Message for Flinders Park Church June 2019
My previous message addressed the matter of what God will do about evil people. He will bring judgement just as he has in the past. He is able to protect his people from judgement and able to judge those who do wrong. We can trust him in this. Today, I am going to consider chapter 3. I have deliberately skipped over part of chapter 2 because I frankly could not find a direct application of the particular points made in the second half of chapter 2 to this church at this time. Consequently, I thought it better to wrap up 2 Peter by working through chapter 3, which is about the second coming of Jesus.
“3:1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Saviour through your apostles.”
This is a reminder about where we should get our understanding of events from. We already know these things and yet we need to be reminded of this often because it is easy to forget. Wholesome thinking or a pure mind is a rare commodity in the present. Thank God that such a thing may be found through God’s word to us. There are many sources of information and many different opinions and interpretations of events. However, the only reliable commentary on the things going on in our lives is found in the words of the holy prophets and the words of Jesus passed on by the apostles. These words trump any other interpretation. This particularly applies to the second coming of Jesus, which is what the rest of the chapter is about.
“3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 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.’”
In the last days people will scoff. The last days are not some time in the future; the last days are now and have been present since Jesus stepped on earth the first time. Hebrews begins with the statement that in the last days God has spoken to us by his Son (Heb 1:2). On the day of Pentecost, Peter calls the outpouring of the Spirit on the disciples an event of the last days (Acts 2:17). We are living in the last days.
This means that scoffing about the coming Christ has been going on since the time in which this letter was written. No doubt it will continue to happen until the last trumpet is sounded and the dead are raised (1 Cor 15:52). When the Lord Jesus comes in all his glory, with all his angels with him (Matt 16:27), every eye will see him and all people will mourn and wail because of him (Rev 1:7). Then no one will scoff ever again. But in the mean time, scoffing will be the norm.
There are two words in the verse that are connected. Scoffers will scoff. This emphasises the act of scoffing and that a certain kind of person engages in it. A connected word is used to describe the crucifixion (and also see Jesus’ prediction of this in Matt 20:19). Before he was crucified the solders “twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him” (Matt 27:29-31). The mocking continued when he hung on the cross. “In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him’” (Matt. 27:41-42 NIV).
Jesus had demonstrated repeatedly that he is the king of the Jews, by his miracles and healings, by his teaching with authority, and by his compassion. Yet there were some people who refused to believe what he had done. They were not concerned that they were crucifying the Lord of glory (1 Cor 2:8). They did not hesitate to mock the one who will judge the living and the dead (Acts 10:42). They treated Jesus like a criminal as if he were not anyone of consequence, as if he were a liar and an imposter. The kind of people who mocked Jesus are those who were happy to wear their unbelief in public and who showed no fear of the judgement which awaits. The same kind of people will mock the idea of Jesus coming again.
The mockers claim that nothing ever changes. Everything is the same in the world since the beginning of creation. Since there is nothing new under the sun, why should we expect the return of Christ? Why should we expect the judgement day when every day is pretty much like the last in that there is no divine intervention in the world? These are the kinds of things the mockers ask. Although there seems to be a rational reason for their scoffing, in reality the scoffers are not genuine seekers who need some apologetic argument to help them understand the truth. Rather they scoff because they are “following their own evil desires”. Jude 1:18 makes the same point. Scoffers are motivated more by their desire to continue doing wrong than by their intellectual scepticism. It is convenient to believe that Jesus will never return because if he does not return there will be no final judgement, and no final judgement means “freedom” to do whatever you please right now, however depraved or evil.
“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. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”
The scoffers deliberately forget, or possibly simply overlook the fact, that both heaven and earth came into being because of God’s word. By God’s word the earth also experienced the judgement of the flood. And in fact, God will again speak his word and bring judgement on the heavens and the earth, but this time it will be by fire and not water. The mockers have ignored the truth that God’s word is powerful. They have ignored the fact that when God spoke in the past it was not just to create but also to destroy the wicked. They have cast doubt on his promises. But we know that God is faithful and will fulfil his promises. The book of Hebrews reminds us of God’s faithfulness to his promises. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23 NIV). “And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise” (Heb. 11:11 NIV).
It is true that much has remained the same since the creation of the world. The world was deluged in the flood but not destroyed. It looks like the world will continue on forever. However, it is not that God is indifferent to wickedness. On the contrary, God has sustained the world and continues to sustain the world by the power of his word (Heb 1:3). Just as God created the world by his word, he sustains it for judgement. He is maker and judge. The scoffers have forgotten this truth. They would do well to remember it.
“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. 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.”
Here Peter turns away from discussing the scoffers and gives a word of encouragement to the church struggling with questions about why Jesus has not yet returned. They were perhaps expecting Jesus to have returned already. It was certainly true that others in the early church thought that. This was one of the issues that troubled the Thessalonians. So Paul wrote about the coming of Christ in both of his letters to that church. Quite likely that Christians whom Peter addressed his letter to were also wondering about the delay in the coming of Jesus. How much more, after two thousand years, might we be asking this kind of question? In fact, it was not that long ago I had a conversation with someone at Tabor about this. We all want to see Jesus return and bring the world to rights. He seems to be waiting a long time to return. Peter addresses this concern by referring to the nature of God himself.
First of all, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” Peter is alluding to Ps 90:4 – “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.” The rest of the Psalm is pertinent also. Verse 2 reminds us that “from everlasting to everlasting” the LORD is God. He existed before the world. On the other hand, humans are transitory. They are like grass that springs up in the morning and is dried up by the evening (vv 5-6). We may live a mere seventy or eighty years (v 10). God’s wrath is terrifying and our sins are not hidden from him (vv 7-9). It is best to understand these things and gain wisdom so that we may have the favour of God (vv 12-17). The point that we need to grasp here is that God is not constrained by time in the way that humans are. He does not have the same perspective. His is an eternal perspective and ours is a fleeting one. God is not slow from his perspective even if he seems slow from ours. But the problem does not lie with God; it lies with us because we are unable to see things the way God sees things.
Secondly, God is patient because he is merciful and compassionate. I know that since the law passed regarding SSM I have been expecting Jesus to return at any moment because the world is so wicked. Surely there is already enough evil in the world. However, reading this passage I realised that God’s compassion is great and his mercy is abundant. He wants to bring many sons to glory (Heb 2:10). He does not want people to perish, he wants all people to be saved (1 Tim 2:4), so he allows people time to come to repentance. This is good news for our families who have not yet come to know Jesus. It is good news for Australia because the people who are now alive have a reprieve from the death sentence that hangs over their heads right now. There will come a day when repentance is no longer an option and the doors will close. But for now, if Jesus does not come back at this moment, then there is another opportunity for our family, our friends and our nation to turn to God and live.
“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.”
God is extremely patient and yet we should not suppose that the patience of God will go on forever and never end. God is gracious and patient and compassionate. But that does not mean that judgement day will never arrive. The time will come when the end is finally here and there is no more opportunity for salvation. The day of the Lord is mentioned many times in the Bible (e.g. Isa 2:12; 13:6, 9; Oba 1:15; Mal 4:5). It will not be put off indefinitely and it will be terrifying when it arrives. Everything will be destroyed in the presence of the Lord. The very elements which make up the universe will melt in the fire of God. The earth will be stripped back to nothing. Surely, no end of the world movie could compare with the real thing, when Jesus comes to destroy all that is opposed to his rule and expose the sins of every person.
There will be no warning. It comes like a thief in the night (compare 1 Thess 5:2). Jesus told a lot of parables to this effect. “But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matt. 24:43-44 NIV). Peter’s assurance of God’s patience with sinners should not be taken as a reason to be complacent. Since we do not know when Christ will return we must always be ready. There is a use by date on life, on evangelism, on opportunities for repentance.
“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. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”
This is an exhortation to live godly lives as we wait for the coming of Jesus. The old earth will be destroyed when he returns. Everything that seems solid and eternal will come to an end. Everything which can be shaken will be shaken and only that which cannot be shaken will remain (Heb 12:27). But the end of the world is actually not the end. It is the beginning of the new heavens and the new earth, where righteousness dwells. There will be no more evil. All evil will be judged and destroyed. Nothing evil will remain. Because the new heavens and the new earth will be the home of righteousness, if we want to live there we must “make every effort” to act like we fit in there. This is why we pursue righteousness now. We anticipate righteousness in the future and actively live now as if our home is in the new heaven and the new earth.
The way Christians behave should be in total contrast to the way the false teachers behave. This is because we have different expectations of what will happen to the world. If you believe that Jesus is coming again, then you will strive to live in a way which pleases him. If, on the other hand, you think that there is no judgement coming, you will live however you please, doing whatever you want. Since Christian expectation is the former not the latter, we can speed his coming by our repentance and righteous conduct.
“15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
The Lord’s patience means the hope of salvation for our neighbours and family members, for our children and grandchildren, and for our country. This delay is a good thing in that regard. But we have been warned about what other people will make of the delay of the return of Christ. We know that people will say we are crazy to believe such a thing. This is why some distort the Scripture, including the words of Paul, which are sometimes difficult to understand. Even though we may not understand every single passage in the Bible, we have confidence in the God who has revealed himself in Christ. That truth is plain.
Ours is a secure position, but we can fall from that position if we are not careful. Peter warns us that some people have fallen away from the faith because they were caught up in the lies of the false teachers. Instead of harping on that possibility, he offers a way of ensuring that we will not fall: Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The way to keep from falling away from Jesus is to grow in the faith. Don’t stand still. Learn more of the Bible. Spend time with Jesus, in prayer and in worship. Allow God to show you your sins and then repent of them. Actively strive toward purity and holiness in your life. At the same time, increasingly trust in the grace of Christ rather than in your own righteousness. The more we grow in grace the more we can become godly people fit for the coming kingdom of God.
Finally, give all glory to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who “will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end” (The Nicene Creed). Amen.