Tough & Tender - Week 4 - St. Peter - Pastor Bill Monday
Tough & Tender
Week 4 -St Peter
Pastor Bill Monday
Welcome back to our fourth week in our series "Tough and Tender" as I mentioned, in our first reading will be taking a look again at some of the words of the Apostle. Peter, one of Jesus Inner Circle friends. We're going to take a look at second Peter 3, 129 in particular, the arguments that you can't really trust. Jesus and his promise to return and how Peter with tough and tender words dresses that for your comfort in mind before we jump into our message. Open with prayer. Sanctify Us by the truth. O Lord. Your word is truth. Amen. Because I summer's day like this one, the man was walking down the sidewalk and past his neighbor's houses, and one of his neighbor's, he saw a sign out in the yard said talking dog for sale. Interesting. And there's this picture is beautiful black lab. So he had some extra time, he's like okay talking dog, he walks up to the door, knocks on the door, the owner answers, ask about the dog, so what you can see in the back, so take some to the back and sure enough. There's this black lab, beautiful black lip tied to a tree. They are looks at the owners hero talk. So, yeah, give it a shot. So guy felt kind of weird about it, but he was like, okay, you listen to the dog's eyes.
Hey buddy, here, you can talk. And this very well-spoken dog, articulate in every way says yes, yes, I can. How can I be able to talk since I was a puppy, actually, and then he went on. He said, “and then when I found out, I was unique and I was different. I decided to apply for the CIA. Oh. Yeah. And they honored me and they send me all around the world so that I could hear because nobody would believe that a dog can hear and understand and talk. Ian covered so many well Secrets which I can't tell you, I have to kill you. And so that was my career, my job. And then I met the mrs. And we had a mess up Pops. Well, now, they're all grown and gone. And here I am, just retired”. Guy was floored a talking dog. You're kidding me. He really talks. And so he looked at the owners and you're selling him. What? How much are you asking guys? Like 10 bucks? Ten bucks. Ready for a talking dog guy responded. Yeah, you can't believe a word. He says.
I'm sorry. I share that with you though because I think it paints a vivid parallel for a spiritual illustration. To wish for just silly and wish it wasn't a joke. You realize what we have here? When we gather as God's people. We're so familiar with and we hear the Bible, read the scriptures read all the time, but that's God's word, isn't it? Hey, this, What we gather here because we know God speaks and that's miraculous farmer in Kansas any parking black lab. This track is not because God can't speak. God can do whatever he wants; it's miraculous because We shouldn't be able to have him communicate to us. We are not like him. He is Holy and perfect. He is infinite in wisdom and knowledge. How would he find a way to communicate with us? And yet he has, and we gather here and that's what makes Christianity unique. This is God, speaking in his word and how do we know what sets Christianity apart from all other world religions? And again, it doesn't matter where we're coming from, we're all sinners in need of rescue so to speak. We spoke in Jesus the Christ. Who is it? Just a teacher but is the embodiment of all God's revelation of teaching? We come here because God has spoken proven in Christ Jesus by his perfect life for you his death, which covered our sins proven in the resurrection from the deck, by eyewitnesses like Peter, who saw His glory. And not just the followers of Jesus, but by secularists by historians were not Believers, but he acknowledged, hey, there was this man, Jesus of Nazareth. Nazareth, suffered under Pontius Pilate, he died. We found his body. But his followers kept preaching about him even giving up their life for the hope of the Resurrection from the dead that he lives. Gaining. No power. No influence, no money.
God speaks and yet here's the parallel. How many people today in our world and our culture willing to say? Yeah, there is something to Jesus that can argue that. Yeah from God. Great teacher good. And I like what he says, a lot of it. I mean, I think of this month, it's pride month. People say I like that. Jesus says love everyone. And that's true. We are to love all people.
I love how Jesus says judge not and that is true. We are not to judge by human standards. God alone has the standard to judge. But then they go on to suggest but you really can't believe anything. He says, Now, Judgment Day. I mean a loving God would never send anyone to hell. Is it in that? What's offered up in our day even though Jesus and Matthew 25 talks about. Hey, there's judgment, which is why he came It's Rescue. All if they would only humble themselves and believe his word. A word that speaks about well how it all began and marriage male and female. And the way it was designed, well that's all corrupted by sin, of course, which is why people suggest can't believe already says, here you go back to the beginning to and you can see it there. I mean Genesis 1, 2, 3, its history. It's to be taken literally. And yet, what do we do in our modern sophisticated mind? All, I like the Bible but you can't believe Genesis 1 through 3 as it is. I mean, you can't really take him at his word.
Because of the question that only Humanity male and female and marriage, but our need for a savior
Three days of a resurrection. If you can't count the first 67 days, And then it calls into question the end. Is Jesus really coming? You see how it works. God speaks while it's amazing. Well, you can't really though, you can't really believe what he says. We're not the only ones that experienced that in our day and age, that's always been happening. Since the fallenness said it was happening in Peters day.
And Peter was really concerned for his people. Because are you like me? When you hear that well, Genesis isn't true. Evolution is. God's not Designer of marriage, male and female but we can make of it. What we want. There is, no, hell no, judgement day. When you hear all these things again and again, assaulting God's teaching, as if he lies. Because your faith shakes a little. Don't you wonder what am I just buying into? Did God speak? Because Peter loves God's people was inspired to write his eyewitness account. He takes up an argument which was widespread that day, questioning the Lord's return. And I love what he does here. He's going to encourage us by letting us know that that argument doesn't stand. Even more important, God never lies. And that's the rescue us. So thinking about that talking dog story. Let's fill in our first blank. Here's really what we're wrestling with today. How does it make sense to reject? Something? Over words spoken when the truth is undeniable, and the truth is undeniable and Christ. And here's the argument will go to Second Peter 3 4, right away. This is what bothered Peter for the sake of God's people. He quotes the scoffers. Where is this coming? He promised, ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. Again, filling in the blanks. How does God handle such nonsense? He's tough and he's tender. It seems to pop out again and again and again, in Peter's letters, So, we're going to Look at a couple of passages that Peter uses to tear down that argument of the scoffers for your encouragement and mind. And the first truth is tough. Doesn't mince words. And the reason why he doesn't is because our natures need to be humbled so that we don't miss out on the truth of God's grace. So we read 2 Peter 3, verse 8 here, Peter says, “Do not forget this one thing, dear friends. With the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow, in keeping his promise as some understand slowness, So for those asking why so long, Peter? The tough answer? Oh, Peter points us to God's eternal nature. That's kind of a heady concept. So, let's just take a moment and consider that you ever think about God's eternal nature. Meaning that said he transcends time it reminds us that God created time for us and that's so far beyond us. How do you even understand that? Can you imagine existence without time but God created time so that we could exist as finite beings. So, God's infinite. I think of this eternal nature he has no beginning to go back as far as you can in time even before the creation of the world. You know what you'll find God. Go back further God go back further God go back further God. God go back a billion years further. There was no time but go back there. God.
Chills. God is so far beyond us. And so here we are finite beings who in our day and age, we get frustrated, if we sit at a restaurant table and every way more than 10 minutes for a food, And we're inclined, maybe to say God why so long. Especially in our suffering, ours especially when our faith is assaulted, why? So long way this corruption? Why the chaos where Jesus are you coming? Peter says, remember God's eternal nature. God sees time differently than we do time is like a drop in a bucket and a notion of eternity. A day is like a thousand years. A thousand years is like a day. What is time to God? As you see what Peter's kind of doing, for those that Wonder like, why are you taking so long Jesus? It's been over two thousand years. Are you ever coming? Peter says, You don't know what you're talking about. And that's tough. Like, you don't get it. He says to us, you don't grasp eternity. You don't see that time to God is like an open book and every page is present Moses days. The same as your day is the same as the end. It's the Eternal present with God. What are you talking about time? It's almost like Peter's taking the same approach as what God does with job. Read me. The story with the Job was just added with God. He was like, I just if I could put God on trial, I'd give him a piece of my mind after all my suffering, right? If I could just have that day in court with God, he shows up in a storm, God shows up, and he says, Hey Job, what did you want?
You on trial. Stand up and brace yourself like a man, let me ask you where were you and he just goes on for chapters and chapters and chapters. Where were you? Where were you? Where were you? You tell me how things work, Job. Doesn't get tougher than that. And Joe repented. He was like, I am sorry. I spoke without thinking. God, forgive me. And only then God could be tender. That's where Peter goes with this as well. So after putting God's eternal nature to our questions and kind of accusing and the scoffers saying he's not coming back, it's just taking too long after God rebukes us. He never pulls back the curtain. He says you want to see what I'm doing. I want you to see. This is where Peter goes next. Worry verse 9. He says instead he is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But it's got let things go on and on and on as he gets evil and more corrupt, it seems Because there are souls out there that are desperate for his grace. And in this madness and the spiritual warfare where their casualties all around God in his grace is saving and rescuing Souls one by one. That's why the time and where those Souls. As I fill in the blank here. Why so long? Well, the tender answer for the Lost God points us to His abundant patience. God and Peter's words, says I love people and it's Jesus who alone bled for people so that they might live. No one loves people more than God.
God says I'm allowing it, even your suffering your long hardship. Because I need time to rescue the lost and I love this fact here because as Peter writes this he's not a young Peter he's writing from experience. He's about ready to die. He's live decades now after Jesus is already gone and he hasn't come back yet. If anybody had a right to scoff and say, where is this coming in a might have been Peter. But he does nothing of the sort. And again, I want you to just kind of walk and Peter's shoes for a little bit. Because early on in Acts chapter 1, you could read about how Peter had to understand this truth, too. God's timing is not ours and it's for our betterment. In Acts chapter 1, Peter standing with the other disciples and Jesus is about ready to ascend into the heavens to sit at God's right hand to rule over all things for his people and Peter and the disciples. They're like, so are you going to restore the kingdom? Now Nick been asking that all Ministry of Jesus.
Jesus, again says, it's not for you to know the time. Just go go and preach and days went by and months went by and years went by. And Peter was thrown into prison. Peter saw his best friend James put to death, And Peter kept struggling and he was persecuted and so was John his other companion. But finally, the light went on and about Acts chapter 10, Peter and gauges. This man who didn't know Jesus. And he became the first believer among the Gentiles beyond the borders of Israel. It's kind of our heritage. And Peter again would be persecuted, would go without and would ultimately be crucified upside down. Longing for God to come, but God waited Had waited for you. For me, John also had that same experience. He had to learn these truths because John with Peter wanted to rule right now with Jesus, like before Jesus died. He was arguing with James and some of the other disciples who would rule. He was thinking immediately. But John who lived a full life? In his 90s pens down to gospel and reflects on Peter's death. And he reflects on all the other apostles who had died, all of them died, Jesus hadn't yet come and John realized, That Jesus was going to way. Jesus, he was going to wait for love for others who are yet unreached. You see Peter and John got it. God keeps his promises. It's foolish to think he lies, Christ is the proof so just wait. There's another encouragement though, for you, in particular. For the answer, why? So long the tender answer for you. Earlier in Peter's letters, we find that it's his redeeming power. That's on display which is critical for us. Let me just read to you some thoughts from 1st Peter chapter 1, 1 - 2. Peter starts out addressing you and me and all the followers of Jesus. He says to God's elect That's your exile, scattered. But you've been chosen. And this before the crease in the world, God had you in mind, shows you in time. And in that time, sprinkled you with the blood of Christ in the waters of baptism and the hearing of the Gospel, Now here's the thing. If you're chosen, if that's God's redeeming power, If you're chosen, he will not lose you. He won't lose you. Whatever causes you to cry, how long Lord, how long, whether it's mental struggles, whether its family relationships that are strained or broken. Whether it's health issues. We're standing at the grave site of a loved one asking why? God promises, I'm not going to lose you. John said nothing can snatch you out of my head and room and say nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. And so when you suffer, God's got a plan for that and God who carved you in the palm of his hand, will not lose you won't, but he will bless you in that hardship and he will win other Souls.
You see Peter understood that Peter saw that God allowed him to suffer. For our sake. Praise God. That Jesus didn't come in Peters Life Time. Why, cuz you, and I would not be in heaven, one day. God loved you too much in time then.
And so God allows a long difficult life for you for the sake of people yet unreached. This is very practical when you struggle. When you need to see a counselor, when your marriage is on the Rocks, when your children aren't faring, well, when you lose, and you lose and you lose. It's so important to realize, God is speaking. And you can take him at his word. He sees you. He understands your hardship. And he says I have plans to prosper you and not to harm you and in your suffering and you're struggling, you'll be just like Christ. I will use that to win over other people. Whom I've also chosen. Does it lift your spirit? The next time you get those test results and it's not good. You can say a prayer. God, I give this to you. I know this time is continuing on and that I should suffer this because it's about saving other Souls. And I praise you, you won't lose me either.
Now liberating, that is How beautiful to know and every pain. Every hardship as you suffer? God has a plan for you. And one day, you're going to see that plan unfold, and in heaven. You're going to see the souls that were one because God allowed that time.
Maybe that's my last thought for us.
And Heaven will Praise Jesus for the speed of his return. I promise God in heaven, you're going to stand there and see all these Generations reach because of the time of our suffering and that of Christ. And you're going to say God, you're so amazing. You blast the world. In the midst of my hardship. So hold on, friends. Suffer well because God has spoken tough and tender love for you. May God give us the strength in to suffer well. Amen.
