From our Sunday service on September 22, 2024, 2 Peter 3. Watch the full message: Living in Light of His Return on YouTube.
This message concludes our series from the book of 2 Peter, so we’re in 2 Peter 3. Second Peter was written by the apostle Peter to Christians spread throughout the nations, at a time when new groups were going around, namely the Gnostics. They were creating new denominations, claiming to have secret teachings of Jesus that weren’t in the Gospels. We entitled the series Nurturing Faith in a Changing World. The world we live in is always changing. In some generations we move closer to Christ and in some we move farther away, and regardless of that shift, we need to nurture our faith. In the first message we talked about how God wants you to be knowledgeable in His word. Peter’s argument is that the best defense against false teaching is good teaching, so spend time in your Bible and around people who know it. Peter now gives us some encouragement. There are some who mock us and say, “Is Christ going to return? Has Christ abandoned His people to persecution and hardship?” But the truth is that God has not given up on us.
A Reminder from Loved Ones
Peter writes, “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance.” This is a little uncommon. Usually you see this kind of wording at the beginning of an epistle, but here Peter reminds us again who he is and why he’s writing. He calls them “beloved.” This letter is not written to smite down the false teachers in anger and resentment and bitterness. It’s written to his loved ones. Christ calls us His beloved. “Stir up” is the idea of shaking someone awake from sleep, like someone tossing and turning in the night. Peter is saying, “Church, you’ve been dealing with the hardship of the world and with people nagging and mocking you, and you need to be shaken awake.” “Pure minds” means sincere minds. Peter isn’t writing to apostates or to people who have given up on the Christian walk. He’s writing to people who have devoted themselves to the teachings of Christ. Verse 2 tells us it isn’t only something you’ve heard from us apostles, but it’s also in the Old Testament, in the words of the holy prophets. It’s a truth passed down through all of history.
The Scoffers
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.
2 Peter 3:3–4
“Knowing this first” means there’s something you need to know. The apostles and prophets warned us that in the last days, mockers and scoffers would come against God’s people. The last days is technically anything after Christ’s death and the beginning of the church age. So, Christians, do not be deceived. We knew this was coming. We knew there would be people who decide to reject Christ and follow their own lusts, and who would say, “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.”
Peter says they are willingly ignorant. They purposefully forget some of the details, specifically the old world. Look around you at the complexity of life on this planet and tell me it just happened, that there wasn’t a God who shifted the whole cosmos to create this. Tell me everything has continued as it always has. Verse 6 reminds us there was another time God wasn’t passive. We remember the story of Noah and his ark. The world was wicked and full of violence, and only Noah’s family wanted to serve the Lord. So God said He would start over. Now there’s a new age. Remember that back at creation God spoke with His words to form all of creation. That’s a pretty powerful word. And remember how God condemned all the wicked to die in Noah’s flood. He just spoke. They mock us, saying, “Where is Jesus, Christian? Why hasn’t He returned? Isn’t He supposed to make everything right? Sinners are still running rampant.” How do we answer? God can do as He pleases. In the past He created the world with a word, and He judged it with a word, and that same word now holds the world until the day He has appointed.
God's Time Is Not Our Time
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:8–9
We need to understand God’s perspective. He is an eternal being, and He doesn’t have a lifetime the way we do. We experience time very differently. Think back to when you were a little kid and got in trouble. At that age, five minutes in the corner felt like an hour. Our lives are so quick that we start to question God when we have a prayer and a day goes by and it hasn’t been answered, or a week, or, God forbid, a month. We say, “God, I know You told me to do this thing in my life, and it’s been a week, a month, a year, and I haven’t seen it fulfilled yet.” Even my becoming pastor here at Lakeview is something God planned years in advance, and I had no idea. After I graduated from college, I got a whole master’s degree before I took this church over. All I knew was the next step in front of me. God was not late. He was preparing.
Another way to say “not slack” is that the Lord is not delaying concerning His promise. Some consider it a delay. “God should have come back right after Jesus. He’s way too late.” We’ve accused God of not being just because the wicked have been allowed to run free, but what’s truly going on is that God has been patient with us. Think about it: who really are the wicked? Is it only the people out there, or were we among them before He saved us? Why is He patient? Because He doesn’t want anyone to perish. The word “come” in “come to repentance” is literally the idea of surrendering, giving in. God doesn’t want anyone to die and go to hell. What He wants is for people to surrender and live.
Despite this, Peter still gives the warning: “But the day of the Lord will come.” It’s great that God has given us time on this earth to be Christians and share the gospel with our neighbors, but we need to remember that the day will come.
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2 Peter 3:11–12
If everything in this world is going to be dissolved, how should that affect your lifestyle and your behavior with other people? Peter isn’t saying we should be excited about destruction. Because we look for this, we need to be diligent to be found of Him in peace. We ought not be at war with the world, or with people in the church, or with anyone. The first is to be “without spot,” to remove every flaw from your character. If you want people to recognize you in the new earth, when you don’t have any sins, maybe on this earth you should get them out now.
Peter also says to account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation. Because God’s patience with us is what allows us to have salvation. It’s God’s restraining of Judgment Day that allows us an opportunity to repent. Peter says Paul has already written of these things in all his epistles, and there are people who have read these end-times passages and “wrested” them, which means twisted them. So Peter wraps up everything: beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Be careful, Christian. It’s tempting to think God has forgotten you and that His promises for you aren’t going to be fulfilled. It’s possible for us as Christians to be tripped up by that accusation. We say, “I’ve been praying, and nothing has happened.” Peter reminds us one final time to grow in grace. If you only get your Bible from church, you’ll go your whole life without understanding as much as you can from this Bible.
We do not need to be discouraged by the world around us, by those who mock, or by our circumstances. God has promised that He will return for us. He has promised there will be a new heaven and a new earth. Rather than being discouraged, we should be moved to action. We should commit ourselves to being transformed to be more like Christ. We should be holy and godly, reverent toward God, and set apart for His purpose. We should pursue peace and integrity, and we should grow. Will you live in light of His return today?
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