Sermon: Thinking Correctly 2 Peter 3:1-10
Thinking Correctly 2 Peter 3:1-10
Truth Taught- Peter is out to help us think correctly about judgement
and the Lord’s return
2 Peter 3:1–10 (ESV)
3 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, 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.” 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.
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. 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.
1. Remember What the Prophets and Apostles Wrote (3:1-2)
3 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,
Here Peter is giving the Church a great reminder. He wants to make sure they consider where truth comes from. He has greatly denounced those who were telling them lies and showed them and us how to spot false teaching. Rather than going to springs with no water or empty sea mists that produce no rain, rather than going to people who will tell you what you want to hear or prophecy whatever pays the most, he tells the early Church to go to the source.
Where do you get your information concerning spiritual things?
For the early Church there were two options. There were the false teachers promoting their heresy, saying things like there will never come a judgement. They promoted these ideas and could amass a following. The second place the early Church could get its information concerning spiritual issues was from the source, the Prophets and the Apostles.
Beloved, I pray this is where we get our information concerning eternal and spiritual matters. Go directly to God’s Word.
In scholarship it’s always best to go to primary source rather than a secondary source. An example…If I want to know what Martin Luther said about a particular text of Scripture, the best way is to go to the source. Go to what Luther wrote rather than going to what someone else said about what Luther wrote.
The same is true for us when it comes to what God said about a certain subject. Go to the primary source which is the Prophets and Apostles. They spoke and wrote God’s Word; they are the primary source. Don’t go to a preacher, a teacher or someone like that. They can be helpful but remember they are not the primary but a secondary source.
Peter tells the early Church to remember the predictions of the Prophets and Christ’s commands given to us by the Apostles…
Peter’s purpose in writing both his letters was to stir up their sincere thinking. He wants them to think correctly about eternal issues.
Beloved, we must thing correctly about eternal things. How important is correct thinking when it comes to eternal issues? The false teachers had wrong thinking and they were headed for judgement. So, it’s the difference between life and death eternally.
Here, the subject matter that the heretics are trying to refute is the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ.
The 2nd Coming is the Church’s blessed hope…
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.
We long for our Lord to return to set up His eternal kingdom and reign on earth. We long for the day when Christ is with us and sets all things right and makes all things new.
However, for all who are outside the Church, those still in their sins, the return of Christ will not be the blessed hope but the day of destruction. So, it makes sense that these people would deny very strongly that Jesus is returning.
2. Those Who are Outside of Salvation Deny that the Lord is Returning (3:3-4)
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.”
Here, we see what wrong thinking concerning our Lord’s return looks like…
The false teachers of Peter’s Day and future mockers who will arrive on the scene will ridicule those who believe in the 2nd Coming of Christ. They will deny and scoff at the idea.
Right thinking about scoffers…
What is the first thing the Early Church needed to know or remember about our Lord’s 2nd Coming? The first thing they needed to know was that the Last Days are marked by scoffers.
3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing.
The warning of Peter is really something that should give us confidence that Jesus really is coming again. The scoffers’ goal is to cause us to stumble and to promote their own ideas and agenda but they really accomplish the Church’s further confidence in the truth Jesus spoke. These insults, ridicule and mocking about Christ and especially His return is a clear marker that the Last Days are upon us.
It’s a lot like our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount…
Matthew 5:10–12 (ESV)
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
When you are insulted and derided because of your faith in Christ, if we are thinking rightly (as Peter tells us) then our confidence should be all the stronger. The scoffer-prophecy is coming true therefore we are in the Last Days which means Jesus’ return is immanent. So, scoff away you scoffers!!
Matthew 10:23 (ESV)
23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Matthew 24:29–31 (ESV)
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Those who deny the return of Christ are the ones with wrong thinking. Peter wants the Church to think correctly about all these issues.
Here’s where the False Teachers are mistaken. They have wrong thinking about the Lord’s Return. Here’s the content of their scoffing. Here’s what they will often say…
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.”
Acts 1:10–11 (ESV)
10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
They say things go on as they always have with no judgement of God. They are wrong. Remember we looked at Peter’s section where he has shown us that in fact God does know how the judge the wicked while saving His own people.
Peter referenced fallen angels kept in chains separated from the holy angels, Noah and his family saved from God’s wrath as the world perished in the flood, he spoke about Lot being saved while Sodom and Gomorrah were burned with fire from heaven.
Things have not always gone on without judgement as the false teachers supposed. Their thinking is wrong.
3. Right Thinking on God’s Judgement (3:5-7)
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.
Because God’s judgement is not currently visible in wrath, hell, and the Lake of Fire, there are those who think because God is longsuffering that means He’s not going to judge them. God’s forbearance does not mean He’s a pushover. Peter explains that they are deliberately forgetting the way it works.
They say in their scoffing, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
5 For they deliberately overlook this fact,
There is something that the false teachers and scoffers overlook; something they are not thinking correctly about and Peter tells us their wrong thinking is something they choose to do. Rather than submitting to the facts, they deliberately believe a lie. Why would someone know the truth but rather than submit to truth they believe and live according to lies? They have a sinful agenda and they actually have become driven by their sinful agenda to the point where they are brainwashed and have convinced themselves that lies are true and truth is a lie. Then they gather other people who believe like they do and they feed off each other and further promote their heresy. We see this today with various current events and things in the news.
Why does the Government seek to cancel all speech that goes against their agenda? They know their promoting lies…it’s a lie and they cannot afford to let the truth get out in a large scale way in any form so they cancel your social media accounts etc. If what they were promoting was the truth, they would not fear opposing viewpoints but because they are promoting lies, they can’t let the truth get out. You are accused of misinformation because your view is different than theirs.
It’s the old Catholic Church and Purgatory issue. The Catholic Church knew there was a lot of money to be made from the teaching that sinners who die first go to purgatory. This is not a biblical teaching. You cannot get Purgatory from a straight forward reading of the Bible. So, what did the Catholic Church do? They added to the 66 Books in our Bible.
2 Maccabees 12 is a text that promotes their idea so they add it to the Bible. The Catholic Bible has many more books than ours does. Some think we’ve taken Books out when in reality they have added theirs to it. They deliberately overlook the truth. They have told the lie so much that the larger group believes it.
Peter tells us that these scoffers have overlooked something…
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.
Things have not always gone on like they are now since creation. Peter uses the very creation account to teach them.
God spoke the Word and the earth was created. Peter uses water to explain the creation account. Out of water and through water we see that God by His Word separated the water from the land to make dry ground and separated the expanse of water and all the while within the earth and above the earth is water waiting. Then, by God’s Word the water covered the entire planet and everyone except Noah and his family perished.
Judgement was stayed for a time. God was longsuffering but that did not mean there would not come a time when the water stored up would be unleashed in judgement.
Scoffers deliberately overlook this.
In the exact same way, we do not see it but fire is stored up also for judgement. All it takes for God to unleash the fire from heaven is a Word. He just will speak and it will happen. What we see now will be destroyed in the inferno of God’s judgement. The old will be burned away for the new to come.
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.
4. God’s Promise Will Come to Pass (3:8-10)
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. 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.
Now Peter wants to make sure we are not thinking like the scoffer or the skeptic. Here’s how they think…Everything looks great around us and all has been going on basically the same way for centuries and things will continue as they are and for many centuries to come.
Here’s what they forget. 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.
For God, there is no time as we know it. When you are an eternal sovereign God, time is not something that should give confidence to the skeptic. Peter’s point is whether it’s a day or a thousand years it really is not an issue for God. The fire is still stored up waiting God’s Word to be released.
Beloved don’t think Jesus is not returning because after all He has not returned for two-thousand years. Continuing with Peter’s statement, for God that’s like two days.
God is not slow, Peter reminds us. The reason Jesus’ return has not happened yet is because God is patient waiting for all His people to come to repentance. Jesus has not returned, not because God has forgotten or is slow in fulfilling His promises but because there is one more person that He has chosen before the foundation of the world and perhaps they are being born today? Perhaps they are just almost ready to understand the Gospel. That’s why God has not sent Jesus yet. It’s not that He’s slow but He is merciful.
We must remember,
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.
Scoffers use God’s mercy as a reason to keep sinning. We must see God’s merciful fulfillment and fulness of time. It’s not a delay but a decree. The Day of the Lord will come and it will come like a thief.
Conclusion
In light of what Peter has taught us, how should we live?
Make every effort to live in light of Christ’s immanent and sudden return.
Don’t let the scoffer mentality enter into your thinking but thank the Lord for His mercy to others who have yet to hear the Gospel and believe.
Church stand ready, Jesus will return
Benediction
Resources Used:
1 & 2 Peter and Jude by Thomas Schreiner
Jude and 2 Peter by Gene L. Green
The Letters of 2 Peter and Jude by Peter H. Davids
Word Biblical Commentary by Richard Bauckham
1&2 Peter by Alexander Nisbet
