I actually had this message ready
for the first message after the New Year and for some reason
didn't get to bring it. I was in Cottageville the Sunday
after the New Year. Let's look at 2 Peter 3. Most
of you are familiar with this, but this is something we need
to look at constantly. This is exactly what Peter said
in verse 1, the second letter or epistle. Beloved, I now write
unto you in both the first and second, which I stir up your
pure minds by way of remembrance, that you may be mindful, always
thinking on the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets
and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and
Savior. This is a very needful message
at the beginning of the year and throughout the year, actually.
It's hard to believe, isn't it, that this is 2013? The days,
the years are truly flying by, a vapor. What is your
life? It's a vapor. It's here and it's
gone. 2013, it seems like just yesterday,
the millennium, Y2K turned, you know. But this is a timely message. Another year has passed. Another
year of God's mercy to us. We ought to always remember and
be mindful of His mercies to us, not only for the passing
of the year, but every day His mercies are new. Every morning. Every morning. And He rebuked
the children of Israel because they forgot His mercies. They
weren't thinking on His mercies. They had too much. They had too
much. And they forgot. They forgot
where they were found and where the Lord had brought them. And so, another year has passed
and we're another year closer to our Lord's return. Now is
our salvation nearer than when we first believed. Lift up your
heads, Scripture says, your redemption draweth nigh. Christ said when
you see all these things, know that it's near, that I'm even
at the door. So Peter, the apostle, faithfully
reminds us, and that's what I want to be, is faithful, to remind
us all, myself included, to be mindful, to be thinking on these
things, things above. Set our affection on things above,
not on things of the earth, because the things that are seen are
temporary. The things that are not seen
are eternal. Eternal. It reminds us that the
world, most people do not think on eternity. They don't think
of God at all. Scripture says God is not in
all their thoughts. They have many thoughts. God's
not in them. That's not the way it is with
God's people. And he says to his disciples,
you be like men that wait for your Lord. That when he comes,
he won't be like a thief in the night to you, because you'll
be watching. All right, the first thing, he
says, be mindful, verse 2, of the word. of the words of the
prophets and the word of the commandment of thus the apostles.
That's the scripture. That's all the scripture is in
it. God's word. The thinking on it. Now, verse 3, he says,
Know this first. This is the first thing to keep
in mind. Be mindful. Thinking of it. That
there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their
own lusts. The last days. And it's no coincidence
that we've been looking at Genesis in the flood because our Lord
said, as in the days of Noah, so shall the coming of the Son
of Man be. And we should clearly be able
to discern the times as in the days of Noah. These are those
last days spoken of by our Lord clearly, and I'll not take the
time to go to like 2 Timothy 3, 1 Timothy 4 and other places
that clearly Romans 1 that clearly described the very last of the
last day. Do that on your own. 2 Timothy
3, 1 Timothy 4, and other places. But the last days, he said, know
this, that there will come scoffers, scoffers, those who mock the
truth, those who mock God's Word, those who mock those who believe
God and believe God's Word, mockers and scoffers. And the more these
fools make their prophecies, the more these fools make their
prognostication of when the Lord is coming, and He doesn't, the
more scoffers there are. Every year somebody comes up
with a date, don't they? And, you know, recently even
the unbelieving world put some kind of credibility or credence
with Mayan calendar, the Mayan Indian. That's one of the most
pagan, heathen societies ever. But yet they were, you know,
considering the Mayan calendar could be the end of the world.
Well, it went back. We knew it wouldn't be. We knew it wouldn't
be. Why? Why? Because the Lord said,
no man, no man. And anytime a man says, this
is it, write it down. He's not coming now. At a time
when you think not, no man knows. So this Mayan calendar and people
make these prophecies of when he's coming, he doesn't come.
So the whole world just stops and laughs. And more and more
stoppers and mockers, they abound, don't they? Know that. Know that. Verse 4, saying, where's
the promise of his coming? See, he didn't come. He said he would, and he didn't
come. See there? He's not coming. And they say all things continue
since the fathers fell asleep, since the beginning of time,
all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.
Go back to Genesis chapter 8 with me. Genesis 8. Where is he? He didn't come,
you see? You know, men, they won't admit
it, but they're worried. They won't admit it, but they're
worried. Because the one thing that mankind
cannot ignore and cannot get out of their heads and out of
their minds is Jesus Christ. that he came, all that he did
and said, and all the witnesses, all the years that men have given
witness to him, the calendar bears witness of him every day.
They're worried. They won't admit it, but they're
worried. And they can't ignore that. They say, see, he didn't
come. He didn't come. Well, Genesis
8 says all things continued. And, you know, the old wives'
table that things will change, you know, the seasons and all
that. It's just not so. That's all it is, is a wives'
fable, religious fable. But in Genesis 8, verse 22, our
Lord said after the flood, this is the way it will be until the
Lord comes. Verse 22, while the earth remaineth,
seedtime and harvest and cold and heat and summer and winter
and day and night shall not cease. to the word of the Lord, according
to the promise of the Lord. See, all things continue. No
cataclysmic things are happening like you say they are. No, they're
not, thankfully. And that's of the Lord's mercy.
Yes, all things continue because the Lord is merciful every day. Everything continues. Seed time
and harvest and the seasons will continue until, like lightning,
until he comes. And all eyes would see like light,
like a bolt of light. Look at this, verse 5. They willingly
are ignorant. This, they willingly are ignorant
of two things. By the word of God, the heavens
were bold, the earth standing out of the water into water,
and the world that then was being overflowed with water perished. Two things that men are willingly
ignorant of, that is, God's creation. and the flood. God's willingly
ignorant self, it said. The heavens declare his glory.
The firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day others speak. All
men are without excuse. Things that are made are clearly
seen. His eternal power and Godhead
are clearly seen. They're without excuse. Scientists, but they hold the
truth, like Peter said, in unrighteousness for unrighteous purposes. Behold
the truth. Suppress the truth. They accuse
believers of suppressing the facts. No, it's the other way
around. That's why Paul called it science
falsely so called. Science means the study of truth.
They're not wanting to get to the truth. Suppress the truth. Suppress the facts regarding
creation and make up bogus things regarding evolution. You know
what's up. You've studied it. And we're not here to argue with
potsherds, strive with potsherds, but you know it's so. And if
you want some wonderful things in print about the facts of creation
in regards to science, I can get them to you. I can get them
to you. But we're not here to do that.
We're here for us to be reminded of things we already know. As
he said on Down to the Sea, you know these things. You know these
things, don't you? You know God is God. You know He's the Creator. In
Him we live and move and have our being. Here's why men willingly
reject the Creator. Because if you create something,
that means you own it, don't you? If you make something, you
own it. And nobody can tell you what
to do with it. Nobody. God said, cannot I do
with my own what I will? Yes, He does. Yes, He can, and
yes, He does. Our God is in heaven. He hath
done whatsoever He hath pleased. Whatsoever the Lord pleased,
that did He, and earth, heaven, and all places, because it's
His. The earth is the Lord's and the
fullness thereof. The world and they that dwell
therein, He owns it. Like the potter with the clay.
He said, I can make what I want, I can save, whatever. It's mine. And if God's the creator,
He's the owner of it, and He's the judge. He's the judge. The law will give Him. If you
own something, you set down the rules, don't you? Nobody can
tell you what to do. And that's sired up. And then
the flood tells us that God is holy, that God doesn't love every
single person like false religion tells us, that God is not in
love with all human beings like false religion tells us, but
God is in fact angry with the wicked every day. God hateth
all workers of iniquity, and God destroyed millions of persons. and punish their sins. That's
what the blood tells us to. And so men willing to reject
that, don't want a God like that. Well, you have one. And we didn't
either. We didn't either. But God. We
always quote that. We always come around to saying
that. Because such were some of you.
I was an agnostic, kind of. Yes, I didn't know what I was.
But such were some of you. But God, but Noah found grace. You found out. God will judge
sin. And God showed you the ark. He
said, now get in it. Better yet, he shuts you in.
Puts you in. Shuts you in. So they're willingly
ignorant. And this, verse 7, the heavens
and the earth, verse 7, that are now, are by the same word,
that is, by the same authority, God who made all things with
his word, let there be light, upholds all things by the word
of his power. Like the oceans, like everything.
Here the two shall you come, no question. Sun, shine. Earth, rotate. Just exactly And
in regards to the things continuing as they were, you know, if this
earth sped up about a half a mile an hour, we'd all fall off. If
it slowed down, if we got a foot closer to the sun, we'd burn
up. If we got a foot further away, we'd freeze to death. If
the moon didn't, its orbit wasn't perfect, if the star, if the
sun, A fool hath said, there's no
God. All things continue precisely
in minute detail, in absolute perfect order as they have for
thousands of years. How? By the word of His power. It says, the same heavens and
earth that are now kept in store by the same word, verse 7, are
reserved unto fire, fire, against the day of judgment and perdition
of ungodly men. That is, men and women who do
not want a God, who do not like God, who hate God, who do not
believe God. Fire. Fire and brimstone. Is there anything more scoffed
at than that? for a preacher to preach fire
and brimstone. Who said that? Who preached fire
and brimstone? Jesus Christ. Not some crazy,
standing on the street corner, wild, crazy lunatic. Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Now that's who men are scoffing at when they scoff at the mention
of these things. Alright, enough about them. Beloved. This is to us. Beloved. Those who are foreloved
of God. This is to those that God loves.
This is to those that God reveals His love to, that His love is
in Jesus Christ. Alright, look at it. Verse 8.
Beloved, don't be ignorant of this one thing. The world says,
Things are continuing. Another year has passed. See?
See? He didn't come. See? Another year has passed.
See? Told you. Told you. You think God is doing
things according to man's time schedule? You think you ought
to stop because some fool says, See? Some little ant is taunting
him. See? He that sits in the heavens laughs.
Everything is going according his purpose and time and what
he ordered. But you don't be ignorant of
this. What the world is ignorant of, verse 8, that one day is
with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. Time is of no essence to God
at all. A thousand years is like a day
to God. A thousand years. A thousand
years is one day. There's so much there, but we don't have time to look
into it. But don't be ignorant of this. Time is nothing to God. It is to us. That's why we're
so fickle and fallible and finite in our understanding because
time, time. We're so subject to it. And let
me quote you. I quote it all the time, but
it goes well with this. In Ecclesiastes 8, there's a
verse that says, Because sentence against an evil work is not speedily
executed. Because men do things and God
doesn't strike them dead. If God's up there, let him strike
me dead right now. He's not paying attention to
worms. Oh, he will. But maybe not right
now. He will. Because sentence against
an evil work is not speedily executed, therefore the hearts
of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. See? There
is no God. We want to find out. God is not subject to time. And
so we're so fallible and finite in our understanding. Verse 9.
But the Lord is not slack concerning His promise. His promise. Beloved, God's promises are to
His people. He's given us many exceeding
and precious promises. And He keeps all His promises.
And His promises are to us. Look at this. God is not slack
concerning his promises. Some men count slackness, but
it is long-suffering to us. All the promises of God are in
Jesus Christ. And they're in him are what?
Yea and amen to the glory of God by us. See, exceeding great
and precious promises, it says, that whereby you may be partakers
of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption, the unbelief
in the world through love. Exceeding great and precious
promises that we need to keep in mind. Keep in mind what we've
just been studying. A day is a thousand years. A
thousand years, God's not on man's time schedule. He's on
his. And it's nothing to him. When God's not paying attention
to what, be careful what I say. God does hear and see everything
that's said and done by men, but it doesn't alter His course
or His purpose at all. Because men say, we'll taunt
God and tempt God. He's not going to stop. Thank
God. He's long-suffering. And that's
what He said there. He's long-suffering to us. Across the page, verse 15 says,
You need to account. We need to keep in mind that
the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation. Had Christ returned
in 1973 when I was an 18-year-old rebel, I would have been lost. I'm so thankful He's long-suffering. And we've got others that don't
know the Lord. And though we want Him to return,
we need to consider, keep in mind that He's long-suffering.
He's waiting to be gracious to somebody. He hasn't come back
yet. He's waiting to be gracious to somebody. It might be your
child. It might be your spouse or your
parent or somebody. And you'll sure be glad he waited
on you. You'll sure be glad he waited. He's long-suffering. He's not willing that any should
perish. Any who, who's he talking to?
Who's he been talking to? This is one of the most abused
Scriptures in all of God's Word, like John 3, 16 and other things.
Who's he talking to? Beloved. Four times he says,
Beloved, Beloved, Beloved, Beloved. That's what they say. But here's
what God says to us. Be not ignorant. God is long-suffering
to us, these people. He puts up with them. He puts
up with this world for the elect's sake. If there were not a remnant
according to the election, we'd have been as Sodom and Gomorrah,
right? His long-suffering to his people
he puts up with their sins until it's time for him to reveal himself
to them, to reveal Christ in them. And we're waiting and hoping
that he does that for some others, for our children, our grandchildren,
and our loved ones and friends and neighbors and so forth. When he brings in the last sheep,
he's long-suffering. He's not willing that any should
perish. Now, let me remind you, whatever God is willing, wills,
will be done. Whatever God is not willing to
happen, it won't be done. Right? In Ezekiel 36, he says,
I will, I will, I will, I will, I will, I will, and you shall. I will. God worketh all things
after the counsel of his will. If God is not willing for somebody
to perish, they won't perish. I'm so glad. Christ said, I give
unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. This is the
Father's will, that everyone which he hath given me I should
lose nothing, but raise it up at the last day. Aren't you glad? If he's not willing that I should
perish, then God be blessed, I won't perish. And it all should
come to repentance. Repentance. There's no salvation
without repentance. Except you repent, you'll perish. And it's an ongoing thing. Come
to this state of repentance. Humble yourselves before the Lord. Repentance.
And it's what leads us to repentance. The goodness of God. Read on.
The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. See that? In which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, elements shall melt with
a fervent heat, a great noise. How ironic that men say the world
was created by a big bang. God says no, but it will be destroyed
that way. I have to think that God mocks
men at that big bang. They'll pass away, says the elements,
everything shall melt with a fervent heat. Look at this. This is a
striking verse, the last line. The earth also and the works
that are therein shall be burned up. Everything in this world,
every single thing that men work for, every single thing that
all human beings spend their lifetime accumulating and working
for, that they think will make them happy, God says no. Turn
it up. In 2 Peter 3. 2 Peter 3. All the works therein. We work
our lives for what? To be burned up. That's foolish. My grandparents. And we were talking the other
day about insurance. We were complaining about the cost of
medical insurance and insurance and insurance. We were reminded
that up until about 200 years ago, there was never anything,
any insurance. Never. My grandparents lived
in a little country house in Tecumseh, Georgia. And I had
such fond memories of that house. I came home one day and their
house was gone, burnt up, burnt to the ground. They didn't have
insurance. earthly things. Gone. What do
we put stock in? Where is our happiness? Where
is our joy? What do we work for? Things to be burned up? How foolish. How foolish. All the works. It
is silly saying, only one life and soon we'll be past, but only
what's done for Jesus will last. That's hogwash. Only what's done
by Jesus Christ will last. All the works of men, we're not
saved by works, we're saved by grace. We're saved by the works
of the Lord Jesus Christ. All the works therein are going
to be burnt up. Verse 11, seeing then that all
these things shall be dissolved, that everything is just going
to be gone, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation
and gathering? should we be doing? Now, this
holy conversation, that doesn't mean that you're supposed to
change your voice and sound like some pious religious fellow,
you know, or all the time talking like, you know, a religious nut. That's not what that's talking
about. The word holy means separated. In other words, our conversation,
our speech, our conduct, our lives should be We should be
talking about and thinking about things other than this world.
And the Lord knows our frame. He knows that we're flesh and
we're guilty of living this world. But yet he said they're not of
this world. Why do you think he wrote this? He said, I want
to remind you. I need to remind you. We need to be constantly
reminded, don't we, that our conversation is in heaven. So
that's what we need to be talking about, thinking about. And godliness,
that just means things pertaining to God. Don't be a religious
hypocrite. Be real. Be a real sinner in
a real world with real troubles and problems, and don't be a
religious pharisee. Verse 12, looking for and hasting
the coming of the day of God. Looking for. You be like men,
he said, that are looking for the Lord to return. Waiting on
it. Who will be looking for Him?
Those that love Him. Those that worship Him now. It's
saying, Jesus shall so come in like manner as you've seen Him
go. Who was He talking to? The disciples. What were they
doing? They were standing there. They went with Him to the mountain
as He ascended into the clouds. And they were all together. They
were always together. Why? Because they loved His Word.
They loved the Lord. They loved each other. They worshiped the
Lord. They were about the things of God. And He'll come in like
manner. Who will be looking for Him?
Those that are looking for Him right now. Those that worship
Him now. Hasting the coming of the Lord. Hasting. What does that mean?
Hurrying it up. Hasting. How do you hasten? You're
not going to... The Lord's going to come when
He's coming. What's that mean? Well, it means the more you think
about Him coming, the sooner it appears. Before you talk about
it, it's like anything. Let's say you're planning a trip
somewhere. And we all do it. We plan a trip
somewhere. And the more you think about
it and the more you talk about it, the more you look forward
to it, don't you? And you can almost taste it. You almost feel it. You're almost
already there, don't you? That's what that means, to be
thinking about. Hastening, the coming of our Lord. 12, he says
it again, these things will be dissolved. Verse 13, ìNevertheless,
we according to his promise,î hereís another one of those blessed
promises, ìwe look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein
dwelleth righteousness.î Righteousness. When you hear
that word, what do you think? Christ, that's for sure. He has
made unto us righteousness. We go to be with Him. We're looking
forward to be with Him, the righteous one. But that's a place where
there is no sin. No sin, but righteousness. Does that appeal to you? It sure
doesn't appeal to this world. And there was a time when it
sure didn't appeal to me. But God has given you a love for righteousness,
a desire. David said, I'll behold thy face in righteousness,
and I'll be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness. And he's chosen a people that
they might be with him and like him. And that's what verse 14
says. See, and you look for such thing,
see that you be diligent that you may be found of him in peace
without spot and blameless. Now, what does that mean? It
means when he comes, you better watch out in what you're doing.
Well, God looks on the heart, doesn't he? But what that means
is, how are you going to be found of God in peace? How are you
going to be found of God without spot and blameless? How are you going to be found?
Without blame before God. Wholly unblameable and unreprovable
before God. How? Do you know? Scriptures
are very clear about this. Scripture says, He is our peace. He made peace by the blood of
his cross. We don't make peace with God.
Jesus Christ did that for his people. And he is our righteousness. He is going to present us thoughtless
before the presence of his glory. He is, without spot and blameless,
because the Lamb that was without spot and blemish was crucified,
and we are in him. Make your calling and election
sure, that is, be found," here Paul said it, he said, "...that
I might win Christ and be found," where? "...in him, not having
mine own righteousness which is of love, but that righteousness
which is of faith by the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ." You
keep looking to Christ is what that means. Be diligent, be found
in him. And I've got to hurry. an account
that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation, as our beloved
brother Paul, according to the wisdom given unto him, was written
unto you. In all his epistles, verse 16, speaking in them of
these things, in which are some things hard to be understood,
which are they that are unlearned, oh, they ever are learning, but
never come into a knowledge of the truth, Paul said. and unstable,
that is, not grounded and settled in the truth of who God is, who
Christ is, what salvation is, what man is. They are unstable,
a rest, or that is, twist the Scriptures as they do all the
other Scriptures to their own destruction. Paul said, We are
not as many which corrupt the Word of God. And by His grace, we don't either.
Verse 17, Seeing you know these things, you know these things.
Why do you know these things? God said of His children, they shall
all be taught of God. Christ said, I send the Holy
Spirit who will take the things of mine and show them unto you.
He will lead and guide you into all truth. That's why you know
these things. He didn't figure it out. We didn't
figure it out. He revealed them to us by His Spirit. And He says,
you know these things, beware. lest you also be led away with
the error of the wicked, the wicked one whose principal work
is in false religion." Yes, it is. False religion. And fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace in the knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Grow in grace. The word
of His grace. The gospel of His grace. And
gracious like Him. How? His Word, desire the sincere
milk of the Word that you may grow thereby. And in the knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, all
glory, both now and forever. Amen.