GodSpeak: Are We There Yet? – “Simple”

GodSpeak for the Week of July 15

 “Simple”

 

We continue this week with our short sermon series – “Are We There, Yet?!” – focusing on what St. Peter has to teach us about the notion of patience.

 

Day 1…Read 2 Peter 3:10-18 (focusing especially on v. 15)

  • Consider this – last week, we discovered that for Peter (cf. 2 Peter 3:1-9) God’s “patience” could be described as: a) God’s Word being true [because, He has always fulfilled it]; b) God’s timing – while not the way WE might choose – always works out; c) therefore, God has a PLAN that He’s working out.
  • Answer this – in this passage (especially summarized in v. 15), Peter restates what God’s patience results in…which is what?
    • Again, why is God exercising this kind of patience? What does He hope to accomplish?

Day 2…Read 2 Peter 3:10

  • Consider this – Peter describes what the last day of earthly history will be like. He notes: a) it will come like a “thief” [i.e., without warning, will sneak up, etc.]
  • Consider this – Peter also says that day will come with a “roar.” That Greek word for “roar” only appears in THIS passage (i.e., nowhere else in the Bible).  It is a derivative of a Greek word which means “a whir”; so, it’s thought Peter may be trying to compare the sound to what a bird’s wings sound like going through the air, or the crackling a fire makes.
  • Answer this – how does God’s revelation of that particular detail about the last day help you in your faith?
    • What does it add?

Day 3…Read 2 Peter 3:11

  • Consider this – “Since everything will be destroyed in this way,” Peter notes – “…what kind of people ought you to be?” To this, he calls for folks to be “holy” and “godly.”
    • “Holy” here means to live lives that cannot be “censured,” while living a “godly” life is one of “reverence” and “respect” to God.
  • Consider this – since the days of St. Peter and St. Paul, there has existed a heresy called “Antinomianism.” In short, this heresy says that because of God’s grace through Jesus, God’s Law (i.e., the 10 Commandments and other calls for moral living) don’t apply to Christians.
  • Answer this – why IS it faithful and right to follow God’s Law and live “holy” and “godly” lives, even though God has freely given us His grace through Christ?
    • What happens if we DON’T properly balance God’s Law and Gospel?

Day 4…Read 2 Peter 3:14

  • Consider this – Peter calls on the recipients of his letter to “…be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.”
    • “Spotless,” here, has the sense of avoiding all kinds of vice.
    • “Blameless” carries the sense of the person who can’t be criticized by someone else.
    • “…at peace,” with God has the sense of experiencing tranquility while waiting for the Lord’s promised return.
  • Answer this – what do these traits mean for you in your life of faith? Which do you need the Spirit’s help in working on?
    • What would that look like for your life to embody these three?

 Day 5…Read 2 Peter 3:17

  • Consider this – Peter reminds his readers that they have been “forewarned” about the day of the Lord, along with the solid teaching Scripture offers (note – Peter even gives particular support to Paul’s writings).
  • Answer this – in your world/in our society, where do you see folks being “…carried away by the error of the lawless…”? What does that “error” look like in our day-and-age?

Day 6…Read 2 Peter 3:15

  • Consider this – Peter notes: “…our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom God gave him.”
  • Paul conflates two SIMPLE ideas, here: a) the Lord’s patience [i.e., His waiting to return to earth] gives time for more folks to confess faith in Him; b) Paul’s writings are faithful and true [i.e., Scriptural] to God’s will in Christ.
  • Answer this – what do these SIMPLE, self-evident truths mean for your faith?

 

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