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The Lord’s Patience Means Salvation
(2Pe3:7-15)

God is faithful (Ex34:6).
The faithfulness of His word and His works is forever (Ps33:4, 117:2) and
Through His long suffering He testifies the faithfulness of His love (2Co8:8).

Faith is knowing that the Lord’s patience means salvation (2Pe3:15) and
The life of this faith is repenting in haste and being patient towards all.

Love is patient and to be patient there has to be sincerity.
Though being patient does not refer to eternity, it requires a great deal of endurance and
The most patient are parents for they are loving.

The Bible is written about the patience of God for
He does not want anyone to perish but be saved (2Pe3:9), that is
From Hades, the universe that will burn up (2Pe3:7) after
The Son comes to it, dies, resurrects and inherits the kingdom of heaven (He1:2).

Though God had decided to end the world during the time of Methuselah,
He waited for a thousand years (Ge5:25-26).
While Noah prepared the ark, God held back the judgment by deluge for 70 years (1Pe3:20).
Until Lot and his family arrived in refuge
The destruction of Sodom by brimstone fire was delayed (Ge19:15-22).
Though the Israelites grumbled against God during the 40 years in the wilderness and
They betrayed Him even after settling in Canaan for 1500 years, He did not destroy them (Jer15:15):
A testament to God’s long suffering for them.

The temple where the stone tablets which were inside the Testimony was
Reminded them of God’s patience and love for Israel.
In spite of it they questioned His love for them (Mal1:2-3).

Yeshua came and said, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days,” because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body (Jn2:19-21),
He would show His love for all mankind through His long suffering (Is42:14) and save their souls.
For such, God who is Spirit came in the flesh (Jn1:1, 14) in the last days (He1:2, 1Pe1:20).
He lived in the world that hated Him (Ps120:6),
Rebuked the disciples who were impatient (Lk9:53-55) and
Even to the last moment of His arrest He endured (Mt26:54).

Hung on a cross for six hours, He died a slow death,
Like a woman in childbirth He cried out, gasped and panted (Is42:14) and
He said, “It is finished” (Jn19:30), declaring that He:
1) Revealed the Father’s faithful love for the Son whose suffering He watched in silence,
fulfilling the Father’s will (Mk15:34; Eph1:3);
2) Condemned the devil the divider (Ge3:4-6; 1Jn3:8); and
3) Sprinkled His redeeming blood on all men through His long suffering showing His love (Jn3:16; Eph1:7; 1Jn4:9-10).

He resurrected and sat on the heavenly throne and
Though that marked the completion of the dispensation of God for the Son,
The heavens and the earth are preserved to this day (2Pe3:5-9).
The Holy Spirit was sent to those who repented and turned back to the Lord Yeshua (Ac2:38) and
He lets them believe the promise of His return.

The Christian is he who
Knows that the Lord’s patience is salvation (2Pe3:15) and
Moved by His love, repents in haste.
Therefore, he strives to mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph4:13)
By enduring persecution or suffering (1Co4:11-12; 2Co1:6; 1Ti1:16) and
Praying until answered waiting patiently (Lk11:7-8).
With great patience he admonishes brothers who are idle (1Th5:14; 2Ti4:2),
Comforts those who are weak-hearted and
Upholds the powerless (Eph4:2).
Being patient until the Lord’s coming (Jas5:7-9)
He becomes a companion in the suffering, the kingdom and the endurance of Christ (Rev1:9).

O Lord,
This life that would have been thrown into hellfire!
For Your patience became salvation for me
Let me also be patient towards all people.
Let not even one of those given to me
Remain in the burning universe! Amen.