Sermon Tone Analysis

Considering the Lord’s Grace

Introduction: This letter is credited to Peter the disciple and Apostle of Christ.

It is written to address false teaching within the church especially those teachings that claimed The Lord would not return.

It is generally believed Peter may have written this letter from Rome to Churches located in Asia Minor.

Peter’s main emphasis is to encourage these Churches to remain faithful in their sufferings and persecutions and not be misled by those who have denied the return of the coming Christ.

This is especially, significant to our present verses today.

Again, there were among the church those teaching that people could live as they wished and not concern themselves with the Return of Christ or the impending judgment.

Many of these false teachers taught that since the prominent apostles who taught the return of Christ was near had already passed that those apostles were wrong and only using this as a scare tactic and a way to keep church people in tact.

These false teachers said, “live like you want to there are no consequences and Jesus is not going to return”

So Peter’s letter is pretty rough and argumentative, especially towards those who are misleading the church.

But Peter is also encourages and advises the believers in these churches to consider who The Lord is and what The Lord is doing.

Transition: The first of the considerations Peter gives is to consider the Eternity of The Lord.

Consider the Eternity of The Lord ()

Peter advises that as believers they each must recognize and be aware that God is not man.

God is not limited to time.

God created time and is not bound to it.

Note in Peter says, “do not overlook this one fact” Peter is actually addressing something stated in

Peter makes it clear that those who teach the nonsense that Christ will not return have deliberately ignored the truth of who God is.

He is creator and at no time is the creator bound or confined to limits of His own creation.

So Peter says, since they have hidden those things from you, PAY ATTENTION to this: God is eternal!

“With the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as one day” Most theologians believe Peters statement to be what is called an allusion to I believe it to be also as it refers to the fact that God is not bound by any measure of time.

Transition: Peter

Consider The Lord’s Patience ()

Peter argues that while The Lord has not returned, it is best to view this from the perspective of God’s Patience.

The statement, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise” in the original language literally means, “the Lord of the promise does not delay.”

He has not delayed in His return yet he is extending His Grace through patience.

“the Lord of the promise does not delay.”

Appreciate his patience

Consider The Lord’s Return ()

“But the day of the Lord” - His day, judgment - Eschatological reference

“will come like a thief”- unannounced, (how do you prepare for a thief?)- this Scripture is not meant to describe Christ as a thief but His return as an unannounced, unknown and unpreventable.