2 PETER LESSON 5


     We will begin this lesson in II Peter 3:1 "This second epistle,
beloved, I now write unto you; in [both] which I stir up your pure
minds by way of remembrance:"

     The Christian has the blessing of the mind of Christ.
I Corinthians 2:16 "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he
may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."  It is the Holy
Spirit of God who brings things to our remembrance. John 14:26 "But
the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in
my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."  Our mind is like a
giant computer. Everything we learn is recorded. The Spirit helps us
recall the things which are beneficial to us when we need it.

     II Peter 3:2 "That ye may be mindful of the words which were
spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the
apostles of the Lord and Saviour:"

     We have spoken in many of the lessons how the apostle is like an
ambassador of the Lord. They are a glorified message carrier. The
message is not their own, but Christ's message who sent them. These
prophets were moved upon by the Holy Spirit of God. The message was
placed in their mouths by the Holy Spirit of God. You can easily see
the importance of taking notice of the message God sent. The
commandments, spoken of by the apostles and prophets, are sent by the
Lord to His people.

     II Peter 3:3 "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the
last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,"

     We must be aware that the world will not receive this message of
God. These "scoffers" are those who make fun of those who believe in
salvation through Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 1:18 "For the preaching
of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are
saved it is the power of God."  These scoffers {those who have
hardened their heart against God} will laugh at those who believe.
They are so caught up in themselves that they think only of the
desires of their own flesh. They do not believe in anything they
cannot see with their physical eyes.

     II Peter 3:4 "And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for
since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from
the beginning of the creation."

     This is probably the same type of scoffer that laughed at Noah
while he was building the ark. Their whole world revolves around the
physical. Just as it had never rained in the time of Noah, and they
did not believe. They do not believe now, because they have never seen
Jesus appear in the sky. Anything that you can see with your eye
requires no faith to believe. As I said, they have no faith. They only
believe in what they can see. The worldly can give a logical {to them}
reason why the Lord is not coming back. Without faith, it is
impossible to please God. We will see later in this lesson why the
Lord has not already come back.

     II Peter 3:5 "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by
the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of
the water and in the water:"

     John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God." John 1:2 "The same was in the beginning
with God." John 1:3 "All things were made by him; and without him was
not any thing made that was made."  Colossians 1:16 "For by him were
all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible
and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for
him:" The spoken Word "Let there be" brought everything into existence
from nothing.  Being willingly ignorant of something, just means they
did not choose to believe.

     II Peter 3:6 "Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed
with water, perished:"

     We have discussed in this series of lessons that God was grieved
that He had even made man, because man was so wicked. Noah found grace
in the sight of the Lord, and was saved along with his family in the
flood. The "world", in the verse above, is not speaking of the
physical world, but the people in the world. The flood destroyed all
but 8 people. Those 8 people repopulated the world.

     II Peter 3:7 "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by
the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of
judgment and perdition of ungodly men."

     Everything and everyone are subject to the wishes of God. Jesus
is the Word of God. Philippians 2:10 "That at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and
[things] under the earth;"  You see, all things are subject to the
Word of God. It is the Word of God that keeps the planets in perfect
order. With one word, He could destroy it all. After the reign of
Jesus on the earth, the earth we know will be destroyed by fire. There
will be a new heaven and a new earth.

     II Peter 3:8 "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing,
that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day."

     There is no separation of time in heaven where God dwells. There
is one eternal day. The only place where time is measured is on this
earth. God set the measure of time for the earth, Himself. God
established the 24 hours we call a day, the 7 day week and so on. This
scheduled time is for the use of man on the earth. When we are
transported into heaven where God dwells, there is only eternity. Time
never ends or divides into time segments. With God, a thousand years
could be but a blink of the eye.
     II Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as
some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing
that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

     Every promise the Lord made will be kept; with no exceptions.
Whatever He promised, He will do. It may seem to us as if it is a long
time coming, but the little time each of us wait is nothing compared
to all of eternity. The only reason the Lord has not already come
back, is because He wants every single person to be saved. We have
only to look at the numerous times God forgave the Israelites {on
their way to the promised land} to know just how longsuffering He is.

     II Peter 3:10 "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in
the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also
and the works that are therein shall be burned up."

     Just as the day of the flood finally came, the time of the end
will come, also. There is an appointed time that only the Father
knows. The return of the Lord to the earth as King of kings and Lord
of lords is not to be confused with the end of the planet. The earth
will be ruled by the King {Jesus} for a thousand years, then the earth
will be destroyed by fire, and there will be a new heaven and a new
earth. I believe the coming of the Lord and the judgement of fire on
the earth itself to be two separate happenings. Revelation 21:1 "And I
saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first
earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."  We, also, know
that the works of man will be tried in the fire, to see if they are
pure.  The destruction, in verse 10 above, seems to be speaking of the
final judgement of God upon the earth.  Since God does not count time
as anything, the two happenings in verse 10 could easily be thousands
of years apart.

     II Peter 3:11 "[Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be
dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy
conversation and godliness,"

     All of the worldly goods in your custody today will be gone
forever, someday. We are actually just custodians of these things.
When we die, we take nothing of this world with us. They are all
passed on to someone who has a better use for them. Why should we
worry and fret trying to amass great fortunes, if we are going to die
and leave it to the next generation? This world and everything in it
will pass away. We should be spending our time laying up treasures for
heaven.

     II Peter 3:12 "Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day
of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat?"

     Christians should not be caught up in the worries the world has.
We look around us and see signs of the nearness of the coming of the
Lord. The world's hearts are failing them for fear of the things that
are coming upon the earth. The Christian should not fear, but have
faith. In fact, we should see these signs and rejoice that the coming
of the Lord is near.

     II Peter 3:13 "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look
for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."

     Abraham spent his life dwelling in tents looking for that city
whose maker is God. Galatians 3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are
ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."  We should be
looking for that same city. This world is not our home. We are
strangers in this land waiting for our Deliverer to come and carry us
to our promised land.  Christians receive the righteousness of Christ
when they are saved. In the 21st chapter of Revelation, we read of the
new heaven and new earth. This is a place of peace, and rest, and no
tears. There will be no one, or nothing evil, in the new heaven and
earth. The Light is provided by Jesus. To know the full impact of the
wonders of this new heaven and new earth, read all of chapter 21 of
Revelation.

     II 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."

     If we are truly a new creature in Christ when we are saved, then
we should walk in the salvation He has provided for us. We should be
dead to the world and alive unto Jesus. He washed us in His blood and
clothed us in His righteousness. We should never take the robe of
righteousness off. Our walk in life should tell the world our standing
with Christ. I Thessalonians 5:23 "And the very God of peace sanctify
you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be
preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."  He is
coming for a church that is without spot or wrinkle. Keep your love
for Him pure. If you love Him, you will keep His commandments.

     II 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;"

     This is related to verse 9. The "scoffers", in verse 9, are
wondering why the Lord has not already come back, if he is truly
coming. In verse 15 we see the reason for the delay. He is waiting
patiently for those who will receive Him as Saviour. He gave His body
on the cross for all mankind, but we must come to Him to accept His
free gift of salvation. He cared enough for our salvation that He
endured the humiliation and suffering of the cross to provide it for
us. He is now giving ample time for all who will to come to Christ. I
appreciate the recognition that Peter gives here, that the message
Paul brought was true. Notice, also, that Peter says, the wisdom to
bring the message was given to Paul. The Holy Spirit had given it to
Paul, when he was in the desert 3 years to be taught of God.

     II 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."

     Peter is correct in his statement that Paul is hard to understand
sometimes. He even seems to contradict himself, until you realize that
he must be all things to all people, that by all means he might save
some. Paul stayed within the customs of the people he was ministering
to, that is where the difficulty of understanding came in. He did not
say the same thing to all people, because he was trying to reach them
for Christ at the level of understanding where they were. He, also,
tried not to offend them in their customs and traditions, so they
would receive the gospel message.

     II Peter 3:17 "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 stedfastness."

     So much of the confusion in the church over one little Scripture
causes people to fall away from the church. I personally believe the
fight over denominations is the greatest tool that Satan has. Divide
and conquer. I am not saying there should not be different
denominations. I am saying we should not argue over denominational
things. I Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
Hebrews 3:14 "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;"

     II Peter 3:18 "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."

     We have said so many times that a Christian must grow in the
knowledge of the grace of God, or he will backslide. We never stay the
same. We are either growing, or going backwards. The very best way to
grow in the Lord is to study His Word {Bible}. You could study it
every day for the rest of your life and never know all there is in the
Word. It is alive and new every time you read it. Knowledge is
accumulated learning. It takes effort on our part to gain knowledge of
the Word. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto
you. Pray the Holy Spirit will reveal the meaning of the Word to you
as you read it, and it will amaze you what understanding it will
bring. To our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be glory both now and
forever more. "Now and forever more" is speaking of the eternal day
where Jesus {the Light of the world} dwells. We can say with Peter, To
God be the glory, now and forever more. Jesus Christ is our Lord
forever more.








                          2 Peter 5 Questions


1.  How did Peter stir up their minds?
2.  Quote 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 16.
3.  Who brings things to our remembrance?
4.  Who is the Comforter?
5.  What are we to be mindful of in verse 2?
6.  What is an apostle?
7.  Where did the commandments they brought originate?
8.  Who will come in the last days and walk after their own lusts?
9.  Who are the scoffers?
10. Quote 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 18.
11. What are the only things they believe?
12. What are these scoffers saying?
13. If you can see something with your physical eye, it takes ____
    faith to believe in it.
14. Without _______, it is impossible to please God.
15. In verse 5, we see the heavens were of old by what?
16. Quote John chapter 1 verses 1 through 3.
17. Quote Colossians chapter 1 verse 16.
18. What 3 Words brought everything into existence?
19. Why did God destroy the world, that then was, by water?
20. Who found favor with God and was spared?
21. What is our world reserved for?
22. Who is the Word of God?
23. Quote Philippians chapter 2 verse 10.
24. What keeps the planets in perfect order?
25. When will the earth be destroyed by fire?
26. One day with the Lord can be as a _________ ________.
27. What is the time in heaven?
28. Verse 9 says, the Lord is not slack, but _______________.
29. The day of the Lord will come as a _________ in the night.
30. Where, in Revelation, do we read there will be a new heaven and a
    new earth?
31. Quote 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 12.
32. What reaction should the Christians have when they realize that
    the end is near?
33. We look for a new _______ and a new _______, wherein dwelleth
    ________________.
34. Quote Galatians chapter 3 verse 29.
35. Where did Paul receive his wisdom?
36. Quote 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 58.
37. Grow in _______ and in the knowledge of our _______ and ________
    _________ _________.