2 Peter 3
September Memory Verse: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)
Read: 2 Peter 3
As Jesus hung on the cross, think of the insults heaped on him—"If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” “He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
As with Jesus, Peter reminds us, “scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.” If Jesus suffered insults, so shall we. We are reminded, however, “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.”
When we see suffering, when we see evil people prosper, when we see wickedness go unchecked in the world, often we are tempted to ask, “God why don’t you (fill in the blank)?” To this question Peter encourages us, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 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 will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”
When God’s judgment appears slow in coming, the repeated stories in Scripture remind us this amounts to His grace. In His amazing grace, God delays judgment on the wicked and righteous alike, giving the maximum opportunity for repentance.
One day, judgment will come, and all the scoffers will face destruction. However, for those of us in Christ, “according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” This is our hope. We often speak of “heaven” as our eternal resting place. However, this is imprecise. In reality, our eternity will be spent in the New Creation. It will be a real, physical place—think of it as a return to the Garden of Eden. We will not be floating spirits or babies playing with harps. We will experience an unimaginable world in glorified bodies. “Awesome” is a poor description of what we will behold.
When you think of our hope for eternity, what encourages you most?
By: Tyler Short
Read: 2 Peter 3
As Jesus hung on the cross, think of the insults heaped on him—"If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” “He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
As with Jesus, Peter reminds us, “scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.” If Jesus suffered insults, so shall we. We are reminded, however, “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.”
When we see suffering, when we see evil people prosper, when we see wickedness go unchecked in the world, often we are tempted to ask, “God why don’t you (fill in the blank)?” To this question Peter encourages us, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 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 will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”
When God’s judgment appears slow in coming, the repeated stories in Scripture remind us this amounts to His grace. In His amazing grace, God delays judgment on the wicked and righteous alike, giving the maximum opportunity for repentance.
One day, judgment will come, and all the scoffers will face destruction. However, for those of us in Christ, “according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” This is our hope. We often speak of “heaven” as our eternal resting place. However, this is imprecise. In reality, our eternity will be spent in the New Creation. It will be a real, physical place—think of it as a return to the Garden of Eden. We will not be floating spirits or babies playing with harps. We will experience an unimaginable world in glorified bodies. “Awesome” is a poor description of what we will behold.
When you think of our hope for eternity, what encourages you most?
By: Tyler Short
3 Comments
When Christ returns, I hope to be found enjoying the peace of Christ which knows no worry or fear about the Day of the Lord or the judgment of Christ, like verse 14 says.
But I do have to rethink eternity now, as I had planned my first 1,000 years to be filled with harp lessons...
I think what encourages me the most is that Jesus will be there with us in a whole new way, and because of that presence, eternity will be filled with unimaginable joy and devoid of any sickness or pain or death or disease.
In a word, REST. Praise God.