Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

2 Peter 3:8-18
Do not forget this, "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day". The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to repentance.
The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. As you wait eagerly for the day of God to come.
Since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation.
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Why?
If God's delays it is out of mercy, not weakness.
There is no difference of opinion between Peter and our dear brother Paul: both speak of these matters in the same way.
Of cause, says Peter, we all find some of Paul's teaching a bit hard to understand.
The certainty that Jesus will come, that it could happen any day, is the strongest possible incentive to Christian living. The writer's closing instruction is to be ready:'Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
Be ready to grow in the grace: God's mercy and honor and his power
grow in knowledge of our God and Jesus Christ: Really know him.
All of these need make every effort to do.
How?
Be prepare, get ready that the Lord may come tomorrow, do I have made every effort for his coming?

God's word is turth

2 Peter 3:1-7
Write these two letters are to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.
1) recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through the apostles.
2) must understand that in the last days scoffers will come. They deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
There is a neat parallelism in these three verses 5-7:
By his word and by means of water God created the world.
By his word and by  means of water, he destroyed it.
By the same word and by means of time he will destroy it in future judgment.
Why?
Years have passed and still Christ's expected return has no happened. The created world runs on as it always has done.
The created world runs on as it always has done. what then of God's promise? There are always people ready to scoff. But God's word, spoken through the Prophets and apostles, will prove dependable. His word commands such power, it brought our whole world into being.
Peter's warning and reminder are true, There are many scoff in this world, They refuse to believe the world was created by the Lord. They say  'where is these coming he promised?'
How?
God was and is until now so His word is truth in the future also.

The way of Balaam: the way of compromise with greed

2 Peter 2:13-22
Suffering wrong as he wage for their wrongdoing.
They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.
For whatever overcome a person, to that he is enslaved.
After they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
These false teachers were once orthodox正統 Christians. Now their state is worse than before they knew anything of Christ.
Waterless spring: can't provide water for thirsty people
The way of Balaam: the way of compromise with greed.
The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire. : He still is a dog, does not change his heart to a man.
Why?
How the wicked men doing and their consequences will be.
Overcame by evil will be slave of sin, but God overcomes us will be servant of the Lord.
The way of Balaam is a way of compromise with many things does not follow the way of righteousness. Men usually like to compromise with others to resolve the problem but be aware of the right direction.
How?
Examine my heart deeply, why I will do it? or troubled with it?

Trust in the Lord

2 Peter 2:1-12
False prophets arose among the people, like false teacher, even denying the Master who bought them, bring upon themselves swift destruction.
God did not spare angels who sinned, and cast them into hell. Flood upon the world of the ungodly, and Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and God rescued righteous Lot, let us know that the Lord knows how to rescue the godly men from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.
To be forewarned is to be forearmed - so the writer warns his readers against false teachers who have already disrupted other Christians groups.
Their punishments is certain and terrible. The writer takes Old Testament examples: the flood, and the rescue of Nah; the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the rescue of Lot.
Why?
False prophets and false teachers are arose among the people, since the beginning of the world. They are the wicked one will be condemned and punished until the day of judgment. The punishment's time decided by the Lord. It is certain and conformed that those evil doers will perished.
God did not spare the sin and false prophets, even the angles who sinned.
How?
Be aware the false teachers and false prophets who are greedy and anti-Christ. Trust in the Lord and Jesus Christ is the only way to the salvation.

We are the witnesses of Jesus Christ

2 Peter 1:12-21
Peter intends always to remind these qualities. May be able at anytime to recall these things.
Peter were eyewitnesses of his majesty, when Jesus received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him the the Majestic well pleased.
No prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
The Christian massage does not rest on myth and legend, but on the evidence of eye-witnesses.
Peter could not forget what he saw and heard, that day on the mountain when Jesus stood before them in his glory, and gives hos own account of its significance.
The testimony of the prophets has been confirmed as a word from God himself.
This may mean either 'it is not the interpretation that authenticates the prophet's message', or 'the true interpretation, like the message itself, is God-given.'
Why?
The Scriptures light our path through life until the dawning day of Christs' return.
Peter was eye-witnesses of Jesus Glory so he intend to remind followers to have these qualities.
The primary issue is confirm that Jesus Christ is the Lord who is confirmed by word of prophets. And prophet's word is spoken from God through Holy Spirit.
How?
All of Christians are the witnesses of Jesus Christ in this generation.

Knowledge of God; 2 Peter

2 Peter 1:1-11
Grace and Peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness ( virtual)
Through these he has given us his great and precious promises : 1)participate in the divine nature and 2)escape the corruption in the world cause by evil desires.
Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; knowledge; self-control; perseverance; godliness; brotherly kindness; love.
Above quality may keep us from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. You will never fall.
Be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.
God's purpose for his people is that they should come to share his own nature and character - nothing less.
So to faith must be added other qualities. In this way knowledge of Christ is translated into action.
Why?
We are not fight or victory, but from victory.
These characters are the recipe of a abundant Christian life.
We are to share the nature and goodness of Jesus Christ, not to earn or fight for it. But we have to make every effort to add these to our nature.
God had given us these promise so ask it, then we can get it.
Environment causes believer fall and shake faith, so be all the more eager to make our calling and election sure.
How?
To be a productive and effective Christian through knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be more eager to trust in the Lord!

The wrath of the Lord was aroused

2 Chronicles 36:11-23
Zedekiah was became king when he was 21 years old, and he reigned in Jerusalem 11 years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar.
They mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.
God gave Zedekiah and the nation many warnings through Jeremiah and the other prophets, but they were all ignored. The destruction of the city and Temple are seen as God's punishment - a judgment that spelt death or exile for the whole nation.
The exile lasted about 70 years, until the Persians took over the Babylonian Empire.
Why?
Sabbath: The Chronicler implies that these Sabbaths were not kept under the kings.
When the book of Ezra was detached from Chronicles, these verses were retained at the end of Chronicles and repeated at the beginning of Ezra. Chronicles could not end at verse 21. God had not utterly abandoned his people. Jerusalem had spoken scalding燙 words of God' judgment and condemnation. But he had also spoken of God's continuing love for his exiled people and of their eventual return.
After Josiah, Judah lasted for 22 years and destroyed by the Babylonian for their sins.
How?
God loves his people and God claims his judgment. His love and righteousness endure forever.