“FIRST OF ALL, SO THEN, THEREFORE”
2 PETER 3:1-18
#2Peter3
INTRODUCTION… Letters Back and Forth (p)
Written letters can be a powerful tool of communication. I remember when I went to college that a friend of mine and I kept in contact via letters. We both graduated from the same high school in Germany because our dads were both in the Army. I went to school in Tennessee. She went to school in Georgia and then to USF here in Tampa. That is quite a bit of distance and in the late 1990s unlimited cell phone plans did not exist and the cheapest long distance rate on a telephone one could get was 10 cents a minute. The other way to keep in touch was through written letters. We kept in contact and kept our friendship from high school alive our first years in college because we wrote letters back and forth. She would creatively send letters with the envelope made of fashion magazine pages with various supermodels on it. What a friend! Those letters provided a solid foundation for a friendship. I am glad she and I kept in contact after high school via letters since she eventually became my wife.
The Apostle Peter had a specific purpose in writing the letters that he did. 1 Peter 5:12 says about his first letter, “With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.” Peter wanted the letter to bring encouragement to those who read it. He wanted them to stand firm in the grace of God which was given to them through Jesus and he expressed that in a divinely inspired written letter. It is exactly the same for the 2nd letter. 2 Peter 3:1-2 states, “Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.” Peter’s goal in writing the second letter was so that believers would be stimulated to wholesome thinking. So overall, the Apostle Peter wants believers to be encouraged and stimulated in wholesome thinking after reading his letters. Those are worthy goals for a letter!
Today as we dig deep into 2 Peter 3, let us see what is encouraging and what stimulates and spurs us to wholesome thinking. As I looked over 2 Peter 3, I noticed he basically had three sections in this thought process which started off with three different phrases: “first of all,” “so then,” and “therefore.”
I. FIRST OF ALL
READ 2 PETER 3:3-13
First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
That is quite a chunk of Scripture to go over. The Apostle Peter introduces the topic he is speaking about in this part of the letter by talking about “the last days” (verse 3). “The last days” is one of those phrases like “the Day of the Lord” which can have different meanings based on the context around the phrase. It seems like to me that in this passage, the Apostle Peter is looking towards the future to the actual last days of the human race. He mentions, in verse 8, the Absolute Truth that God Almighty is outside of time and His concept of time is not like ours. Our existence is a day by day and week after week existence. God is eternal and is not concerned with time as we are. So, at the proper time in God’s time, the end of our lives will come as a planet.
The end times include:
It coming when no one expects it (verse 10)
Destruction in the heavens with the sun, moon, and stars (verse 10)
Fire will come upon the earth and burn up plants and even more (verse 10)
Peter asks a most important question in verse 11 to try and stimulate us to wholesome thinking: “What kind of people ought you to be?” Knowing that the end of time will come and that tomorrow is not promised to anyone (Proverbs 27:1, James 4:13-14) Peter asks us to think about who we will be in the meantime. A worthy question to make us think!
Peter stimulates us to think about our lives as being holy and godly while we wait. The picture we get is that at the end of our lives or at the end of time, we who are believers will inherit a new heaven and a new earth and be with God forever (verse 13).
* Holy means to be dedicated to God’s use
* Godly means to have reverence and respect for God and to live as He would have us to live
What does that mean? That means we should spend our days focused on God and His pursuits in whatever we are doing. It might be at home, at work, at play, with finances, with children, with entertainment, online or offline, or whatever we find ourselves doing. We should be people dedicated to God’s use and being Godly.
Suggestions?
* Parent in such a way that we raise godly children and grandchildren. Church attendance and youth group participation should be mandatory. Morals based on the Bible are to be expected. If you give your children and grandchildren that live with you a choice, you do them a disservice. Raise them to have discipline to choose God.
* Write posts on Facebook, Twitter, and all other social media that encourages people and points them to God rather than complaining about life and seeking feedback from others. As believers we can use social media to love others, encourage them, and point them to God.
* Choose the books, TV, and movies that you watch carefully. If a show or movie is anti-God, turn it off and don’t watch it again. Speak with your money about what you find important and what you find offensive. Where money is spent speaks volumes about what is important to a person.
* At our jobs we can be the person who is encouraging, ready to pray with someone when they need it, and have such a work ethic that they see God in us.
Peter seems to be echoing other passages in the Bible with this thought that whatever we are doing, it should be filled with holiness and godliness:
* Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things.”
* Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
* Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men”
* Titus 3:1 “Be ready to do whatever is good”
* 1 Peter 4:10 “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.”
ILLUSTRATION… http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/14888-pen-pals-finally-meet-38-years-after-they-started-writing-letters-to-each-other
There was a cool human interest news story about two ladies who after writing to each other for nearly four decades, cross-country pen pals Sandi Fisher and Beth Graham finally met in February of 2016. It was their first time meeting face-to-face since they started sending each other letters in the late 70s.
Fisher, a forensic scientist from Colorado, has been exchanging letters with Beth Graham from Pennsylvania, since they were kids. The pair “met” when Fisher was in the 4th grade, and Graham was in the 5th, through Big Blue Marble, a children’s television show that ran through the 70s and 80s. The show spotlighted different cultures and people around the world. Children often sent letters to the show, requesting a pen pal. “Are they even going to speak English? Maybe they’re from Japan, or Mexico, or Canada,” Fisher remembered wondering as she sent in a request. “I was actually disappointed when [my pen pal] was from Pennsylvania. Not exactly what I was hoping in my little 9-year-old brain!"
But they hit it off and continued to write to each other as they grew. Fisher and Graham had been talking about visiting each other since they were teenagers in the 80s. “We had ambition and that dream of meeting each other, but we were kids and we had no money,” Graham explained. “And you get to your 40s and life starts to change again.”
“Life gets in the way,” Fisher agreed. But as coincidence would have it, her husband was visiting family in a town near to Graham's home, so she decided to join him. “You are so short!” was said. “You have an accent!” was said.
The two pen pals continue to write each other after meeting one another.
I thought that was a cool story. Those two ladies have gotten to know each other over the decades through letters. They have encouraged each other, celebrated with one another, and consoled one another through letters over the years. The written word is powerful.
II. SO THEN
READ 2 PETER 3:14-16
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
The Apostle Peter continues his written words to us in order that we might be encouraged and spurred on to wholesome thoughts. As I was thinking about this part of Peter’s letter, the first phrase in verse 15 caught my eye. Peter says, in thinking about patiently waiting for the last days, that the reason God does not just end the world is because of His patience.
God’s patience with us has a purpose. All throughout the Bible we see that God’s patience and willingness to endure our sin is so that eventually we would turn to Him. In the Bible, the patience of God is often tied with our salvation. He gives us time to make mistakes and figure out the truth:
* Nehemiah 9:30-31: “For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. 31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.”
* Romans 2:4: “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?”
* 1 Timothy 1:16: “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”
Time and time again the Bible records for us that God is patient with His children who sin and who turn away from Him. He is patient and in His love and grace gives us time after time to repent and turn to Him.
Have you messed up again this week in an area you promised not to? God is patient with you.
Did you find yourself spiritually lazy? God is patient with you.
Have you found yourself spiritually blind? God is patient with you.
Is this your first time in church in months? God is patient with you.
Have you lost passion in standing up for what is right and godly? God is patient with you.
Did you miss that opportunity again to share your faith? God is patient with you.
Did you lose your temper again and hurt the people around you? God is patient with you.
Have you discovered you push God down the priority list on a regular basis? God is patient with you.
One of God’s defining characteristics is that He is gracious and loving which works itself out in patience for us. Patience gives us time to repent and to make things right. We have a God who allows us second chances and even more chances as we are chasing Him in an authentic relationship.
ILLUSTRATION… 6 Open Letters that Changed the World http://mentalfloss.com/article/20427/6-open-letters-changed-world
Sometimes letters are written to a particular person. Other times letters can be written to a large audience in a “to whom it may concern” fashion which is called an “Open Letter.” Open Letters can have a lot of influence once people read them and process what is said. I found a collection of 6 Open Letters that changed the world. A few of them are worth mentioning.
#1 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” written by Martin Luther King Jr on April 16, 1963. MLK was enduring protests against what he was doing by fellow clergy. He wrote an 11 page open letter to fellow ministers. Perhaps the most famous persuasive phrase in the letter was: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” It got people’s attention.
#2 “A Soldier’s Declaration” written by Siegfried Sassoon in 1917 and was eventually printed by newspapers in Great Britain. His letter was about World War 1 about which he said: “"I believe that [World War I] is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it." His letter did shake up leadership in Britain and showed the errors and corruption that were present.
#3 Letter 3 in the collection was from France about something French.
#4 “Open Letter to the Kansas School Board” written by Bobby Henderson in 2005 to the Kansas State School Board as a protest to the school board allowing Intelligent Design to be taught alongside Evolution. His letter is also a protest against believers in God. He wrote: "I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster"; "You may be interested to know that global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s." Believe it or not, Pastafarianism (as it is called) is now an accepted reglion in Poland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
#5 “Letter on Corpulence” written by William Banting in 1863 records his effort to lose weight by cutting out carbohydrates and fat. His letter is seen as the beginning of the modern diet movement.
#6 “Open Letter to Hobbyists” written by Bill Gates in 1976. Apparently, people were copying Bill Gate’s software called BASIC from “Micro-Soft” for their homemade computers and he was not getting paid for it. There was no way to copyright what he was doing in those days. I am not sure how effective the letter was, but Bill Gates is now the 3rd richest man in the world and so people must have started buying the software.
III. THEREFORE
READ 2 PETER 3:17-18
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.
The last section of this chapter in 2 Peter 3 begins with the word “therefore.” These are his final thoughts based on what he has been sharing thus far. Peter has shared that eventually Judgment Day will come and God will destroy the earth and usher in a new heaven and new earth. While we are living, we should be holy and godly. He also mentions that we should not be frustrated that the last days are not coming, but the time being spend means more people can come to repentance and accept God. Peter offers one last command after the word “therefore.”
The command of the Apostle Peter centers around the word “be on your guard” (verse 17). Who or what are we on guard against?
2 Peter 1 commands us to be on guard against spiritual blindness (which we talked about a few weeks ago)
2 Peter 2 commands us to be on guard against false teachers (we did not cover this passage)
2 Peter 3 commands us to be on guard against falling away from our faith.
Verse 17 makes it very clear that the believer in Jesus Christ has a secure position. Our place with God, our salvation in Him, is secured by Him. Jesus’ blood paid for our transgressions and we have security in Him. Jesus Christ does not fail to save us. Once we are saved… we are saved. That is why Paul says in Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” No outside force can separate us from God.
Verse 17 makes it very clear that the believer in Jesus Christ can also “fall” and this is what we must be on guard against. God will not lose us. Christ will not leave us unsecure. The Holy Spirit will not abandon us. Yet, we can lose God amidst the mess of life. We can unsecure ourselves from God’s firm grace. We can abandon God with our attitudes and actions.
One of the efforts Peter makes clear in chapter 2 (again, we did not cover this passage) and again here in chapter 3, is that right teaching leads to life and grace and growth of faith. Bad or false teaching “carries us away” from God and takes us to places we should not be.
What does this mean? We should be mindful of the people who have influence in our lives in spiritual things. Be careful who you watch on TV that calls themselves a minister or preacher. Be careful who you listen to on the radio or what podcasts you download. There are many authors of books who we should be wary of. Every spiritual leader we have in our lives (that includes me!!) should be carefully investigated to see if what the Bible says matches what they say.
Just because they want you to have your best life now does not mean it is the truth.
Just because they preach in the most attractive manner you have ever heard does not mean it is the truth.
Just because their church has no walls does not mean they are always doing right.
Just because they tell you to in faith claim something does not necessarily make it true.
As believers, we should be very selective about the people we let have spiritual authority over our lives. A spiritual leader is a position of trust and influence. Peter encourages us to be on guard as we live our lives and to be careful who we follow.
APPLICATION/SUMMARY
The Bible is the inspired Word of God. 2 Peter is one of the letters contained in the collection of the New Testament. Letters can be powerful. Personal letters. Open letters. The written word is powerful and instructs us and encourages us. May we be encouraged today by the Words of the Apostle Peter:
FIRST OF ALL in whatever we do be holy and godly
SO THEN we wait in God’s patience so that others may come to know Him
THEREFORE be on guard while we wait and remain faithful
CONCLUSION IN PRAYER
