How does God count time, and what does He want for men?

2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Beloved, a favorite word of Peter's to describe his readers, those who had come faith in God through trusting Christ to save them. They are beloved, or greatly loved by God. The word means, to be fond of, to have an affection for. It's a blessing to remember, that this is how the Lord looks at us, and this is how He regards us. We are His "beloved" 

Now, we are called not to forget something about the Lord. Which apparently, we can forget. So, he reminds us not to forget this one particular thing. And, it has to do with what a 1000 years is to the Lord. 

We know what a 1000 years is to us. It's about 9 1/3 longer of a period of time then most of us will live. Most of us will live, or could live up into their 80's or so. But, a 1000 years, is a long time compared to how long we might live on this earth. 

Anyways, to the Lord, a 1000 years is as one day. Now, what does this mean? It means that it is virtually nothing to God. It goes by quickly. A day, compared to a 1000 years, is nothing. So, time with God is experienced, or goes by so much more rapidly then it does for us. If the earth is 6-7000 years old, then, as far as God is concerned, it's only been 6-7 days since Genesis chapter 1. 

And, one day is as a thousand years. Additionally, we are told that one day to the Lord does encompass a long period of time. I can only take this for what it says. God sees and interacts with, experiences ( if you will ) time in a different way then we do. It does help to remember what Peter is talking about, and that is, the fact that while things seem to have dragged on for a long time, God does not consider it a long time. 

Here's how God considers time, and how we ought to as well, along with several other things to consider. 

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

First of all.....The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some men count slackness. That is, God is not careless, lazy or negligent as some men are. So, the apparent delay in the promise of God being fulfilled is not in any way due to slackness on God's part. Not at all. God is not tardy, or late.  God is not someone who makes a promise and then does not keep it. No, He is better then His promise. 

Secondly, He is long suffering towards us . That means, that God suffers along time towards us. He is very patient, He is waiting. 

Thirdly, He is not willing, or does not desire that any person would perish ( by their refusing Christ, and not believing in Christ and then dying and going into judgement ) No, quite the contrary, He wants all to come to repentance, to Him. He wants them to change their minds about Him, and receive Christ whom they have not yet received. They have thought one way about Jesus, God, wants them to change their thinking. To go from rejecting Him, to accepting Him. That's what the Lord wants. 

So, that's how God views and deals with time. That's why the promise of God to judge the world has not yet come about. God loves all men, Christ died for all men, and all men can be saved by coming to Jesus Christ. That's what God is wanting, and waiting for. However, there will come a time when the judgement does come, and Peter addresses that in the next few verses. 

May God bless you greatly today with His grace, mercy and peace. 

In Jesus name, 

Pastor Bob Grenier. 

calvarychapelvisalia's webcam video October 10, 2011 10:06 AM

What will come in the last days......

2 Peter 3:2 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,

2 Peter 3:4  and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

2 Peter 3:5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,

2 Peter 3:6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.

2 Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

The answer......Scoffers. That's what Peter says in 3:2, we know this first, that scoffers, that is those who mock and ridicule. These mockers are said to be in "the last days" Or, that period of time starting with the first coming of Jesus Christ, until His second coming. And, they will be walking according to their own lusts, or living their lives under the power of their fallen nature, ( as opposed to being under the control of, and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit of God ) So, we know that we are living in the last days. 

And, here is what they will say. It's a mocking question, that questions the truth of the coming again of Jesus Christ, and the events associated with Christ's return. They are specifically mocking the "promise of His coming" They are mockingly saying, "well where is He, when is He going to come etc, ". And, they add, that nothing in the past has changed, things have just continued to go along as they always have, right from the start of creation. That's their argument, and that's their mockery. Nothing has changed, therefore nothing will change, and Jesus is not coming. 

But, Peter adds and explains that they are willfully forgetting what God actually did. God did create the world, and God did judge the world with a global flood, and the inhabitants of the world did perish. 

The last thing Peter says, is that the heavens and the earth which now exist, are being preserved by God's Word, and that He is reserving them for a fiery end of days judgement, and destruction of ungodly men. 

Peter will explain more of God's plan as we move through the rest of this chapter. But, for now, suffice to say, that scoffers, mockers, are flat out denying the teaching of the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ, and the destruction that is coming on the world. They make fun of this teaching, and ridicule it. They deny it. This has always been the way of satan, right from the start, please see Gen 3, where satan first appeared to challenge and deny the Word of God. This is what he does, plain and simple. God calls us to trust His Word, satan wants us not to trust it, and to not believe it etc, etc. 

What a blessing to know the truth of Jesus Christ, and to know that He is coming again, and as Peter will tell us towards the end of the chapter, that if we know these things are going to happen, then, there is way we ought to be living. 

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

How God uses His Word in our lives.

2 Pet 3:1  Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),

2 Pet 3:2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,

First of all, it's a blessing to know how God sees us, and refers to those in Christ. "Beloved" means, dearly beloved, or well beloved, esteemed, worthy of love. This is who we are in Christ. It's how the Lord regards you, and will regard you. You are beloved. 

Secondly, Peter explains why he is writing his second letter, ( which is the same reason he wrote the first one ) It was to stir up their pure minds by way of reminding them. To stir, means to move an implement round and round in a liquid or other substance in order to mix it thoroughly. It means to cause movement, to wake, to rise from sleep, begin or cause to be active. To arouse strong feeling in. This was Peter's intention, and it's something that is needed from time to time in the lives of his readers, and of us today in Christ. We need to be stirred up in the best sense of the Word. Active for Christ, and in the knowledge of and service to Christ. 

Reminding is one of the ways of stirring up. Bringing something to the mind, and in this case the Word of God has the effect of stirring up the life. 

Thirdly, and here's the main point Peter is making, "that you may be mindful of the words spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior. What does it mean to be mindful? It means "Conscious or aware of something" And, it means inclined, or intending to do something. So, to be aware of God's Word, and having the inclination to be a doer of it. 

Interesting to note that Peter specifies the "holy prophets" which was a reference to the prophets from the OT. Abraham, Moses, David, Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, etc, etc. Virtually, the entire OT as it were. And, Peter then places the OT prophets right there on the same par as the Apostles of Jesus Christ. In other words, it's the entire Word of God. 

So, we are loved by God, we are dear to Him, and He wants us to be stirred up by having His Word brought to our minds and hearts, that we might be inclined to live as we ought in these last days. His Word is the way in which we are aroused to love and service. The entire Word of God has been given to us, for our souls benefit and blessing, and transformation. 

Paul spoke of the Word of God and it's being taught and preached to God's people as the "whole counsel" of God. And, thus what a blessing to be able to go through the entire Bible, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and book by book.  Right now in our own church here @ Calvary Chapel Visalia, we are almost half way through the book of Isaiah. We call this our "through the Bible study" And, on Wed nights we will cover anywhere from 1-2 or 5-7 chapters of the Bible, depending on each chapters length and content, and the leading of the Holy Spirit on that evening. 

I do pray that each of us might be men and women of the Word, and that we might benefit from it, in the ways that Peter is describing here in his letter. May we be roused up in love for God, and for one another and for the world around us. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Pastor Bob Grenier. 

The truth about false teachers and their messages

False teachers have an empty message, but enslaving message

2 Peter 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.

2 Peter 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.

2 Peter 2:20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

 2 Peter 2:21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 

2 Peter 2:22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

Peter explains what the false teachers say, and calls it "great swelling words of emptiness" They speak as if they have some great truth, but in reality, it's empty, because it's without the truth of Jesus Christ. 

They have denied Him, and are putting forth ideas and teachings that God has not given them, but have come from their own hearts and minds. 

Their words Peter says, "allure through the lusts of the flesh, etc. ".  They have a certain attraction to what they are saying. Or they bait people would be a better way of saying it. They are enticing people, and they are doing it through the lusts of the flesh, rather then in and by the power of God's Holy Spirit, who is the author of God's Holy Word. They are enticing people and deceiving them. In short, they are encouraging sexual sins. And, this is what they are baiting people with, and enticing them into.

A few examples taking place today.......

Saying, it's ok to be involved with sexual matters, we see this today in the open promiscuity, fornication, people living together,  and the promotion of male homosexuality, and lesbianism in our society.  In fact at this time in the history of mankind, there are shows on t.v dedicated to all of the above, songs are written about illicit sex, and people parade in mass on a regular basis, have lobbying power in the halls of congress, and are changing the laws of our states to allow for same sex marriages, and the legalization within the school systems of many states to teach about the propriety and so called normalcy of homosexual/lesbian lifestyles.

 It's becoming, and is in some states already on the books, a crime to speak out about and against these lifestyles. Work places are now filled with political correct atmosphere's in this regard, and one could be fired if he or she says something against the gay lifestyle. Children in schools are in danger of temporary suspension for simply speaking their point of view on the subject, and more could be said .....

Back to the text in 2nd Peter 2.......

And, you will notice, that they are going after "those who have escaped from those that live in error" Or they are going after very vulnerable people. 

The false teachers are actually full of hot air, and that's about it. They make these promises to those who are listening, saying you will find true freedom if you follow what we are teaching you, but in fact, the teachers are slaves to corruption, they are prisoners to sin themselves. Peter adds that by what a person is overcome, they are in fact, also then brought into bondage by that which has overcome them. Paul talked about this in Rom 6, and 7. So, their promises are empty, and the teachers are only pretending to be what they are, and not actually that in reality. 

Continuing on, Peter further describes the victims of the false teachers. They have escaped he says the pollutions of the world, but are then getting pulled back into it, and if they do, the end will be worse for them, then the beginning. They will again become entangled, and not really set free. The rejection of the liberating truth in Jesus Christ, means for them deeper and worse corruption then they had in the past. It would have been better for them not to have known the truth.

Peter ends this section, and adds to his statement about "better for them not to etc, etc" with two illustrations of what has happened to the targets of the false teachers who listened to the false teaching, and took it to heart....here's what has happened to them, or here is what their lives are like.

One, a dog returns to his own vomit. Not a pleasant site, but something that happens. When a dog has to throw up, it's the getting rid of something that was not good for them. But, when a dog goes back and eats that again, it's the taking of something not good for them, back into their system. Same thing when a person turns away from sin, and then goes back to it. P.S, this is a proverb taken from Proverbs 26:11

Secondly, and this a proverb of sorts, was a common phrase among Jews of the 1st Century. A pig who has been cleaned up, returns back to wallowing in the mud. The point of this, and the other proverb are of course, went back to what they were to start with, or what they had been all along. ( See Matt 13, parable of the sower ) Dogs and pigs can be cleaned up, but, they can't be kept clean. Because it is there very nature to live like dogs and pigs.

So, at the end of the day as it were, this is a terrible truth as to the attack of satan into and upon the church. The false teachers bringing their false empty destructive message, alluring the vulnerable, and making their lives worse in the future then they were in the past.

Father, You are the Mighty God who saves His people from error, and establishes them in the truth of Jesus Christ. Protect Your church, give your pastors love, humility, courage, grace, peace, and power to simply oversee the flocks, and to teach Your Word clearly, the whole counsel of Your Word, and to warn, rescue and help keep the church free from these false and destructive teachers. In Jesus name.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

False Teachers, what have they done, and what are they.