2 Peter 3:1-8 Facts Overlooked
Good morning! We are going back to 2 Peter this morning, we are going to look at verses 1-8 of chapter 3, page 1019 in the pew Bibles.
Just as a reminder, all of chapter two was dedicated to a warning about false teachers that have always been around and will continue to be; to be wary of them and to be sure to not be like them.
Here in chapter three Peter warns again of scoffers and he also has some very important reminders for his readers, which includes us. So let’s look at the text and let it speak for itself.
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, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 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.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 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.
Let’s pray.
Peter has written this second letter as a reminder, his goal was to remind his readers of the things that were most important. Verse two shows us exactly what that was: the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles…
Not to beat a dead horse but I would also remind you of our one sermon point from last week: get to know your Bible!
This is exactly where Peter starts off this new chapter. He didn’t stick that big number three in there anyway, that’s just for reference.
Remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, remember what the Bible says!
It will not only protect us from false teaching and false teachers but it will also protect us from people that Peter calls, “scoffers.”
If a false teacher is someone who teaches what is false, a scoffer must be… someone who scoffs…
As far as the Bible is concerned scoffers are not the good guys.
Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
There is 107 references to scoffers in the Bible and not one of them is positive, they reject wisdom, the reject rebuke, they get beat up a lot, but they never learn their lesson.
A scoffer, biblically speaking, is a person that mocks that which is most important. According to Peter these scoffers first of all, in verse 3, will follow their own sinful desires.
Martin Luther wrote, “These are our Epicureans and Sadducees, who believe neither one thing nor the other, who live as they think best and walk after their own lusts, considering permitted whatever suits their pleasure; examples of such are met on every hand.”
What Luther called, “Sadducees,” other scholars call, “Antinomians.” It’s time for some fun scholarly vocabulary! Don’t worry, even if you forget these words, their meaning will ring in your ears.
An Epicurean was someone who saw a pleasant and smooth life as the highest aim, while an Antinomian held that because faith alone is necessary for salvation morality is of no use.
These are two types of scoffers that were active in Peter’s day, and are alive and well today. They may not have their own websites but they certainly can be found everywhere, maybe even inside our own houses, maybe even inside our churches, you may have brought one to service with you this morning… even if you rode alone.
When we hold a pleasant and smooth life as our highest aim, we scoff at the will of God and His desire for our holiness. When we act as if sin has no consequence just because we’re already forgiven we scoff at Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
But Peter points out another kind of scoffer, one who scoffs at the promise of Christ’s return.
4 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.”
We are in the season of the year that we call Advent where the world draws its attention to the First Advent of Christ. The word Advent simply means, “coming.” Advent celebrates Christ’s first coming.
But on the horizon is Second Coming, a Second Advent. Jesus is coming again.
Do you know how I know that? Just as Peter wanted to remind his readers: we know that because the Bible says so!
Jesus said in John 14:1, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
And in Luke 21:25, 25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Matthew 24:29, 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
Acts 1:9, 9 And when [Jesus] had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 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.”
1 Thessalonians 4:14, 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 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. 16 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. 17 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.
Hebrews 9:27, 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
James 5:7, 7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
This is by no means a comprehensive list!
But the argument of the scoffers is that that was all written 2000 years ago, where is He?
4 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.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 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.
By the Word of God the heavens and the earth were created, you can look that up in Genesis 1, and by the Word of God the world that then existed was deluged by water and perished, you can look that up in Genesis 7.
The word Peter used that we translate, “deluge,” is the Greek word from which we get our English word, “cataclysm.”
God intervened cataclysmically once, in the flood of Noah, and He will do so again, next time with fire.
According to Peter those scoffers deliberately overlooked the facts of creation by the Word of God, they overlooked the fact of the cataclysmic flood of Noah by the Word of God in which all of mankind except Noah and his family were destroyed, and they overlook the fact that by the same Word of God the heavens and the earth that now exist are being stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
But Peter has a reminder for the church. Scoffers overlook those facts, but you beloved, do not overlook this one fact, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary says, “People see time against time; God sees time against eternity. In fact time only seems long because of Man’s finite perspective.”
God’s eternal-ages-measurer differs completely from man’s hourglass.
Just as God the Father began creating on the day He intended, He started it raining around the ark on the day He intended, He sent the Lord Jesus to be born in Bethlehem on the day He intended, He will send Jesus back to judge the living and the dead on the day he intends.
Again, Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” -John 14:1
Amen
