"Peter, Feed My Sheep” (20 Of 21)

She did not want the store manager to know she had recently got married, because he might comment on her youth and inexperience. She said, "These eggs are awfully small." The store manager said, "Yes, I know, but that's the kind the farmer brings me. They are fresh from the country this morning though"

To demonstrate her vast knowledge and experience as a housewife she said, "Well, that's the trouble with these farmers, they are so anxious to get their eggs sold that they take them off the nest before they are fully grown."

If you listen to some people talk long enough you can learn a lot about what they DO NOT KNOW.

Illus: For example, Vice-president Al Gore gave a big speech on the campaign trail during the 2000 year election about how his faith was "important" to him. During this time he announced that his favorite Bible verse was John 16:3.

Of course, he meant to say John 3:16, but nobody in the Gore camp was familiar enough with scripture to catch the error.

John 16:3 says, "And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me."

As people speak publicly, if you listen to them closely, you will hear a lot of ignorance come out of their mouths.

For example, we daily hear lost people speak a lot of ignorance. We can gather from what they say, that they think they have everything about life all figured out.

• They do not need to know what the Bible says. They would have us to believe that they have wisdom this Bible does not have.

• They do not need to attend Sunday School, or listen to some preacher, they know more than all of them put together.

They think they have it all figured out, but the tragedy is, this is not the case!

They live every day as if they are their own gods and do not have to give account to God, their Creator, or anyone else!

But let’s not be to hard on them, lest we be judging ourselves. Why? Because, before you and I were saved, we were the same way.

WHY DID WE LIVE SUCH A FOOLISH LIFE?

We lived in darkness and could not comprehend our terrible condition.

Since the Lord Jesus has saved us, our eyes and ears have been opened to the truth, and we know things we never knew before.

Look at two of the things we have come to know. We will deal with one of these things in this sermon, and the other in the next message.

I. LET’S LOOK AT THE SINNER CONCERNING THE LORD’S COMING

Look at verses 1-7. We read, “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. He will appear unexpectedly, when the present frame of nature will be dissolved by fire For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

Notice, in this passage God's Word tells us some things about the SINNER.

A. THERE SHALL BE SCOFFING

Look at verse 3, we read, “...there shall come in the last days scoffers…"

This verse tells us three things about the ungodly in the last days before Christ returns.

Notice, it says, “there shall COME IN THE LAST DAYS SCOFFERS.”

We have always had scoffers on the face of the earth, but never have we had such a great crowd of scoffers as we have today in these last days.

One of the reasons we know we are living in the last days is because never have we seen such SCOFFING AS WE SEE IT TODAY.

Illus: For example, comedians, like Jay Leno, and David Letterman, can appear on national television and make a mockery of spiritual things, and their audiences will respond with laughter and applause.

But those same comedians can take a cheap shot at some movie actress/actor and the audience will boo them.