October 29, 2012

ACCORDING TO HIS PROMISE

2 Peter 3

Daisy Reynolds
Monday's Devo

October 29, 2012

Monday's Devo

October 29, 2012

Central Truth

The future destruction of the world we are in and the promised perfection of the world to come should shape who we are now.

Key Verse | 2 Peter 3:14

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless. (2 Peter 3:14)

2 Peter 3

The Day of the Lord Will Come

This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, 1 3:9 Some manuscripts on your account not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies 2 3:10 Or elements; also verse 12 will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 3 3:10 Greek found; some manuscripts will be burned up

11 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.

Final Words

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.

Footnotes

[1] 3:9 Some manuscripts on your account
[2] 3:10 Or elements; also verse 12
[3] 3:10 Greek found; some manuscripts will be burned up

Dive Deeper | 2 Peter 3

Peter understood the importance of reminding believers of the things they believe but might have forgotten. It is so easy to get distracted as we journey through this life. Both good and bad things can grab our attention, even for years at a time. Peter's reminder consists of different kinds of words and how those words influence his readers: the words of the prophets and Jesus, the mocking of the detractors, words involved in creation and preservation, and lastly, a promise of what is to come for the righteous.

One of the things I love best about the epistles is their composition. First comes the theology of the writer and second, how that theology should affect lives. Although this is not rocket science, it sure can be difficult to put our theology into practice. But that is exactly what Peter encourages his readers to do. He warns them to guard themselves from the mocking words of the detractors and to be holy because of the promise of God.

Peter offers two arguments for holiness: the destruction of this present world, and the character of the coming one. Because God is faithful to His promises, we know the end of this world is certain. Therefore, we should not cling to the things of this world. C.S. Lewis puts it this way, "All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." I have that quote on my computer screen at work, and it reminds me that no matter how loudly this world is clamoring for my attention, my time is better spent living in it as if I am headed somewhere else.

Peter's other argument is sort of the flip side of the coin. Verse 13 describes the character of this new world as a place in which righteousness dwells. If that is where we are headed, then the more we seek the righteousness of Christ in our lives now, the more we will feel at home in such a place.

Lord, teach us to trust so strongly in Your promises of the future that they shape who we choose to be now.

Discussion Questions

1. Have you ever heard anyone say Jesus is not coming back because He has just been gone too long? What is your answer? Where would you point people to in Scripture to support your answer?

2. Are you looking forward to living in a place where righteousness dwells?

3. Can you think of a way your theology should change your life but has not yet?

WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY

October 29-November 2 (2 Peter 3 – 1 John 4)

Read 1 John 1:5-10.

• What is the difference between light and dark?
• Who does verse 5 say is light?
• What does it mean to be living by the truth?
• Where do you find truth?
• Are any of you without sin? What is sin? (Anything word, action or deed that breaks God's law.)
• Where in Scripture does it tell us that every person has sinned? (Romans 3:23)
• What cleanses us from our sins?
• What does it mean to live in the light? How can you practice being completely in the light this week? (i.e.: time in God's Word, sharing struggles with each other, praying for your enemies, asking for forgiveness when needed)
• What does it mean to be living in darkness or spiritual darkness (think about it as the opposite of living in the light)?

Activity: Buy a handful of glow sticks. (Michael's has the bracelets for pretty cheap.) Do this activity at night when you can make your whole house dark. Crack the bracelets or sticks to make them glow. Then take turns hiding them in the house and have the rest of the people search for them. Between hunts, talk about how easy it is to see light in darkness, that darkness can never overtake light. Discuss Jesus' claim to be "the light of the world." What did He mean by that?