6. Scoffers gonna scoff

Intro

If you remember back in chapter 1, Peter makes the statement about always wanting us to remember certain things. Well, he returns to that line of thinking as he transitions away from the the false teachers and begins talking more about the return of Jesus Christ and the something known as the Day of the Lord.

What is the day of the Lord? We will talk about that in a moment.

For now, let’s turn our attention over to 2 Peter chapter three.

This is the last chapter in the book of 2 Peter so we are almost done walking through it.

As we look at this chapter, Peter gives us four more things to remember about future events.

Before I get into all of that, I want to explain a few things that you might not be aware of.

As we’ve discussed earlier this week, Christianity is based on historical facts on the person and work of Jesus Christ. We believe that He is God the son, that he entered into the world, that he died on the cross to take the sins of the world, and that he he was buried, but that he didn’t stay dead. He rose again from the dead, and after a time he returned to heaven where he currently is right now.

Christians also believe that one day Jesus Christ is going to come back to earth. He promised he would return, He promised that he would come back and fix everything that is wrong with the world.

There are places in the Bible we could turn to, but for the sake of time we won’t. But the Bible tells us that when Jesus is going to come back, there is a time of significant judgment on the earth, but then also a time of restoration. He will establish His kingdom, where he will personally rule the world in truth, righteousness and justice. The Bible talks about day when He will make all things new. Heaven and earth will be restored to their original sinless state. There will be no more sin, no more sorrow, no more pain, all that is going away when Jesus brings us into the eternal state.

These things I’ve just shared with you are known as prophecies. These are things that haven’t happened yet, but are predicted, or prophesied to happen in the future.

There were many prophecies given in the Bible that have already happened and they are documented historical fact. There are some prophecies that are still to come.

Sometimes when the Bible talks about all these events at the end of time when Jesus Christ comes back as it refers to the whole section of time as “The Day of the Lord”. Its a phrase that doesn’t refer to one singular day, but time period in which God’s judgment comes upon the earth and he begins to restore all things to their proper place.

Everything that we are going to talk about today has to do with the Day of the Lord. The things that are prophesied to still be coming that haven’t happened yet.

So as we look at 2 Peter chapter three, we are going to see that Peter is looking to remind us of certain things again. He gives us

Four things to remember the Day of the Lord

Let’s look at our text.

2 Peter 3:1 ESV

1 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,

Peter uses the same kind of terminology that he used in chapter one to stir us up to action. If you recall, I gave the illustration on Tuesday about my alarm clock, and how when it goes off it stirs me to action, I jump out of bed to turn it off because I really don’t like that alarm clock.

Here Peter is seeking to stir us up once again. He is going to give us four things to remember, and then this evening he is going to tell how we should be living because we know these things are true.

In chapter one, right after saying he considers it right to remind us of these things, he goes on to tell us about the surety we have in the Word of God. That we know that what this book says is true. And because we know it is true, he says we need to pay attention like a light shining in the darkness.

Let’s look at verse two where we see the first thing to remember:

1. Remember the holy prophets

2 Peter 3:2 ESV

2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,

I have already told you that this section is about the Day of the Lord. There are many passages of Scripture that were written long before Peter wrote this here, and many of those passages contain information about coming of the Day of the Lord.

The concept of the Day of the Lord is found all throughout the Old Testament prophets. The Old Testament is the portion of the Bible that was written before the time that Jesus was on the earth. So if you’re holding your Bible, the first two thirds or so is called the Old Testament. Many of the books of the Old Testament are prophets who wrote to try to call God’s people to repentance that they might follow the one true God and him alone.

As they did this, as they spoke the word of God, many of them talked about this coming Day of the Lord. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, and Malachi all speak of this surely coming Day. We cannot look at all these references, but I do want us to look at one in particular. You don’t have to turn there, but I want to read to us from the book of Joel.

Joel 2:1, 11-13f

Joel 2:1 ESV

1 Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,

I’m going to skip down to verse 11-13

Joel 2:11–13 ESV

11 The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome; who can endure it? 12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

This is a pretty common theme when talking about the day of the Lord. It is a day of judgment, a time of destruction on the rebellious nations of the earth followed by the restoration of all things. Truth is restored. Justice is restored. Righteousness is restored.

The prophecies were designed with two purposes in mind: cause the rebellious to repent and turn to the Lord lest they perish, and to comfort those who follow God, the faithful children of God. But there is always the call to holiness in light of the coming day.

So Peter says, hey remember what they predicted. Remember the prophets.

Second,

2. Remember the apostles

Look at the last half of verse 2.

2 Peter 3:2 ESV

2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,

There were prophecies given in the Old Testament, but there are also command to us in the New Testament, that is everything in your Bible that was written after the time Jesus was on the earth, that were written by apostles like Peter. The Word apostle refers to someone who was sent out for a purpose. Several of Jesus’ friends learned from Jesus and then were sent out into the world to teach everything that Jesus said. There apostles were special people and most of the New testament was written by these apostles.

Paul talks about the Day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 5:1–6 ESV

1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV

11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

And he talks of things in a slightly different way in Titus

Titus 2:11–14 ESV

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

These are just some of the things that were written before Peter wrote his letter. These are just some of the things that Peter wants us to remember about the prophets and apostles. He says, hey I”m not necessarily teaching you something brand new here. Others have talked about this. Pay attention to that.

Sadly, even though these things have been written about, there are many who mock the truth of these words. And that’s the next thing that Peter wants us to remember.

3. Remember the scoffers

2 Peter 3:3–4 ESV

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.”

Some people have read the Old Testament, they have read the New testament, they see all the promises that Jesus Christ is going to come back, they see that there is judgment that is promised upon people like the false teachers that we talked about yesterday, and yet they look around at the world and they scoff.

Do you know what it means to scoff?

I can show you right now. What is your reaction to this statement right here.

The Cubs are currently the best team in baseball and will win the world series this year.

Congratulations. You just scoffed.

Its a dismissal. psht. whatever man. Its a reaction to something that treats it like its a joke and nothing serious.

Scoffing about baseball is not a serious matter, because in the long run baseball really isn’t all that important.

But when we scoff about the things of the Lord. When we scoff about God’s word. That is a very serious thing indeed.

Peter says there are scoffers who thing God’s word is nothing more than a joke, and they attack the prophecies of Christ’s return.

Where is the promise of his coming? He said he would come back and he hasn’t done so yet. Everything in the world just keeps going on, just like it always has.

They deny that the Scriptures are true when it comes to the return of Jesus Christ.

These scoffers have taken different forms over the years. In our day, many scoffers come from the scientific community. They reject anything supernatural, and that includes recognizing God as the creator, that includes Jesus coming to earth and doing all the miracles that he did, that includes him dying on the cross for our sins and rising again from the dead…and that includes Jesus Christ coming back.

They reject that there will be a future judgment and the future Day of the Lord, because they reject everything else in the Bible.

Well, Peter is going to answer these individuals. He is going to answer them by calling us to remember the truth.

Remember the prophets, the apostles, the scoffers.....remember the truth. There are four points of truth that Peter wants us to remember.

Remember the truth

1. The truth that God has intervened before.

2 Peter 3:5–7 ESV

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.

They claim that all things continue as they were since the beginning of creation, so we have no reason to believe that the Day of the Lord is coming. The circle of life just keeps going round and round and round.

Peter says, hang on a second there. You’re forgetting something rather important. Or rather, you’re deliberately overlooking it. Its right there in front of you because you are choosing not to see it!

Everything has NOT continued the same way since the beginning of creation. God sent a flood on the earth as judgment on the wicked. We talked about that very briefly yesterday.

God has intervened in human history in the past, and he will do it again, except this time we are expecting judgment by fire rather than by flood.

Many of you came to my apologetics workshop on Tuesday. What Peter just did is a small example of presuppositional apologetics.

They had a presupposition about how things have gone in history, and he directly challenged them on, and used the Word of God to do so.

So as we remember the truth, we see that God has intervened before. The second truth is that God is not like us.

2. The truth that God is not like us

2 Peter 3:8–9 ESV

8 But do not overlook this 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.

We think about Jesus Christ coming back, and here we are in the year 2022, and its been nearly 2000 years since Jesus was on the earth, and so we look at that and go, man that is a really long time. But Peter tells us, yeah.....God doesn’t operate in time like that.

God exists outside of time. This is hard for us to grasp, because all we know if time. But to God, one day a thousand years, since he doesn’t experience time like we do, it isn’t the same to him.

So we don’t need to get caught up in has it been a thousand years, two thousand. God has his purposes for his timing.

3. The truth that God is patient

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

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.

God doesn’t delay just because he feels like it.

Sometimes when I’m asking my children to do things, I’d like them to do them quickly.

I’ll tell come on, hurry up! Let’s go. And they walk like this. Come on run!....and so they do this.

Why the slowness? Why the delay? I want you to hurry up here.

Peter says, God’s not like that. He isn’t dragging his feet. He isn’t hesitating as if he isn’t sure when the right moment is. He is purposeful with his timing.

The reason Jesus Christ has not yet returned in order bring judgment on the earth and restore righteousness....is because he desires that more people be saved!

He wants more people to know about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he wants more people to know that there is forgiveness of sins available to all who trust in him!

He isn’t a slow poke! He is patient and gracious.

Nevertheless. As patient as God is, there is a point when that patience runs out.

The fourth truth to remember

4. The truth that the Day of the Lord is coming.

2 Peter 3:10 ESV

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 patient as God is there will be a day when everything you see in the world around you will be burned up when God brings his judgment upon the earth.

You know, we often spend so much time and energy on things that ultimately don’t matter. We collect so much stuff, and we work so hard for so many things, but when all is said and done, what will we have to show for it?

There is a saying that goes like this.

Only one life, twill soon be past. Only whats done for Christ will last.

And Peter deals with the scoffers who deny that the Day of the Lord is coming, he reminds us…

remember the prophets. Remember the apostles. Remember the scoffers....but remember the truth. the truth that God has intervened before and we will do so again. The truth that God is not like us. The truth that he is a patient God. and the truth that despite his patience there will come a day when the patience runs out, as the Day of the Lord will surely come.

How should we respond? Peter is going to challenge us on some specific ways that we should respond to this information. We will see those things tonight. For now, let’s pray.