Luke turns our attention to the announcement of Jesus’ birth, as we compare it with the announcement of John’s birth. We will discover that the mighty work God had done in John’s conception would be surpassed by an even greater miracle in the conception of Jesus. This leads us to ask, “What does it mean, and how should we respond?

As Advent begins, we open the Gospel of Luke with the story of Zechariah—a faithful man caught in a long season of silence. But in that silence, God was not absent. He was preparing something beautiful. This week’s message, “Hope in the Silence,” reminds us that waiting is not wasted, and that God often does His deepest work in the quiet. For the believer, it’s a call to trust again, to listen again, and to prepare room for Jesus. For the seeker, it’s an invitation to consider that the ache in your soul is actually a longing for the One who came to bring peace, joy, and hope. So come ready to reflect, respond, and begin this Advent season with your eyes fixed on Jesus—the One who came, and the One who will come again.

In our passage, Peter continues to address false teachers by raising a question that many of us have: How is it that, as false teachers seem to be succeeding, it appears God remains silent while they distort God’s Word and lead people astray? Peter will answer this question and show us that their judgment is coming soon. He will also equip his readers to recognize a false teacher by their character and teachings. 

As Peter directly addresses false teachers, one wonders whythe Lord allows them to infiltrate the church. The Christian life is hardenough in dealing with the world, our flesh, and the devil; now we need to dealwith false teachers as well. How do we discern between a false and a trueteacher?

In Peter’s last letter, he makes clear that he will soon facedeath, and Peter wants to leave his readers with a final reminder of what he has taught about the gospel of Jesus Christ: The return of Christ in glory. Peter is going to provide us with two witnesses to establish the truthfulness of Christ’s return in glory—the witness of the apostles and the prophetic word.

If God has given us a faith that is equal to that of other Christians, what is our responsibility in receiving and possessing this faith? Peter, in addressing us with the challenging task of exercising our faith, providestwo essential truths that must serve as the foundation for exercising our faith. These two truths keep us grounded from falling into the trap of performance-based Christianity or inactive-based Christianity.

In the first letter of Peter, the hostile powers came fromoutside the church, and in the second letter of Peter, the hostile powers comefrom inside the church through false teachers. If there are dangers outside andinside the church, how is the Christian supposed to live?  Peter, in his greeting, encourages the churchby reminding them that they have received a faith equal to that of otherChristians through the saving work of God, and they can experience a growinggrace and peace even in the midst of hostility.

As Peter closes his letter, he speaks from personal experience — not as a perfect leader, but as one who has failed, suffered, and been restored by Jesus. He calls the church to lead with humility, to clothe themselves in trust, and to stay spiritually alert as the enemy seeks to devour.

In times of fiery trials, believers are called to remember God's sovereignty, knowing that suffering is not random but part of His refining purpose. We are to trust God's faithfulness, rejoicing that we share in Christ’s sufferings and will also share in His glory. And in every circumstance, we must do good, even when wronged, because Jesus is our example—He entrusted Himself to the Father and endured suffering for righteousness' sake.

Peter instructs us by reminding us that because of Christand his suffering in the flesh, we must have a different mindset or perspective when it comes to suffering. This mindset of suffering affects our relationship with sin, our relationship with the world, and our perspective on the end of all things.