God Is Faithful
Notes
Transcript
God Is Faithful
God Is Faithful
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
Peter is trying to encourage the fellow believers. It is easy to lose hope and for doubt to creep in during a time of struggle. The time in which 2 Peter was written was a terrible time. The likes of which we have not seen in the United States, but our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, have already endured. Peter is nearing the end of his life and many Christians are scattered in the known world with Nero as the ruler of the Roman empire.
7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
No matter what, we must shine to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Peter is beginning this chapter recognizing some of the daily struggles they are encountering.
There will be those who will make light of our faith and use us as the punch lines of their jokes or maybe something even more cruel as was happening to the first church.
Peter does not insult or bash those who say and do such things. He seeks to remind us of the great power of God. He chooses to focus on the word in flesh.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
We can then look back at
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
and see the Word, Jesus Christ, was always there.
16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.
The Word protected them. The Word is protecting the land until the time of judgement.
jesus gave a parable of the wheat and the tares
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
Peter talked about the Lord coming back and then at some point the elements would melt with fervent heat.
We can see from the periodic table the temperatures at which elements will melt.
Aluminum at 1220°F Al
Copper at 1984°F Cu
Gold at 1947°F Au
So if we meet somewhere in the middle at 1717°F. What would cause a land mass to heat to over 1,000°F to fulfill what Peter is prophesying? This seems unbelievable, but the atomic bomb in Hiroshima at ground zero was 60 million °F. We can bring it down to 1000°F by just using lava.
In 1908, a comet hit Tunguska. It was 1000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima. It was estimated to have a 15 megaton explosion. A firsthand account of someone who was 40 miles from ground zero wrote:
the sky split in two and fire appeared high and wide over the forest. The split in the sky grew larger, and the entire northern side was covered with fire. from the northern side, where the fire was, came strong heat. and a strong thump sounded, After that such noise came, as if rocks were falling or cannons were firing, the earth shook, When the sky opened up, hot wind raced between the houses, like from cannons, which left traces in the ground like pathways.”
The Soviet Union tested Tsar Bomba in 1961 with 50 megaton explosion. Heat from the explosion was felt 168 miles away.
TSAR BOMB. Nuclear explosion - YouTube
8 Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.
Whether it is a natural disaster or of humanity’s choosing, it will happen.
This should push us to live our lives above reproach. No regrets. Our speech and our actions should mirror our Lord and Saviour. We must not give in or let down our armor. In fact we need to be stronger.
Because of salvation. Given one more day. Given one more opportunity to share the gospel. To offer the water of life to a thirsty soul.
What is this water of life?
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
How do we preserve ourselves as Peter instructed? How do keep ourselves spotless? How do we stand up to those who say things contrary to the word of God?
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
This word grace is a noun. It is something to attain. A good will from Jesus Christ is a powerful thing. Knowledge is a noun also. It is not just gathering information. It is not just reading the Bible to check it off the list. It is growing a relationship with also.
Conclusion:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
