Sky Signs
February 26, 2006 - The lesson this morning is Matthew 24.29-31. This study guide is based on the passage from 2 Peter 3:1-18.
Open It
When was the last time someone wrote you an encouraging letter?
With what sort of people do you find it hard to be patient?
Explore It
Why did Peter write this letter as well as his first letter? (2 Peter 3:1)
What did Peter want these believers (his audience) to recall? (2 Peter 3:2)
What did Peter say would occur in the last days? (2 Peter 3:3)
What will the "scoffers" say in the last days? (2 Peter 3:4)
What will the "scoffers" deliberately forget? (2 Peter 3:5)
How was the world once destroyed and how will it be destroyed in the future? (2 Peter 3:6-7)
What did Peter tell his readers not to forget? (2 Peter 3:8)
Why is the Lord patient? (2 Peter 3:9)
How will the day of the Lord appear? (2 Peter 3:10)
What reason did Peter give his readers for living holy and godly lives? (2 Peter 3:11-12)
What will the day of God bring? (2 Peter 3:12)
What reason did Peter give his readers to hope for the future? (2 Peter 3:13)
What did Peter urge his readers to make every effort to do? Why? (2 Peter 3:14)
What does the Lord's patience mean? (2 Peter 3:15)
What did Peter say about the apostle Paul's writings? (2 Peter 3:16)
Why did Peter instruct his readers to be on their guard? (2 Peter 3:17)
What final instruction did Peter leave with his readers? (2 Peter 3:18)
Get It
What stimulates you to wholesome thinking?
What discourages you from engaging in wholesome thinking?
About what biblical truths have you heard people scoff, and why were they scoffing?
How does the fact that the earth will one day be destroyed affect your daily life?
How should the reality that the earth will one day be destroyed affect the way we live our lives from day to day?
How have you personally benefited from God's patience?
When have you thought that God was either not patient enough or too patient with you or someone else?
Why is it easy to spend little time looking forward to the new heaven and new earth?
How can we guard against falling into error in what we believe?
How can we grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ?
How do you need to alter your life-style in light of the certain future destruction of the earth?
Apply It
What specific step will you take this week to grow in Christ?
How can you change your routine to reflect your hope for Christ's return?
What will you do this week to stimulate wholesome thinking?
To whom can you write a letter of encouragement this week?
Notes
2 Peter 3:3-4: "In the last days" scoffers will say that Jesus is never coming back, but Peter refutes their argument by explaining God's mastery over time. The "last days" is the time between Christ's first and second comings; thus we, like Peter, live in the last days. We must do the work to which God has called us and believe that he will return as he promised.
2 Peter 3:7: In Noah's day the earth was judged by water; at the second coming it will be judged by fire. This fire is described in Rev. 19:20; Rev. 20:10-15.
2 Peter 3:8-9: God may have seemed slow to these believers as they faced persecution every day and longed to be delivered. But God is not slow; he just is not on our timetable (Psalm 90:4). Jesus is waiting so that more sinners will repent and turn to him. We must not sit and wait for Christ to return, but we should live with the realization that time is short and that we have important work to do. Be ready to meet Christ any time, even today; yet plan your course of service as though he may not return for many years.
2 Peter 3:10-11: The day of the Lord is the day of God's judgment on the earth. Here it is used in reference to Christ's return. Christ's second coming will be sudden and terrible for those who do not believe in him. But if we are morally clean and spiritually alert, it won't come as a surprise. For other prophetic pictures of the day of the Lord, see Isaiah 34:4; Joel 3:15-16; Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; Rev. 6:12-17. Realizing that the earth is going to be burned up, we should put our confidence in what is lasting and eternal and not be bound to earth and its treasures or pursuits. Do you spend more of your time piling up possessions, or striving to develop Christlike character?
2 Peter 3:13: God's purpose for people is not destruction but re-creation (see Isaiah 66:22; Rev. 21-22). God will purify the heavens and earth with fire; then he will create them anew. We can joyously look forward to the restoration of God's good world.
2 Peter 3:14: We should not become lazy and complacent because Christ has not yet returned. Instead, we should live in eager expectation of his coming. What would you like to be doing when Christ returns? That is how you should be living each day.
2 Peter 3:15-18: By the time of Peter's writing, Paul's letters already had a widespread reputation. Notice that Peter spoke of Paul's letters as if they were on a level with "the other Scriptures." Already the early church was thinking of Paul's letters as inspired by God.
2 Peter 3:15-18: Peter and Paul had very different backgrounds and personalities, and they preached from different viewpoints. Paul emphasized salvation by grace, not law, while Peter preferred to talk about Christian life and service. The two men did not contradict each other, however, and they always held each other in high esteem. The false teachers intentionally misused Paul's writings by distorting them to condone lawlessness. No doubt this made the teachers popular, because people always like to have their favorite sins justified, but the net effect was to totally destroy Paul's message. Paul may have been thinking of teachers like these when he wrote in Romans 6:15: "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!" Peter warned his readers to avoid the mistakes of those wicked teachers by growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. The better we know Jesus, the less attractive false teaching will be.
2 Peter 3:18: Peter concludes this brief letter as he began, by urging his readers to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ-to get to know him better and better. This is the most important step in refuting false teachers. No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, no matter how mature we are in our faith, the sinful world always will challenge our faith. We still have much room for growth. If every day we find some way to draw closer to Christ, we will be prepared to stand for truth in any and all circumstances.