What is God’s Word? How does Time work for God? What are the bounds of His Mercy?
Common themes for Peter & God’s revelation… lots of repetition in scripture. We are going to hear about the ‘Day of The Lord’ an event that Christ spoke of.
Wisdom…James 1:5 ~ If any of you needs wisdom they should ask God, who gives generously to all peoples without making them feel foolish or guilty.
2nd Peter Chapter 3:1-10
1 This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory.
- Two letters of guidance…They stand alone AND work together, sequentially
- God [thru Peter] wants to stir up our wholesome / pure thinking
- You cannot stir-up or stimulate something that is not there
- We have renewed Minds. The result of the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit
- We CAN think in ways that honor God’s holiness… With proper directions…
- We are called to have a refreshed memory!
- Memory of what? Scripture! Peter’s letters echo the O.T. & N.T. that existed
Big Themes of 1 Peter:
Eternal Hope in Christ’s Resurrection life
Chosen by God alone to live for Him
Christ did the work on the cross to make us right
Jesus Christ’s disciples are to live wisely in light of eternity
Big Themes of 2 Peter:
All of Christ’s disciples are to grow spiritually
The measure of maturity is based on sacred view of Scripture
Christ’s disciples identify and oppose non-scriptural teachings
God’s Word, Time & Mercy
Still to come: God’s Word / God’s Time / God’s Mercy / How to live / Paul’s writings
2 I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.
- This is defining what writings are Scripture…equality of Old & New Testaments
- To remember is to ‘revere’… Treat as valuable… Believe it and follow it!
- The prophets are ‘Holy Prophet’ = ‘Set Apart Messenger of God’
- Our Apostles are ‘Vessels of a Message’ …Our Lord’s Message! Christ’s Words!
- This is our shepherd telling us to remember these writings as ‘God’s Word’
- We recognize ‘false, non-scriptural doctrine’ by knowing the ‘historical reading’
Cultural Standards For Christ’s Body: Verses 1 & 2 are critical instructions for Christ’s Body. Pure thinking & a refreshed memory of Scripture. It is a mindset, a way of thinking…’Scriptural Thinking’
3 Most importantly, [1st thing] I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. 4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”
- Most importantly is better rendered ‘starting with’ [creates proper perspective]
- “You have to understand 1st thing, this world is going to be opposite God’s Word”
- The biggest threat to a God-Centric view of life is to make it seem ridiculous
- Big Picture attacks on the God of Scripture… attempt to use the ‘weight of culture’
- The more socially conscious people become the more ridicule & mocking hurts
- Those who are self-absorbed need the approval of other & felling they ‘fit in’
- The fear of man…caring too much what others think (prov. 29:25)
- The popular culture says ‘What kind of fool would serve anyone but themselves’?
- Denying Christ’s return is denial of Christ’s deity. HE said He was coming back!
5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the Word of His command, and He brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. 6 Then He used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood.
- The cultural elites, the opinion makers, they deliberately attack God’s character
- Science says: “God couldn’t create the universe in six 24 hour days”
- “God didn’t really flood the earth… it’s a metaphor…”
- The ‘modern’… ‘scientific’… ‘informed’ viewpoint of our popular culture
- The cultural consensus put forth by our Entertainment Media: Our Bible = ‘myth’
7 And by the same Word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.
- The same ‘Word’… Is saying who WHO is and what HE does…
- We believe the standard, ‘the measuring stick’ of God’s Will & Ways is our Bible
- Word of O.T. Prophets & Christ’s Word about HIS return / Day of Judgement
- ‘Word’ = Creation, Action, Will, Judgement, Character
- This is contained in a form our human brains can handle in this life = Bible
8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
- This sentence is joined to the previous one. Judgement coming…when God says
- A key aspect of understanding God: He doesn’t operate in time like us
- Heretics love to say when God is going to do something…like they know
- HE waits for OUR Sake…for people we love to receive eternal life in Christ
- God coming in Christ proves HE wants everyone to be saved.
- Repentance is clearly the doorway we must go thru to be united with Christ
10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.
- Like a thief is the same way Christ described HIS return…
- The ‘Day of The Lord’ has Biblical Meaning…86 Scripture references to this event
- God will bring final judgement on this age…
- It will be a reformation of all matter as we know it
- This entire creation will be judged
KEY STUFF TO REMEMBER:
In 1st & 2nd Peter the Holy Spirit sets the standard of ‘Scriptural Thinking’ as common practice for Jesus Christ’s disciples. ‘Scriptural Thinking’ by the Body of Christ is two things: the proper reverence for and practical application of O.T. & N. T. Based on the Church’s historical view of Scripture
With our thinking rooted in Scripture we should recognize clever and attractive attempts to pervert the Gospel of Jesus Christ and God’s Word by the popular media culture. The world around us has and will continue to mock the scriptural account of creation…the scriptural account of the Genesis flood and the idea of a ‘Judgement Day’.
God is patient for YOUR SAKE: Each day that Christ does not return is an opportunity to repent of rebellion against YOUR Creator and make Christ YOUR Lord! If Christ has become YOUR Lord, each day YOUR response is to grow spiritually & glorify God with YOUR life!
APPLICATION:
How would you characterize your level of Scriptural Thinking?
Last Resort? New Interest? Hobby? Inconsistent Effort? Regular Practice? Way of Life?
In what ways does the information / media / entertainment culture we live in mock the truth of ‘Our’ Scriptures?
What are the differences between how YOU experience time and how God does?
What is The Day of The Lord to YOU? Specifically how does it shape YOUR life?