“God’s Patience Is Not A Bad Thing” – This is an excerpt from Harbor Community Church’s Devotional. The full PDF version can be found here. My answers are provided in italics. Just use them after you think of an answer for yourself.
Wednesday, December 4th II Peter 3:1-9
Other suggested readings: Psalms 148, 149; Isaiah 5:1-7; Luke 7:28-35
On some two lane highways, there are signs that declare “Patience pays, 4 lanes in ¼ mile.’ These signs alert the driver not to rush to the judgment of passing the slow car in front of him/her. Instead, it will be safer to do so in a little while when another lane is added. Only a 20 or so years removed from Jesus’ resurrection, many were becoming impatient with Jesus’ return. Since he hadn’t returned yet, they lost patience, and rushed to a rash judgment: he isn’t coming back ya’ll! Peter reminds us to stay patient and not to rush to bad decisions based on impatient faith.
1.) What does Peter warn against? Scoffers who come and follow their own evil desires
2.) What are the scoffers saying? That the world is the same as it always was.
3.) Are they right in their assertions? No! Name some events which prove they are wrong. Creation, Flood, Exodus, God redeeming a people for himself through Covenants, Jesus and miracles, resurrection.
4.) To what should we appeal when false assertions are made? The words spoken in the past by the Holy prophets and the commands given by Jesus through his prophets; THE BIBLE.
5.) Their assertions are based upon observation of the world, without the aid of the scriptures. They “deliberately forget” (vs. 5). Their main argument is time: nothing has changed over time. But is time a good argument for our Lord Jesus not coming back? His concept of time and ours is not the same. A day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. God doesn’t see time like we see it.
6.) How should we interpret his not coming back for 2000 years? He is patient allowing more people to come to repentance. Over 400 years occurred between the two Testaments. That’s a long time, but God didn’t forget. He’s never late, but always right on time.
7.) When have you been angry with God because he seemed to slow to respond? Be specific and discuss/reflect
Application:
- Confess that we are often like the scoffers and very impatient with God
- To prepare yourself for Christmas, turn from your impatience and remember a time when God has been patient with you.
In the Key of "H" 