Scripture:
II Peter 3:14-16 NKJV
[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, [16] as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
Observation:
Peter is one of those guys who doesn’t hide the truth. He just puts it out there, and whether you like it or not, there it is. That point is proven right here in 2nd Peter chapter 3 verses 14-16. His instructions start out by telling us to keep our eyes on where we are going. In his words, he says, “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things.” The question becomes what things he is talking about, and the answer in my mind can only be the hope of heaven. Let’s see if we can all draw the same conclusion by the end of this SOAP. The next instruction he gives is that we should be diligent in our pursuit of HIM and be found in peace. Making every effort to be spotless and wrinkle-free. I’m pretty sure he is not talking about fabric softener here. In fact, what Peter is talking about is our walk. He is saying it takes effort. Now verse 15 gives a little more insight on this at the beginning of it. Peter tells us to consider the longsuffering of our LORD “is” salvation. I really wonder why it’s worded that way. There are 2 ways we can look at it in my mind. The first way is Christ suffered for us so that we would not have to… and the second is Christ suffered so that we would have an example of how to set aside our flesh and live for the spirit. The conclusion is for us to figure out, and honestly, It’s a theological discussion that I’m not sure I’m equipped to debate. What I do know is that salvation is a gift. But that it is also the beginning of this and not the end. In the second part of verse 15, Peter points to Paul and his letters to the churches, so I think it’s important to dive into them to truly understand what’s being said here. As I have said before and will say over and over, you have to look at the collection of books and read them all to understand what is being taught in the bible you can’t just look at part of it and draw your conclusion and honestly it runs so deep that I don’t know that there is anyone on the planet that can say they have it all figured out. So my reason for writing this is to encourage you to read and study the Bible so that you can see what GOD is saying directly to you. Paul writes about suffering with Christ. He also writes about grace and how it’s by grace that we have been saved. Some of his instructions tell us to walk our salvation with fear and trembling, and other parts tell us it’s by grace. This tells me that salvation is the beginning of the road. It’s all spelled out, but we are not going to find it if we are not looking. Peter tells us that Paul’s writing is hard to figure out. Paul is a thinking man who was educated in Jewish law. He points out that those without education could twist what he says to their own destruction this grabs my attention and leaves me with the question… is it grace that can be twisted?
Application:
I never want to leave anyone thinking that grace is insufficient. Let me explain it like this. When you buy a car. In today’s society, you have to have this stuff called insurance. Now, it would not be smart to just go wreck the car just because you have insurance. Would it? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I know that people do those kinds of things it’s just not wise. We know that salvation is a gift. You can’t earn it. GOD gave it to you when HE sent HIS son to die on the cross. But what does it mean to walk that out with fear and trembling? You might think back to some of Paul’s writing when he says…” shall I sin all the more so that grace shall abound by no means.” How can we who are dead to sin continue to live in it? Again, I know that salvation is a gift, and the last thing I want to do is confuse that. I want you to know that if you have confessed with your mouth that Jesus is the son of GOD and believe in your heart, that GOD rose HIM from the dead, you are saved. You are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. No one and nothing can take that from you it is finished, and it is done. For me, I always want more of a good thing. I want to walk that out. The life I was living before Jesus Christ became my LORD. I don’t want that life it was horrible. I was homeless and addicted to drugs. I cared about no one but me. Who really wants to live that way? By GOD’S grace, I was saved. Now, it’s time for sanctification. This is a church word that means to be set apart for the work of GOD. I want to walk as though I am going to heaven. I’m doing my best to love because love is the fulfillment of the law, and love is not a burden. HE saved us so that HE can sanctify us so that HE can use us to bring others to the kingdom. I am just going to tell you because you can’t see it from this keyboard. My life is not the same as it was when HE called me out by name. I don’t want that old life back. I want the goldsmith to see a reflection of HIMSELF when HE looks at me, and I hope that’s your desire as well. I just want to say… you can get saved and sit still if you want. But that’s not my desire, and I hope it’s not yours either. I hope you want more. I hope you will stand next to me lock shields with me and walk out our salvation together. With fear and trembling.
Prayer:
- Father, we know that all this can get confusing, and that’s the last thing we want. You have given us a gift. Let us receive it and show our appreciation for it. Give us the wisdom needed to walk out what you have done. Sanctify us for your kingdom. We want our lives to reflect your son. Help us to clearly understand your words and what you are asking us. We do not want to be deceived. Just believing what we are told. Gives us the desire to study it out and see what you are truly saying so that we can walk out our salvation. We want to win the race that you have set before us. Just finishing is ok, but we are not training to just finish. Thank you for your grace and mercy. Help us to see that as insurance and not permission. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.