God Given Chances (Part A)

So again he pauses here to point to God's patience is everything I've been saying about these false teachers. I mean every bit of it as firm as I said it in a little bit more but God is patient. God is long-suffering God is kind and blameless. There is still hope. But there's no tolerance of evil in the midst of that home so any of you here to think oh well you know you shouldn't chase them away with the truth. You are wrong. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick guest Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of second Peter, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of second Peter chapter 3 as he begins his message God given chances second Peter chapter 3 and we are going to read versus well I'm going to read verses one through nine, and you can lip-synch beloved, I now write to you this second epistle in both of which shyster up your pure minds by way of reminder that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandment of us.

The apostles of the Lord and Savior. Knowing this first, that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts and saying, where is the promise of his coming for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.

For this they willfully forget that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water in the water by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water, but the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word are reserved for fire, until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men, but beloved, do not forget this one thing that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. God given chances though that's the direction I hope to go in this morning. I prefer preaching on character studies. I prefer what the Bible has to say about certain people in the Bible, but duty requires that I go to the Scriptures and cover more than just those things that I find most pleasant to me personally. This sections a little different from what we've been considering in second Peter and that it gets. He gets a little personal for his gentler side flashes out for a moment, not that it should have been there earlier is perfectly correct in his dealing with false teachings. But now he has this flash of grace to the believers in the midst of these things, telling them that God gives us chances that the guilty bring it upon themselves. As I stand here and preach to you. There are in other churches, those who preach those before them some good, some not good. They get to preach whatever they want to, and in many cases without resistance. I get to preach what I want to do with or without resistance, so long as the Holy Spirit is not resisting me. I'm good with all that. And these personal touches of the preacher unnecessary as I am doing at the moment for me. Peter is doing for them and in this letter God suffers. That expression comes from the apostle Paul.

You know, we say that of someone who's very impatient with someone who's very foolish we say of them. They don't suffer fools. If you stand before them and you repeat yourself too many times a go call you out on it. If you say something that's common out of line then tolerated my messiness go to bed. I'm just pointing out we have an expression in our own language that a person can be known for not suffering fools well comes from Paul second Corinthians reading from the old King James for you. Therefore ye suffer. Gladly seeing you yourselves are wise that phrase coined by Paul was not a compliment saying to the Corinthians. You put up with things that you should never put up with. And unfortunately there's no shortage of Christians to this day. Oftentimes, well-meaning, loving the Lord, but they put up with things I should never put up with. They are happy to harbor even embrace foolish things, dangerous things, destructive things in the interest of some misguided understanding of grace and love, Peter knew that some of these well-meaning believers were in his audience that he's writing to.

He knew that many lack the sermon I mentioned a few weeks ago that some of you can handle the pastor saying there are people that come and visit that a church this or another is better off without.

Somehow that's become an what is meant by that is, they don't agree, and they're only going to cause strife in trouble so the Lord adds to the church, such as a being say that's his responsibility. Our responsibility is to be blameless to be loving but to it here to truth. First, so again Paula Peter knows that he has in his audience on that lack discernment. See been hitting these false teachers in the know some going to say that's a little harsh. Peter Peter knows better. He knows better because it's about who's going to Helen who is not. It doesn't get any more serious than this for the human being. Where were you going to go when you die what happens to you, then some like to dismiss it and say well that's it. You just annihilated that so yeah well you can have whatever you want what you have. We go by.

Of course what God says so again he pauses here to point to God's patient ceases yet. Everything I've been saying about these false teachers. I mean every bit of it as firm as I said it and a little bit more but God's patient. God is long-suffering God is kind, blameless, there is still hope. But there's no tolerance of evil in the midst of that hope, so any of you here to think well you know you shouldn't chase them away with the truth.

You are wrong. If the truth offends them, let them be offended. We don't back up, that hurt their feelings.

They did that with Jesus you know master you offend them.

Jesus loaded up even more on them. After that one of the church understand the heresy destroys souls is not the studio we just gathered here because of what we do as Christian Bible verse single songs and have coffee was much more serious than that. Psalm 46 verse 10 God says be still through the man of God, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. I am God. I'm not asking to be God.

I'm telling you, I'm God. Take it or leave it. No child who loves Jesus Christ, according to the word ever near need fear that God is somehow going become so disgusted with them that he boots them out is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus David King David, the beloved psalmists, the one that Jesus has no shame, attaching his name to David broke five of 10 Commandments in one event a single event in his life. He broke five of the 10 Commandments he coveted committed adultery, murder, he stole, he lied God for gave him. Not just because God is a well you David yet because David repented. David wrote to Psalms for sure about that event what he was going through in those beautiful words created me a clean heart of God cast me not away from your spirit take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of your salvation, because sin takes from us the joy of our salvation to go to church and then to have an impure thought, right out of the just before you even got out of the building is not a delight for the born-again believer that is an anathema thought the soul of the one who has it would we hate that kind of stuff. That's where the battlefield is there is not a person in this room was not greatly loved by God. Yet, the language of the Scripture indicates that there are those that God loves a little bit more bread that out the minute assembly recoil at that whole line right you know I'm right I'm going to prove it.

That's all we do it even though we are imperfect we are cherished. The believers are cherished unbelievers, a loved God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son. Not for the elected ones for all of them when they come and get it or not is another story. Luke 2343 Jesus said to Hampshire. Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. In spite of your shortcoming, despite of that long period of your life the longer period of your life that you messed up you still get to heaven because you accepted what I said about me you did not call me a liar. God says so. While God loves the people in the world. Only those who receive him are awarded this phrase this title. This word beloved God loves this love is elevated and it is was reserved for the beloved Cepeda starts first one verse one now second Peter chapter 3 beloved, I now write to you the second epistle in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder, so we hear the love of God coming through this apostle is he's dealing with an unpleasant issue like my children. I would rather given character studies, you'll remember this, you know, Ezra, how he did this. I love the Lord.

He was a man of the word. That's a character study but he got a deal with what Satan is doing.

That's not always pleasant you that you think a pastor that preaches on these thing to skip some homelike is no big deal foolish to find love by whether or not they can get whatever they want from the one who says they love him. This is somewhat a spoiled brat does the behavior of a brat when you want to be that way with God the righteous to find love by what God says about who we is what he is doing true love. Love is to be our motive if we sincerely love Jesus we will love verse one and two of this third chapter because five times in this chapter he uses that phrase. Beloved, toward the righteous.

He never uses it towards the apostates.

Neither does anybody else versus one of Jesus.

Beloved, and then he goes on the verses that. Be mindful in verse eight he says, beloved, do not forget in verse 14 he says, beloved, be diligent in verse 15 he said beloved brother Paul, our beloved brother Paul and then in verse 17 he says, beloved, beware you see again he's preaching these hard things and he slows up a little bit does he get the spirits. As you know, Peter. They're going to be those don't like what you preach.

They love me. They want me but they just not there. Peter get flashes across his mind way I see it, he softens up for the righteous and the he puts these things down parchment and we look at this we see yeah man that said love. He says this is the second epistle the second letter I wants to translate his recall of the letter. I mean, we don't say go to go to the post office is there epistle here for me.

Are you handling epistles today don't all the epistles they like muscles RK-no more human that it, or attempts at this is the second letter the first one we just covered.

We know it is first Peter it is to the same people. Of course he dealt with those Christians that were being persecuted in first Peter. Now he's from outside the church. Nice dealing with the persecution from within. False teachers he says in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder.

I should also say I don't know how far you going to get this morning. I plan to get the verse eight what I thought was the priest of this until we got to long-suffering and spend my time there opening and I was up with this is too good to to just bypass and with good conscience. But anyway, says in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder, Peter wanted results.

I'm starting you up for reason I'm telling you these things were reason I'm making my point of emphasizing my point for a reason. I want results I want you to be armed and ready and not one of those you know, starry eyed believers that thinks everything is okay because everything is not okay in the cross of Christ demands that believers not lose sight of that if everything were okay. I would not have been treated this way. Christ says five stirred mine leads to still heart.

That's what the Bible teaches us.

Isaiah 26 verse three the prophet says towards God, you will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you because they trust you and I know we face things and I would have a hard time finding that trust zone, especially with teens had teams not all of them. Some of them breeze right through. But they can present challenges that are unique to parent that has not yet had teams before you thought that cute little one was going to continue to be that cute little one, and you were surprised, shocked, disappointed, and put on full alert when you discover that they have a flash of carnal nature just like you got it from your spouse. Of course, so he stirs them up. The only other place this Greek word for pure wheezes, pure minds. The only other place. It shows up in the Greek is in Philippians 110 there Paul writes that you may approve the things that are excellent.

How many of you approve things that are less than excellent when it comes to the Scripture to Christian behavior. You see junk out there and you dismiss it because you want everybody to hold hands and sing Kumbaya. Yeah, whatever it is it's not reality, and you should be encouraged by that not insulted that you may approve the things that are excellent that you may be sincere. That is the same Greek word here is translated pure by the translators in the new King James in first in Philippians, it's translated sincere and open that up and amenities is without offense till the day of Christ, the excellent things without offense. This not be abrasive Christians unnecessarily brutal on those who don't agree with us. So the Greek meaning for this word translated pure here sincere in Philippians means judged by the heat, sunlight has that mind that the heat of the sun. That's what that Greek word means it's a very rich language and words speaks in Malaga word pictures. So what is it mean to be judged by the sun SU when the solar star that starring in our solar system well sincere in our English language comes from the Latin, and there it means without wax but there's a car. There is a connection there is a correlation between this Greek word for tested by the heat of the sun and this Latin word meaning without wax so if you were a dealer in pottery or statues. Someone came into your your shop wanted to purchase a statue what you knew there was a crack in that statute and so you plug the crack with wax did pretty good job so that someone could come into your shop and they can look at this phase of the statue that had a baby or nose chipped off and you put it back on with this wax all that they can even tell they take it home.

If you are a dishonest dealer.

Of course, and you put it in your the garden of your villa and out in the sun, it sets and that sun begins to beat on that vase so that statue and that wax melts and that you realize you been had you been talk so that became part of the language so that when the honest dealers would sell a statue they would.

There was this without wax it sincere is pure. Nothing corrupted here so the Greek and the Latin come together because those those thoughts are what influence the language of the ancients when they put their language into action. So the correlation is this Peter says in both of which I stir up your genuine mind your pure thoughts that side of you that is influenced by God and not by itself or the world or Satan.

God wants his people to have honest minds, not self deceptive minds, attempting to hide sin or be more merciful than God. And that's not uncommon with people for this that Old Testament stuff about you know thou shalt not lie in all that's too hard I'm going to soften.

It's of no you know I got to speak of a little while ago to some first-graders outside the church and I started off by saying the apostle Paul suffered for the gospel when the little girls who incidentally must've had a boot on her one of her legs must've had some injury. Of course, she says.

What a sight for me. You know when you do it. Kids like that and we never know what's coming.

I was ready for not knowing what was coming so I was ready to run out the room at any moment. I survived. So how do I answer the little girl without terrorizing all of them suffering, my dear you going to find out because for the rest of your life. You going to feel pain when you associate Gunning is going to be physical, emotional, off of them is again corrupt this in mind what you know you let somebody else do it but you still have to answer without lying without taking them in the wrong direction.

They've got to get a dose of the truth so I told him?

When you get home.

I give a short quick answer but I was saying to myself, I got a lot more to say about this little girl stick around when I'm in my 90s come see me. You and I can swap notes well-versed to me we go on, says that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior.

He says here that you may be mindful of the words which are spoken by the holy problems that Old Testament Scripture, the messianic prophecies. The prophets didn't see the church, God did need to show them that they didn't show it to, but he did show them the Christ who bought the church with his blood. Show them the Jesus whom we love, Peter points this out here he gives the writings of the apostles equal ground with the writings of the prophets. In other words, he says that what we write to you is Scripture. It is the word of God.

It is every bit equal to what Isaiah wrote in Jeremiah wrote all the rest of them that we better not lose sight of Peter will get this again in verse 16.

There he will say Paul's writings is equal with the prophets is Scripture and is nowhere around that. Honestly, verse three says. Knowing this first, scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts and it's okay to beat them up. Hope I really laugh at that. But you know false, the false church has done just that in Christ name they have committed so much debauchery.

Well, this knowing this first, that scoffers will come to St. Pete Peterson, brought guys in case you're not there going to incur these things. Those of you that have doctrinal differences grow up as nonessential points.

The deity of Christ, for instance, have to agree with every single thing I used to believe when I first became a Christian I believe everything I was told by people that I trusted that in time I begin same question.

Some of those things but I didn't stop loving the others are heretics really like that which is different on on application. Sometimes interpretation what we were always together on the essentials. That's all we have time for.

On today's edition of cross reference radio you been listening to Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia as he teaches through the book of second Peter if you'd like to listen to more messages from this series or if you'd like more information about this program please visit our website cross reference radio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to miss a program. Just search for cross reference radio in iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast. What a great way to keep God's word with you wherever you go. We hope you will tune in again next time. Is Pastor Rick continue studying through the Scripture right here on cross reference radio