Hear now the word of the living God from 2 Peter chapter 3, beginning in verse 1. This is now the second letter that I'm writing to you, beloved. In both of them, I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember the prediction of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and 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, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. 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, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged 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 toward you not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to 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 the works that are done in it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, What sort of people ought we to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming 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 this promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. This is the word of the Lord. Let us pray. Almighty and ever-living God, as we come before your presence, we come to receive instruction from you. For the word of God is not the words of men, but it is the word of the living God. And so be pleased to grant us ears to hear your word that has been read and your word that will be preached. Open the mouth of your servants that I might proclaim your word. And we pray, Lord God, that the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts would be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. Amen. Please be seated. In the last number of years, there has been an interest in the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, and many books have been written on this very subject, most of which I would not give two cents for. But in 1831, a Baptist minister in upstate New York by the name of William Miller, was studying Daniel chapter 8. And he was convinced from that passage that Christ would return between March 21st, 1843 and March 21st of 1844. He drew over 50,000 followers who were caught up in the millennial hysteria of the 1800s. The time came and went, and Christ did not return. So Miller set a new date for October 22nd, 1844. And again, Christ did not return. Many of his followers were disillusioned and walked away. Many who remained with Miller were the forerunners of the Seventh-day Adventists and the Jehovah's Witnesses. This delusionment that they experienced has become known as the Great Disappointment. Our Lord Jesus Christ has not left His church in a quandary as to if and when He will return. Jesus told His apostles there in the Gospel of John, I go away. but I will return to you again. We, unlike the Seventh-day Adventists or any of the Adventist groups and the Jehovah's Witnesses, are not disillusioned, for Christ will return again at the Father's appointed time. As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we live with the expectation of hope that Christ will come again. We are not disillusioned. We are not disappointed that we have lived 2000, we're in 2017 and that we've lived over 2000 years and that Christ has not returned. We live with that expectancy of hope that Christ will return again, just as the scriptures say. Here in our passage before us from 2 Peter chapter 3, there are two main lessons that I'd like for us to discover this morning. Two certainties of which Peter addresses here. And the first certainty is that certainty of scoffers will come in the last day. And the second certainty is the certainty of Christ's second advent or return. There in the beginning of the passage, Peter writes this second epistle. He says he writes to stir up their minds by way of remembrance. He stirs up our minds by way of reminder. Peter knew his audience. Every pastor who preaches knows his audience. That we are prone to forget, that we are prone to not remember the things that the scripture teaches. And so Peter says that I write to you to stir up your minds. to remind you again of these things of which I address." He says, I want you to be mindful of the fact that the words that have been spoken by the prophets and by the apostles are true. That what they have said you need to be reminded of. And so this first certainty of which Peter reminds us of is the fact that scoffers will come in the last day. He says the first thing I want to remind you of is that scoffers will come in the last days. There's been a lot of talk and discussion and writing about this idea of the last days and some say that if you look at the color of the moon and if you see certain signs in the heavens, that that's an indication that we are living in the last days. But when Paul uses that term last days, when Peter uses that term last days, he's referring to that period of time from Pentecost which is all the way back in 40 AD to the end of the church age. And so we have been living in the last days for over 2,000 years. And the one characteristic that Peter wants to remind us of is that in these last days, or in the entire period of the church age, scoffers will come. Scoffers will come walking according to their own flesh, according to their own desires, and will say, so where is the promise of the Lord's return? He's not come. He said He would. Do you hear the tone and the intonation in that expression that comes there in verse 3? that they will come and ask the question, where is the promise of His coming? Peter writes to remind us that Christ will return, that the scoffers will come and they will question the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ will return. In the last number of years, sadly, even within reformed churches, there has been a particular doctrine that has been taught, and is still being taught, that Christ has already returned. that Christ returned in 70 AD, when the temple of Jerusalem was destroyed, and when the Jewish age ended, as the Scriptures predicted, that Christ returned. And I've dealt with these people before, and my first question always is, so, if He's already returned, why do we still see suffering and death? Why do we still see the struggling of living in a fallen world? When will the curse be lifted? When will the realization of what the Apostle John said, that there will be no more tears, there will be no more dying, there will be no more suffering, that all things will be made new. And of course, like the Adventist and like the Jehovah's Witnesses, they spiritualize it. Well, He came, but nobody saw it. When Miller's date failed twice, and Charles Russell, who was the founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses, began predicting the date of Christ's return, he says, 1914. Christ didn't come. Well, He did, but He came in the heavens. Well, Christ has been in the heavens for 2,000 some years. But this is the kind of thing that we see today, that some will say, well, He's already come. Or some will even deny that He will ever come. And so the world will continue on as it has from the beginning of creation. But Peter addresses this. The Apostle Paul addresses this in 1 Thessalonians. Jesus himself addresses this, that he will come again. And yet the scoffers will come. And the interesting thing about the scoffers is they're not those people outside of the church who deny the second coming of Christ. They're not those that we can pretty well identify as not being part of the church. They often are in the church. That's why Peter was addressing this. They will come from within your own number. They will begin to lead people astray with this false notion. They will begin to question the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, and as a result, cause your hope to waver and cause you to be disappointed. So there's a warning that he gives here that the scoffers will come. These scoffers Peter has already identified in the first two chapters of 2 Peter. He describes the false prophets among the people, false teachers among you, who will bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction. Many of you that have been Christians for a long time, and perhaps went through all the struggles of the old denomination, know what I'm talking about. They begin to take over your seminaries, and then your seminarians begin to take over your pulpits. And then generation after generation, oh, we don't believe that. That was for that generation. Those were just crazy nomadic people that didn't know much. That's the scoffer that comes. Well, where is the promise of his coming? Things continue as they have since the beginning of creation. But Peter says they are willingly ignorant. They are ignorant of the fact that the scriptures teach that the Lord Jesus Christ will return. But they're also ignorant of something else. And notice that this ignorance is willingly done. They are ignorant that by the word of God, the heavens of old and the earth standing out of water and in water, and that the world has been overtaken with water and perished. Here, Peter says that not only are they ignorant of the fact that Christ will return, but they're ignorant of biblical history. They're ignorant of the history of God's redemption with His people. Because he says, first of all, they're ignorant of the heavens, and the earth of old. What's he referring to? He's referring to the heavens and the earth that were created in the beginning. When Moses records in Genesis chapter 1, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. It didn't evolve. It didn't happen through a process of time. But it happened immediately when God spoke and it was done. And there in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And Genesis there describes how God created the heavens and the earth. And the one thing that's noted there in the opening chapters of Genesis is that the earth that God created stood in water. It was formed out of water. When you go back to Genesis chapter 1 and verse 1, it bears this out. There in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of what? The waters. So in the beginning, God moved upon the waters and immediately said, let there be light, let there be firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And so at creation, the waters which were under the firmament were gathered together into one place, and the dry ground emerged out of it. and above it. And the world was created by the hand of God. And so he reminds us that they're not only ignorant of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ again, but they are ignorant of what they have seen God do in history. Because not only does he talk about God creating the heavens and the earth of old, but he talks about the fact that in that first world that he created, he brought a flood upon the earth, and he caused the earth to perish in that flood. Notice what he says there in verse 6. that the world then was overflown with a deluge, with a flood, and the earth perished. So he just here defines for us that as God created the old heavens and earth, that God caused the floodwaters to come upon the earth. And he describes there in verse 6 the judgment in Noah's day that's recorded for us there in Genesis 7. And so he's describing this in context of these scoffers. Remember, saints, I'm trying to stir your minds up that you think back to the creation of the world and its destruction by water, and the sign of the rainbow, the sign that we still see that God will never bring judgment by water again. But in that time of the great flood, God brought judgment, but He saved Noah and his family. And so he reminds us that these scoffers forget about the fact that Christ will return, and that just as he brought judgment before, he will bring judgment again. And so the second point I addressed this morning or lesson is not only the certainty of scoffers coming, but the certainty of Christ's return. Verse 7 says that the heavens and the earth which now are, that is the present heavens and earth which we see and which we live in, by the same word that created the heavens and the earth, the same word that brought judgment, that the heavens and the earth now as they exist are kept in store for that great day of judgment. against all the ungodly. Here, Peter reminds us of the certainty of judgment. Not only the certainty of the Lord's return, but the certainty of His judgment. Because the Lord will return for His people, but He will also return again to bring judgment to the ungodly. The ancient creed says that Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and that his kingdom has no end. And so Peter, in his language, describes the old world, and now he describes the present world, which is kept in store or kept in reserve for the great day of judgment. There in John's picture in the last book of the New Testament, the Revelation of the Apostle John, he describes bowls of judgment that will be poured out upon the earth. He describes the period of the church age when God will bring partial judgment. He will just pour out bowls of wrath. But on that final day, He will bring about the full fury of His wrath upon all the ungodly. And so He tells us that this is certain, that judgment will come for the ungodly. For those who refuse to confess Christ as Lord, who have not trusted in Him alone for their salvation, that will be a fearful and frightening day. The writer of Hebrews says, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. And so, we see the certainty of the judgment that is to come But in that judgment that is to come, we see the expectation of it. It's not a wishful thing. That word wishful is a weak word because we often use it in our modern English as, well, it may, it may not. But that hope, that expectancy of which Jesus reminds us, that Peter reminds us here, that Jesus will return. And so one of the things there in that certainty of the Lord's return and of judgment is He does not want us to be ignorant as well. When you think of the scoffers with their mimicking question, well, where is the promise of His coming? We've lived all these years and He's never returned as He said He would. But here's where Peter reminds us that with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. Here he's talking about the fact that with the Lord's perfect will, And with what He has ordained, a thousand years is as one day to Him. For some of you, and as I'm getting older, I'm starting to see it even more clearly in my own life, 20, 30, 40, 50 years come and go, 60 years, and some saints live into their 90s. And what do you say oftentimes? Where's the time gone? It's gone so quickly. Well, Peter says that with the Lord a thousand years is as one day. It is no time to Him because God is not bound by time and space. And a thousand years is as one day. He's writing to make us aware that we're not to be ignorant of the fact that Christ will indeed return at his appointed time. And the reason he delays his coming is there in verse 9, that he's long-suffering, that he's patient toward us, not willing that any should perish, but all should come to repentance. He delays His coming so that all of His elect, all of those whom He has granted eternal life to, will be brought to salvation. The Lord, whatever He wills, comes to pass. God is not like a man who decides something and then doesn't complete it. God and His eternal decree ordained all things and it must come to pass. And so it must come to pass that all of His elect will be brought to salvation. So in this time souls are being saved, people are being brought into the Kingdom of God. And so His delay is not because He is a capricious God who doesn't know what He's doing, but it's by design, so that He might bring souls into His kingdom. But then he describes that that day will come suddenly, like a thief in the night, when you don't expect it, when the heavens and the earth that now exist will be destroyed by fire. Some believe that the current heavens and earth will be completely dissolved and destroyed. But what Peter is talking about here, as is in the flood that God brought in Noah's day, is that the heavens and the earth will be brought under judgment. They will not be completely destroyed, but they will be transformed. Because he says in verse 13, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth. That when Christ returns, He will bring judgment by fire, He will destroy His enemies, and He will bring about a new creation. That's the message of the Scripture. That all things are being made new. That God will indeed bring all things to completion. As you consider from this passage the great day of the Lord, there's two things to remember. That for the godly, the day of the Lord will be a glorious day. It will be one of those days in which all of God's people, the saints of all the ages, will declare Hosanna to their King. They will cry out in victory and praise that Christ our King has come, and He has brought salvation to us. But when that day comes, will also be a day of great delight for us, but it will not be so for the godless and for those who turn away from God. The last section of our confession of faith on the Last Judgment, it says in section 2 that the end of God's appointing of this day is for the manifestation of the glory of His mercy in the eternal salvation of his elect and of his justice in the damnation of the reprobate who are wicked and disobedient. For then shall the righteous go into everlasting life and receive the fullness of joy and refreshing which shall come from the presence of the Lord. But the wicked who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be cast into eternal torments and be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. As we think on these truths this morning, The certainty of Christ's return, the certainty of His judgment. Our confession reminds us that the coming day of the Lord that He has appointed is to show forth His mercy in the salvation of His people, and to show His judgment in the damnation of the wicked. That is not a popular truth in our politically correct age. But what it reminds us of is that without the Lord Jesus Christ, none of us have any hope. None of us have any mercy. That if we don't come before Christ in repentance and faith, if we do not cast ourselves upon His mercy, there's no other remedy. That Christ alone is the remedy for our sin. That Christ alone is the remedy for avoiding the judgment of God's wrath. And if that sounds frightening and terrible to you, it doesn't even compare to how frightening it will be on that day when Christ Jesus will return again. But the promise for us as believers That we live according to His promise. That we have the hope of a new heavens and a new earth. That we have the hope of a new world without pain, without suffering, without war, without injustice, without all the... things that we see in our world today. For Christ will bring to completion all things, and all things will be made new. So if we understand the certainty of the scoffers who will come and deny His coming, if we understand the certainty of His return for His saints and for the judgment that is to come, How should that affect our lives now? For many people, they just sit back and just wait for the Lord to return. But we are called to wait and to occupy ourselves until He comes. We should be diligent as He says there in verse 14. that we might be found in peace without spot and without blemish. The long-suffering or the patience of the Lord leads to our salvation. And it leads to the culmination of all things in Christ. For as our confession says there in the last chapter in section 3, as Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there's a judgment to come, So as to deter men from sin, and for the great consolation of the godly in their adversity, so will He have that day unknown to men, that they may shake off any carnal security, and always be watchful, because they do not know the hour when He will come, and may be ever prepared to say, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. saints of God in all of our physical adversity. In all of the struggling and the strife, the difficulty we see in our world, the consolation and the hope that you have even when you face death, even when you face surgery, when you face financial difficulties, the only hope and comfort you have is that Christ will return again victorious and He will give hope and peace to His people who long for His appearing. Our response should be to live our lives as if Christ were to return tomorrow. To live our lives watching and waiting expectantly for our Savior who will come. That should cause us to live soberly, to be careful how we think, how we respond, how we act, how we live our lives. For we live with the knowledge and with the hope that Christ will return again. Perhaps you're sitting here this morning and you have never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. You've never considered the fact that He is the only Savior. There is no Savior, there is no mediator apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Your righteousness cannot save you. Your membership in a church cannot save you. Your tithes and offerings will not warrant any favor from God. But the only thing that God will receive is a repentant sinner who will cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ, Lord have mercy upon me. As we consider the great day of the Lord that is to come, we should remember the apostolic warning. We should remember the certainty of His coming, that He will come again. We should be willing and able to declare when others ask us for the hope that is in us, why we believe what we do, that we'd be ready to give a defense for the Lord Jesus Christ. For He is coming again. It may not be in your lifetime or in my lifetime, but He is coming again. And the fact that He is coming again causes us who know Him by faith, who rest in our Savior, that we have an expectant hope. It's like waiting for that paycheck. It's like waiting for that thing that's to come and you keep thinking, when's it coming? When's it coming? But we don't have to worry about that with Christ because we know that He's coming. So we should live with that expected hope. We should live with delight and joy. We should live as the people of God who have the promise of a better world, have the promise of a new creation, of a new world order. There's so much talk today in the church about we need more transformation, we need more discussion on social justice and women's rights. That's not what the church needs. The church needs to realize that it is the gospel of Jesus Christ that needs to be proclaimed and that He, by His grace and mercy, will transform our lives and will transform our world to be a place filled with righteousness and filled with the joy and the hope of our Savior. Saints of God, do you long this morning with expectant hope for the Lord Jesus Christ? For older saints and for those of us who are getting closer to that category, it becomes even more of an expectant hope. But for all of us and for our young children and for our older children, we should realize that Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming. And we need to be ready and prepared for when he comes, all things will be made new. Let us pray. Almighty and everliving God, we are thankful for the promise of your return. We are thankful for all of your covenant promises, that you are a God who never leaves us nor forsakes us, that You are a God who delights in bringing forth praise and glory for His own namesake. Lord our God, as we have heard Your Word preached this morning, as we have heard of the certainty of Your judgment and of Your return, cause us to live with expected hope. Cause us to be ready and to always live as children of God whose conversation, whose life, whose manner of living is changed by the power of your word. Lord, we ask that you would take this word that has been preached, the words from sacred scripture, seal them to our hearts and give your people that assurance of that hope And for those who do not know Christ that may be sitting here this morning, cause them to realize that judgment is coming and the Lord is indeed swift in carrying out his justice. Lord, give us ears to hear and hearts to receive your word, we pray in the name of Christ our Lord, amen. Let us stand together as we sing hymn number 30, which is a rendition of Psalm 90, written by Isaac Watts. Oh God, our help in ages past.