2 Peter 3:10–18
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night… 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 hastening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein 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, beloved… be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace without spot, and blameless.”
2 Peter 3:10, 11, 12, 13, 14
It may be news to some unspiritual and worldly-minded people that this world might come to an end at any time, but it shouldn’t be so to the watchful and vigilant follower of Jesus Christ, unless they have dropped off their cross and relaxed their commitment to Him.
That the day of the Lord is near at hand is a fact that resonates in the heart of every Christian who is alive in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. This awareness produces an unforced personal desire to examine oneself for both godly virtues and sinful flaws: godly virtues, on the one hand, because that is God’s requirement for our admittance into His everlasting Kingdom in Heaven; and sinful flaws, because they would be the undoing of anyone who harbours them in their lives. They cannot hope to see God in the beauty of His holiness while still being dressed in the sinful garb of worldly life.
God has long set the standard that only the “…pure in heart… shall see God” (Matthew 5:8), and that without “…peace with all men, and holiness…” of heart before God, no man or woman shall see God in Heaven’s eternal city of joy, peace, and abundance. Hebrews 12:14
What must we do, then, if we must transit successfully through these evil days of this end time and into the glorious and joyful days of God’s redeemed saints in His heavenly Kingdom? The Holy Scriptures give us answers to this: 1 John 3:2–3; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:14–15; 1 Peter 2:11–12; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11.
“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:3
We shall expand this study to include the following sub-topics:
- Satan’s Efforts to Draw Away Souls in This End-Time — Matthew 24:10–12; 2 Timothy 4:3–4; 2 Thessalonians 2:6–12.
- God’s Call to Vigilance and Resistance Against Satan and His Kingdom — 1 Peter 5:8–9; 2 Timothy 4:5; 2:3–4; 1 Timothy 6:11–14.
- Personal Renewal and Revival in Hope of Christ’s Soon Return — Romans 12:1–2; 13:11–14.
1. SATAN’S EFFORTS TO DRAW AWAY SOULS IN THIS END-TIME
Matthew 24:10–12; 2 Timothy 4:3–4; 2 Thessalonians 2:6–12
That the world is experiencing a moral meltdown can be seen in how brazenly sin is being practised by so many people in this end-time period. The days of good morals seem to have gone for good. Today, the practice of good morals is viewed by the majority of people either as a weakness of character or as a sign of not being civilised.
Satan has convinced a lot of people to see the practice of sin as an expression of their liberty to live free from any restriction, whether by man or by God. But, alas! Little do they know that to live at liberty from the control of God’s Word is to live under spiritual bondage to Satan. The Holy Bible has long lamented this deplorable state of sinful man with the expression: “For many have turned aside after Satan.” 1 Timothy 5:15
The proliferation of sinful entertainment, sinful fashion, sinful religious practices, and sinful vocations, all in the name of earning a living, yet without shame, has destroyed the conscience of many. We need a spiritual renewal today more than ever before!!! See Matthew 24:10–12; 1 Timothy 4:1–2.
“Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed; neither could they blush…” Jeremiah 8:12
The mad rush for the things of this world is a clear indication of who is in charge in the majority of people’s lives: Satan!
People may flaunt church membership and some spiritual titles as evidence that they are Christians, but unless they can prove this by a life free of the moral decay we see around us today, they must sadly own up to the fact that they have fallen into the hands of Satan, the deceiver and spoiler of the world.
2 Thessalonians 2:6–12; Revelation 12:9
“…and the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:9
Satan is alive and well in the world, and every believing Christian must be wary of this fact. The mad rush for easy religion and entertaining sermons is a testimony to the activities of Satan and his host of deceiving spirits among the people of the world. We must be watchful. 1 Peter 5:8; 2 Timothy 4:3–4.
“…And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
2 Timothy 4:4
Every gospel which seeks to give you more hope of a better life on earth than in Heaven is a “fable,” as the Scriptures put it. Jesus Christ did not die to give you the world—not at all! But Satan has manipulated so many preachers to think and preach this way. We need to be renewed and cleansed from those erroneous doctrines because Satan is using them to draw men and women, boys and girls, away from God in this end-time. We must rise up and be on our guard against Satan!
2. GOD’S CALL TO VIGILANCE AND RESISTANCE AGAINST SATAN AND HIS KINGDOM
1 Peter 5:8–9; 2 Timothy 4:5; 2:3–4; 1 Timothy 6:11–14
God calls us to vigilance and resistance against Satan and his agents, as this is the path to our spiritual survival.
1 Peter 5:8–9:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (NKJV)
The mounting pressure on the Christian to conform to the sinful world, much against God’s warning, must be resisted and refused by all whose desire is to live in Heaven with members of the Godhead, the holy angels, and all saints.
The fight for our admittance into Heaven must be sustained head-on against Satan every day we live, until Jesus Christ calls or takes us home. We must resist every urge to compromise our good Christian virtues for a worldly and loose life. We must be ready to let go of anyone or anything that is a pawn in the hand of Satan to make us fall into sin. Now is not the time to fall from grace; not for anyone or anything!
2 Timothy 2:3–4:
“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” (NKJV)
Satan and his agents have devised some subtle means by which to lure the unsuspecting Christian into sin and, therefore, quench their zeal for God’s Kingdom. It is the Christian’s duty to identify those things which wage war against their commitment to God and to avoid them.
1 Peter 2:11:
“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” (NKJV)
We must give more priority to the things that help us to serve God faithfully, and whatsoever detracts from that must be staunchly resisted and fought against with all our might.
1 Timothy 6:11:
“But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (NKJV)
3. PERSONAL RENEWAL AND REVIVAL IN HOPE OF CHRIST’S SOON RETURN
Romans 12:1–2; 13:11–14
Whatever a person consciously does with their physical body, especially something bad, has the power to affect their soul forever, unless they call upon God in prayer to help alter the course of their lives again. So, in effect, our eternal destiny is being programmed by us through our daily activities, whether for good or for bad. The Holy Bible has this to say in 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Galatians 6:7–8:
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. That everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
The Scriptures above should provoke deep thoughts in our hearts as to how far or near we are to God and His Kingdom, based on the kind of life we have been living. Have we been consciously living according to God’s revealed desire in the Holy Bible, or according to the cravings of our carnal and sinful lusts?
For the purpose of clarity, we shall mention below some of the common fleshly lusts which negatively affect the soul, and then the spiritual virtues which positively affect the soul:
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery (Sexual sins among married persons), fornication (Sexual sins among unmarried persons), uncleanness (which can either be physical-like masturbation- or emotional- like bad and sensually arousing thoughts-, and their likes), lasciviousness (anything considered shameful to do because it is against God’s word and clear conscience), idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance (not straight forward, and unnecessarily difficult to get along with people), emulations (competitions), wrath, strife (quarrelsome) seditions (rebellious and trouble makers), heresies (blasphemies), envyings, murders (killings of both living humans and aborting of unborn babies) drunkenness, reveling (worldly and sinful pleasures and entertainments), and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19–21
To live in one, more, or all of the above sinful vices is to be destined for eternal separation from God into hellfire. But we can, however, change our orientation through genuine repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, and then experience the renewal and transformation of life which only He can give to anyone who wholeheartedly follows Him.
Galatians 5:22–24 talks about this new life, thus:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, (unconditional love with pure and holy intents) joy (which comes from the heart as a result of its purity), peace (as a result of God’s presence in our heart), Long suffering (endurance which is possible in all situations because of our hope in God to handle our situations in His own way and at His own time), gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (the ability to tolerate people and situations calmly without taking offence): against such there is no law, and they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”
In the Scriptures above, the negative human character (Galatians 5:19–21) and the positive ones (Galatians 5:22–26) affect our relationship with God and our readiness for His soon-coming Kingdom, either favourably or adversely.
We shall now shift our focus to how we can identify our true position before God and what we should do to better enhance our chances of going to Heaven at last, through a renewed and revived Christian life and godly character.
We shall consider three (3) points to help with this.
A. KNOWING WHO YOU ARE
Self-discovery is the first step towards ordering your steps, or your life, properly and acceptably to God.
Because of our love for ourselves, we are prone to judging our lives too leniently, even where it is obvious that we are not right before God. Speaking about this self-love, the Bible has this to say:
“For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it…” Ephesians 5:29
We would always like to view ourselves in the most generous and least critical manner, and to impute righteousness to ourselves even where we are not deserving of it.
Proverbs 20:6 says: “…Most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?”
See also Luke 18:11–14; Isaiah 65:5.
However, if we would know who we truly are and be able to see ourselves as God sees us, then we must allow His Word to be the mirror by which our true selves are revealed. See Psalms 119:105, 130; Proverbs 6:23.
B. JUDGING YOURSELF STRICTLY BY GOD’S WORD
“For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrows, AND IS A DISCERNER OF THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTS OF THE HEART.” Hebrews 4:12
The Word of God speaks truth only. Those who love the truth align their lives with God’s Word, and that way they can easily detect the lies of Satan hiding behind any of the many facades with which he subtly presents them to the unsuspecting.
Therefore, by reading and meditating in the Word, God helps us to know what’s right to do and what’s not.
Psalms 119:9–11:
“How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word and following its rules.
I have tried my best to find you–don’t let me wander from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” NLT
C. ACTIVATING GOD’S RENEWAL PROCESS IN YOUR LIFE
2 Peter 1:1–11
We are now bringing the study to a close by considering the third and last point, titled Activating God’s Renewal Process in Your Life. 2 Peter 1:1–11.
“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge. And to knowledge temperance, and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; And to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity…” 2 Peter 1:5–7
One of the main reasons why we mostly fail to get the expected spiritual renewal and revival we so much long and pray for is simply because we heap tons of prayer points about this to God but will not as much as lift a grain of sand’s weight of responsibility towards this end. God is a facilitator of what we desire and pray for; we are the main actors! When we act towards what we desire, then God facilitates it, and we get the results in our lives. See James 2:17–26; Hebrews 11:1–6.
“…Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” James 2:17
From the opening Scriptures of this last point, we can see that the verb “add” was consistently used; it is an action word! We are supposed to go to a kind of virtue shopping in God’s heavenly storeroom and choose the spiritual fruits and virtues which we lack, and allow God to facilitate the purchase and implementation of them into our lives through Jesus Christ, His Son.
“Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24
Below are some practical steps towards obtaining spiritual renewal and revival as we await Jesus Christ’s return to rapture us:
1. DAILY SEARCH AND MEDITATION IN GOD’S WORD
Acts 17:11–12
All the virtues we need in our lives are stocked in the Holy Bible; it is the one-stop shop for the Christian who wants to be enriched with holy virtues and spiritual beauty, as is revealed in 1 Peter 3:3–4.
“But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price.” 1 Peter 3:4
By reading the Holy Bible regularly, we would become accustomed to the lives of the Bible characters revealed therein and learn from their virtues, while also avoiding the mistakes by which they were overtaken in their moments of weakness.
In the Bible book of Colossians 3:16, we are admonished to allow the words of Jesus Christ to dwell in us so richly that they flow out of us naturally to address every situation in our daily lives. Faith begins with the reading of God’s Word and will be sustained by it if we continue with the reading culture all our lives.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
2. CONTINUOUS PRAYER AND FASTING HABIT
Luke 18:1–8; Acts 6:4; Colossians 4:2–6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17–18
“And in the morning rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” Mark 1:35
Prayer is very important for our spiritual health; without prayer, our relationship with God will suffer. Prayer provides us with a continual platform for interacting with the Godhead, to wit: God the Father (2 Chronicles 20:1–4, 21–22), God the Son (Acts 9:8–12), and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31).
All of these members of the Godhead long for our company in prayer, that they may affect our lives positively.
3. PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL (EVANGELISM)
Matthew 28:18–20; 2 Timothy 4:1–5; Romans 1:16–17
Telling people about your faith in Jesus Christ is a great way to maintain your relationship with Him. Jesus is mostly active among those who win souls. God has no business interacting with people who have nothing doing for His Kingdom. If God finds you to be a useful vessel in His service, it is certain that He’d do all He can to keep you renewed, revived, and ready for His coming Kingdom.
“And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen!” Mark 16:20
THE END