Introduction:
A. The story is told about a preacher who was preaching to a packed church about the second coming.
1. He wound up to a fever pitch and quoted Jesus’ promise, “I am coming soon!”
2. He preached some more and said even more loudly, “I am coming soon!”
3. He preached a little longer and threw his arms up in the air and cried out, “I am coming soon!”
4. At that point, he lost his balance and fell off the stage into the lap of a man in the first row.
5. The preacher got up and apologized to the man, but the man replied, “Oh, that’s okay, you warned me three times that you were coming! I should have been expecting you!”
B. The Bible repeatedly speaks of the promise and the warning of Christ’s coming, but how seriously and expectantly are we looking for that coming?
C. I am fascinated by the way we get so wrapped up in end times things and doomsday prophesies.
1. These kinds of things find their way into all kinds of fiction and movie making.
D. One of the oldest famous examples goes all the way back to the science fiction novel “The War of the Worlds” written by H.G. Wells in 1898.
1. Perhaps the greatest impact of that novel was felt on Sunday evening, October 30, 1938 when millions of Americans were listening to the CBS radio network and heard an announcer’s voice breaking into the music of an orchestra, saying, “Ladies and gentleman, we interrupt our program of dance music to bring you a special bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News.”
2. Then, during the next hour, the audience was stunned to hear a series of increasingly hysterical voices narrating an invasion of Martian monsters, landing first on a New Jersey farm, then unleashing poisonous gases over New York City.
3. The broken, anguished voice of an announcer continued: “All communication with Jersey shore closed…No more defenses. Our army wiped out…artillery, air force, everything wiped out. This may be the last broadcast.”
4. Later they learned that they had been listening to the Orson Welles – Mercury Theatre production of “War of the Worlds.”
5. It has been estimated that millions of people experienced serious levels of distress.
6. Thousands were thrown into absolute panic, but none of it was true.
E. More recent examples of these kinds of doomsday stories include the movies: Independence Day, Armageddon, and The Day after Tomorrow, just to name a few.
1. The big buzz these days has to do with 2012 and the supposed end of the world related to the end of the Mayan calendar.
2. What is strange to me about all this is the fact that we can get all worked up about speculative things that are not likely to happen, like alien invasions, asteroids colliding with the earth, global warming, nuclear holocaust, or Mayan predictions, but we aren’t concerned enough about something that we know is going to happen: the return of Jesus Christ.
F. We have been studying Peter’s second letter for several weeks, and we have seen that Peter is concerned that his readers grow in the knowledge of the Lord.
1. One of the reasons Peter encouraged his readers to grow in the knowledge of the Lord was the fact that there are false teachers and false teaching.
2. Last week we saw how Peter addressed the character and conduct of the false teachers.
3. In today’s section from chapter 3, we want to notice how Peter addressed one of the things the false teachers taught and that was that there would be no second coming of Jesus.
4. It’s very important for us to understand the truths of God’s Word.
5. Just like in Peter’s day, we are surrounded today by people who refuse to take the Bible seriously when it speaks about Christ’s return and the certainty of judgment.
6. Let’s work through these verses and learn important truths about God and Christ’s coming.
I. God’s Word Is True (3:1-4)
A. Peter begins: 1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
B. We notice that Peter wrote this second letter primarily to awaken his readers and remind them of the truths they already knew.
1. Because God’s Word is true, we must pay attention to it and take its message seriously.
2. New converts must be taught the Word and must be established in the basic doctrines of the faith.
3. As I mentioned last week, new converts are often the target of false teachers, because they are more easily swayed from the truth.
4. But it’s not just new Christians who need to be in the Word and need to be reminded to hold to the truth – we all need it.
5. The important truth that Peter’s readers needed to be reminded of was the truth of Jesus’ return.
C. The Bible teaches that the Day of the Lord was not something invented by the Apostles.
1. The prophets taught about it and so did Jesus during His ministry, and Jesus’ apostles taught the same.
2. So here Peter is emphasizing the unity of the Word of God.
3. In their denial of the second coming, the scoffers were denying the truth of the prophets, the teaching of Jesus and the writings of the apostles.
4. The Scriptures are like a seamless garment and cannot be cut apart without ruining the whole.
D. Not only does the Word of God predict the coming Day of the Lord, but it also predicts the appearance of the very scoffers who deny that Word.
1. Their very presence is proof that the Word they deny is the true Word of God.
E. What is a scoffer?
1. A scoffer is someone who treats lightly that which ought to be taken seriously.
2. The people in Noah’s day scoffed at the idea of a judgment coming through a flood.
3. The citizens of Sodom scoffed at the possibility of judgment coming through fire from above.
4. Just think of the people in our world today who laugh at the notion of judgment and hell’s fire.
F. Why do these scoffers scoff?
1. Peter says because they want to continue living in their sins.
2. If your lifestyle contradicts the Word of God, then you must either change your lifestyle or change the Word of God.
3. The false teachers chose the latter approach, so they scoffed at the doctrines of the coming of the Lord and judgment.
G. And what was their argument? They pointed to the uniformity of the world.
1. They argued, “Nothing cataclysmic had happened in the past, so there is no reason to believe it will happen in the future.”
2. So how did Peter answer their argument? Let’s look at the next section.
II. God’s Work Is Consistent (3:5-7)
A. Peter continued: 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
B. All Peter did was remind them of what God has done in the past to make the point that God’s work is consistent throughout the ages.
1. Peter simply presented the evidence that the false teachers deliberately ignored.
2. Peter cited two events in history to prove his point – the work of God in creation and the flood in Noah’s day.
C. With regard to creation – God created the heavens and the earth by His word.
1. Not only was the creation made by the word of God, but it was held together by the same word.
2. Peter’s argument is obvious: the same God who created the world by His word can also intervene in His world and do whatever He wants to do by His word.
D. The second event Peter cited was the flood during Noah’s time.
1. In the previous chapter, Peter had already referred to the flood as an illustration of divine judgment, so there was no need to go into detail.
2. The flood was a cataclysmic event.
3. The people living on earth had probably never seen a rainstorm or the fountains of the deep overflowing, but these events happened just the same.
4. God has the power to “break in “ at any time and accomplish His will, even if it has never happened before.
5. God can send rain from heaven and God can send fire from heaven.
E. Having established the fact that God has in the past “interrupted” the course of history, Peter was then ready for his application.
1. The same word of God that created and sustains the world is presently holding it for future judgment.
2. God promised that that there would be no more floods to destroy the world (Gen. 9), but the next judgment will be a judgment of fire that will bring the destruction of ungodly people.
3. So Peter has proved his point – God has intervened in the course of history in cataclysmic ways and He has promised to do it again.
4. It will come just as surely as the Flood came in Noah’s day and fire and brimstone came to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
5. This is ultimately the bad news, not the good news.
F. But the scoffers of that day had their argument ready: “Then why the delay?”
1. The promise of Christ’s coming and the judgment of the world had been around for decades in Peter’s day, but it had yet to be fulfilled.
2. We can imagine the scoffers of today being even more emboldened.
3. The promise of Christ’s coming and the judgment of the world has been around for centuries, and it is yet to be fulfilled. Has God changed His mind? Let’s look at Peter’s answer.
III. God’s Will Is Merciful (3:8-10)
A. Peter concluded: 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
B. Once again, Peter exposed the ignorance of the scoffers.
1. They were not only ignorant of what God had done in the past, but they were also ignorant of what God was like.
2. They were making God in their own image and were ignoring the fact that God is eternal.
3. Being eternal, God has no beginning and end, and lives above and beyond time.
4. With the Lord a thousand years are like a day and a day is like a thousand years.
C. Maybe you’ve heard the story of a man who was talking to God one day.
1. “God”, the man asked, “how long is a million years?”
2. God answered, “In my frame of reference, it's about a minute.”
3. Then the man asked, “God, how much is a million dollars?”
4. God answered, “To me, it's a penny.”
5. So the man then asked, “Then can I have one of your pennies?”
6. God answered, “Sure, just a minute.”
D. Since a thousand years are like a day to the Lord, we cannot accuse Him of delayed fulfillment of His promises.
1. In God’s experience, His promises are only days old.
2. God is never in a hurry, and He is never late. God is always right on time.
E. Another thing the scoffers didn’t understand was God’s mercy.
1. Why is God delaying the return of Christ?
2. It is not because He is unable to act or unwilling to act.
3. Peter explains that God’s delay is to give more people the opportunity to be saved.
4. Peter says that God doesn’t want anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance.
5. Here we see the very heart of God.
6. Paul confirms this in 1 Tim. 2:4 where he writes: “…God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
F. Having refuted their false claims, Peter then reaffirmed the certainty of the coming of the Day of the Lord.
1. Verse 10 says: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
2. When is Jesus going to return? No one knows.
3. It will catch us off-guard like the thief comes when no one is expecting him to come.
4. No alarms will sound ahead of time, and no newspapers will announce it in advance.
G. Jesus tried to make this truth clear during His ministry.
1. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus said: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
2. In Matthew 25, Jesus told the parable of the 10 virgins and the parable of the talents to teach us the need to be ready all the time for His return.
3. Unfortunately false teachers over the years have boldly predicted the return of Jesus on specific days, and of course they have all been wrong.
H. So we don’t know when Christ will return, but we are emphatically told that He will return, and we are told how and what will happen.
1. Paul described it this way: According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thess. 4:15-17)
2. We certainly don’t know all there is to know about what will happen with the present universe, and our future existence in heaven.
3. We are told here in 2 Peter 3 that the heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
4. We can only speculate about exactly what all that means.
5. Later in the chapter, we are told: “but in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” (vs. 13)
6. All I know is that I want to be with God in the new heaven and the new earth, wherever that is, or whatever it will be like.
Conclusion:
A. Next week, Lord willing, we will look at the rest of chapter 3, where Peter applies these truths to our daily living.
1. These realities of God and His promises should cause us to live a certain way as we prepare and await the coming of Christ.
2. The fact that everything goes on the way it has for centuries and millennia, should not cause us to doubt the coming of Christ – Jesus is coming soon!
3. The fact that Jesus may not return in our lifetimes should not cause us to relax our attention to godly living, nor should it cause us to delay our repentance and obedience.
B. Several hundred years ago, William III, the king of England, was trying to put down a rebellion in Northern Scotland.
1. He issued a proclamation to all the rebel chiefs to appear at a certain place on or before December 31, 1691 and take an oath of allegiance to the king.
a. Those who did not take that oath were to be treated as traitors and executed.
b. There were not many followers, so it was useless for the chiefs to rebel.
c. One by one, they all gave in and signed their names to the paper, except one.
2. Alastair Maclain was chief of the smallest but proudest tribe in Scotland.
a. He planned to sign that paper, but it was his intention to be the last of the Scottish chiefs to submit.
b. So, a day or two before the deadline, he started traveling to the designated spot.
c. Unfortunately, a severe snow storm hindered him and he was one week late.
d. He and his followers were executed as traitors.
C. How many people do you suppose there are who are like that with God?
1. They intend to confess the name of Christ and obey him, they intend to repent of their sins and be baptized into Christ, but they want to wait to the last possible moment, only to discover how foolish they were to put it off?
2. God has given us this moment for salvation, but we are not guaranteed any more time.
3. How tragic to be too late!
4. It’s not too late to obey God right now, but for all we know, tomorrow may never come.
5. That’s not a scare tactic – it’s just the truth.
Resources:
The Bible Exposition Commentary, 1 Peter, by Warren Wiersbe, Victor Books, 1989
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Peter, by Edwin A. Blum, Zondervan, 1981
The Daily Study Bible Series, 2 Peter, by William Barclay, The Westminster Press, 1976
Interpretation, 2 Peter, by Pheme Perkins, John Knox Press, 1995
Ready or Not, Here He Comes, Sermon by Alan Smith, SermonCentral.com
