Goal for tonight is to learn who we are to be in these last days...

As we did in I Peter, we’re committing our theme verse to memory...II Peter 3.18...

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Peter now concludes his brief second letter to the churches by turning to the final counsel to his readers...he revisits some of the apocalyptic language of the first portion of chapter 3, but ends with an exhortation to holy and godly living, which breaks down into two portions: a question and a multi-answer...let’s jump into the text...

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

What Sort of People Ought We to Be?                     3.12-13

Peter asks his readers a penetrating question, basing it in the truths of God’s coming judgment that he just talked about in the previous passage...

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 

Since we know that God is going to intervene in His creation a third time, in judgment and cleansing, with fire instead of water, we should consider how we live and what we do until that judgment comes...as we said last time, some in the first century believed the time of judgment associated with Christ’s second coming was imminent, so in their minds this would have added a real sense of urgency...and that sense of urgency should be no less in our minds today...here’s Peter’s point: if this world is going to come to an end – and it is – then how should we live our lives? What are we to do? Let’s see what answer he gives us...

He characterizes believers as lives marked by holiness and godliness...I’ll return to those thoughts in a few minutes...but I’d like to first examine verses 12 and 13...

Let’s review the “day of God” which we considered last week...Peter again describes what that “day” or “event” is like...

The “heavens” – the Gr word is ‘ouranos,’ the most common word for “heavens” in the physical sense...everything above the surface of the earth to an undetermined height...that will be set on fire – combust – and dissolved, Gr ‘lyo’ – to break into parts or components and lose cohesion or unity...not destroyed, but we might use the English word “disintegrate”

The “heavenly bodies” – probably better translated “elements,” Gr ‘stocheion’ will melt as they burn or combust...in both cases, destruction that leads to re-creation

In light of that event, Peter gives the believers two seemingly contradictory directives...to “wait for” that day, and to “hasten” or speed up, that day...what?

The Gr word for “wait for” is ‘prosdokao’ meaning to anticipate or expect something or someone, and to look for it...that has been the attitude of Christians through the centuries as we long for and desire the day of God...we know there is judgment involved, and we don’t necessarily rejoice in that part of the event, but we do anticipate with great joy the coming of our Lord Jesus...we are “waiting” for Him...

This attitude of expectant waiting is the heart of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in 

Matthew 25.1-13...

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

We are to be wise and prepared for the coming of the day of God, when the Bridegroom arrives with no notice...Christians don’t just wait around, they prepare and wait with anticipation, knowing He is coming but not when, and knowing that they are called to be ready to go with Him when He arrives...

But we are also told to “hasten” that day...the word means to hurry or speed up...it’s used of the shepherds hurrying to see the Christ child, and also of Zacchaeus rushing to get out of the tree to go to lunch with Jesus...

But on the surface, it’s curious to direct believers to “hasten the day” of Christ’s coming, the parousia...how can we possibly do that?

At least two ways...

Pray for it...we might not think of it, but even the words “The kingdom come” in the Sermon on the Mount ask for the Lord’s soon return, and so does Revelation 22.20...He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Hymnwriters understand this...you’ll remember this line from “It is Well with my Soul,” Horatio Spafford, 1873:

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

The second way is to share your faith...since the Lord will not return until all the elect have been brought into the kingdom, then someone is going to lead the last person to faith...maybe it’s you! 

Then Peter makes a reference to a key OT and NT concept... 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 

God has promised it, and we are waiting for it...the new heavens and the new earth are mentioned twice in Isaiah, in chapters 65 and 66, again here in the apocalypse of Peter, and finally in Revelation 21...the Gr word for “new” here is ‘kainos,’ Anthony Hoekema notes ‘kainos’ as “new in nature and quality, rather than ‘neos,’ new as in time or origin” ...’kainos’ is also used in Rev 21.1-5, and 2 Cor 5.17, where Christians are a “new” creation...

“What Peter teaches here is not the emergence of a cosmos totally other than the present one, but the creation of a universe which, though it has been gloriously renewed, stands in continuity with the present one.”  Hoekema quoted in Lucas and Green, TBST

This debate – annihilation followed by a new creation, or destructive renewal and restoration – has existed since the first century...and while we might not resolve this question here and now, we can know that no matter how God chooses to make the new heavens and the new earth, they will be a place where righteousness permanently dwells...

Be This Kind of People...                           3.14-18

Peter now turns from his assurance of the perfected future home of believers, to the conduct of those believers in the world today...in response to his own question, “What sort of people ought you to be?” Peter identifies seven characteristics of the lives that believers should live in these “last days”...three are in verse 14...let’s return to the text...

14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, 

#1: Diligent in holiness...while Peter mentions holiness and godliness in verse 11, he is more specific here, using the imagery of flawless sacrifices in the Temple as required by the OT Law, like the Passover Lamb...we noted a few weeks ago that Peter warns us about the false teachers in 2.13, where he says “They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.” Now Peter calls for Christians to be just the opposite, holy and godly in this present age, diligently living for Jesus...not for a few weeks, then again next month, then taking the summer off...but diligently following hard after Christ, never letting up, always maintaining a heart attitude and behavioral ethic of godliness...in Titus 2.12, Paul says it well... renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age

#2: Settled in peace... this is a challenge for believers in the last days, as opposition from the world grows year after year...how can we live in peace in the middle of conflict and persecution? Ultimately, our peace is with God...Romans 5.1... Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So that’s our starting point in our relationships with those in the world, some of whom will not desire to be at peace with us...we are at peace with God, but that doesn’t guarantee that the world will be peaceful...Paul’s counsel in Romans 12.18 is exactly the attitude we need to take... 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Notice the two caveats...if it’s possible, and so far as it depends on you...because sometimes, no matter what we do, others may refuse to be at peace with us...but despite conflict with the world, we can rest in the peace of God...

#3: Committed to repentance...the third characteristic Peter calls us to is to be committed to repentance... 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation...you might remember from last week that Romans 2.4 tells us that God’s kindness, forbearance, and patience lead us to repentance...this is another way of describing the same truth, that God’s patience is our salvation...God’s tarrying patience isn’t slowness or delay, it’s our path to turn from our sin and return to the Lord...but remember II Corinthians 7.10... For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. Being sorry isn’t repentance...turning from your sin is repentance...there is a sorrow that does not lead to a changed life, only regret...don’t fall into that trap...instead, add Matthew 3.8 to your scripture memory list...Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. “In keeping with” – representative of – consistent with repentance...where repentance is needed, get there quickly...then live a life that shows you’ve turned from that sin and turned back to God...

Now, to follow Peter’s training of thought, we’ll look at verses 15 and 16, an excursus which introduces a different idea into Peter’s closing paragraph, but one that is very important to our understanding of the development of the Scripture through the first century...

just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

This is a fascinating insight into the creation of what we have today as the NT...it establishes that there was a supportive and caring relationship between Peter and Paul, even though Paul had publicly and strongly rebuked Peter for withholding fellowship from Gentile believers while Jews were present, an episode found in Galatians 2.11-14...and Peter references Paul’s letters, at least the ones he had written up to that point, speaking of them as sometimes “hard to understand” – I would agree with that – and condemns those who don’t handle them rightly, a respect and care that Peter himself evidently afforded Paul’s letters...these men choose to intentionally take the truth and pervert it to support their own false teaching, an error that will cost them their own lives...the most interesting point in this short verse is the last phrase: as they do the other Scriptures. The word “scriptures” renders Gr ‘graphe’ a word used 24 times in the gospels alone to name and define the OT divinely inspired and authoritative writings; Jesus, Luke, Paul, James, and Peter himself use this Gr word to speak of God’s word, and now Peter uses it to make the same claim for Paul’s letters, equating the writings of Moses with the letter Paul just wrote...

Now Peter returns to the last four characteristics of a well-lived Christian life in the last days...let’s look at verses 17 and 18...

17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

#4: Anchored in righteousness...Peter warns his readers not to be “carried away” Gr ‘synapago’ by error...the word carries the thought of being drawn away by someone else...two ways come to mind to take on this posture of both caution and wariness...one is to be anchored in Christ...as Tony preached from Hebrews 6.19, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, and it holds in the very center of God’s presence in the OT figure, the Holy of Holies...our anchor is Jesus Christ Himself, and nothing could be more secure...His Spirit is the One who can prevent us from being influenced by the false teaching so prevalent today...the second way to not be carried away with error is to be watchful of what you’re hearing and seeing...we have to be well taught enough to be able to recognize error when we see it...do we know the Word so well that when we hear false teaching, you can identify it? And do we know lawless behavior so well that when we see it, we can identify it? Can you tell when someone is enticing unsteady souls within the church? Can you tell when someone begins a whisper campaign to create division and disunity, eventually disrupting the fellowship and splitting it? And if we do identify false teaching, how do we ensure that we remain steadfast and are not moved away, as Paul says it, to a “different gospel”? We must remain anchored in righteousness, steadfast, unmoved by temptations to sin and false teaching...if we don’t, we risk falling into the error of the last days that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24.12-13... 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Don’t let your love for Jesus grow cold because of the world’s increasing lawlessness...

#5: Stable in the Spirit...Peter’s warning is to take care that we don’t lose our stability...how do we remain grounded in the Holy Spirit? Listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew 7.24-27... 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” ...the answer is the words of Jesus...the Scriptures are what keep us stable...truth keeps our feet solidly planted...living in lies is like walking on shifting sand...

#6: Growing in grace and knowledge...we finally come to our memory verse! An important part of the answer to the question “what sort of people ought we to be?” is this...we are to be people who are characterized as growing in Christ, specifically in grace and knowledge...this isn’t the false teaching of “let sin abound, that grace may abound the more” – it’s learning to live increasingly in God’s grace as opposed to living from works-righteousness; we know, don’t we, that we’re saved by grace through faith, yet still we sometimes lean back on our natural attitude we learned from the world that we need to work for our salvation, or at least that God will love us more if we work harder...we have to grow, but that growth is from and toward grace...Christopher Green says it this way:

Every day represents a fresh challenge, when we will be tempted to forget everything we have learned over the years, and trade it in for a novelty item. Peter’s solution is to grow in the grace and knowledge of … Jesus Christ. We need to know more about him, to be sure; but we also grow in that knowledge by obeying him, by treating his promises as genuine promises of the Saviour, and his commands as genuine commands of the Lord. 

#7: Exulting in Jesus...Peter closes his second letter with these words... To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. It is a fitting conclusion to the letter, and it forms a bookend of sorts with the way Peter opened this letter in 1.2: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Both are doxologies who proclaim that Jesus Christ is divine and worthy of our greatest glory and praise...Peter is leaving no doubt as he closes this epistle about who Jesus is...He is the Lord of Glory!

Application

So let’s review tonight...

Peter challenges us by asking “what sort of people ought we to be?”

Then he gave us seven answers:

#1: Diligent in holiness

#2: Settled in peace

#3: Committed to repentance

#4: Anchored in righteousness

#5: Stable in the Spirit

#6: Growing in grace and knowledge

#7: Exulting in Jesus

What a joy it’s been to examine this book with you! May God bless you as you think about what we’ve learned together!