II Peter 3-18

Introduction

Second Peter chapter 3. As you’re turning there, you think about as we are approaching the end of this calendar year, and we’re reaching that time where we set these new goals, these goals of growth, these goals of some sort of new gain, whether that be, in an ironic sense, weight loss, whether that be a new job, a better job, whether that just be a new hobby, new friends, being with family more. We set lofty goals for ourselves because we want to be better. We want to grow. In Second Peter chapter 3, as this as this great book concludes, you see beginning in verse 14 that Peter has an expectation of growth. In 2 Peter chapter 3, beginning in verse 14. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

Encount the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him. As he does in all these 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. 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. 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. Powerful scripture, and when you see in Second Peter chapter 3 in these verses, there’s a couple of things that immediately pop out in verse 14.

We are to be found in a certain particular way, and that’s a high, lofty goal. We are to be found without spot or blemish. I think a lot of our goals come with spots and blemishes. If we were going for weight loss, if we were going for a new job, it might not be that on January 2nd we have obtained our goal. And if you have, that’s fantastic, but set a higher goal. We have a high calling. We have to, as verse 14 says, be diligent to be found without spot or blemish. That’s going to take work, that’s going to take focus. But as you continue on, of course, it pops out that in verse 16, there are some things that men are going to come in from the scripture and twist.

In fact, twist in such a way as you see in verse 16 to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. And in verse 17, Peter says, You’re going to know this. Knowing this, do what? Knowing this, do not be carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. And in verse 18 is the opposite. Verse 17, be careful, be watching, don’t be carried away with false doctrine. Verse 18, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those two ideas are opposed to one another. And in this book, these three short chapters in 2 Peter, we see Peter outlining a way for us to grow. You want to know how can I be closer to God? How can I grow in my faith?

1. Recognize Where I Need to Be

Second Peter provides several answers. If we just go chapter by chapter, we’re going to see four different steps so that we can grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with me to chapter 1. Beginning. The first one is that we need to recognize where I need to be. Verse 14 said, without spot or blemish, but chapter 1 gives us a little bit of a better picture of where I need to be. Of course, why is that important? Because if we don’t know what we are striving for, we will never get there. In 2 Peter chapter 1, beginning in verse 2, may grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power is granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

Through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whoever lacks these qualities is so near-sided that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election. For if you practice these qualities, you will never fail. For in this way you will be richly pro will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Again, a lot pops out, but we need to see what we need to be is a lofty goal. The picture of a Christian, the picture of one devoted to Christ, is found in verses five through seven. And I wonder if I read these, how many that I think I have pretty much under control. And how many of these I am lacking severely. Or perhaps lacking a little. In verse 5, as we go through this, you see, first of all, which is virtue.

Virtue is that which is noble, excellent, praiseworthy. But how are we going to get there? How are we going to understand that we need to be virtuous? We need to live a life that is characterized by virtue. Well, we see that in verses three and four. How are we going to get right with God? We need to understand first and foremost that who is behind it. God in verse 3 begins at His divine power. What about it? His divine power is granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. And here’s that word that keeps coming up. It was in chapter 3 and verse 18. We found it several times just in our reading in chapter 1, that word knowledge. His divine power is granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called to us his own glory and excellence.

Didn’t we see that somewhere else? Well, if you look down in verse 10 and 11, you see, therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election. If you practice these qualities, you will never fail. Knowledge is one of those many qualities in that list. And what we’re going to see is we have to have these if we are going to be found without spot or blemish. We need to live a life that is virtuous. And the thing about a praiseworthy life, the thing about an excellent life, is that’s not a low bar. You know the saying, if you aim for nothing, you’ll hit it every time. As Christians, sometimes are we tempted to kind of just say, Well, I need to be better.

I do need to have a life that is characterized by virtue. I do need to grow in knowledge. And we know some words, we may even know all the words of 2 Peter chapter 1 that we need to have and we need to be growing in. But what do we do to aim for that goal? Because that is going to be hard. It’s not like just trying to take the easiest, most attainable goal. It’s not like saying, I’m going to learn to run this year and to reach my goal, I’m going to run a quarter mile. That may be impressive depending on where you are. But when you consider all the marathons and half marathons that people run, that’s not the most lofty of goals. And being a Christian isn’t about settling for the lowest bar that we can reach to get into heaven.

A virtuous life is one that is characterized by excellence, one that leads to us being found without spot or blemish. What are we doing to aim for that virtue? But of course, we see as we continue on, we need to supplement with our faith, virtue and with virtue knowledge. Of course, that word has come up several times already. God expects us to both know and understand what He has done for us and to grow based upon that. Did you see in verse 9 an interesting characteristic of this Christian, of the one who is doing what Peter is outlining for growth? In verse 9, what was it? Whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

Why would that be an important thing to know? Well, because if I’m a Christian, if I have understood where I’m going, which is to be with Jesus, I need to realize that growing in Jesus is not being a part of a club. Being a part of a club that once I believe and I’m baptized and I’ve satisfied biblical requirements, I’m good to coast. Because that’s the opposite of what Peter has said. Because what would we do if we don’t have these characteristics? Well, we’ve already read. We will fail. We will not be found right in the eyes of God. We need to have the knowledge of both what God’s power has granted to us, verse 3, and also the blessings that we’ve already partaken in as Christians in verse 9.

We need to understand that there is a lot to being a Christian, and virtue and knowledge are critical components of that growth. But of course, we see in verse 5 as it continues in virtue with knowledge and knowledge with self-control. Perhaps one of the hardest lessons to learn in life is that you can’t control what other people do. You can’t control anyone but yourself. And as a Christian, as I’m trying to grow, as I’m trying to gain in my standing of what Jesus expects of me and how to accomplish that, I have to know that I am responsible for me. That means when I don’t pray to God, that is my fault, not the influence of parents, not the influence of a church. And if I’m not growing in my knowledge, it’s not the Bible class teacher’s fault.

It’s mine for not seeking out the will of God. I need to understand that I have to be temperate. I have to be willing to love others the way Christ did it. And that was with an extraordinary amount of patience, number one, an extraordinary amount of passion, number two, and most important of all, of passion and love that led to him laying his life down for us. That’s a little bit different than being frustrated with people. That’s a lot different than losing control for various reasons. But verse 6 continues self-control with steadfastness, or it might say perseverance, depending on your translation. That idea is, of course, an endurance that we are going to make it. And because this is a lofty goal, because growing in grace is a difficult and lifelong process, we must be able to endure.

But to endure, we have to know that it’s going to be long from the outset. Isn’t it one of the worst things when you expect something to take just a little bit of amount of time? The thing about going to the DMV is that we know it’s going to be hard. In the Disney movies, Utopia, there was the sloth that was working there, and he was moving painfully slow. Because we expect that. We need to understand that as Christians, in this walk, in this journey that we are on, trying to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, it’s not something that we’re going to get done like that. Adding to our faith virtue and virtue knowledge and knowledge self-control is not a simple and quick process.

We’re signing up for a lifelong lesson. A lifelong lesson that’s hard to learn and even more difficult to practice. When you continue on, though, we see not only are we to add in perseverance, but we need to add in godliness. Of course, I think this is understood well by verses 3 and 4 once again. We are trying to pertain to life and godliness, and we’re going to get there. We’re going to take advantage of his divine power through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence. We have a great picture of Jesus in the Gospels and even the beginning of the book of Acts. How similar to our Lord and Savior are we? In 1 Peter chapter 2 and 3, we see that Peter expects us to be like Jesus, to follow in his sacrificial example, to follow in his steps.

How closely are we walking the way our Savior walked. Of course, not only are we to grow in godliness, but brotherly kindness and love, having a benevolent spirit towards all of our neighbors, towards all of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, even when it’s hard. I think what’s interesting about this is when we look in Mark chapter 10, it doesn’t necessarily matter who you are, but we all are lacking something. In Mark chapter 10, Jesus was approached by someone who was found lacking. In Mark chapter 10, turn there with me, beginning in verse 17. In Mark chapter 10 and verse 17, as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments. Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother. And he said to him, Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth. And Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, You lack one thing. Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me. Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. It’s interesting that this man was a pretty good man. In fact, he said he had kept all of these commandments, the very commandments that Jesus answered his question of what must I do to inherit eternal life.

You may look at this list in 2 Peter chapter 1 and say, I do have faith. I do have virtue, I do strive to be excellent in my way of living. I strive to be righteous. I strive to be godly. I strive to have self control. But what is it that we do lack? If Jesus was facing you this very minute, and he said, This one thing you lack, what would it be? Maybe it’s like this rich young man, maybe it would be hoarding up treasures in this life. Maybe it would be a preoccupation and concern for accumulating wealth or what wealth allows us to enjoy. But maybe it is one of those various factors that Peter outlined in chapter one. Maybe I’m not someone who is growing in the knowledge of Jesus.

Maybe I’m not someone who practices self-control. Maybe I’m not someone who practices extraordinary amounts of brotherly kindness and love. If I don’t show those qualities, what does that say about me? If there are just the two camps of those who are teaching false doctrine, who are not living and to be found without blemish. And then there is the camp of those who are diligently waiting for the coming of the Lord. If I’m lacking in these, and I’m not striving to be more like Jesus, what does that mean for me? It means that we’re lacking, that we have action to take. The tragedy of Mark chapter 10 was found in verse 22. When Jesus told him, This is what you need to do, he was what? Disheartened by the saying.

2. Identify Opponents of Growth

And he went away sorrowful. Why? Because he had a lot of possessions. He didn’t want to give up what he had. Let’s not be like that man. When Jesus tells us what it is that he expects of us, when Peter outlines in chapter 1 where we need to be as Christians, let’s not go away sorrowful. Let’s rejoice that we know what God wants from us and do what it takes to get there. Let’s set our goal, recognizing where we need to be. Secondly, and we’re going to move a bit more quickly through the next points. We need to identify opponents of growth. And there are all kinds of scriptures that show man and the devil being opponents to growth, opponents, thorns in the side of God’s people.

But in 2 Peter chapter 2, false prophets, false teachers are specifically called out. In 2 Peter chapter 2, it says, But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the master who brought who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment, if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly, if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes, he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what was going to happen to the ungodly, and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked, for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard.

Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.

God knows. God knows who are his, and God knows who are his opponents. Isn’t that exactly what’s said in verse 9? The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from the trials and to keep the righteous under punishment until the day of judgment. When we think about this crypto of false teachers going back to verse 1, but the false prophets arose among the people, and Peter says, there will be false teachers among you. How are they going to bring in these destructive teachings? Verse 1. Secretly they will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the master who bought them. What is their prize for this? Bringing upon themselves swift destruction. That doesn’t seem like a very good sales pitch. I’m not in advertising, I’m not in marketing.

But what is it about denying the master and leading to destruction that gets everyone all aboard? Well, verse 2 has that answer. What do they sell? Where do they pitch? What do people follow after? Their sensuality. And because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. In their greed, verse 3, they will exploit you with false words. And yet, at the end of verse 3, their destruction is not asleep. Their destruction is assured. We need to understand that there are opponents to growth. 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 10. What do we know is one of the big opponents of man? The love of money. It’s what? A root of all kinds of evil. That’s just one example. How many times throughout the Bible are a people foreign to the people of Israel, or even in the New Testament, foreign to the Christians, trying to stomp them out, to press them down.

The world doesn’t like the light because light exposes darkness. And we know that. Wasn’t it in 2 Peter chapter 3 that part of Peter’s preface was knowing this beforehand? Not only do we need to know where we need to be, we need to know what the opponents are. What are the opponents of growth for you? Well, yes, it can be others, it can be false teaching. There’s a plenty of teaching out there that says, hey, you know what? Once you’re saved, you’re always saved. And the problem with that is in this very chapter, Peter destroys that false teaching. Look down to verse 18. For speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.

They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person to that, he is enslaved. For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome. The last day has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them. The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow after washing herself returns to wallow in the mire. Wasn’t opponent of growth? Thinking that I’m good enough. We don’t sneak into heaven.

Christians don’t sneak to the back of the line and slip by God. God knows who are his. And the unrighteous in verse 9 are kept what? Under punishment until the day of judgment. At that day of judgment where we answer before the Lord, we answer for what? All the thoughts and deeds of our life. God knows. We know the opponents of growth are false teachers who say, don’t worry about it. You’re good enough. Well, how about the opponents of growth that are just things we don’t care about? How about apathy and pleasure and comfort? I wonder how many souls Satan has pulled away in this country with all the blessings that we have by smothering us with kindness. Well, that would be none. How many people has Satan pulled away with those who are practicing great love?

That would be none. But how does Satan get us? When we think what we’ve accumulated is for us and not for others. When I forget about brotherly kindness and love and I forget the fact that what God has blessed me with is mine to share. Mine to give to those who are in need. Because then I’m focused on me and not God and others. As Jesus commands the Christian’s life is to be lived. There’s a big difference in a life for me and a life for God. We are to crucify ourselves daily, denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following after Jesus. Again, how did Jesus live? He passionately loves mankind. So much so that he laid his life down for us. If God expects us to give ourselves over to Him, to be transformed, to be different, to be in His image, to be holy and without blemish.

3. Keep in Mind Our Motivation

I need to recognize that opponents of growth don’t want that. And I have to set aside any possible entanglement. When I’m making my goals for this new year, I have to say, where is my weakness? Not only what virtue do I need to grow in, but what weakness do I need to suppress? And how can I do that? In 2 Peter chapter 3, though, we need to keep in mind our motivation. What is it that’s going to allow us to make it? What is going to get us across that line? In 2 Peter chapter 3, you see what that is to be. In 2 Peter chapter 3, beginning in verse 1. This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. And 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 deluded 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.

And the heavens will pass away with a war, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 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, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn. But according to his promise, we are waiting for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. And there you see the mission statement. We know what we’re living for, that God is coming again. And while all the skeptics are out there saying everything’s happening just as it always has, what do we need to remember about God?

In verse 9, he is patient, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. That’s our God. Merciful, powerful, and beyond our scope and reckoning of time in verse 8. The way God reasons, the way God functions is beyond our scope, beyond our understanding. But what we do know about God is that He’s coming again. How can we know that? First of all, because the world stands as a testament to His creation. It was spoken into existence. How else do we know? Well, beginning in Genesis chapter 6, we run into Noah, and that we find out that God is going to destroy the world and destroy the world he did. And now God is telling us that He is going to come again.

This world will be no more. This time not with water, but with fire.

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. What are we living for? Are we living for heaven? In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, there’s an understanding of our bodies. We are to be yearning not to be here, not to enjoy the pleasures and passions of this life, but to live for heaven, because that’s where we’re going. That’s why we’re here. If we’re distracted by the here and now, we are missing the point. The whole point of living here, the whole point of God’s patience towards allowing man to even exist this day, is so that all will reach repentance. In verse 12, there’s a powerful idea.

I have to say, I really struggle with this, perhaps because of youth, perhaps because of faith. But in verse 12, I wonder if this could be said of us. Are we waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God? I understand that God has blessed us richly in this life, and that many of us have families and friends and good blessings from God to which we should be thankful. But why would we be waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of the Lord? Because that is our everything as Christians. If our love and passion for God is where it should be, we want to be with God. For me to live is Christ, as Paul says, and to die is gain. Yes, to live should be Christ, but to die is gain, to be with the Lord.

Am I waiting for and even hastening the coming of the day of the Lord? Or am I happy and content here? Jesus’ aim was never here. It was always to do the will of the Father. Jesus knew what it was, was what knows what it is, knew what it was to be with God. Do we have that understanding? If so, we will be not only waiting for, but yearning for, groaning for, 2 Corinthians chapter 5. That coming day when we can be with God. If not, that’s another area that I need to grow. I need to understand who God is and what He’s offering. It is powerful, it is amazing. We serve an awesome God. We need to be mindful of that fact as we go into this new year.

4. Growth Is Not an Option

2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 18 perhaps says it best. 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. Growth is not an option. Peter did not say, if you feel like it or if you’ve gotten the other things now, why don’t you try to go ahead and grow some? Why don’t you work on growing grace and knowledge of Jesus? It is a necessity. It is a command from the will of God. We can try to rest with the scriptures and we can do so to our own destruction. We can try to ignore the weight of what Scripture teaches us to no avail. God is coming. This world will end.

Conclusion

This is not our home. This is not what we are made to live like forever. Let’s be with God. In this new year when we grow, let’s remember what we are to look like and make a plan of how to get there. Let’s remember what’s going to stop us and how to get over that obstacle. Let’s keep in mind what day we’re headed for and recognize the necessity of the commitment that God demands. Will you go to God in prayer with me? Our dear God and most gracious, loving, and powerful Heavenly Father. We come before you recognizing that we have often fallen short of your glory. And we pray that you forgive us of when we’ve sinned. We thank you so much for revealing your word to us and for this country all the unique blessings we share, being able to publicly teach and assemble without fear of government interference.

We pray that you be with those Christians around the world who do not have such a blessing. Help us to take advantage of the availability of your word to understand what we are to be like and to check the mirror honestly and to fix where we are coming up short. Thank you for sending Jesus not only to die on the cross for our sins, paying the price that we could not ourselves pay and live with you eternally, but to give us a way to show us an example of what selfless submission to you looks like and is. Help us as we continue to grow. Help us as we continue in this day, and if you bless us with the new year, that we will continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of your of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your patience. We pray that we’re lights not only here, not only on Sunday mornings, but as we go into the world, that others may learn about you, and we all may glorify you with each and every one of our daily breaths. Thank you, God, for your great love and mercy. It’s in your Son’s name we do pray. Amen.