Join me as we pray for the reading of God’s word. Father, we give you all thanks and praise for you have brought us through this advent season in which while we were preparing for your first coming, your incarnation, the word became flesh and dwelt among us. Lord, we were also to be training our thoughts on your second coming. And Lord, we thank you that you have promised to come again. And Lord, we ask that you would be at work in our hearts even now. That you would soften our hearts to receive your word, that you would unstop our ears, that we might hear your voice. That you would open our eyes to see that we would see where your word need apply into our lives. Father, your spirit is powerful and faithful to work your word and your will into our lives for our salvation. And we thank you and praise you in Jesus name. Amen. This morning, while I’ll be preaching primarily on verses 11 to 14, I wanted to read starting in verse one to set this sermon in its context. 2 Peter 3:1 to 14. This is now the second letter that I’m writing 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 Commandments of the Lord and the 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, well, 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 that 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 delused with water and perished. But by the same word, the heavens and the earth that now exist 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 as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient towards 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 all the works that are done in will be exposed. Since all these things are thus, this is verse 11, since all these things are thus be dissolved? What people ought you to be in lives of wholeness 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 his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace. The word of the Lord. You may be seated. Let me pray for the preaching of God’s word. Father, as my words are true to your word, may they be taken to heart. But if my word should stray from yours, may they be quickly forgotten. And I pray this in the name and in the power of Jesus Christ.
Amen. Amen. Well, maybe it was because a couple of weeks ago, I began my 60th year, or perhaps because five years ago, my father was given three to five years to live, and I’m thankful to say he’s doing fine. Maybe because in my personal time in scripture reading, I’m reading through the Book of Revelation. Or perhaps it’s because good friends of ours has just found out that the wife’s cancer has returned. Or maybe it’s because Susan and I are finishing our reading through John Frames’ Concise Systematic Theology, and we just read his section on the last days. Or perhaps it’s simply because it’s the last Sunday of the year. In any case, and perhaps for all of these reasons, I felt it both necessary and wise to preach on finishing well. You know from either participating in or observing sports or any competition or performance that often the difference between winning and losing between a terrible or a terrific performance is in the ability to finish well. And even as I was reflecting on finishing well, I was reminded of Paul’s writing in multiple places. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, that’s where Paul describes running a race, not aimlessly, but disciplining his body to keep it under control so as not to be disqualified.
Or in Philippians 3:13, where Paul talks about forgetting what lies behind, straining towards what lies ahead. Or in 2 Timothy 4:2, where he has finished the race and he has fought the good fight, and he looks forward to the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to him on that day. The writer of Hebrews also captures this same picture in chapter 12, verse one, in which he invites all of us runners to lay aside every encumbrance and sin which clings so closely and run with endurance the race set before us. That’s the theme. However, it seems that when we come to studying the end times or the last days or when we look into the Book of Revelation, most people just want to know about the events, to learn about them, to discuss or perhaps even argue about these events and the timing and the order of events. We want to know, we want to understand, and perhaps too readily, we want to be right. Peter in Chapter 3 is writing about these events. He’s writing about the last day. But why is he writing? What is motivating him to share this word from God?
And answering this question, I appreciate Dr. Davis. I’ve included this as your first in your notes. He mentions this. He says, The apocalyptic scenario that Peter has painted is not designed so that the addressee says, Oh, yes, now I understand what will happen, and then turns back to whatever they were doing before hearing this teaching. Peter wants our knowing to affect our doing. John Frame puts it this way, As far as I can see, every Bible passage about the return of Christ is written for a practical purpose, not to help us develop a theory of history, but to motivate our obedience. Peter, the author of our text, seems to have this very purpose himself as he asks regarding the events of these last days. Since all these things are thus, what people ought you to be? And then he immediately answers it, and in doing so, provides a type We have an outline here in verses 12 and 14 for at least three descriptions of the type of people we ought to be. Verse 12 remarks that we are to be waiting for and hastening Christ’s return. In waiting for Christ’s return, which Peter again mentions in verse 14, we notice that this waiting is not passive.
It’s not non-action. It’s rather active. Notice Verse 12, the waiting for the hastening of his coming. Or in verse 14, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found. Paul uses this term, translated here waiting for, three times in three verses. You can translate it waiting for, or expecting, or even looking forward to. It’s active, it’s purposeful. It’s maybe more akin to watching. Or better yet, the waiting you do when you’re saving up for something amazing. You work hard to save for something special, and in the process of saving for that special thing, you say no to a lot of smaller temptations. Things which may be fine in and of themselves, but are a distraction to what you’re saving for, what you’re striving for. Whether it’s a car, bike, a house, or even paying down a debt, if you are serious about that goal, you will wait a lot to say yes to all these other opportunities to spend. You can wait because that which you are saving for is really worth it. Peter reminds us of this truth in his opening question. The fact that Jesus is coming again should completely reorder our priorities.
The believer who desires then to finish well is not someone who cares about material things or the pleasures of this world, and here I’m quoting John Frame, but are people who care about the Kingdom of God which will remain forever. In verse 11, Peter asks, Because all these things are thus to be dissolved, what people ought we to be in wholeness and godliness? If you stop for a minute to think about the first part of this question, because all these things are thus to be dissolved, you’ll realize what an extraordinary this passage this is. Notice that although he’s been talking about the destruction of the Earth, not by water this next time, but by fire, verse 7 says, fire stored up and kept for judgment and destruction. It’s remarkable that the overall feel of this passage is not of dread, but of longing for the return of the king. Peter David notes, quote, The life of a follower of Jesus then is not to be led in fear of judgment, but in the hope of a new age. Douglas Mou writes that far from dreading the destruction of the Earth, this passage seems to look forward to it and more significantly, forward to the renewal of the earth.
Where one might expect fear and dread, there is hope and expectation. And these can serve to motivate the Christian into a deeper relationship with the Lord. This active waiting and longing for Christ’s return, this life lived with changed priorities, Peter suggests, hastens the day of the return of Christ. Like Isaiah who cries out in Chapter 64:1, Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence as when fire kindles brushwood and fire fire causes water to boil. A longing like in chapter 65, verse 17, for behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, the formal things shall not be remembered. This longing we read, may actually hasten Christ’s return. Douglas Mou and others suggest that believers may actually hasten the end of history. And he notes that while this belief may at first seem strange, it is in fact deeply rooted in Christian and Jewish teachings. The word used here, translated as hasten, is the same one we see, for instance, in Luke 2:16, regarding the shepherds. They went in hast. And found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger. Or Jesus, rather, calling out to Zakeas, who is up in a tree, and he says, ‘Hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today?
How can we reconcile our hastening the day of the Lord with God’s sovereignty? One way that one scholar suggests is Bachman, and he notes, ‘God graciously factors his people’s actions into his determination for the end of time. That may be a helpful way of thinking, but for me, it’s as simple and maybe as complicated as the tension between the whole debate between God’s sovereignty and man’s free will. Which I think is best answered when we recognize that the Bible teaches that God is sovereign and that man is responsible in the and for the choices that he makes. We may not understand how both can be simultaneously true, but that’s a problem with our comprehension, not God’s ability. For instance, you’ve heard it declared from your earliest science class that matter can be neither created nor destroyed, right? And yet God’s word opens with a very clear statement that he created all things out of nothing. Why can’t he operate outside of our comprehension here as well, where he has appointed a day for Christ’s return, and yet we are encouraged to, and perhaps even may, hasten that day. Peter suggests that God can and does.
His delay, he tells us in verse 9, is because he is patient, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. One may wonder then if our involvement in evangelism and in missions may help hasten this day. Furthermore, Peter exhorts us in verse 14 to be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish when Christ returns. We, too, are to be looking for Christ’s return, but that heavenly-directed gaze should impact our earthly behavior. A New Testament scholar, Michael Green, notes that, Because only righteousness will survive in the new heavens and the new Earth, it is imperative that Christians live righteously. He notes that their look of hope must produce lives of Holiness. This was the great failure of the false teachers that Peter was addressing in this text. Their hopes were earthly and material, so their lives were often immoral. Verse three and four hint at that. The scriptures teach that when Christ returns, he himself will be the standard by which we are judged. And how will he find us when he returns? I think that’s a significant and helpful question. And if we desire that he finds us without spot or blemish, if we desire to be found pursuing lives of purity and wholeness, another good question we might ask ourselves is, what are we willing to do to grow in wholeness?
Theologian David Peter makes, or Peter David rather, makes an excellent point that the ideas and the goals of purity and wholeness are not abstract but practical and concrete. One can’t simply will themselves into purity, into a life of wholeness and spiritual readiness anymore that we can mentally will ourselves into an advanced degree or to a level of competitive fitness. These endeavors take work, mind and body training together to achieve those goals. As we think about that training of the mind and the body, we should again think of Paul. How do we cultivate wholeness? There are some practical ways that the scripture Scripture mentions in many places. One is that we are called to spend time in the spiritual disciplines or the grace commitments, a time in the word, time in prayer, time in corporate worship, that we are to attend to the sacruments thoughtfully. If there’s a sin which clings so closely in your life that you can’t get rid of it, we should consider a recovery group. Or if we’re struggling with patterns that evidence destructive behaviors, we should ask ask for outside help. We should no longer be worried about what others might think if they notice we’re seeking help because our driving goal is to be found diligent in our waiting and hastening Christ’s return.
Our children, diligent in our striving to be found blameless. Three, we may engage in deep accountability with an honest and trusted friend or trusted counselor in our lives, someone that help us see our blind bot, someone with whom iron can truly sharpen iron. And fourth, we ought to engage in the practical means of loving God and our neighbors. Ask questions about your neighbors. Observe their needs, and then do whatever you can, whether it’s great or small, to help meet those needs. So whether we’re looking at God and his glory to grow our love for him, or looking inward at our own lives to root that sin, which may be clinging closely, or looking at others to see how we can love and serve them. In these areas, we begin to grow in Holiness. You could say this another way. If we strive to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, body, and strength. If we strive to love our neighbors as ourselves, we will grow in obedience. And then we see that finishing well looks a lot like living well. Finishing well looks a lot like obedience. And lastly, Peter tells us that we should desire that when Christ returns, he will find us at peace.
I think this is significant because after our last major point, being found without spot or without blemish, this may and ought to create great anxiety in most of us. After all, without spot or blemish sounds a lot like being found perfect. And who among us is that? Who among us can attain to perfection? So it may seem that there’s little hope of being found at peace by our Lord. And yet Peter intentionally adds it immediately after this insurmountable task, being found by him without spot or blemish and at peace. I think it’s important that here we remember that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. This peace that we get is a gift from God, and only Christ’s righteousness is the ground for our being found righteous. Righteousness is only found in him and through him can we be seen as righteous. Only in Christ can we be seen at peace because we will wear his righteousness even as he took our sins and nailed them in himself on the cross, thereby canceling out our debt. This is true. Christ’s righteousness is the basis for our righteousness, and it’s the basis for our peace in Christ.
And yet Peter is not emphasizing that truth here. Rather, he’s desiring to stir up his audience, to set their eyes, the focus of their life on Jesus Christ and his eminent return. And that picture should earnestly and diligently motivate us to work, to be found ready by Christ. Of course, we We don’t think for a minute we’re found ready in our own efforts, but rather we become so enthralled with this vision of Christ’s return that our priorities, our motivations and our actions change. People change by the power of the Holy spirit at work in their lives. Old addictions are broken. Relationships are mended. Burdens of guilt are released and lifted, and joy is found. And When we set our gaze on Christ’s return, when we realize that we’re in the last lapse of our time or recognize that we are in the last days, then we can have peace in the midst of tremendous turmoil. Peter David comments, There is no need to adjust your lives to the values and mores of this age of the world, for this age is coming to an end. Rather, we’re to look forward to the next age, that of justice and glory, when we see Christ Jesus face to face in his return.
Michael Green, who was a missionary in South Africa for a while, commented on how this perspective changed the life of a Bontu woman. She said she could face humiliations daily without bitterness because she knew that the Lord Jesus would one day return and all wrongs would be righted. Looking to Jesus, looking to Christ’s return then gives us peace to endure hardships and challenges to finish well. But it can also give us peace, as Douglas Mou suggests, as we reflect on our true reconciliation with Christ, knowing that soon we will enjoy a perfectly restored relationship with God, with Christ as our mediator. And this full and final reconciliation can give us tremendous sense of peace and hope. There will be false teachers verse three and four of our text tell us that they will scoff and they will say, Where is the promise of his coming? And their lives will reflect that they pursue their own simple desires. It shows their earthly focus and their un preparedness for Christ’s return. But we, on the other hand, were called to something else, and we would be wise to heed his charge to be found hoping for and longing for the promise of the new heavens and the new Earth.
Where we would echo not only Isaiah 65:17, which we briefly looked at, but also we would find our longing compliments Revelation 21:3-4, which reads, Behold the dwelling place of God is with men, and he will live with them, and God himself will be their God, and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain evermore, for the former things have passed away. Good Christian man, joy in heart and soul and voice. Ye need not fear the grave. Christ has been born to save. This is the vision that Peter unlocks or urges us to lock our sights into, to set our on Christ’s return, to be working diligently to be found by him at peace without spot or blemish, waiting for and perhaps even hastening the day of his return. Even so, come, Lord, quickly. Let us pray. Father, it is amazing that in a passage which speaks about the devastation of the heavens and the earth by fire, it’s not written to make us afraid. It’s not written to stir up some panic in our lives, but rather to give us an assurance and to call us to wait for you.
Father, we ask that you would set our vision on you, that your return would be the thing that we most desire, and that we would Trusting in your righteousness, trusting in your work in our life, that gift of grace that can only be found in Jesus Christ, that we would be letting you work in our lives to make us ready. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your faithful promise that you are coming again. And we ask that that reality would change our lives even now. We pray this in Jesus name and his sake. Amen.
Discaimer: This sermon text was generated by an automated transcription service.