Celebrating the Lord’s Patience

Would you agree with me that sometimes the way we interpret a situation turns out to be significantly incorrect?... - we thought we had enough information to pass a judgement … - “Hey, I know… I like you and you like me, wanna be my girlfriend?” and she says, “no way Jose” or maybe shes nice and says, “I just wanna be friends” …. but turns out, you had it all wrong… - you were seeing, but we weren’t seeing correctly…

- if you’re old… like me, you may remember the movie Karate Kid…[pic]

- the basic plot is that a teenage boy named Daniel moves to a new city and is being bullied, so he seeks out an elderly expert named Mr. Miyagi to teach him karate…

- Mr. Miyagi agrees, but when Daniel shows up for his first lesson, he’s told to paint Mr. Miyagi’s fence, it takes him a week! When he finishes that Mr. Miyagi has him paint his house then sand his floors! And Daniel is getting a bit frustrated. When is Mr. Miyagi gonna teach him Karate? After the floors, he has him wax his old antique cars… Finally Daniel objects in anger because he wants to learn karate… Mr. Miyagi seems to be taking advantage of him.

- at least that’s the way Daniel was interpreting his situation… that is what he was seeing and even acted on it with anger and accusation…

- It seemed like old Mr. Miyagi was taking advantage of this teenager… he’s wasn’t fulfilling his part of the bargain…

That’s when Mr. Miyagi revealed the purposes of the tasks and their connection to Karate…

Have you ever said – Boy, I didn’t see that coming… and we like it that way, in entertainment. …who would want to read a book or watch a movie you could figure out at the beginning?...

But its not always so great when it happens to us in real life. When we expect one thing … and then things go very different than that… we start getting frustrated … we start questioning … I thought

We might start thinking that either God doesn’t know, or God doesn’t care, or He’s not powerful enough to keep His Word… - and because He’s not done something yet…He’ll never do it… - so we’re seeing, but we’re not seeing…clearly…

- the moment that happens…we’re in a vulnerable place of temptation… For what? - for false teaching…

- 2 Peter chapter 3…page 184 in the Bible under the chair in front of you… the back section.

- Hope for Everyday Life… that’s our theme.

- one of our keystone verses is - Romans 15:13 - Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God wants you to abound in hope and he has given you his Holy Spirit to make that happen We are studying 2 Peter… to learn about Growing in Grace and Knowledge…

The last verse in the book…2 Peter 3:18 - but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Ah, growing in grace… sounds good! And pleasant

- we might wish the Christian life was all bubble gum and Lolli-pops – or banana cream pie and brisket…but its not…

- There are warnings about false teaching from cover to cover in the Bible…

- Its not only possible that false teaching be launched at us from without… Scripture warns of the possibility of false teaching from within… Paul said it this way to the Ephesian elders - Acts 20:28–30 - Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.

- that’s why Peter spent all of chapter 2 highlighting the characteristics of these false teachers…that’s a lot of space in the Bible – that is why we have spent several weeks on this topic. Its probably not anyone’s favorite part of the Bible.

But just before talking about the false teachers the way we just saw in Acts 20 he said Acts 20:26–27 - Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.

Homework and tests in school make us work hard. They aren’t our favorite but we need them to learn and grow.

- this is why Paul told Timothy…2 Timothy 4:1–4 - I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

Who wants to turn away to myths and see incorrectly? I don’t think we want the easy road that leads to self-deception. We want to true road that leads us to see clearly.

- I am grateful to be part of a church that expects to study all the Bible, no just its fun and easy parts. So are we ready for 2 Peter chapter 3?

Here Peter reveals what this particular group of false teachers has been saying…

because there are other false teachers mentioned in other places in the NT who were teaching other kinds of false doctrine…

- These false teachers are kind of like the Karate Kid…they’re interpreting what they see in a particular way, and come to wrong conclusions … They were teaching their conclusions and hurting the people in the church that went along with them.

Possibly tell about a group of families that voted for Pastor Goode to come, but later decided they didn’t like his biblical counseling. They wanted to evangelize the lost, but were not interested in studying the Bible in a way that helped them see their need to grow. That made them uncomfortable. They were meeting secretly and trying to get others to go along with them in trying to get rid of Pastor Goode.

- Peter comes along like Mr. Miyagi…and said, what you think is wrong and bad for you, is really the good training you need. The Karate Kid accepted the correction. The false teachers do not. They don’t want the correction in their doctrine or in their lives.

IN this chapter Peter is: Celebrating God’s Patience…

- read 2 Peter 3:1-9

Beloved, this is now the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of a reminder, ² to remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

³ Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, ⁴ and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue just as they were from the beginning of creation.” ⁵ For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, ⁶ through which the world at that time was destroyed by being flooded with water. ⁷ But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people.

⁸ But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

- So we’re talking this morning about Celebrating God’s Patience…and let’s think about 3 ways to protect your heart from false teaching

I. Let God’s Word Keep You Spiritually Sharp – vv. 1-2

- the more immersed we are in the Word of God, the less likely we’ll be to interpret our situation incorrectly…

- it’s as simple as Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. - and Peter says we do that

A. By placing value on being reminded

- 2 Peter 3:1 - This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,

- that’s been a consistent theme 2 Peter, hasn’t it?...

- and we hope that as you faithfully attend church, you are leaning new things about your Bible…but honestly, a lot of it is being reminded…

- your presence Sunday after Sunday shows that you place a high value on that…

- now you might say – what does it mean to have a sincere mind, and how does one acquire that?...

- this goes back to the way Peter introduced the book…

- 2 Peter 1:1 - Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

- the first step in all of this is admitting your need and placing your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord…and Peter explained one of the net effects of that is to be …1 Peter 2:2 - like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

- so if you stopped people coming to church and asked – what are you doing, you could be anywhere right now – many if not all would say…I’m hungry…for the Word…I want to be reminded of what God has said…

- that’s keeps you spiritually sharp and protects your heart from false teaching…

- now please look at how Peter develops this in verse 2…we could say it this way…

B. By marveling at the unified nature of Scripture

- how hard is it to find both testaments in verse 2?...not hard at all…

- 2 Peter 3:2 - that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

- there’s…

1. The foundation of the Old Testament

- the words spoken beforehand by the Holy Prophets…

- the Lord’s second coming is mapped out in many places in the OT…

- Isaiah 66:15–16 - For behold, the Lord will come in fire and His chariots like the whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For the Lord will execute judgment by fire and by His sword on all flesh, and those slain by the Lord will be many. Malachi 4:1–3

- or – Malachi 4:1-3 - For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”

- so it’s not difficult at all to build an OT doctrine of the second coming of the Messiah… and Peter is saying – if you listen to the false teachers who are saying – Jesus isn’t coming back…

- you’re being like the Karate Kid…you’re interpreting what you see incorrectly…

- you’ve forgotten the foundation of the OT…but there’s also…

2. The validation in the New Testament

- the second half of verse 2 is very important… here Peter states that the commandments of Christ as spoken by the apostles are just as authoritative…

- that is clear affirmation of the unity of God’s Word…

- and to see it even more clearly – let’s peek into the passage we have for next week…

- 2 Peter 3:15–16 - and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

- How did Peter view writings of the apostle Paul? As part of Scripture… just like we do today … Peter recognized it under inspiration.

- Let God’s Word keep you spiritually sharp, by valuing Scripture like Peter did…

- I thank the Lord for a Church that still values the Scriptures…

II. Be Prepared to Answer Those Who Mock Christ’s Return – vv. 3-7

2 Peter 3:3 - …mockers will come with their mocking…

- false teachers don’t always mock, but they certainly did in this case

…and what can we learn about?

A. The characteristics of their ridicule

- verse 3 gives us

1. It’s timing

2 Peter 3:3 – In the last days…

– we understand that the last days began at the resurrection of Jesus Christ… 2000 years ago… some might think that was too long ago and that if Jesus was coming back he would have already.

– be careful… that’s how the mockers talked.

2. Its motivation

- 2 Peter 3:3 - …following after their own lusts,

- it could be all sorts of lusts…

Like the desire to be viewed as intelligent

Or the lust to put someone else down as it was in this case

John Macarthur described their tactics as – “a vicious form of intimidation that derides hope-filled Christians as silly and uninformed” (John MacArthur, 2 Peter, p. 112).

- it’s also likely, as emphasized in this book: driven by sensual lusts

They attempted to undermine the Bible’s eschatology… its teaching about the future so they could ignore the Bible’s moral teaching about the present…

3. Its content

- 2 Peter 3:4 - and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?...

- in other words…Jesus is late…He hasn’t kept His promise…

- by the way – this is why we said earlier that there are several different kinds of false teaching highlighted in the Bible…

- for example, the book of 2 Thessalonians is given to address the opposite problem…2 Thessalonians 2:1–2 - Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

- so you can see how confusing this could become…there are some false teachers out there saying that Jesus already came…while others are mocking because He hasn’t come yet…

- and what was…

4. Their rationale

- 2 Peter 3:4 - and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

- philosophically that is known as uniformitarianism – which denies divine intervention throughout world history…therefore whatever natural process have operated in the past can be relied upon to occur in the future….

- and what’s tempting about that is that God has created natural processes in His world upon which we can rely…

- is anyone surprised that the leaves are changing colors?...no, because that occurs every fall…

- but does that suggest that God is unable to divinely intervene in a miraculous fashion that would be required to fulfill the promise of His second coming?...

- the false teachers said yes – and Peter says no, and now we can see why Peter has been so worked up about it throughout this book…why?...

- the doctrine of the second coming of Jesus Christ needs to be a front and center truth for the church of Jesus Christ…for all sorts of reasons…

- John MacArthur said it like this - Jesus Christ is coming back. Throughout the centuries, the reality of that wonderful promise has formed the crux of Christian expectation. It is the church’s blessed hope (Titus 2:11–14), her utmost longing (cf. Rom. 8:23), and the great climax of salvation history (Matt. 25:31–46)—a time of redemption for believers (Eph. 4:30) and a time of judgment for God’s enemies (2 Thess. 2:1–12). It also marks the inauguration of Christ’s earthly kingdom (Rev. 20:6), during which the saints will reign with Him in holiness (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10). The hope of bodily resurrection (1 Thess. 4:13–18), spiritual reward (cf. Matt. 25:21, 23), and a righteous world system (Isa. 9:6–7) are all tied to Jesus’ return. It is no wonder, then, that the early church found tremendous comfort in the second coming. After all, the readers of this epistle had already endured much persecution from outside the church (cf. 1 Peter 4:12–14). Now they were experiencing internal turmoil from false teachers. Thus, they longed for the return of their Savior—the Judge who would make all things right (cf. 2 Tim. 4:7–8) (John MacArthur, 2 Peter, p. 110)

- so, Peter cannot allow this attack on this all-important teaching from the Word of God to stand…there’s just too much at stake…so how did Peter point out…

B. The error of their ridicule

1. The power of creation

- 2 Peter 3:5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,

- in other words…the Word of God is so powerful that the Lord can speak this world into existence in 6 literal days if that’s what He chooses to do…

- surely He is powerful enough to keep His promise to keep His promise to return for His people and judge the world He made…

- by the way – that word translated “it escapes their notice” could be translated even more strongly which is why the King James rendered it “they are willingly ignorant of”…

- that would certainly be consistent with what we read in Romans 1 about people who suppress the truth of creation in unrighteousness…

- this by the way is one of the doors through which false teaching could enter this church…moving away from the doctrine of a literal 6 day creation…

- some of you ole-timers (I mean, more mature members) will remember Pastor Goode hosting seminars by organizations like the Creation Research Institute…

- aren’t you glad for former pastors and church leadership and a church family who would not budge one inch on such matters?...

2. The horror of the flood

- Peter has said a lot about this in his book…but now he adds…2 Peter 3:6 - through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.

- for anyone who says – Jesus Christ can’t return again because everything is the same as it was since creation – tell that to the mockers of Noah’s Day…after the rain started…things don’t seem to be “continuing just as it was from the beginning of creation” on that particular day…

- how high up your chest would the water have to get before you would conclude…God may be miraculously intervening in His world today…then there’s the…

3. The certainty of eternal judgment

- 2 Peter 3:7 - But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

- and you see the repetitive use of the phrase “by His Word”…

- the same Word that was on such prominent display in chapter 1…the false teachers are “playing with fire” – in this case quite literally when they suggest that God can’t and won’t keep His promise to one day judge this world…

- one of the questions that each of us should consider is…are we allowing any mockers to undermine our belief in what God’s Word says about the past., and the present, and the future…

- and if so, we would be wise to distance ourselves from such influences as soon as possible, and by that I mean, right now…

- and I would be less than a pastor if I didn’t at least ask this – is it possible that I speaking to one or more persons who have positioned yourself as a mocker of some aspect of Scripture yourself…and worse, are you having that kind of impact on someone else…

- our counsel to you would be to get on your knees and repent of that action right here, right now…while you have the opportunity to do so…

- now – where does all this lead?...

III. Understand Why Christ has Not Yet Returned

- one of the many problems with false teaching is that it could cause you to miss the great truth about the character of our God… and this is a clear example of that…

- why hadn’t Christ returned yet in Peter’s day?...

A. The uniqueness of the Lord’s perspective

- 2 Peter 3:8 - But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.

Ex: Its kind of like this. If you have an income of a million dollars a month… can you even imagine that? the difference between paying one dollar and a thousand dollars for a meal would be insignificant. A $1000 dollar expense wouldn’t put a dent nor a scratch in your finances.

Think about this, God never runs out of time! He does what he pleases and is never frustrated nor threatened, nor delayed. He didn’t need millions of years to create the universe. He finished everything in 6 days and had a complete day left over to admire and be satisfied with his masterpiece. He is not trying to figure things out like we do. He is eternal. He is rescuing us one day at a time and enjoying every minute of it. He is outside of time, so unlike us.

- and what does that reveal about Him?...

B. The beauty of the Lord’s compassion

2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

- show me wax on, wax off…what false teachers mock actually demonstrates the patience of our God… toward who?...toward you…

- A person may not be growing at the rate they should since God has given them everything they need to grow in Christ. – And therefore aren’t the best and most consistent witness of the gospel for everyone in their life… (anyone identify with that group? – I do) are you thankful for God’s patience?...

- false teaching can rob us opportunities to rejoice in aspects of God’s wonderful character and attributes…

- Our God is patient with all of mankind, including his children…

- sometimes that even comes out in the mundane details of life…

Ex: An illustration of God’s patience

- and why is that?...because He is a patient God…

- 2 Peter 3:4 - and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

- 2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

- let’s never allow false teaching to rob us of opportunities to marvel and rejoice at the character of our God…