Call to Commitment

 

1 Peter 3

 

Ungodly human shortsightedness

       1.      Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 

             2.      that you 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 Savior, 

            3.      knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 

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 creation." 

5.      For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 

6.      by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 

7.      But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 

8.      But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 

9.      The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 

It seems proper that Peter should terminate his final contribution to the canon of Scripture by writing about the things of eternity. It is consistent with the Lord’s plan that the very last chapters in the Bible should take us into the new heavens and the new earth. The inspired word gives the account of this planet and the universe around it, from its creation to its destruction. After it tells human history, up to the time that the final despot and all God’s enemies have been judged, eternity is ushered in.

 In this chapter, Peter also will write about the final destruction of the universe, before he opens a door to a new one, which reigns in righteousness. He begins in the first verse with the theme of remembrance, which, he states, has been his purpose in both, but he particularly emphasizes it throughout this second letter. He uses the reader’s memory, in order to “stir up” their “pure minds”. Warren Wiesbe makes a statement, “It is possible to have a pure and sincere mind and yet have a bad memory!”

God saved righteous Lot

  

False Prophets and Teachers

       1.      But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers            among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who                      bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 

      2.      And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 

      3.      By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. 

 Peter continues to prod the believers’ memory, reminding them of Old Testament stories, which were familiar to them. He warns them that there will be false teachers among them, as there were false prophets throughout the Jews’ history. Paul also warned the Ephesian elders, who met with him in Meletus, before he sailed on towards Jerusalem. I will first point out that Paul recognized the three-fold ministry of the elders, which we studied in 1 Peter, chapter 5. They are elders, but also, bishops and shepherds or pastors: “The Holy Spirit has made you overseers (bishops), to shepherd the church of God” (Ac.20:28).

 He went on to caution them: “From among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Ac.20:30). As long as we are in this deceitful world, we must beware of false people with wrong motives and their false doctrines. Jesus spoke of them in the parables of Matthew 13, telling of tares among wheat, a mustard seed which grew into a tree, leaven mixed into a loaf of meal, and bad fish netted along with good fish. In Matthew 25, He began, “The kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins… five of them were wise, and five were foolish.” To the seven churches in Revelation, Jesus exposed the false doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitans, a false prophetess and her disciples. Can we expect less in these days of deep deception?