The Promise of His Coming
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
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!” (John 14:3) Many doubted the truth of His promise then and many doubt it today. Perhaps there are some under the sound of my voice that do not believe that He will really come again. If there is a doubt in your mind as to His return, then this is the message for you.
In verse 1, Peter gives us the purpose as to why the Holy Spirit has moved him to write this epistle...
This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
We need to be stirred up about some things! And Peter is going to take the truth of the Word of god and stir us up, and I pray that’s what happens tonight.
How does Peter attempt to stir us up?
He mentions three worlds
He mentions three worlds
1-The Old World (Noah’s day before the flood)
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2-The Present World (The world today)
But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
3-The New World (The world to come)
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
He mentions three warnings
He mentions three warnings
1-Not to be ignorant
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.
2-Not to be complacent
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 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? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
3-Not to be led away
Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
He mentions three words
He mentions three words
1-The word beloved
Verses 1, 8, 14, 17
2-The word seeing
Verses 11, 14, 17
3-The word promise
Verses 4, 9, 13
I am preaching about the Promise of His coming tonight…This word promise is very important!
Notice with me in verse 9…The word promise is singular, meaning a particular promise. What is the promise? It’s that He is coming again!
There is one thing we can all count on tonight: God is going to keep His promise!
Let’s go down through these verses and look at three things tonight…First off, notice:
The Scoffers
The Scoffers
The walk of the scoffer
The walk of the scoffer
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
“Scoffers” will be the apostates whom he described so vividly back in chapter 2 - We know a bit about apostates now that we’ve been looking at the book of Jude on Wednesdays.
These scoffers evidently will be members of churches, and many of them pastors, who will be “walking after their own lusts,” their own desires, not attempting to follow the Word of God.
The words of the scoffer
The words of the scoffer
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.
The scoffers “will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming?’ ” Just as false prophets mockingly asked Jeremiah when God’s word would be fulfilled (Jer. 17:15), so too these false teachers scoff at the promise of Christ’s return.
Look at 2 Peter 1:16
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
As an eyewitness of the first “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”, Peter also heardJesus promise to return with his own ears.
The scoffers wanted to push their argument as far back as possible. So they referred to our fathers (lit., “the fathers”), that is, Old Testament patriarchs (John 7:22; Acts 3:13; 13:32; Rom. 9:5; 11:28; Heb. 1:1), and to the beginning of Creation. Since nothing has happened in all this time, mockers reasoned, why expect the Lord’s return now?
The will of the scoffer
The will of the scoffer
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
The scoffers deliberately - “willingly” - forget God’s Creation and the Flood, an interesting contrast with Peter’s constant reminders to his readers to “remember” (2 Peter 1:12–13, 15; 3:1–2, 8).
The scoffers deliberately put aside God’s Word and then complained that God was not doing anything. Let me stop for a second right here and just say, don’t say God is silent with your Bible closed...
We silence the sound of God’s voice in our lives when we leave our Bible on the shelf.
“Complaining about God being silent when your Bible is closed is like complaining about not getting text messages when your phone is turned off.”
The Delay
The Delay
The big question has always been, “Why hasn’t Jesus come back yet?”
8 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.
What seems like forever for us is but a short time for God, just as an hour may seem to be an eternity for a child but a moment for an adult.
He’s not a lazy God
He’s not a lazy God
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise…”
He’s a long suffering God
He’s a long suffering God
2 Peter 3:9 “…longsuffering to us-ward…”
Literally, the word longsuffering means patient.
He’s a loving God
He’s a loving God
2 Peter 3:9 “…not willing that any should perish...”
Scoffers may say that a loving God would never send anyone to hell...
Ezekiel 33:11 (KJV 1900)
11 ...I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways...
God doesn’t send anyone to hell...
6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
The Response
The Response
Be diligent to live Godly lives
Be diligent to live Godly lives
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 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?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
Be diligent to win the lost
Be diligent to win the lost
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Be diligent to grow spiritually
Be diligent to grow spiritually
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
There are four “beloved” statements in 2 Peter 3 which summarize what Peter wanted to get across as he brought his second letter to a close.
“Beloved … be mindful” (3:1–2).
“Beloved, be not ignorant” (3:8).
“Beloved … be diligent” (3:14).
“Beloved … beware” (3:17).
Conclusion
Conclusion
The scoffers ask “Where is the promise of his coming?”
The promise is in the Scriptures:
For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
With all this in mind, are you ready to meet Him? If not, I’d sure get ready! When we hear a message like this, it ought to make lost people consider the terrible danger they are in and cause them to run to Christ in repentance.
The apostates are here! They are busy! They are seducing immature Christians! We must be guarding, growing, and glorifying the Lord, making the most of every opportunity to win the lost and strengthen the saved.
These truths should stir the hearts of God’s people and make us want to get as close to Jesus as we can get so that in the time remaining, we might be used by Him to touch this world. There are multitudes all around us who have never received Jesus as their Savior. You might be the one to reach them.
Now, let’s search our hearts and if there are issues that need to be settled, let’s bring them to Jesus and get right for the flight. Because, Jesus is coming!