HOW TO BE READY TO MEET GOD.
"How to Be Ready to Meet God" is based on the
second letter Peter wrote about A.D.65. Quotes
are from the N.I.V. Bible and our comments are
in brackets.
(This letter is for believers in Jesus Christ
so if you want to become one here's how. Turn
genuinely from your past life to the new one
Jesus has for you. Speak to Him with words like
this. "Lord Jesus, I'm sorry for going my own
way. Thanks God for accepting me." You now need
to be baptised and meet with other believers in
a warm, accepting Bible centred denominational
church or have church at home. Our book "How To
Meet With God At Home", shows how.)
Our God and Saviour Jesus Christ has enabled
you to have faith in Him. Through knowing Him,
may you enjoy His undeserved love and peace in
abundance. His divine power has given you
everything you need to live His way through
knowledge of Him. You share His divine nature
through His promises and therefore escape the
corruption all around you caused by evil
desires.
Because of this, make every effort to add to
your faith, goodness, knowledge, self control,
perseverance, genuine reverence towards God,
kindness and love. (The kind of love Jesus
showed for you by dying for you though you
didn't deserve it). This will keep you from
being ineffective and unproductive and you will
get a rich welcome into heaven. Constantly
remind yourself of these facts.
Peter knew Jesus while He was on earth so what
he wrote is 100% reliable as he was an
eyewitness of His Majesty.
Remember that God the Holy Spirit used men to
write the Bible, so what you read there is what
God says, not what men say. Proof of this is
that Jesus fulfilled what was written about Him
centuries before in the Bible (see Psalm 22 and
Isaiah Chapter 52).
(Chapter 1)
Nevertheless, you'll encounter false teaching
and false teachers. They follow the corrupt
desires of their sinful nature, despising
authority, carousing in the daylight, looking
upon every woman as a potential sex partner,
seducing the unstable, being experts in greed.
They appeal to the lustful desires of sinful
human nature. A man is a slave to whatever has
mastered him - in their case, depravity. If
they escaped the corruption of the world by
knowing our Lord Jesus Christ and then got
entangled in it and overcome, they are worse
off at the end,than they were at the beginning.
They're like a dog that returns to its vomit or
a washed pig that goes back to wallowing in the
mud. For these reasons God destroyed the
ancient world with a flood and Sodom and
Gomorrah by fire, while saving godly Noah and
Lot. So God knows how to rescue the godly and
hold the ungodly for the Day of Judgement,
while continuing their punishment.
(Chapter 2)
Be stimulated to wholesome thinking, as you
recall the Old Testament Bible truths and
commands of your Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
For you'll meet some who say "Why hasn't Jesus
returned as He said He would, everything goes
on just as it always did." But remember that,
"With the Lord a day is like a thousand years
and a thousand years as a day." It's not
slowness, but God's patience, since He wants
everyone to come to repentance, not wanting
anyone to perish.
But the heavens and earth are reserved for
fire and the destruction of ungodly men on the
Day of Judgment. In view of this, set yourself
apart from sin and live a godly life as you
look forward to Judgment Day. After it, there
will be a new heaven and a new earth, the home
of all that's right.
Therefore look forward to this and make every
effort to be found spotless, blameless and at
peace with God. Be on guard against error that
might make you fall from your secure position
and "grow in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory
both now and forever."
(Chapter 3)
HERE ARE SOME MAIN POINTS FROM PETER'S SECOND
LETTER:
1. As a believer, Christ's divine nature
indwells you (in the person of the Holy
Spirit). Let Him have complete control hour
by hour, for an effective, productive life.
2. God used men to write the Bible so it
reveals God's mind and will, not men's
ideas. So absorb it and act upon it
accordingly. You'll meet plenty of
"Christians" who are false teachers because
they think they can pick and choose which
parts of the Bible suits them and ignore the
rest. It will be tough for them on the Day
of Judgement.
3. As for you, set yourself apart from sin
and live a godly life as you look forward
to the Day of Judgement.
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