Well, I invite you to turn tonight in your Bibles to the book of 2 Peter. It seems appropriate at this time of year to, as we're considering the first coming in the morning, to in the year, considering the second coming. And so I'd like to do this this week and then on the 31st next week, Sunday night. Yeah, I think that's the 30th, but it's really close. So what we'll do is consider Matthew chapter 25 and next Sunday night, which is the parable of the ten virgins. Tonight I'd like to consider with you 2 Peter chapter 3, 2 Peter chapter 3, we will read the first 13 verses. This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the lord and savior through your apostles knowing this first of all that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing following their own sinful desires they will say where is the promise of his coming for ever since the fathers fell asleep all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation for they deliberately overlooked this fact that the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of god and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished but by the same word the heavens and earth that now exists are stored up for fire being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly but do not overlook this one fact beloved that with the lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is one day the word is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done in it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn. But according to this promise, we are waiting for the new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells. And I'm going to read a few more verses here. I'm going to read the next verse, verse 14, which is important. Therefore, beloved, Since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace. And there is the reading of God's word. Well, here we are ending 2018 and it has certainly been an eventful year. Many things have happened all around us in society and many things have happened in the life of our congregation. There's lots of things to reflect about tonight. It's been obviously another year of great care by the Lord to care for us and provide for us that we're here, still here in this day and this time, still listening to his word with him as our shepherd and good shepherd, loving us and feeding us and watching over us. It is, of course, Ben, as you know, a turbulent time in our nation and a turbulent time in our country. And we, of course, know that when we look at things in that viewpoint, with that understanding, there are many concerns, aren't there? There are many concerns of what will happen. There are many concerns of what will be, what we might face in the coming year, seeing how eventful that 2018 has been. Who knows what's coming in 2019? Oftentimes, the biblical writers were concerned for God's people because there were a whole bunch of things happening in the world and in society and shifts that were happening that were causing God's people to lose focus and lose heart in anticipating what is to come. The very fact that this life is indeed short-lived. We are here today and gone tomorrow in the big picture. Our lives are indeed a mist. We are a flower that is here like a tulip, which many of you really love tulips. That's the most beautiful flower and it's the one that dies the quickest isn't that something you just can't get over that tonight we're told how to carry forward in the turbulent times that we live and really to never stop asking the question how long oh lord maybe that's the great application how long oh lord to never stop asking that question to anticipate and continue to look and anticipate the lord to answer that great question. The Lord to come and deliver us. The Lord to come and deliver us because at times it feels like we're being utterly crushed. Well, tonight our passage helps us and gives us a lot of ways to think about how to prepare. And Peter is raising that great issue at the close of his book. Peter's two epistles were written to Christians who were suffering, Christians who were facing persecution, Christians who were pilgrims traveling through, and none of this could make a lot of sense to them at times, the things that were happening in the world and the way that they were being received and the way that Christianity was being responded to. And so in chapter three here, Peter is doing something that helps them and is one of the great aims of the book, one of the great goals of these two epistles. It is to make ready a people for the Lord. Think about the connection we've been studying. The John the Baptist's great goal was to make ready a people for the Lord. New Testament, New Covenant ministry is doing the same. It is making ready a people for the Lord's second coming. And this is one of the great passages that does that. So you'll notice here at the beginning of 2 Peter 3, he begins by telling us that great purpose of why he is writing this and what he's concerned about. This is now the second letter, he says, that I am writing to you, beloved, in both of them. here's what I'm doing. I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember certain things. This is one of the times I love to quote Calvin and how brilliant he was in the way that he understood this. He is spot on in how he said and said here what Peter's goal is doing. Listen to this. They stood in need of being often stirred up. The meaning is this, that the minds of the godly become dim and as it were, contract rust. It's not just with old age, by the way, that your mind gets rusty. It is that the minds of the godly as we go through life get rusty, he says. When admonitions cease, when pastors are not continuing to admonish the churches to be ready and to look for this, we become rusty. We also learn that men, even who have much learning, become in a manner drowsy, except that they are stirred up by constant warnings and admonitions. This is what Peter's doing here. He's worried, he's concerned about a drowsy people. He's concerned about a people who are sleeping. He's concerned about a people, as the New Testament is often doing, concerned about a people who have fallen asleep and are not anticipating or not thinking about the fact that Jesus is coming very soon. He knows very well the present danger of Christians to become complacent, to become sluggish in their expectations of the second coming because of how hard things are in the interim, because of how discouraging things become in the interim, because of how painful they can become and disorienting. And so this epistle is given to wake us up. It's given to wake us up out of sluggishness and to encourage us and comfort us in the hope that is ours. You remember how 1 Peter began right at the beginning. Heaven and your inheritance is reserved for you. It's waiting for you. Isn't that awesome? Your reservation's there. It's already been taken. It's already been given. Jesus is there. It's prepared. It's waiting. It's reserved. But you've forgotten all that. You see? You've forgotten all that. You don't live like you have a reservation up there in a new heavens and a new earth. So these passages that speak of the second coming are in a context of God's people confused and suffering in this present evil age with false hopes at times of what this should be, with false expectations at times, which is interesting because we all know that that it's the hardships that directly attack hope we're forward moving people we're a people with an upward calling of god philippians 3 in christ jesus we're going with an upward call we're going somewhere and the bible's pushing us there all the time in the midst of this people begin to wonder in the struggle and the lord's sheep begin to doubt is he really coming is he coming and the lord is reminding us over and over again that soon this will be made right so the question then is how how do we prepare what do we do and peter is giving us certain things certain helps to be awake awake people a prepared people the letter is constantly calling and reminding christians that even though they are established in the truth to make their calling and election sure and this is one of the ways so these are the reminders how we can live in eager expectation and readiness for jesus to come peter says i want you to remember that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the lord and savior through your apostles which ultimately if you boil down what the commandment of the Lord was through the apostles, it was always one great commandment to God's people. It was be ready. Be watching. Be awake. All of history has told you about this. All of history has proved this through what the predictions were of the holy prophets who in their times and in their places had phenomenas of like events of last day things to show us that this day is coming first knowing this notice what he says first and it's really interesting he says first of all in other words this is what i want to first begin with tonight this is what i want to first emphasize to you peter is that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing they will follow their own evil desires. They will say, where is the promise? Notice the promises are being attacked. Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. I think you could have put the struggle of Zechariah right there, right? Where's this promise of his coming? Who believes it? Who really believes it? If you were to capture what he's saying to us, it's saying this. Exactly what Jesus said in the last days, what it will be like that there will be a what? An increase of lawlessness. Matthew 24. Of a people who live and who speak in such a godless way that it's an absolute norm in society. It's an absolute norm among the masses that no one expects and that actually they end up ridiculing the idea that there will be a visible return of Jesus on the clouds of heaven. So the first thing that he's saying to wake us up is simply this. Don't forget what the times are going to be like before He comes. It's a call to discernment, isn't it? Discernment. Jesus was constantly telling His disciples this. He was saying, I'm telling you these things beforehand so that none of this catches you off guard. It makes for a ready people, a people who know and expect. There's two things that are said here, you'll notice, in this first section where He's calling us here to be a discerning people about the times that we live, a call to discernment here, to awake by being discerning of what's happening in the culture, in society, in the world. You'll notice what he says specifically, that they come with scoffing. We have, of course, lived in a time where you know, in our country, in our time, and in our place, where Christianity was widely accepted, where those who came were, many of them, believers. And this is what we knew, widespread acceptance of Christianity. We, of course, now live in a time where we panic because in our short lifetimes, we have seen everything seem to be turned on its head already. And who knows what comes next year with these kind of liberties taken away, maybe even to worship. But I think what's most disturbing is the reality that Christianity, which has not just been an established religion throughout the whole world, but one that has promoted love and forgiveness and equity between neighbors and care for people in the most important way, is rapidly becoming not just not accepted, but despised and hated. Isn't it? Despised and hated. And I think it's important to see then the direct connection to that despise and hatred is tied to what Christians believe about the promises. Ever since our fathers died, here's the spirit, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. It's an arrogant spirit. It's a haughty spirit. It's the spirit that came out of the Garden of Eden with Eve and Adam and Eve when they listened to the lie that they could become their own gods. What he's saying here is that the attack will be directly made against the truths of the credibility, against the truths and the credibility of Christianity. It will face that kind of intense assault. I don't think Peter ever wanted it to be separated here from what he connects with scoffing when he says this, they will follow their own sinful desires there will be a disregard of basic morality and a disregard of the law of god what he's doing here is is is calling christians to wake up and consider it why is that so important you'd say well of course we know that do you do we really do we know what we become desensitized to i'm not one who romanticizes the past i try not to um it says oh if you could just go back to 1950 right and and everyone looked as the cleavers looked 1950 everything'd be great i don't don't believe that i don't think it was that great i think it's important to consider though to be realistic that all societies go through a cycle of iniquity and just as any society runs in a cycle things are progressing lines of morality are being constantly pushed back further and further so that the things that yesterday we did not accept today we do i don't know anyone can miss that kind of development in a society, the Bible describes it, that there's a cycle working its way out and given cultures and societies until it's complete, and then judgment comes. It happened to Rome. Look what's accepted today. Look how the lines are pushed farther and farther back of what was accepted years ago and what wasn't and what is today. I don't have to go through all of that. You know that. Things are moving, and I can't get away from the fact that the Scriptures seem to say that before Christ comes, one of the greatest periods of worldwide lawlessness the world has seen will happen. There'll be an escalation of it, an acceptance of it. I'll never forget, I try not to watch too much TV anymore, but I remember still, I was going back through old notes, and I remember working through this passage years ago, and I wrote this down of a popular sitcom called Rules of Engagement. I've never watched it. David Spade. Here was the punchline, tagline. I do what I want. I date who I want. I sleep with whoever will let me. Can you imagine that years ago? Can you? Maybe it was just covered better, right? I get that. but at least now it's openly tolerated and openly accepted. It's the period of the judges. People doing what are right in their own eyes. Why is this so important? What Peter's saying is, is that Christians have to be aware of this movement and that Christians have to consider and be discerning of what's happening. Why? What's the danger in all of this? What is the danger in this? Jesus told us what the danger is. Because lawlessness will abound, what happens? The love of many will grow cold. His words. And this is important. The danger in the wait is that we begin to think that these things are normal. That these things are acceptable. Or find ways to try to normalize them. new tolerances of things that are against God's Word. We begin to justify it. And Peter is saying that one of the hallmarks of the last days is the hatred of what Christianity does believe. But it's not just about morality, it's the Gospel. It's the claim of the Savior that we're sinners in need of a Savior. It's that basic truth of Christianity that is the most hated. Peter is saying to us, don't fall into it. Don't fall into the acceptance of this way of life. Understand the lusts. Understand what's happening around you. There is a danger if we don't consider these things and talk about these things and understand these things that we will become cold and lawless ourselves. So I think so much of what Paul says in the apostles, I think much better of you, beloved. This is why we're giving you this instruction. Don't be asleep to the kind of lawlessness that is happening in the culture. And Peter says you see it in their attitudes. You'll notice here in verse 4, ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. Nothing's ever changed, they say. Generation after generation comes and goes. The world is still thriving on. Business is still going. People are making lots of money. The world is developing. look at the innovations that we've made look how far we've come are you kidding this is going to come to a halt peter says be discerning don't forget the predictions of the prophets and the lord and he takes us to throughout history one of the greatest greatest moments that the lord throughout history showed to prove this truth to us that it would always be preached throughout history so that it would be a sort of template and something we could look back to and say ah it already happened and what is it he says they deliberately overlooked this fact that the heavens existed long ago that the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of god you see what he's saying they forget all this is formed by him all this that they're running around and doing they're they're on his ground the cattle on a thousand hills is his he formed it by his word and that by means of these the world that the world that then existed perished x was existed was deluged with water and perished by the same word a word that also has spoken judgment the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly what is what is peter doing with this example well he's pointing us back to the days of noah and saying listen all of history if you really want to divide all of history it can be divided into two big epochs you know what they are it is the world that then existed in the world that now is and the world that then existed was deluged and destroyed because god's word said he was going god's in his word said i'm going to flood this world but his word for the world that now is is it's going to be destroyed by fire they've willfully forgotten this has already happened there were people just like them who lived and moved and did the same things jesus made a big point of it as it was in the days of noah so it will be at the coming of the son of man for the days before the flood people were doing what what were they doing eating and drinking living it up 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 away this is how it will be at the coming of the son of man jesus was saying look at the flood study the flood you open up um genesis chapter 6 and the first thing you read is that men were multiplying on the face of the earth. And the trigger there is to say that because there was such a population explosion, all this wickedness was the result. And people began boasting against God, Lamech. And God had raised up this preacher who was a preacher of righteousness preaching the cross, the coming. And they didn't listen to Noah. And it says, The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, that every intent of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth. He was grieved in his heart. So the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I've created on the earth. Filled with violence. Filled with everything. The waters became the means of their destruction. And Peter says, listen, you have to understand that in the last days, this word of the Lord that has reserved this world for fire, the same sort of scoffing, the same sort of attitudes, the same sort of carelessness about life, the same sort of freedom of it's all going to continue to go on. Let's just eat, drink, and be merry. Let's just live it up. Marriage becomes an issue in the culture. Let's marry whomever we want to marry. This will be the way it's going to be. And you have to recognize it. You know, the world today, seven billion people They say that it's doubling every 40 years. I don't know if scientists, I think a lot of them don't know what they're talking about. Some of them do. They say it can only hold about 10. The world probably can hold way more. But the point is, about 2050, this is going to have 10 billion people. That's a lot of people and a lot of wickedness that can come. And I think what Peter is saying is you need to know that this day is coming and live in light of this day that it's coming, but he's not doing it to scare us. That's the beauty. This is one of the hard parts about when we preached Revelation and people have such a fear. Christians are not that nowhere, in no place, does the Lord ever want his sheep to be scared about this day. It was always the sense of when this day comes, look up and receive the redemption of your souls. Your Savior, your friend has come for you. So, 1 Thessalonians 5, you are not in darkness that this day should overtake you as a thief. This day is what? You are children of the light and children of the day. So then let us, here's the point. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then let us be not like others who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. See what he's doing? They're all together on this. Know that this is happening. This is going to happen. Believe that this is going to happen. But there's one last thing I want to focus on tonight. This is distressing a little bit. Not until you get to verses 8 and 9 you understand how good God is. Right? In other words, look at verse 8. But I want you to not overlook this fact. This one fact, beloved. That with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is one day. What's he saying? I know it seems slow to you. I know you're struggling with when, O Lord, how long. But you need to know the Lord is being very patient. Why? Verse 9 is the heart of the gospel and the good news in this text to us as to why we're here and why we're going through all of this. Look at it. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness. But guess what? He is what? Patient. Patient toward you. What if tonight one of our sons and daughters who has not believed the gospel is sitting here and has yet to come to Jesus and yet to take it seriously? Did you hear what's just being said? He's not come yet because he's made promises to us and to our children. And what does verse 9 say? Being patient toward us, not willing that any of you, Any of God's people, his patience toward you, should perish. But that every last one of his sheep will reach repentance. It hasn't happened yet because not all the elect have come in, said Jesus. So guess what that means? You've got real purpose. You've got real purpose. Verse 15, bear in mind the patience of the Lord means what? Salvation. This is why we endure all this. This is why we go through all this. He's still planting. He's still building. He's still rescuing every single one of those given the Father gave to the Son. The Holy Spirit has a great mission. And He is being very patient. The context is today is this wonderful day of mercy and salvation. And the message that we bring, we're going to have to face opposition for it. We're going to have to face hatred for it. We're going to have to go through this struggle. We need to be aware of it. We need to have eyes wide open. We need to know we can't justify things as often happens. But we have to remember the goal for which we're doing this. The reason we have to be strong. The reason we have to be committed. The reason we have to be committed to the truth is because knowing the truth, believing the truth, means we'll dispense the truth and people will be saved. You see? That's what this is about. I think that gives us an entire perspective on 2019. So then he closes tonight and challenges us with one last thing. Since all these things are going to happen, everything's going to be dissolved. Notice what he says. What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness waiting for and hastening the coming day of God? Jesus is coming. He's God. Because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn. But according to His promise, we're waiting for new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, you're awake, you're waiting. Be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish and at peace. Peter says, you know this is coming. You know this is going to happen. Part of the great purpose the Lord has you here in your witness is who you are as a people. And it's not just your message, your doctrine, but it's also your life. And take great care, says Peter, in how you walk. Take great care in how you go out this week and live before the world. We've failed. I know we've failed in so many ways. We confess our sins and He's faithful and just to forgive us. But this is the kind of motivation He's giving us here to live worthy of the calling that He's given us. It's motivating us to it. He's loved you. He's saved you. You're His child. You're children of God. Jesus died for you. What kind of people ought you to be then? Because you've been delivered and you know this judgment's coming, you see? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look for this day. And keeping with the promise, here's what's held out for you. This is the promise that will come about. I don't even know how to preach it, it's so wonderful. You will have a new heavens and a new earth. This earth. Brand new, where righteousness shall dwell forever. That's what's reserved for you. So, maybe I could start with a few resolutions. The first, be discerning of what's happening in our times. Live with eager anticipation of what is to come. Second, ask how you are advancing the Lord's great witness in His concern to save His sheep. What are we doing for the kingdom of God in advancing the purpose for which He has you here. And your involvement and your love for one another here is the best place first to begin. And then third, watch your life. Guard your hearts. As you wait for the new heavens and the new earth where righteousness should dwell, you know the sins that you easily fall into. You know you've constantly come to the throne of grace about certain sins. He's forgiven you every time. Take those seriously. Take those seriously. And may God give us all grace to be a ready people as we should be for the Lord Jesus Christ's return. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank You for these words of encouragement. And yet, what we need to hear because we can be so absorbed in the problems of the world with wrong expectations that we can fall into it. may we understand and see what is happening with discerning eyes knowing if we can as we all do talk about the weather knowing that a rain shower is coming on tuesday we should know even more so that jesus is coming soon if we can discern the weather let us not be hypocrites to discern and refusing to discern the sign of the times and having discerned that then may we remember why we're here knowing that you're saving that you're continuing your project and you're not giving up on it and that all of your sheep are coming in use us in our witness and may our lives correspond to what we believe forgive us all our sins and may this night in the sins that have so easily ensnared us we strive all the more to put off the old and to put on the new thank you father for giving us this hour to hear your word at this time and in this place a testimony to your patience to all of us in jesus name we pray amen