June 22, 2008
Sun Oak Baptist Church
Introduction
One of the central themes in Scripture, the Mississippi River of the Bible if you will, what many theologians and scholars argue is the most important and biggest theme cutting through the landscape of Scripture is the glory of God. A number of historic church catechisms answer the question “what is the chief end of man” this way: “the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”
The direction Peter’s headed in both letters – one of his central aiming points confronts us with a question: does our life bring glory to God? See 1st Peter 5:11 and 2nd Peter 3:18. (See also other passages like Num. 14:21; Joshua 7:19; 1st Chron. 16:24; 1st Cor. 10:31; etc.)
We say we are a Christian; we profess Christ; we claim His name – but does our life bring praise, honor, distinction, thanksgiving, splendor, magnificence, gratification, or great exaltation to almighty God?
In these closing verses Peter metabolizes the description and the “how” – how to live a life to the glory of God and he does it in 4 precise and succinct ways. 4 ways to live a life that will bring ever increasing glory to God as we walk this pilgrim’s path and as the day that Jesus Christ will return draws ever nearer.
I. First: by understanding that we live in the age of salvation. See 3:9 & 15a.
A. One aspect of this age is that God is not willing that any should perish.
B. Another aspect: the age of salvation is a unique time in human history.
1. Man tends to view and define history from man’s perspective: how man has progressed, what man has achieved, and then that view determines the meaning of history.
2. But this is not God’s view of history. Peter said in his first letter: we are not of this world. See 1st Peter 1:1 & 2:11-12.
The history of the world between the First and Second Coming of Christ is first and foremost an age of salvation – dispensationalists like us refer to it the “Age of Grace” or “The Church Age.”
C. We bring glory to God when we live our lives with the understanding that this is the age of salvation and that Jesus Christ can literally return at any moment. From God’s perspective, as He views it, the only history of eternal significance is the history of sound doctrine, holy living, and proclaiming the Gospel.
II. Second: by accepting and trusting without reservation that the Bible is the Word of God. See 3:15-16.
Summary paraphrase of verses 15-16: Peter is putting what he has taught (the phrase “these things” refers to what he has written about) – he is putting what he has written or taught right alongside what the apostle Paul wrote and taught. And at the end of verse 16 (we’ll get to the middle of verse 16 in due course) Peter puts what he has written and what Paul has written alongside of and in the same category as the Old Testament Scriptures – meaning all of our Bibles Gen.1:1 – Rev. 22:21 is the Word of God.
A. The significance of Peter saying 2 times that the return of Jesus is being delayed because of God’s longsuffering – once in verse 9 and again in verse 15.
1. See Rom. 2:4. Both of these verses, both what Paul has written and what Peter has written, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit of God, teach us that God’s withholding judgment on the world is an act of longsuffering and patience for the purpose of giving people added time for repentance and salvation. See also 2nd Cor. 6:2, etc.
2. He is showing us there is unity and agreement among the apostles as to why Jesus is delaying His return.
B. Another reason to trust what Peter says and what Paul says is the Word of God. “These things” refers back to things that Paul wrote about the Second Coming of Christ; or the glories of heaven; or the day of the Lord – and so on.
C. We can trust that everything Peter and the rest of the NT writers say is the Word of God because of the testimony of: “the rest of the Scriptures.” See 3:16c.
D. A sober warning: misinterpreting God’s holy, infallible, inerrant word leads to destruction. See 3:16b.
E. Clearing up some of the confusion about verse 16.
Conclusion
“You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day,
By deeds that you do, by words that you say,
Men read what you write, whether faithless or true,
Say, what is the gospel according to you?”
As we consider Peter’s final words, may our prayer be that God would show us how to glorify Him in all that we do and say.