Amen. And she signed that at the end. I know it's true. Do you know it's true? Amen. Praise the Lord for that. Thank you so much. Well, let's open our scriptures together tonight. Do you have somebody in your family that always wants to get the last word? You know, someone like that. How many of you have more than one person in your family? Don't raise your hand. You know, how many of you find that you like to be the one with the last word? Just be honest about it. You know who you are. Sure. All right. Well, there's always somebody, I guess, that wants to have the last word. We're in a series in the book of 2 Peter. So you want to turn your Bible to the book of 2 Peter, chapter 3. The series is entitled, Discerning the Truth in Turbulent Times. And we're finally getting to the last word. And Peter really does get in the last word. So we're coming to this end point. And when he gets to the end of this letter. That he's helping these believers who are already facing false teachers, he's helping them to become discerning and he's giving them then the last things they need to know. To be discerning, he gives them five challenges in this last word. Now we will do with God's help. We'll do two of these tonight and we'll do the last three the next time we're together in second Peter. So you've turned in your scriptures to the book of second Peter, chapter three. We're going to begin reading in verse 14. We will read through the end of the book to verse 18. And you've had a few minutes to find it. Let's all stand together and we'll read the scriptures. I'll read aloud as you follow along. 2 Peter 3, we'll begin reading in verse 14. We'll read through verse 18. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation. Even as our beloved brother Paul, also according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable rest or twist as they do also the other scriptures under their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing he know these things before, beware. lest ye also, being led away with the air of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory, both now and forever. Amen. Now let's pray and ask God to open the Scriptures to us. Lord, you have spoken here. You are giving us challenges as we enter these last verses together and as we are asking you to make us discerning people and oh how we need in this day and time how we need to view life from your perspective and how we need great discernment and critical thinking not not in a negative way but evaluative And so make us wise people tonight, Lord. And truly, you are the Lord of understanding that gives understanding in all things, and we are asking to give us some understanding tonight. So we pray for this to be done, yielded to the Holy Spirit, believing you by faith that you will speak in the name of Jesus. Amen. Thank you. You may be seated. So Peter begins this last stretch of this book, and he's been writing now for some time, and he begins, wherefore, beloved brethren, seeing ye look for such things? And you ask then, okay, well, what things are we looking for, Peter? And we're told already, and it points us to the earlier in this chapter, verse 12, looking for the hasting unto the coming of the day of God. He's reminding us, verse 13, nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. We're looking for the time when Jesus will come to the earth and when he will bring he will renew the earth. And he says, now, since you're looking, keep reading. Nevertheless, we or excuse me, wherefore, my beloved, seeing that you look for such things, Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless. Now, that's the first of the five challenges. Here's what it is. It is this. It is be diligent. Say that with me. Be diligent. And the apostle Peter reminds us as we read that when Jesus comes, this is a motivation. This is a motivation not because there will be judgment on the world, but when He comes, this will be a time when we face Him and we see Him that it will be a time of evaluation for the saved. And we need to think always in our lives now that there will come a day, the most important day of your life and my life, when I stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and give an account for my life. And because that day is coming, the most important day, I live today, make decisions today and think today in light of that day. And he reminds us of this moment, so the question we live in light of every day is what will he find? You see, we cannot know for sure what he will find then. But maybe this is the most important, in fact, not maybe this is the most important question that he will ask tonight, and that is, what does he find? You see, the Lord God of heaven goes up and down the rows of this congregation tonight. He goes to every aisle. He looks deep inside of every heart. And I wonder as He goes to every row and He looks into every heart tonight, the question then is, what does He find? And God tells us what the Lord wants to find when He looks tonight at your life and where you are in this very place at this very moment in your life. In fact, verse 14 describes it. Be diligent that you may be found of Him in peace. Oh, He wants you to have and know peace. And without spot, He wants you to know purity. And blameless, He wants you to have an open life with nothing to hide. So let's ask ourselves tonight, what does God see as He looks in your heart? Does God see peace in your heart? Is there peace? Do you have peace with God? Have you come to Christ? Know the forgiveness of sins and the satisfaction of His wrath? Do you have peace with God tonight? I wonder if you have the peace of God. Is your heart, I'm not asking about your life circumstances, your life circumstances may be in turmoil, but I wonder if there is peace in your heart. As God looks tonight into your heart deep down, does he find tranquility in your heart? I wonder as God Looks tonight in your heart. I wonder, does he find peace with people? Are there relationships that need to be mended? That you need to seek to try to restore? Does he find peace tonight? I wonder, as God Almighty is looking in every aisle and He's looking at every heart and He's evaluating tonight, I wonder if the Lord God is finding in you purity of motive. I wonder about your thought life, what you're thinking. I wonder what He finds with the media that You with which you fill your mind. Is he finding purity? I wonder what he finds in the choices you're making and what he finds in your home. Oh, he wants to find purity, is that what he's finding? And then he's looking and he wants to find people blameless that is open with nothing to hide. Hey, wouldn't it be great if somebody could take, anybody could take your phone and open it up and read every text without any question of blushing. Anybody that is afraid and has something to hide and isn't willing to give their phone or their passwords to anybody, you better look out, my friend. If you have something to hide, you've got a problem. Can he look at your telephone and find nothing to hide? He already knows. I wonder if he went to all of your Google searches over the last month. He already, hey listen, the Lord God has a very powerful search engine. Before there was ever an internet. What's he find? Does he find blamelessness in an open life? How about your time? Do you have no problem if somebody looked at your calendar and looked everywhere you went and how you spent your time? Are you open? An open life? My friends, if you don't live this kind of a life, you don't know what it is to live. It's liberating. It's powerful when you can live such an open life. Nothing to hide. No judgment. I wonder if you could, if the Lord looks at you and tonight, I wonder if he looks at you and sees there is no judgmentalism of self-righteousness. In your life, an open book. So, what does he find? What does he find? Tonight. Be diligent, because there will come a time when you will give an account. And so tonight, before that time, what God is doing is God Almighty, the wonderful Spirit of God, as this book is opened, reminds us of that day when we will face Him and we will answer when He comes. And He reminds us tonight and wants us to know, is there peace? Is there purity? Is there openness in your life? Be diligent. And this kind of liberation can be yours. So tonight, examine your life. What a challenge. Be diligent. Well, then there's a second challenge tonight that we need to consider that Peter tells us about. The first challenge is be diligent. Here's the second challenge. It is be discerning. Say that with me. Be discerning. Hey, let's try to get it settled in our mind. The first challenge is be diligent. Oh, check out your life. Guard your life. The second challenge is be discerning. We read about this then in verse 15 and then we'll also touch on in verse 16. Begins then with verse 15 and account that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation. Now, you read that and you say, well, what in the world does that mean? Well, to understand that expression, we really have to remember what was going on in the lives of these believers. Remember the confusion that was requiring discernment that we learned about earlier in chapter three. Look at chapter three, verse four. Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying, where is the promise of his coming? And some were saying, yeah, we heard about Jesus is coming, but my goodness gracious. Remember, this was written in the mid 60s. Jesus left in the mid or early 30s. And they're saying, see, Jesus said he's coming back. It's been three decades. And where is he? See, it's going to be just like it's all going to continue like it was at the beginning. It's just going to keep on same old, same old, same old, same old. He's not coming back, and some were confused. Well, wait a minute. We're waiting for him. We're expecting him. Where is he? In fact, you'll notice verse nine is a reminder. The Lord is not slack concerning his promises. Some men count slackness, but is long suffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And now you read verse 15. And we're told something that helps us put it together, that we account that the Lord is long suffered. The long suffering of our Lord is salvation. Here is the concern for the discerning. Because as you understand this, then the picture becomes clear. Why is the Lord Jesus awaiting his coming? In Peter's day, he lets them know why he was waiting his coming. And tonight, it's the exact reason, the same reason now, a couple of millennia from that moment, and they're still the same reason why Jesus is delaying His coming. Because the longer He delays His coming, the more opportunity there is for people to be saved. And the longer He waits, more can come to Christ and be born again. See, the concern of the discerning is always soul winning. How many of you know how easy it is to get a very cold and calloused heart in the matter of soul winning? But my friends, Jesus is delaying His coming. He does the saving, but He is calling us to be soul winners. He does the saving, we do the sharing. And so we must be concerned about the souls of men. In His mercy, the Lord is delaying His coming. And let's remember the great need for proactive evangelism and the need for God's enabling power and the filling of the Holy Spirit and the yielding to the Holy Spirit to share Christ. And tonight, let me ask you this. You're sitting in the church tonight, but I wonder, do you need to be saved? And a tender, but not born again. So, as Peter writes, there is some confusion. You see, Jesus said he's coming back and there was some confusion in their time. Did he come back and he's not coming back? Is he just not going to come back? Is that a fairy tale? What about this? And Peter says, oh, believe me, he is coming back, but he's delaying his return because he wants people to be saved. And so what's happening is this is turning into a they said, I said. Because Jesus said he's coming back. And Peter said, now Jesus said he's coming back. And others are saying, well no, he said he's coming back, but he isn't coming back. And there's an argument going back and forth. They said I said, they said I said. So what does Peter do to help solve the argument? Well, who's right? And Peter builds a case that he is right. And he gives the confirmation for the discerning when he tells us these words in verse 15 and in verse 16. To account the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation. Now watch this. Even as our beloved brother Paul, also according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable rest or twist as they do the other scriptures unto their own destruction. You see, it isn't just they say, I say, he says, you know what? There's confirmation of this. Now, the question is, who does Peter claim gives confirmation that it is true that the Lord wants all men to be saved and that Jesus is coming back? Who does he claim is his authority? Who did he claim is his cross reference? If I could his other witness that it's true, who was it? Paul, and you'll notice then what is the confirmation that he says? It's not just Paul, but what does Paul give us that gives proof that this is so? The Scriptures, the epistles now. This confirms some teaching for us. The first thing it confirms is that God wants all men to be saved. Isn't that what Paul said? First Peter, or excuse me, not first Peter, first Timothy chapter two, verse four, who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Isn't that what Paul said? Romans chapter two, verse four, speaking of the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering. Do you not know the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? It not only confirms that God wants all to be saved, but it confirms the coming of the Lord. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 15 to 18, the rapture of the church. He comes in the air. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verses 1 and 2, the revelation of Jesus Christ. He comes to the earth. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verses 1 and 2, the coming of the Lord. so that the very things Peter is teaching, he says, now, wait a minute, there's another preacher who's teaching this and another author of the scriptures who's teaching this. It tells us something else. It tells us of the acceptance of the letters of Paul as scripture. So in all his epistles, He says, and he calls them the other scriptures. When you read scriptures in the New Testament, the word is the writings. This is a reference to the Old Testament. That which is written. Inspiration, we learned last year, always rests in that which is written. And he says, you know what? Just as the prophets of old and Moses All the Scriptures were written in the Old Testament. He says, you know what? Just as God foreordained those eternal words to be written as God's very Word, Paul's letters are just the same way. And that also does something else for us. It gives us an insight into what was happening in the community of believers even in the mid-60s A.D. when this letter was written. It gives us the understanding of and acceptance of canonicity. Canonicity. What is canonicity? Have you ever heard the term canonicity or canon? And I don't mean guns that shoot. Canon. It's a theological term. We use it as an expression of the canon of Scripture. It means that which is included in God's Word. Every book that is God's Word And even now, in the mid-60s, before there was ever councils formed by men, God's Scripture is not confirmed by councils formed by men. It's confirmed by God Himself and His Church. But even before there were any councils, In those early days, now about 30 years after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, even then the church had an understanding that there are books that were being written that are the very word of God. And in this case, Peter says, that I know it and you know it because you've read them. You've read about them in his epistles. They were being circulated in those early days that what you have read is the eternal word of God. It is much the scripture as the Old Testament word was scripture. No, in those early days, there were many letters being written. And there were many accounts being written. Some of these are false accounts. Individuals seeking to give false accounts of the life of Jesus. And you can read about these things. You know, really, honestly, I've heard about them. I've seen references to them. I'm not studying them a lot. I really just put more emphasis on the Bible. Things that tell stories about crazy things that Jesus did. He's healing people. He's playing with kids. And the kid gets hurt and He heals the kid. You know, He's doing crazy, crazy things. I mean, there are these letters being circulated in those early days, and some are saying, well, this is Scripture, this is not Scripture, or this is just... And there are these stories that are going about, and all these letters being circulated. There are some people just writing letters from a leader to a church. And all this was going on, but in those early days, the church, even at this time, understood that not every letter was a letter from God. But some of those letters that were written were letters from God, and the church was already ascertaining and confirming them to be so. So Peter's words give us a glimpse into the world of the first century so that we can understand that even in these days, before all the letters of Scripture is written, the last letters of Scripture were written in the mid 90s. Thirty years after Peter writes these words is when John wrote the book of the Revelation. But even then, even then, there was an understanding that Paul's letters were and still are God's Word, the Scriptures, and these were being circulated in that day. Now, here's an interesting question. Think about this one. What do you think? Do you think that Peter was aware that while he was writing this letter, he was writing. In time, the eternal word of God, you think he was aware, I mean, he was aware that Paul's letters were were the word. Do you think that Peter was aware while he's writing and he's finishing up this letter, who I got to finish God's word tonight? What do you think? I'd like to take a show of hands, but I don't know if I want to put anybody into that situation. I don't think that you really can know. I have not found in the text of this letter any indication that Peter believed or knew that he was writing God's word or not at the time. But he was, and it has been proven to be so over time and confirmed by the Lord's Church. But whether he understood his writings to be inspired Scripture or not, it still is and it still was. But you know, even with Paul's writings back then, there was a conflict for the discerning. We read about it in verse 16. Here's the conflict, of course, he says, in which things in which some which are some things hard to be understood. How many of you can understand how that is? So here's Peter friends with Paul. Speaking Greek is his natural language, and he said, you know, there are some things that I still don't get. I read that it's really encouraging to me because I still don't get a lot of things. But here's the conflict. Because verse 16 says that there are they which they that are unlearned and unstable rest or twist. And here's the conflict they were running into that discerning people have to be aware of. One of the conflicts is that there are some things that are hard to understand. Another conflict is that there are some people who are twisting the Scriptures. In fact, that's what the word rest means, to twist or to stretch. It is interesting, as I'm reading about this, that this word is a word that's only used one time in your New Testament, and it is a word that describes an instrument of torture. It's the rack. How many of you know what the rack is? The rack, the dreaded rack. Picture the rack. Are you ready? There's a wooden table. And on this end of the table, there are, I guess I'll call them for lack of a better word, stocks, some kind of a handcuff. And you put a person on the rack and you lock their ankles into the handcuffs or the ankle cuffs, right? Why not? OK, so we have this. Then over here on the other end of the table is another pair of these. In this case, they are handcuffs. And you take the person on the table and they lift their hands above their head and you lock them down on this end of the rack. Now, underneath this table is a long bolt. And what happens is the torturer turns Bolt and turns a mechanism on the bolt and as the torture turns the mechanism on the bolt The table begins to spread apart Now how many of you know this is going to end bad for somebody? They're on the rack It's a torture and the body is stretched and twisted in ways that are not normal or natural they're painful and And what God does here is He takes this form of torture, and He uses this Word, and He says, there are some people that are taking My Word, and they are twisting and stretching it to make it say things that I never said. They are unnatural and unnormal. It's a terrible, terrible thing. It's why those that are masters or teachers need to be very careful because James did remind us there's a greater condemnation. It's a fearful thing to stand in front of people and say this is what God says when God didn't say that. That's a problem. Is there a problem today with people twisting the scriptures to make it fit what We want it to say, sometimes it's people who are nefarious. Sometimes it's people I think who are well-intentioned and they have in their mind they want God to say this so much and they'll twist the scriptures to try to arrive at a good conclusion. But you can't twist the scriptures and be faithful sometimes to come to those conclusions. And so be careful. A number of years ago, our daughter, we have two daughters, you know, there's one here and the other's in school. One of the girls, I won't tell you which one, But really had something that she wanted to do. I'm not going to tell you what it is either. Really had something she wanted to do. And I said, you know, I just don't think that's God's will. She said, I know it's God's will. I'm sure it's God's will. I said, OK, I'll tell you what I want you to do. If you're convinced it's God's will, I'm convinced it's not. What I'd like you to do is go to the Bible and I want you to bring a list of scriptures and we'll look at the scriptures together. Now, I really, honestly, and I didn't think that she would bring me a list of scriptures. I really didn't. I thought when it was done with that, it was going to be done and that's it. Wasn't too long afterward. Guess what she brings? A list of scriptures. OK, so I look at her list of scriptures and frankly, she didn't know this, but I was laughing at that. Not within her presence, not in her presence, but I was laughing at her because. There were a lot of twisted scriptures, sister. So sat down with her. Let's look up your scriptures. Went down her list. One by one by one. She came to the end of that list. And I think we both knew what God's will was when it was all said and done. Or maybe more importantly, in this case, what God's will wasn't. At least according to the Scriptures. Now, that brings a third conflict that is there, because the third conflict is that individuals that are taking the Scriptures, they are called, in this case, unlearned. This means individuals that just have not been experienced enough with the Scriptures and learning to interpret the Scriptures accurately. This is not a term of condescension. If there's anything that is irritating to me, it's people that are well trained who are arrogant about their training. It's pitiful. But here are people that just have not had exposure yet to understanding the scriptures, they are unlearned. But then there's something else they are described as unstable. You see, there are people that just haven't been settled, and they're looking for answers. And rather than take God's Word at face value, they are twisting God's Word to try to come up with answers that fit the answers they want to receive, rather than the answers that God gives. Now, have you ever wanted to do that? To come up with answers that I want God to say, rather than what God says. And while we're on this subject, this is one of the frustrating things about the Bible. Because sometimes, in God's Word, some things are absolutely dogmatically clear. They are black and white. Now, how many of you are people like me? I like it when it's black and white and clear. I love that. Anyone like me like that? I'm that way. I like it black and white. But there are some things in the Bible that are absolutely gray. I don't like that. And when it's gray, it is wrong to say that God is black and white when He's not black and white. That's unfaithful to the Scriptures. When it's black and white, it is wrong and unfaithful to the Scriptures to call it gray. Because God in His eternal wisdom has given us an eternal book. It is a perfect book. It is a sufficient book. And when God wants it dogmatically black and white, He made it so. And when God made it where there's a bit of gray, He made it so. I wish He was a little more black and white sometimes, but He's not. So I have to be willing to stand on that edge where God is. Makes me uncomfortable sometimes. But we have to be true and faithful to the Bible. And for those that twist, this brings to another conflict because they come to the end and the Bible says they twist the rest of scriptures, the last phrase of this verse, to their own destruction. So that if you are an individual who is twisting the Bible to fit your own preconceived and your own comfort level of interpretation. My friend, you are putting yourself in a place of God's judgment, in a place of destruction. So be careful. And now you understand why Peter, he comes in this letter, he says, be diligent about your life. And he says, listen, when you're diligent, make sure you're discerning. And really, is that what this book is about, this book is about people becoming discerning. And it's what God is calling you to. You have choices to make. You have decisions to make. You have judgments to make. Because in life, you have to make decisions and judgments. You have to come down on one side or the other. What am I going to do? You have to make decisions. You're responsible to God for the decisions you make and the choices you make. What am I going to do? And so, my friends, let's be discerning. Let's all stand together, shall we? So, Lord, help us to be diligent. There will come a day when we will answer to You. And before that day takes place, you have, even tonight, looked into every heart. And before we get to that day, and there is no more turning back, and there's no more life to live, and that day when we cannot do over, you have tonight spoken to individuals to prepare them. some to encourage in the way, some to bring them to repentance tonight. And so we're asking for you to do this very thing and confirm it in the hearts of the individuals to whom you have chosen in your mercy to speak tonight about areas of our lives. And Lord, beside the diligence of it, make us discerning, faithful, to our understanding of the Scripture. Faithful to the application of the Scripture. And ultimately, faithful to submission to the Scripture. And so, God, we thank You for Your mercy tonight. And we plead for it. So, we ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus.