2 Peter Chapter 3 Pt. 3 Closing Words From Peter Exhort Us To Grow In Our Faith

Diligently pursue the things of God, not worldly things

2 Peter 3:14  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 

The Spirit of God guided Peter to share much needed truth, as he approached the time of his death for Christ's sake. 

Christians must watch and wait for their Lord to return. We must do our part in fulfilling the Great Commission work that Jesus left us here to do.  

What things are we to be looking for? For Jesus Christ to return. For the Spirit of God to keep transforming us into the image of Jesus Christ. 

For answers to our prayers when we pray in alignment with God's will. For opportunities to be Christ's faithful witnesses. 

For each Lord's Day that we might gather in our local church to worship our Worthy God. 

Through the apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit commands us to set our affection on things above, where Jesus Christ is enthroned at the Father's right hand (See Colossians 3:1-3).

We must look into the scriptures as our source of hope and knowledge. 

We must look into the scriptures for instruction on living holy lives and seeking first the kingdom of God. 

We must look into the scriptures for comfort, so that we lean upon the everlasting arms of Jehovah. 

As we exert ourselves to be a consistently spiritually minded people, the peace of God will fill our hearts. His peace is independent of any external circumstances that we may be facing. 

Those who are spiritually minded are blessed with life marked by the peace of God that passes all understanding (See Romans 8:6; Philippians 4:7).

Diligently pursuing the wonderful things that the Holy Spirit guided Peter to tell us of, sanctifies us and draws us nearer to God. 

It helps us avoid sin so that we stand complete in Christ, spotless and blameless before the throne of God. 

Peter expressed gratitude for Paul's faithful ministry.

2 Peter 3:15   And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;  

Thus, as God is longsuffering because He is not willing that any should perish, so we also must be patient, working for our Lord, as His faithful servants, wherever He has placed us. 

Peter expressed his love for the apostle Paul and the particular wisdom that God blessed him with. Paul was not like the 12 apostles, who were primarily fishermen. He was going to minister the gospel in very cosmopolitan, worldly places. 

Paul's apostolic commission was very broad. 

Acts 9:15-16  But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16)  For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. 

In this text, Jesus tells Ananias to go seek out Saul of Tarsus, and lay his hands upon him, for he was now born again.

Jesus spells out the broad parameters of Paul's mission. He was going to take the gospel of Christ to Jews and Gentiles. 

He was going to bear witness of Jesus Christ before kings, and Roman rulers. Paul would learn to suffer great things for the sake of that blessed name, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, Paul's scope of ministry was the broadest of all the apostles. The twelve remained at Jerusalem just as Jesus commanded them to. 

They were to preach the gospel, beginning at Jerusalem, and then in Samaria, before going to the uttermost parts of the earth (See Acts 1:8). 

If you read through the book of Acts, you will see that this is the exact pattern used for spreading the gospel.

Paul was well instructed in Judaism, and able to argue persuasively, proving from the Old Testament that Jesus was Christ, the Son of God. 

He had a Roman education and was well acquainted with Greek philosophers and paganism. Thus, he was uniquely qualified for the specific mission that Jesus assigned to him

To his credit, though Paul suffered many things during his apostolic ministry, he never wavered in his desire to glorify His Lord Jesus Christ. 

Paul wrote hard things that his enemies distorted. 

2 Peter 3:16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Paul preached and taught about things that were complicated or hard for some to understand. 

For example, the Jews had great difficulty grasping that God was going to send the gospel to the Gentile nations, to save many people for His kingdom.

Essentially, Israel was being set aside, so that God could call out people for Himself from among the Gentiles of the world. 

Thus, Jews who looked for Messiah to immediately establish the universal kingdom of God, were utterly perplexed by new revelation from God through Paul.

It was hard for them to understand, yet had they looked to their own prophets, they would have seen that the saving work of God included the non Jewish people in the world. 

Therefore, Judaizers and other religious Jews, twisted the teachings of Paul, and perverted the truth of the gospel. Again, reading through the book of Acts will thoroughly demonstrate these facts. 

Jewish opposition to the ministry of Paul.

Acts 13:44-50  And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. 45)  But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. 46)  Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 47)  For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. 48)  And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. 49)  And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. 50)  But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.

This new direction often rubbed the Jews the wrong way, because they were ignorant of what Jehovah said He would do, through His prophets. 

The text above is but one example of many, where the Jews resisted preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This pattern was repeated many times throughout the book of Acts.

Paul's sufferings were many, but he counted it all joy to suffer for Christ. 

2 Corinthians 11:24-33  Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25)  Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26)  In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27)  In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28)  Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. 29)  Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? 30)  If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. 31)  The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. 32)  In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: 33)  And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands. 

Paul was stoned, beaten, run out of town, and often encountered fierce resistance from the Jewish religious leaders, just as they hated Jesus Christ without a reason (See 2 Corinthians 4:7-8; 6:4-5; 12:7-10).

2 Peter 3:17-18  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. 18)  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Peter's heart was full of love as he was guided by God's Spirit to close out his second letter to the churches. 

He reminds us that he wrote all of these things so that we would not be led astray or fall into error. 

Peter ends with one final imperative for all Christians. "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." 

His first letter also exhorted us to desire the sincere or pure, milk of the scriptures, that we might grown and mature in our faith in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:1-5).

Spiritual growth is necessary so that our faith might mature just as those Old Testament saints matured, like Moses, Joshua, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The Word of God was Peter's starting point and he reminded us of its eternal nature and power to save sinners like us (See 1 Peter 1:22-25).

Let us anchor our souls to the truth of God's Word. Let us pray for the Spirit of God to have His way in each of our hearts. Let us ask our Father to make us more like His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Bob