WITH CERTAINTY JESUS IS COMING BACK

 

2 Peter 3:1-10

The true believer is anticipating a city whose builder and maker is God. How amazing is that? That despite the chaos, heartache, and the struggles of life; that the God who created the Universe is coming back to claim what is rightfully His. This is our hope as we wait, even at times… as we impatiently wait. Nathan Busenitz wrote in his book “Living a Life Of Hope”, “The hope of Christ’s coming was of paramount importance for the early church. In fact, it’s certainly was so real that first-century believers would greet one another with the term “Maranatha” meaning “Lord come quickly.” Instead of being frightened by the possibility, they clung to it as the culmination of everything they believed…” This is the living hope of the believer; this is our hope as we stir up one another in active worship, as His church. This is reason we rest and praise His glorious name amoung the lost. This is why the church exists amoung other things. Think about this as we approach this chapter in connection with the return of Christ…..

This is the church’s blessed hope. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Titus 2:11-14

 

This is the church’s utmost longing. “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Rom 8:23-25

 

This is the completion of our salvation. (Matt 25:31-45). This is the time of judgment for God’s enemies. (2 Thess 2:1-12). This is the time when we will reign with Him in holiness. “The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; ..” 2 Tim 2:11-12

 

This is the hope of our bodily resurrection. “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” 1 Thess 4:13-18

 

All these things are all tied into His glorious coming. Peter has already said there will be false teacher’s amoung you; and Jude wrote later on that, “They are already here!” Unfortunately for me and you we are living in the middle of Sodom & Gomorrah. But even in the middle of all this, Peter encourages the believer as he reveals his love for God’s people. “I am writing you beloved” a refreshing show of affection, especially after reading such a horrific and sad chapter about the “belligerent preacher”

I write you these letters by way of “stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder.” (v1) “Stirring up” indicates Peter’s effort to disturb any compliancy and make clear the spiritual urgency, is to stay the course. “Sincere mind” is an understanding that is purified and uncontaminated by the seductive influences of this world system and the flesh. We, the believer, are to press on through the weeds as this world decays. We, are to arm ourselves with a renewed conviction against the flesh and false teachers. Peter says something here to encourage, to bringing to remembrance as we wait for His glorious appearing. (v2-v7) Peter knows, far better than most, that the Word of God alone is strong enough to hold the church in ongoing belief of Christ’s final and victorious return. And he also knows there is a judgment that is coming to those who stand in judgment and eternal damnation. (v7)

 

Peter does this by reminding us that….

 

We Have The Prophet’s Prophetic Word.

 

Many of the Prophets predicted God’s eschatological judgment in the end, to which they would never see themselves. Isaiah wrote, "For behold, the LORD will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire will the LORD enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the LORD shall be many.” Isaiah 66:15-16. Malachi echoes this theme, “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.” Mal 4:1-4. This world is, and will be coming to an end; and it will be done by an hour when God so decides.

 

We Have Jesus’ Commands Spoken By The Apostles.

 

Jesus gave us His own account about His return and in chapter 25 of Matthew, Jesus prepares us for His return and final judgment with three parables. The Ten Virgins, The Ten Talents,The Final Separation Of The Sheep And The Goats. At the end of the Ten Virgins parable Jesus says this, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Matt 25:13. Jesus says something else that is striking in Matthew 25, He says, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt 25:31-34

 

23 of the 27 books of the New Testament explicitly refer to the Lord’s return. Of the 4 books that don’t: Galatians, Philemon, 2 John and 3 John. Galatians does allude to His second coming. “For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.” Gal 5:5. Only in John second epistle he alludes to the second coming, “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.” 2 John 1:8. Philemon and John’s last epistle are silent. I say all this to remind us that there is a great amount of Scripture referring to the second coming of Christ. In the great hope of His appearing the apostles were merely reflecting the promise of their Savior to you and me.

 

John describes the Lord’s return will be both glorious and frightful. “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Rev 19:11-16

 

The Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation are to encourage us to keep looking heavenward and to keep us lives grounded in the hope we have in Christ. This doesn’t mean we just stand there like a bunch of robots constantly looking vertical and forgetting about our day to day lives. As John MacArthur wrote about the apostles, “The apostles lived and served with the idea that Jesus could return within their lifetime; what if they had ceased from their labors and just “waited”? They would have been in disobedience to Christ’s command to “go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation”, and the gospel would not have been spread. The apostles understood that Jesus’ imminent return meant they must busy themselves with God’s work. They lived life to the fullest, as if every day were their last. We, too, should view every day as a gift and use it to glorify God.”

 

As we do that Peter reminder us as in his day, you will have scoffers and mockers. Mockers or scoffers who will use this time as a way of swaying you from the truth of God Word, as you wait. They do this by intimidation by mocking and using sarcastic ridicule to deter your hope in Jesus’ coming. For the believer Christ’s imminent return was important for the church as it is today. John wrote, “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.” 1 John 2:28. The mocker, instead of submitting to God’s self-revelation, the false teacher flatly rejected the reality of Jesus’ second coming. So as a result they ridicule those who were righteous, and at the same flaunting their own depravity and foolishness with their mocking words. Satan and his minions know this truth is vital for the child of God and they hate it. In their brazen rejection of Christ’s return, the false teacher uses this to stir up your heart with doubt and fear. Because, this is what they dread, themselves. “And when he came to the other side,… two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Matt 8:28-29

 

The unregenerate man or woman largely rejects everything, especially Biblical truth.

 

The unregenerate man or woman love their sin so much they continue to tell themselves and others there is no God.

The unregenerate man and woman do this because they want to believe they are not accountable to a God who will hold them accountable. in the end

Their mockery, is a clear reminder of their rejection of Christ’s return. This is rooted in their determination to fashion a god in their own image. They want a silent god when it comes to rendering a final accounting for deeds done in the flesh. They mock us, by claiming we hold fast to myths and fairy tales, but we don’t as Peter reminds us, in opening chapter of this letter. 

1:16-21

So what is there mockery? “Where is the promise of His coming? This question sounds familiar when the great Deceiver was speaking with Eve, in the Book of Genesis, the book of beginnings.  “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" Gen 3:1 

Scoffers dominated Noah’s day leaving God with little choice but to destroy them all and start over again. “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” Gen 6:5-8

 

We read in Hebrews 11:7 that the flood was for this reason, “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

 

But eternal judgement came for the scoffer and mocker of God, the Creator and sustainer of all men. This is why we see such mockery and disdain towards the second coming. Because ever since the fathers fell asleep (meaning for death), everything is still the same. They intentionally ignore the facts of God’s Word and the data from history. So scoffers and mockers will follow their own sinful desires as those who drowned in the flood.

 

Peter has already revealed similar charges…. 

2:2 “Many will follow sensuality.”

2:3 “In their greed they will exploit you.”

2:10 “lust of defiling passions and despise authority.”

2:14 “The have eyes full of adultery and insatiable for sin.”

2:18 “they entice by sensual passion of the flesh.”

 

They reject the second coming of Christ because they desire to in a universe without moral accountability. As we read in the end of the Book of Judges we see our generations and the ones that follow this reality, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Judges 21:25. But as Winston Churchill said in a 1948 speech to the British House of Commons. “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” It’s no different today as today’s culture continues to mock God and the church…. with their hateful voices. Mocking God and Christianity from the pulpit, in Government funded agencies, people from major corporations and through movie and song. But don’t assume you’re special as you face this kind of behavior because it was far worse for the One who came to give us life in His first coming.

 

Jesus was mocked all the way to His death on the cross. “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.” Matt 27:27-31

 

God know and the church understands that……Christians are easily discouraged from people’s mockery, because the church has been waiting a very long time for this end to come to an end.

Jesus said this would happen to us as we wait, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matt 5:11-12

 

Paul said mockers will continue until He returns but they will not go unpunished. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Gal 6:7

 

But understand as Voddie Baucham said about the scoffer and mockers of God,

“There is winning this war. God is not threatened by sinful men.”

 

And either should we! I understand it doesn’t help when loved ones, friends, co-workers, classmates, mock you for your Christian faith. It can be very discouraging and sometime it produces moments of doubt. Why? Because deep down sometimes we ask that same question, “Where is the promise of His coming?”

How much worse does it have to get

before He come back?

 

Don’t live in doubt, fear or sadness, but on the promises of God’s holy Word “He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." 

Act 1:7-11

 

We are to live with joy and anticipation as Jesus said to John? “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." And a shortly after that Jesus said, "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." Rev 22:7;12-13. Ignore the mockers and haters of God and do what Jesus Christ Himself instructed, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” Luke 21:36