Light of the World-Watching with Peace
What sort of people ought we to be? Peculiar, I say.
I failed to get part II out for last week's sermon. I'm not sure how I'm going to rectify that. There is a lot of life going on, but I'll see what I can come up with. This week's Monday Morning with Jesus may be delayed to Tuesday morning so I can get a complete entry out. I think that was part of why the second half didn't go out. I'm inclined to delay the publication so I can complete it rather than get half out on time. That seems a better process, though I have some alternatives to explore as well. We'll figure it out before the new series begins.
We had quite a bit going on at Church Sunday that involved my activities. It worked out well, though. Pastor Lee also kicked off the sermon with the scripture, so we'll do that here, too.
8But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
9The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
11Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!
13But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
14Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,
2 Peter 3:8–14 (NASB95)
We kick off my notes with the very first verse. "Be not ignorant of this one thing" is how the KJV reads. I didn't intend to go into the Greek on that word, ignorant, but it seems it is inescapable.
Greek Strong's Number: 2990
Greek Word: λανθάνω
Transliteration: lanthanō
Phonetic Pronunciation: lan-than’-o
Root: a prolonged form of a primitive verb, which is used only as an alt. in certain tenses
Cross Reference:
Part of Speech: v
Vine's Words: Forget, Forgetful, Hide, Hid, Hidden, Ignorance, Ignorant, Ignorantly
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
be hid 3
be ignorant of 2
unawares 1
[Total Count: 6]
a prolonged form of a primary verb, which is used only as an alternate in certain tenses; to lie hid (literal or figurative); often used adverb unwittingly:- be hid, be ignorant of, unawares.
James Strong, "Λανθάνω," Strong's Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
To lie hid, unawares, unwittingly. There's only one way the things of the Lord lie "unawares," and we are "unwittingly" ignorant of them if we attend church. That's because we choose not to investigate them. "What does God really think about INSERT YOUR QUESTION HERE?" If you want to know, He gave you the answer. All you have to do is pick up the tools and start digging into it.
In this case, Peter wants us to make sure we "dig into" what he has said here and not be ignorant or unaware of it. That piece of information is that time has no meaning to God and that He always keeps his word.
Again, the King James Version uses a different word. Here, they use "slack," whereas in the NASB, they use "slow about." Interesting that Peter wants us to understand time is of no concern to God, but He isn't "slow about" His promises. Let's see what the Greek looks like.
Greek Strong's Number: 1019
Greek Word: βραδύνω
Transliteration: bradynō
Phonetic Pronunciation: brad-oo’-no
Root: from <G1021>
Cross Reference:
Part of Speech: v
Vine's Words: Slack, Slackness, Tarry
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
tarry 1
be slack 1
[Total Count: 2]
from <G1021> (bradus); to delay:- be slack, tarry.
James Strong, "Βραδύνω," Strong's Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
It seems a better meaning is "delay." God does not delay concerning His promises. Given the thoughtful disagreement between the KJV and NASB, I wonder if our understanding should better be that God does things according to when He believes it is the right time for His promises to be fulfilled or for Him to answer prayers, etc? However, notice the context of God not being "slack" or "slow about" His promises isn't in God's definition but Man's, "…as some men count slackness" or "as some count slowness."
God does things according to His schedule, not ours. That's Peter's point. He makes this point and indicates that God is patient with our misunderstanding of His time and His schedule with the word "longsuffering" in the King James, whereas the NASB uses "is patient." I will not again copy the Greek word behind it because it really is patient and longsuffering, which is just an Old English way of saying, patient. It is the patience of a parent or guardian with a child who doesn't fully understand how the world works but will someday.
Here comes the most troubling part, and I don't think I have much of an answer. It is the very end of verse 9, "…not willing that any should perish, but all should come to repentance." The troubling part in that? Why doesn't God get what God wants? He doesn't, and we know that because He tells us He doesn't in Revelation.
19'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.
20'But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
21'I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.
22'Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.
23'And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.
Revelation 2:19–23 (NASB95)
We know that He does want everyone to repent of their sins. Not just in the 2 Peter passage for the sermon, but in the Old Testament this was a problem too.
21 "But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
22 "All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live.
23 "Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord God, "rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?
24 "But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die.
Ezekiel 18:21–24 (NASB95)
Unrepentant sin has consequences, it seems. That's not me saying that. That's scripture saying that. Repentance is an important thing to God, it would seem. Again, if it is so important and final, why doesn't God get what God wants in that all His children should repent and be with Him?
I don't have an answer for that, and it bothers me.
I'm moving on because I have more to cover and little time this morning, but I will continue to gnaw on that question. Feel free to suggest answers as the Holy Spirit leads you.
Verse 10 has a statement that has been coming up a lot in class this last quarter. God's return, judgment, and rewards will surprise us all when He finally brings it about. "Like a thief in the night," Peter says. That's a recurring theme we should take to heart. We should be about the work of the Holy Spirit with all diligence because the Master returns when we least expect it. We should be found being about His business rather than our own. But it will come "with great noise," so I expect no one will be able to say, "No, that's not God." I suspect there will be those who say that anyway. It will be very sad for them when that happens.
I was intrigued by the words "heavens" and "heat" and circled them to look up the Greek words. The word for "heavens" is very interesting.
Greek Strong's Number: 3772
Greek Word: οὐρανός
Transliteration: ouranos
Phonetic Pronunciation: oo-ran-os'
Root: perhaps from the same as <G3735> (through the idea of elevation), the sky
Cross Reference: TDNT - 5:497,736
Part of Speech: n m
Vine's Words: Air, Heaven, Heavenly
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
heaven 268
air 10
sky 5
heavenly + <G1537> 1
[Total Count: 284]
perhaps from the same as <G3735> (oros) (through the idea of elevation); the sky; by extension heaven (as the abode of God); by implication happiness, power, eternity; specially the Gospel (Christianity):- air, heaven ([-ly]), sky.
James Strong, "Οὐρανός," Strong's Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
It's the bit about happiness, power, and eternity that intrigues me, and the overarching idea of the Gospel and Christianity encompassed in the word. All of that ceases on the day of God's return "with great noise." I suppose Christianity goes away the day God confirms He exists, Jesus is real, and the Holy Spirit has been communicating with the faithful all along. Then, it becomes the reality of how humans live and the environment in which we exist. It becomes existence at that point rather than viewed as a "religion" by some.
Heat was not as interesting a word. It simply meant to set things on fire. I'm not going to copy that one into the document.
However, verse 11 used the word "dissolve" in the KJV, whereas the NASB used "are to be destroyed." The Greek word is interesting to me.
Greek Strong's Number: 3089
Greek Word: λύω
Transliteration: lyō
Phonetic Pronunciation: loo’-o
Root: a root word
Cross Reference: TDNT - 2:60 & 4:328,543
Part of Speech: v
Vine's Words: Break, Breaker, Breaking, Brake, Destroy, Destroyer, Destruction, Destructive, Dissolve, Loose, Unloose
Usage Notes:
English Words used in KJV:
loose 27
break 5
unloose 3
destroy 2
dissolve 2
put off 1
melt 1
break up 1
break down 1
[Total Count: 43]
a primary verb; to "loosen" (literal or figurative):- break (up), destroy, dissolve, (un-) loose, melt, put off. Compare <G4486> (rhegnumi).
James Strong, "Λύω," Strong's Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary (WORDsearch, 2020).
"Loose" or "put off" are intriguing words in this context. Verse 11 seems to indicate that since "life" as we know it will be "loosened" or "put off," it is important to figure out what manner of people we ought to be? That, incidentally, was the point of the sermon. Pastor Lee repeatedly asked us, "What sort of people ought we to be?" Peter mentions that here, but why does it matter if God is going to end it all? It matters because, as discussed, not all people end up going to be with God, so what manner of people ought we to be if we wish to end up with God?
The answer lies in verse 13, bringing us back to God's promises for His children. As I reread the scripture, we have Peter's explanation beginning in verse 13 and ending in verse 15 where he answers in "…the longsuffering of our Lord in salvation." It is that longsuffering of our disobedience and learning, our unbelief in His ways, and our unrepentant nature that God has toward His children. But He has provided His salvation through His Son, Jesus. It is that Gospel and that salvation of which Peter writes. In truth, it is what all the Gospel writers wrote about, each in their own way to reach different groups of people, just as our unique gifts are designed to reach different groups of people with that Gospel message.
Pastor Lee opened her sermon with an admonishment that her warning from last week is still valid. I haven't written about last week yet. Her warning is to be diligent and watchful but to understand that the Lord is coming "like a thief in the night." Understanding that His return will catch us by surprise is the warning, not that we should be watchful. The absence of a Master in physical form to remind us God is there allows earthly people to become lazy or "slack" about the things that carry eternal consequences.
In her opening, Pastor Lee related a story about young children riding in a car. She asked if we all knew the "Eternal Question." Every parent in the audience chuckled, and most adults who don't have children did as well. Everyone knows the "Eternal Question:" Are We There Yet?
She stumbled over her words several times and turned it into a joke. It was funny but also poignant. She blended the words waiting and watching into one word: watting. It's funny but appropriate. We should be "watting" for the Lord. However, as impatient humans, we toss out the Eternal Question all the time, too. Are we there yet, God?
Pastor Lee suggested that we all think we should be there. Whether we are or not is for God to know. No human being can know the time of His return. Anyone who tells you they have it figured out simply is wrong. There's no wiggle room in that. They don't know, and by the simple fact that they insist they do, we should avoid them in any predictions they make. Jesus said even He didn't know when God was coming back, so how can any human being know?
36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
37 "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
38 "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
39and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Matthew 24:36–39 (NASB95)
Noah didn't know when the rain would come. He just knew he had been commanded to build the ark. He filled it, and God brought the end in His time. Noah was found being about the work of the Master, and was saved.
I'm not saying we will be commanded to dig a hole or build a bunker or anything. I don't know what God is planning. I know that whatever God has for each of us to do in His plan, we should be about that task, whatever it is.
Pastor Lee's sermon brought up the idea that we are anxious for His return to the point that we are looking for signs of it happening. We are so anxious for that return that we see the fulfillment of prophecy in our times. The news is filled with wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, volcanos, disasters of all types, hunger, pestilence, and all manner of strife. This all seems to fulfill prophecy heralding the end times. But it must have seemed like that to many other generations, too, yet here we are still. God, are we there yet?
In Pastor Lee's story about the young children and the Eternal Question, she mentioned that the car hadn't even left the neighborhood yet. That highlighted how anxious the children were to be done with the boring car ride and get to their destination. What if we aren't even "out of the neighborhood yet" on our "boring car ride" to our "final destination?" That would mean that at our passing, when our individual lives are over and the world is still spinning if we haven't been about the work of the Master, we'll have missed our opportunity because we thought it was "coming soon." God doesn't work in our time. He takes His own time into account. That was Peter's point at the opening of the sermon, and it's an important one. God's time might be thousands of thousands of years from now. Or, it could be tomorrow. We don't know.
Pastor Lee had a great turn of phrase in her sermon next. She said, "We live in the great in-between. Between the Cross and Salvation." The cross happened over two thousand years ago. The author of our salvation was put to death on our behalf unwittingly by the Philistines and Romans, completing that step of God's plan. We now have salvation through faith in Jesus, but that salvation doesn't happen until we stand before Jesus and our name appears in the Book of Life washed clean by the blood of the lamb. Our life is in the "great in-between" of the act authoring our salvation and the judgment realizing that salvation. We have opportunities in between to make mistakes and to do righteousness.
While we wait and watch, what sort of people will we be as we exist in this great in-between?
I have quite a bit of writing left to do; unfortunately, my morning time has run out. However, I think I will try a different approach this morning. I'm going to pause and save this. I will continue tomorrow morning and publish MMWJ on Tuesday. This is teaching me that I should probably begin writing this Sunday night and finish it Monday morning. We'll try that next week and see how it goes.
Day Two, and we are back at it.
All around us, the news shows darkness. I mentioned this yesterday with wars and rumors of wars, etc. We aren't even out of the neighborhood yet, figuratively speaking, in time as God measures it. While we sit in the Great In Between, we also sit in the time of Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus and God, the Father, are with us through the presence of the Holy Spirit, the comforter. He is God's messenger who brings us His guidance. In between the cross and salvation, we have life. All of us have life.
Pastor Lee recounted a news story out of Ohio where a Chipotle customer threw her burrito bowl on the restaurant employee making it for her. I won't go through the story's details, but you can read it in the New York Post HERE. The Too Long, Didn't Read (TL; DR) portion is the woman was sentenced to work in a fast food restaurant after serving two months in jail.
What kind of people ought we to be?
This portion of the message took a turn. Initially, I disagreed with what Pastor Lee did from the pulpit. It's her message, and she should deliver what God gave her. I believe she did, but I disagreed with the execution. It's not my message, so I'll leave that alone.
Pastor Lee mentioned how the United Methodist Church put out a call to not light the Peace candle in the Advent wreath as a way to protest the violence in the world. As she spoke, she snuffed out the candle that had been lit earlier. I disagree with that.
Jesus told us we will always have certain things in life. He used the poor to highlight that point, but His statement is true. War, violence, and the like will always be in the world so long as we have people in it. Human beings make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes are violent ones. Countries that have forgotten or moved away from God lean to violent means to get what their leaders want. I do not believe the way to stop that is to snuff out the candle of peace but to hold it aloft even higher so that it may illuminate the darkness that is the violence and pain encompassing the world.
I was worried Pastor Lee would leave the candle out to end the service. Happily, I can report she did not. I think the message will probably resonate with some, the extinguishing and relighting. It did not with me. As she relit the candle, she asked, "What sort of people of peace ought we to be?" It's a good question.
The message moved into a book about an event that occurred in 1993 in Billings, Montana. The book title is The Christmas Menorah: How a Town Fought Hate. You can find a copy on Amazon HERE. The short version is antisemitism and was fought with paper menorahs taped in windows. If you're interested in reading the background on the incident, here is an article from 2008 detailing a look back 15 years later, which was 15 years ago. You can find that article HERE.
Given where we are today with the rise of hatred for Jews, which is what antisemitism is, reading through the background is enlightening. Since that time, we've elected a black man president twice. We've also had violence against a black church. We've had assassination attempts against one political party's representatives to advance a political agenda. We've had countless attacks on men and women for every reason under the sun, and now we have attacks by factions supported by countries that hate America against our military.
Wars and rumors of wars. Are we there yet? I don't know.
The question occurs to me: are we there yet? But I try not to ask it. I try not to look at the world and see signs of the end times. Eschatology is not something I dwell on (study of the end times in the Bible.) I'm more interested in being found about the Master's work as best as I am able. I fail more than I succeed in that, and it bothers me.
I will say these two things in closing. First, Pastor Lee admitted she struggled with the candle symbology as she relit the candle. I don't know how other UM churches handled that, but I think in the snuffing out and relighting of the candle, she did a fine job with that "statement." Second, Pastor Lee finished with a quote from a poem. I didn't write the portion she quoted, but I did catch the author and date. You can read the poem and information about it HERE. It was written in 1950 and has since been set to music. There are a number of books it is in, but the point is simple. We should be the people we ought to be all year long, not just in December when we think about it as we go about our Christmas shopping, see decorations, or study Advent lessons.
What kind of people ought we to be?
9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
12Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,
14or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
15For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
16Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
17Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
18Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.
19For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.
20For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
21For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
22who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;
23and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;
24and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
25For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
1 Peter 2:9–25 (NASB95)