2 Peter 3

Bottom line

Are you ready for the Day of the Lord?

Opening Line

When you think back to high school graduation, what did you experience leading up to the big day?

Introduction

It is interesting. When I graduated from high school, there were 7 people in my graduating class. Of the seven of us, I would say that 4 of us had a fairly firm grasp about what came next. We knew where we wanted to go with life, and as I think back, I would say that all four of us hit the mark. For us, graduation was an exciting time because it meant the next chapter of our life could finally begin.

The other three, however, I don’t think they knew where they wanted to end up. For the sake of the ceremony, they said where they wanted to go, but they never got there. Some of them took major detours and ended up somewhere completely different then they projected. For them, graduation was a time of uncertainty and nervousness because they really didn’t know what was next. The unknown for them was unsettling.

Another example would be playoffs. Even though we are only halfway through the season, today’s game against the bombers carries a lot of weight. Playoffs are right around the corner and no one in the West is really safe at the moment. Anything could happen and a team that may have been considered a favorite could very easily be on the outside looking in. The only certainty is that Montreal has secured a playoff spot with the Ottawa loss last night. For every other team, the idea of playoffs creates nervousness, with no one really certain if they are going to make it or not.

Main Point

Here is my point. In the final chapter of Peter’s letter, he is going to write to the church about the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is something that the prophets spoke of, and the New Testament authors continue to write about it. When it comes to the question, “Are You Ready,” this is the most important test you need to be prepared for.

Why it matters

I have a sense that many in the church today are unaware of the Day of the Lord, yet it should be the single greatest motivator for us to live godly lives. What you are going to see this morning is that everything Peter has written about in both letters, all seven chapters we have studied up to this point, has been an encouragement to the church to be ready for this day. Yet I can’t help but wonder if the Western church has become ignorant of this coming day, this day that will be both terrifying and glorious, and it has led to the laziness and complacency of the church. I believe that we need to start talking about it more, so that the church can be all that it was meant to be. Why else would Peter, in his final words to the church, include it in this letter.

Scripture

So let’s see what Peter has to say about the Day of the Lord.

2 Peter 3:1–7 NLT

This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles. Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.

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What is the purpose of the letter? To stimulate wholesome thinking and refresh your memory.

Peter then moves to talk about the last days. He starts by telling the church that there will be mockers and scoffers, questioning why Jesus has come back yet. Is He coming at all?

Peter then calls to mind the story of Noah. Do you think that Noah was mocked as the years passed and he built a boat in the middle of the desert? Do you think the people questioned where this rain was, and if it was coming at all? Yet when the ark was completed, the rain came and the earth was washed of the impurity that had become so rampant.

Peter is telling the church to not be surprised if people do the same today. However this time, it won’t be a flood of water; it will be destruction by fire, and all the mockers will be destroyed right along with it.

But look at the response Peter gives when people scoff and accuse God of being slow to fulfill His promise.

2 Peter 3:8–10 NLT

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

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Two things Peter points out in this section. One, God is outside time and sees all of time all at once. His timing is perfect. Always has been, always will be. But it is not the Lord being slow, but being patient. In verse 15, Peter says that our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is the heart of God. He loves all people, and it is His desire that none would perish. He is not a vengeful or vindictive God, but a gracious one that loves everyone and longs to see all enjoy eternity in heaven. No one is too far gone, everyone who has breath in their lungs has a chance to experience the redemption found in Christ.

But here is the part about the Day of the Lord. It will come like a thief in the night. Jesus used these words, and said that if the homeowner knew when the thief was coming, he wouldn’t have been robbed. But here is the thing: the Day of the Lord will only catch the unbeliever off guard. Scripture repeatedly tells the believer to be alert, to be watchful. The believer watches with anticipation for the Day of the Lord. The unbeliever is too consumed with the ways of the world to pay attention. But when the Day comes, the heavens and earth will disappear in fire. If that description of the Day of the Lord doesn’t stir something in you, you are not paying attention. Everything deserving judgment will disappear in fire.

Peter goes on. 2 Peter 3:11-14

2 Peter 3:11–14 NLT

Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

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Twice in these three verses, Peter tells the church that there is only one response for the believer in light of the coming Day of the Lord. To live holy and godly lives, to live peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in His sight. Why? Because God is going to set the current heaven and earth on fire and will create a new heaven and new earth for those who are saved.

Let me unpack this in light of Peter’s whole letter. Chapter 1 was a call to live a godly life, one that is marked by moral excellence, self-control, patience, and brotherly affection. Chapter 2 was a warning that false teachers would rise up from within the church and many would be deceived by their sinful desires and reject the truth for teachings that tickled their ears.

Which brings us to chapter 3. There are 2 types of Christians. There are those who are godly, forsaking the desires and temptations of the world and growing in faith. It is these believers that will be saved, escape the coming judgment and experience the new heavens and new earth that the Lord is going to create. Then there are those who give in to their desires and reject the truth to satisfy their lusts. These ones will pass away with this earth in fire as objects of judgment. It is this reason that the Apostle Paul tells the church to work out their faith with fear and trembling. For those who are not living a godly life, the Day of the Lord is going to be terrible and awful, and it should motivate you to ensure you are living a life that is pleasing before God.

Transition to Application

As I was praying and meditating on this message, I realize that talking about the Day of the Lord will cause you to have one of three reactions. The first reaction is fear. The Day of the Lord is a day of judgment, when you will give an account of how you lived your life. For some, there is nervousness about that idea because if you are honest, you haven’t lived a life that is God honoring. You have turned your back and chosen to satisfy your sinful desires instead of pleasing your heavenly Father. You haven’t really surrendered your life to Jesus and you really have no idea what is going to happen when judgment happens. In that scenario, fear is a very appropriate response.

The second response is anticipation. In the face of the reality of the Day of the Lord, the Spirit of God in you fills you with a sense of peace that eternity awaits. You may not be perfect, but you are committed to growing in the Lord and trying to make sure today is a little better than yesterday. You are confident that you are secure in the Lord.

Both of these responses are healthy. If you have a little fear, that means you recognize that there is some work to do and you are in the right place to get started. If you have confidence and hope, then God is already at work in your life and you need to continue growing in the Lord.

The third response is the problematic one. Some of you don’t want to think about the Day of the Lord and would rather live in ignorance of its reality. If you don’t think about it, it won’t cause you to feel anything and you can continue to live life however you choose. You are in a dangerous place if that is how you are thinking. You are the one who will be caught off guard by the arrival of the Day because you chose to believe that you have nothing but time and that the day will never come. You may never verbally say that, but your life says it, and don’t forget, over half of all communication is non-verbal.

Main To Do

This is what I want you to do this week. I want to take some time in the next two days, preferably during your devotions, and take some spiritual inventory. Ask yourself, “If today was the Day of the Lord, would I be ready?” Take a pen and paper and ask the Lord, and write down the answer. If the answer is no, then figure out what you can do now to get ready. If the answer is yes, then ask the Lord how you can continue to grow and make your salvation even more secure.

Why it matters

What this comes down to is a matter of citizenship. If you are a citizen of heaven, then you will live by God’s standards and be directed by His desires and His ways. Then when the day of the Lord comes and this heaven and earth pass away by fire and new heaven and new earth come, then you get to continue being a citizen of heaven without all the opposition. OR you can live as a citizen of earth, enjoy your every passion, desire and ambition to the rejection of God’s ways, and when the Day of the Lord comes, you can continue being a citizen of earth, right up until it is burned up and you get to go with it.

Closing Line

The Day of the Lord could come any day now. If it were to come tomorrow, are you ready?

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out from this morning’s message?

2. If the Day of the Lord were to come tomorrow, would you be ready? How can you be sure?

3. What are some ways you can make every effort to live peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in God’s sight? (2 Peter 3:14)