Stand Ready for Christ's Return
Resilient Faith - 1-2 Peter • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 7 viewsNotes
Transcript
2 Peter 3:3-14
Welcome:
Welcome:
What a God comments
Name - Rotating Preaching Teaching Team
Blessed and Honored to be back
Humbled to be given this opportunity to teach
For those of you who don’t know me, my family and I have been members of this church for a few years now and we moved to Houston in the summer following a job opportunity.
We have stayed very much plugged in with Upwards because we have every intention of coming back.
This place is home to us and I am thankful for the opportunities to share with you what God has revealed to me.
maybe skip this?
One thing that God revealed to me this week...Not all movie renditions of “A Christmas Carol” are as kid friendly as I remember.
Oh yes, on Thanksgiving I put on the 2009 version with Jim Carrey doing the voice of Scrooge...I loved this movie growing up, but I had forgotten how real it looked. They did a good job.
We started the movie and I am giving my 5 & 2 year old commentary so the can understand what is happening.
Well I get a phone call from family wanting to say hi, so I step away for a moment.
As I’m walking back into the living room, the ghost of Christmas past is on the screen moaning, my 2 year old is hiding and, I kid you not, shivering, under the blanket. Using it like a shield against an attacker.
Her exclamation of terror is rising in pitch and volume every second.
aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh DaaaddddYYYYY NOOOOOOOOOOO
My 5 year old was the opposite. Her face was twisted in fear, but her eyes were peeled WIDE OPEN. Stuck on the screen like she was under a spell.
My wife Gio is there trying to cover everybody’s eyes and reach for the remote at the same time.
We have three kids, good luck finding that thing.
She gets to my 2 year old, but Leanna is locked in a trance. She can’t look away.
I think to myself, No problem.
That’s nothing a dad with a pillow can’t fix.
Baamm! Smack hand gently
She goes flying, eye contact is broken, mission accomplished.
The whole time, my 1 year old son is just monotone yelling while he is slamming Christmas ornaments into the ground.
When it’s all said and done, somehow...I’M the one that gets in trouble. Of all people.
At least, I’m in trouble as long as I SAY I AM, am I right fellas?
Up top! Nice.
Just kidding honey. Umm.
Anyway, where were we?
[insert segway from opening joke to sermon]
Today will be our last day in 2 Peter, as we study chapter 3 primarily.
But it’s important to get our basics out of the way:
Who was Peter?
Name: Simon Peter - Brother to Andrew - Married
Very Close Friend & Student of Jesus Christ (Apostle)
He’s the guy with the famous rock verse.
Jesus asked Peter this question in Matthew 16:13-20 : Who do you say that I am?
Peter said, “You are the Christ [anointed One], the Son of the living God.”
Jesus says, “YES! You GET IT! That’s the right answer!”
Then Jesus says this in verse 18: “You are Peter [petros - rock], and on this rock [petra] I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
We don’t have time to have the discussion that this verse needs, so I’ll give you my conclusion up front:
We can say with CONFIDENCE that Peter knew the Gospel. Jesus was proud of Peter’s wisdom in understanding, so we need to listen to this guy.
Why was this letter written?
Farewell Address - Peter was killed shortly after this letter was written.
Christian tradition tells us that Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero. It states that Peter felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus Christ, so he requested to be crucified upside down.
Memorial of his teachings to be passed on to later generations.
12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.
13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,
14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
iii. He wants to combat the false teaching that is going on in the church in Asia Minor.
In this letter, Peter is addressing some common teachings of the time that we are still facing today:
The Apostles made all of this stuff up about Jesus coming back to life and being King of the World. Jesus isn’t REALLY going to come back one day. It’s a fairy tale.
And that’s our first point, this morning.
1. Non-Believer’s will Ridicule Christ’s Return
1. Non-Believer’s will Ridicule Christ’s Return
We in America live in a time where this has become very normal.
It has become culturally acceptable to be a “progressive Christian”, that teaches the gospel of self.
The gospel of self is just that. MY will be done, not THY will be done.
God is loving, therefore He is inclusive of me and my truth. He made me this way.
This is just a lie that has been dressed up like the truth. A pig in a dress.
Harder and harder has it become to be a disciple maker in this country.
If you truly want to make disciples in this country, in 2025,
You WILL be called a racist.
You WILL be called a sexist.
You have to call sin “sin” if you want to make disciples.
You WILL be called a homophobe.
You WILL be called judgmental, insincere, a hypocrite...and that is just not a comfortable place to imagine ourselves in. Is it?
You may feel like you are not prepared to handle those types of conversations, maybe you worry about being unable to fully backup your claims in Christ.
Let's look at how Peter responded to the claims of the apostles making all this up:
Peter refutes this by appealing to his own, and many others’, eye witness testimony. Peter says this in:
16 ... we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
Do y’all remember when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist?
What happened?
A voice thundered from heaven saying what?
17 ...“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Peter says in verse 18,
18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
Peter is saying, “of course He is coming back! We saw Him die, raise to life, and ascend into Heaven. If this man says He’s coming back, then He’s coming back!
The false teachers were also saying, “There won’t be a final reckoning! God is not going to judge the world in one fell swoop, there is no way that could happen! Look around you, the world goes on every day. God is not someone who enacts widespread judgement!”
Allow me to point out that many of us probably feel this way deep down.
Many of us look around at the world and see, perhaps, an absence of the hand of God.
It raises doubts when we see evil, undisguised and unashamed, tearing through our world and our value systems and we wonder...deep down...is God really coming to come back and judge all this, making it NEW again? and GOOD?
My friends, Lock in with Peter here. Don’t listen to the lies. Instead, fight them with the truth:
Peter uses truth here by drawing our memories back to 3 ancient examples of divine justice/judgement; Times where God very clearly, and very visibly brings His right hand down like a hammer of justice and annihilation.
The fall of Satan and his angels
The flood
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;
5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;
6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,
10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme ...
3 stories of rebellion that are ultimately quenched by the righteous wrath of God.
How’s that for a day of reckoning? A day of Justice?
Everybody here would probably say, “We want Justice!” Right?
You don’t want justice. Trust me. You want Grace.
Let me tell you about some archeological discoveries that were made within the last 5 years that reveal God’s justice in the most recent of these stories:
We have found what we believe are the remains of of Sodom & Gomorrah - Ruins in a place called Tal el-Hammam in the Southern Jordan Valley
Zero signs of military siege
Findings point to a catastrophic event caused by an asteroid impact.
Melted rooftops; Zero plant life for 600 years after the event
Pottery found was covered in Trinitite: until 2021, we believed that humanity created Trinitite. Why is that?
Because the very first time we ever saw Trinitite in nature was at the Trinity site after the first atomic bomb test.
Trinitite is the glass layer that you get when you set off an atomic bomb in the desert and it melts the sand.
Human skeletons found there are complete up until about halfway up the backbone, then there is a scorch mark, then nothing for the top of the body.
Massive evidence that an enormous blast of heat from the sky came in at about 25 degrees above the horizon.
The airburst would have been more than 1000Xs larger than the Hiroshima atomic bomb.
Think about what that scene might have looked like.
Once this discovery was published, the scientists were condemned as Bible Nuts and a more scientific explanation was given: The 21 doctorate level scholars on the project mistook run-of-the-mill smelting and pottery processes for a city erasing bomb.
Seems plausible.
Peter reminds us that this will happen. The enemy will try to muddy the truth of the past in chapter 3, starting in verse 3. Let’s break it down together:
3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
Above All = First Thing’s First = If you remember ONE thing today...
Scoffers will come.
What is a scoffer?
Scoffer: Someone who mocks, ridicules, or shows contempt for spiritual truths.
Scoffer, simpler put: Someone who follows their own desires and questions God’s judgement and timing.
Why do they scoff? Because they want to follow their own evil desires. It’s the gospel of Self.
If you hadn’t noticed, basically all of Western Media, Higher Education, and the Enlightened Scientific Thought Circles fit this definition.
4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
Ever since anyone can remember, life goes on. People are born, people are die. Some die old, some die young. Some live pleasantly, others less so. But it’s always been like this.
No it hasn’t!! This world used to be GOOD!! There was a time where mankind walked hand-in-hand with his creator!!
Science SCREAMS the existence of a loving God, though many modern scientists will scoff at the truth.
Cliff Knechtle has 5 arguments for the existence of God. We don’t have time to go into each one, but I want to list them for you to ponder:
1. Life does not come from non-life.
The origin of life requires a source of life, i.e. a Creator.
2. Material does not come from the immaterial.
The universe had a beginning, and something outside of it (immaterial, eternal) must have caused it.
3. Intelligent Design is Obvious.
The order and complexity of the universe suggest a purposeful designer.
4. Moral Absolutes Exist.
If there are objective moral laws, there must be a moral lawgiver.
5. Love and a Universal Belief in God
Human capacity for love and the widespread belief in a higher power point toward a transcendent source.
It is hardwired into our very being.
I tell you those things to remind you that Science points to a Creator, a Higher Power.
But Peter tells us exactly what scoffers do with the truth in verse 5:
5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
Notice that word, deliberately.
In Greek, it is the word [thelo] which means “wish/want”.
A more literal translation would read, “They WANT to forget...”
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
What does Peter say the Scoffers want to forget? Creation. The Flood. The total destruction of an entire world's ecosystem
It’s hard to acknowledge that there is a God who has the power to end everything in a moment, using nature as His tool.
It’s much easier, much more comfortable, to attribute seashells being found on mountaintops to ancient oceans that covered the world 3 billion years ago. Instead of admitting that MAYBE...my God really did what Genesis 7:11 says:
11 ...on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.
19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.
21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind.
Peter reminds of that event, then says:
7 By the same word [that spoke all that into motion] the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
But Pastor, I thought the Day of the Lord was supposed to be a joyous occasion. Isn’t every knee supposed to bow to Jesus? And every tongue confess He is Lord? You’re telling me that the Day of the Lord is a day of judgement and destruction? Which one is it?
The answer is, YES.
For the believers, this will be a day of rejoicing. A day where sin is finally conquered and locked away. Jude refers to this day as The Great Day. The Day of Jesus Christ. The Day of Redemption
But for unbelievers, this will be the worst day in history. Time will be up.
The Day of Wrath
The Day of Judgement
So, we know He is coming back. We know He is bringing judgement for the unbelievers on earth.
Why hasn’t He returned yet?
Why doesn’t He come now?
The answer is our second point this morning:
2. God is Patient with Christ’s Return - Because He wants YOU.
2. God is Patient with Christ’s Return - Because He wants YOU.
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.
DON’T FORGET!! The Lord does not experience Time as we do! He is outside of it all! One day and One thousand years might as well be the same thing, because He is looking at the timeline from outside of it.
Because of that...verse 9...
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Ask someone to raise their hand if they know the date of their salvation
Ask Name.
Why didn’t Jesus return the day before that?
I know at least one reason: He was waiting for YOU.
How many of you here, raise your hands, want Jesus to come back tomorrow and swoop all the believers into the glory of His presence? And be done with all the pain that comes with living in a fallen world?
Every true believer wants this.
MAYBE, part of the reason He doesn’t come this very moment is because there are hearts in this very room that He is… [knock knock knocking]
He wants YOU, and your parents, and your children, and your in-laws, and your neighbor... and He is long in his suffering.
Patient, not wanting anyone to perish.
God wants to give us as many chances as possible to turn to the truth before our ticket is punched.
Notice what Peter says here, and what he doesn’t say:
“...not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to _________ belief? Understanding?”
Nope. Repentance.
It’s not all about belief, guys.
19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.
15 ...“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent AND believe in the gospel.”
That was Jesus’ very first teaching at the beginning of his ministry in Mark 1.
God does not want you to PERISH, He wants you to REPENT!!
Your walk with God doesn’t begin with going to church
It doesn’t start with saying prayers
It doesn’t start with leaving your bad friends and focusing on healthy habits
Your walk with the Lord doesn’t begin when you quit your addictions
When you take a spiritual shower
It doesn’t start by making sure your husband or wife is on board
It doesn’t start with memorizing Bible verses
It’s not when you buy Christian t-shirts or a cross necklace
Walking with God doesn’t begin with worship music
It’s not trying to be a better person
It starts when you are confronted with the humble truth that NO ONE IS GOOD! NOT EVEN ONE! YOU are not good enough & YOU can’t do ANYTHING on your own!
It starts when YOU realize that YOU need HELP! YOU need a SAVIOR!
Because No matter how hard you try, you always fall short of the standard. You always miss the mark when it comes to God’s righteous standard.
Walking with the Lord starts with REPENTENCE!!
Peter tells us why we need to repent in verse 10 and it makes my spirit tremble.
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 done in it will be laid bare.
Whoa.
A thief doesn’t call before he breaks into your home. It happens swiftly and you are either awake to confront him, or you are asleep.
I don’t want to be sleeping when the Lord returns.
I don’t want to be spiritually asleep when the heavens disappear with a roar, and when the elements are destroyed by fire.
I want to be safe and sound with my Risen Savior, Jesus Christ.
I DEFINITELY don’t want to be on the earth when “everything done in it will be laid bare.”
Spooky vibes, Peter.
So what are we supposed to do? That brings us to our 3rd point this morning: Be Ready.
3. Believers, be Ready for Christ’s Return
3. Believers, be Ready for Christ’s Return
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming...
Peter tells us that if went to be awake on the Day of the Lord, we need to live holy and godly lives.
What does that mean?
Holy: Set Apart; Different
Salvation is not found by following the crowd and doing what everyone else is doing:
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Salvation is found in Jesus Christ.
What is this stuff about speeding [hastening] its coming? We can do that?
Quick answer: YES. We are able to speed the Day of the Lord along, helping it to come sooner.
How does that work?
Let me direct you to Matthew 24, and it is a slammer of a chapter.
We don’t have time to read the whole thing, but every believer should be well versed in Matthew 24.
It begins with the disciples asking Jesus a question:
3... “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus proceeds to tell His disciples about all kinds of terrible things that will come before the end times.
Wars and Rumors of Wars
Famines
Earthquakes
Tribulation
Betrayal
False Prophets
Lawlessness
and then Jesus says this in verse 14:
14 And this gospel ... will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Let me simplify this for everybody in the room:
If you want to hurry along the return of Jesus Christ, SPREAD the GOSPEL.
Jesus speaks plainly in Matthew 24. The gospel will be proclaimed throughout the WHOLE WORLD, and THEN the end will come.
There are parts of the world that have never been exposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
There are people that have never heard the Good News of salvation.
There always have been people like this, but let me tell you something:
That gap is thinning.
We live in a time where I can record my own voice on a device, and transmit that audio anywhere in the world in mere moments.
We live in a time where we can see, live and in color, things that are happening on the other side of the world, right as they are happening.
There is a time coming, and it is not far off, where we will be at a place technologically where we can reach every person in the world with targeted messaging.
Think about our communication capabilities 50 years ago vs. where they are today. We are not far off.
Because of all this, believers need to stay ready.
15 … always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;
Because you never know when your words will help someone else come to trust in Jesus.
You know...
The Holy Spirit has a funny way of bringing me challenges in the days and weeks leading up to a sermon that require to ‘practice what I preach’ if you will.
In talking with a friend this past week, the topic of “waiting for the right time” to fully commit to Jesus came up and it brought to mind a story from Acts 24. A story about a Roman judge named Felix and his wife Drusilla, a Jewish princess.
In this story, Paul is imprisoned in Rome, but the residing judge, Felix, continues to bring him out of his cell to hear about Jesus.
For 2 years, Felix and his wife hear the gospel from, arguably, the greatest preacher in history. They seemed to crave listening to him teach.
After 2 years, the tragedy of the story happens.
24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus.
25 As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come,[ding ding, that’s what we’re talking about today], Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”
After those 2 years, Felix was replaced with a new judge and, to our knowledge, never saw Paul again and never gave his life to Jesus.
When I find it, convenient, Felix said.
Dangerous words. Like a thief in the night, that day will come and go...
Jesus says this in:
32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.
34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.
35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—
36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.
37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
Stay awake.
If I see anyone sleeping out there, I will make you an example in this story.
Worship Team, come on up please.
Stay awake and keep...
13... looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
14 [And], since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
This last verse is a tough one to tackle.
It’s a Wake Up Call: You can’t be at peace with God if you are glorifying your sin.
There. I said it. And It’s true.
13 People who conceal [or deny] their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
Don’t give it the ol’ college try, you’re called to make EVERY EFFORT to be found blameless.
Don’t be like Felix, who heard the gospel for 2 years straight but never made the heart change. It clicked in his head, but not in his heart.
TURN AWAY from the things the Bible tells us draws us away from God
Expand upon common embraced sins
Pornography
Lack of wives submission
Husbands not leading their homes
Children disobeying parents
Holding onto anger and resentment
Choosing lies over the truth
How do you find yourself spotless, blameless and at peace with Jesus? By repenting and accepting the grace of his unconditional love and forgiveness. There is no time to wait and you’re never too far gone.
As long as you have breath in your lungs, there is still mercy to be had.
Let’s all bow our heads together before we sing one final song in worship.
Alter Call
Alter Call
Unbelievers
Walked away from the Faith
Lukewarm Believers
Hearts on Fire
Prayer.
