Beloved Beware

Q: What does 2 Peter 3 teach about God's promises?

2 Peter 3 emphasizes that God's promises, including the promise of Christ's return, are certain and will be fulfilled. In 2 Peter 3, the Apostle Peter reminds believers of the importance of God's promises, particularly regarding the return of Christ and the ultimate judgment of the world. He reassures his readers that God's timing and patience are not a sign of slackness; rather, He is longsuffering, desiring that none of His people should perish but that all should come to repentance. This underscores the importance of remaining steadfast in faith, as God will fulfill His promises according to His perfect timing, which may not align with our expectations.

Q: How do we know we are part of God's beloved?

We know we are part of God's beloved by having obtained faith through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. In his epistle, Peter addresses believers as the 'beloved,' indicating they have obtained like precious faith through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This assurance comes from recognizing that our faith is a gift from God, allowing us to be accepted in the beloved. Here, being part of the beloved signifies a relationship founded on grace and unmerited favor. For every believer, the deep understanding of Christ’s righteousness imputed to them enables them to rest in the truth of their acceptance and identity as God’s cherished people.

Q: Why is it important to remember God's promises?

Remembering God's promises strengthens our faith and encourages perseverance amid trials. Peter calls believers to remember the words of the prophets and the commands of Jesus, highlighting the necessity of retaining these truths in our minds. This act of remembrance serves as an anchor for our faith, especially in a world filled with scoffers and uncertainties. By keeping God’s promises front and center, believers are encouraged to remain steadfast and to anticipate the fulfillment of these promises. Each reminder reinforces our hope and motivates us to live in light of the eventual return of Christ, maintaining holy conduct while eagerly awaiting new heavens and a new earth.

Q: What does 'willingly ignorant' mean in relation to God's truth?

'Willingly ignorant' refers to those who choose to reject evident truths about God and creation despite clear evidence. In 2 Peter 3, Peter addresses the scoffers who are 'willingly ignorant' of God’s truths, particularly regarding creation and the subsequent judgment through the flood. This phrase indicates a deliberate choice to ignore obvious evidence of God’s sovereignty and power. Despite the visible creation testifying to God's awesome might, these individuals consciously reject the truth, opting instead for deceitful narratives such as evolution. Such ignorance is not due to a lack of evidence, but rather a refusal to acknowledge God's role as the creator and sustainer of all things, highlighting the spiritual blindness that can come from an unrepentant heart.

Q: How can believers keep from falling away?

Believers can avoid falling away by being grounded in grace and growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Peter warns believers to take care not to be led away by the error of the wicked and to fall from their steadfastness. The key to remaining steadfast is found in growth—both in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Engaging with Scripture, participating in fellowship, and actively seeking to deepen one's understanding of Christ creates a solid foundation against temptations and false teachings. This is crucial in a world where many contradictory ideologies compete for one's attention. Moreover, an awareness of God’s unchanging grace empowers believers to recognize their reliance on Him, ensuring that their hope remains anchored in Christ alone.

A hill of Zion yields a thousand
sacred sweets before we reach those heavenly fields. And I just hope we get eighteen
sweets this morning. Eighteen verses. I was sitting
there thinking, standing there thinking how that we meet together
so few times, so very few times. And there's so much at stake
here. And this is so important that everything we need is right
here. And it's like the children of
Israel who were together, a double portion of manna for the next
day. We're going to get a double portion.
And I hope the Lord will enable us to make the best of this.
There's no better thing on earth, nothing more profitable. We sure
got no place to go, nothing to do of any value. So give this your undivided attention. OK, 2 Peter. Chapter three. Now, as we said, we've looked
at this often together, but that's fitting. Because Peter says that
he said, I want to. Remind you or stir up your pure
minds by way of remembrance now. I'm always telling us that. God's word is for his people.
You notice who he addresses at this second epistle. Beloved. Who are the beloved chapter one?
Verse one and two. Says those that have obtained
like precious faith, obtained it, not obtained it. Obtained
it. Where'd they get it? Through
the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He
gave it to us. Faith is a gift of God and grace
and peace be multiplied unto you. through the knowledge of
God and of Christ, those who know Christ and are found in
him. They're called beloved. They're
accepted in the beloved, and they're loved for Christ's sake. That's who this is written to,
because we're going to... You've heard it, and you'll continue
to hear people misuse this passage, especially verse 9. But this
is written to believers. Because he's throughout here,
he says, beloved, beloved, beloved. He says, you, you, you, us, us,
us. And he says, they. But us. They. Talking of scoffers and people
are unbelievers. But us. It's them and us. That's the way it is. That's
the way it is. All right, he says in verse one,
I want to stir up Your pure minds, that is, your minds that aren't
cluttered and mixed with all sorts of notions, those of you
who know, know absolutely who salvation is. He said, I want
to stir you up. Do we need stirring up? At this
very moment, we do. It's a fearful thing to be lukewarm. God said, I would that you were
hot or cold. It's bad to be cold. We all get cold. I mean, it's
bad for us, but it's really a good thing. It makes you appreciate
the heat. That sickness makes you appreciate
good health. Hunger makes you appreciate food. Stir you up. We need stirring up. By way of
remembrance, back in chapter one, he said in verse Twelve,
I want to always put you in remembrance of these things, although you
know them. He says, you know these things. Stan, you know
these things. Henry, John, you've been hearing
these for years. Over in verse seventeen of our
text, he says, you therefore, beloved, seeing you know these
things. You know these things before. You've heard everything
that I'm going to say this morning on these verses. Yes, you have.
Do you need to hear it again? Henry, you're one of the oldest
ones in here, you and Charles. Do you need to hear it again?
Do you need to stir it up? Do you need reminded of who Christ
is and what we have in Him and how finite this world is and
the eternal glory that we're going to share with you? Verse
2, he says that you be mindful. I want to remind you, I want
you to keep in mind the words. Which were spoken before by the
holy prophets. Old Testament. It hasn't been
done away with. We're looking at Exodus. Now
the world might think, what is the sense in studying the high
priest's garments? Did you get anything out of that
this morning? Or was it just me? I told Brother
Gabe, I said, I had a ball. And sometimes that's the way
it is. It's just for me. Other times I'm miserable and
you seem to enjoy it. Nevertheless, these Old Testament
passages are glorious because they speak of His glory. It's
the only Bible that the apostles preach from. It's the only Bible
that the Lord preached from. Wouldn't you have loved to have
heard the Lord preach on the high priesthood? Or the mercy
seat. Wouldn't you have loved to hear
the mercy seat preach on the mercy seat? Oh, my. Everything they heard from him
was a revelation. Well, Old Testament and the commandment of us, the
apostles of our Lord and Savior. Be mindful. That is, keep it
on your mind. Verse 3, knowing this first. Now, here's the first
thing Peter says, I want you to remember. First thing, keep
in mind, be mindful of. Keep this in mind, that there
shall come in the last days, scoffers, walking after their
own lust, or that is, after their own evil intents, purposes and
intents, for money, fame, fortune, pleasure, and so forth, scoffers,
that's people who make fun of somebody, people who deride the truth and so forth
in the last day. Now. You do know, can I remind
you? That we are in the last hour.
It's never been more evident. That these are the last days. Turn with me to 2nd Timothy chapter
three, you know, these you've heard this passage dealt with
time and again, 2nd Timothy three. 2 Timothy 3 very clearly speaks
of these days, I mean the literal days we live in. Verse 1, this
know also that in the last day, the last of the last day, perilous
time, dangerous time, men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, that is, got a lot to say, proud, blasphemers,
that is, God's names on everybody's lips. Disobedient to parents
unruly children that is unthankful. Nobody given God thanks. Unholy. Without natural affection. Trucebreakers
false accusers incontinence unable to control passions fierce that
is violent despisers of those that are good. Traitors heady
high-minded lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God but they
have a form of government they're all religious. Now, as I ever spoken of a generation. More clearly spoken of a generation
than this one. One thing, the main thing, this
thing of being blasphemers. There's never been a more blasphemous
generation than this, never. And all in the name of God. In
the name of God. I have a form of God. And here's
what they say, go back to the text offers verse four. Here's what they say. Where is
the these scoffers, these ones, these mockers who don't believe
the truth? Don't believe Christ say, where
is the promise of his coming? And that's what we're going on
in the promise. In. We don't that's the reason we
don't attempt to try to prove things, although God's Word is
not without proof, truth. The invisible things are clearly
seen. His eternal power and Godhead clearly seen by the things made.
It's not without proof, but we don't go about proving it because
what we believe are promises. We have staked our lives and
everything we are and have on the promise of somebody. Somebody making a promise to
us. somebody and that somebody cannot lie. The promise of eternal life.
That God, who cannot lie, has given us the Scripture. And they say, well, they say,
where is the promise of his coming? I love the fact that, you know, All men everywhere are daily,
hourly, forced to recognize God and Christ. Whether they want
to or mean to or not. And I brought this to your attention
before. Why do men curse with God's name? Why do they use the name Jesus
Christ? Oh, for Christ's sake. Well,
Jesus Christ. Why? Why don't they use somebody
else's name? God is forcing them at their
very own words. He said, by a man's words he'll
be justified or condemned. Have you ever thought about that? If they don't believe in God,
why do they use his name? And they say, for Christ's sake,
not knowing what they're saying. that the reason they're breathing
for Christ's sake, the very breath they're using to curse him with
is for Christ's sake. Where is the promise of his coming?
And look at their argument. Everything has continued as it
was from the beginning of creation. Nothing's changed. Yes, that's
according to promise. That's exactly according to promise,
God's promise in Genesis 8, after he destroyed the world. God said this, I will not curse
the ground any more for man's sake, although his imagination
of his heart is evil from his youth. I won't smite it anymore,
as I have done, while the earth remaineth, seed time, harvest,
cold, heat, summer, winter, day and night shall not cease. Things
will continue. All the way to the end, just
like they always have from creation, things won't change. Don't believe
that old wives' fable about whatever, you know, that everything's changing.
Don't even believe modern man about the global warming theory. No, God said everything's going
to continue because they're going to continue. Unbelievers are
going to continue in their unbelief and rebellion. But look here,
nothing's changing. Why? Because God is who doesn't
change. And He promised it won't change.
Until immediately. There's not going to be a gradual
change until everybody starts calling on God. No. He said,
a thief in the night. So suddenly it come upon them
unaware. And I reminded you when the millennium
rolled around. Five years ago. Everybody was
shaking in their boots work. And then it came and went. Some
radio personality actually said on the radio, well, the millennium
came and went and the world didn't, wasn't destroyed. Laughing. Scoffing. You know, you knew that he wasn't
coming then, didn't you? You knew that. He said, at a
time when men think not. You know that. You know that.
The world didn't know that. Idiots who think God wrote his
calendar according to man. What time y'all got? That doesn't measure time according
to us. We're either way ahead or way behind. Our calendar is
way wrong, way wrong. The Jewish calendar, I believe,
is a lot closer. Look at this, verse 5. They willingly
are ignorant of that by the word of God the heavens were of old,
the earth standing out of the water and in the water. Creation,
that's what that's talking about. This they willingly are ignorant
of. And this is where it all starts,
you know, this is where the truth must start. Everything starts
with God. In the beginning, God created
the heavens and earth. John 1, the gospel. The word
was made flesh and dwell among us, God. God in the beginning,
creator. It's where it all begins with
the creator, right? All wise, sovereign creator. I mean an architect, an author
and finisher of all things. Who created all things according
to an infinitely wise purpose and upholds all things by his
word. Who created all things by word.
Let there be light. Let there be this and that and
the other. God who created all things. and
therefore owns all things, and has a right to do with it as
he will. That's where it all starts. So what did man begin
to do a hundred or so years ago? Darwin didn't start it. Darwin,
Darwin's that name? I'm glad I don't remember. Darwin.
Charles Darwin. He didn't start this conspiracy.
It's been going on for years. Willingly ignorant itself. What
does that mean? You refuse to believe it. It
doesn't mean, you know, there's not scientific evidence. It doesn't mean that. It means
they willingly refuse to believe what's plain in front of their
eyes. Romans 1.18 says, the visible things from the beginning of
creation of God are clearly seen, things that are made so that
they're all without excuse. How could a medical doctor look
at this glorious body when he opens it up and not say, God
is? How? How could anybody for that
matter look at a leaf on a tree that has green blood coursing
through it? And all this comes from the sun
that just hangs there and doesn't move an inch. And the world turns
according to a moon up there, and the tides come and go because
a ball is hanging in the sky. Evolution, what idiotic foolishness. A fool hath said, No, God. Only a fool. Why do they do it?
The one of God, willingly ignorant. What does that mean? He owns
me. He can do with me what he pleases. I answer to him. He's my judge. That's what that
means. So they say. They don't believe
this. In spite of the clearest factual
evidence everywhere, clearly to be seen, we'll make something
up. And oh, it's wise stuff. We have
concluded that man, all this glorious thing called planet
Earth and the stars and all this, came from a primordial slime. Ain't we intelligent? Hath not
God made foolish the wisdom of this world? utter foolishness. This is what Peter says. They're
willingly ignorant. Willingly. Refused to believe. Well, he says, and they're also
willingly ignorant of this. Verse 6. That the world that
then was being overflowed with water perished. The flood. Refused
to believe there was a flood. In spite of the clearest evidence,
people they have found in the Andes Mountains, of the highest
peaks on planet Earth, fish! Did you get that? Fish fossils. What did they do? Swim up the
mountain? Drawings of a boat in ancient
caves of Ancient civilization, drawing in a huge boat with animals
on it. But they refused to believe this,
that God, in anger and wrath over sin, slew this world by
a flood. They call it the Ice Age. The Ice Age. There was no Ice Age. But there
was a flood. My neighbor was standing in my
yard one day and we were looking at all these river rocks. Now
my yard, my old yard that is, was a good 50, 75 feet above
the Pig River. The Pig River has never been
75 feet high. Or has it? And he said, where in the hell
in the world did these river rocks come up here? I said, a
flood! Can't you get that through your
thick head? People see all these... What
does raging water do, Ron? The rocks and stuff? It just
tears up, doesn't it? It wears away stuff. And people
see all these formations. It took zillions of years to
form that. No. Not at all. I don't know. And there's some
things I thank God like you put up. I think God put some things
there for me and so-called clever man to look at and scratch your
head. Kind of like you'd put a black box in the middle of
a room full of monkeys. And they just walk around. What
is that? Or a horse, Kelly, put something
different out in the pasture. You put something out in the
pasture and they'll all come running and snorting and backing
up. Won't they? And God put something like the. What's those rocks over in Ireland
of the stones of stonehenge or whatever. How in the world. Did
people get that up there? God did it. He laughs at man. His foolishness. There is no God. You're going
to find out. Verse seven says the heavens
and the earth which are now by the same word are kept in store. Now the same word we breathe
every man breathes because God says so. Daniel said this to Nebuchadnezzar
that God in whose hands thy breath is. Men attribute death to natural
causes. The fact of the matter is breath is taken. heart stop cardiac arrest always
had pulmonary failure. He said congenital heart. God
said stop. The same word things are kept
in store reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition
of ungodly man. Now this is old fashioned. Fire
and judgment. Hell's fire and damnation. Peter
says it three times in this one chapter. Our Lord spoke about
it more than anybody. He had scoffers come in the last
day. And you will not hear a modern
preacher ever bring it up. You know? People think it's foolishness. They don't believe it. Willingly. We don't believe that. God loves
us. Oh, He does. He loves us in Christ. And those in the grok, Christ Jesus,
I don't have time to tell my illustration. I'm going to do
it anyway. Maybe somebody hasn't heard it. I worked on the railroad one
time, and Mindy used to fix me a lunch, a plate lunch. And I always looked forward to
that lunch. And one day I went in at lunchtime and uncovered
that plate, and it was covered with ants. I made covered with
ants. Completely ruined. And those
ants, there was a trail of ants all the way down the lunch table,
out the floor, and out the yard. Every ant in that rail yard was
polluting my lunch. And I got angry. That's my lunch. Created for me that I was going
to enjoy. And they ruined it. So what I
did was I took plate and all. Ants, covered ants, plate and
all, took it outside. There was a big barrel there. We burned trash in. And threw
it all in there. Took a fusee, railroad flare,
fusee. After fusee, after fusee, and
I burned those ants. set them on fire, angry. And
I didn't stop there. I took that fusee, red hot, burns,
I don't know how, a thousand degrees, and I went all over
that rail yard and I was burning every ant in sight. They were all in on it. There
wasn't a one of them that wasn't guilty. And I sat down after
burning them all up. And I looked down at my feet.
At my feet, that's good. At my feet, and there was another
ant. I missed him. When I reached to get me another
flare, I was going to burn his hind end up. And he crawled under
a rock. I said, you stay right there.
I won't touch you. I won't touch you. You deserve
it. You're no better than the rest of these ants, but you stay
right there. You're. At salvation Christ the rock
had me on my side in the rock that may be found in the cleft
of the rock we sing that song rock pages cleft for me let me
hide myself and hide from what the love of God. Now if you're
in the rock it's the love of God to put you there it's the
right. that we're hiding from in practice,
the wrath of God was expended on. Christ took the wrath that
I deserve, it's not like God just up and forgave me. He punished
me in the wrath of God was poured out on his son for me. And in
turn, I get here right now, that's the gospel. And you know it well. Look at this, verse 8. Don't
be ignorant of this one thing. One day is with the Lord as a
thousand years. A thousand years is one day.
Now, as the scoffers are saying, where's the promise of His coming?
Everything's been like it has been for a year from the beginning.
Thousands of years. They say millions. Beloved Amy. Beloved Amy. Beloved Mary. Beloved Gladys. Beloved Kevin. Don't be ignorant of this. Now,
don't let these scoffers convince you otherwise. A day is a thousand
years with God and a thousand years is a day. God doesn't do
anything according to our time schedule. He's right on his own
schedule. I wrote, well I committed this
to memory years ago when I read this scripture, Ecclesiastes
8.11. I'm not trying to impress you, but it's going to have you
turned. You get tired of turning But it says, because the lesson
here, because sentence against an evil work. Is not speedily
executed. In other words, since God doesn't
punish me, and so they do something. Because sentence against an evil
work that is God's judgment and wrath is not speedily executed
right there. Well, maybe the Lord strike me
dead. He will. But just not in your time. Therefore, it says the hearts
of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil. They
think I got by with that. I got by with that. Well, I got
by with that. I got by with that. Another here. That's fine. Taunting God. Tempting God. God's not. God
is not. So is you. So is you. A day is a thousand years, like
a day to God. God is, he said, I am. That means
ever the same and present. Everything known unto God, all
his works, it's all an ever, and we can't fathom death. It's
all present with him. It's like nothing. Man, I know I've spoken things
too wonderful for me. A day is a thousand years, and
a thousand years is one day. This is interesting. I've got
to hurry. God, you know, how can God, this
world is so amazingly made, complex, took infinite wisdom and power. But he said, well, a day is as
a thousand years. that God spent the equivalent
of a thousand years. Ordering purposely. One day. Think about if you were doing
something. And you wanted to be perfect you want it all to
come out just right you take a long time when the better something
is the longer it takes. Have you ever thought about that
now a day is a thousand years. So, it could have taken 7,000
years to create this world. It didn't take 7 billion to know
that. It doesn't say days, it says a billion. And that's by design, Sherry.
It doesn't say a billion, it says a thousand. And that, beloved,
don't be ignorant. The Bible basically knows three
generations. From the time of Adam to Moses,
from Moses to Christ, to his return. You know how long
those generations are? You know how long it was from
Adam to Moses? Two thousand years. You know how long it was from
Moses to Christ? Two thousand years. What generation are we living
in? Two thousand something. It might be nineteen ninety nine. For all we know. But don't be
ignorant that. You're not you know this thing.
Verse nine and the Lord is not slack he's talking about these
scoffers who mock his promise he said he's coming he hasn't
has it the Lord's not slack concerning his promise but he didn't promise
it to them anyway Nancy he wasn't talking to them Nancy. He wouldn't
ask them to believe him, Nancy, was he? He gave that promise
to us. He promised that to his people,
and they're waiting on him. They're looking for him. They
believe him. He's not slack. The Lord is not slack concerning
his promise. To whom? God's people. As some
men count slackness, but is longsuffering to whom? Who is God long-suffering to?
What does it say there? What's the pronoun? To everybody? Us-ward. Us-ward is an old English
term, toward us. He's long-suffering toward us.
Remember, who's the us? Beloved, beloved, beloved to
them that have attained like precious faith. He's long-suffering
to us-ward, not willing that any should perish. Any of whom? Any of us? Christ said, I give
unto them eternal life, they shall never perish. Who? Us! His people. See, that's to the praise of
the glory of His grace and His power and His wisdom and His
love and everything. If one of us should fall away,
if one of God's sheep should perish, he's not the good shepherd,
is he? David never lost a sheep. Didn't
matter if it was a lion or a bear after him. He never lost hide
nor hair of one sheep. And the Lord is our shepherd,
and he's not willing. And buddy, everything is working
according to his will, so if he's not willing, it won't happen
that any of us should perish. But that all should come to repentance. And that's what Paul said. We
shall all be changed. We shall not all sleep, perhaps,
but we will all be changed. Come to repentance. Is that clear
to you? It sure is. You know these things.
Verse 10, The day of the Lord will come. I've got to quit. The day of the Lord will come.
Listen, it's harder for me to stand right here than it is for
you to sit. It's hotter up on this stage.
I can't not feel that breeze. I'm sweating. I got this wool
coat on. How much is wool? Well, she does wear linen. Bridges. This is too important. The day
of the Lord will come. It will come. It's not slack
concerning his promise. It will come. As a thief in the
night. Secret rapture. Look at the in
which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise great
know everybody will hear the element shall melt with a fervent
heat the earth also in the works that are there and shall be burned
up. Who said that. God. You believe that. Sure you do you're a believer
you. See in them. that all these things shall be
dissolved. What manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation
in Godliness? What does that mean? Holy conversation
in Godliness? Well, God knows our frame. He
knows we can't talk about the Bible 24 hours a day. He's not
talking about that. But our Lord summed it up when
he was a young man. He said, I must be about my father's business. We're here on the father's business.
That's what that means. And Peter says, I want to remind
you, that's why we're here. We're here on business. Salt
of the earth, light of the world. And if all these things are going
to be destroyed, don't be taken up with the Titanic.
Only a fool would be taken up with the Titanic. Well, it can't
sink. Experts said it couldn't sink. Experts said it was an
unsinkable ship. And people, everybody, it was
anybody got on it. It's only one ship that won't
sink. It's an ark. And experts don't believe it
existed. You know these things. How do
you know these things? Because God hath abounded toward you
in all wisdom and prudence, having revealed unto you his perfect
will. He didn't figure it out. Oh, how he had blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in Christ. And he says, look forward, haste
the coming of the day of God. Haste, look forward, haste the
coming. He looked forward to it. I'd
like to ask every old believer in here, I really would, and
young believers, but especially the old ones, I'd like to ask
this all-revealing question. If you could be thirty years
younger. Would you. That's a revealing question.
You know. If you could. Be thirty years
young. We look for a better place to
live. My. Some of you probably think 75
years has been too long, 80 years has been too long. I know people
that do. I know you do too, believers. Looking for, hasting the coming. How do you haste the coming of
the day of God? Some of you, the astute listeners,
did you notice it says the day of the Lord and the day of God?
Which is it? The day of Christ or the day
of God? It's both, because they're one and the same. God is coming,
just like he came the first time, Jeanette. He's coming again.
Our God and our Savior. Well, how do you haste the coming?
Haste something. How do you make it appear to
be sooner? And over in the Revelation, in
the last chapter, it says, come quickly, Lord, come quickly.
In other words, come quickly. David, all through this song,
how long, oh, Lord, how long, how long? That's how he has to
come in. You read his work. That reminds
you, see, if you're out there in the world and you're not mindful
of these things, you forget about it, and it almost all completely
goes out of your mind that he's coming at all. But if you're
reading about it, you're thinking about it, and it's nearer and
nearer and more sure and more sure, you're more convinced.
The more you read, the more you hear. Are you more convinced
after this message? That's why we brought it. Again,
the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, elements melt,
nevertheless, and we, according to his promise, look for new
heavens and a new earth. He said in Isaiah 65, you rejoice
in that which I create. New heavens and new earth, they're
going to so far exceed the glory of the first that the former
will not even be remembered or come to mind. Adam did not live
in a paradise like the one we're going to. Oh, and that reunion,
God says, you're unlike anything you've ever experienced and you
haven't even imagined anything like it. And wherein dwelleth
righteousness. We can't even imagine being in a place where
there's no sin. No frowns, no harsh words, no sin. Wherein dwelleth righteousness,
wherein dwelleth Christ. That's where he is. Beloved,
seeing that you look for such things, be diligent. Be diligent. Give diligence,
he said back in chapter one, to make your calling an election. Give diligence. that you may
be found of him in peace. What's that? You know these things,
don't you? Who's our peace? Christ. He made peace. He is our peace. You once were children of wrath,
but God quickened us in Christ. What we want to be found is found
in him. Who is our peace? Found of God
in Christ. who is our peace, read on, and
it says, give diligence that you may be found of him in peace
without spot and blameless. How's that? I sure hope God doesn't
find me sinning when he comes. That's not what that's saying.
I sure hope God finds me in Christ, the spotless one. He alone is
able to present me for verse 15 and account. Keep this in
account. Keep this in your mind that the
long suffering of our Lord is salvation. Keep that on your
mind. I love that verse. Don't you?
Take into account. That the long suffering of our
Lord is salvation, that's what Paul, he said, wrote in all of
his epistles. That the reason we're saved is
God is merciful to us, God's gracious to us, God's long-suffering
to us for it. Because we're still sinners. Take that into account. Keep
that in mind. And in verse 16, he says, Paul,
in all his letters, says things hard to be understood, particularly
the book of Romans, which they that are unlearned and unstable,
those that are ever learning but never coming to a knowledge
of the truth. And they're unstable, he says. What does that mean?
They're not grounded and settled in the truth. Unstable is water.
Every new thing comes along, they go forth. But you're grounded
and settled. It's a good thing. How is the
heart established? That's one word. How is the heart
established? We saw it Wednesday night. It's a good thing that
the heart be established with grace. You're failing. I told you one
word would answer every question I ask you. Christ or grace. It's a good thing that the heart
be established with grace. They're not established with
it. But you are. We know these things. And they
that are unlearned and unstable twist the scripture to their
own destruction. All the scripture. You, therefore,
beloved. Beloved! You know these things. known before, but beware, beware,
lest ye also be led away with the error of the wicked, fall
from your own steadfastness." How can a believer fall away? Not finally. Can a believer fall
into something? Sure can. Look at the Scripture.
But the error of the wicked is what Paul said in 2 Corinthians.
He said, chapter 11, he said, I fear lest the serpent as he
beguiled Eve should, in his subtlety, your mind should be corrupted
from the simplicity that's in Christ. Don't let anybody tell
you that there's anything but Christ. Any way to be saved,
anything better than Christ. Some second whatever, don't let
anybody tell you that. You'll fall away, you'll fall
for it. People have fallen for that Pentecostal garbage every
day. And that's what it is. It's garbage.
Your steadfastness is what? Being found on a rock. But grow in grace. Grow in grace. And in the knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How do you grow in grace? And he said it in the same book,
or first book. Desire the sincere milk of the
word that you may grow thereby. Old and new, which speaks of
Christ, the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, because it's
all about his glory. It's what this whole ball of
dirt is all about. It's what you're about. Everything's
about. It's all about us. not him, to
the praise of his glory. To him be glory, and honor, and
riches, and power, and might, and strength, and wisdom, and
on and on, and blessings forever and ever. What do you say to
that? Amen. M number 127 and let's stand. We'll sing the first, third and
fifth verses. Number 127. Man of sorrows, what a name for
the Son of God who came, ruined sinners to reclaim. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Guilty, vile, and helpless we,
Spotless Lamb of God was He, Full of atonement can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior! When He comes, our glorious King,
All with ransom home to bring, Then anew this song we'll sing,
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Beloved Beware

What does 2 Peter 3 teach about God's promises?

How do we know we are part of God's beloved?

Why is it important to remember God's promises?

What does 'willingly ignorant' mean in relation to God's truth?

How can believers keep from falling away?

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Beloved Beware

What does 2 Peter 3 teach about God's promises?

How do we know we are part of God's beloved?

Why is it important to remember God's promises?

What does 'willingly ignorant' mean in relation to God's truth?

How can believers keep from falling away?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

Comments

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