02 25 II Peter 1:2 Peter’s opening verses are more than a greeting. They are words to encourage through difficult times by experiencing the grace and peace that are ours through knowing God. We see the abundance of grace and peace, the availability of grace and peace and the application of grace and peace. These come through knowing God personally, persistently and practically.
02 18 II Peter 1:1 Peter begins his letter with a personal introduction. By using just two terms he tells us quite a bit about himself. He first describes that he is a servant. Through lots of events in his life Peter had come to a point of humility identifying himself as a person wholly committed to Jesus Christ. He was completely committed to doing God’s will over his own. He also spoke of the authority by which He was able to write to them. He was an apostle. Those he is writing to shared a common faith, a faith that was no different or no better than anyone else’s faith. Their faith and righteousness hinged on Christ. We share that common faith and like Peter the question is whether or not we share a common attitude of being a servant.
Have you ever considered that life is essentially comprised of three types of rocks, just as in nature? There is the rock of a stony heart, there is the rock of a surrendered heart, and there is the rock of a sinless heart. Listen and figure out where you are on this journey we call life.
02 04 II Peter Overview Last letters provide insight into the heart and mind of people who know that they have little time left in this life. Peter has given to us a last letter. He knows that his time on this earth is drawing to a close, though he doesn’t know when. His last letter serves as a source of encouragement to continue growing in the faith by knowing God in order to identify and stand strong against false teachers and to be encouraged and prepared for the new heaven and earth. It will serve well to delve into this book with 1:3-4 as its thesis; 3:18 as its goal and 3:11-13 as its challenge. Where other last letters are bleak, this one is filled with hope and encouragement.