Joshua 1:1-9 NLT

After the death of Moses the LORD’s servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you– 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command– be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

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Recently Pastor Travis finished a sermon series encouraging us to read our Bibles consistently because God has given the Bible to us as a “text message” directly from him. I have been a student of the Bible for about 40 years, but I have not always been faithful at doing that. A few years ago, I (once again) committed myself to going through the Bible every year. I lucked up on a website that reads the text for you and the comments on it, and prays. All I had to do was show up and stay awake. I did this for two years straight. It was awesome.

In 2011, I decided I no longer needed someone to read to me. I also started a four year project of blogging my daily devotions. At the end of the four years, I will have covered the whole Bible, and essentially written a commentary on it. You can follow my progress at marmsky.com.

I am learning some things along the way. One thing is that any passage of Scripture is going to give instruction on one or more of three purposes. In other words, God has three reasons to communicate to us. He either wants to SAVE us by his grace through Jesus Christ or to SANCTIFY us by his word through the Holy Spirit or to SEND us on a mission.

Last year – when I was reading and blogging through the New Testament, I found that each book of the new Testament highlighted one of those purposes. The Gospels helped to explain who Jesus was as our Savior, or helped us understand how to be his disciples. The epistles usually explained sanctification (in other words, “I’m saved, now what?”. The Book of Acts is the mission manual of the New Testament.

This year, reading through the Pentateuch and other historical books of the Old Testament, I am encountering the same categories. Genesis and Exodus – up until the Passover event is all about rescue, deliverance, salvation. But then Exodus changes into a law book. The reason is simply this: the first 15 chapters are about salvation by grace: getting us out of Egypt. The rest of the book of Exodus and Leviticus and Numbers is about sanctification: getting Egypt out of us. Then we come to the book of Joshua. Joshua is the mission manual of the Old Testament. It helps us understand and accomplish the missions that God gives us.

God is not calling us to fly to Israel and do battle with the Canaanites. That was the mission he gave Joshua and his generation. The missions he gives you and me are different than that. He wants us to make disciples of all nations, to love him with all our hearts, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. But I have discovered that the lessons we learn from the book of Joshua are just as valid and helpful for my missions as they were for Joshua’s.

Today’s Big Idea is this: God has called you to a mission, and no matter who you are, that mission is possible.

Some of you know that I am a fan of the old 1960s TV series Mission: Impossible. I have been watching the whole series on Netflix, usually by myself on my Kindle because nobody else in my house shares my love for the show, and we don’t own a TV. Every episode, the team leader – Jim Phelps – goes into some strange place and finds some photos and a tape recorder. The tape describes the mission, and gives Jim the choice to accept it or not. The thing I like the most about shows like that is that they involve the whole team working together to accomplish the mission.

Most of the missions God gives us are like that as well. He did not just send Joshua into Canaan to conquer the whole Holy land. It took the whole nation to accomplish the mission. Likewise, when Jesus wanted to make disciples of every nation, he did not just send one representative. He sent the whole church. He sent us all the Holy Spirit, who distributes gifts to each of us so that together as a team we accomplish the mission.

One of the lessons Joshua teaches demonstrates this. Joshua’s team had a tremendous victory at Jericho. He had given specific instructions for them not to take anything, but to destroy everything. Afterward, Joshua sent a small army to take town of Ai. But one man in the team that had captured Jericho had taken some of the spoils. As a result, Ai – which should have been a cake walk – was a defeat. It takes the whole team following instructions to accomplish the mission.

The first chapter of Joshua speaks to that big idea: God has called you to a mission, and no matter who you are, that mission is possible. It gives us the grounds for that assertion. It gives reasons that we can expect to accomplish whatever mission God gives us.

1) The Mission is Possible because the presence of the LORD is with us wherever we go.

a) “I will be with you as I was with Moses” (5).

b) “I will not fail you or abandon you. ” (5).

c) “the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (9).

The mission is never about how smart we are, or how talented we are, or how brave we are. We are going to face challenges that put all those things to the test. In fact, most of the things we encounter are going to be too much for us. That is the way the missions are planned. They are designed to break our dependence upon our own wisdom, skills and courage.

Joshua had his armies, but that was not what brought about victory in the conquest of Canaan. The victory came because God was with them. That is why the LORD wanted to reassure Joshua from the outset that he would be with them and not forsake them.

Jesus told his church the same thing. Remember his Great Commission?

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 NLT).

The presence of the LORD with us makes the mission of the LORD possible for us. The mission gives us an opportunity to display and prove the presence of the LORD.

2) The mission is possible because the grace of God is demonstrated in our lives.

a) “the land I am giving them” (2).

b) “’Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you” (3).

c) “all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them” (6).

Just because we are now talking about the mission that God called on Joshua to accomplish does not mean that we have moved from grace to works. The mission is also about grace. You have to understand, there is nothing we ever can achieve for God that is not a result of the grace of God.

The Great Commission challenges us to make disciples of all nations, but not one soul ever comes to Christ apart from the effectual calling of the Holy Spirit upon his or her life. As Paul put it…

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory” (Romans 8:28-30 NLT).

There’s the whole story of salvation presented as God’s work from election to glorification. It’s God’s mission. Now, there are two possible responses to that. You can either say, OK, if God wants to do it all he can do it. Such a response is like telling Jesus “No thanks, I’ll pass on this making disciples thing.” The correct response is “Since it’s God’s mission anyway, I’m going to attempt great things.” “His presence is here to help me, and his sovereign grace is going to make it happen!”

3) The mission is possible because we have the word of God as our mission manual.

a) “Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you” (7a).

b) “Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do” (7b).

c) “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.” (8).

Lots of people have tried to read the Bible and have wound up confused and disappointed. I think part of the reason is that they fail to see the significance of what’s there and what is not there. Part of the problem is that we preachers have convinced them that the Bible is simpler than it is. It cannot be reduced to a few slogans or spiritual laws. It is complicated because it is meant to do a number of things for us.

1) It introduces us to our Savior and gives us a chance to respond to his gospel and be saved.

2) It explains how the Holy Spirit wants to change us from the inside out once we have become believers, sanctifying us and preparing us for a righteous eternity.

3) It instructs us on how to live under the authority of our new king, and how to accomplish his will, including and especially his will to draw others to himself.

All Joshua had was a “Book of Instruction” – a collection of the laws and words of Moses. But that was enough to instruct him on accomplishing God’s mission. We now have the whole thing – Genesis to Revelation. Paul said…

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

That sounds like a mission manual to me. I am convinced that this is a crucial era of history. We will have more opportunity to advance the kingdom of God and share the gospel of Christ than any generation in our past. It remains to see whether we will follow Joshua and take up that challenge. He challenged the rest of the Israelites to follow his example:

“choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15 NLT).

What he was saying was that his generation had three choices: old gods, new gods or the LORD God. The LORD challenges us to make his name and his kingdom our mission in life. We have all we need to make that mission a success. It is possible.

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This message was preached Sunday, June 24th, 2012 at RELEVANT CHURCH, Williamsburg Virginia, USA.

Daniel 4:34-37.   

The book of Daniel is kind of an odd bird.  Everyone recognizes it as a prophecy, or group of prophetic visions – centered around the person of Daniel.  But most of us first encounter Daniel in the Sunday School stories taken from the book. 

There’s Daniel, thrown into the lion’s den because he refused to pray to anyone but God – even though it had become illegal.  There’s the similar story of Daniel’s three friends – Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah – rescued from the fiery furnace.  We know them better by their Babylonian names: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 

When the Jews got together to compile and categorize their Scriptures they chose to put the book of Daniel in the writings category – even though it has many prophecies.  It was obviously different enough from the Nevi’im (prophets) that the choice was justified.

But when the Greeks got together to compile and categorize the Scriptures, they placed Daniel in the category of Major Prophet.  That choice was also justified.  God is speaking through Daniel – not just in the apocalyptic visions – but also in the historical stories.

The text from Daniel that I want to highlight is the portion of the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation where the great king comes back to his senses.

“At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” (Daniel 4:34-37 ESV)

This was the great king who had built the neo-Babylonian empire.  His people thought he was so great that they literally worshipped him. Those who refused to do so were destroyed.  This was what Nebuchadnezzar had planned to do with those three Hebrew officials with his fiery furnace.  God rescued them, and the king was put in his place for a while.  But before long, he was full of himself again.

Next, God struck him with insanity.  “He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws” (4:33).  He stayed like that for “seven periods of time.”

PERSPECTIVE ON GOD (34c, 35b).

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[read the story here, then come back!]

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That story reminds me of this incident with Nebuchadnezzar.  Nebuchadnezzar was everybody’s “Big John”  But God was Nebuchadnezzar’s “Big John.”  His sovereignty is absolute.  His power and authority are absolute.  That was the perspective that the great king learned by his time of humiliation. 

“for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation” (34c).

“and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth” (35b).

PRAISE FOR GOD  (34b, 37a).

“I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever” (34b).

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just” (37a).

PERSPECTIVE ON US (35b, 37b).

“none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?“” (35b).

“those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (37b).

 

Jeremiah 1:11-19

I would have hated to be Jeremiah.  He was a prophet during a time when people were actually listening to prophets. But he did not have much to say about his generation that was positive.  He had access to the divine will, and what he found out is that God was angry at his people, and things were going to get very bad, and then get worse. 

I hate reading books or watching movies where everyone dies in the end. 

I was really excited to watch the Sci-Fi film, KNOWING, starring Nicholas Cage.  I was fascinated with the idea of (spoiler warning) finding a time capsule with information about all the major disasters that will happen in history.  But then the movie turned me off.  It was not going to have an ending where somebody discovers how to make things better.  The whole human race (except for a couple of kids) was going to be destroyed.  Oh, come on.  Something inside me says that is not fair.

I can imagine that there was something inside Jeremiah who felt the same way when he read the script that God gave him. 

God gave Jeremiah a vision with some visual aids. 

“What do you see, Jeremiah?”

 

“I see a SHA-KED — an almond branch, LORD.”

 

 

“You, have seen well, Jeremiah, for I am SHO-KED – watching to see that my word will be fulfilled.”

That may sound like good news, but in Jeremiah’s case it was not. God’s word was about judgment upon his own people. 

“What do you see now, Jeremiah?”

  “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.”

“Right again, Jeremiah. I am going to send invaders from the north.”

“Really, Lord. Is that what I have to tell the people who are looking for good news?”

 

“But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them.  And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land.  They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” (Jeremiah 1:17-19 ESV).

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 God’s message to Jeremiah was that there was going to be no rescue in his lifetime.  That had to hurt. 

What kind of faith stands up after a calling like that and says OK Lord, if that’s what you want, I am going to do it!  (?)

Answer: the kind of faith that God is looking for in his people today.  What if you preach revival and it does not happen in your lifetime?  What if people accuse you of just spouting a lot of religious nonsense? 

What really matters is that the message that we are called to preach (the gospel of Jesus Christ) is our calling.  It does not matter if nobody listens, as long as we are are being faithful in proclaiming the message.  That is not an excuse for being outdated or inefficient in our communication.  It is merely an acceptance that the Holy Spirit is going to regenerate whomever he decides to reach.  Our job is to be faithful so that he can use us when he wants to. 

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The long-term message of Jeremiah is much more comforting.  He predicted that God would make a new covenant and that his new people would follow him.  Jeremiah never lived to see that part of his message come true.  Those of us who have been born again through faith in Christ now celebrate Jeremiah’s words.  His own generation largely resented his words. 

Thank you LORD for prophets like Jeremiah, who dared to proclaim an unpopular message, because they knew the message was from you.

 

 

 

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I promised a friend that I would post the rest of this series when I started preaching regularly again.  Well, it looks like that may be a while from now.  So, I have decided to finish the series as blog posts.  I hope that you get as much out of reading these sermons as I am getting from writing them – JV.

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Habakkuk 1:1-12.

You might think that it would have been great to be a prophet – to have the very words of God come out of your mouth.  But it was not easy for these guys.  Their gift was a burden as well as a blessing.  They could not just say what their listeners wanted to hear.  More often than not, they were saying the very things their culture did not want to hear.  They did not have the luxury of editing out the offensive parts.

Also, they didn’t always understand what God was saying through them.  And when they did understand it, they often wished that they didn’t.

THE PROPHET

Consider, for example, Habakkuk.  He is probably known best for a statement he made that the New Testament quotes: “the righteous shall live by his faith” (2:4). 

Paul quotes that when he talks about how the gospel is for everyone.  All it takes is faith in Christ whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, because faith in Christ is what God wants (cf. Rom. 1:17). 

He explains to the Galatians that access to God is not through the Law, because the Law is about doing good things.  Salvation comes through putting your faith in a good God (cf. Gal. 3:11).

The author of Hebrews uses Habakkuk’s slogan when he talks about how we must endure through this time while we wait for our Savior to come, and live by our faith in him (cf. Heb. 10:38). 

I think that in each of these cases, the New Testament authors accurately understood what Habakkuk wanted to say, and quoted him in context.

THE PEOPLE

Let’s look at Habakkuk’s context more closely.  He probably wrote between 640-615 BC.  That means that when he was writing Israel had already been taken over by the super-power of Assyria.  Judah alone was left to represent the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

The people of Habakkuk’s day were probably very interested in knowing why God had allowed that to happen.  Habakkuk and the other prophets had told them that God was all-powerful.  Now, he sits in shame because it appears that the gods of Assyria were more powerful than him.  The people are ashamed of what has happened, and they want answers.

THE PROCLAMATION

They are not alone.  Habakkuk himself begins his prophecy from God with an earnest prayer to God.  He says…

“O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted” (Habakkuk 1:2-4).

God’s people had witnessed the collapse of Israel.  Moreover, the evil empire of the Assyrians seems unstoppable.  No law and no power seemed able to stop them.  Habakkuk is living in a time when “justice goes forth perverted.” 

Do you ever feel like that?  Do you ever read about some crime being committed and ask “Where is the God of justice?”  That was where Habakkuk was.  That was where his heart was.

Personally, I am glad that he was allowed to ask that question.  If God never wanted us to ask questions like that, he would never have had one of his prophets ask a question like that. Since God, by his Holy Spirit inspired Habakkuk to ask a question like that, I feel much better confessing to you that my prayer life is often riddled with similar questions.

It might be that for our spiritual lives – Habakkuk’s questions are more important than God’s answers.  They reveal that life is going to be filled with things that happen that we do not expect.  Living by faith does not mean ignoring the unfortunate realities around us.  Living by faith means being able to cope with those unfortunate realities because we have someone to go to who has answers.

That does not mean – however – that the answers are going to be easy to take.  Notice God’s specific answer to Habakkuk’s prayer:

“Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand. At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god!”  (Habakkuk 1:5-11).

The short answer is that God intended to defeat the Assyrians by bringing in the Babylonians, who will swiftly destroy the Assyrian empire and take control of its lands.  These were not godly men.  They were a people “whose own might is their god.”  But God was going to use them to do his bidding and bring justice.

It was going to take about three decades before this took place.  We know from the Bible, and from history, that it did.  Habakkuk probably never saw it.  It was going to have to be enough for Habakkuk to know that God – in his time – would bring about justice against the Assyrians.  Meanwhile, God’s message to him and to the people he ministered to was something like this: “Keep believing in me, even if you are not living in a time when I choose to manifest my power.” 

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Are you willing to trust in God even if you don’t get the answer you were hoping for, or if it does not come in your lifetime?  Are you willing to let God be in charge of how he answers your prayers?  That is hard.  It is not easy to surrender control of your destiny, but God often requires that we do it – to manifest our faith in him.  His message to Habakkuk was:

“ For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end- it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3).

And Habakkuk’s words of faith in response were:

“I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:16-18).

No matter what happens.  No matter how contrary life seems to be compared with God’s vision of the future – faith trusts that God will fulfill his promise.  That is faith in Christ.  That is the heart of Habakkuk.

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LORD, we choose to trust in you. We choose to believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is going to return and bring about true and complete justice upon this earth.  Until that happens, we choose to endure this age of uncertainty with faith in you. We choose to quietly wait for our Savior, and rejoice in the LORD.

 

2 Peter 3 (ESV)

The apostle Peter was marked for death. He had been pursued and persecuted by his own Jewish brothers, and now the Roman government had put him on their hit list. He knew that his time was short. This letter (2 Peter) was probably his last chance to communicate with a group of believers and churches that he felt responsible for. He was not going to waste his words. Peter’s words were to be his legacy. He wanted his readers to recall them long after he was dead (1:14-15). He wanted them to live as people of the promise.

The whole chapter is about the second coming. He mentions the second coming of Christ six times:

•Skeptics are going to try to get people to believe that the promise will always be unfulfilled (4,9).

•He shows that it will be bad news for some because it will bring judgment and destruction on the ungodly (7).

•It will be the Day of the LORD that divides this age from the next (10).

•It will dissolve the temporary things to make room for the permanent (11).

•It is the day of God (not creation, incarnation, or even the resurrection of Christ) 12.

 

Now, look at how Peter frames his argument. He uses the same word each time he begins a new section. That word is beloved. Look at verses 1,8,14,17. I asked myself why he is breaking up his letter like that. I think the answer lies back in 2:1, where he warns of false teachers bringing in “destructive heresies.” Peter responds to four different destructive heresies that were going to be introduced to the church. We have to use our imaginations to discover which heresies he responds to, because we only have his responses. But it is clear that each heresy is about the second coming.

2 Peter 3:1-7  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,  2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,  3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.  4 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.”  5 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,  6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.  7 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.

Peter is responding to those who say that nothing ever changes in this world. They would probably argue that Jesus does not need to come because we can eventually figure out the world’s problems and take care of them. There is some truth in every heresy. Truth: the world is predictable. Truth: Christ has not yet come. Peter responded by pointing out that creation happened when God said GO. The flood happened when God said GO. Jesus is going to come again as soon as God says GO! We are people of the promise. We should focus on what will be, not what has been.

2 Peter 3:8-13   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.  9 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.  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 will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.  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.

Peter is responding to those who say that God is too good and kind and patient to ever make good on his threat to annihilate the universe. Once again, there is truth here. Psalm 136 celebrates the steadfast love of God which endures forever. But Peter says the purpose of God’s patience is to populate a new universe after he has destroyed the old one. We can actually hasten the coming by getting involved in that redemptive work. God’s justice will eventually prevail, so his mercy is not infinite.

2 Peter 3:14-16  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.

Peter is responding to those who say that when you look at all the isms and conflicting teachings about the second coming, the whole thing is too confusing and impossible to explain. Peter says, true, it is confusing, and people distort the truth just like they do Paul’s writings. We need good solid systematic teaching on these issues. But the most important thing is not being able to explain the second coming, but being ready for it when it comes.

2 Peter 3:17-18  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.

Peter is responding to those who say that all those doctrines the church teaches are irrelevant: they don’t matter, and the second coming is one of those doctrines. True, good theology cannot save you, but bad theology can destroy you. It can make you lose your stability. Destructive heresies can destroy your walk and keep you from the coming kingdom. There are two eternal destinies: permanent life or permanent death. Peter warns against turning from this truth back to defilements of the world. To know the gospel and turn against it is worse that not knowing it at all.

This may be the last gospel message you ever hear. I challenge you to live in the reality of the promise of Christ’s second coming. Peter said it this way: “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God” (11-12). Living in the light of the second coming is learning to live as we shall – not as we have, not as we are. God accepts us by grace, and sees us just as we will be. John says that when he appears we will be like him. Peter says be diligent to be found by him spotless.

LORD, we ask you to transform us now, and commit ourselves to living that transformation so that we hasten Christ’s coming. Make us people of the promise!