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2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES

Wednesday in the Word

Second Baptist Church

July 3, 2013

2 Peter 3:1-18

  1. Verses 1-2. We are coming to the end of this book. In this final chapter Peter is concluding his message to the church. He concludes his message with the reason for his two letters. He states that his main reason was for his readers to be reminded to live holy in thought and action, and to remember that words of the prophets, The Lord, and the apostles. These are some very important things for his readers. The believers are to focus on holy living because the word of God throughout history has predicted that the Lord would judge the people of the earth for unholy living. God’s word has not failed and it will come to pass. God’s word time and time again has spoken about this judgment. The prophets spoke about this judgment like Daniel, Ezekiel and Isaiah. Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 24, and the all apostles spoke about this especially Paul in his letters and John in Revelations. There have always been warnings sent by God through his servants, but the people have not always heeded these warnings. Peter wants his readers not to overlook these warnings, but to heed them and let those things stimulate them to live holy.

  2. Verses 3-4. Peter exposes the fallacy of those that teach that God’s word is not true and that God’s judgment is not coming. Peter calls them mockers of scoffers. These are people who are dead set on doing things their way and they think it silly to live in a manner that is pleasing to the commands of God. Because they don’t fear God they live according to their lust and desires. Since they don’t think that there will be in consequences for their actions they indulge even more. Peter says that these scoffers claim that nothing has changed since the beginning of time. They don’t see God’s hand in creation and they have forgotten that the world was destroyed by a flood at one point in time. From their perspective God has never judged the world and He never will.

  3. Verse 5-7. Peter responds to these mockers in three ways. The first way he responds is by saying that they have poor memories. They have forgotten that God had flooded the world and destroyed most of it. God did this with his word. He called for the heavens to open up and pour forth water and the earth was destroyed. The scriptures declare that the next time God will not use water, but fire. If his word came to past during the days of Noah, why should we not think it will not come to past concerning his promise to bring fire next time? (Ezekiel 39: 5-6; Isaiah 66:15; Malachi 4:1)

  4. Verses 8-9. Next Peter shows that the false teachers don’t understand the timing of God and the patience of God. God’s timing is not like our timing. His days are like a thousand days to us and a thousand days to us are like a day to him. What Peter is highlighting is that time is a product of those things that are temporal and not those things that are eternal. For us a day might seem like a long time, but to one who always was and will always be a day is nothing. As a matter of fact God doesn’t operate on any kind of time as we could perceive it. Things don’t happen in time they happen when he decides they happen. God is the schedule and God is the time. With that said, Peter shares that God has waited to come back for no other reason than he is patiently waiting for more to repent. God will come back, but not until his is ready. If he promised he would show up then he will show up, but that will only happen at his decision. And that decision is being held off simply because he is merciful. The scoffers see God’s delay as a sign he is not real, but Peter shows that it is a sign of his mercy.

  5. Verse 10. Peter now shows that theses scoffers are in danger because when God does show up it will be like a thief in the night. Peter wants to make it crystal clear that one will not have time to get things right after he comes. In that moment Peter shares things will be gone in the twinkling of an eye. At that time, time will be cut short and things will be destroyed quickly. These scoffers are playing with fire thinking that they will get plenty of notice. They are already getting notice and they were ignoring it, just like the people during the days of Noah.

  6. Verses 11-18. Peter closes this chapter in three sections verses 11-13, 14-16, and 17-18. Each section contains the word “since” or a word that means “since” highlighting that these things should be the response to what we know. “Since we know that the world is going to end,” “So then, since you are looking forward to this time,” “Therefore since you already know this.” Peter tells the church they should:

    1. live holy and godly lives,

    2. be found spotless and blameless,

    3. do not be carried away by the error of lawless men,

    4. and grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

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