah Witnesses, the creed promoted by the Unitarians, the doctrines contained in the Book of Mormon, or the false teaching  of the Koran to find ourselves inundated with false doctrine. 
7     The  Transfiguration pictured the fulfillment of Scripture's message - the Kingdom is at hand.

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