Amen. Well, this is a message that will give great encouragement to many and a message that will cause a lot of consternation for others. It's a message for both believers and unbelievers. And this morning As we approach this passage, we understand that this is the sixth and final sermon in 2 Peter, a little bit different than 1 Peter, over 20 sermons there. But we will be wrapping up this morning in 2 Peter. What have we learned? We have learned that this letter was written to believers, to us, not just the first recipients, but also to us who have an equal standing in the gospel by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, an equal standing with Peter as well as all other believers. And in this gospel, we've been granted life, new life in regeneration, a growing and maturing life in our sanctification. And then this morning we'll be talking some about the eternal life that we have been granted. God says that in that gospel in verse 4 of chapter 1 that we have been granted very great promises, that we have become partakers of the divine nature. Peter continues with an exhortation to grow in the knowledge of Christ, to grow in grace. And the source of that knowledge, the source of that grace is the scriptures. So we read the scriptures, sometimes long passages. We sing the scriptures. We pray, oftentimes, along the lines of the scriptures. And of course, we preach the scriptures. We do so, we are reminded of the doctrines that are in there, but moreover, we are reminded of Christ. The doctrines in the scriptures ultimately point to Christ. We're also warned about false teachers, warned about destructive heresies that are out there that these teachers use these heresies to twist the truth, and specifically to mock and to scoff at the truth, saying in chapter three, where's the promise of his coming? Where is the promise? What is that actually saying? What it's saying is that, are you really trusting the scriptures? Are you building your life around the scriptures? Do you really believe that the scriptures are the word of God, the revelation of God that he has given us? Can you trust that? Moreover, what it is saying, can you trust God? That's what these false teachers are saying. And Peter responded with historical realities, what God has done in the past, showing us that he has worked in the past and everything is moving along at a fixed and certain pace to an ultimate end that he has already decreed to be true. So we have this response of historical realities. But we also have a revelation from Peter here as to what God will do in the future. That's why this morning the title of the sermon is The Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord. The outline is actually pretty straightforward. We have the promise of His coming. We have that promise fulfilled. We look to the eternal promises and then we have the therefore. What does that mean to us today? Pretty straightforward. But the text was not really all that straightforward in getting there. because unlike the previous sermon where everything was just laid out and things flowed along nicely, it seems like this sermon, all these points are put into a box and everything is shook up and they're spread throughout the text and it's for us to pull it apart and to reconnect the points. So, when we're talking this morning about the future, What we're really talking about is eschatology, things of the future. And here's where we need to exercise great caution. I say that because there are a myriad of opinions out there regarding eschatology, regarding end times. Questions are, what are the signs of the last days? When will the end times be evident? Then the return of Christ, is there two comings or is there three comings? What about the rapture? What about the tribulation? What about the millennium? Where are your positions on all of that? Are you a pre-mill? Are you a historic pre-mill? Are you post-mill or are you all millennial? Or are you none of those, not understanding anything I'm talking about in that respect? Now, I have personal opinions on this. However, I am charged only to speak what the Word of God says. My opinions don't matter in God's view. I am only allowed to speak, thus saith the Lord. So in doing so, in talking about eschatology, and while scripture as a whole really, there are things of first importance, things that matter more than others. For instance, what is the gospel? We need to be united on the gospel. If we are going to fellowship together, we need to have a clear understanding of what the gospel is. In Galatians, Paul reveals very clearly that he was very concerned that the gospel was correctly preached. The gospel is important. If we are going to be united, This is one area that we cannot compromise. Another example is the nature of God, the Trinity. In the fourth century, we all know that the Council of Nicaea was convened in order to argue very specifically, who is Jesus Christ? Is he God? The nature of God is of first importance, as are the scriptures. We believe that scripts are inerrant, We believe the scriptures are authoritative and we believe the scriptures to be sufficient for faith and for life. These things and there's others are first important. There are others that are of secondary import. Eschatology is one of them. I'm not saying it's not important. I'm just saying, as Ian Murray says, the particular Baptists, when you hear that, you're talking about the Puritans, the particular Baptists had no party divisions determined by prophetic beliefs. What is he saying? In a little bit more modern English, he is saying there is room, even though we hold closely to a confession, there is room for differences, while still maintaining the unity of the body and the fellowship along the lines of Ephesians 4, where we are commanded to maintain unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. So this morning, you will not get my opinions. You will only get what the word of God has to say on this important topic. No more, no less. And therefore, we will be looking at a lot of scripture this morning to make sure that we understand this somewhat controversial topic. So, last time we gathered in 2 Peter, I had asked the question, how do you read the Bible? So this morning, I'm going to ask you a similar question. This is a premise. It's on these things that we base everything that will follow. Is God faithful? Is God faithful? Yes? No? Good, we're agreed on that. Is God willing and able to fulfill all of his promises? Yes. Okay, we're agreed on that. Then we can move on. Otherwise, we'd have to stop right here, deal with that, right? God is faithful. He is willing and able to fulfill all of His promises. And again, already referenced in chapter one and verse four, that He has granted to us His precious and very great promises. He has granted to us His precious and very great promises. Your first question should be, what are some of those promises? I'm glad you asked. Ephesians chapter 1, we read a few of them. Beginning in verse 3, God says, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Do you know that you've been blessed with every spiritual blessing if you are a believer in Christ? You think on those things? What are some of those things? even as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace with which he has blessed us in the beloved. In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him things in heaven and things on earth, in him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with a promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of His glory. Now, when Paul wrote this, this was all one sentence. Thankfully, I didn't have to do that without taking a few breaths in between. But what have we been blessed with? This passage tells us that we were chosen or elected, predestined according to God's eternal decree, adopted into his family, redeemed by the blood of Christ, forgiven We have been granted grace and we have been granted knowledge and understanding of his word. We've been granted a unity with the church of which we can grow in that knowledge and grow in that grace. Indeed, we have an inheritance, even as was read this morning from first Peter, that we have an inheritance that is in heaven and guarded by God himself. We are co-heirs with Christ. and we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. And all of this, all these blessings are in Christ. The passage says, in Christ, in Him, through Jesus Christ, in the Beloved, in Him, in Christ, in Him, in Him. Nine times we are reminded that these blessings are only from Christ and what He has done to save us. Now, I always like to look at other translations as well, and I just like to look at these other last two verses and make a comment as I read also from the NASB, the New American Standard. Speaks of believing you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise. The ESV says the promised Holy Spirit. To me, there's a little bit of a distinction there. We have the promised Holy Spirit, and I think that's a good translation. But when you think of the Holy Spirit of the promise, It gives you a whole lot bigger view of what God has done in terms of his promise to us. And part of that promise is the Holy Spirit, who is given as a pledge, or as the ESV says, as a guarantee of our inheritance. A guarantee, a pledge. What is that? It's like a down payment. Now we bought vehicles, Perhaps we made a down payment and then we have to make monthly payments in order to take possession of that vehicle. Same thing with a house. We make a down payment on the house. And when we do that, what is that down payment saying? It's saying that I promise to complete the transaction until I possess that vehicle or until I possess that house. Relating that thought back to verse 14, the Holy Spirit of promise who is given as a pledge of our inheritance with a view to the redemption of God's own possession to the praise of His glory. So in completing the salvation transaction, we have the Holy Spirit given to us. The presence of the Holy Spirit in your life It acts as a down payment of the promise of God, the truth of the promise of God. We have blessings now, all of these that we talked about, but there's more to come. God is faithful. God is faithful. He has promised and He is willing and able to deliver on His promises. In John chapter 14, we have the promise of Jesus. First three verses of John 14. Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. 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? 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. So we have this promise of Jesus that as he goes to prepare a place for us, he is coming again for us. And so when he does, we find that to be the next chapter of this historical drama called redemptive history. The next great event in redemptive history is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Are you ready for it? Are you looking for it? Are you expecting it? That's the next step. Jesus will come again. So we understand that in doing so, this promise will be fulfilled. He came the first time to deal with sin, and He's coming a second time. to judge those whom He has created. In fact, He is coming to judge all of creation. God is moving according to His will, according to His timing, according to His purposes, to redeem all of the elect. And we spoke last time, we gathered here as well, when we looked at John 6, verses 37, and thirty-eight and thirty-nine. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. But I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I should not lose anything of all that He has given to me." Jesus is coming to redeem all of the elect. And that's what we find in 1 Peter, 2 Peter rather, in verse 15, where it reads, and count the patience of our Lord as salvation. And we already read from verses 8 and 9 and preached on that last week that he is not slow about his coming. And He is not slow concerning His promises. He will come again to redeem those whom He has elected onto eternal life. So, let's read a little bit about that. In verse 16, the Scripture says about Paul, speaking of the wisdom given to Paul. And in his writing, he speaks in them of these matters. Paul has written an awful lot. I was actually quite amazed at how much Paul has written concerning the second coming of Christ. And in the second coming of Christ, we find in verse 10 that it will be unannounced that he'll come like a thief in the night. Now, I don't know that I've had a lot of experience with thieves that come in the night, but you can be pretty sure that a thief is not going to email you or text you, save this date, I am coming to rob you. He comes unannounced. So it is with Christ. When he comes, it will be unannounced beforehand. But know this, when Christ comes, it will not be a secret. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians, in chapter four, concerning the coming of the Lord. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, those who have already died, that you may not grieve as others, 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. Christ is coming again. And the premise in that passage is that Jesus was raised from the dead. He had died, he rose again, Jesus is alive. That's why we are gathered here this morning, and he is returning. He will descend from the heavens visibly and audibly. Look what the passage says. He will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. The return of Jesus will not be a secret. return of Jesus will be very public. And then in this passage it says that the bodies will rise from the dead. Now we understand from Genesis chapter 3 verse 19 that people die and they return to dust. From dust have they come and to dust they shall return. That is the case for the bodies of everyone who dies. They go to the ground, and it is corrupted. But the soul, unlike the body, is very much asleep. We find in Ecclesiastes, in chapter 12, again speaking first of the bodies, dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. The bodies die and are buried, but the spirit returns to God. Now, that would be both the spirit of the righteous as well as the ungodly in their death. For the righteous, according to Luke chapter 23, when Jesus is on the cross and he speaks to the sinner that was next to him on the cross who had repented, who had believed in Christ, Christ said, today you shall be with me in paradise. And again, in 1 Corinthians 6, Paul says that apart from the body, we are home with the Lord. So for the righteous, we enter into a presence with Christ, and then we wait. We wait for the full redemption of the body. and we wait for our final rest. While we are there, the soul is transformed because it needs, in being in the presence of God, it cannot harbor sin. So the soul is already transformed. For the ungodly, who are also brought to the presence of God at that point, The spirits of the ungodly, whether it be angels or be men, also return to God. And what is their destiny at that point, before Jesus comes back? What we find in Jude, in verses six and seven, it speaks of the angels who did not stay in their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling He was kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day. Their destiny in this intermediate state is gloomy darkness, eternal change, chains rather. In 1 Peter 3, verse 19, it speaks of the spirits of the disobedient are imprisoned. And in 2 Peter 2 and in verse 4, we read again about the disobedient. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and condemned them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment. So here you have the ungodly imprisoned in gloomy darkness, indeed in hell, until. the judgment of the great day, until the judgment, until the day of judgment, all three of these verses speak of a waiting for the second return of Christ. In this intermediate state, the scriptures speak of only two places, of paradise and of hell. Those who think that there is no life whatsoever after death, Scripture doesn't speak of that. Scripture does not speak of any kind of a soul sleep. Scripture does not speak of a purgatory. Only those two states. So that's what happens to those who die before Christ returns. And then in the eternal state, when Christ does return, Again, referring to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, it says there that God brings with Him those who have already died. God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep, it says in verse 14, when Christ returns. And then their bodies are changed and united once again with their spirits. In 1 Corinthians 15, we have a picture of that. And some of this is on the screen and some of it is not. Verse 42. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown perishable, what is raised is imperishable. What is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. What is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body and raised a spiritual body. The bodies change before they are united to the spirit. And then it goes on. In verse 50, I tell you this, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this immortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on the immortal, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, from Isaiah chapter 25. Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? We see in this the mercy of God in saving a people for his own possession. What of the ungodly? They are also raised. We find that in Acts chapter 24. And in verse 15, where it says that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. They are also united to their spirits. However, their bodies are not changed. They are raised in dishonor. And then there comes the judgment. In verse 10 of 2 Peter chapter 3, we read, 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. All the works of all the people of all the ages will be exposed and subject to the judgment of the great judge, the Lord Jesus Christ. In John chapter 5, the authority of Jesus, and He has given Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come out those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. And again in Matthew chapter 25 we speak of this judgment. When Jesus says in verse 31, 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 and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on the right, Come. You who are blessed by my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For you provide it for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, those who are imprisoned. You did it, Jesus says, to one or least of these, my brother, you did it to me. So there's judgment onto eternal life, but there's also a judgment onto condemnation. The passage continues, then he will say to those on the left, depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and for his angels. They did not do any of these things in the name of Christ. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. So all people will be judged. Some on to eternal life, some on to eternal death and condemnation. And creation as well is judged. In Romans 8, we read about creation groaning. We read about in the papers regularly about earthquakes and tornadoes and hurricanes and storms and disease and weeds even and insects that bite. sin and death. The world we live in now is markedly different than the world that Adam initially experienced. Creation is groaning and the scriptures say, again returning to 2nd Peter, that the world as we know it will be destroyed. Verses 7 and then 10 and then verse 12 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. The day of the Lord is coming 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 on it will be exposed. In verse 12, 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." So what does this mean? Does this mean that everything would be completely destroyed and then recreated? It certainly appears to be the case as we read all three of these passages. talks about dissolving of everything. The elements themselves will be dissolved and melt with fervent heat, even the heavenly bodies. So does that mean that everything will be destroyed and then recreated? Possibly. There are a number of commentators that I highly respect. who do not believe that everything will be completely destroyed, but that the earth was meant to be redeemed. So I'm not really sure which way this would go. In either case, the world as we know it will not exist anymore, because it will be judged. Verse 13. But according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth on which righteousness dwells. The world will be different as we know it. However, there will be a new creation. I've often wondered what it was like to have lived in the Garden of Eden. I'm sure many of you have as well. Beautiful, I'm sure. Provided for all of our physical needs, without a doubt. What will the new heavens and new earth be like? Think about that. And now let me tell you, you're wrong. Because you have not clearly understood everything that God has made for us. In 1 Corinthians 2, verse 9, we find that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no heart has even imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him. Whatever you thought of, of what the new heavens and new earth will be like, multiply it by a thousand. then multiply that by a thousand and on and on. We cannot really even imagine how glorious that will be. And that's just thinking of the physical realm. The greater glory is that we will be in the presence of God forever. Our inheritance will be such that it will never fade. It will never grow old. There is no diminishing returns in the presence of Christ. That's what we have to look forward to. The old will pass away. Behold. Stop. Think. The new is coming. When Jesus returns, we will have an eternity of blessedness. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way, but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem and to innumerable angels in festal gathering and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God, the judge of all. and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect. A dwelling, a city with no sin, ever. And unlike Adam, no possibility to sin. And that is done because the grace of God continues to extend even into eternity for those who love God. in the presence of all the saints, of all the ages, of all the world, in the presence of innumerable angels. And then I love this, in festal gathering. We're going to celebrate forever. That's what the Christian has to look forward to. That's what eschatology is. the things of the future. And I don't think that I'm even qualified really to preach on this particular topic. There's others that are very much more eloquent on it. But it gets me excited nonetheless. That's what we have to look forward to. For a Christian, that is our future. If our time on Earth were like a drop of water, let's drop that drop into the ocean. That's eternity. And when that gets all used up, there's another ocean and another and another. It's eternity. What are you investing in? Paul says in Colossians 3 that we are to be heavenly minded, set our hearts and minds, our aspirations, our goals, everything on things above, not on earthly things. They're going to burn up, all of them. what is left then will be an eternity with Christ. Therefore, in verse 11, we read, since all these things are thus to be dissolved, the premise, God is faithful, He is willing and able to fulfill all His promises, If all these things are thus to happen, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness? You need to answer that for yourselves. But here's some guidance that Peter gives us. And speaking of the thief. We don't know when he's coming. When Christ is to come, we don't know that either. But we are to be prepared. You lock your doors, you set security if you've got it. You don't leave things out to be stolen. You prepare for those things. We are to prepare for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's a call to holiness. That was the whole focus of Peter's first epistle. That's the focus of his second epistle as well, a call to holiness. Verse 14, therefore, beloved Christian, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish. and be at peace. We are to be prepared. We are to be diligent. We are to hold to the truth. We are to take care that those who would twist the truth is not any part of our lives. We reject them. We flee from them. Be prepared. It's a call to holiness. In his first epistle Paul speaks of that in chapter 1, I believe it's verse 13. Therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is being revealed every time we go to the scriptures, every time we gather around his word. But it could also mean at the revelation, the full revelation of Christ, when he comes again, it says, be sober-minded, be prepared. Or the word actually means to pursue holiness. Verse 15 of that same chapter, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. You shall be holy for I am holy. First call that we have is a call to holiness, a call to be prepared, a call to be diligent, to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Pursue it. The increase in the knowledge of Christ is both the evidence and the cause of our growth in Christ. Pursue Christ. Then secondly, we have a call to wait. Waiting is spoken of twice in the closing chapter. In verse 12, it reads, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God. I do not know what that means, to hasten the day of coming of the Lord. That day is set. But we are to wait. And again in verse 14, therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these things, be diligent to be found by him without spot, without blemish, and to be at peace. We are to wait. There's a call to wait. Our society does not have patience, is not willing to wait. Technology that we have, we are in constant contact with others. and also aware of anything that happens. We are instantly informed of that. It is very difficult for us. We've been trained to that, but very difficult for us to sit back and think, to meditate, to consider the promises of God, to wait on Him patiently and expectantly. Really, it's a call to trusting the faithfulness of God. While we wait for the believer, we offer unto God those sacrifices of praise, of gratitude, and obedience. Our life is to be holy. But there's a message here too for the unbeliever. The message is beware. The message is be warned. God will not be mocked. Judgment is coming. He is dealt with the sin of the believer in the work of his Son, in Jesus, who lived that perfect life that the first Adam did not, who died for the the righteous ones, and raised from the dead, he justified all those whom God had called the elect. But for the unbeliever, they will bear their judgment on their own person. Scriptures speak of the angels and the unrighteous being cast into the lake of fire forever, to be tormented and considering all of their sin. Judgment is coming. Therefore, Isaiah 55, here's the call. Hear Christ speaking. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord that he may have compassion on him. And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Trust Christ. That's the call. That's why I said at the onset of this sermon, that for some this will be a great joy and for others it will be terrifying. An eternity to consider the claims of Christ. Philippians 2 speaks of every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. In that day, every knee shall bow. the righteous and the unrighteous, and confess who Christ is. If you do not believe, make that this day. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.