God Is Slow To Anger Series

Introduction

I am currently preaching a series of sermons that I am calling, “Glory: The Character of God.” In this five-week-long series, I am exploring God’s self-revelation of himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7.

God revealed several of his attributes to Moses in Exodus 34:6–7, which reads as follows:

6 The LORD passed before him [that is, Moses] and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Last week, we examined the truth that God is merciful and gracious.

Today, I would like to look at the truth that God is slow to anger. This has to do with God’s patience and longsuffering. It is particularly seen in the way in which God will bring about a day of judgment.

Therefore, I would like to examine a very important passage regarding the coming judgment of God in the Second Letter of Peter.

Scripture

Let’s read 2 Peter 3:1-13:

1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Lesson

In 2 Peter 3:1-13, we learn that though God is slow to anger, a day of judgment is coming.

Let’s use the following outline:

1. Reminder Regarding the Day of Judgment (3:1-7)

2. Reasons for the Delay of the Day of Judgment (3:8-10)

3. Response to the Day of Judgment (3:11-13)

I. Reminder Regarding the Day of Judgment (3:1-7)

First, let’s look at the reminder regarding the day of judgment.

The Apostle Peter wrote two letters to Christians who were scattered throughout the Roman Empire. The Christians were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus. Peter encouraged them to stand strong in the face of difficulty, trial, and persecution. Peter was reminding his readers regarding the coming day of judgment.

As he came to the end of his Second Letter, Peter focused on those who scoffed at Christ’s Second Coming. He wrote in verses 1-4:

1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”