YouTube Video of the Lesson Pre-Taught:
Resources: Lesson Manuscript, PowerPoint, Devotional, Covenant Eyes Discount Code (Launching this week)
Franklin Heights Church Connect Groups: https://franklinheights.org/connect/groups/
Review: Last week we saw how to recognize false influencers by the way they will try to drag us down in our faith with empty promises, causing division. The best way to be alert is to proactively build ourselves up in our faith through God’s Word.
Title: Be Encouraged
Text: 2 Peter 3:8-18
Key Verse: 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
Theme: Believers should live in anticipation of Jesus’s return.
Introduction: The imminent return of Jesus gives us joy and anticipation along with urgent purpose!
Context: Believers will meet Him in the air and appear with him in glory! The Day of the Lord is comforting for the saved, and concerning for the lost, and it motivates us to reach them. 2 peter 3:5 combats the false view that there would be no coming judgement day. Like the worldwide flood, this judgment would be sudden and with fire according to 2 Peter 3:7. Two things should happen based on these realities: Anticipation and preparation, it should change the way we live!
Main Points:
- Christ’s certain return should compel us toward holy living. (II Peter 3:8-14)
“8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies[b] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”
A. Christ will certainly and suddenly return (vv. 8-10)
- Scoffers—people who laughed at and treated lightly these warnings—were infiltrating the churches.
- Psalm 90:4, “For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.” God is all powerful over and in control of time and eternity, nit subjected to it, but overseeing it, and with it Christ’s timetable for His return. - God does not delay; He’s right on schedule in accordance with His will.
- God is patient toward His creatures so more will be saved.
- Though He is mercifully patient and saving, when Jesus does come it will be swift like a thief, when least expected, and then the judgement will be inflicted.
B. His return compels us toward holy living (2 Peter 3:11-14)
- Dissolved in verse 11 suggests breaking or falling apart. It will be total devastation.
- It changes how we live in the here and now with holiness, and godliness.
- There’s a sense of anticipatory waiting in the believer’s heart and mind.
- We don’t only way for the destruction of their world with it’s present brokenness, but the renewal of the new creation, the new world, and we want to be found ready for this world by the grace of Jesus w/o spot or blemish. There’s a peace He gives us when we do this.
- The doctrine here is Jesus’ eminent return with glory and visibly and in reality, not theoretically; this will be a real live event (I Jn. 3:2; Rev. 1:7).
- Revelation 1:7, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”
- II. Stand firm. (2 Peter 3:15-18)
“15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,”
- The false teachers decried the believers because Jesus hadn’t returned; yet Jesus—as a patient, loving, good Shepherd is in actuality patient in returning because He’s allotting more time for folks to be saved.
- Peter’s message was right in line with Paul’s prior encouragement.
“16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.”
- While Paul’s teachings on how the gospel applies to Christian living were heady at times, they were still understandable. The false teachers twisted his letters to try and make them more confusing than they really were to steer people away from the truth to follow them.
-This is a reminder to us, that even though concepts and theology can be heady and challenging to understand, we shouldn’t be discouraged in pursing understanding. It takes time. Remember how far along God has brought you. Keep worshiping, earing the Word preached, studying it, asking questions and studying the Word in Connect Groups, and in time greater understanding will happen.
“17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.”
- We have to be on guard to not be carried away from our rootedness in our faith, but fight to spiritually mature and grow.
“18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
- In contrast to being carried away, the one who pursues Christ and seeks Him grows in God’s grace and in knowing Jesus and cultivating our relationship with Him, which results in God being glorified.
Gospel: 3 Circles- The gospel is a gospel of grace, not of works.
- Ephesians 2:8-9, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Discussion Questions:
- What is something you have had to wait on and you were so glad you did?
- What does the certain and sudden return of Christ compel you to do? How does this impact daily living?
- How do we as believers overcome obstacles to holy living?
- Knowing Jesus could return any second, how does that impact the way we live our daily lives?
Big Takeaway(s): Please enter in the comments section what stands out to you? I’d love your feedback in the comments of what your big takeaways are from this lesson?
- The certainty that Jesus will return any second compels me to live with more awareness, expectation, and holy decision making.
- Holiness matters.
- Grace enables me to stand firm. So, the more I cherish, celebrate, and remind myself, and thank God for the work He did in my life in the gospel, the more I will be empowered by Him through His Spirit to stand firm in my faith.
This wraps up our studies in I & II Peter and Jude. The week of June 1st, we will begin our Summer in the Psalms with Lifeway explore the Bible.
Resources:
- www.drcalebwalker.com
- Lesson Teaching Manuscript
- Free Download of this PowerPoint
- Devotional
- Discipleship and church revitalization consulting: cwalker@franklinheights.org
Devotional:
Title: “Grace to Fight Against False Influencers”
Passage: “2 Peter 3:8-18”
God’s grace is His powerful weapon to fight against false influences in my life. God’s grace is shown in saving us, and then His grace enables us to grow and be strengthened in our walk with Him, and then His grace enables us to discern between what is false and detrimental to our faith and growth and what is true and in accordance with God’s Word. We need God’s grace! Without grace, we would be in a real mess. False influencers will try to sway you in several directions: (1) The false influence that lies, “Grace is a get out of Hell free card, and it’s ok to be a ‘mediocre’ Christian; you’ll still get into Heaven.” (2) The false influence that subverts or shames you into throwing in the towel of your faith completely. (3) the false influence that pulls you toward erroneous faith practices that uses a little bit of Scripture but twists it to manipulate you into an unbiblical and with it an ungodly version of so-called-faith.
*Note: I am using the terms “false teachers” and “false influencers” interchangeably, because that’s the world we live in. Everyone is being discipled in some way, trained, and molded and formed in a specific way to become a different kind of person. With this, everyone is being influenced in various ways to become a particular type of person. Who and what we allow to influence us matters. If we can figure out the manipulative, false influences in our lives that are steering us away from Christlikeness and are attempting to discourage our faith, we can then remove them and replace them with godly influences.
Let’s take on false influence #1 that says, “The false influence that lies, “Grace is a get out of Hell free card, and it’s ok to be a ‘mediocre’ Christian; you’ll still get into Heaven.” These are the individuals that say, “You can be saved, but don’t get too serious about your faith. Don’t feel the pressure to go to church. Don’t feel the pressure to have to be committed to your Connect Group, a smaller group of believers who strengthen and encourage one another’ in their faith. Isolation is permissible. Don’t get too serious about going to church and gathering with believers. Don’t be too passionate about the Jesus stuff.” According to the Bible, my friend, the writer of Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” So basically, saved people want to faithfully, continually, and consistently be with other brothers and sisters in Christ, aka. Go to church. Unsaved people could care less. Saved people go to church. Unsaved people don’t go to church. Saved people value encouragement and accountability of smaller Connect Groups. Unsaved people could care less. I’ll have some folks emailing me after this one, “How dare you tell me I’m unsaved.” I’m not saying that. What I am saying is, saved people want to and do go to church and small group. Unsaved people—according to the Bible—don’t. I am literally quoting Bible verses and taking them at face value for what they say. If you’re concerned, than I would follow up with referring you to, Paul’s encouragement to you and me from Philippians 2:12, “12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling[.]”
Let’s take on false influence #2: The false influence that subverts or shames you into throwing in the towel of your faith completely. When a believer slides into sin or senses shame and regret for past failures, there is a major influence here that can accuse the believer intoa. Place where they feel like they failed so horribly that they might as well throw in the towel and quit this Christian life thing. My encouragement to you if this describes you is to rely on God’s grace. He saves sinners, sanctifies sinners, and someday glorifies sinners. It’s all of grace. That’s the beauty and wonder of the gospel. Jesus knows each person He saves is saved from sin and His grace defines for us as we mature in Christlikeness what is sin, what is of God, and what is not. He provides the Holy Spirit and uses our consciences to help us move forward into changed believing by grace, changed thinking by grace, and changed behaving by His grace. Don’t throw in the towl. Deploy I John 1:9 in prayer and move forward.
Let’s take on false influence #3: The false influence that pulls you toward erroneous faith practices that uses a little bit of Scripture but twists it to manipulate you into an unbiblical and with it an ungodly version of so-called-faith. This is espoused by many so-called preachers of the Bible who sprinkle in a little Scripture, but twist scripture to suite their own ends, agendas, and pad their own pockets. These false influencers refuse to preach against sin or compel people to escape Hell for eternity. They cherry-pick different passages, pull them out of their immediate context or the context of Scripture as a whole and don’t convey the true meaning. These false influencers are very popular as a result, because they make people feel really good for a little while. They have a way of making people feel good. But there is a huge warning against this in Scripture. James 1:23-24 warns, “23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.” These preachers don’t hold up the mirror of the entirety of God’s Word to let you get a clear image of where you are at in your faith, so that you can take the next step in your faith, but they vail and hide parts of the mirror, so that you get an unclear picture and walk away thinking everything is fine and dandy. They will give an account to God someday; but the one who listens to their lies and doesn’t double-check what they’re saying with Scripture, that person will give an account as well.
By God’s grace, take stock of the influencers in your life. Remove the false influencers and replace them with the truth.
How to Pray:
- God, show me the false influences in my life.
- Help me remove them.
- I take full responsibility for the influences in my life.
- Help me replace them with Scriptural truth and mature, Christlike living by Your grace.
- Help me reach the people in my spheres of influence who are being misled and misguided by false influences in their lives.
- Help me to lead them and love them into Your truth.
Caleb Walker 
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