STUDY THEME: ADOPTING A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW. 8-20-00
UNIT 2: CONTOURS OF A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW: "THE KEY TO FULFILLMENT" PHIL.
1:3-6, 9-11, 27-30; 2:14-16.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO PHILIPPIANS CH. 1.
The date was about A.D. 60. Nero was the emperor of Rome and Christian
persecution was at its height. Paul's letter to the Philippians was one
of the four epistles written about the same time while he was a prisoner
in Rome, awaiting execution. The other epistles are Philemon, Colossians,
and Ephesians. A reading of Colossians and especially Ephesians will
help you in understanding Philippians. The Key note of Philippians is
JOY--which is used 16 times in the letter. The Key Verse is Phil. 1:24
"For me to live is Christ."
As we continue to seek a Biblical or Christian Worldview we find that the
eleventh fundamental need is to answer the questions related to
fulfillment and lifestyles. The most common question we find among people
of all ages is "How can I find fulfillment in my everday life." Most of
us who have come to a ripe old age have discovered that living the
Christian life brings fulfillment to our everday life.
An erroneous assumption by many is that the way to find personal
fulfillment is by putting one's own happiness and well-being first in all
things. The "Me Generation" have pursued this path with determination to
demand his or her right to happiness, regardless of anyone
else--including what it does to others or how it is attained. This is a
key part of today's secular worldview. The Christian worldview is
strikingly different. Fulfillment is a fruit of commitment to the Lord
and a life of discipleship in which believers live His values and do His
work with His attitude toward life and eternity.
The little boy was weeping because his pet bird had died and would not be
able to sing again. He was reminded that there is a better place in which
to sing than in this world.
The old missionary had served 32 years on the mission field. There he
left buried his wife and three lovely children. Now as the ship docked in
America he looked forward to retirement, friends and family. A large sign
at the dock spelled out "Welcome Home." A large crowd had assembled at
the dock.
The missionary felt elated as the cries of "welcome home" rang out. As he
approached the gang plank he was asked to step aside so the celebrity and
his company might disembark. For the moment the missionary was angry. But
then the Spirit whispered "But you are not home yet," And he could smile
again.
I think each of us would have enjoyed being present there in Philippi
when Epaphroditus came before the church to read for the first time
Paul's epistle to his Christian friends in Philippi. Epaphroditus had
been sent by the church to Rome to visit Paul and bring back tidings of
his condition. With him the church had sent a love offering to add to
Paul's comfort in prison.
When Epaphroditus arrived in Rome he became ill with a fever and almost
died. But now he stood before Christians assembled to read Paul's words
to the church he especially loved. Can you visualize Paul in that
terrible dungeon, chained by the wrist to a Roman guard, as he writes
this beautiful letter to his beloved church.
1. PLEASE READ PHILIPPIANS 1: 1-6.
Timothy was not the co-author of this letter, but possibly the one to
whom Paul dictated the letter. He and Timothy were "bondservants" or
willing "slaves" who were happy and loyally linked to their "Master"
Jesus Christ. They had learned that to be a slave of Jesus Christ is the
way to perfect freedom.
As he wrote Philippians, Paul was assessing his life in relation to the
fulfillment of the goals Jesus had set for him when He saved him and
called him to service. As Paul wrestled with his sense of fulfillment in
the face of a possible death sentence, he tried to impart to his readers
the keys to fulfillment in their spiritual development. This is a letter
from a friend to his friends. The church at Philippi was the church to
which Paul was the closest. The letter to the Philippians has been called
"The Epistle of Joy." the whole point of the letter is "I do rejoice."
Paul had a Christ-centered Worldview, and he was trying to impart this
worldview to the Philippian Christians. In his letter, he presented his
example and urged his readers to imitate him as they sought to live
Christlike lives. It was on his second missionary journey about the year
A.D. 52 that Paul first came to Philippi. You may want to read of his
stay there in Acts. 16. It is an interesting story.
Each thought and memory of this loving church caused Paul to pray for
them with thanksgiving and joy. Paul was thankful and joyfull of their
fellowship or partnership in the gospel. Fellowship refers to what these
believers had in common. Here it also includes our oneness in doing his
work of sharing the good news. The gospel was not only the environment of
their fellowship but also its goal. Had it not been for the gospel, they
would not have met. Paul generally stated that the tie that bound
Christians together was the gospel message. Here, however, the
construction suggests that the advancement of the gospel united them. In
their support of Paul, they contributed to the work of God in the world
through the gospel.
>From the first day until now refers to the past and present aspects of
this good news partnership. The first day referred to the first time the
Philippiians heard and received the gospel. Paul and his companions
preached the gospel in Philippi, as recorded in Acts 16: 12-40. The
Philippian church had shown their partnership with Paul by sending him
money for his work soon after he left Philippi. Years later, when Paul
was a prisoner in Rome, the church sent Epaphroditus with another gift of
money and instructed him to help Paul. This is the meaning of until now.
Paul also looked to the future. He was confident that Christ had been at
work in them. He was He who had saved them and motivated them to be
good-news partners. Paul's confidence extended into the future. "He which
hath begun a good work in you will perform it" or "carry it to its
completion." The verb "will complete" points to the eternal security of
the Christians. When we receive Christ as Savior, we receive eternal
life. At the moment we trust Him, we place our eternal destiny in His
hands; and He will keep us in His grace. Our salvation is not secure
because of our strength but because of the One who works in us to fulfill
our redemption. We need to understand that God continues to work in us to
complete our salvation, until the day of Jesus Christ. The Day of Our
Lord Jesus Christ looks to the final salvation, reward and glorification
of each believer.
>From our perspective, our salvation is God's free gift. It is all of
grace and it comes to us freely because of our faith in Christ. From
God's perspective, however, salvation is a "work"; and it is a costly
"work." It cost God His Son's life on the cross.
Those who let Christ work in their lives are saved by the grace of God,
empowered for new life, and led forward toward God's objective for their
lives here and hereafter. Vs. 6 is a strong verse in the biblical
doctrine of assurance. If our salvation depended on our good works, there
would be no such assurance. Because believers' assurance depends on God's
grace and power, we can be sure that He will complete what He began in
us.
Many people refuse to let Christ work in their lives. They think of Him
as a kill-joy who would rob them of happiness and fulfillment if they let
Him direct their lives. Those who have let Christ work in them have found
the fulfillment that is only to be found in such a relationship.
In these next verses Paul prayed that the Philippian believers would grow
in knowledge and insight. He wanted them to discern what was best, live
pure lives and be filled with Christ's righteousness.
2. PLEASE READ PHILIPPIANS 1: 9-11.
Previously, in Vs. 6, Paul noted that he asked God to complete the work
He began in the Philippians. Here he recorded the specific petitions
involved in that request. First, he asked that their love might increase.
Love is the Greek word agape. This Greek term describes a selfless love.
This type of love considers only the object of the love. More abound
means to overflow. More and more stressed constantly increasing the
Philippians' capacity to hold love but at the same time increasing love
so it continuously spills over the brim. Love is to grow in an atmosphere
of knowledge. This word designates knowledge that is gained by
experience. It describes Knowledge derived from personal experience with
Christ. Believers need the ability to distinguish those things that are
truly important so they can establish the right priorities.
The phrase "depth of insight" occurs only here in the N.T.. It refers to
moral discretion. Both knowledge and morality influence the growth of
Christian love. The object of that love is other Christians. Love for
other believers, according to John 13:35 is a fundamental expression of
the new life in Christ.
While love is concerned only with the object of love, the growth of love
does affect the one who loves. When Christians love one another, they are
able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless. Loving others
helps believers determine the best choices in life. The phrase until the
day of Christ shows that this request is for the entirety of this present
life, not for the hereafter.
When a believer makes the right choices in life, that person is filled
with the fruit of righteousness, or the fruit that righteousness
produces. Fruit refers to conduct and service that is pleasing to God.
Believers do not produce this fruit on their own. It comes through Jesus
Christ living actively in their lives. The ultimate result of Paul's
prayer is that God receive glory and praise.
Love without knowledge is mere sentiimentality that has no effect on
daily living. Knowledge allows believers to discern the best choice each
time a decision must be make. By implementing the proper decision, they
can live the life of purity that Christ expects.
Many people are so busy seeking things they believe will bring their
fulfillment that they miss the best in life. Our society constantly tries
to convince people they can have it all and experience it all. We are
told we deserve to experience it all. This is an impossibility. We must
make choices about what we do; otherwise, the best will slip past us.
Those who have found the secret of choosing the best have found the
secret of living a fulfilling life. Those who try to have everything and
do everything live in constant frustration.
In these next verses Paul challenged the Philippians to stand together
and not be frightened by those who persecuted them. He told them that
suffering for Christ was a privilege in which he and they shared.
3. PLEASE READ PHILIPPIANS 1: 27-30.
Whether Paul was released from prison was not to determine his readers
behavior. He expected them to conduct themselves properly in his presence
or in his absence. Believers are to have integrity, i.e., to live
consistent with what they believe, teach and preach. They should never
allow their behavior to be determined by outward circumstances over which
they have no control.
Paul was not necessarily anticipating his death because he wrote that
even if he was not able to visit them, he would be able to hear of their
behavior. In the remainder of Vs. 27 Paul encouraged his readers with a
passionate plea that they continue to "stand firm in one spirit." The
Greek verb translated "stand" was a military word used to describe
soldiers standing their ground against an approaching army. If the army
is to be successful, it cannot be divided in purpose or in spirit.
Christians must be of one mind and one spirit if they are to succeed
against the enemy. Paul wanted his readers to go on standing firm.
The world is full of Christians on the retreat, Christians who, when
Christianity is difficult, conceal, or at least play down their
Christianity. The true Christian stands fast, unashamed in any company.
In Vs.27 Paul used three images to reinforce his message to the
Philippian Christians. First, they were to conduct themselves as good
citizens. Second, they were to stand firm as soldiers in a defensive
stance. Third, they were to strive for victory as good athletes; and they
were to do all these things united in mind and spirit. by so doing they
would present a united front in a strong bid for the victory of the
gospel.
Vs. 28 the opponents may have been the ultra-pharisaic Jews we know as
the Judaizers. They surfaced in the Book of Acts; and they seemingly
followed Paul on his missionary travels, opposing him and trying to
negate all he did in the way of missionary work among the Gentiles. They
contended that gentile converts had to be Jewish proselytes in addition
to placing faith in Christ. Paul urged the Philippian Christians not to
fear their opponents because the enemies' opposition to the gospel was
evidence of their ultimate destruction. N.T. writers often use the Greek
verb rendered "be destroyed" to describe unsaved people's fate. That
these people opposed the Christians was also evidence that the believers
were saved. Satan's crowd does not oppose people who are not serving God.
The verb translated "granted" in Vs. 29 refers to the gift that God
freely gives and that comes because of His grace. Christians are given
salvation by grace. By the same grace they also are given the privilege
of suffering on Christ's behalf. Thus suffering for Christ's cause is not
a sign of God's disfavor or a token of divine punishment. Rather,
precisely because of God's grace, He allows His people to suffer for His
cause.
The Greek word "struggle" in Vs. 30 also is a term from the arena and the
athletic contests. Our English word agony is almost an exact
transliteration of the Greek word. This quality was evident in the facial
expression of the athlete who was surging toward the finish line during a
grueling race. The Philippian believers had seen this quality in Paul
when he was with them in Philippi. Now they had heard of his struggle in
the distant Roman prison. Paul urged them to emulate him as they faced
the same severe opposition to the gospel and to people who shared it. Let
them remember that any general chooses his best soldier for his hardest
task, and that it is an honor to suffer something for Christ.
Believers are to live in ways compatible with the gospel, even when
opposed. they should see suffering for Christ as part of the Christian
experience and should stand firm. So Paul says to the Philippians; For
you and for me the battle is on; let us do something for Christ.
PLEASE TURN TO PHILIPPIANS CH. 2.
In these next verses Paul warned against grumbling and called for
believers to shine as lights in an evil world. Not only were the
believers to let their lights shine, but they also were to hold out the
Word of Life. This would cause Paul to know that his work among them had
not been "for nothing."
4. PLEASE READ PHILIPPIANS 2: 14-16.
There are a number of hints in the Letter to the Philippians that some
dissension existed in the church. There is a sense in which that is the
danger of every healthy church. It is against that danger that Paul
wishes to safeguard his friends.
Later in the letter in Ch. 4 Paul pleaded with two women to be of the
same mind. His appeal for oneness in Phil 2:1-4 probably reflected his
fear of this divisive spirit. Paul had been through the crisis in Corinth
over a divided church. The Philippians were not divided as the
Corinthians were, but Paul waned to be sure that they did not let a
divisive spirit grow among them. His warning against murmuring and
disputings or "complaining" and "arguing ," is directed against two marks
of dissension.
Back in Vs. 3 & 4 Paul gives us the three great causes of discord and
disunity: (1.) There is selfish ambition. There is always the danger that
people who work, not to advance the work, but to advance themselves.(2.)
There is the desire for personal prestige, the desire for empty glory.
And lastly (3.) there is concentration on self. If a man is for ever
concerned first and formost with his own interests, then he is bound to
collide with others.
Where there is selfish ambition, where there is desire for personal
prestige, where every man concentrates on his own interests, there cannot
be anything else but disunity.
Instead, the believers should be blameless and harmless or "pure," the
sons of God, without rebuke or "fault." No one should be able to accuse
them of the things named in Vs. 14. If they complained and argued with
one another, they would appear to be part of the evil world. Paul
described the believers as living in the midst of a crooked and perverse
nation or "depraved generation." Nevertheless they were to shine as
lights in the world or "like stars in the universe." This is similar to
Jesus' challenge in Matt. 5: 16 to be the light of the world by allowing
people to see believers' good works and to glorify God.
The words holding forth could be either holding forth in the sense of
"hold out' or it could mean "holding fast". And since both ideas are
biblical, either could be correct. If it means "holding fast," it refers
to safeguarding the Word of Life and firmly embracing it in how believers
live. If it means "holding forth," it refers to telling the world of the
Word of Life. In other words, Christians are not only to shine as lights
in a dark world by how they live, they are also the to tell the good news
to that lost and dying world.
Thus these verses stress living for Christ and telling others of Him.
Some Christians feel that consistent Christian living is a sufficient
witness, without saying anything about Christ. Actually, the two kinds of
witnessing are inseparable. Without a consistent Christian life, a verbal
testimony would be met with ridicule. Without a verbal testimony, people
might give the credit for our good life to us and not to the Lord.
This is another ingredient in the biblical view of a fulfilling life.
Paul said that if the Philippian Christian did this, he would come before
God knowing that his life and work had not been in vain or "for nothing."
Paul used the words "in vain" twice in Vs. 16, associating them with the
running of his race and his labor.
People who seek self-fulfillment often find at some point that they have
been living for nothing. Rather than a rich, fulfilling life, pursuing
only self-fulfillment leads to a bleak, empty existence. Only those who
give themselves as living, shining witnesses for God to others find true
joy and fulfillment.
Paul's standard for his first-century friends also is the standard Christ
expects us to meet in our daily Christian lives. Our circumstances may be
different from those of the first readers of Philippians, but the world
is as much in need of a vibrant Christians witness now as it was in the
first-century Roman Empire. Surely we can be no less responsive to Paul's
pleadings than the believers to whom the letter first was sent. We cannot
expect to make a positive impression on our generation and on future
generations unless we are willing to live victoriously for Christ daily.
We never will be effective witnesses for Christ until we are living
victoriously for Him. Paul expected all believers to witness for Christ
consistently. Today believers are to stand out from the world by the
purity of their lifestyles. They also are to share the Word of Life. This
is a vital part of the Christian life.
In this lesson we have seen four qualities of a fulfilling life. (1.)
Fulfillment is not possible by anything we can do or say; it comes as we
let Christ direct our lives. (2.) Fulfillment is the result of the Lord's
help in making the best choices. (3.) Fulfillment comes from standing
firm, with other believers, even suffering for Christ, if necessary. (4.)
Fulfillment comes by living a shining, pure life before the world and
sharing the "Word of Life" in a dark world full of crooked and perverse
people.
NEXT SUNDAY WE CONCLUDE OUR PURSUIT OF A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW WITH THE
QUESTION "WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD, AND WHAT DOES IT MATTER?" PLEASE
READ 2 PETER 3. A.V. DAUGHERTY 8-20-00
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STUDY THEME: ADOPTING A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW 8-27-00
UNIT 2: CONTOURS OF A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW.
"WHEN TIME WILL BE NO MORE." 2 PETER 3: 3-15a.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO 2 PETER 3.
This is the final lesson focusing on the "Contours of a Biblical
Worldview." A twelfth universal fundamental life need is to answer
questions related to history's meaning, direction, and purpose. This
universal need expresses itself in such fundamental life questions as,
"Where are we going?" "Is there hope for something better after this?
Are history and the universe heading toward a goal or is it all
meaningless?" "What's it all about anyway?" "Is this all there is?" "What
happens to me when I die?" "Is there life after death?" and "Do you only
go around once?" (Reincarnation.)
The Life Question for this lesson is, "What does the future hold, and
what does it matter?
The Lesson Bible Truth is that in light of the end of time and the future
life in eternity, all people are to consider seriously their relationship
to God and how they are living their lives.
Biblical faith looks both backward and forward. We see both of these
dimensions in the lesson this week from the second Epistle of Peter.
Today we live in a society focused on the present. Present pleasures and
present successes take center stage while concerns about the future take
a back seat. One reason for this preoccupation with the present is that
the future seems to hold only dark prospects.
People try to forget the reality of death and to ignore any eternal
consequences for their choices and actions. This hope is based on the
fact that when this life and this world come to an end, the eternal God
promises eternal bliss to believers. For those believers who embrace it,
the biblical Worldview of the future dramatically affects how they live
in the here and now
TEACHER READ 2ND PETER 3: 1-2.
. Peter's inspired words help answer the question, "What does the future
hold, and what does it matter?" Peter wrote his letter to stimulate his
readers thinking. He wanted them to remember what had been said in the
past. He wanted them to remember the words spoken by the prophets. He
wanted them to remember the words spoken by the Apostles
.
Peter is referring to the warnings which he and the other Apostles had
written regarding judgment. The Apostles of Christ filled the 260
chapter of the N.T. with about 300 references to the second coming of
Christ and the judgment of the wicked.
1. PLEASE READ 2 PETER 3: 3-7.
With Ch. 3 a new section of the Epistle opens. The "false teachers" of
Ch. 2 recede from view and the thoughts of the Apostle turns to the
mockers who have made mockery at the delay of the coming of the Lord, to
which Christians have so confidently looked forward as night at hand. All
the disasters that trouble the earth today proclaim that "verily there is
a God that judgeth the earth."
Let's see how Peter answers the five questions relating to the last day.
(l) Whether we shall continue to wait confidently for the last day?, (2)
When and at what time will the last day come? (3) Why has Jesus not come
for so long a time? (4) How and in what manner will the last day come?
(5) What will Christ perform on that day?
Please notice now thoroughly Peter instructs us as to the manner of our
preparing for the Last Day. (1) In holy conversation and godliness; (2)
To wait patiently for, and hasten it; (3) To give all diligence that we
may be found blameless by Christ.
During an earthquake that shook the village the people were surprised at
the calmness and apparent joy of an old lady whom they all knew. At
length one of them asked the lady, "Mother, are you not afraid?" "No,"
she replied, "I rejoice to know that I have a God who can shake the
world."
In Vs. 5 the false teachers, in order to avoid the doctrine of judgment,
deliberately ignore the two major previous divine cataclysmic events--the
creation and the flood. In six days the whole universe was created mature
and complete.
In Vs. 6 God, by creating water above and below the earth, built into
His creation the tool of its destruction. According to Gen. 7:11 the
flood occurred from the two directions. First, the breaking open the
sources of water below the earth and then the water from above came
cracking down on the earth. Today if you walk in Yellow Stone National
Park you sense that God already has within the center of the earth that
which can erupt and destroy the world by fire. The human race is
separated from the fiery core of the earth by only a thin 10 miles of
crust.
The present world system is reserved for future judgment which will come
by the Word of God just as creation and the flood came. In Gen. 9:13 God
put the rainbow in the sky to signify that He would never destroy the
world again by water. In the future God will destroy the heavens and the
earth by fire.
In the dynamic theory of heat, Tyndall tells us, that simply to stop the
earth in its orbit would generate heat enough to dissipate the whole
earth into vapor. Faraday says, that in a single drop of water there is
latent electricity enough for an ordinary flash of lightning. Some see
that science joins with the Bible in labeling this earth, "reserved unto
fire."
The worldview that believes life as we know it will go on forever, with
death ending each person's existence, is wrong. The biblical worldview is
that God the Creator controls history's end. God, not death, holds the
future.
2. PLEASE READ 2 PETER 3: 8-9.
In Vs. 8 Peter reminded his readers that God is eternal and is not bound
by human ways of measuring time. Thus what seems a long time to humans is
timeless to God. Peter also; gave another reason for the seeming delay in
Christ's return: God is long-suffering and wants to give human beings
every opportunity to repent.
Time is opportunity. People should see the seeming delay on the coming of
the end of time as an expression of God's patience and of His desire that
people be saved. Thus they should seize the opportunity to repent and be
saved.
Ezekiel 33:11 is a good example of the Lord pleading with sinners to
repent before it's too late. "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no
pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his
way and life: turn ye, turn ye from your evidl ways; for why will ye die,
O huse of Israel." In the N.T. in 2 Cor. 6:2, the apostle Paul wrote,
"Behold now is the accepted time, behold now is the day if salvation."
Such statements are a clear call for sinners to repent and for believers
to tell the good news and plead with sinners to turn from sin to the
Lord.
3. PLEASE READ 2 PETER 3: 10, 12b, 14-15a.
The Bible is clear that history is moving toward a curtain call
designated "the day of the Lord." "The Day of the Lord" is a technical
term point to the special interruption of God in human history for
judgment. Isaiah and Amos were among the first to use the phrase.
Biblical passages that refer to the end of the age as arriving "like a
thief" are found in Rev. 16:15 and Matt. 14: 43-44. This analogy refers
to the suddenness and the unexpectedness of Christ's coming and the end
of the age. We do not know when it will occur. This does no mean it is
less certain, however. In the Scriptures the word day can mean more than
a 24-hour period. If Christ's return signals the end of time as we
understand it, ordinary ideas of days and hours to measure time will be
meaningless.
Peter described God's intervention negatively and positively. First, he
stated three negative aspects of the Day of the Lord:
1. "The heavens will disappear with a roar." The heavens refer to the
physical universe. God will incinerate the universe. This probably refers
to the atmospheric heavens and to the planetary heavens (the sun, the
moon, and the stars). Clearly it does not refer to heaven as God's
dwelling. The "roar" may indicate the same as the fiery burning mentioned
in the next phrase.
2. "The elements will be destroyed by fire." The term "elements" may mean
either heavenly bodies (the sun, the stars, and so on) or what we call
chemical elements which make up the composition of all created matter. In
either case, this means the end of the universe as we understand it. It
will be consumed.
3. "The earth and everything in it will be laid bare." One of God's
purposes in bringing time to an end is to judge human sinfulness. Sadly,
human greed and evil have affected the earth adversely. God will note
humanity's physical accomplishments as not worth saving. They merit only
an F.
"The heavens" will be burned up and "the elements" literally "will be
made liquid." Peter did not understand scientifically the way God's power
will accomplish His judgments, nor do we. Peter was describing the
indiscrible.
In Vs. 13 Peter was content to give only one positive statement about the
beginning of eternity, but it is overwhelming. Eternity will be better
for God's people. Earth as we know it is not "the home of righteousness"
but of unrighteousness. After God creates a new heaven and a anew earth
people will live in His immediate presence forever. We should remain
confident that when time ends and eternity begins we will live in anew
home of righteousness. There the truth of God's worldview will be evident
to everyone.
We Christians should walk through this life conscious that it is but
transient and passing, a kind of preparatory school. We should always
know that we are walking in the presence of God; and that thought should
determine and control the whole of our life.
Because our heavenly Father knows what we need and has committed Himself
to be gracious to His children, Jesus gives the pledge: "But seek ye
first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things eill be
given to you as well." Our part is to avoid consuming worry, even over
essentials, and to pursue the kingdom of God.
As we have sought to demonstrate in these 12 lessons, The Christians
Worldview is more consistent, more rational, and more workable than any
other belief. It beats out all other contenders in giving credible
answers to the great questions that any worldview must answer: "Where did
we come from? (Creation); What is the human dilemma?(fall); and What can
we do to solve the dilemma? (Redemption). The way we see the world guides
the way we work to change the world. (restoration).
4.PLEASE READ 2 PETER 3: 11-12a, 14-15a.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought
you to be? This means, "How astoundingly excellent you ought to be!" Time
will end and eternity will begin. What difference does this make today?
The Day of the Lord will come, and Christ's return is certain. Does this
matter? Peter and other NT., writers never let doctrinal teachings about
eternity become an end in itself. They always included a ";so what."
Peter summarized the essence of biblical teaching about the temporary
nature of space and time as know them: "Everything will be destroyed."
God's coming judgment is not in doubt. Peter write "since," not "if." The
words "in this way" refer to Vs. 10.
Living in space and time is preparation for eternity, so "what kind of
people ought you to be?" The only people fit for living in "the home of
righteousness" are individuals who have been at home with righteous
lifestyle now. The phrase in vs. 11 "to live holy and Godly lives" has
the idea of becoming more Christlike in character. Nobody ever became
godly by accident; to do so requires self-discipline and the Spirit's
power.
"The day of God" is a day in which holy and godly people look forward.
When God's people accomplish His purposes they hasten the day. Because
God is delaying that day so all who choose to repent may do so, the
sooner we bring others to Christ the sooner He will return.
To make sure his readers did not miss the emphasis on living in light of
the end of time by producing internal and external fruit, Peter repeated
his instructions in Vs.14 and 15.
(1). "Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with
Him." This refers to internal peace. The virtues of "spotless" and
"blameless" mark the lifestyles of people for who Jesus died. We are to
strive for moral purity. We are at peace with God because of
justification, but we break fellowship with Him by not taking seriously
His call to holy living.
(2). "Our Lord's patience means salvation." This refers to external fruit
and essentially repeats the thought of Vs. 9 (He is patient with you."
and 12 ("look forward---and speed its's coming"). The believer is to
recognize that every day the Lord does not come back is evidence of His
patience with sinners and is an expression of His saving grace.
In light of the end of time and of the start of eternity, believers are
to wait patiently for Christ's promised coming. We may do so by living
holy and godly lifestyles, growing toward having morally unblemished
character as Christ was without blemish, experiencing peace with God (and
with others), and inviting others to adopt God's way
of living (by salvation in Christ.)
So, what does the future hold, and what does it matter? In this lesson we
have seen that someday time and this time bound universe will end. God is
delaying the end to give sinners every opportunity to repent. But the day
will come when this universe will be destroyed and a new heaven and a new
earth will appear. Therefore, we ought to act now and live now in light
of this coming eternal order. Your life and your whole future depend on
it!
How Now Shall We live? By embracing God's truth, understanding the
physical and moral order He has created, lovingly contending for the
truth with our neighbors, then having the courage to live it out in every
walk of life. Boldly, and yes, joyously.
Christianity is a full Worldview covering all of life, giving a framework
for every human endeavor.
NEXT SUNDAY WE LOOK TO 1 JOHN 4 TO ANSWER THE QUESTION "GOD IS LOVE. SO
WHAT?" A.V. DAUGHERTY
8-27-00