Romans 15:13 - Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 3:18 - …but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Acts 20:28-30 - Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
Acts 20:26-27 - Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
2 Timothy 4:1-4 - I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
3 ways to protect your heart from false teaching
I. Let God’s Word Keep You Spiritually Sharp – vv. 1-2
Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
A. By placing value on being reminded
2 Peter 3:1 - This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder…
2 Peter 1:1 - Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ…
1 Peter 2:2 - …like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation…
B. By marveling at the unified nature of Scripture
2 Peter 3:2 - …that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
1. The foundation of the Old Testament
2 Peter 3:2 - …that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets…
Isaiah 66:15-16 - For behold, the Lord will come in fire and His chariots like the whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For the Lord will execute judgment by fire and by His sword on all flesh, and those slain by the Lord will be many.
Malachi 4:1-3 – “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”
2. The validation in the New Testament
2 Peter 3:2 - …and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
2 Peter 3:15-16 - …and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
II. Be Prepared to Answer Those Who Mock Christ’s Return – vv. 3-7
2 Peter 3:3 - …mockers will come with their mocking…
A. The characteristics of their ridicule
1. It’s timing
2 Peter 3:3 - In the last days…
2 Timothy 3:1 - But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2. Its motivation
2 Peter 3:3 - …following after their own lusts…
Acts 17:21 - Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.
“…a vicious form of intimidation that derides hope-filled Christians as silly and uninformed.” (John MacArthur, 2 Peter, p. 112)
3. Its content
2 Peter 3:4 - …and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?...
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 - Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
4. Their rationale
2 Peter 3:4 - …and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
“Jesus Christ is coming back. Throughout the centuries, the reality of that wonderful promise has formed the crux of Christian expectation. It is the church’s blessed hope (Titus 2:11-14), her utmost longing (cf. Rom. 8:23), and the great climax of salvation history (Matt. 25:31-46) –a time of redemption for believers (Eph. 4:30) and a time of judgment for God’s enemies (2 Thess. 2:1-12). It also marks the inauguration of Christ’s earthly kingdom (Rev. 20:6), during which the saints will reign with Him in holiness (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10). The hope of bodily resurrection (1 Thess. 4:13-18), spiritual reward (cf. Matt. 25:21, 23), and a righteous world system (Isa. 9:6-7) are all tied to Jesus’ return. It is no wonder, then, that the early church found tremendous comfort in the second coming. After all, the readers of this epistle had already endured much persecution from outside the church (cf. 1 Peter 4:12–14). Now they were experiencing internal turmoil from false teachers. Thus, they longed for the return of their Savior – the Judge who would make all things right (cf. 2 Tim. 4:7-8).” (John MacArthur, 2 Peter, p. 110)
B. The error of their ridicule – what it ignores
1. The power of creation
2 Peter 3:5 - For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water…
2. The horror of the flood
2 Peter 3:6 - …through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.
3. The certainty of eternal judgment
2 Peter 3:7 - But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
III. Understand Why Christ has Not Yet Returned
A. The uniqueness of the Lord’s perspective
2 Peter 3:8 - But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
B. The beauty of the Lord’s compassion
2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:4 - …and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Have you ever misjudged a person or a situation?
I think it’s safe to say that our interpretation of people and events doesn’t always turn out to be entirely accurate
This past week, I was watching my Packers flounder once more in this post-Aaron Rogers season [expound?]
One defensive player from the opposing team was giving us a fair bit of trouble
During a lull in the game, the announcers took an extended bit of time to dote on this player
They talked about his incredible skill, dedication, and love for the game
All the while, a sideline camera was trained on this player as he sat on the bench and looked out on the field during the break
The announcers continued to gush over his family life and even began to speak to his moral excellence and perseverance in the face of trial
Needless to say, they were talking this guy up from every conceivable secular angle
Well, this player finally noticed that a camera was four feet from his face, so he turned, looked for a second, and uttered one single, very intentional word
Though there was no audio on him, this word is utterly unmistakable when sounded out, and serves as one of the more vile things a person can say
Perhaps we’ve grown accustomed to our athletes, actors, musicians, and other culturally elevated groups acting in such a way
But think about it: with the eyes of the nation upon him, understanding that the viewers would range from adults to small children, he took this unique opportunity to project himself in a morally repugnant manner
And though the game didn’t start right up, after this brief moment, the announcer’s praising commentary ended quite abruptly
With a single word, they were discredited as fools
…but you and I always get it right, don’t we?
I think if we’re honest, we all understand that feeling
You give a resounding endorsement of your brother’s kid, so your friend ends up hiring him—just in time for your nephew to show up late for work every day and shirk on his responsibility
You got it wrong
Or you recommend a restaurant to a couple, only to find out after-the-fact that they got salmonella from their dinner—whoops… sorry guys…
Our church’s theme this year Hope for Everyday Life…
- one of our keystone verses is - Romans 15:13 - Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This theme has led us to conduct an in-depth walk through the book of 1 and 2 Peter …where we’re Growing in Grace and Knowledge…
This theme is drawn from the final verses in the book: 2 Peter 3:18 - but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
And wouldn’t it be nice if all the information we were receiving from our world was consistent with an accurate understanding of the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
Unfortunately, that’s simply not the case—and not just from “those out there”
False teaching and false teachers persist within the church, and one of Peter’s stated goals is for us to be on guard regarding such teachings and teachers
Paul also weighs in on the matter in Acts 20…
Acts 20:28–30 - Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
And while it’d be fun to camp out in the lighter portions of Scripture, we can’t neglect sections of Scripture simply because they may not make our tummy feel so great
We must talk about false teachers because false teaching does exist
The loving father warns his child of the dangers of playing in the road
The caring pastor preaches the whole counsel of Scripture—like Paul:
Acts 20:26–27 - Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
Sometimes that will look like Romans 8, other times it will look like 2 Peter 2
- this is why Paul told Timothy…2 Timothy 4:1–4 - I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
- and on behalf of all of our pastors, we want to thank you for being a church family that wants to hear all of the Word of God…
As a staff, we’ve never said: what should we preach so more people would tithe?
Or “how could we tickle some ears?”
Our primary consideration surrounds preaching the full counsel of God’s Word—its peaks and its valleys, alike
And what’s even more comforting is the response we’d receive if we deviated from this commitment
That’s what would truly make you all stop coming
So with that sentiment in mind, let’s continue into chapter three (please turn there), where Peter discusses a very specific group of false teachers
Though false teaching rears its ugly head in many forms, this one is particularly egregious
If you remember the end of chapter 1, Peter grounded our hope in one future event; do you remember what that was?
The return of our true King: Jesus
But there’s a preponderance of voices, giving their tombstone-polishing take on their view of the second coming, much like the football announcers trying to paint as pure, a morally compromised player
But Peter shows that it only takes a word to dispel their lies—and far from a vile term voiced into a camera, it’s a rather innocuous word written in you Bible:
What is this word? WATER
Looking at this word (and many more) let’s look at 1 Peter 3 together as we…
Celebrating God’s Patience…
Text
2 Peter 3:1-9 – This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. 3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
- So we’re talking this morning about Celebrating God’s Patience…and with the time we have remaining, let’s think about 3 ways to protect your heart from false teaching
I. Let God’s Word Keep You Spiritually Sharp – vv. 1-2
If you recall our time at the end of 2 Peter 1, that’s the point Peter was seeking to make
He equated the Word of God to a lamp and the coming of Jesus as the Morning Star
And while we await the coming dawn, we are to fixate on Scripture, for…
Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
But truth is rarely a matter sufficiently stated once
For instance, did you ever need a reminder from your mama that it’s disrespectful to talk back, or did the one time do the trick?
We need to keep God’s Word in front of us…
A. By placing value on being reminded
2 Peter 3:1 - This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
My guess is that you need a reminder of what is true just about as often as I need the same reminder
“prone to wander… Lord I feel it…”
The last chapter of the first book that Peter references contains this imperative directed towards the church elders:
1 Peter 5:2a – shepherd the flock of God among you…
God’s Word is continually calling us “sheep” – is that a ringing endorsement of our capability and intellect?
Certainly it ought to be characteristic of our tenderness and willingness to follow the Good Shepherd, but the thing about sheep is that they need a constant reminder – you and I are no different
And step one in this process, as 2 Peter 3:1 would indicate, is to ensure that you fall into the category of one who has a “sincere mind”
That can only come from one place – Peter gives it to us in his opening of this letter…
2 Peter 1:1 - Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
By faith, making Christ your Lord and Savior is the first essential step to all of this
And once we’re “born again,” what comes next?
1 Peter 2:2 - like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,
Confession time: Give me a jar of sauerkraut and a fork, and you’ll have one happy Stefan [expound?]
It wasn’t until I went to college that I discovered that this was a rather uncommon practice
That’s because I’m not unique to this acquired taste in my family – several Nitzschke’s enjoy the pleasure of raw sauerkraut right out of the jar
It’s an odd thing to those who weren’t raised in a house where it was relatively common
But it’s so pervasive to us, it’s almost as though “to be a Nitzschke is to enjoy raw sauerkraut”
It’s a strange thing to the insincere mind to look upon a person who longs for an ancient book as their source spiritual nourishment
Yet “to be a Christian is to love God’s Word”
It’d be like trying to find a Nitzschke who didn’t like sauerkraut: good luck
But enough about spoiled cabbage – let’s grow in sharpness…
B. By marveling at the unified nature of Scripture
looking back at our passage, Peter redirects our attention to the Word…
2 Peter 3:2 - that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
First thing ups is…
1. The foundation of the Old Testament
2 Peter 3:2 - that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets…
Where is Jesus’s second coming in the OT, you may ask?
The short answer is: all over!
But here are a couple of examples:
Isaiah 66:15–16 - For behold, the Lord will come in fire and His chariots like the whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For the Lord will execute judgment by fire and by His sword on all flesh, and those slain by the Lord will be many. Malachi 4:1–3
or – Malachi 4:1-3 - For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”
Daniel 9, Zechariah 12, Jeremiah 33, Amos 9, just to list a few more places
Even if you’re only looking at the OT, you’d have to be pretty deceived to believe Jesus isn’t coming back
And though only a single word causes the argument to crumble, we still have…
2. The validation in the New Testament
As we discussed from chapter 1, where you find your ultimate authority is of utmost importance
That’s what makes the latter half of verse two so important:
Not only is the OT Scripture, but the NT is the very Word of God as well…
2 Peter 3:2 - …and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
The unified nature of Scripture is an essential aspect of our doctrine
And though I don’t wanna jump the gun on next week’s teaching, it ties in well to what we’re talking about here…
2 Peter 3:15–16 - and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Peter equates the writings of Paul to be on-par with “the rest of the Scriptures” – a technical term (grafas) that refers to God’s Word
And are there any passages the point to the second coming of Jesus in the NT?
“yes” seems like such a understatement…
So the OT verifies the coming of Christ, the NT verifies the coming of Christ, and it’s frequency serves as a reminder that we constantly need to be told truth
Though He hasn’t yet, come, He certainly WILL
But…
II. Be Prepared to Answer Those Who Mock Christ’s Return – vv. 3-7
We are pulling this from v. 3 – 2 Peter 3:3 - …mockers will come with their mocking…
And while mockery can serve as a tool to defend truth and righteousness, here it displays…
A. The characteristics of their ridicule
Dissecting their mockery, let’s first look at…
1. It’s timing
Peter couches this discussion: it will pertain to…
2 Peter 3:3 – In the last days…
1 John 2 claims that “these are the last days,” in reference to the time after Christ’s first coming
And while that is certainly true, Peter is talking about another specific time
Paul says it like this…
2 Timothy 3:1 - But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
The “last days” here in our passage is referring to the second coming of Christ
And Peter is putting this up as a sign that we’ve entered those final days: when people will explicitly deny the coming of Christ by way of mocking
Why would anyone do this?
Let’s look at…
2. Its motivation
Curiously, our passage points out a rather unexpected source
V 3 mentions that these ridiculers will be…
2 Peter 3:3 - …following after their own lusts,
What sort of lust would lead to the mockery of Christ’s second coming?
How about POWER?
Christ’s coming represents the de-throning of all human powers as Jesus ushers in His Kingdom
Thus, anyone who has (from an earthly perspective) garnered power or influence will be stripped of this reign
How about the lust of the FLESH – whether that’s greed, gluttony, sexual perversion, laziness, or anything else?
When Jesus comes, all things that were hidden will be brought to light in the form of judgment
Surely those who love the things of this world more than Christ would find it a horrifying prospect to lose that which they value and gain only wrath
There are many more possibilities, but it leads us to the same conclusion as Peter’s: lust will drive mockery and doubt
Now before I leave this point, I want to make sure it hits home in our own hearts
The degree we 1) believe in and 2) long for Christ’s return correlates with our own internal lusts (*repeat)
So before we collectively say: those wicked mockers! How in the world could they believe such a blatant lie!
See that there are times in our own hearts where doubt arises and groanings fade…
In fact, there are outright times where we think: “it’d be pretty bad timing if Jesus came right about now…”
Jesus says…
Matthew 6:21 – where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
If we’re treasuring the things of this world (in other words, lusting after them), we will fall into the camp of the mockers
But if we’re treasuring Christ, then our confidence and hope is in His return
But there are a couple more things to discuss regarding the ridicule of the mockers…
3. Its content
Peter gives us a snippet of what they will say…
2 Peter 3:4 - and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?...
Remember our confused NFL announcers?
They’d heaped an incredible amount of praise upon someone who turned out to be, in a word, unpraiseworthy
And when your standards of truth are grounded in the untrustworthy foundation of the world’s logic, confusion and crumbling is bound to occur
For instance, look at the illogic of the false teaching that had infiltrated the church at Thessalonica:
2 Thessalonians 2:1–2 - Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
What was the issue here?
Not that Jesus wouldn’t come, but that He had already come
Imagine being in that church… “Gee, if this is the Kingdom of Christ, it sure isn’t what I imagined it to be! My friends are still being slaughtered and any day I’ll be next!”
Paul, like Peter, was pointing them to the firm foundation of God’s Word, not the brittle sand of man’s lust-driven logic
Which brings us to…
4. Their rationale
Here is where we get to the argument…
2 Peter 3:4 - and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
- philosophically that is known as uniformitarianism – which denies divine intervention throughout world history
The argument goes: what has been, will be
In other words, since we continue around the sun, and the seasons come and go, and the natural order of things reliably persists, it will continue ad infinitum…
Why is the concept of uniformitarianism important in the context of Faith West in 2023?
For one: it’s still taught (in different forms) just down the hill:
The rise of modern uniformitarianism occurred largely because of the efforts of the nineteenth-century British lawyer and geologist Charles Lyell. His book Principles of Geology had a profound impact on the scientific community of his day. In fact, Lyell’s uniformitarianism was a primary pillar on which Charles Darwin established his theory of evolution. (Darwin took a copy of Principles of Geology with him during his famous voyage on the Beagle to the Galapagos and other islands off the Pacific coast of South America in 1831–32.) – MacArthur, MNTC: 2 Peter, 115.
Lest we think “none of this pertains to us today,” it is the very culture we exist within
It reminds me of a joke told by a certain comedian: an older fish swims past two younger fish, offering the pleasantry “hey guys, how’s the water?”
Once past the older fish, one of the young fish turns to the other and says “what in the world is water?”
We swim in an ecosystem of the world’s order—calling these matters out of 2 Peter 3 “irrelevant” is an ignorant as a fish clueless about water
And it’s to water that we now turn our attention…
What’s particularly perverse about uniformitarianism is its abuse of the goodness of God
Right after the flood, this was God’s promise to mankind:
Genesis 8:21-22 – …the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
Taking this promise, the mockers twist it in an attempt to disprove one of the most essential tenants of the Christian faith
- John MacArthur said it like this - Jesus Christ is coming back. Throughout the centuries, the reality of that wonderful promise has formed the crux of Christian expectation. It is the church’s blessed hope (Titus 2:11–14), her utmost longing (cf. Rom. 8:23), and the great climax of salvation history (Matt. 25:31–46)—a time of redemption for believers (Eph. 4:30) and a time of judgment for God’s enemies (2 Thess. 2:1–12). It also marks the inauguration of Christ’s earthly kingdom (Rev. 20:6), during which the saints will reign with Him in holiness (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10). The hope of bodily resurrection (1 Thess. 4:13–18), spiritual reward (cf. Matt. 25:21, 23), and a righteous world system (Isa. 9:6–7) are all tied to Jesus’ return. It is no wonder, then, that the early church found tremendous comfort in the second coming. After all, the readers of this epistle had already endured much persecution from outside the church (cf. 1 Peter 4:12–14). Now they were experiencing internal turmoil from false teachers. Thus, they longed for the return of their Savior—the Judge who would make all things right (cf. 2 Tim. 4:7–8) – John MacArthur, 2 Peter, p. 110
So as we prepare to stand against those who would combat such an essential teaching, it’s important to point out…
B. The error of their ridicule – what it ignores
First, we see that it blatantly ignores…
1. The power of creation
2 Peter 3:5 – For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
Here’s where our “one-word refutation” comes in handy
The false teacher were saying that everything has persisted since the beginning, but ignore the unimaginably powerful event of creation itself
Water, simultaneously representing life and chaos, was present as God called the dry land to emerge
Thus, the witness of water serves as a sufficient rebuttal to their claim
But Peter continues with this one-word-witness by talking about…
2. The horror of the flood
By God’s powerful Word, He caused land to emerge from water…
2 Peter 3:6 - through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.
Peter is borrowing an argument from Christ here
Jesus, in Matthew 24, says…
Matthew 24:37-39 – For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
There were a bunch of uniformitarianists in Noah’s day
How far did the water need to rise, before they finally believed in Noah’s God?
Which leads to…
3. The certainty of eternal judgment
Based upon the certainty of creation and the certainty of the flood, we can rest assured that Christ’s promise to return is sure
2 Peter 3:7 - But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
Again, we have the repetition of God’s agent acting within these earth-shaking events: His Word
But one thigs changes: the element
We go from water, representing life and chaos, to fire, representing refinement and wrath
The question then becomes: why is Peter writing all of this?
His arguments serve to refute the mockers, but they also serve as warnings
Where have you or I been influenced by this “water” in which we swim?
Perhaps this goes beyond a tendency to wander into doubt and lust – maybe you, yourself teach these egregious errors
If that’s the case, God’s Word is providing you with a warning: repent to the coming King and look to the Word as your standard
- now – where does all this lead?...
III. Understand Why Christ has Not Yet Returned
How early were Christians guessing when Jesus would return
Try, before He even left:
Acts 1:6-7 – So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority…”
It’s little surprise that every generation since that time, the same question has been asked
That’s one of the reasons why Peter addresses the matter – he starts with…
A. The uniqueness of the Lord’s perspective
We see this in v8…
2 Peter 3:8 - But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
How can this be?
Because God is the Creator of time, and is not, Himself¸ subject to it!
Yes, “time flies when you’re… having fun” and “a watch pot… never boils” may be fine axioms, but they’re matters of perspective and not descriptions of reality
A minute is still 60 seconds, whether you’re cruising on a jet-ski or waiting for your noodles to cook
But God can be perceived as simultaneously existing in the past, present, and future – He’s not given one minute at a time like the rest of us
This ought to lead to WORSHIP, not WORRY! (*repeat) (*expound?)
And not only is He unbound by time, but His tarrying reveals…
B. The beauty of the Lord’s compassion
Our section closes with this marvelous truth…
2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
“The sun came up again this morning”
I wrote that sentence on Tuesday, when we usually write our sermons
It was written with two assumptions in mind: 1) God’s promise to allow day and night to persist will remain unbroken, and 2) if He wants, He can come back before Sunday arrives
But if he allows Sunday to come (which He has?), it’s because of His PATIENCE—not His neglect
Every day that sentence is true: “the sun came up again this morning,” serves as an opportunity for repentance
An opportunity for all the “NFL Announcers” who are confidently calling the shots in their own life, not realizing that their entire set of presumptions can easily be refuted with a single word
An opportunity for all the sheep of Christ’s fold to recognize their wandering and follow the light of His Word back into fellowship with Him
An opportunity for you and me to abandon doubt and worldly lusts and say with fellow believers:
Revelation 22:20 – [Jesus] says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
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