Participants: Tom Shepherd & Deyvy Rodriguez
Series Code: PBOTB
Program Code: PBOTB00025A
|
00:20 Hello and welcome to "Books of the Book."
00:22 My name Deyvy Rodriguez and I'm very glad 00:24 that you're able to join us in this Bible study program. 00:27 We're studying the Books of 1 and 2 Peter. 00:29 And today, we conclude the 2nd Book of Peter. 00:32 With us is Dr. Tom Shepherd. 00:34 He comes from Andrews University. 00:36 Dr. Shepherd, welcome. Thank you. 00:37 I understand that you were a director in some-- 00:41 in the theological seminary there. 00:44 Tell us more this-- what you do there? 00:47 Well, I'm a professor of New Testament Interpretation, 00:50 but I've also been asked to be 00:52 the director of the PhD in Religion Program 00:56 and the ThD or Doctor of Theology program. 01:01 We have about 100 students in these two programs 01:05 and besides them we actually have 01:07 several other doctoral programs. 01:08 We have Doctor of Ministry program, 01:11 we have a new doctoral program in Archeology 01:15 and we have doctoral program in Religious Education. 01:21 The total group, I think there's about 400 students 01:24 who study in the DMin, the Doctor of Ministry program. 01:27 The other two programs, the ones that I'm not directing, 01:31 have a few stand for, 01:33 well, maybe about 20 students. 01:35 But the group that I take care of is about 100 students. 01:39 So it keeps me hopping to care of these students. 01:42 So it's a PhD and religion. Yes. 01:44 And Doctorate in Theology or ThD. 01:46 ThD, right. 01:47 Now what is the difference between both? 01:49 Well, it's very interesting. 01:51 What's happened recently, the doctor of--the PhD program 01:57 focuses a person in one particular field of study. 02:00 We have five fields of study that students can do the PhD 02:04 and they can do it in Old Testament or New Testament. 02:07 They can do it in theology or church history 02:12 also linked up with Adventist studies 02:14 or in missions. 02:17 And it focuses them in that particular area 02:19 with a cognate area and so they become an expert. 02:23 We are training scholars and teachers 02:25 for the Adventist Church for the future. 02:27 And the ThD program is into disciplinary. 02:31 So instead of being one area that you become focused in, 02:36 there are two areas that you combine together. 02:39 Now it used to be that this program 02:42 had basically two areas that you could do studies in, 02:45 biblical studies or theological studies. 02:48 But we recently revamped it and have now opened it up 02:52 to a whole variety of like, seven different areas. 02:55 You can combine-- you can take the five fields 02:57 and you can link them together. 02:58 You could link together New Testament 03:00 and church history. 03:02 And if you wanted to do, it is interdisciplinary, 03:04 so your thesis would also, 03:07 your dissertation also be interdisciplinary. 03:10 So you might study the change of the Sabbath for instance 03:13 and it will link well between New Testament 03:15 and early church history. 03:17 You might be interested in the theology 03:19 of an early Adventist missionary. 03:21 So you might link theological studies and missions 03:24 and put those two together. 03:25 So we've made a whole variety of new options. 03:29 We have scholarships available for students that help them 03:34 through the expensive matter of getting these degrees. 03:39 But we are pleased that this program 03:40 that's been around for about 30 years 03:43 at the theological seminary has produced 03:46 and given to the Adventist Church 03:48 quite a number of leaders, scholars, 03:51 both leaders in administration, teachers, 03:55 university professors and administrators and so forth. 03:59 So it's a privilege to be involved in doing that. 04:03 And if there's anyone viewing that says, 04:06 you know, I'd just like to think about the possibility of a PhD, 04:09 go to our website at www.andrews.edu 04:13 and check the theological seminary. 04:16 You can find the PhDs, the different doctoral programs 04:20 that are there and consider some extra training 04:23 so that you can serve the Lord better. 04:25 And if they want to talk to a person 04:26 then they talk to you. You are the man. 04:29 They can email me, they can call up 04:31 and we can send them information. 04:33 Our application process is actually all online. 04:35 So people can go there and check it out. Wonderful. 04:39 Well, today we are concluding our study 04:42 in the Books of 2 Peter now. Yes. 04:44 And we're doing chapter 3-- Chapter 3:14-18, 04:48 the last five verses of the book. 04:49 So we should read them. Okay. 04:51 Sure, let's read them. 04:54 And we're starting on verse 14. 04:56 2 Peter 3:14-18. 04:59 "Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, 05:02 be diligent to be found by Him in peace, 05:05 without spot and blameless, 05:07 and consider that the longsuffering 05:09 of our Lord is salvation, 05:10 as also our beloved brother Paul, 05:12 according to the wisdom given to him, 05:15 has written to you, as also in all his epistles, 05:18 speaking in them of these things, 05:20 in which are some things hard to understand, 05:23 which untaught and unstable 05:25 people twist to their own destruction 05:28 as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 05:31 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, 05:34 beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, 05:38 being led away with the error of the wicked, 05:41 but grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord 05:44 and Savior Jesus Christ. 05:45 To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." 05:50 Amen. All right. 05:52 Well, it's wonderful to come to the conclusion 05:54 of these beautiful books that the Apostle has written. 05:59 Verse 18, "Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord 06:02 and Savior Jesus Christ," 06:03 that's a good ending for letter in it. 06:05 It's surely is. It surely is. 06:06 How does this passage link to 06:09 what we've been studying before to the previous verses? 06:11 All right, so in chapter 3, 06:13 Peter responds to the false teacher's teachings 06:16 about the second coming and he shows 06:19 that they had a mistaken view of the creation 06:23 and of the time since the creation, 06:25 a mistaken view that gave them a mistaken eschatology. 06:29 He corrects that by correcting their view of creation 06:32 and then of course, 06:33 getting their proper view of eschatology. 06:35 And then he goes on to teach the Christians that God is-- 06:41 they are misunderstanding. 06:43 Some people have misunderstood 06:44 the teaching about the second coming of Jesus 06:47 and this apparent delay. 06:49 It is God's patience. 06:50 He's waiting for people to turn to Him in repentance. 06:53 So he outlines about what will happen then 06:56 when Jesus returns and notes that all of this 06:59 is a call to a holy life and a call to repentance. 07:04 Now specifically how does verse 14 verse, where it says, 07:07 "Therefore beloved, looking forward to these things, 07:09 be diligent to be found by Him in peace, 07:12 without spot and blameless," 07:13 how does this verse link with the context? 07:18 The previous context? 07:19 Yes. Yeah. 07:21 It's interesting because there are 07:22 quite a few words in this verse 07:24 that we shall say maybe ring the bells, 07:27 ring the chimes of previous verses. 07:30 The first one is this word for, he says waiting for. 07:36 The Greek word is prosdechomai, 07:38 means to wait for, look for, to expect something. 07:41 So these things that they are supposed to wait for 07:45 clearly includes the second coming of Jesus, 07:49 but it also appears to include 07:50 the new heavens and the new earth, 07:53 because the term is plural, these things, 07:55 you're waiting for these things. 07:57 What are you waiting for? 07:58 The new heavens and the new earth 07:59 where righteousness dwells 08:03 I think of a-- 08:05 well, I think back some, quite some years ago, 08:08 when we were missionaries in Africa 08:09 and I would come home from work 08:12 and I always received this amazing reception 08:16 to my two children. 08:18 Daddy is home, daddy has come. 08:20 And they would come running and then my daughter 08:22 would throw her arms around my knees, 08:24 you know, daddy has come home. 08:26 We are waiting for Jesus to come back. 08:30 We should have that kind of expectancy that, 08:32 like a little child waiting for their parent 08:34 or grandchild waiting for grandpa 08:37 or grandma to come and just waiting, 08:39 looking out the widow, 08:40 hoping that they'll be here soon. 08:42 So the first word is this idea of waiting for. 08:45 Then he uses another term 08:47 that's kind of similar to what he used before 08:50 and he talks about being diligent, 08:53 actually the Greek word is Spoudazo 08:56 that means to hasten or to hurry, 08:59 to be zealous or eager, even to take pains 09:04 or make every effort. 09:05 So it talks about being diligent. 09:07 It reminds us of this hurrying 09:09 or hastening the coming of Jesus. 09:12 Being quick to repent, you see, being diligent. 09:17 More--looking forward to is the waiting for 09:23 and then this is what you're going to do to help it come. 09:26 You're gonna take pains, you're gonna be diligent. 09:30 I've said before we've talked about this little bit, 09:32 I'm a musician, I'm a cellist. 09:35 And I like to play in these musical programs 09:39 that we have at the seminary. 09:40 But you have to prepare 09:43 and you have to prepare diligently, 09:45 if you don't want to flub it and you know, look bad. 09:49 They usually say, you should show them what you can do, 09:53 not what you can't do. 09:55 And so but you have to play it over and over. 10:00 I've brought my cello with me here 10:01 and I've been practicing here. 10:04 You have to practice over and over. 10:06 It's important to go slowly enough to get it right, 10:09 because what the musician say is 10:12 practice makes permanent. Practice makes permanent. 10:17 As your hand gets used to doing things in a certain way 10:21 and if you do it the wrong way that's the direction it will go. 10:25 So we have to be very eager to take pains. 10:28 Then he uses two terms spotless and blameless. 10:32 And those two terms remind us of 1 Peter, 1 Peter 1:19, 10:37 where Jesus is the spotless and blameless lamb. 10:41 And that kind of terminology reminds us 10:43 that back in 1 Peter, Jesus is our example 10:48 that we are supposed to follow. 10:49 So like He is blameless and spotless, 10:51 we are to make pains to follow the pattern, 10:55 to walk in His steps. 10:58 Then finally, it's really interesting, 11:00 he uses the word to be found, 11:05 to be found with Him in peace at Christ return. 11:10 Now some people say, you know, I didn't see the word find 11:14 back there in the previous verses. 11:17 But it's actually in verse 10. 11:19 Would you read verse 10 again? 11:20 "But the day of the Lord 11:22 will come as a thief in the night, 11:23 in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, 11:27 and the elements will melt with fervent heat, 11:29 both the earth and the works that are in it 11:32 will be burned up." Yes. 11:36 You didn't see the word find there, did you? 11:37 I was looking for it, I don't think I read it, no. 11:40 It wasn't there. 11:41 Let me read it in this transaction 11:42 because it shows a little bit better, 11:45 "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, 11:46 and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, 11:49 and the heavenly bodies will be burned up 11:51 and dissolved and the earth 11:53 and the works that are done on it will be exposed." 11:58 And the Greek word is Evrisko, it will be found. 12:02 It's like they will be found out. 12:04 They will be shown for what they are, okay. 12:07 Now notice that this is a echo in verse 14, 12:11 "Therefore, beloved, since you're waiting for these things, 12:13 be diligent to be found by him 12:16 without spot or blemish and at peace." 12:18 The world's gonna be found wicked and evil 12:21 and filled with evil things. 12:24 But you are to be found 12:26 spotless and blameless in Christ. 12:29 You know, at peace with Him, linked up with Him. 12:33 Remember he is protecting the Christians 12:36 from the false ways, 12:37 from the false ways of these false teachers. 12:40 And so He keeps building, He keeps reminding them, 12:43 as He keeps coming back to this, because over and over and over, 12:47 he wants to make these people ready for the coming of Jesus. 12:52 What does verse 15 add here? 12:56 Ah, when we read verse 15, 12:57 "And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, 13:00 just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you 13:05 according to the wisdom given to him." All right. 13:09 Well, these terms all intimately-- 13:13 the terms in verse 14, 13:15 all intimately tied together to what Peter has said before 13:18 that Christians are to wait for Jesus to come, 13:21 they're not supposed to be idle, 13:22 they are supposed to strive for holy character. 13:24 Verse 15, turns to the divine side of things of the equation. 13:30 And in verse 14, we're called to be ready and watching. 13:33 In verse 15, we are told that 13:35 God provides and His patience with us, 13:39 we can count as salvation. 13:41 We'll talk a little bit more about this verse. 13:43 But right now we'll just take a break for a few moments. |
Revised 2014-12-17