Would you take your Bibles and
turn with me to the book of 2 Peter chapter 3. 2 Peter chapter 3. Here lately, I've had different passages come to my
mind and heart. And have not continued, don't
plan to stop, but just haven't continued in John and Proverbs
as I have for a while, and that's fine. I'm thankful that the Lord
would give direction. 2 Peter chapter 3, I plan to preach
this book, this chapter. in these two messages, first
and second service this morning will be out of 2 Peter chapter
3. When Peter was on this earth in the very
presence, I want you to hold your place right there, just
mark that 2 Peter. I want you to turn to Luke 22.
Luke 22. something happened to Peter and the Lord gave some instruction
to Peter and it's instruction to us. I remember when I was in Mexico
a couple weeks ago, We were getting ready to go to
the preacher's school. There in the church in Mérida,
there's a preacher's school every Monday morning. All this many
of the pastors can come. They come and assemble and Brother
Walter and Brother Cody teach these men and it's a great, great
privilege, great honor. very humbling thing to stand
before these pastors and try to preach and teach. And Brother Walter said something
to me that I thought, let me remember this. Let me remember
this one thing. He said to the men, study and
pray. Ask God's direction. Ask the
Lord's direction. Read the Scriptures. Asking the Lord for understanding
in what you're reading. And He said, then when you stand
up to preach, preach to the heart. I thought, you know, Let me remember
that. That's what the scripture in
Isaiah 40, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith the Lord. Comfort my people, preach to
the heart. I don't have the ability. I don't
have the ability to preach to the heart in myself. But I can
ask God to. I can ask the Lord to bless this
message. and bless it to our heart, to
our understanding, to our eternal good. I need to hear from God. I need to hear from God. In Luke 22, Peter was instructed
by the Lord and he said this, Luke 22 verse 31, the Lord said, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired
to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed
for thee, that thy faith fail not. That's a, that's a, what
a comfort. Number one, that God would tell
him, Satan desires to have you. You're mine, and Satan wants
you. He wants to destroy you. Now
listen, everyone that believes, listen. Satan would desire to
have you. And he wants to sift you as wheat,
just run you through the wringer. But the Lord said, I've prayed
for you. I've prayed for you. I thank God that anybody would
pray for me. If it's a believer, somebody
that obviously doesn't know the Lord, they tell me, they say,
well, I'm praying for you. And they make no confession whatsoever
of knowing the Lord. Well, I appreciate your kindness,
you know, as much as I can, but it doesn't mean anything to me.
It doesn't mean anything to me. Saul of Tarsus went through his
prayers for years. And when the Lord converted him
on the road to Damascus, this is what the Lord said to Ananias. You go over here, there's one
Saul. Behold, he prayeth. First time. Prayed to the God
that he knew. But for the Lord to say, I've
prayed for you. Knowing that he ever liveth to
make intercession. That's great comfort to me, that
God would pray for me. God, I prayed for thee that thy
faith fail not, and I can tell you this, if he's prayed for
me, that my faith fail not, it's not going to fail. That's a great
comfort, because I look and I see of myself I feel like I'm ready
to fall off the cliff. Lord, if you don't keep me, I'm
gone. I'm gone. I feel so insensitive. I feel
so needy. I pray for thee that thy faith
fail not. And he said, and when thou art
converted, strengthen thy brethren. Peter was getting ready to deny
the Lord and the Lord knew it. He said before the cock crows
twice, you're going to deny me three times. Peter says it's
not going to happen. Be very careful, be very careful. Pride cometh before fall. Peter
was a converted man and he would fall, he would fail through the
great temptation. And the Lord told him, he said,
when thou art converted, that word there is when you return,
when I bring you back from the fall, from your falling, you
strengthen the brethren. You speak from experience. I'm
going to tell you a man and a woman that God knows in mercy is one
that God brings down. One that God abases. Now, here's
Peter. Now turn back to 2 Peter 3. Here's Peter now. God brought
him back. He's returned. He's converted
him. Not converted in the sense that we think of converting,
you know, regeneration. Peter knew God. But he said,
when I return you, when you're returned, you strengthen the
brethren. Now, here's Peter now, a returned
man. Kept by the power of God. Faith
that did not fail. Because God kept him. God kept him. And now here's
Peter, 2nd Peter, 3rd chapter. And in this chapter, in two messages,
there's four things that I'm going to just bring out. I want
to repeat what the Lord has to say. That's all I'm here to do
this morning. All I'm going to do is I'm going
to tell you what God says. The word that the Lord is going
to bless is the Lord's word. Four things Peter's going to
bring up in this one chapter. Third chapter. First two things
we'll deal with in this first message. Here it is. Our need
of hearing and being reminded of God's Word. We need to hear
God's Word. This is what a believer needs
right here. If you want to know what a believer
needs, this is what he needs. I need to hear what God has to
say. Second thing, Peter gives a warning concerning scoffers
and doubters, scoffers. Thirdly, the certainty of Christ's
second coming. And then lastly, how we ought
to walk in this world. Now, this epistle was written
by a man that knew that he was getting ready to die. Chapter 1 of 2 Peter, verse 14. Peter says, knowing that shortly
I must put off this my tabernacle, this body that I'm in, even as
our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me. Well, when did the Lord show
him that? Turn to John 21. John 21. Now
here's the Lord Himself, God Almighty, in human flesh, the
omniscient God. Life and death is in His hands.
And here's what the Lord says, John 21, verse 18. He told Peter, Verily, verily,
I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself,
and walkest whither thou wouldest. But when thou shalt be old, thou
shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee and
carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying
by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this,
he said unto him, follow me. Peter, you're going to die. You're
going to die. This is how you're going to die.
And your death is going to be to the glory of God. You're going
to be kept by the power of God until you die. Now you follow
me. Follow me. I know this. This life is but
a vapor. And I know this, it's appointed
unto man once to die. And the Lord knows, and I don't.
But by the grace of God, may I be found following Him. Seeking after Him. Searching His Scriptures. Hearing
His Word. Seeking Him in prayer. You follow
me? Now here's the first thing. Our need of being reminded and
of hearing the Word of God. 2 Peter 3.1. This 2nd epistle,
beloved, I now write unto you in both 1st epistle and 2nd epistle. in both which I stir up your
pure minds by way of remembrance." Peter was a man that knew something
of the tendency that every believer has to fall. He knew that. We just read it. Peter knew what
it was to stumble and to be recovered by the grace of God. He knew
something about that. I tell you, you want to know
a man or woman that knows something of the grace of God. It's one
that God Almighty has recovered from the stumbling. of the walk
in this world because of the presence of sin. One that the
Lord's lifted up. He's writing to the beloved. 2 Peter 1 tells who this is to. Simon Peter, a servant and apostle
of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like precious faith
with us. through the righteousness of
God in our Savior Jesus Christ. Peter said, I'm writing to believers.
I'm talking to the Beloved. I'm talking about the Beloved
of the Lord. Only those who bear the mark
of like precious faith. What is the mark to me? Now here's the mark. Those that
are of like precious faith. Let me tell you what the mark
of like precious faith is to me. Something that you can't
see. To me. I believe God. I believe the Lord. I believe,
Mitch, that salvation is all of grace. I believe that. I believe
that salvation from its conception in the heart and mind of God
Almighty, the procurement by the blood of Christ and the application
of it by the Spirit of God, has nothing to do with my ability. I believe that salvation is of
the Lord. And it's not by works of righteousness
that I've done. I believe that. But what's the
mark of it to everybody else? Something that you can see. Here's
the mark of like precious face. By this shall all men know that
you're my disciples. You have love one for another.
That's the mark, right there. That's the mark. You love one
another. Peter says this second epistle,
beloved, I now write unto you, both in which I stir up your
pure minds by way of remembrance. I'm writing unto you to awaken."
That's what he's saying, stir up, raise up again, to make stand,
arouse. That's it. That's it. To stir
up your pure minds. That word pure right there, here's
the meaning of the word sincere. Sincere. Peter was a man who's writing
from experience. By grace, he's writing from experience. I'm writing to you this second
epistle. to stir up, to arouse, because
Peter said, I know something of what it's like. I know something of what it's
like to have a sleepy, lazy mind that needs to be aroused. That pure mind, that sincere
mind The Lord said to Peter, after
the Lord had risen from the dead, he said, Peter, lovest thou me
more than these? He said, Lord, I love you. You know I love you. Peter, lovest
thou me more than these? Peter, lovest thou me more than
these? And Peter was grieved. Not at
the Lord, but because of the conviction in his heart. And
he said, Lord, You know all things. I've acted like a fool. But Lord,
You know I love You. You know I do. He said, You feed
my sheep. You feed my sheep. I'm writing to You to stir up
your pure, sincere minds by way of remembrance. That mind that
is sincere in the acknowledgement that I know what I am. I acknowledge
what I am. I'm sincere. I know that in me,
that is in my flesh, there dwells no good thing. I know that. I'm
sincere about that. I'm sincere in my desire to worship
God. I want to worship God. I need,
I desire, I want to hear, I want these words. When I hear this,
I don't want this to just fall on just a dead, cold heart. Yeah, I agree. No. Stir my heart. arouse my sincere,
my pure heart. I'm sincere. I want to believe
God. I want to believe God. I mean, when I pass through the
fire, when God leads me by the way of His chastening hand because
of His love for me, I want to trust the Lord. I want
to. I want to. I must. I must. Because I have no other hope. I'm sincere. I'm sincere in my
love for Him and my desire to worship Him and my desire to
trust Him. And I'm sincere in my love for
you. I love you. I want us to hear
what God has to say. I want to study. I want to ask
God's direction. I want to honor Him. I want to
walk like a believer. I want to be found in Him and
know Him and strive, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace. I need my mind stirred up. Lord,
don't leave me to myself. I need to be brought by way of
remembrance. Believers' eyes have been enlightened
by the Spirit of God. And they know what their hope
is. They know who it is. But they
know that in this body of flesh, we're prone to forget. Man, how
quickly I forget. Verse 2, that you may be mindful
of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets of
the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior. I need to be reminded in the
Old Testament, I want the Lord to bring to my mind, be made
mindful by the stirring up of my sincere heart and mind, by
the way of remembrance, to be mindful of what the prophets
preached. They said, in types, and pictures, and shadows,
and set forth in the sacrifices. He's going to come, He's going
to die. That's what the prophets, God
who in sundry times, in diverse matters, spoke to us. Spoke to
us in the prophets in these last days. Spoken unto us in His Son. I need my mind to be made mindful
and to remember what they prophesied came to pass. That's what the
Apostle said. He's come. The prophets said
He's coming, and the apostles said He's come. Flip one page
somewhere in that area. 1 John 1.1, that which was from
the beginning. 1 John 1.1. That which was from
the beginning, which we've heard, which we've seen with our eyes,
we've looked upon, our hands have handled of the Word of life,
the life was manifested. We've seen it. Bear witness,
it's shown to you that eternal life, which was with the Father
and was manifested unto us. that which we've seen and heard
declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with
us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and His Son,
Jesus Christ." Peter said, I'm telling you these things that
you might be mindful of the words that the prophet said. And that
we, the apostles, have said, I need to hear the word of God. I need to hear the Word of God
often. A believer must hear the Word
of God. He has no option, no option. I've got to hear what God has
to say. That's the only way this heart,
this mind, this pure mind is going to be stirred. Nothing
else. You want to know what will stir
up a believer? The Word of God. Are there any other options?
No. No. No. Man's foolishness is man's foolishness. What does God have to say? This
is the only thing that is alive. Everything else is dead. Everything
else is a lie. He's the truth. Peter says, I want to give you
a warning concerning scoffers. Verse 3, knowing this first,
that there shall come in the last days scoffers, mockers,
doubters, walking after their own lust. Knowing this first,
obviously the Spirit of God is pleased to warn us about Scoffers. Mockers. In these last days, now when
are the last days? Well, let me tell you this right
now. We're in them. We're in the last
days. Let me show you that. Hold your
place there. Turn to Hebrews 1.1. Hebrews 1.1. We're in the last
days. God, who at sundry times and
in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son,
whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made
the worlds." Look at 1 John 2.18. Little children, it is the last
time. And as you've heard that Antichrist
shall come, even now there are there many Antichrists whereby
we know that it is the last time. All the prophecies, all that
which was foretold has come to pass. Do you know the next thing that's
going to happen? And I'll deal with this in the next message.
Christ is going to return. That's the next thing that's
going to happen. This is it. What are the signs of these scoffers?
He said, I'm warning you, I'm warning you. Peter said, knowing
this first, there shall come in the last days, we're in them,
we're in them right now, scoffers, when the Lord Jesus Christ came,
that began the last days. God who has in diverse manners
spoken to us by the prophets hath in these last days spoken
unto us by His Son. The Lord has come and we're here. Knowing this first that there
shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts. Look at 2 Peter 2.10. Same page, probably your own,
but 2 Peter 2.10. But chiefly them that walk after
the flesh, in the lust of uncleanness, despise government, presumptuous
or they self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities."
The ones that Peter warns us about, they're not scoffers among
the infidels, the places where there's no gospel preached. That's not what he's warning
about. Those that disown, that don't
preach Christ, that don't believe the gospel, but it's men that
he's warning about within the body, in the church. Let me show
you. Jude, just before the book of
Revelation, There's only one chapter in Jude, so it's Jude
1, 4. For there are certain men crept in
unawares who were before of old. ordained to this condemnation,
ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness
and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Look at Jude verse 12. Jude 12, these are spots in your
feast of charity. When they feast with you, feeding
themselves without fear, clouds are they without water, carried
about of winds, trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice
dead. Plucked up by the roots. Look
at verse 16. These are murmurers, complainers,
walking after their own lust, their mouth speaketh great swelling
words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. Brother Henry Mahan made this
comment on this verse of Scripture I thought was so good. It says
back in 2 Peter 3, Verse 3, knowing this there shall come in the
last days scoffers walking after their own lusts. Brother Henry
said this, he said, men that ridicule basic morality, walking
after their own lusts, making the standard of their principles
to be the carnal reasoning of their depraved minds. Emphasis on the flesh and not
on things that are of God. Mocking by their thoughts and
their actions. Mocking God. Mocking the rule
of His Word. Mocking, he says, the sanctity
of marriage. He said just a continual progression
in rebellion against God. It's not what men say they believe,
it's what they do. That's what a man believes. The
Lord says, they honor me with their mouth, their hearts far
from me. Look at verse 4, back in 2 Peter 3. And they're saying,
where's the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep,
all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
There's a scorn, there's a disrespect for God's Word. Where's the promise of His coming?
Doesn't matter to me that He's coming. I'm going to live just
like I want to live and I don't care. Where's the promise of His coming?
There's no fear, no fear of God. There's a scorn and a disbelief
of God's gospel. A mockery of the second coming.
A mockery of the second coming. Now, I got to thinking about
this, when they said, where's the promise of his coming? A man, he may or may not, you
probably have never heard anybody actually say that. I don't think
I have. I don't think I have. I don't
think I've ever heard anybody say, where's the promise of His
coming? But let me tell you what man, woman that disbelieves God
is doing by continuing in rebellion against God. I don't really care
that He's coming back. I don't care. Where's the promise? Bring it on. That's the incentive. Bring it on. Show me the promise
of your coming. Show me. Go ahead and come back. Where's the promise of your coming?
Where is it? I mean, that scares me to say
it. I mean, I got hot when I said that. I'm thinking, are you kidding
me? Where is the promise of His coming? Where? There's a mockery. Man, a woman that does not believe
God, that continues on in the way of rebellion and thinking
in the next breath. You may not have another breath.
He may call you out of this world before he ever comes back, but
I'm telling you, he's coming back. Where's the promise of
his coming? to receive your own unto yourself.
Where's the promise of judgment? When are you going to judge the
world? When is everybody going to stand
before you? These mockers back in 2 Peter
3, When they say, where is the promise of His coming? For since
the fathers fell, all things continue as they were from the
beginning of the creation. For this, verse 5, they willingly
are ignorant of. Willingly ignorant. They choose
to disregard. I'm going to exercise my free
will. I just choose to disregard what
you say. Boy, I'm telling you, when I
think about Peter writing this under the inspiration of God's
Spirit, remember, these are God's words. Peter's the penman, but
God's the author. These words are God-breathed. They choose to disregard, and
they choose to disregard three things, and with this I'm going
to close. Three things that they choose to disregard. Number 1,
verse 5, For this they are willingly ignorant of, here it is, that
by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing
out of the water and in the water. This is what they choose to disregard. Number 1, they choose to disregard
that God, by His word, By the Lord Jesus Himself. They choose
to disregard that the Lord Jesus Christ created all things. They choose to disregard that
He's sovereign God. That He's sovereign in creation.
That's what they choose. They choose to disregard that
the heavens were spoken into existence. And that the earth
was formed out of the water. For this they are willingly ignorant
of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the
earth standing out of the water." Or is consisting out of the water.
That the Lord just called it out of the water. Made it. And they choose to disregard
that God Almighty is keeping and remaining this earth till
this day by His power. Colossians chapter 1, Colossians
1, verse 16 and 17. A believer, when they hear that
Almighty God created and made, there's a respect. There's a respect for the Lord.
A respect for His power. A respect for His sovereignty. Those that mock God's Word, they
have no regard that this world was created to glorify God Almighty
in the redemption and salvation of His people. And He keeps it
here for that reason. Look at Colossians 1, 16-17.
By Him were all things created. that are in heaven and earth,
visible, invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities
or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him. Everything
that is created was by Him and for Him. The devil is God's devil. All men were created by Him and
for Him. Whether He shows them mercy or
whether He does not, they are the Lord's and they are going
to glorify Him. Everybody is either going to
be glorifying to the Lord because of God's mercy, or because of
His justice. But I'm telling you, all things
were made by Him, for this they're willingly ignorant of. And He is before all things,
and by Him all things consist. They're willingly ignorant of
God's creation. Here's the second thing, verse
6, back in 2 Peter 3, whereby the world that then was being
overflowed with water perished. Now let me tell you what else
they're willingly ignorant of. They're willingly disregarding
the truth that Almighty God is going to judge rebellion. That's
what they're willingly ignorant of. God looked and saw that every
thought of the imagination of man was evil every day, continually. Every man, every woman was evil,
including Noah. Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. And Almighty God destroyed this
world. Men that are willingly ignorant
of this fact that God's going to judge sin, either in me or
in my Savior, He's going to judge sin. They're willingly ignorant whereby
the world that then was being overflowed with water perished. And here's the last thing for
this morning. They're willingly ignorant of.
Verse 7, but the heavens and the earth which are now by the
same word are kept in store reserved under fire against the day of
judgment and perdition of ungodly men. They're willingly ignorant. They're willingly disregarding. They hide their minds from the
Word that created everything, that destroyed this earth, this
world the first time, and is going to do it again. They're
willingly ignorant. Now you think, I would remember back when the
kids were growing up and so I guess just using this little analogy
I do understand. I was going to say I can't understand
it but I think I do. I remember when the kids were
growing up and I would tell them the only thing I'm going to whip
you. I'm going to whip you. If you disobey me I'm going to
whip you. We were in the cottage field
the other night. Two little granddaughters were
sitting there eating. I sat down and I said, how are
you girls doing? Fine. I said, have you all been
good in school today? Yes, sir. I said, did you get
a whipping? No, sir. I said, your daddy got
a lot of them when he was growing up. And he just looked at me
like this. The only time I ever whipped
my children was for disobedience. If it was a mistake, and I knew
it was a mistake, OK. But the thing that always appalled
me was after I knew that they had gotten a whipping, that they
would do it again. And I would ask them, didn't you hear me say that I
was going to whip you? Yes, sir. Well, bend over the bed. I'm going to whip you again because
of disobedience. Men are willingly ignorant. I willingly disregard that God
destroyed this earth the first time. And destroyed everybody except
one man and his wife, their three sons and their wives and some
animals. and everybody else perished. Men are willingly ignorant that
God Almighty has said, I'm going to do it again by fire. Here is the record that God is
going to punish sin. Oh, that I might be found in
the Lord Jesus Christ. that I might not be willingly
ignorant, that I might not disregard His Word. Peter says, I'm writing
these things to you to stir up your mind. Minds that get lazy
and that need to be aroused and remember what the prophets said. Remember what we the apostles
said. Remember that these scoffers that will be in the midst, tears
in the midst, and they will disregard. Disregard that God created everything. That it's the Lord's. They're
going to disregard that God judged this world the first time with
water. And He's going to judge it the second time with fire.
Lord, stir my heart. For Christ's sake. Amen.