Living Now in Light of the End:
2 Peter 3:14-18
By Pastor Josh Wamble
Peter spends the end of his second letter reminding his readers of the promise of the Lord’s return. He tells them that they can be certain that this promise will be fulfilled even when things on earth don’t seem like it. He tells them (and us) that we should live our lives here and now in light of the fact that He is coming again. He gives them (and us) four specific instructions on how we should live while we are waiting on the Lord.
- Be Diligent (2 Pet. 3:14)
He tells us to “be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace.” In 3:10, Peter reminds his readers that Jesus will come back like a thief in the night. We know that He will return, but we don’t know when that day or hour might be. We should diligently strive to be found ready that day and hour does come.
- Count the Lord’s Patience as Salvation (2 Pet. 3:15)
We should be waiting for the Lord’s return expectantly reminding ourselves that it could come at any moment, but not out of fear. We should be longing for Him to come back and looking forward to that day when our hope of full salvation becomes reality. Yet, we should also be patient trusting that the Lord’s timing is wiser than we might be able to understand.
One reason for this patience is our understanding that the Lord’s delay is not a purposeless delay. Peter tells us that his patience is an opportunity for salvation. I am thankful the Lord delayed his return until after 1997—that made all the difference in my life. If he had come back before then, I would be experiencing his judgment right now instead of his grace and mercy!
As Peter says, we should count his patience even now as salvation. We should be making the most use of the time and sharing the gospel with those around us who have not believed, praying for people to come to repentance and faith, praying for the Lord to call more people to Himself, and praying for Him to call more people as pastors and missionaries to work for the salvation of the world which is white for harvest.
- Take Care (2 Pet. 3:17)
He also tells us to take care or be on guard—to be watchful and mindful because many lawless people are leading others astray. We are aware of cults and false teachers and other unbelieving people around us actively working to lead people away from the truth of the gospel. We should be on guard lest we should be led astray as well.
This is happening in a much more subtle way as well. The very culture around us and the society we live in is constantly telling us how we should be living—what we should value and which sins we should be accepting and even celebrating and how we should be tolerant of various different views even when they are contradictory to the gospel and to one another. The devil is very tricky in how he has orchestrated this. We are bombarded with these messages persistently in the books that we read, the TV shows and movies we watch, the music we listen to, the news that we consume—almost everything around us is leading us away from the ways of God. It’s in the air we breathe. If we are not actively taking care and guarding what we think and how we think and what we value, we will passively be swept along.
- Grow (2 Pet. 3:18)
As we await His return, we should work to be found pure and at peace knowing it is the Holy Spirit working in you but using the means He has provided—His word, prayer, His church. We should be seeking the Holy Spirit and examining ourselves and rooting out sin in our lives—confessing it and repenting of it. As we do so, as we continually grow in the grace of our Lord, Jesus, we will find it easier to be diligent and see God’s timing from His perspective and guard ourselves and each other from the dangers all around us.
Peter says all of this is to the glory of Jesus Christ. As we live more and more with the perspective and outlook of God, as we more and more value the things he values and judge our own world rightly, as we more and more live in the image of our savior, as we are slowly and progressively transformed into who He would have us to be, the true value and worth and glory of Jesus is seen.
Let us long and pray for the Lord to return soon, let us also make the best use of the time that we have. Working by the power of the Holy Spirit for our own holiness and for the good of those around us that they might also come to believe.
