I'm going to ask you to turn in your Bibles this evening to the letter of Peter, 2 Peter. You should find that on page 1181 in the back of the Pew Bible, 1181. We turn our attention here tonight as this is a night in which we are mindful of time. Whether we like it or not, we're forced to consider. as we cross this threshold from an old year into a new year. And we turn our attention tonight to the letter known as 2 Peter, a letter written by the Apostle Peter to the churches that not only knew the wondrous truth of the gospel, but also according to chapter 1, verse 12 of this letter, were firmly established in that truth. A stable congregation. A letter written to saints who rejoiced and having been delivered from the tyranny of the devil unto freedom in Christ. They had been freed from the devil unto freedom in Christ. They had been freed from obedience to the law as the means of salvation and given freedom to obey the law as gratitude for salvation. It is to such a firmly established church that Peter issues a warning. A warning in order to prepare them for what was to come when he and the apostles like him had gone on to glory, should the Lord tarry. And he warns in chapter 2, verse 1, that there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them. False teachers will come, he says in chapter 2, to mislead the saints with stories of their own devising. and like magicians they will seek to distract you from the promise of freedom and entice you to forget what you already have true freedom in Christ through a verbal sleight of hand they will seek to corrupt your thinking so that you will live according to what you can see rather than according to what God has revealed and peter's warning comes to a point in chapter 3 which we will consider tonight where we find peter's timely reminder to a distracted church follow along as i read from second peter chapter 3 verses 1 through 17 the whole chapter of which we will consider the first 13 verses hear the word of god dear friends this is now my second letter to you i have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through the apostles. First of all, you must understand that in the last days, scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, where is this coming, he promised. Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing Dear friends, with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar. The elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless. blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, Be on your guard, so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and forever. Amen. Peter writes in verse 1, Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. well what will stimulate this wholesome thinking what does Peter prescribe for the saints so that they will think rightly Peter wants the saints to remember that God has revealed what God has revealed to you in the Old Testament and the New Testament the fullness of the scriptures for he says in verse 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets men who he said in chapter 1 verse 21 spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. And in verse 2 he goes on to add, and the command given by the Lord and Savior through your apostles. Men like himself, who he reports in chapter 1, verse 16, did not follow cleverly invented stories when they told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. And in particular, Peter, James, and John who were with him on the Mount of Transfiguration where his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as light. Remember these things. And out of all that the prophets foretold and all that the apostles witnessed, Peter wants us to recall three things that will deliver us from the distraction of these false teachers. First, we must remember that we live in the last days. And second, that the last day will come. And finally, that we are commanded to live in eager expectation of that day. Peter begins his reminder in verse 3. He writes, First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own desires. In the last days, this will happen. In the last days, you need to be on your guard. Well, we might ask, well, when will that be? Are we still waiting for the last days as some would have us believe? And Scripture makes it clear that certainly not. We are living in the last days. And so were the original readers of this letter. The last days were identified for men by the birth of Jesus. The coming of God in the flesh. As the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 9, beginning in verse 26, Christ has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And He will appear a second time. Not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him. You see, the last days that Peter is speaking of here are the days, the time between Christ's coming in humility in the flesh and His promised return in exalted glory. These are the last days. And the apostles, Peter in particular, testified to this as early as Pentecost. If you remember the story in Acts chapter 2, on that day there were some who mocked the saints. Already there were scoffers. They've had too much to drink. They've had too much wine. To which Peter replied in Acts chapter 2, that no, this is what was spoken of by the prophet Joel. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on my people. People of God, we are called here to be ever mindful of this fact that we live in the last days. And in these days, scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. And when they come, we must be ready to contend with them. Jude says much the same thing in his letter. He writes in verses 3 and 4, he says, Dear friends, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. I felt I must write you. Why? For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They're godless men. And they change the grace of God into a license for immorality. And they deny Jesus Christ, our only sovereign and Lord. The certain men that Jude is writing about, writing against, are very clearly the same type of men that Peter is addressing in this letter. In chapter 2, he calls them greedy, bold, and arrogant, who are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct. Pursuing their own pleasure and gain, they deny themselves nothing. In the name of God's grace, they practice lawlessness, mocking God by their sinful disregard of His will for our lives. They claim to be bound for heaven, but they live by raising hell. they deceive themselves by twisting Scripture to say that if they go on sinning, well, then grace will just increase all the more. Some would call them libertines. Some antinomians, meaning against the law. In our political system today, they'd probably be libertarians. And in the name of Christian liberty, they promote licentiousness. the sinful and reckless disregard of God's will for our lives as revealed in His law. But we must remember, people of God, that true Christian liberty is not without restraint. It's motivated by gratitude. And it's marked by a willful and joyful obedience to the law of God. And this is what the false teachers, the scoffers, would have you forget. See, true faith in Christ grants the believer true liberty which is expressed in good works toward God and toward our neighbor. Anything called faith that would have us disregard the law of God is not true faith and will not show itself in good works. Now these false teachers who scoff in the face of God will try to lead you astray. Peter says of them in chapter 2 verse 19 that they promise freedom while they themselves are slaves to their own depravity. You've heard these enticements. I know you have. If it feels good, do it. It's okay as long as nobody else gets hurt. Go ahead. It's easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission. Paul warns against his attitude in Galatians. It's chapter 6, verses 7 and 8. Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction. The one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. See, these false teachers, these scoffers, are deceived and they want to deceive others with what we might call selective logic. Selective logic is what the car salesman uses when he has you focus on the monthly payments instead of on the total cost of the car. I mean, as long as the monthly payments fit your budget, who cares what the interest rate is, right? Who cares how much it's going to cost you if you pay an extra year? Selective logic. And in the same way, these scoffers will entice you with pleasure and gain for today and suggest that there will be no accountability tomorrow. Peter quotes them in verse 4. He says, They will say there, Where is this coming? He promised. Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. And you know, if you didn't know any better, their argument would seem so reasonable, so logical and so irrefutable that you might be tempted to agree. It was an appealing argument when Peter wrote this letter and I think it's a more appealing argument today. Another 2,000 years has passed since they raised this question. How many more saints have died longing for the day of Christ's return and not lived to see it? And has not our modern science confirmed that everything goes on as it has since the beginning. Yes, I think we are more prone to this error than even Peter's readers. And if you limit your knowledge to what you can experience with your own senses, even if your senses are amplified by modern technology, then you will have to agree with the scoffers. No matter what you say you believe, you will find yourself living by the motto, let's eat and drink for tomorrow we die. and in the name of Christian liberty, you'll give yourself over to licentiousness if you didn't know any better. But you do know better. And even the scoffers know better. Peter writes in verses 5 through 7, but they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. You see, like the car salesmen, they deliberately forget a few things. They deliberately forget that God has revealed Himself not only in His creation, What we call general revelation that can be known through our physical senses. But he's also revealed himself and his doings and even more completely in his words. The God-man, Jesus Christ, of whom the prophets spoke and of whom the apostles testify in Scripture. What we call special revelation that can only be known through the power of the Holy Spirit. They deliberately forget to include the Word of God in their consideration of things. And in so doing, they willfully avoid a few key facts that God has revealed there. They put it out of their mind that not only has God already brought judgment in this world, He will bring it again. You see, by His Word, He formed the heavens and the earth. And by His Word, He sent the flood. And they deliberately forget that the writer of Hebrews wrote of the Son that he's the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being sustaining all things by his powerful word. And they willfully avoid the fact that he will sustain all things only so long for they are being kept for the day of judgment, Peter writes. In other words, the scoffers deliberately forget that the last days won't last forever. And what the scoffers deliberately forget, we are to deliberately remember the last days won't last forever. The last day is coming. See, the scoffers deliberately forget this because they insist on understanding time according to their own experience of it. Our perspective of time as creatures who live within it is different from that of the Lord who stands apart from it as its creator. Therefore, Peter reminds us in verse 8, but do not forget this one thing, dear friends, with the Lord from His perspective, we might say. A day is like a thousand years. A thousand years are like a day. Martin Luther had some helpful comments on this. from our perspective, this life amounts to eating and drinking and sleeping and digesting and begetting children, etc., etc. Here, everything goes by the number. Hours, days and years in succession. But when considering eternal life with God, he says, you dare not think that you can measure it as this life is measured. There, everything will be one day, one hour, one moment. And he draws this conclusion. He says, therefore, Adam, the first man, is just as close to him as the man who will be born last, before the last day. For God does not see time as we do. He does not see time longitudinally. He sees it transversely. In other words, as creatures, we can only view time from moment to moment as we pass through it. We view it longitudinally. But God sees it all at once. He knows the beginning and the end. He knows the end from the beginning. In the beginning, time began. And time will stop in the end. Peter identifies the end, the last day, by several names in this letter. The day of judgment, in verse 7. The day of the Lord, verse 10. The day of God, in verse 12. The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, in chapter 1, verse 16, that the scoffers reject, in verse 4 of our text. And finally, in the words, in the final words of this letter, where the NIV translates in verse 18, forever, Peter calls it the day of eternity. It's a beautiful expression. The day of eternity. The day when in a moment time will be no more. And the world as we know it will end. Now why is a correct understanding of time important to us in this life? Because if we rightly understand time, we will know, as Peter says in verse 9, that the Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. See, slowness is a feeling that we have when we expect something to happen before it actually does. It's a feeling of our own device, if you will. The three minutes it takes to boil an egg feels slow. When you are already late getting out the door for work. But it feels fast when you're distracted by a telephone call from a friend. If you feel that Christ is slow in keeping His promise, it is because you are looking at time from your perspective and not from God's perspective. When you consider time from God's perspective, you will see that He uses time for His purposes, not for ours. Peter goes on to say in verse 9 to remind us that He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. That's His purpose for time. That's His purpose for what we might call slowness. He's patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Now we must ask the question, How are we to understand anyone and everyone in this verse? It could certainly be misapplied to speak of all men. That we would be teaching some kind of universal salvation for all. But if we look carefully at the verse, the operative word here is you. Referring to the saints of God. According to chapter 1 verse 1, Peter is addressing all who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith. as precious as ours, as an apostolic faith. Therefore, we should understand Peter to be reminding the saints of all ages, not only the readers of this letter in that day, but the readers of the letter today and tomorrow should the Lord tarry around the world that the Lord is patient with you as a whole, saints of God, not wanting any one of you to perish, but every one of you to reach repentance in his or her own time. Peter says it this way in verse 15, Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation. Today is the day of salvation, we read. Patience means salvation. The patience of the Lord is indeed mercifully great. But, Peter continues in verse 10, The day of the Lord will come. It will come like a thief. His patience has a limit. And like a thief, the day of the Lord will come when we least expect it. But when will that be? Oh, wouldn't we love to know. When will that be? Jesus was asked that question. When will it be? And He answered in Matthew 24, No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the sun. but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. By the hidden decree of God, that date has been set. In chapter 2, verse 3 of the book of Habakkuk, the prophet tells us that his prophecy speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it, it will certainly come and it will not delay. In other words, it will be right on time. To the finite mind of men, the appointed time is beyond our calculation and all who try to show and figure it out show themselves to be fools many in the history books and I'm sure if the Lord tarries there will be more and when we consider the magnitude of the judgment that God has brought in the past and will bring we must admit it's beyond our comprehension but that does not mean it's not true. The ever-climbing death tolls in the aftermath of the tsunamis last Sunday are also beyond my comprehension. I assume beyond yours as well. And yet, that does not make them not true. They're shockingly true. The news is so devastating that one journalist described it as a catastrophe of biblical proportions. And I would say to you that that is, that it will pale in comparison to the last day. The German ambassador in Sri Lanka said this of the news, it leaves everyone in stunned silence. Silence because what happened was beyond most people's imagination. Silence because individuals can't cope with so much horror without warning or anticipation. There was no warning. life was going on as usual. And so it will be the last day. And this being the case that this limited example, as large and as overpowering as it is, this being the case that it stops people in stunned silence. How can we possibly cope with what verses 10 and 12 tell us about the last day? In verse 10 we read, The heavens will disappear with a roar. The elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. And in verse 12, That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. Can you imagine? I can't. So how are the saints to respond to the knowledge that the day of the Lord will come without warning and when it comes, the destruction of the world as we know it will be complete? Well, rather than being overwhelmed into stunned silence, we are called to be invigorated, stimulated, to live in eager expectation of it. That's another worldly thought. now it seems that Peter raises the question of how we are to respond in verse 11 of the NIV where we read that since everything will be destroyed in this way what kind of people ought you to be but every other English translation is more faithful to the Greek when it continues this sentence without a question mark at the end of verse 11 through verse 12 it's all one thought Peter's not really raising a question here looking for an answer rather he's beginning a strong exhortation a strong encouragement to the saints that calls for you and for me to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming verse 12 presents one other small difficulty and that is when it says in the NIV that we are to speed its coming is Peter teaching that by living holy and godly lives that somehow we can speed up the arrival of the last day. That through our obedience we can somehow fulfill God's plan ahead of schedule. Well, I think our reflection on Habakkuk makes it clear that the day is set. Only the Father knows. And so it certainly can't be teaching that. Therefore, I prefer to incorporate a translation made by the American Standard Version. You find it in a footnote in your NIV, a footnote in the Revised Standard Version. It kind of changes the perspective on this. So look again at verses 11 and 12 with these two considerations in mind. Peter's saying that since everything is to be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be in holy living and godliness as you look forward to the day of God and earnestly desire it's coming. Earnestly desire it's coming. Do you earnestly desire it's coming? Do you long for the day when it all goes away? Your house, your cars, your family, friends? Or to earnestly desire that day well how is it that we can eagerly expect such a catastrophic day because as Peter adds in verse 13 a very important point in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heavens and a new earth the home of righteousness when we remember that we live in the last days and that the last day is coming we are also to remember that it brings with it not only the destruction of the old but the establishment of the new. The wheat will finally be separated from the tares. The sheep from the goats. The saints will dwell in the presence of God in the new creation while the wicked will be cast out into hell. The Apostle John saw that day and said of it in Revelation chapter 21 beginning in verse 1. You can turn over a couple pages. Revelation 21. John tells us what he saw. He says, Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Now the dwelling of God is with men and He will live with them. They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new. Then He said, write this down for these words are trustworthy and true. See, only when we rightly consider the end of the world as we know it and hope in the promise of the glory that lies beyond it can we heed this call to earnestly desire it. And an earnest desire shows up in obedience to command given in verse 14 and there's more details that follow but the nub of the command is in verse 14. It says, And make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with God. As we look forward with eager expectation of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory, we are not to live like the scoffers who want to throw off all restraint. They are, as Peter calls them in chapter 2, blots and blemishes. We don't want to live like them. Instead, we are to make every effort to live lives of gratitude in which our Christian liberty, true liberty, pursues obedience to God's revealed will for us in His law. Knowing and acting in this way only because we know what Paul writes in Philippians 2, verse 13, that it is God who works in us to will and to do that which is pleasing to Him. Not because we're going to earn His favor or we're going to merit heaven or we're going to do something above and beyond. But only what is demanded of us. Out of gratitude and out of love. And so this night, as we close another year, let's look back and remember that this has been a year of the Lord's patience with His people. It's the only reason that we all sit here tonight. The Lord has been patient with His church. And as we turn our attention to the future, may we do so, not for tomorrow, not for next week, next month, or even next year, that we would turn our eyes to the last day. That we would remember that we do live in the last days and that the last day is coming. And may we live in eager expectation of it to the glory of God and to the sanctification of Christ's church. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this year. We thank you for your patience for the sake of your church. We thank you that even if we struggle in this life with frailty and must endure the loss of loved ones and see death. And even as we are faced with the temptations to turn aside from that which you would have us to do in order to seek after our own desires. We pray that by your Spirit you would turn our eyes to the glory to be revealed when Christ returns. That we would live our lives with that perspective. Be with us this night and Lord willing if you tarry beyond it tomorrow and the day after until you come in glory that you would continue to work in your church in your saints by your spirit according to your word lives that are pleasing to you. Lives of gratitude, lives of holiness, lives of godliness. That we would be found at the return of Christ ready for that day rejoicing in His appearing. For it will be an amazing day. We ask this all in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.