Welcome to Day 2459 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2459 – Living in Troubled Times – Daily Wisdom Putnam Church Message – 09/08/2024 Anticipation of Christ’s Return – Living in Troubled Times 2 Peter 3:14-18 Last week, our focus was on what we should do in light of the coming day of the Lord. And we determined that we should Clean up. Look up. Speak up. These three commands alone will keep us plenty busy until the Lord returns. Today’s passage is 2 Peter 3:14-18, on page 1897 of your Pew Bibles. I will read it from the NLT for clarity of flow.   14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. 15 And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— 16 speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction. 17 You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. 18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen. Beware! Be ready! Those two commands could summarize the theme of Peter’s second letter. In Chapter 1 Peter warned against moral corruption, encouraging believers to beware of temptations and be ready with a virtuous life. In Chapter 2, he warned against false teachers, urging us to beware of their deceptive wickedness and be prepared to stand against their lies. Finally, in Chapter 3, Peter reminded us that scoffers would come, doubting the coming judgment. In light of this challenge, Peter encouraged us to beware of their persuasive skepticism and always be ready for the coming judgment. Peter wrote this letter to remind believers of sound teaching, to encourage diligence in the faith, and to strengthen biblical foundations of beliefs and practices. As he transitions to his final words to believers everywhere, we see him emphasize the need to read Scripture rightly, rejecting the destructive heretical interpretations of the false teachers. Only in this way will we be stable in the face of false teaching and fruitful in our spiritual growth. In these five verses, Peter leaves his readers with four strong commands:

• Be diligent (3:14).
• Be confident (3:15-16).
• Be on guard (3:17).
• Be fruitful (3:18).

In that order, let Peter fill in the blanks and firm up his final words.     — 3:14 — The first thing we notice about Peter’s clear command to be diligent is that he ties it in with the previous discussion. He begins with the logical connector, “And so,” pointing us back to his appeal...