We'll be looking at the book
of 2 Peter 3, the second letter of Simon Peter, the apostle to
God's people, to the church in 2 Peter 3. Now, in order to understand
the Word of God, you must understand three things, at least in your
head. You must understand who it is
that is writing, to whom, He is writing, and what is the subject?
Peter is addressing this letter to the people of God. In chapter
1, verse 1, he says, to them that have obtained like precious
faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. This is to believers. This is
to God's people. This is written to God's people,
as is most of the Word of God, especially the epistles. They're
addressed to the churches, and that's what the Revelation says.
Listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. You write a
letter to someone, you address it to them. That's who it's written
to. So it is with the Word of God. Makes it clear whom He's
speaking to. For example, His Sermon on the
Mount, He was speaking to His disciples. spoke to them of their
father. And he said, they are the light
of the world. He said, they were the salt of
the earth. That's clearly not speaking of everyone, though
many people heard that sermon, though many read it today. Everyone
is not the child of God. They are certainly not salt or
light, but many dwell in darkness. And so it is, Peter is writing
to the church, and he calls them the beloved. In chapter 3, verse
1, he says, this second epistle, beloved, God does not love everyone,
but He loves His people, and they love Him. They are loved,
they are called according to His purpose. All things work
together for good to them that love God. Why do they love God?
Because He first loved them. He foreloved them. He foreknew
them. Whom He did foreknow, He did predestinate. Whom He predestinated,
He called. Whom He called, He justified.
Whom He justified, He glorified. Everyone God foreloved is called
His beloved. He says, now I write unto you.
I'm writing to you in which I stir up your pure minds by way of
remembrance. Everyone doesn't have a pure
mind. And pure mind here doesn't necessarily mean what you think
it does. Is your mind free from all sinful thoughts? Neither
is the believer. Neither is the child of God.
But what he's saying here is, I stir up your minds. In another
place, he said, you've purified your hearts and minds in obeying
the truth and believing the truth. We've been purified. We've been
sanctified by the Word of God, the truth of God, believing on
the Lord Jesus Christ. Our sins are gone. The pure mind
of the believer has his mind fixed on the way of grace, the
gospel of grace, not mixed with works, but pure grace through
and through. He says here, I stir up your
pure minds by way of remembrance. He said that you may be mindful
of something. I want to remind you. I want
you to be mindful, always thinking of these things. In verse 2,
he says that you might be mindful of the words spoken before by
the Holy Prophet, And the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord
and Savior. Now, the prophets and apostles
had the same message. The prophets said throughout
the Old Testament, the prophets said someone is coming. The whole
book, Old Testament, is a prophecy of Christ. That's what the Revelation
says. The testimony of Jesus is the
spirit of prophecy. To Him give all the prophets
witness. Christ said, They are they which testify of Me. The
whole Old Testament says someone is coming. You need to prepare
for His coming. You need to know Him who is coming.
The Gospels say He's here. He's here. The One who was promised
is here, speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the epistles
and the revelations say He's coming again. And Peter here
is reminding us of His second coming. And he says, He's coming. This is what the prophet said.
He's coming. And this is what we're saying.
He came. He's coming again. Verse 3, he
says, "...know this first, that there shall come in the last
days scoffers walking after their own lusts." Mockers. Scoffers. Scoffing at all talk of God and
Jesus Christ and salvation and the way to heaven and sin and
judgment and punishment. Scoffing. Mocking at that. The
last day. We are in the last of the last
days. That is clear. The Lord said
you can discern the face of the sky and know the time of the
season before His coming. And He said to young Timothy,
Paul said to young Timothy, in the last days perilous time,
dangerous time, We're in some of the most dangerous times since
the beginning of the world. As in the days of Noah, our Lord
said, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. And God said
of the days of Noah right before the flood, He said, He looked
down and all the earth, all men had corrupted His way. That is the truth. His way, corrupt. And He said the whole earth was
full of violence. There's never been a more violent
time than now. And so Paul told young Timothy,
men will be lovers of their own selves. Oh, how men and women
and even young people love to speak of themselves. Covetous, the most materialistic,
covetous age in the history of the world perhaps. Boasters,
proud. Oh, how men boast of so many
things. Big talkers. Never been a more
talkative generation than now. Blasphemers. The name of God
is on everyone's lips in blasphemy. Disobedient to parents. Never
been a more unruly, rebellious, generation than young people
today. Unthankful, unholy, without natural
affection. Oh, perversions abound today. Well, he said, know this, in
2 Peter 3, know this, keep this in mind, and in the last days
they'll come walking after their own life, and say, 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.
Where is the promise of His coming? Where is this Jesus you speak
of that's coming? In verse 5 now, Simon Peter says,
they're willingly ignorant of two things. Mankind is willingly
ignorant. That is, they refuse to believe
what is plain and clear, the facts. Now here it is, two things. They're willingly ignorant of
creation and the flood, or condemnation, judgment, wrath, damnation of
so many of the world. Creation, their will and their
ignorance, he said in verse 5, that by the word of God the heavens
were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water.
willingly ignorant creation, though the heavens declare His
glory, the firmament showeth His handiwork, though the things
that are made are clearly seen, His eternal power and Godhead
is clearly revealed, and even the wrath of God from heaven
is clearly revealed from heaven, yet man in his so-called wisdom
and science and medicine, modern man refuses to believe God created
this world. Why? Because He doesn't want
a Creator. Whatever you create, you own
it. You can do with it what you will. And so it is with God.
And men don't want there to be a God. But He is, God is, and
He's the God in whose hands our breath is and all our way. And
He's our judge. We must answer to Him. We must
give an account to Him. We shall all stand before Him. They're willingly ignorant of
creation and the flood. God in His wrath, His anger,
His judgment against an ungodly world. Back in Genesis, He destroyed
the whole world by water. Verse 6, the world that then
was overflowed with water and perished. And He says that same
God, the heavens and the earth that are now by the same Word
of God, are reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and
perdition of ungodly men. The fire of God shall fall from
heaven as the rain did in Noah's day, and destroy this world once
and for all. Well, men and women scoffed at
Noah back in that day. Rain? It had never rained. And
they scoffed. Rain? Water falling out of the
sky and going to destroy us. Why, Noah, that's absurd. God loves us all. God loves us
all. He wouldn't. Destroy us, He loves
us. That's what false preachers are
saying today, and that's what most people believe today. It
says, the fire of God will rain down from heaven in judgment
against ungodly men. Does that sound like the love
of God to you? No, it's not. It's the judgment
of God. God does not love everyone. He's angry with the wicked every
day. But beloved, verse 8, beloved,
Whoever God loves. He's speaking to them. Are you
one of God's beloved? I don't know. God knows. He says
this four times in this one chapter. Beloved. Beloved. Beloved. Beloved. That's who He's speaking
to. Oh, how false prophets and ignorant
men and women take these next verses out of context. This is
written to the beloved. God's people. Verse 8 says, The
Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing. A day with the Lord
is a thousand years, and a thousand years is one day. Be not ignorant
of the brevity of time to God, and how that though a thousand
years is long to us, it's nothing to God. That the wheels of God's
providence move very slowly, but yet they move, though we
see them not. Rebellious, sinful man says,
see, things have continued as they were from the beginning.
Yes, by the mercy and grace of God. The tender mercies of God
upon all His works. He gives food and rainwater and
all of these things to mankind because He's long-suffering.
But now, verse 9, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise.
He has promised to rain down judgment against man. He has
promised salvation to all those in Christ, to all those who look
for His coming. He says He is not slack concerning
His promise, as some men count slackness. But he is longsuffering
to usward. Now who is he speaking to? The
Beloved. He is longsuffering to us, Beloved,
and not willing that any should perish, any of us, but that all
of us should come to repentance, all of His Beloved. And they
will, all whom God chose, all whom Christ died for. He sends
the Holy Spirit in time with a gospel, the Word of God with
the preaching of the gospel, and convicts them of their sin,
and they will repent. They do repent to God and believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and they shall be saved. They call
all. whom God calls, shall call and
repent. The goodness of God leads them
to repent, because He's not willing that any of them should perish,
but that all of them should come to repent. Thank God. That's
written to His beloved. He says, But the day of the Lord
will come as a thief in the night, the heavens shall pass away with
a great noise, the elements melt with perfect heat, the earth
also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up. And
so he said, Seeing that all these things 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 a fervent heat? all holy conversation. That is, your life, your thoughts,
your affections set on things above, not on things of the earth. Looking for the coming of the
Son of God. And he says, we according, verse
13, according to His promise, Beloved, we look for a new heaven
and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness." Only the righteous
want to dwell in a righteous place. Only the righteous want
to be righteous. David said, I will behold Thy
face in righteousness. That's the righteousness of Jesus
Christ imputed and imparted to him. And he said, I will be satisfied
when I awake with His likeness. Oh, blessed are the people who
look for His coming, who know Him, who love Him, who want to
be found in Him, who look to Him and await His coming. Blessed
are the people. They are the beloved of God.
Are you? I pray that it is so until next
Sunday. Amen.