Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
2 Peter 3
3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. 4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”
5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. 6 Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. 7 And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.
3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. 4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”
5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. 6 Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. 7 And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.
Commentary:
3:3 The last days will feature scoffers who mock according to their own sinful desires. Their desire to live in sin with impunity drives them to deride biblical truth and those who believe it. Peter understands, as do the rest of the NT authors, that the “last days” have already arrived (see note on Acts 2:17).
3:4–6 Scoffers (v. 3) will call into question the biblical promise of the Lord’s coming (Gk. parousia). They scoff at the promise of the Lord’s return, arguing that because everything has remained the same since creation, God will not intervene in the world (cf. 2:10b–11). Fathers (plural of Gk. patēr) is a reference to the OT patriarchs, since this term is never used in the NT to refer to first-generation Christians. But these scoffers deliberately overlook (consciously, willfully ignore) the fact that God did intervene when he created the heavens and the earth with the word of his mouth (Gen. 1:3–31; Ps. 33:6; Heb. 11:3), and also when he judged the earth with water and it perished (Genesis 6–9). God in fact intervenes in his creation whenever he desires, as is evidenced numerous times in both the OT and NT. Peter cites two obvious occasions of God’s intervention, namely, when God acted at creation to form the earth (out of water and through water, see Gen. 1:6–10), and also when he acted decisively in history, destroying the earth by means of the flood in the days of Noah (see Gen. 7:17–24).
3:7 By the same word, the powerful word of God that creates and sends judgment, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, when the ungodly will also be judged. The day of reckoning is coming for scoffers, and their place is reserved for them. History will not go on forever; the end is coming.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2422.
3:4–6 Scoffers (v. 3) will call into question the biblical promise of the Lord’s coming (Gk. parousia). They scoff at the promise of the Lord’s return, arguing that because everything has remained the same since creation, God will not intervene in the world (cf. 2:10b–11). Fathers (plural of Gk. patēr) is a reference to the OT patriarchs, since this term is never used in the NT to refer to first-generation Christians. But these scoffers deliberately overlook (consciously, willfully ignore) the fact that God did intervene when he created the heavens and the earth with the word of his mouth (Gen. 1:3–31; Ps. 33:6; Heb. 11:3), and also when he judged the earth with water and it perished (Genesis 6–9). God in fact intervenes in his creation whenever he desires, as is evidenced numerous times in both the OT and NT. Peter cites two obvious occasions of God’s intervention, namely, when God acted at creation to form the earth (out of water and through water, see Gen. 1:6–10), and also when he acted decisively in history, destroying the earth by means of the flood in the days of Noah (see Gen. 7:17–24).
3:7 By the same word, the powerful word of God that creates and sends judgment, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, when the ungodly will also be judged. The day of reckoning is coming for scoffers, and their place is reserved for them. History will not go on forever; the end is coming.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2422.
Questions:
- As Noah built the ark, the ungodly went about their day as if nothing were coming, as if nothing would change. They even mocked him in the process. The Kingdom of God runs so counter to culture, if you are living for that Kingdom, you will get mocked and ridiculed as well. His way ALWAYS runs counter to the world's way. When was the last time you caught some heat for living for Jesus?
- Think about the people in your life that don't know Him. Think about the fact that they are headed straight for the fire of judgement, all the while living their lives for themselves as if it has no consequences. Who do you, like Noah tried to do, need to warn of the coming Day of the Lord? Who do you need to be praying for and trying to reach for Jesus?
Pray:
- That you would live for Jesus, no matter the cost.
- That you would, like Noah, warn those around you of the coming Judgement.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
1. Who is Jesus? I believe Jesus is God because Jesus said He is God and proved it by rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples, His brother James, 500 others at one time, and Paul.
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
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