Slices
Prepare
In Matthew 27:27–31, Jesus is mocked. Read these verses and ask yourself how ready you would be to stand in that place alongside your saviour.
Bible passage
The day of the Lord
3 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Saviour through your apostles.
3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’ 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
Explore
Last days or not, mockery of our faith seems on the increase. The last vestiges of respect for the church are disappearing. All of us hate being scoffed at. Scoffing is different from light-hearted criticism and nothing to do with good-natured fun – scoffers are revealed by their motivation. Such people in our days want what is evil: the undermining of the kingdom of God and their own gratification.
So be it. The challenge is how we should respond. Peter does not suggest that we retaliate. He is clear that retribution can safely be left to God (v 7). The apostle’s sound advice is in verse 1. Now we see that there is purpose in the vivid accounts this letter gives of the battles faced by the church. Peter wants to ‘stimulate … wholesome thinking’. Other translations of the mindset Peter is looking for include ‘pure’ (KJV), ‘sincere’ (ASV) and ‘honest’ (NCV). This must be the key as we aim to resist attacks on Christianity in our culture. Let’s get our own heads right. Then the Lord will give us the words we need (see Luke 12:12).
Respond
Focus upon the three stages in God’s creation described in verses 5 to 7. Meditate upon the awesome scale of his work, then pray for a renewed sense of your wholesome place in his plan.
Deeper Bible study
‘Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.’1
Peter has written to this community before and he refers to his previous letter (v 1). This might be 1 Peter, but might equally have been another letter written to this community. Either way, Peter writes to ‘stimulate you to wholesome thinking’ – he wants the church to pause, to reflect on her beliefs and actions.
Peter has in mind the specific issue of Jesus’ return. This has not happened yet, as many in the early church believed it would. Some in the community have begun to question the reality of Jesus’ return (v 4), but Peter holds fast to the hope of Jesus’ arrival. Peter’s confidence is found in God’s activity in the past, specifically in creation. It is God who creates and sustains all things by his word. Those who doubt the reality of Jesus’ return are reminded by Peter of God’s power to do as he wishes.
It’s easy to lose hope when something doesn’t happen as soon as we’d hoped. Many of us will have laid petitions before the Lord, months or years ago, that are yet to be answered. It’s easy to be discouraged, yet Peter’s confidence comes from God’s action in the past and this spurs him on to trust in the fulfilment of God’s promise. I’m someone who journals and on occasion will read entries from previous occasions. I never cease to be inspired by God’s activity in the past, his provision, his blessing and his sustaining presence. Perhaps, today, we could do with looking back, recalling that the God who sustains all of creation also sustains us and has acted for us in the past to bring us through struggles and trials and to grant joy. As we look back, perhaps this will breathe fresh hope and confidence that God has not forgotten us and his promises for us will prevail.
Look back with praise, forward with hope and upward with confidence.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Habakkuk 1–3; Psalm 145
Pray for Scripture Union
Thank God for those young people who last November took part in Shine, based on the theme of fear. Pray for a lasting impact and that the Christian young people would be more fearless as they share their faith and that non-Christian pupils will know that Jesus wants to help them with their fears.
