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Knowing God is the ultimate quest of the human heart.  God has revealed Himself in the following ways:  (1) Through His Creative Acts (Rom. 1:20); (2) Through Special Revelation (His Word) (Ex. 34:6-7); and (3) Through His Son–Jesus Christ (John 14:9).  We can know the heart of God.
In II Peter 3:9, the Holy Spirit reveals, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  There are four affirmations in this text.  First, the veracity of God’s Word.  Second, the long-suffering of God.  Third, the desire of God to save.  Fourth, the call to repentance.
The Veracity of God’s Word
The promise referred to in this passage is the promise of the Second Coming of Jesus.  Jesus promised His disciples that He would come again.  “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3).  The word of God is true and faithful.  God cannot lie (I Sam. 15:29; Heb. 6:18; Titus 1:2).  The fulfillment of this promise is future (II Pet. 3:10-11).  The time of Christ’s return is not known by us (Matt. 24:36).  In regards to this promise, some men mock God (II Pet. 3:3-4).  However, there is a historical precedent–the Flood–that demonstrates the veracity of God’s Word and and His punitive power.  God is not slack (slow) concerning His promises.  God is not delaying or neglectful.  But, God is long-suffering.
The Longsuffering of God
The word lonsuffering (makrothumia) means “to demonstrate self-restraint in the face of provocation.”  Our sin provokes God’s wrath.  However, God is merciful and does not desire that any should perish.  God’s longsuffering is a function of His love and mercy.  God holds Himself back from punishing us immediately because He wills the salvation of every person. God’s long-suffering was functioning in the days of Noah.  Noah was a preacher of righteousness (I Pet. 3:20). God used Noah to proclaim repentance to the people in his day (Gen. 6:3; II Pet. 2:5).  After a period of 120 years, God brought the flood upon the earth. Behold, the heart of God!  God is long-suffering, but the period of His long-suffering ended and His wrath was poured out on the ungodly.
The Desire of God to Save
Paul confirms God’s desire to save.  In I Tim. 2:4, he writes, “Who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”  The scheme of redemption proves God’s desire to save from the ravages and eternal consequences of sin.  The cross of Jesus Christ proves it.  The gospel of Christ proves it.  Rom. 1:16 states, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  Paul affirms, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (I Tim. 1:15).  Because God desires that all be saved, He calls all people to repentance.
The Call to Repentance
Repentance describes the ultimate reversal.  It signifies the complete about-face of heart, mind, and thought and life that triggers conversion and initiates the transition from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light (Col. 1:13).  The Greek word metanoia literally means “to perceive afterwards.”  In other words, “to see afterwards” is to repent because we see that the way we thought or lived before was wrong and needed changing (see Os Guinness, Fools Talk, p. 43). Repentance involves turning away from sin and turning to God.  The call to repentance tests the hearts of men.  God has revealed His heart in His desire to save.  We reveal our hearts in whether or not we will repent.  The Judge of all men is coming again (II Pet. 3:10-11).  In view of this fact, we have to take advantage of the opportunity for salvation that God’s long-suffering creates.  “And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation…” (II Pet. 3:15).  The Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. The world will end.  The Judge of all the earth will be manifest.  All will be judged by Him (Acts 17:31).  God’s long-suffering is our opportunity to be saved before the great and notable Day of the Lord when His punitive power will be unleashed on the ungodly and they will perish eternally.
Obey the Gospel
Every accountable person must obey the gospel (II Thess. 1:7-9) or face God’s wrath.  Peter said to those on the Day of Pentecost, “…repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).

Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12).  Jesus taught that His disciples were the light of the world (Matt. 5:14).  Christians derive their light from Christ.  He is our example or pattern (John 13:15).  Christians must imitate Jesus.  The concept of imitation of Christ is a key component of the Gospel of John.  The idea of imitation comes from the Greek word mimeisthai.  We get our English word mimic from this Greek word.  The word mimic can be used in a negative sense in which case it means to mock.  The word mimic can also be used in the positive sense of to imitate closely.  Followers of Jesus imitate closely His mind and life.
The Divine Mimesis
In John 15:9, Jesus states, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.”  God loved Jesus.  Jesus loved God.  “But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do.  Arise, let us go hence” (John 14:31).  Jesus manifested His love for the Father through obedience to the will of the Father which involved His death upon the cross.  The love between the Father and Son is a pattern for our love.  This is the love of oneness, i. e. oneness of the divine nature.  God the Father and His Son are one in essential being and will and purpose.   Christians seek to manifest the divine nature in their own lives (II Pet. 1:3-4).  “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”  God is holy and He calls us to be holy.  God is love and He calls us to manifest love.
Discipleship Mimesis
In John 15:9, Jesus said that as the Father loved him, so he loved His disciples.  Jesus loved His disciples (John 13:1, 34; 15:12).  The disciples loved Jesus (John 14:15,21).  Jesus’ love for them became a pattern or example to them.  That love manifested itself as selflessness and a willingness to sacrifice His life in their behalf.  Jesus defined love in the act of selflessness and sacrifice demonstrated at the cross.
Believer Mimesis
The disciples are commanded to love each other as Jesus had loved them.  “This is my commandment that ye love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12).  “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34).  Every disciple of Jesus becomes an example to every other disciple in love.  Every disciple, by loving, increases the power of love in the fellowship of those of like precious faith.  The church is strengthened and blessed by love.  The nature of this love is forever defined by Jesus.
Neighbor Mimesis
Every disciple of Jesus must love his/her neighbor.  “And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matt. 22:39).  In Luke 10:30-37, Jesus defines who our neighbor is.  The Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that our neighbor is “the one who stands in need.”  Love is manifesting mercy to our neighbor.  When we love our neighbor, God’s love is now demonstrated to the world.  In this concrete way, Christians are the light of the world.  They take the light of love shown by Jesus to them and manifest it to those who stand in need.
The Power of Imitation
Jesus is our example (I Pet. 2:21-23).  We imitate Christ–duplicate, replicate and become like Him.  The effect is spiritual and moral transformation.  Jesus defines who we are (identity); what we do (conduct) and what we are (character).  The result is that we bear the image of Christ to the world–“Ye are the light of the world.”  The light of truth and righteousness is now present in the world through every true disciple of Jesus.  The light of love is now present in the world through every disciple of Jesus.  Only true disciples of Jesus Christ bear the light of truth and love to the world.  “As he spake these words, many believed on him, Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).  When we walk in the light of truth, we become the light of the world!