How to live with the end in sight.

Concerning the end times, Jesus said:

“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24.36 and 44).

Peter ended his second letter with instructions on how to be ready for the end times.

— We are to lead “lives of holiness and godliness” (2 Peter 3.11).

Holy and godly people live a Jesus-kind-of-life. Dallas Willard explains how we can seek to live like Jesus. He proposes three steps.

(1) Vision – We need a vision of what a life like Jesus resembles. If we read the Gospels and look at Jesus’ attitudes, actions, and teaching, we will begin to develop a vision of this way of life.

(2) Intention – In this step, we make a conscious decision to pattern our lives after what we read about Jesus.

All the Bible knowledge without intending to do something with the information will have no effect.

(3) Means – Bible study, prayer, and service to others are some of the “tools” that God uses to fashion us into a life like Jesus.

Eager Expectation

The Bible speaks of “waiting” to refer to confident trust in God’s promises. Peter emphasized the role of waiting and being ready for the second coming of Christ.

— We are to wait expectantly for his coming (2 Peter 3.12-13).

— “While you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him
at peace, without spot or blemish” (2 Peter 3.14).

In the Old Testament, waiting is contrasted with taking matters into our own hands. The first readers of Peter’s letters anticipated the return of Christ in their lifetime.

Two thousand years later, the question is whether we are waiting and ready for his return.

If we are striving to live a Jesus-kind-of-life, we will be found ready and waiting to receive our Lord and Savior.

When we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3.18), we show the Lord and the observing world that we are serious about living like Jesus.

What I outlined from Dallas Willard above is an excellent prescription for growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior.

YouTube Video

Rudy Ross and I finish our study of 2 Peter on YouTube today. It can be found on the Bob Spradling channel.