Jesus is the light that has come into the darkness. The promise for all who believe in Him is that they will no longer walk in darkness, but in the light. This life of hope now shines into a desperate world and proclaims the excellencies of Him who called us out of such darkness and into His marvelous light.

Christ came in to the world, not in grandeur or with great fanfare, but into normal life. This is precisely where the Lord meets His people, in the ordinary. For the wise men to recognize the star and visit Herod meant they left normal life behind to pursue the One the prophets foretold. The same is required of believers today, to respond to this bright troublesome light and be changed by Him.

Everyone is born into sin, the gloomy darkness but Christ has come and the light is shining into the darkness. Isaiah acknowledges the anxious and worrisome with strong language, that rather than fearing the world and the possibilities of worst case scenarios, we are to fear the Lord. He is ultimate and mighty, the Prince of Peace and Everlasting Father who came as a baby to shine into the darkness to save us.

God makes a declaration in the first moments of creation with His first words being, "Let there be light." Advent always starts in darkness but the light has come into the world and the darkness has not, will not, and cannot overcome it. This rumor of light is Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Deity, coming to fulfill His promise of redemption from all eternity.

Peter closes out his second letter with specific instructions for the church. As we continue to faithfully follow after Christ we are to be on guard and rooted in the Truth so that we don't fall into lawless living. Until Christ comes again we are to grow in grace and knowledge of Him who is our Savior.

Holy living won't just happen in the believer. Jesus demonstrates for us how to live a holy and sacrificial life, one of witness to the world as we join Him in His ultimate plan of redemption. It's His will that is being done through His sanctifying people who must trust in Him and wage war against the sin in our hearts.

Peter has established the importance of his letter, that believers would remember the gospel and stand firm in the face of scoffers and false teachers. The Lord is patient and steadfast towards His people and will judge the world justly. Being outside of time He is greater and grander than all else, deserving of our adoration and praise.

As Peter begins to conclude his final letter he shifts the focus back to his main point; to encourage believers to remember the gospel. Jesus is coming back despite what scoffers say and the hope is for Christians today and until the Last Day when our faith and hope become sight and reality. 

The way of the world is the way of greater angst, anxiety, and ultimately fear. It's a pathway of always walking and never arriving. But what Jesus offers us is something greater. He offers us the way, the truth, and the life. 

Peter continues to emphasize the importance of knowing truth versus false teaching. God has consistently dealt with the righteous in grace and love while judging the wicked, keeping a remnant for Himself. Believers today can rest in Him knowing that it is Christ's righteousness that seals us forever in eternal life, while false teachers and the wicked will not last.