Central Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

It’s that time of year when one day feels like a thousand years … Will the school year ever end? Will the school day ever end? How many more days until summer? When will my tomatoes be ready? When will the AC kick on? Amid delay and deferred dreams, we can become discouraged and get misdirected. And that’s one reason why it’s so important for us to gather together as the church—so we can remember and recommit to our mission as disciple-makers. As believers, we have a responsibility to be always ready, because we don’t know when Jesus will return. And when He does, a thousand years will suddenly feel like a single day.

Some of us enjoy vegetables while for others they may be an acquired taste. However, almost all of us recognize their nutritional value so we try to develop in our kids a palate for vegetables because we want them to be healthy and strong. We come to a passage in 2 Peter that most would not run to as their favorite passage in Scripture. However, this warning passage from Peter is of critical importance for the health of the church.

Waiting is one of the most difficult things to do. Whether it’s waiting for graduation, Christmas, or waiting all day for Sunday night in the fall. We want things to happen quickly, as they should be, and on our timetable. But what do we do when the unexpected happens and what we have been waiting for turns into an impossible situation? We will dive into what our response should be in the waiting.

Have you ever had to raise your voice at someone – not in a sinful, emotional way, but in a protective way? Or maybe there was a dangerous moment in your life when someone raised their voice towards you and saved you from a lot of harm. As we continue our study of 2nd Peter, Peter effectively raises his voice to the church to save them from what would be certain destruction. His warnings are just as important today.

Have you ever been conned? Maybe someone sweet talked you into a deal that sounded to good to be true and then it was. It usually happens because someone gains your trust, but then turns out not to be trustworthy. As it turns out there are those who use the name of Christ, and call themselves Christians only out of greed. Peter has a lot to say about the effect of false teachers. This important message is very relevant for our day.

What causes you to stop and pay attention to what someone is saying? Maybe it’s the seriousness of their voice, or the seriousness of the situation. Peter grabs the attention of his audience by telling them he doesn’t have much time left. That, maybe like nothing else, has a way of grabbing your attention. He had a reminder that was of critical importance for the church. It remains of critical importance for the church.

Sometimes, you will run into someone you haven’t seen in a long time and they will say, “you haven’t changed a bit.” As we age, that’s always a nice thing to hear. No one wants to be greeted with someone saying, “wow, I can’t believe how you’ve changed.” However, what may be true physically is not true spiritually. We should all be changing.

We’re familiar with the expression – “things have gone from bad to worse.” We’ve all seen examples of that. In some ways that was the context of 2nd Peter. Not only was the church dealing with the persecution and sufferings that Peter addressed in his 1st letter. Now, there was a growing tide of heresy and false teaching that threatened the church. There are many parallels to the church today and I hope you’ll join us as we begin a study of 2nd Peter.

Through the centuries the church has gathered in homes and buildings, in temples and tabernacles, or just outside to celebrate the reality of the resurrection of Jesus and the implications of it. This week we gather again, both on Friday and on Sunday, to join in the long line of saints declaring that Jesus is risen.

Have you ever set out to accomplish something but weren’t sure when or if you’d ever finish? Maybe it was when you started college or took that first position in hopes of launching your career. Maybe it was holding your child knowing you had the responsibility of preparing them to be an adult. Jesus was on a long journey. We’ll see just how long it was as we follow him to Golgotha this week to be reminded once again of the most significant moment in human history.

Which do you prefer the original or the sequel? Most of us would probably say the original. However, last week we saw, in some respects, the original wilderness experience. The Israelites failed that test miserably. But many years later there was a sequel to the story. Although instead of all the Israelites there was just one. His time in the wilderness proved much different.

Who likes a lot of rules and regulations? Probably not a lot of us, but if we think more about it, we may come to the realization that rules are designed to give us direction or provide us guidelines to keep us safe. If that is true, then standards may not be bad. All throughout Scripture, we can read God’s standards. We not only get to read the rules, but also read about the benefits of following those rules as well as the consequences of not following them. During this Easter season we are continuing the series titled: From the Garden to Golgotha. This week we will take a stop along our journey towards Golgotha in the Wilderness at Mount Sinai.

The passion of Jesus and the story of Easter began in a garden. Its name wasn’t Gethsemane but Eden. Eden was paradise until the first two people sinned. Their sin unleashed consequences upon all of creation. The most painful consequence was that humanity was separated from God. However, God launched a plan right then to rescue humanity. The climax of that rescue was seen at Golgotha. During this Easter season we are launching into a new series titled: From the Gardn to Golgotha. During this series we’ll be reminded about the seriousness of our sin, and magnificent love of Jesus. Prepare to fall in love with the Savior again.

This week we’ll be wrapping up Peter’s first letter. His conclusion includes the previous themes of pain, suffering and triumph. And in so doing, he draws the attention of his audience to God in such a winsome way.

We’ve all experienced the effects of good leadership and poor leadership. Sometimes, we’ll settle for a poor leader because we think a good leader will call us to do the right thing which is a hard thing and we’re comfortable just where we are. The task of the church is to make disciples of all nations. That’s a hard task and we need godly leaders who will equip us for that intimidating work.

One of the questions that has bothered a lot of people is, “Why does God allow bad this to happen to good people?” In Peter’s 1st letter he spends a lot of time talking about the sufferings of the church. This next section is no different.

One question that humanity has wrestled with is when will the end of the world come. The church has often asked when will Jesus return. As we continue our series in 1st Peter we’ll discover how the church should live in the end times.

Have you ever noticed how Hollywood distorts reality? Ventilation systems in any building are always strong enough to hold at least one, but usually multiple people crawling through them. When cars crash they always burst into flames. People living in the Victorian era never seem to sweat wearing all that clothing and their teeth are always perfect. So many distortions. You know, in the church sometimes we have our own distortions. At times we all need a reality check. We’ll see that Peter gives us one as we continue studying through his letters.

Have you ever been confused? We’ve all been there. Some things in life are just confusing. One of the most confusing aspects of the human experience is why do bad things happen to good people. Why do Godly people deal with suffering. As we continue our study of 1st Peter, we’ll tackle that and several other difficult questions in a message that is sure to make you think. I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as God helps us put suffering in it’s proper context.

How do you react to thought of more pain or suffering? Many of us try to avoid that as much as possible. We place a high value on safety and comfort. While we know we are empowered to make disciples sometimes that calling seems too messy and makes us uncomfortable. Peter wrote two letters to encourage the church that there is strength in the face of trouble, that those troubles are temporary, and we can have confidence while living on mission. This year we are continuing our deep dive into 1st and 2nd Peter in our sermon series Confidence. Through it, my prayer is you will press on, living the life God made you to live. It is in the darkest times that the collective light of the Jesus’ church shines brightest.