Alright, let's open our Bibles
to 2 Peter chapter 3. 2 Peter chapter 3. I think this
is a fitting passage of Scripture to deal
with at this time of the year. Any portion of God's Word is
worthy, but this is particularly applicable because Peter deals
with the last days here. I've entitled this message Beloved
Beware. We've looked at this before,
several times, and that's the title I gave to it each time. I don't know a better title,
because look at verse seventeen with me. At the very end of this
chapter, he says this, verse 17, Ye therefore, 2 Peter chapter
3, verse 17, Ye therefore, beloved, speaking to believers, seeing you know these things
before. He says you've known these things,
the things that he wrote. in this letter. You've known
this before, you've heard it before. He says, Beloved, talking about some who have,
who are unlearned and unstable, lest ye also, being led away
with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. So he says, beloved, beware.
And that's a fitting title. Beware. He says, you know these
things. Now look back at verse 1. I want to deal with every
verse in this chapter. And back in verse one, he says,
now this second epistle or letter, beloved, beloved believers, I
now write unto you, in both, or that is in the first letter
and this one, in both which I stir up, I want to stir up by God's
help, your pure minds. by way of remembrance. Your pure
mind. Now, none of us, our minds aren't
pure from sin. That's not what he's talking
about. The word pure means sincere. It means genuine. So he's talking to believers,
and he says, those who are genuine about this thing of knowing God,
knowing Christ, those who are sincerely seeking God. If any man or woman or young
person is, they'll know God. Ralph Barnard, Brother Todd Nybert
and I both like that statement that he made. He said, honest
men don't wind up in hell. That is, truly honest people,
those who are genuine, sincerely seeking to know God, seeking
salvation. They'll find it. They'll find
it. He said, if you seek me, you'll find me when you search
for me with all your heart, pure, genuine, sincere. All right?
So he said, I want to stir up your pure, your genuine, sincere
minds by way of remembrance. I want you to remember something. Verse 2, that you be mindful.
I want to remind you of, now here's what he said, I want to
remind you of The words which were spoken before by the holy
prophets and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord
and Savior. So what's that? The words spoken
by the prophets and the commandment of us, the apostles. What's that?
I want to remind you. I want you to be mindful of.
I want you to think on what? That's the whole word of God,
isn't it? I want you to think on these things, what God
hath said, and oh, how much he hath written
for our learning, for our health, for life. These are words of
life. Christ said this, my word is
life, spirit and life. It is sad commentary on us that
we can remember the foolish and vain thoughts and sayings of
man and have a struggle and a hard time remembering the Word of
God, the Word which will abide forever, eternally. And yet we
remember the foolish, vain, trivial thoughts and words of men. So Peter says, I want to stir
up your genuine, sincere hearts to be mindful of, to think on
God's Word. I wrote down several things. You know, New Year's resolutions. And most people that make those
silly resolutions break them the next morning after the evening's
wine has worn off. I know. I've tried. I thought
about that group of fellows who call themselves the promise keepers.
You know, they'd be more keeping with the truth and call themselves
the promise breakers. promise makers and promise breakers. But New Year, resolution. New Year, why wait for the New
Year? Resolutions. The word that comes from that, resolute. I want to be resolute. Don't
you, It means to be serious about change, to be diligent, to be
serious about it. There's some things which I would
like to be resolute about. How about you, John? There's
some things that I would like to resolve to do. And we sing
that song I am resolved no longer to linger charmed by this world's
delights. Things that are higher, things
that are nobler, these have allured my sight." Don't you want to
resolve that? Don't you want that to be your
resolve, Brother John? Certainly, there's nothing wrong with that.
But we can't be hasty to utter anything before God. That's what
the Scripture said, doesn't it? Don't be hasty to utter. Well,
this is my resolution. Now, there's nothing wrong with
saying, by God's grace, I want to be. That's the way to do it. By God's grace. I just jotted
a few things down right before we came up here. By God's grace,
I want to resolve to Betty. I want to be resolute, serious
about knowing him, loving him, following him better. That's number one on my list. Years ago, you know, it would
be something like, well, you know, all the foolish resolution. But now, another thing, I want
to love my brother better. by God's grace. Or like Peter
said, fervently. That means intensely. There's
only one other use of the word fervent. And we're going to see
it in Revelation where it says that elements are going to burn
with a fervent heat. That's intense. That's how he
tells us to love our brother, intensely. I want to read and study God's
Word more. Be more knowledgeable. I want to worship in sincerity
and truth. Pray. Wouldn't you like to pray without
ceasing you? I want to pray more. I want to
serve the body of Christ more, and many, many things. Those
are just a few things. Nothing wrong with those things.
I want to be mindful of God's Word. That's what Peter said, all right?
Now look at verse 3. Verse 3, he says, Now, Peter
says, he's about to wrap this letter up, and he says, now,
I want you to, I want to stir up your memory. Now, I want you
to know, I want you to remember this, and I want you to know
this thing, first of all. Don't forget. Know this first. Know this first. First thing. First thing. All right? That there shall come
in the last days scoffers walking after their own love. First thing to know and consider
and understand is that in the last days there will be scoffers, We've looked at this so many
times, and I want us to continue to look at it and think about
it until Christ comes. We're in the last day. 2 Timothy
chapter 3 is as clear a passage of God's, look at it,
2 Timothy chapter 3. It's as clear a passage in all
of God's Word to describe the last days. What are the last days? Well,
when Christ came to this earth, when he walked on this earth,
and then died, buried, and rose again, it's been the last days.
Okay? Since he came. That was the beginning
of the last days. And in one place, Paul said,
I don't want you to be shaken in your mind or troubled that
that day or the day Christ's return is at hand. Now that was back nearly 2,000
years ago. Paul writing to the Thessalonians
said, now don't be troubled that that day is near. In essence,
Vicki, he's saying he's not going to come in their lifetime. But it is in hand now. Passages
like this tell us something. Look at 2 Timothy 3, and you're
familiar with these, but let's look at it again. 2 Timothy 3,
this know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. Perilous means dangerous times
shall come. For men shall be, in all of these
descriptions, described 1997 more than any other time. Men should be lovers of their
own selves, covetous, materialistic, money-hungry, boasters, proud,
blasphemers. The name of God is on men's lips
as never before. You know it's so. Just a decade
ago, men were hesitant, a little bit wary of using God's name. Only the worst did, didn't they? Only the vilest would use God's
name in vain. Now everybody, it's a byword,
you know, God. The name of Jesus Christ. It's
a byword. Read on. Blasphemy, disobedient
to parents. There's never been an age in
which children, in which there's absolutely no respect for elders
or parents or children have been more or less. Never. Hasn't.
No discipline whatsoever. Read on. Unthankful. Why, everybody
thinks they deserve what they've got, don't they? Very few thankful. unholy, without natural affection. That means every sort of perverse
lifestyle. People call it now, they call
it alternative lifestyle, don't they? truth breakers. Man's word used
to mean something, didn't it, Joe? In your lifetime, it used
to mean something. For a man to tell you, you didn't
need to sign a contract, did he? Huh? In your lifetime. He's old as old Joe there, John.
Man's word used to mean something. Shake a man's hand and he'd tell
you something based on his name, his words, good enough, wasn't
he? Huh? He didn't need a contract. Well, even the contract doesn't
mean anything now, does it? Read on. Truce breakers, false
accusers, lie, incontinent, cannot control their passions, fierce.
Why, they'll shoot you. A kid will shoot a teacher. A
child. Fierce. Read on. Despisers of
those that are good. Well, if you've got any old-fashioned
virtue at all, boy, the people here, you're just laughing stock. They despise you. Traitors, turning
in their own flesh and blood, heady, high-minded, lovers of
pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness.
Oh, everybody's religious, though. People are all these things,
but they know, they know, I believe in God. I know Jesus. They are
all religion. Read on, but denying the power
of their lives, deny that they know Him. from such turn away,
of this sort of they which creep in the houses, and lead captive
silly women." How do they creep in the houses? Radio and TV,
laden with sin, led away with different lusts, ever learning,
never able to come to the knowledge, the knowledge of the truth. We've got more Bible scholars
than ever, and more ignorant people than ever
of the gospel, the truth. Isn't that, doesn't that describe
this day? I know every, every generation
before us, God, the believers would say that about their generation,
but it's never been as true as it is now. Never. No way. The
magnitude of it. And many things, many things
cause me to believe we're in the last day. Look back at the
text now, 2 Peter 3. In the last days, he said, I
want you to think about it and consider the last days. Scoffers. Scoffers. Scoffers shall come. There's
never been a more agnostic. Agnostic means people don't believe
anything. Scoffers. Scoff at the truth.
Now, I'm not just talking about I'm not just talking about people
that don't so-called go to church. I'm talking about religious people
scoff at the truth. Okay. I mean basic truth. God's God. Man's dead. Now scoff at that.
That's ridiculous. Laugh at it. Not just the vows,
you know, unchurched, but the church, John, scoff at the truth. absolutely scoff at it, walking
after their own lust. Why do men scoff at the truth?
Their evil intentions, their own lust. Verse 4, and they 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? I don't see anything different
All things continue as they do from the beginning of creation.
Oh, do they? Look, read on. It says, For this
they are willingly ignorant of. Men refuse to believe these things,
he said. Willingly ignorant of. Read on.
That by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing
out of the water and in the water. He's talking about creation there.
whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water,
perished." So he says they're willingly ignorant of the flood. They're willingly ignorant of
the flood. Now, back in Peter's day, and
even for a thousand years or more, Most people believed in
that God created the heavens and the earth, right? Up until
our modern generation with Darwin and some of these modern scientists,
you know, most people, even infidels, believed that, you know, they
said they did anyway, that God, if they believed that, however
the word got here, they believed that somebody made it, all right? But Peter says they didn't believe
in the flood. Well, and today, most people
reject creation, they reject. This is
the reason I say it's worse now than ever. Because most people
reject that God, that God created the heavens and the earth. You
know how it is, most believe in evolution. And I've said this
so many times to you, but maybe somebody hadn't heard it. The reason people don't want
to believe that God created this world, and the reason they make
up all of these ridiculous theories, and they are ridiculous, is because
if God's a creator, if God made this world and made us, then
he owns us. And if you own something, you
can do whatever you want to with it. That's the number one reason
men are willingly ignorant. They reject a Creator, Sam. That's the number one reason.
Because if you make something, you can either keep it or tear
it up, can't you? You can do anything you want
to. Nobody can tell you what to do with your own, right? That's
what God said. Cannot I do with my own what
I will? Yes, because He created. He said
all souls are mine. Didn't he? He can save or even
damn. That's his creator. Right? And so men refuse that. Number
two, if he owns us, he's a judge of us. I own a dog. Two dogs. Which is two too many. But I own those dogs and they
answer to me. Right? I'm their judge. They
must obey me. And they answer to me. Right? And I can do with them what I
want to. One of the dogs I have, I got it at the pound. The fellow
that owned it before me took it to the pound. And it was going
to be killed. Well, I could do that. Couldn't
I? Sure could. Take that dog right
to the pound and say, kill it. Or I could kill it myself. Couldn't
I? That hard? It's just so. If the dog doesn't obey me, doesn't
mind me, doesn't do what I want it to do, I could do that. I'm not going to. I'm merciful. I chose that dog. That's another picture. That's
another story. But the fact is, if God owns
us, he's our judge. And we answer to him. We must
obey him. They won't have that. So you
see what I'm saying? That's the reason men, in spite
of the clearest evidence, Rebecca, in spite of the clearest evidence,
and it is clear, they reject it, thumbs down, creation, and
drum up some ridiculous note there. Even the wise, professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools. And especially I especially
reject the flood. Because of the flood that happened
back in Noah's day, the flood is proof that God is judged. Proof that God will by no means
clear the guilty. Proof that God will destroy sinful
flesh. God destroyed this whole planet. Everybody on it except those
in the ark. the arc of God's purpose, the
arc of God's planning, the arc which God purposed and brought,
and the people that got in it by God's grace, sovereign grace
and mercy, and God shut them in. That's all a picture of Christ
and salvation, isn't it? But that, the floods you see,
is a picture of God's judgment against sin. And although science
itself, science itself, bears witness to it, they refuse to believe it. That's
what Peter said. They call it the eye. You know
most people believe in the eye sage, don't you? what they believe about there
was a time when the world froze. And because it froze, therefore,
after it froze, it caused the world to just buckle up and upheave,
upheaval of the earth, all the earth's surface. It killed the
dinosaur, the ice age. And it caused all these strange
things around the earth that they can't explain, you know,
older rocks on top of younger ones. Fish on the mountains,
fish pop, that's how they explain ice age. Flood would do it, wouldn't it? You don't believe that. Ice age. Well, let's go on. Men are willingly
ignorant. Verse 7, But the heavens and
the earth, which are now by the same word," that's Christ, isn't
it? The same God who upholds all
things by the word of his power. That is, Christ is Lord over
all flesh. Upholds all things. Everything
is in the hands of Jesus Christ. That's where God put it, in Christ's
hands. He's Lord over all flesh. They're
kept in store. Reserved unto fire against the
day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." Scripture says
he's going to wrap it up one of these days like a vesture.
Fold it up, throw it away, burn it. But beloved. Verse 8. Beloved, be not ignorant of this
one thing. Be not ignorant of this one thing.
And one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day. He says, remember, understand,
consider this one thing. One day with the Lord is as a
thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Why, Peter, why is it so important
that we Don't be ignorant of that. Why? Why is that so important? Well, there's several reasons.
Number one, to show us that time is nothing to God. Time is nothing
to God. A thousand years are as a day.
A thousand years are as a day. The scripture says, Known unto
God are all his works from the beginning. It's all as good as done, and
he's in no hurry. Have you ever purposed something,
planned something, and you got it all ready ahead of time? You
know why we're in a rush so much of the time? Because we don't
have everything ready. Right? And have you ever Like,
going on a trip or something, you knew exactly how long it
was going to take to get there, and you just took your old good
time, and everything's all ready and all that. And maybe somebody
else doesn't know, and says, well, come on, he's got to hurry.
No, I'm not in a hurry. We're not going to make it. We'll make it. No, none of them have got
all his work in front of them. He doesn't hurry. It's all going to take
place in his good time. And he knows when. And he's not
about to hurry it up just to prove it to us, is he? Just because this world says,
where are you? I don't see you. Show yourself.
He's not going to hurry it up. Prove it to them. no hurry, because he's got some
people on his mind. He's not in mind all the time.
He's got some other people. He's got to say, verse 9, "...the Lord is not
slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness."
He's long-suffering to us-worth, not willing to any. Who is the
any? Any of us-worth. not willing
that any of God's people should perish, but that all should come
to repentance. God's promise is going to be
fulfilled, his promise to save his people. Paul talked about
the fullness of the Gentile, and God's long-suffering elsewhere. He's going to save his elect.
And since he hasn't come yet, That means there's more left
to be saved. Could be somebody we won't save.
So I'm mighty glad for that reason. Maybe our children. But here's
another reason. It says a day is a thousand years
and a thousand years is a day. Don't be ignorant of that. And
I wasn't going to have you turn to Scripture, but I'm running
out of time. Over in Hosea, do you remember that stand over
in Hosea 6 where it says, in two days He'll revive us and
the third day He'll take us home? You can go back and read it for
yourself. Hosea 6, verses 1 through 3. And listen very carefully,
okay? Listen very carefully. Peter
says, Now don't you be ignorant of this one thing. And he's not just telling us
to say a thousand years a day and a day is a thousand years.
He doesn't throw anything out there that's just, you know,
a day is a thousand. Although it does mean that. believes that it took billions of years
to create this world as we know it. Well, I believe it took 6,000 years
to create. He could have done it instantaneously,
snapped his fingers. But I believe he did it in six
days, and on the seventh day he rested. Six days. I believe six thousand years. Now listen carefully. In Genesis, God speaks of days. On the first day, God said, Let
there be light. In Revelation, the last book,
it speaks of a thousand years. If you read it for yourself,
several instances, mentions of a thousand years, a thousand
years. That's significant. Genesis begins
by speaking of days in the beginning. In the end, Revelation speaks
of a thousand years. Now, stay with me. The end of
this millennium will be the end of six thousand years. This world will be 6,000 years
old, everything on it. All right? Somewhere around the
end of this millennium. Men don't know the exact date. They don't know. It could be
several years before 2000 right now, or it could be several years
after. Men don't know. They're guessing at it, but it's
fairly close. It's significant. Peter tells
us it's significant. We despise not prophesying. I know, I believe I know he's
not going to come precisely when the year 2000 hits. I'm pretty sure of that. Why? Because some people, that's what
they believe. And as Scripture says, it's going
to be at a time when you think not. Okay? A lot of people are making
a lot to do over the millennium, the year 2000, right? He's not
going to come then. Not when it hits 2000. No. He's
either going to come before or after. Because at a time when
you think not, the scripture said. Also, because Peter said
here, scoffers shall say, where is the promise of his tongue?
Therefore, John, I believe it's going to be after. I believe
it's going to roll around and people are going to say, see? Scoffers? See? Where did the
Prophets just come from? 2001. See? Nothing to worry about. Come on, let's go. Let's party.
Maybe a couple more years. That's all a bunch of talk. At a time when you think not. Verse 10, the day of the Lord
will come as a thief in the night. And our Lord said, let us not
sleep as do others, but watch. He said that that day will not
overtake us as it does them, a thief and a bot. Scene then, all right, verse
ten, it will come, and he will come, and which the heavens will
pass away, shall pass away with a great noise, elements shall
melt with fervent heat. The earth also must talk about
global warming, isn't there? It's going to warm, all right. It's not going to be gradual.
It's going to be instant. The great Noah Elamitz shall
melt with fervent heat. They laughed, they mocked it
at Noah when he said, water is going to fall out of the sky
and flood this place and kill everybody on the earth. They
laughed at Noah. It had never rained before. Men
that have never seen water fall out of the sky, I know, are you
kidding? Are you crazy? It hadn't rained up to that point.
And it's never rained fire either, has it? But it's going to. How do you know, preacher? God
said so. Verse 11, seeing them, that all these things shall be
dissolved. What manner of persons ought
ye to be in all holy conversation, holy conversation. That means
consecrated life or committed to knowing Christ, winning Christ
and be found in Him. And godliness, that means Christlikeness. character of Christ, read on,
looking for, waiting for, the coming of the day, and hastening
on the coming of the day of God. Day of God, that was the day
of Christ. He is God. The day of God, the day of Christ,
looking for and hastening. That's what a bride does. Waits on the bridegroom, she
can't wait for him to come. We got it all backwards today,
don't we? Poor little groom down here waiting on the bride. When's
she going to show up? She going to show up? And here
she comes. Well, spiritually, the bride
is waiting on the bridegroom, aren't we? When's he going to
come? When's he going to come? Even
so, come quickly. That's what it means to hasten
the coming of the Lord. Hasten the coming. Oh, come quickly,
O Lord. Come quickly. Now, wait a minute.
What manner of person should we ought to be? looking for hasty. Does that
mean we're supposed to be fatalistic? Young people, does that mean,
well, Christ is coming, I quit? No. No, doesn't mean that. Live life, work, plan, Don't be in a hurry just because
you think Christ is coming soon, because if he does, it will be
like they that are married were never married. But this one thing, do. Seek
ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, which is Christ. And all these things will be
added to it. Seek Christ first. If he comes, you don't know him. Then what matters? Seek to know
Christ first. Live life, work, plan, do what
you will, but in the will of God. Seek God's will. Seek to know him. Keep seeking,
watching, waiting. And it's hasting the coming of
Christ. It means to be ready. Paul talked
about having your loins girt, shoes on your feet, ready to
go, oil in your lamps, ready to go when the trumpet sang. And look at what he repeats this
again. Verse 12, Wherein the heavens shall be on fire, be
dissolved, elements shall melt with fervent heat. The world
scoffs at it. He repeats He repeats it to us. 13. Nevertheless we according
to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth. There's much good about this
earth. If it weren't for sin, this would be a wonderful place
to live, wouldn't it? Much good about this. There's
much beauty to be seen and joy to be had. If you know God, if
you know Christ, or else it's all in vain. There's much good
about this earth, but I tell you there's much better in the
new one. No tears, no sorrow. I love that Isaiah 65, it talks
about it. Well, let's go on, I've got to
hurry. Wherein dwelleth righteousness. That's what's going to be good
about the new earth. He said there's nothing going
to defile it, nothing that maketh a lie, no unrighteousness, nothing defile it, no abomination,
no sin. That's what God's people want
more than anything else. be without sin. And wherein dwelleth
righteousness. What's that? Who's that? The
Lord is my righteousness. Wherein he dwelleth. Wherefore,
beloved, seeing that you look for such things. Do you? Remember how he started this? I'm going to stir up your pure
mind. Are you sincere about this? Do
you look for these things? Is this what you're after? To
know Christ? Win Christ, be found in Him,
to dwell with Him. Read on. Seeing that you look
for such things, be diligent. Be diligent, be serious, be committed
that you may be found of Him in peace without spot and blameless. How's that? How are you going
to be without spot and blameless? Peace with God. Huh? How? Well, I've got to turn over a
new leaf. I'd better quit then. I'd better quit. Trust Christ, that's
how. Be found in peace. He is our peace. Be found in
Him, not having your own righteousness. Not turning over a new leaf,
but being hidden in a rock. Ask Him to turn And you'll be
turned. Wherefore, be diligent. And account, verse 15, account
that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation. Remember,
take into account the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation. Oh,
how Peter knew that better than anybody, didn't he? After he denied the Lord so many
times, Peter said, we need to take into account, remember,
the Lord puts up, the fact that the Lord puts up with us and
keeps putting up with us, and going to put up with our children,
and by His grace save them, that's salvation. Even as our beloved
brother Paul, according to his wisdom, written unto you, and
all his epistles speaking in them of these things, in which
some things are hard to be understood," I believe he's talking about
Romans 11 more than anything, "...which they that are unlearned
and unstable, they rest and twist the Scriptures, their own destruction.
But you therefore, beloved," verse 17, "...you therefore,
beloved, seeing you know these things, You've heard this all before,
haven't you? Vic, you've heard all this before. I don't know. I forget. Did I
deal with this last New Year's Eve? I have. Maybe I did. You've heard this all before.
You've known this. You know all this before. I'm
not telling you anything new, am I? You've heard it all before,
haven't you? Well, he said, beware. beware, lest ye also, being led
away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness."
Now, Stephen, I believe the error of the wicked is many things.
It's religious error It's, you know, all the religious
error that's going on in our day, and I really don't worry
about that for us here. I really don't. I'm not really
worried, Stephen, you're going to leave the gospel and be an
Armenian. I just don't worry about that. I do worry about us, myself included. The error of the wicked. Do you
remember when Satan tempted Christ, the Son of God? What did he tempt
Him with? The world. The kingdoms of the
world. All these things I'll give you.
That's what we're worried about. Like those people in 1 Corinthians
10, it says they sat down to eat and drink and rose up to
play. That's what I worry about for
me and you. You know, the error of the wicked,
lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, pride of life. That's
what I worry about for us, John. And that's the sign of the times,
too. Prosperity and so forth cause people not to think on
God, us included. But grow in grace. Last verse. Grow in grace. and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Sounds like he's telling
us to grow in grace. He is. Just like Paul said, put
off the old man and put on the new. In other words, don't act
like a baby. Act like a man. Grow in grace. How do you grow in grace? You
remember back in the first letter he says, desire what? the milk of the word that you
may grow and thereby grow in grace and the knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and
forever. Is that your prayer? If it is,
you say, Amen. Amen. All right. I'll give you something, I'll
give you a couple of them. You're fine. Don't eat too much. We've got another, another service. We'll see if we're able to do
that. I'm afraid we can't do that.
I'm afraid we won't be able to do that. No, up here. I appreciate what you're doing.