ES2PEJ13 2 Peter 3:1–9, Jude 17-23
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1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you 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 Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 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 creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
Let’s recap 2 Peter: The first chapter dealt with divine power, divine promises and divine nature. The second chapter dealt with false prophets. And, now, the third deals with Jesus’ coming again.
.2 (Jude 17)
Now in this chapter we are reminded to keep a hold of Scripture and to keep them in mind. This simply means we are to actively trust what they say and do them. The reason is that the view of Scripture as being the Word of God will continually come under attack and those who teach it, allegedly, will do their best to undermine it. Attacks from without and attacks from within. Those of us who remind ourselves of the Words of Scripture continually will be able to hold on and see the error or the truth of what is being taught.
Notice how Peter puts the words of the prophets of the Old Testament and the words of the apostles’ on the same level. He knew that his own words were inspired of God too:
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
.3 (Jude 18)
Scoffers will come in the last days. Hmm. What Peter understood by the last days is surely a reflection of our day and time – these really are the last days, it portends the end of human history. Scoffers are those who ridicule our faith. But what is marvellous about this is that though they make fun of those who hold the Christian faith they are fulfilling the very Scripture they mock for it says they will turn up!
These are people of the world living for the here and now according to how they feel they will do. Walking according to their lusts. Yes, they are not content to live the self-indulgent lifestyle they are wanting to drag Christians into it as well – the reason for their scorn of our faith is
we are light and it shines upon their darkness
they want us to give up our faith for they think it is ridiculous in our scientific age that anyone could hold such beliefs –
and so that we will join them in what they are doing making no judgement of them.
‘Where is the promise of His coming?’ they ask. Yes, all things are continuing as before but the fact He has not come yet is not God failing His promises but giving ample opportunity for them to turn to Him. They don’t believe He is coming and the mocking is that all things continue since the creation which they also do not believe. And why would they after being trained so well in our schools and universities and internet and TVs that we are in a universe that spontaneously came into being through an explosion? But this is such a ridiculous idea which they prefer to believe rather than believing that God created the world, If anything we should be scoffing at them! Has anyone ever seen an explosion create anything except devastation? Certainly no good things come from explosions. On what planet are these so called scientists?!
Note, also, that these people say that since the fathers fell asleep, that is died, all things carry on as before. But are they not also avoiding the issue of their own demise? They know that they too will die for that is the way of the world but even at this fact a fist is shaken at it for they say that we don’t believe God created us, therefore we are not accountable to Him, therefore we will live how we like for when we die that is the end anyway. Yes, if I believed there was no God then I would live in such a way for even Paul said:
32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
The Sermon Notebook: New Testament Will Jesus Really Come Again? (2 Pet. 3:1–9)
These people made light of God’s coming judgment, because to acknowledge the truth of it would mean that they would have to change their lifestyles. It has always played out this exact way—(Ill. People in Noah’s day—Matt. 24:38–39; People of Sodom—Gen. 19:14. Ill. People in our day!) Men love their sin too much to turn their lives over to the Lord
.4
But they wilfully forget. Yes, their consciences, their natural selves, know the real truth but will not face up to it – that by the Word of God the universe came into being. Scripture knew well in advance that people would dispute that God created the cosmos and that evolution would be the prevailing theory, a so-called scientific understanding that cannot stand up under own scientific rules. They would rather believe that by chance life started, by chance we exist, by chance we happen to be on a planet in the golden zone just the right distance from the sun for life to prevail(!) than believe that God is the One who created and sustains His creation. They wilfully forget. That means that deep down they really do know the truth but now they have believed the lie so long that they cannot give it up for their whole worldview is based upon it – and to believe that God did it all would turn their lives upside down, something that they are not prepared to do.
When they come to Christ, as some do, they do not want to let go of their belief system and well-meaning Christians who are equally duped by the world system say you can hold both as true. No wonder there is confusion in the Church. Eventually you have to wonder whether anyone will hold to Scriptures in the Church. No wonder Jesus wondered out loud:
8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
Yet, Jesus was there at the beginning:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
.5
Where it says that the earth standing out of water and in the water it is understood that this refers to the 2nd day of creation when the water was separated from the land. Some believe further:
That a water canopy surrounded the earth in the early days of its existence, protecting it from the harmful effects of the sun. This water canopy perhaps created a "hothouse" effect which made possible the tropical plants and the large reptile like creatures which we know as dinosaurs. Some even cite this canopy as the reason for the longevity of man as described in the early chapters of Genesis.
.6
But the Flood brought about a great change in the earth's climate and topography.
But these unbelievers are also willing to forget what God has done to those who refuse His reign in their lives. They know that they are deserving of judgment but are not willing to repent, loving the darkness more. Almost all the ancient communities around the world have stories of a worldwide flood – God has left Himself a witness of what He did to those who were wicked. God destroyed the wicked of that time as we can also read in the only true, real and accurate account found in Genesis 5-8. The point is that not everything has continued as it was from the beginning – it was interrupted by a cataclysmic event that radically changed world history. This event was also scoffed at by the people of the time against Noah and his family but as Jesus said in
39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
The Sermon Notebook: New Testament Will Jesus Really Come Again? (2 Pet. 3:1–9)
God, not them, is in control of the universe. Since He is in control, He can break into time anytime He chooses and can do as He pleases!
God is intimately involved with what is going on, on the earth.
If God was willing to destroy all who lived in Noah’s day then He will not have any qualms about doing it in our day. The Heaven and Earth is still preserved and sustained by God but it will be destroyed by fire come the Day of Judgement. Water came the first time which is devastating as we know, for we only need to remember the Asian Tsunami and the Japanese earthquake to see what water can do. And God promised never to destroy the world again through water.
.7
But it will be destroyed by fire. We can remember how shocking it was when Grenfell went up in flames or think of the explosions of fire that happened in China 4 years ago in the port city of Tianjin which was evacuated to a 2 mile radius. Fire is a fearsome thing and there are always fires going on especially at this time of year.
And here we are told that the universe has a reservation to be destroyed by fire. A reservation that will certainly be honoured.
The streets are filled with protests these days, especially a group that calls itself ‘Extinction Rebellion’, which is a dangerous group. It may be peaceful now but their manifesto is violent. All these people clamouring and worried about the end of our world, of people and yet want policies that will destroy the way of life for people here and elsewhere and make them hell on earth. What is interesting about all this is their rebellion against God. Yes, we have been called to be good stewards of the world but it is for the benefit of people. This world will not be destroyed by man-made climate change. We also have to remember God will have the last word: the world will be destroyed by Him by fire:
20 The earth reels like a drunkard,
it sways like a hut in the wind;
so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion
that it falls—never to rise again.
What God has started God will end. There was a time in Noah’s day when God had enough. There will be a time in our day that God will say enough. Enough of the rebellion and sin. He’d rather see all people turn to Him but we all know that will not happen and as a result people will have to take the consequences for rejecting Jesus. The perdition or judgement of people is coming.
A way of escape though has been made:
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
.8
But God’s promises should not catch us out for what He has promised He will do. A thousand years as is one day to the Lord. How is this? Well God has existed for all eternity and will exist for all eternity to come. The timescale of this earth is just like a blip on the radar which is seen one moment and gone the next. Time is a creation itself by God – will time cease to exist in the future, who knows. But the point of this verse is to say that God’s perception of time is not the same as ours. We have a little understanding of this for we say when we were children a day lasted a very long time but now we are older the days pass by and before we know it 40 more years have passed.
The Sermon Notebook: New Testament Will Jesus Really Come Again? (2 Pet. 3:1–9)
By His accounting, Jesus has not even been gone 2 days yet. The world is only 6 days old.
.9
Why did Peter tells us this? Well, the Lord will fulfil all His promises exactly as He said but in His own time. He is waiting for people to turn to Him and He gives every chance for repentance. But God is not slack concerning His promises; He is always on time. But He does not want to judge the world unnecessarily for He hates the fact that He has to pass sentence on people He would rather see come to faith in Him.
23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?
The Sermon Notebook: New Testament Will Jesus Really Come Again? (2 Pet. 3:1–9)
He tarries to give lost men an opportunity to make things right with Him.
But God does not force His will on us but we have to do it willingly, out of love for Him because of all that He has done on our behalf through Jesus Christ His Son. God is keeping the door open until the very last one who will bow to the name of Jesus comes in. He doesn’t mind waiting but even so, there is a limit. The time has not yet arrived. His time is still not yet.
His time may not yet have arrived but NOW is the time for salvation. And why would we turn Jesus down? After all He is preparing a place for us if we come to Him:
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
There is no room for mocking the goodness of God in His delay for our time is always now. The prophet says:
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.
Are we ready?
Communion
Communion
The Sermon Notebook: New Testament Will Jesus Really Come Again? (2 Pet. 3:1–9)
2,000 years ago, a man named Jesus Christ walked upon this earth. He was different from any man who ever lived before, or has lived since. He was different because He was God in the flesh. He came to this world to live a perfect life and to die a perfect death to make a sinful people perfect and to give them eternal life. After He died and rose again, He returned to His Father. Before He left, however, He made this great promise; “I will come again!”
Indeed, what we celebrate today is not going to be done forever. We do this in commemoration and remembrance but when Jesus returns we will no longer celebrate in this way for we shall see Him as He is. We will be with Him and Him with us forevermore. Therefore, we shall no longer need to be reminded. We will see with our eyes the marks on His body. We will celebrate Him for eternity. This is why this institution ends with ‘till He comes’. Oh what hope and joy we have to look forward to. In the meantime, though, we have to be content with these elements, the only physical way we are to remember Jesus by, and the price He ultimately paid for our freedom. Let us remember and look to the future to the One who will return with might and power and glory and majesty and take us to be with Him forever. Jesus our Lord and Saviour.
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Benediction
Benediction
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Bibliography
Bibliography
Blum, E. A., & Wax, T. (Eds.). (2017). CSB Study Bible: Notes. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
Carr, A. (2015). The Sermon Notebook: New Testament. Lenoir, NC: Alan Carr.
Helm, D. R. (2008). 1 & 2 Peter and Jude: sharing christ’s sufferings. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 08:43 04 August 2019.