The Best Life You Will Ever Have

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18 NIV)

When I read this one verse, I wanted to know the context, so I read through all of 2 Peter 3 to get the context. And the context has to do with the return of Jesus Christ one day and the fact that there are mockers who think that, just because he has not yet returned, that he isn’t coming back. But “the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

And then the passage talks about the judgments of God and the earth being destroyed by fire. And, based on that knowledge, the question is, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:11-12,14).

And then we read:

“Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen” (2 Peter 3:17-18).

So, one day Jesus is coming back to judge all people, and he is not willing that any should perish (die in their sins) but that all should come to repentance (a turning away from a life of sin to follow Jesus in obedience). So, obviously repentance is required. And then this talks about how we ought to be living holy and godly lives while we await his return (see Titus 2:11-14 on that point). And we need to be making every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him, and we need to be growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord in walks of holiness and obedience.

For if we don’t turn from our sinful practices to follow Jesus Christ in walks of obedience to his commands, but we continue in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord, in willful defiance of his commands, then we will not have the life of Christ within us, we won’t have salvation from sin, and we won’t have eternal life with God. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in his power, then we have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God, and that is the best life any of us will ever have, right in the center of the will of God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

The Best Life You Will Ever Have

Video Talk

October 17,2022

https://youtu.be/JxQz-plkjgk

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