Monday, July 10, 2006

Expository Thoughts: Pondering the Lord's Patience

This week my church's memory verse is 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
In this passage, Peter is addressing a very old excuse for not trusting in Christ. “His promise” in this text refers to Jesus’ promise to come again. Many unbelievers have looked at this promise and scoffed, “Jesus is not returning. The world goes on just as it always has.” But Peter knows better than to think so foolishly. Peter knows something about the second coming that we all need to be familiar with. Peter knows why Jesus is being so patient. Jesus is being patient because He desires to save sinners. He is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. So, what should we do in response to this text? First, we should thank God for His patience toward us. Second, we should repent of our sins and trust Christ alone for our salvation. Finally, we should tell our friends, family, and neighbors about Christ’s patience in hopes that they will come to repentance.

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