Untitled Sermon (14)

Know your Prophecy… II Peter Chapter 3

Good morning everyone let’s get started by going to 2 Peter 3:1–2“This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, —— Peter is writing to a congregation of believers that are probably in Asia Minor where he had sent his first letter. His beloved, with passion he was encouraging them to be strong in their faith. “Stirring up their sincere minds”. Reminding them to remember the old testament prophecies, emphasizing that the prophets “were” Holy, unlike the false teachers. He was also reminding them of all the times Jesus and the Apostles talked about the coming judgement and Jesus's second coming. In the 260 chapters of the New Testament there are about 300 references to Jesus’s second coming and directly related doctrines. Judgement, Kingdom, God’s bringing eternal righteousness. For us and them this aught to be irrefutable proof of Jesus’s second coming and the judgement of the wicked.

3-4

3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” —— These false teachers, scoffers were bent on their own lustful desires and sensual life styles. Remember last Sunday we talked about the Gnostics. They believed that they could do whatever the flesh desired because the body and the spirit were separate. They were denying, and today deny Jesus’s return, because they wanted /want to pursue their sins, they didn’t want to face the consequences of God’s judgement when he returns . When the scoffers said ; “were is the promise of His coming?” it wasn’t a question . they were saying; “ Y'all are crazy, it will never happen!” it’s a scoffers taunting of the truth. In their next statement they were saying that nothing had changed since the patriarchs had died, the past 18-1900 years, not only that but nothing had changed since the beginning of creation. Peter rebuffs this in the next verses.

5,6,7

5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. —— These false teachers ignored the realities of God’s wrath on the Godless and wicked with the Flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorah... Peter is telling them with Apostolic authority that just like before the Flood, that by God’s Word all creation was spoken into existence, in the same way by His Word it can and will be destroyed by fire at the final judgement. Just a side note for sceptics… the center, core of our earth is 12,400 degrees Fahrenheit. Only a thin 10 mile crust separate us from that. Just for perspective, the earths diameter is 7,926 miles. Even more relevant than that the whole of creation is a potential fire bomb due to its atomic structure. As humans use atoms to create bombs, so God can destroy the whole earth with an explosion of atomic energy.

8,9,10

8 But do not overlook with his one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” —— As the eternal state of the Godhead, time has no beginning or end, it’s a continual procession of now's...In His loving and gracious Omniscience, all events have their order according to His Divine Will. Acts 1:7 “He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority”.—— The “any” has to refer to those whom the Lord has chosen and will call to complete the congregation of His redeemed, and the “you” is also referring to His chosen, so that His Church, the Body of Christ will be complete. Verse 10 is possibly one of the most concise description of the physical aspect of Jesus's second coming in scripture. Revelations 19: 11-16 graphically describe His person.

11 “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, —— “what sort of people ought you to be” isn’t a question, it’s an exclamation, meaning; “how astonishingly excellent you ought to be” in lives of holiness (our external actions and behavior) and godliness (our internal heart, attitude and reverence)

12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! —— We are to be “looking for and hasting” we as Christians, instead of fearing the second coming, as should the Godless, we can look forward to his coming with not just expectation, but joyful anticipation. Titus 2:13 “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,” —— 2 Timothy 4:8 “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” —— 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” ——1 John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.” ——

13-14

13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. ——Let’s look at how John describes the New Heaven and Earth Revelation 21:1–4 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, 2 and the sea was no more. And I 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 the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”” —— Now about being diligent so we don’t miss this blessing. Peter doesn’t get anymore specific and clear than in 2 Peter 1:5–11 “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and 6 knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” —— Are we waiting on Jesus’s second coming with gleeful anticipation as if it could happen at any moment? I’m reminded of the “Parable of the 10 Virgins” in Matthew 25:1–13 ““Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. ——

15-16

15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.—— Peter starts this verse with reference to verses 9 in regard to patience; “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance”.—— Peter then goes on to credit Paul's Apostolic authority in his epistles and warning his congregation about the false teachers twisting the doctrines in Paul's epistles as well as all scripture. Peters readers were probably familiar with Paul's letters to the Galatians, Ephesians and Colossians, all in Asia Minor. These scoffers and false teachers not only create their own damnation ,but lead those that follow them to theirs also. remember what peter shared in 2 Peter 2:1–3 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” —— Their punishment is death....

17-18

17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” —— Peter has used chapters 2 and 3 to make this clear to them about the false teachers and scoffers. To “lose their own stability” is inferring that these Christians won’t lose their salvation but if they’re not careful they may find Fear, Doubt and Dissension creeping into their lives and the church. 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” —— In chapter 1, Peter gave them the directions to grow in Grace and Knowledge of their Lord and secure their position in God’s Kingdom… The more familiar we are with scripture and the better we personally know Jesus, the less likely we are to be deceived by counterfeit religions and their teachers.