Shabbat Shalom. Please open your Bibles to the second epistle of Peter, and we are going, by the grace of God, to conclude today this epistle. We are going to read 2 Peter, chapter 3, verses 11 to 18. And the theme of these verses is the need for believers to live godly lives in light of the soon return of our Lord Yeshua. The Lord Yeshua, Jesus, the Mashiach. 2 Peter 3, beginning from verse 11. Seeing then, that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be, in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens The heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.

Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, wherefore, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless, and account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul, also according to the wisdom given unto him, has written unto you, As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable twist, as they do also the other scriptures unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, seeing ye therefore, seeing ye know these things, before, beware, lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua the Messiah.

To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. Wonderful passage we have here in this last portion that Shimon Petro, Simon Peter, wrote to first century Hebrew believers in Yeshua the Messiah. You know, Shimon Petro, Simon Peter, has been so burdened with the need of the early believers to grow and to mature and to continue on, because these brothers and sisters suffered much persecution because of their faith in Yeshua the Messiah. Much opposition they have experienced as they followed the Lord. And many Jewish believers today also suffered by our own brethren because of our desire to follow Yeshua. Many, even in the land of Israel today, experience challenges and misunderstanding.

But it is not as much as those early believers in about 66 AD when Shimon Petro was writing his second epistle. Now, you notice, brothers and sisters, that from the verse that I've read, verse 11, he began by saying, That all these things shall be dissolved. What all these things? Well, he just told us in the first 10 verses of this chapter 3, that God is going to come in judgment upon this world. That they will rise up, as we have already studied in our previous ministry meeting on this chapter, Those that will be mockers, who will mock at the word of God, who will laugh at the promises of God.

And you remember what he said, they will say, where is the promise of his coming? Notice that we read in verse 3 of this chapter, Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, or mockers, walking after their own lusts. And I will say, where is the promise of his coming? He said that he is going to come, and he hasn't come. And they began to mock at the believers, to mock at the things of God, to laugh at it, and to say, look at this. God is not fulfilling his promises. He said that the Messiah will come, but where is the promise of his coming?

And then the apostle Shimon Petros reminds the believers, and he says, listen, These people, as he is saying here in verse 5, they are willingly ignorant, that by the word of God, the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water, whereby by the world that was then being overflowed with the water perished. You know, they are willful ignorant, or misinformed willingly, willfully, that God already judged the world once. He has judged the world in the flood. If you remember how only eight souls remain from the many who have lived at a time when Noah and his family have built this ark, and have entered into the ark, and followed the God of the heavens who have led them to trust him, and they obeyed him, and the rest of the world have been consumed by the judgment of God through the flood.

And then they continue saying about these individuals that not only that God judged in the past, but God is going to judge in the coming future. And that's where he say, in verse 8, Beloved, be not ignorant of this, that one thing that one day is with the Lord is a thousand years, and a thousand years is that one day the Lord is not slack concerning his promises, as some men count slackness, But he is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance. And then in verse 10, he's saying how this world is reserved for a judgment of fire in the coming days.

But God is long-suffering. He is not willing that any should perish. Yeshua stretched his hand in Matthew chapter 11, and he says, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Just come to me. Turn your life to me. Accept me as the Mashiach, the Messiah, and you will find forgiveness of sins. But as we know very well, the vast majority of mankind have rejected the message of the gospel concerning the person of the Lord Jesus. And there is a day coming, and the Bible calls it in verse 10, The day of the Lord will come, as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with a fervent heat.

The earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burnt up. And you see, he is talking about the day of the Lord. In Hebrew, we call it Yom Yehovah, or Yom Adonai. It has always a reference to a judgment day. We read some passages in our last ministry meeting on 2 Peter 3, how Yom Yehovah, the day of the Lord, will come, where every time you read this passage or this expression, Yom Yehovah, the day of the Lord, it has a reference to a day of judgment. You know, God is gracious. He's long-suffering. But He's coming a day where He must judge this world in righteousness.

It aches His heart. He doesn't like to judge this world. He doesn't like the death of the wicked. But He must judge because He's a holy and a righteous judge. He must judge sin. And He judged it in the person of His Son, the Messiah, when He died on the cross. But those that will refuse to accept Him will end up to experience the day of judgment that is reserved, as it says here, the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. And no one who is an unbeliever will be ready for that, and they will have to experience the judgment that is coming.

Now, brothers and sisters, the Lord, through Peter, is now speaking to us. And He's speaking to those early Jewish believers, and He's saying to them in those next verses, He's challenging us, the brethren, the believers, to be faithful until Yeshua is coming. You know, it's very hard for us, we have to admit. So many things that I pray, I often think about how many things are drawing our hearts' affection from the Lord. Satan is tempting us, the world is so attractive, and the flesh is so rebel and sinful in the believer, just as much as the unbeliever. And so we, as believers in Yeshua the Messiah, as saved and forgiven people, we need to be constantly challenged and being drawn to the Lord.

And, you know, He draws us with His cords of love, His affection towards us, never diminish for a moment. And He wants to draw us close to Him, especially as we wait the soon return of Yeshua the Messiah. So, Peter now gives these early brethren, and also to you and I, encouragement to be faithful until the Mashiach will return in His second coming. And he tells three things here in verses 11 to verse 18. The first thing that he is telling God's people is, in verse 11, 12, 13, and 14, that God's people are to seek to live a godly lives. What does that mean, to live a godly life? It is to seek to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord, close communion with Him, in relationship with Him on a daily basis.

And we need the help of each other, the help of the Lord, the help of the Spirit of God. And so look how beautiful he began by saying, first of all, in verse 11, there is a call to live a life that is holy conduct and a life that is godly. Verse 11, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved. In other words, what I say concerning the coming judgment, brothers and sisters, seeing that it will come to pass, what manner of persons are ye to be? If really a judgment is coming, and God is going to judge this world in righteousness very soon, it might be at any time.

The Lord Jesus, Yeshua, is coming back. If those things are going to happen, what kind of people we ought to be? We ought to be different. Because you notice he says in verse 10, that the heavens will pass away with a great noise. And the earth also, and all the works that will be here on earth, they will be burned up. Everything here in this world will be consumed at the coming day. Now, Peter wrote that 2,000 years ago. You and I live much later and in a much closer proximity to the second coming of Yeshua, the Mashiach. And he's saying, really, if those things are going to happen, and they will, you ought to have a different lifestyle.

As a believer, with holy conversation, the word conversation simply means manner of life. You know, the word holy comes from the Hebrew word kadosh or lekadesh, or to be set apart for God. The believer's life ought to be set apart for God, devoted to the Lord. Now, when we think of ourselves sometime, we ask ourselves this question, we say, Lord, you know my heart. You know how oftentimes my heart is not set apart for you, not devoted for you as I ought to be. And the reason that Shimon Petros is writing this is because he knows our frame. He knows his own frame. He knows his brethren frame and the nature and the challenges that they are facing.

And you and I know this just as well. But the encouragement is today by Peter is, brothers and sisters, what kind of people ought we to be seeing that those things are going to happen? We as believers in Yeshua the Messiah have to be different. Whether we are at work, or whether we are at school, or whether we are at play, wherever we are, our communication with people, our language, our behavior, ought to be different than the world around us. Why? Because we belong to the Lord. We are a heavenly company. We are passing through here, and we are soon going to be taken to the immediate presence of the Lord.

And that's why it is so important in our testimony to others, how we are testifying concerning the work of the Lord, and the walk with the Lord. This is essential for the believer. Because otherwise, you know, I don't know if you heard this expression. Some people say, and you say that you are a follower of Jesus the Messiah? Now we put our head down in the ground and says, yeah, I'm a follower of Yeshua the Messiah. But my behavior was not pleasing to the Lord. My conduct, my language, things to our own shame. It is true. But the encouragement that Peter is giving us here, that our manner of life are to be different than the unbelieving world.

And only the Lord can help us to do so. And so now in the next verses, in verses 12, 13, and 14, as he's encouraging the believers to live a godly life, he's using the word looking or look three times. You notice that? Verse 12, looking for and the hasting unto the coming of the day of God. Verse 13, we look for the new heavens and the new earth. Verse 14, ye look for such things. Notice that beloved thing, that you look for such things. Notice every one of these verses use the word look or looking. Now in the Greek here, the word for look really has to do with waiting.

You know, when we look forward for something, we are waiting for it eagerly. And here, Shimon Petros is giving us the encouragement as we wait eagerly for certain things that are soon to come, our lives have to be different, pleasing to Yeshua the Messiah. So let's look at those three verses one by one. The first one in verse 12, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God. Now notice that it says looking or awaiting for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God. Interesting. He used the expression here, the day of God. In verse 10, he said the day of the Lord.

In verse 12, he calls another day the day of God. Now what is the day of God? Now I was listening to various Bible teachers and reading various commentaries on this text. And some believe that the day of the Lord and the day of God are the very same day. Has to do with the tribulation period. The day of the Lord is the day of the judgment of God. So some believe that the day of the Lord and the day of God are very much the same. Others believe that the day of the Lord has a reference to the tribulation. Actually, all Bible teachers believe that the day of the Lord, the day of Yehovah, has to do with the tribulation.

But the day of God has to do with the eternal order. The day where God will have his rightful place throughout the universe, not only on earth, but also in heaven. And it is interesting because we have, you might say in scripture, the four expressions. We have man's day, or the days of men, which is actually today. Men have his own way. Today we would say the day of men, Yom Ha'adam. Man does what he wants, as he pleases. God has handed man the universe. Men have destroyed it. This is including you and I. Sin has destroyed everything here in what God has created for man.

Then the scripture says we have the day of Mashiach found in Philippians chapter 1, the day of Christ. And there is a suggestion that the day of Christ, the day of the Mashiach, Yom HaMashiach, has to do with the rapture of the church, where the church will be taken out of this world to meet the Lord in the air. This is the day of the Messiah, Yom HaMashiach. Then we have thirdly, the day of the Lord, Yom Yehovah, that has to do with the judgment of God during the seven-year tribulation, after the rapture of the church, that the believers will be taken out of here. And finally, we have the day of God mentioned here in verse 12, Yom Elohim.

This is the day when God will have his rightful place totally, where sin will be completely removed, and God will have his way. The day Yom HaElohim, the day of God. So, here the apostle, Peter, is saying, looking, desiring, waiting eagerly for the hastening unto the coming of the day of God. the day of the eternal order, when all things will be in accordance with the will of God. And then he says, wherein, and the word wherein in the Greek is D-I-A, dia, which simply means throughout, or by the means of the judgment of God, we will arrive to the day of God. what means how God will bring us about to the day when there will be shalom, not only external shalom, but eternal shalom?

Well, it's going to come through the judgment that will happen during the tribulation time. Notice it says that the middle of verse 12, the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. In verse 12, he takes us, he really continued what he also already mentioned in verse 10, where he says that the elements shall melt with fervent heat and the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up. Now, in other words, before we're going to get to the eternal order, the world will experience the tribulation period, the day of judgment that is going to come upon the face of this world.

Now, how can we hasten that day? How can we, as it says in verse 12, waiting eagerly and hastening unto the coming of the day of God? How can we hasten this day? Now, we can hasten this day only by the way we conduct ourselves. You know, when a person is awaiting the coming of the Lord and conducting his life in a godly way, really, the conduct of our life should be so different that by the manner in which we live, we will hasten the day when God will have his rightful place here in this world. This is a very, very precious thought here that we we have in verse 12.

Now, in verse 13, he continues, he says, now again, he used the word look, and he says in verse 13, nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Now, many times people misunderstand the difference between the new heavens and new earth and new earth of 2 Peter 3 and Revelation chapter 21 with the new heaven and a new earth that is found in Isaiah chapter 65. Now, will you please turn to Isaiah for a moment to chapter 65 and verse 17? It says, for behold, I create new heavens and new earth and the former shall not be remembered nor come into mind, but be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create.

for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy and I will rejoice in Jerusalem and I will joy in my people and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her nor the voice of crying. I'm just pausing here for a second. Now, you notice that in Isaiah chapter 65 and verse 17 he used the word a new heavens and a new earth. Also, in the chapter in which we are reading today, 2 Peter 3 verse 13 he says, we are looking for a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Now, what is the difference between those two new heavens and new earth?

In fact, I'm going to read one more verse, Revelation chapter 21 and verse 1 and I saw a new heavens and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea. In quite a few places in the scripture we have this expression the new heaven and the new earth. Now, here it is brothers and this is what I understand from scripture. Others have a different view and I think everything is commendable. We want to be taking it from the hand of the Lord but there are various views. What does that mean? What's the difference between the new heavens and the new earth mentioned in Isaiah 65?

The new heavens and the new earth mentioned in Revelation chapter 21? And here again Peter says we are looking for the new heavens and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Now, look at this. In Isaiah chapter 65 the new heavens and the new earth that are mentioned there is in connection with the nation of Israel. And it really leads us to the Messianic kingdom age where the Messiah Yeshua will reign and rule and where Israel will dwell safely. But even in the Messianic age there will still be sin and sin will need to be judged by the Lord Himself. In fact, it does say in the very same context here Isaiah chapter 65 verse 20 says there shall be no more thence an infant nor an old man that has not filled his days for a child shall die a hundred years old and a sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed.

Even in the Messianic age life will be long but you notice from the context there will be death there will be sin and still the sinner will be accursed. Those three words are mentioned death sinner and accursed. but we are looking beyond their kingdom age according to 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 12 the believers are looking beyond yes, the Messianic age will be tremendous age. Yeshua will reign Israel restored our own nation will dwell in peace and in safety but it's still going to be a period of time where the ruler the Messiah will have to judge every time sin will rise up.

And that's why it is a new heaven and a new earth in connection with somebody might not like it but the word renovation if you will re-establishing the heavens and the earth in order to make it suitable for the kingdom age for the Malchut Hashamayim but in the eternal order beloved brothers and sisters sin will not exist anymore and that's why not only that righteousness will rule when sin comes righteousness will rule notice 2 Peter 3 and verse 13 we look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein righteousness is dwelling there will be a period of time where there will be no longer sin here anymore in this world death will be totally

removed the wages of sin is death where righteousness in Hebrew tzedek will dwell and will rest in the eternal order sin will be totally removed no more that which causes men to stumble and to fall and to sin and to hurt God to hurt others no more in that eternal order because righteousness not only will rule but righteousness will dwell you know today in the present day in which we live in man's day in the days of man righteousness is a non-existence in fact unrighteousness is existing today in this world it's only when the king of righteousness the Messiah himself will come in the second coming and establish the messianic kingdom that righteousness will rule

in the thousand years reign of Yeshua the Messiah but when that is going to be over then righteousness will dwell in the eternal order Revelation 21 verse 1 says a new heavens and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away and there will be no more sea verse 4 tells us that God shall wipe away their tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death in Isaiah 65 we read that there will be death but in the eternal order there will be no more death Revelation 21 and verse 4 no more sorrow no more crying no more pain in fact if you turn to chapter 22 it

will be no more curse in verse 3 of Revelation chapter 22 no more night there will not need any candle anymore there will be a time the eternal order for which you and I the believers in Yeshua the Messiah are looking forward for these coming days of the eternal order where the new heavens and the new earth there will be righteousness dwelling now brothers and sisters the kingdom age will be tremendous but the eternal order will be greater than all that's what the apostle Shimon Petros is trying to say for the believers so he's saying to them nevertheless according to his promise he had promised that he's going to come and he's going to establish

this new heaven the new earth where there will be righteousness dwelling you know how much unrighteousness existing in the world today look what's going on in many many countries how much unrighteousness people are suffering today many people are losing their lives and being persecuted today even in the land of Syria there are two million people who have left the land and they are homeless and about two other three million people are in the land without a home and the rest of them are being treated in such a way this is only in one country think about how much unrighteousness is going on in the world in which we live in today but there is hope

for the believer that is so great that is coming a day when the Lord Jesus will come and take his rightful place and not only in the kingdom age as great as it may be but righteousness will dwell no more sin no more curse no more death the wages of sin is death sin will be removed what a day that will be that will be a great day beloved brothers and sisters that we are waiting for so Peter is saying you are looking forward for this beautiful day that is going to come now he's telling them in verse 14 notice he used the word diligence he says in verse 14 well for beloved seeing that

ye look for such a thing be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless now what he's saying here he says look because you are looking forward for this day you ought to be diligent you know what is diligent you know diligent mean that the person has to be working at his life with the help of the spirit of God of course living to please the Lord to be diligent you know when a person is diligent in school or at work here is a person who is doing faithfully his work on the job side here is a person who is diligent in his studies or her studies they are

faithful they are studying hard they are diligent in what they are doing we ought to be a diligent believers and followers of Yeshua the Messiah he used that word diligent many times many times in 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse 5 he says and beside this giving all diligence verse 10 wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure verse 15 speaking about himself moreover I will endeavor I will be diligent that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance in other words to endeavor another passage in Philippine it says work out your own salvation now working out your own salvation doesn't mean working out for

salvation no but working out the very salvation that you have work it out in your life be diligent in what you do in your walk with the Lord this is what we need and that's what Peter is saying here in these verses he's saying to them you must be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace you know the Lord Jesus is coming soon I wonder what he will find you and I doing at the day of his return you know they ask a brother one time a spiritual leader a servant of the Lord they ask him would you do anything different if the Lord would come today what would you be doing

if you know that today at three o'clock Yeshua the Messiah is coming would you change your agenda would you change your plans you know what this brother said no I'm going to get up in the morning I'm going to read my Bible I'm going to pray I'm going to wash myself get myself ready and I have to take the train to trouble because I have a visit with a certain person who need a word of encouragement I'm not going to change anything I'm going to do the thing that I've been doing all along in serving my master he's coming he's coming very soon and he want to find us serving him and living for him

and that's what Peter is saying will you be found serving him living for him in shalom in peace without spot or blameless you know sometimes when we think of things that he is believers that we have done dishonored the Lord we know it thank God that the blood of Yeshua the Messiah God's son cleanses us from all sin 1 John 1 verse 9 says if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness but we want to be found when he comes serving him doing something for him doing the right thing pleasing him that's what he's saying Peter is saying here in these verses this

is very encouraging to our hearts could you turn to Luke chapter 12 for a moment just a verse there that need to be read Luke chapter 12 and verse 42 Yeshua is speaking there in parables to his disciples and also to those that came to hear him and notice what he says here in Luke 12 and verse 42 he says and the Lord said who then is that faithful and wise servant whom his Lord shall make him ruler over his household to give them their portion of meat in due season blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find him so doing of a truth I say unto you that he will

make him a ruler over all that he hath the Lord want to find his servant faithful when he is coming that's why Peter is saying in this verse 14 beloved seeing that ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in shalom in peace without spot and blameless our walk should please the Lord and we can help each other because we are not always at this condition we are not always in such a condition but Peter does encourage the early believers to be in such a spiritual mindset so be diligent now notice he calling them beloved here I mentioned that in the beginning of our study of the book of

Peter because Peter loved this expression beloved they are loved by God and you and I loved by God and they are loved by him as well he loved them here is a servant who loved the brethren he loved them so much but he also knew very well that he himself and the brothers and sisters to whom he wrote they are beloved they are loved by the Lord Yeshua the Messiah it's wonderful to know that they were loved by the Lord now the verses beloved are mentioned throughout here I think four or five times he used the word beloved here in this book verse 1 he began this second epistle beloved I now write unto you

he loved to use that word beloved and you know brothers and sisters if there is anything that we can do for each other and for those around us is to show love towards our brothers and sisters you remember what we read in the book of John by this shall all men know Yeshua said that ye are my disciples if ye have love one towards another now if there is not love among the brethren something is wrong something is definitely wrong now love is not merely wishy-washy type of love not merely only external words but it had to be evident in our relationship with each other but thank God we are loved by God loved by

the Lord Yeshua the Messiah so verses 11 to 14 God's people are to seek to live a godly lives as they are waiting the second coming of the Messiah now verses 15 and 16 he continued the second exhortation here and in verses 15 and 16 God's people are to seek to witness to others of God's salvation that's what we need also to do is to tell others somehow one way or another through our testimony through words through our conduct of the great salvation that God provided for mankind and so he says in verse 15 that you and there to account that God's long-suffering is really waiting to save others to bring others to the Lord

verse 15 an account brothers and sisters account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation you know God long-suffering waiting and waiting and waiting you know the expression long-suffering God bear with man from generation to generation he's bearing with the human race waiting for people to turn to Yeshua the Messiah so this long-suffering of God is salvation towards the world towards many in the world today God was patient until you came to know Yeshua God was patient and waited until I came to know Yeshua the Messiah the long-suffering of God waited and waited until another and another and another turn to the Lord Jesus the Messiah and you know about this salvation Peter is saying

that our beloved brother Paul also according to his wisdom given unto him has written unto you in other words now how Peter validates the writing that Paul that Shaul wrote in his epistles first of all you know that he called Paul beloved now I don't know about that when Peter went from Jerusalem down to where Paul was witnessing and serving some of the brethren came from Jerusalem to see what Peter was doing there and Peter when the Jewish believers came from Jerusalem Peter did not anymore ate with the Gentiles because he didn't want the Jewish brethren in Jerusalem will know that he ate with the non-Jewish believers and Paul had to withstand against Peter and

to tell Peter that's not right if you are a believer in Yeshua and there are believers in Yeshua you are part of the same body and therefore you should not have this kind of sectarian attitude towards the Gentiles believers and Paul withstood against Peter and Peter accepted it that was really nice to see because he doesn't say oh this brother Paul he stood against me a few years ago no but Peter is calling him our beloved brother Paul he's calling him beloved he's calling him brother Paul he says brother Paul he also recorded and wrote according to the wisdom that had been given unto him he wrote unto you about this great salvation that God

had provided and you know if you would look at the writings of the apostle Paul you will notice almost in every epistle Shaul Paul is writing about this great salvation how men have been so far from God all have sinned and come short of the glory of God but God provided this great salvation through Yeshua the Messiah so he recorded it so he recorded and you notice he said he was writing unto you who is you well these are the early Hebrew Christians just the same like Peter was writing to the same people so that's where some suggest that the book of Hebrews may have been written by the apostle Paul by Shaul even though

we don't know who wrote the book of Hebrews but some use this verse 15 to say that if Peter say that Paul wrote unto you the Hebrew Christians the messianic Jewish people that is very well that he was the one who wrote the book of Hebrews and it may be we do not know but what we do know that Paul in his epistles wrote about this salvation that had been provided by God through the Lord Yeshua the Messiah notice in verse 16 he's calling the epistles of Paul scriptures notice that verse 16 it's also in all his epistles that Romans 1st Corinthians 2nd Corinthians Galatian Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1st Thessalonians 2nd Thessalonians and we can

go on 1st Timothy 2nd Timothy and Titus and so on Philemon and all the epistles that Shaul Paul wrote also in all his epistles speaking in them of these things in which are some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable twist as they do also the other scriptures unto their own destruction you see you see what Peter is saying here that in Paul's epistles he wrote about this salvation provided by God and some of his writings are hard to be understood you know and it's truly hard some epistles are hard to be understood I'll give you an example one thing that is really hard to grasp and I know that

I had a hard time to grasp is how is it that our nation Israel through whom the Bible came to us through whom the Messiah came to us to whom the covenants were given and through whom the promises were given how is it possible that our nation Israel as a nation have not accepted Yeshua the Messiah I've been really puzzled by that when somebody told me in the beginning about Yeshua the Messiah when my wife Irene years ago shared with me the gospel and many other people shared with me about Yeshua the Messiah I was saying listen I'm Jewish we have the true God not you if somebody is going to tell someone else about

the true and living God I a Jew going to tell you a non-Jew about the true and living God but I discovered that I as a Jew did not understand what God had given our people and that our people rejected the Messiahship of Yeshua God's provision and though the gospel came through Israel through the nation the Messiah came through the nation of Israel but it is the vast majority of the Gentiles who became part of the assembly the church and the Jewish people our own nation only a few have acknowledged Yeshua as the Messiah now I struggled with this many many years ago but here through the books that the apostle Paul was writing like

the book of Romans there are certain things that are hard to be understood or the book of Hebrews if he wrote it but as you get the help of the spirit of God he helped us to understand of this great salvation that had been provided by the Lord Jesus the Messiah another thing that I had a struggle with is the unity of the believers the body of Christ which is a composition of Jew and Gentile well Paul said that in Ephesians chapter 2 and I'll just read that and I think it's important to read this verse Ephesians chapter 2 verse 14 Paul said in this verse for he this is Yeshua is our peace who

has made both one and had broken down the middle wall of partition between us having abolished in his death the enmity even the law and commandments and contained in ordinances for to make in himself of twain one new man so making peace and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross having slain the enmity thereby and he came and he preached peace preached shalom to you which are far off this is the Gentiles believers and to them which are nigh this is the Jewish believers the salvation had been provided by the Lord for the Jewish people for the Gentiles to unite us in that body of Messiah now some are

hard to understand yes but let me tell you the truth of this great salvation Paul had expounded and the Spirit of God can help us to understand the things that were given unto us in the Word of God and so as Israel have not accepted the Messiah as yet the church was born and once the church will end the assembly then Israel will be restored and God will restore his nation Israel in accordance with his promises so beloved brothers and sisters in verses 15 and 16 God's people are to seek to witness of God's great salvation now let's conclude with this book of 2 Peter chapter 3 here in the last two verses that is

the third exhortation that Shimon Pet was giving to these believers and in these verses he's really saying God's people are to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Yeshua the Messiah not only that the believers are to live a godly life not only that the believers are to testify of the salvation existing through Yeshua the Messiah but the believers are to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Yeshua the Messiah now let me tell you it is really sad to see a believer that haven't grown it's really really sad you and I have to ask ourselves the question have I grown spiritually since I first became a believer where

is my spiritual growth have I grown you know if you have a baby that is born in your home and the baby doesn't grow the mother and the father start to be concerned something is wrong there is a need of growth this baby already a year a year and a half he doesn't walk what's happening this is a problem that existing in the body of Messiah there are people many years ago have accepted Yeshua but haven't grown spiritually haven't used their gifts you know in our Bible study we are studying in 1st Corinthians chapter 12 about the gifts every one of us have a gift are you using your gift for the building up of

the body of Messiah or you just don't use your gift and just say you know I'm saved hallelujah I have the ticket for heaven I don't need to worry about my spiritual growth you know this is a real challenge well Peter says no he says notice in verse 17 ye therefore beloved seeing that you know these things before beware lest you also be led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own steadfastness beloved loved by the Lord loved by me he says listen you have to beware be careful lest you going to be led away by the error of the wicked one you know Satan is a crafty crafty fallen angel he

is constantly drawing seeking to disturb the walk of the believer with the Lord and those who are following him are also led astray and the believers need to watch it to be careful lest we be led away with the error notice he says fall from your own steadfastness now that is not falling into losing salvation the word in Greek here is ekpipto it's not apostosia that we have in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 but here is ekpipto which simply means to stumble to stumble from moving forward and if we are not careful and not watchful and we are not close to the Lord we are in a danger and we are to beware lest we fall

from this steadfastness of our walk with the Lord steady continuing on like a pillar that doesn't move be always abounding in the work of the Lord Paul said in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 steadfast always abounding in the work of the Lord carry on because Jesus the Messiah is coming very soon and we want to be found pleasing unto him and he continued and he closed that epistle with these words in verse 18 grow grow in grow in grace grow in grace grow in grow in grace what does that mean to grow in grace you know grace is unmerited favor to grow in grace is to seek more grace we were saved by grace we are

kept by grace we are to grow by grace Lord give me more grace I need more help Paul said to Timothy be strong in the grace that is found in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah we need more grace for every area of our lives get more grace from God in Hebrew the word for grace is chesed that I will be able to continue on in living here until Yeshua the Messiah will come to take us to be with him in glory so beloved brothers and sisters this is the conclusion of the second epistle of Peter and we might pray and ask the Lord Lord help each and every one of us to grow in the

grace and in the knowledge of Yeshua the more we know him the more we will be able to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord