Let's turn to 2 Peter. 2 Peter chapter 3. In last week's midweek service I had quoted from this chapter and there was a verse that I didn't quote but I read it and I was thinking about it a lot and wrote down a few notes when I did, and so I wanted to come back to it with you today.

Now, we're going to begin in verse 7, just to get some context here, and just so you know, Peter has been telling the brethren, giving us a description the world that was being destroyed by a flood. All right, that's the description he had just given. And now he tells us that the world which is now, that we live in, is also going to be destroyed, except this time with fire. All right, so there's some context.

And he says, verse seven, 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."

And now he's going to explain this delay in the destruction as far as we as men and women see it, the way we would judge it. We think, well, where is it? Where is this destruction? I've been hearing about this my whole life. And so he tells us that the Lord has a purpose. He's accomplishing his purpose in the delay.

Verse 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. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise. He's not like you or I. He's not forgetful or dilly-dallying or wasting time or nothing like that. There's a purpose in it. He's not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but his long-suffering-to-us word. And we want to carry that us word, us, us, throughout that whole verse to understand it properly. He's long-suffering-to-us word, not willing that any of us should perish, but that all of us should come to repentance, all whom he's chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. in the day of grace for us, we would come to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also in the works that are therein shall be burned up. And so there's an extraordinary, mighty, terrifying view of the coming end of the world there and what the Lord will do there.

Now here's the verse, though, that I want to get to. Verse 11, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? 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."

So, given that these things are so, what manner of persons ought ye to be? And so I want to look at this, I want to give us, look at four points here. Four points we'll make.

So the first one here is that Peter gives us some context from this chapter, gives us some context surrounding these words of what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness. In this chapter, Peter tells us of those who were mocking, who would be mocking these words. They would be mocking these words that God is going to destroy the world. Look up in verse three and four. Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts 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. And so we know there's some who don't believe that anything's ever going to change. Things are never going to change. And we know that there are some that just don't like to think about it. They just don't want to think about perilous times.

In another passage, when Paul was writing to Timothy, he describes perilous times, perilous times that would come before the end. In fact, I'm going to read some of that description from 2 Timothy 3, and I'll be reading from verses 2 and 4. This is after he tells Timothy, there's coming perilous times. difficult, trying times, perilous times, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, they're unkind, unloving, there's no just common decency or consideration for others, truce breakers, they break their covenants and promises, false accusers, incontinent, which would be without self-control, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures, more than lovers of God.

And the next verse tells us why these things arise. Why do these things arise? Well, one, we know it's because all men are sinners. But in the context here, he says they have a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof from such turn away. He's saying these things arise out of a false gospel. There's a lot of religious people in the world, but under a false gospel, under a false hope, These things run wild in the flesh.

And so the point here is that if we would combat these things which are in us by nature, if we would combat these things in ourselves, in those whom we love, these things which describe and are the deeds of the flesh. This is the natural deeds and works of this flesh. If we would be delivered from such base wickedness in ourselves, you must know Christ. Christ and the gospel, which he saves by grace.

This is getting to the fact that we must be made new creatures. We must be made new creatures because we can have a form of godliness. And he doesn't say that they're necessarily under false gospel. You could be under the true gospel and just not hearing it in the spirit. Hearing it only in the flesh, only in word only. The point is is that we must be made new creatures. We need a salvation which goes deeper than this flesh. We need a whole salvation. And that's something that you and I can't affect for ourselves. We need the grace and the spirit of God to do that for us.

But he shows us this. He tells us this, that we would see, Lord, I have a need. I need your salvation. I need your spirit. I need your grace, Lord. Otherwise, what am I? I'm just like this description here. In perilous times, I'm just a lover of self and a boaster in myself, vain and heady. And so the gospel is what shall root out these things. The gospel is what we must be under and what we must hear.

Praying always, Lord, have mercy on me. Save me, Lord. Be merciful to me. Constrain these things in my flesh by your spirit, Lord. Isn't this what Paul meant when he said, if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live? He's talking about a new birth. And if not, if you by the law mortify the deeds of the body, if you by the spirit, mortify the deeds of the body." That's from Romans 8, 13. So, back in our text with Peter, basically what he's saying, what he's getting at is, don't you and I be scoffers, scoffing at the grace of God, scoffing at the gospel of his free, sovereign grace, because he's given it to us. to deliver us from the wrath and the punishment which is seen from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodly men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Godliness without a power. We don't want to be scoffers of God's word, of his power, but rather in faith, look for the coming of your Lord.

I think Fortner describes it as standing on the tippy-toe of faith. Standing on the tippy-toe of faith, looking for that coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will return just as he promised and will judge this world in righteousness. We should be looking for him. We should be looking for the coming of Christ.

So that's one point of consideration in this, I call it an admonition. Peter's giving us an admonition, an exhortation, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation in godliness. Not partaking in this world's vain conversation, and scoffing at God's promise, but believing, believing, waiting for the coming of Christ. That's what manner of persons we ought to be.

Second, and I think this is related to that first point, in regard to what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness. it is a remembrance that we too shall die. We're going to die. All of us here are going to die and stand before God seated upon his throne. And that picture there of God seated on his throne is he's judge of all. He knows the heart. He knows our minds. He knows the thoughts and the intents of the things that we think, say, and do. He knows all.

James says it this way in James 4, 13 through 15. Go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell and get gain. Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow, for what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth, away. When I think back on my life, I can say how quickly it has gone. It's just gone rapidly. You can remember being a young child playing out in the dirt and now suddenly you're an adult and you're getting tired and suffering various things. It vanishes away.

For that ye ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that. And this is a manner in which the Lord instills humility in us. It humbles us. It is humbling to think that I'm not my own. I'm bought with a price, even the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is how the Lord teaches us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. That we realize, what am I, Lord? I'm weak. I can pass away just like that. And so we're here to serve His pleasure and not our own. Again, that's humbling. To see that at His pleasure, I'm here to serve His pleasure. If and when He's done with me, He can remove me as it pleases Him. It's really that simple. What can I say? He's my God and my Creator. I live to serve His pleasure. That's why each of us is here.

But this should be to us not a burden. And if it is a burden, again, it's the Lord showing us what we are. The Scriptures serve as a mirror to show me, Lord, you speak like this, and here's me. Here's me. Me way out here, Lord. Have mercy. Save me, Lord. Because we need His grace and mercy. We need His Spirit to draw us in faith, to draw us in grace, to draw us with a true heart to the Lord. That we should desire to serve Him and desire to know Him in spirit and in truth. And He shows us these things because it shows us the gap of what we are by nature in this flesh and who he is, almighty, wonderful, glorious as he is.

Paul describes something of this in Romans 12, verses 1 through 3. When he said, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, not by the constraining burden and yoke of the law, but in view of the mercies of God toward us, who loved us and gave himself for us, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Therefore, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? It shows me what I am, what I think about, what I would do, and as a mirror draws forth, Lord, have mercy on me. Fix that spirit of desire to serve you, to know you, to be at peace with these things, to remember that my days are but of April. that I'm created and put here to serve you, to know you and to serve your people rather than living for myself, but for him who loved me and gave himself for me and made me a partaker of his grace.

All right, now third, if we're to hear Peter's exhortation, asking us who believe Christ, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation in godliness, then it's going to be according to sound doctrine. It's going to be according to sound doctrine. I'm taking that from 1 Timothy 1.10. It's going to be sound doctrine. Sound doctrine is that which is revealed to us in the new birth. Men who have not a new birth in Christ can have sound doctrine. We know that. There are people that have and hold and speak of sound doctrine. But I'm speaking of the sound doctrine which is revealed to us in the new birth.

Again, because we're always being anchored back to Lord, I need your grace. Lord, I know nothing except that which you reveal to me. Lord, I can do nothing except you by your grace and power accomplish your will in me. Lord, I need your grace. Lord, I need your salvation. We only hear it in the new birth according to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So now, here it might seem like the thing to do, what manner of persons ought ye to be, will be to turn you back to the law of Moses. In the flesh, we naturally think, uh-oh, what manner of persons ought I to be? I better get it together. And men turn to the law of Moses, the yoking bondage of the law. This desire to get myself under the thunderings and the rumblings and the shakings of the law to constrain my flesh. If I'm gonna do these things, I need to be in fear. No, no. A holy fear, yes, but a fear that says, Lord, open my ear to hear your gospel. Because except I be a new creature, I cannot hear these things. I've no desire to hear these things in the spirit. And I might pick them up with my hands in the flesh and think that I've done them and deceive myself." Right? That's not what he's doing.

But to turn men back to the law, if I were to turn you to the law now, that is actually to use the law in an unlawful manner. That's not what the law was given for. Paul said it this way when speaking to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1.9, he said, the law is not made for a righteous man. The law is not made for a righteous man. You that are in Christ are righteous. The law was not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient. for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane." And he says many other things, but I just want to key in on these things.

We are not, brethren, you that are in Christ are not unholy. You are holy, as in the Lord has separated you, he sanctified you for himself. All right, we've been sanctified by the Spirit, separating us out unto the hearing of this word of faith, unto the hearing of Christ. You are holy, not unholy, but you are holy in and by the Lord Jesus Christ, covered, washed in his blood.

And we're not lawless and disobedient. That's not what the scriptures say of us. We're not constrained by the law of Moses, but we are under the law of love. Oh, no man anything save to love him. We are under the law of liberty, wherein we are free from the bondage to sin and death, that we might serve our Savior, our God and Savior. the law of faith, whereby we believe him. We have heard and believe him. We're not lawless. We're under that law of his grace. And then, also, we are obedient. Obedient to the faith of God. Obedient to the gospel. Obedient to what our God has said to us, get to Christ. Get to Christ. Go to him, what manner of persons ought ye to be? Those who live in and by the spirit of Christ. Lord save me, have mercy upon me.

And then Paul, continuing in that list of many more sins that he says there, he concludes, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. And so all these deeds of the flesh, we know they're contrary, right? Those deeds everywhere you see in the scriptures here, where Paul describes the deeds and works of the flesh, that does not mean that he's turning you back to the law of Moses. And he's showing us what is in our flesh by nature, what we can't get rid of by nature. It's there, looking to break out against us and to turn, right? When we're angered, to do something that provokes back, right? When we're angered, to get angry and do something that hurts and provokes back, right? Those are fleshly deeds that aren't gonna be fixed by going to the law of Moses. No, they will not. Because then you're going to demand, hey, pay me that thou owest. You show me what you owe me. Do to me what I want you to do. That's just turning to the law. That's just the deeds of the flesh. That's not going to provoke love. understanding, patience, kindness. Not only the grace of God is gonna do that for us, brethren.

What manner of persons ought ye to be? That turn to Christ, hear Christ. You see, the law of Moses was given not to improve us, but to expose what we are by nature, that we are sinners. It's to stop our mouths. It's to stop our boasting before God. It's to make us to know that we are guilty before him. Lord, I thought I was pleasing to you when I heard of you with the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore, I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes, Job said. When we see the Lord, when he shows us himself and we see what we are, then we see the holiness of the Lord. how we're never going to make ourselves holy and pleasing to him in that manner under the law. So the law gives us the knowledge of sin. And Paul said it this way, yea, the scripture hath concluded all under sin. All under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. So we don't want to turn back to the law.

And when Christ is formed in the heart, through the faith of the operation of God wrought in us by the power and spirit of His grace and the gift of the Holy Ghost given to us, that law ceases to be a rule of our life. And we cease trying to account for everything perfectly under the law, as it were. Now a new spirit is given, and a spirit of grace, whereby I don't need everything accounted for. I trust the Lord, who's done all things by his grace and mercy there.

And so I know that it sounds absurd to a carnal man. Why wouldn't you turn people back to the law to know how to live? Well, because if I'm going to hear what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation, and godliness, I know one thing, it's not going to be heard correctly by my flesh. And when I turn back to the law of Moses, I'm turning back to the provocations and to the flesh to try and fix and correct myself by the bondage of the law.

Paul said it this way. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, and base things of the world, and things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring to naught things that are." That's not just the persons that he chooses. That is true of us. We are the weak things and the things that are cast off and despised. That's also the manner in which he saves us, by grace, by grace.

You think of how the Judaizers hated and persecuted Paul for preaching grace. It was deemed weakness and despised in their eyes. The Greeks despised the preaching of Christ and the cross. They despised it. They saw it as weakness, and yet that is the very means, contrary to our nature, by which the Lord saves his people. and reveals himself to his people, so that of him are we in Christ Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, that according as it's written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

So he's turning us there. So we see that the law of Moses does not help us to hear Peter's exhortation in a right spirit, because the law provokes the flesh in all the wrong ways. And you can just read Romans 7 to see that. It provokes the flesh in all the wrong ways, not because the law itself is bad, but because of the infirmity of this flesh. And I can only imagine that some people think that, well, yeah, I couldn't keep the law before I was saved. But now that I'm saved, it's so that I can keep the law. No, you can't. You still cannot keep the law. You're still a sinner. This flesh is still corrupt and sinful and vile and wretched. And it will only be provoked. And it'll only bring forth those deeds of the flesh because of the weakness of this flesh. Therefore, by the grace of God, ye are saved. By the grace of God, you're saved. And so that's what the Lord teaches us here. And so we look to him. That's the third point there.

Let me give you a fourth and final point here. What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? This word to me is teaching us how we are to be toward others, toward our God and toward others. It's not instructing me of how I'm to be treated by others. or how I'm to expect you to treat me. It says nothing of that. How ought I to be? It's about how I am to treat others and deal with others. It's instructing me. And that's the first thing. If I'm going to hear Peter's word, let me understand that he's talking to me. What manner of persons ought I to be? What am I supposed to be?

What the law does is it drives us to an accounting of what others are supposed to do for me. And then I'm not hearing what the scriptures are saying to me to do to others. Because that's what he's showing us here. And so by God's grace, how am I to treat others? Well, I've been talking about this. But I'm not going to apologize. I'm going to it one more time because I think it's good for us to hear. And each time I read some new scripture, I'm adding it to the list there.

But we saw it a couple of weeks ago. We began to see it where David was looking for someone in the house of Saul. He wanted to be kind to someone in the house of Saul, which was the house of his enemy persecuting David. All right, and David said, is there anyone yet of the household of Saul, and he worded it this way, that I may show the kindness of God unto him? All right, the kindness of God, and what he's saying is, as God has been kind to me and shown me kindness, I want to show that same kindness to others. All right, what manner of persons ought ye to be? Show the kindness of God that he's shown to you, to others. That's what manner of persons you ought to be.

Paul spoke of believers in tribulation, in afflictions, in trouble, and he tells us that God has been comforted us in those tribulations. We've experienced, we've heard the grace of God and we've seen the grace of God comforting us, giving us strength to endure the affliction and the tribulation and the trouble. He's done this to us, ministered this comfort to us that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. All right, this is talking about godliness. All right, godliness. What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation? And godliness, this is godliness. As God has been kind to me, let me be kind to others. As God has comforted me, let me seek to comfort others with this word of comfort.

All right, Christ tells us, love one another as I have loved you. And as Christ has loved you and sacrificed himself for you, so love your brethren, so love your neighbor, so love others. And Paul said it this way in Ephesians, be kind, Ephesians 4.32, be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you." There's godliness. As God has forgiven me, let me forgive others. Seek to forgive others. And so think of these scriptures in light of what Peter is saying to us. What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? Well, as God has dealt with me, as God has revealed himself to me, let me show that same comfort, that same kindness, that same gentleness, that same spirit of love and comfort to others.

And so what manner of persons? Well, Paul also said in Ephesians 5, 1 and 2, be ye therefore followers of God. as dear children. Walk in love as Christ also hath loved us." You see that? I don't know what to do, but I know what God has done for me. And so that teaches me what to do. That is what instructs and informs me of what manner of person I ought to be at this time. as Christ hath loved us and given himself for us, and offering in the sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor." So set your heart on showing that kindness of God to others. Set your heart on ministering the word of his grace to others, which comforted you. Tell them of the of what Christ has done for sinners, to save them, forgive one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you.

That's a godly thing to do. That is godliness. Walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us. So that's the well-doing that the scriptures speak of that we are to do while here. That's well-doing. That's good works. in that the scriptures describe, all right? It's not turning you to the law. It's turning you, what has God done for me? I want to do the same thing for others. I want to show that same love and kindness.

And so don't set your heart on this world because this world's passing away. It's all going away. Why lay up for yourselves that which is going to be burned up and destroyed anyway? Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. and seek to love others as Christ has loved you.

So in spiritual things, so to spiritual things, because not only will you reap everlasting life, but those that you minister to in spiritual things, they too may also reap those blessings, those spiritual blessings of God.

So what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? hear that word in the spirit. Pray to hear that word in the spirit, because that's the only way you're going to hear it in a way that is serviceable and helpful to anybody. It's the only thing that's going to help you, brethren. Amen.