“Stand Firm in Grace, Live for Eternity” (1 Peter 5:12 – 2 Peter 3)

The core message Peter leaves us at the end of these two letters is simple yet profound.

“This is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.”

Peter does not teach us new techniques. He does not tell us to change our circumstances. He says only one thing: “Stand. Stand firm in grace.” Because the life of a saint begins with grace, is sustained by grace, and is completed by grace.

1. We Are People Who Have Already Received Everything In 2 Peter chapter 1, Peter declares: "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life." Friends, a saint is not someone who needs to receive something more to live properly. We are people who have already received everything we need in Christ. Therefore, growth is not a condition to earn grace, but the inevitable fruit of one who has received grace. It is inevitable that we live worthily as recipients of grace, and that the character of a grace-recipient appears as fruit in our lives.

2. Therefore, False Gospels Are the Most Dangerous Why? Because they preach a gospel that does not make people uncomfortable—grace without the cross. Grace without the cross does not bear fruit. A gospel that requires no patience, no sacrifice, no service, and no self-denial is too sweet. Faith that only seeks to hear what sounds good to the ears is false faith that worships oneself. Therefore, we must stand in the truth, know the truth, and act according to the truth. Freedom without repentance is not freedom, but license leading to destruction. True grace does not leave us as we are. True grace changes us. There is no growth or maturity in faith without suffering and sacrifice. If you are living in true grace, change naturally follows. If there is no change in your life, you must repent.

3. The Eyes of a Saint Must Be Fixed on Eternity In 2 Peter chapter 3, Peter turns our eyes to look at the Lord and heavenly things. "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." The reason we feel impatient is that we only look at the "now." God is not slow. He is patient. His delay is God's compassion, wanting more people to repent. He is waiting even for those who trouble you and persecute you to repent and return to the Lord.

4. Therefore, This Is How We Must Live 

 “What kind of people ought you to be?” We are not people who hold onto the world, but people who wait for the new heavens and the new earth. Therefore, we:

·       Stand firm in grace,

·       Discern falsehoods,

·       Do good even amidst suffering,

·       And live holy lives hoping for the Day of the Lord.

This world shakes, but grace does not shake. Circumstances change, but God's promises do not change. Therefore, today:

Hold onto God, not the results. Hold onto hope, not fear. Look to eternity, not this earth.

I pray in the name of the Lord that we all “grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus.”