The Joy of Unit-Reading #35 (the Second Epistle of Peter)

We’re making some headway in this whole unit-reading adventure!  I hope some of you will take up my challenge to read straight through 65 of the 66 books of the Bible!  Here are a few notes I took on 2 Peter:

Peter does not mince words as he warns of the coming Day of the Lord, speaks clearly about false prophets, and encourages his readers to grow in godliness.

Here’s an idea:  Look at the virtues in chapter 1 (vv. 5ff) — goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love — and ask yourself, “Which virtue do I need to work on?”  Study that virtue in the Bible.  Ask someone who loves you — “How can I grow in ___?” (insert virtue in the blank).

One takeaway:  We are fools if we think that God is not a God of judgment and holiness!  We have plenty of biblical examples to warn us of His wrath!

My prayer: “Lord, thank You that I don’t have to live in fear of You — but I need to seriously grow in my walk with Christ.  Help me reach out to others for whom Christ died — that they may come to faith & repentance in the Lord.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.” 

 

END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT?

This commercial from Chevy cracks me up!  Please watch the commercial below and then read my comments:

How can you beat Barry Manilow for a theme song at the end of the world?  I appreciated the fellow who spoke about his friend who didn’t “make it” — “He drove a Ford!”

Thankfully, the Mayan calendar was wrong.  The world didn’t end; we’re still here; and God is still on His throne!  [I wonder what Harold Camping would say about this commercial?]

But — one day this world will come to an end, according to the Scriptures!  We read texts like 2 Peter 3 which says:

³ Above 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 ancestors 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 came into being 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 the ungodly.

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. Instead 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 done 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, where righteousness dwells.

¹⁴ 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.

Here are several observations about the real end of the world —

1.  There will always be scoffers who mock the idea of a final day of judgment.  They were wrong during the days of Noah and they are wrong now (vv. 3-6).

2.  God delays that final judgment so that people can come to Christ through faith and repentance (vv. 8-9).

3.  The day of the Lord will come without warning, like a thief in the night.  Therefore we should be ready for that cataclysmic series of events.  How do we get ready?  Peter’s answer is that we should strive now to live holy lives! (vv. 10-13).

4.  The delay in the day of the Lord coming should bring more than laughter at car commercials with a conclusion of falling frogs!  We who know Christ should be grateful for God’s patience which means salvation for those who will believe the gospel (vv. 14-16).

Questions:

1.  If you are a believer in Jesus, have you thought about using a commercial such as this one to naturally move into the question of a final day of judgment?

2.  If you knew that the end of the world were going to happen this week, what would you do differently with your life right now?