An Apprentice’s Legacy
In 1154 Thomas Becket was appointed as chancellor of England by Henry II. He was a competent, skilful, loyal, and ambitious administrator who became a definite favourite of Henry II. When the archbishop of Canterbury died in 1161, King Henry arranged for Becket to take up the position in order to bring the Church under royal control. Becket, however, took his appointment more seriously. He became an energetic religious leader, and frequently opposed the king. In 1164, after an especially harsh and nasty disagreement and dispute, Thomas Becket fled to exile in France. After living there for the next six years Henry was eventually forced to reconcile with Becket, and the archbishop returned to England. Becket continued to clash with the king, and one day Henry was overheard in conversation wishing that he were rid of the troublesome priest. Four of his knights took his words literally. They rode to Canterbury, and hacked Becket to death in the cathedral.
As the knights confronted Becket, he is alleged to have said, “I am ready to die for my Lord. May the Lord's church obtain peace and liberty through my blood.” The atrocity shocked all of Europe, and the Church quickly declared Becket a martyr. Threatened with excommunication, Henry was forced to do public penance to keep his throne. 1
Introduction
Thomas Becket, a great hero of the church whose place of death and tomb can be visited today in Canterbury Cathedral was concerned at the very end of his life for his Legacy – what he would pass on to his predecessors – the British church. For him, the peace and freedom for the church to be the church that Christ would want it to be was at the front of his mind.
Legacies are important. The press covers stories about what legacy Tony Blair would leave behind, or what legacy will Bush leave behind.
Over the last 2 or 3 months at Bethany City Church we have taken extremely seriously what Peter has been saying in the first few verses of 2 Peter (especially v3-15). We have found real challenge and excitement about the reality of being apprentices of Christ. But it is fascinating that, at the end of this particular chunk, Peter moves on to speak abour what intends to be his legacy.
As far as Peter is concerned, these verses are his final instructions.
Just look at verses 14-15.
“But the Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that my days here on earth are numbered and I am soon to die. So I will work hard to make these things clear to you. I want you to remember them long after I am gone.”
Because of the reality of what Peter has seen and heard of Jesus Christ, Peter takes his role of encouraging his readers, like a shepherd feeding and protecting his sheep very seriously. So, by means of a summary of this great passage, and as an encouragement to us, we are going to consider three things.
What does Peter want to pass on to you and I, sat here in Sunderland 2000years later?
A focus on heaven
The first thing he wants to pass on is an excitement about, and a focus on heaven.
We find this concept, even at the best of times hard to understand. Heaven is often unreal to us, different, difficult to get excited about. But for Peter it wasn’t.
When Peter says in v11 that 'God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ' it is much earthier than we often make out.
In v16-18 he speaks of the time he spent with Jesus.
“For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and his coming again. We have seen his majestic splendour with our own eyes. And he received honour and glory from God the Father when God’s glorious, majestic voice called down from heaven. “This is my beloved Son; I am fully pleased with him.” We ourselves heard the voice when we were there with him on the holy mountain.”
We are on a journey – which has taken a decisive change in direction. We now have an ultimate destination.
It’s a little like travelling to another country by plane. Getting on the aircraft is a decisive point in the journey. Once the plane is in the air, there is nothing (reasonable) we can do about it. We are on our way. And all God’s planes’ arrive.
We can allow ourselves to get excited because, unlike so many, we now know where we are going. There is a real sense of continuity with who we are now, Peter has just been at pains to make clear that who we are now is very important, but we are assured of our future too. And it is good.
Often people say – Christians have too much of their minds on the future and not the reality of the here and now. 'Too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good'. I know what they mean, but Peter doesn’t seem to agree. For him, heaven is a future reality that has a real impact on the here and now because the Kingdom of heaven is Eternal (v11). And when does eternity start..?
Never! The Kingdom is real now, heaven is a reality today. We struggle with this, but what marks Christians out is that they live not for this physical, temporary reality, but for the unseen permanent reality that is the Kingdom of Heaven.
'Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living! You should look forward to that day and hurry it along - the day when God will set the heavens on fire and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world where everyone is right with God. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to live a pure and blameless life. And be at peace with God.' 2 Peter 3:11-14
Ever wanted to live for a cause that is so important, so all consuming, so significant and real that it takes over you life. I think most of us do – and we should. So here it is - this Kingdom, the Kingdom of heaven!
So, Peter wants to pass on an excitement and a focus on heaven – but that means he also wants to pass on -
A desire to work hard
We have just read that the implications of where we are going mean we should make every effort to live as apprentices now.
“So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen.” 2 Peter 1:10
The opposite to working hard, Peter says is forgetting that God has cleansed us from our old life of sin that cuts us off from God.
This is important. Remembering that we have been made new by God inevitably leads to pulling our weight as apprentices. And our pulling our weight ‘proves’ that we are apprentices.
Whenever I am on a journey – flying somewhere in the world, I can be asked to show my passport to ‘prove’ who I am. It is evidence for who I am. It doesn’t make me Pete Chilvers. I was Pete Chilvers anyway – but it is evidence. So it is with working hard at being an apprentice. It proves we are on the path to the gates of heaven, and it also, in a very real way, gives assurance.
We need assurance. There is nothing that destroys assurance in the life of a Christian more than a life not lived for God. But living for God, working hard at being apprentices builds assurance that we are his. 'Doing this, you will never stumble or fall away' (v10b). This is not earning our way to God, it is proving who we are.
As one writer has put is
“The evidence that we have been called and chosen will be the energy that we put in to making our calling and election sure”2
In other words – to proving it.
And as the Christian life is a marathon, the finishing line is the gates of heaven it is a life long task to be taken seriously.
Which brings us on to the third thing that Peter wants to pass on.
A constant reminder
We can get very twitchy about being reminded of things. If someone feels they need to remind us of something, we often interpret that as them not trusting us. 'Have you remembered……have you remembered……have you remembered?' makes us feel defensive at best.
But Peter doesn’t tiptoe around the edges. He knows we need reminding – but not because we have forgotten.
'I plan to keep on reminding you of these things - even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth. Yes, I believe I should keep on reminding you of these things as long as I live. But the Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that my days here on earth are numbered and I am soon to die. So I will work hard to make these things clear to you. I want you to remember them long after I am gone.' 2 Peter 1:12-15
Even though they were standing firm in the truth, he still reminded them that Christ had really come so they should live as apprentices.
And now..?
So, at the end of the day, with all we have considered from these great verses from 2 Peter 1, what do we do with the stuff from this series? File it away and forget about it? Do something about it independently?
It was Peter’s deathbed wish that he keep on reminding his readers of these things – long after he was gone.I want to suggest that we should do the same.
- In our own times with God
- Through our one on one mentoring relationships.
- In our cell groups
- In our everyday relationships
I suggest, one of the challenges to us from these verses is that we become a community of reminders – we are prepared to go beneath the gloss, the sheen and get real with one another. God has made a decisive change in our lives. We are heaven bound. And one day we will arrive at the gates of heaven and the picture that Peter paints is not one of the Angel Gabriel waiting with a checklist – or even Peter with the checklist. God will fling wide the gates of heaven and welcome you in. Our job is to work hard in the meantime – and that means putting in the effort ourselves – and being a reminder to one another.
Up for the challenge?
1 See the THomas Beckett section on http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/6537/real-b.htm
2 Dick Lucas, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude (Leicester, IVP: 1995)