2 Peter 3:1-13 The Promise of Our Lord's Return

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You are listening to the podcast of Recast Church in Mattawan, Michigan. Good morning.

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Please open your Bibles to 2 Peter chapter 3. Our text for this morning will be verses 1 through 13.

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And even though this is the final chapter in a second letter, we can dive directly into this text without a whole lot of explanation.

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And that's good when we're jumping middle of a book here, or I guess end of a book. And the reason we can jump right into this is

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Peter opens his final leg of this letter with amazing detail. In a matter of a few verses, he exposes who he is writing to, why he is writing to them, and what he's hoping to accomplish in his writing.

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Okay, when I read our text here in a few moments, I want you to listen for a few things. Listen for Peter's reminder to his audience to remember.

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Okay, to remind them to remember, he says. It's funny, it catches your ear funny, but that's exactly why he was writing to these weary exiles.

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To remind them to remember God's promises that they knew to be true. And as Peter wrote, he would remind them that the present state that they were living in, it was not their final state.

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And he would remind them to remember that they were more than dispersed exiles, and that their hope was in Christ.

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And their hope was in his return. Okay, how could these weary exiles be sure that their hope would be realized, and that Christ would return?

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How could they know that? Were these just hopeful words of an optimistic man in Peter? And we will find no, no these weren't.

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They could be sure that Christ would return because their hope was grounded in God's word.

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It's grounded in the promises of God's word. And I'd ask, aren't you thankful for the promises of God's word?

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This is what Peter was striving to help them to remember. This hope and certainty is what would give them strength to finish their race, to boldly endure persecution, and to joyfully follow their

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Lord in the remaining days of their life. Okay, by comparison, probably most of us in this room, we can scarcely even begin to realize the struggles they were going through.

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And I don't say that to minimize our our hardships, right? We all have real struggles.

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We have real pains, right? We have real trials. I'm not minimizing those.

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Some of them are way worse than others. But I do believe that we could all benefit from taking a closer look at Peter's reminder here in this text.

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And this is why their hope, their hope is our hope as well.

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And if it isn't, we may want to take this time here this morning to refocus our gaze upon our hope of salvation.

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So I'd ask a couple questions. Could this be a timely reminder from God to turn our eyes upon the return of our

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Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Could this be a reminder that this world and its trinkets is not our home?

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Even when times are good, could this be a reminder, right? As God's people, we are waiting for the new heavens and the new earth in which righteousness dwells.

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And we will see our Lord face to face. That's what we are waiting for, church. So please follow along as I read these glorious reminders, these warnings, and these promises from our text this morning.

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And again, it's 2 Peter chapter 3, verses 1 through 13. Okay, this is the word of the

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Lord. Please follow along. Peter says, This is now the second letter that I'm writing to you, beloved.

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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 commandment of our

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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.

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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.

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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.

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And by means of these, the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.

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But by the same word, the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment, the destruction of the ungodly.

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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.

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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 come to repentance.

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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 on it will be exposed.

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Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you 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.

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But according to his promise, let me read that again, but according to his promise, we, the beloved, we are waiting for the new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

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Let's pray, church. Father, what a hope that is to be waiting for a new heaven and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells, where sin will be no more, where wickedness will be no more, where your rule and reign will be visibly seen, where we will have to never worry about death, or sinning against you again, or loss of a loved one or anything else.

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Lord, we long for that day. As we look at this simple introduction here,

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I look forward to diving into these words and taking a closer look at them. Though there's so much judgment in them, so much wrath for the ungodly, there is such an amazing promise of your return, your coming return,

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Jesus, and we long for that day. Help our eyes to learn to be more fixed upon that time and to long for that coming, when you will come again.

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Thank you for this morning. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. All righty. Please open up your

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Bibles to 2 Peter chapter 3. I'm really excited to take a closer look at these words with you this morning.

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As we look at our text, it does not take long to see that Peter had very specific intentions and desires for his hearers.

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He shared that he wanted them to know the truth, to remember the promises of Christ's return, and to recall their true hope.

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And likewise, I have a similar desire for you this morning. I believe that these words are just as important in our life today.

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It's my desire that you would have God's Word opened up so you can see that the words that I'm saying are just not my ideas or suggestions.

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Rather, I hope that you find my words that I speak today coming from God's Word, coming from the text.

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And I hope that you find my words leading you back into the text for deeper clarification. So please follow along.

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Open your Bibles, whatever that is, your device. Please follow along and take a closer look at the words that God has for us this morning.

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As we start out verse 1 chapter 3, we discover a few important details.

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Okay, so these details all the way throughout the book, obviously, but these details are more than just some sort of a generic, maybe, information list that we would do to check off like an introduction box.

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I believe that these details, they're very important. Because once we understand these details, they help us determine who

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Peter is referring to as the text unfolds. And I believe that's crucial. If we misapply who

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Peter is referring to, especially in the latter verses of this text, it completely changes the meaning of the text.

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And thus, it changes God's intentions in the text. In doing so, if we misapply these, it even calls into question

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God's sovereignty and ability. And that's a place we do not want to end up.

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Okay, these details matter. Even these small details matter. Look at verse 1 with me.

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Simple observation. It begins with, this is now the second letter, that I.

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Okay, from chapter 1, 1, if you looked at the beginning of this book in 2 Peter, we know that Peter wrote this letter.

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So, simple one, right? The I in this sentence is referring to the apostle. Okay, and we also know who this letter was addressed to.

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He calls the recipients of this letter the beloved in verse 1. So again, if we looked at verse 1 of chapter 1,

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Peter writes about these beloved. He says, Okay, this letter was written to the beloved.

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The beloved saints of God. And in addition to that, we get a little more detail.

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Okay, notice that our text tells us that this was the second letter that Peter had wrote to these beloved brothers and sisters.

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Okay, if you kept your hand there, if you cared to and looked back at 1 Peter, chapter 1, verse 1, you don't need to,

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I'll read it, but if you wanted to, Peter describes these beloved saints as the elect exiles of the dispersion.

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Okay, so we know that these believers were exiles. They were driven from their countries. They had no home, no earthly hope, and they were persecuted for their faith.

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Remember this as we consider our text. It will matter. And as we continue in verse 1, we see that Peter is intentional by saying, he tells them this, he says,

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Peter was intentional in what he was doing and how he was writing. Look at verse 2 with me.

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I love the redundancy of that idea. He's intentionally writing in such a way to trigger their mind and remind them of God's promises.

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He says, Of course, we continue in the text.

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Verse 2, Peter tells these beloved, persecuted, dispersed saints to look at the text.

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Remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles.

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See, I love this. He hit on a few things here. He mentions the authority given to the apostles by God in speaking

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God's Word, and that's huge. He also reminds these beloved saints to remember the words that God has given.

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He says, And friends, this is so important, especially picture where they were, especially when you're driven from your home, when you are persecuted, when you are wondering if God has forgotten you.

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But in verse 3, the plea to remember Jesus's return, it continues with a warning.

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And this may sound funny at first, but as we read it, it makes sense. Peter warns these beloved saints to be ready.

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To be ready to know and to prepare that scoffers will, not might, but scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing.

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Okay, before we look at that, a few real quick and important side notes. Okay, one says the last days.

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This isn't some future event here. Okay, this is the time between Jesus's first and his second coming.

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Okay, they were living in the last days and we are living in the last days. Note number two, these scoffers are the they.

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Okay, so if you follow along in the text, if you briefly look in verse 3, and in verse 4, and in verse 5, any time it says they, these are the scoffers that Peter's talking about.

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And these scoffers are also part of the ungodly in verse 7. The ungodly and the scoffers comprise those who the day of the

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Lord will come upon, as verse 10 tells us. Okay, but we'll get to all that when we get to that part of the text.

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Okay, but back in verse 3, what is scoffing? It's a funny word,

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I don't know if we really use it, but I think we all know scoffing, even if we don't use that word. We've all met a scoffer before, right?

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One who despises and mockingly rejects an idea or authority.

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Now, that can be an annoyingly arrogant sight to behold if you've ever seen it, right? Have you observed that?

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Someone so bold. But how much worse when the scoffing and the mockery is towards God in His Word.

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Such bold arrogance. And based on what? Their 18 years of observance, their 40 years of observance, their 100, who cares?

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Based on what when they're mocking God? Notice in the latter part of verse 3, these scoffers are led by following their own sinful desires.

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They do not consider the Lord in His commandments. There is no fear of Him. Their own sin leads them to laugh at the idea of God's wrath.

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And their own sin empowers their thoughts and their actions to the point that they're not even afraid to mock what

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God has already said in His Word. That's bold. Bold. Yet we see this played out in verse 4.

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Here, Peter warns that these ungodly scoffers will try to steal our hope by saying, where's the promise of His coming?

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Friends, this is so arrogantly bold. God has warned so many times throughout

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His Word that He is indeed coming back to judge wickedness of sinful man.

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The prophets proclaim this. The epistles declared Jesus' coming in rain.

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And Jesus' very own words confirm the same truth. Yet these scoffers are foolish enough to mockingly dismiss these truths in their own twisted reasoning.

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They conclude that their dismissal of Christ's return, you know why they do it?

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It's because of their faulty observation. They're emboldened in their sin due to a misinterpretation of God's grace and patience.

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They continue, look with me in verse 4. They continue, they say, where's the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep or died, they say all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.

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In their sin, they conclude that Jesus, that He's not going to come back.

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They say, since He has not already come back to this point to judge the rebellion, then why would He come back now?

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Their twisted mockeries, they think they're good to continue in sinful rebellion and to kill your hope in the process.

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Does this sound bold to you? Likely, right, hopefully. But church, they are not alone.

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Countless of people have and do gamble with the idea of God judging their sin. And if we're honest, if we're really honest, we've likely come to a similar conclusion from time to time in our own lives.

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Have you ever been guilty of this where you maybe conclude that God was okay with a certain sin in your life because He has not intervened, right?

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He hasn't disciplined you for it. It could be anything. Maybe a continued coldness towards someone.

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Possibly a pattern of lustful thoughts or looks or actions. Or it could even be helping yourself to something that's not yours.

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It doesn't matter. It could be any host of sins. In our sins, they may feel justified in that moment for any reason.

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But church, if you know the Lord this day, if you know Him, yet have ever been guilty of that conclusion, be reminded once again of the truth.

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He has already spoken and declared His truth. He's declared His revealed will in His word.

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He has clearly labeled sin. And He's coming back again one day.

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Please do not presume upon His grace. But if you do not know the

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Lord Jesus Christ, then I urge you, fall upon your knees. Fall upon your knees and surrender in repentance this day.

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He will, hear me church, He will return to judge the ungodly. But His grace and His righteousness and His gentleness will cover

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His beloved for whom He died for. And He will receive you if you call out to Him in repentance and faith.

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Do you know the Lord this day? Okay, that's different. That's different than, are you trying to be a good person?

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Do you know the Lord this day? That's different than, well, I go to church and I give money. No, do you know the

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Lord and His forgiveness? Many do not. And friends,

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Peter warns that these scoffers will arise. And just as he tells us what the reasoning will be, he exposes where their error lies.

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In verse 5, Peter points out that they deliberately overlook this fact.

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See, their sin has blinded them and corrupted the reasoning. They assume that God must be okay with sin since He has not already returned.

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They may reason something like, He wouldn't intervene now. He never has to this point.

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But their error is exposed in verse 5 in the fact that they intentionally overlook two major historical events where God has already intervened.

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Okay, look with me at verse 5 as Peter unfolds these. When God created the heavens and the earth,

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He did so by the power of His word. If we paused here and if we did go, we're not gonna, but if we went back to Genesis 1 and 2, we read this very clearly described.

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God spoke everything into being by the power of His word. And He did so in six 24 -hour days.

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It's just awesome. Everything has not continued in some endless continual pattern as these scoffers suggest.

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No, God intervened and He created. Think about that thought.

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There was nothing until God spoke. If you wanna tie your brain in knots, try to really picture that idea.

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A few of my friends and I a few weeks ago did that sitting on a deck. I'm out by the lake. We meet every Thursday morning and we're thinking through that thought of before God created, there was nothing.

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Try to picture the eternal. It's a humbling exercise, right? Think about that.

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There was nothing but God. There was no space, just God. There was no room that God was standing in.

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There was just God. No clouds, no dirt, no sky, no earth, no time.

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No chance, absolutely nothing except for our everlasting

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God who has no beginning and no end. Our God is outside of time and stands over time, amen?

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It's awesome. But at just the right time,

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God spoke forth and creation began. And this is crazy.

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When He created the heavens and the earth, He also created the means He would use to judge His creation.

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Look at verse six. It points out that by means of these, the these in verse six is the water that God created.

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And Peter says, by means of the water, the world that then existed, right? This pre -flood world, this was judged by water and it perished.

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These ungodly scoffers deliberately overlooked this fact that God intervened by stepping in to judge the ancient world.

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God judged their sinful rebellion with the global flood recorded in Genesis 7. And Peter shows in these examples, he shows us here is the folly of the scoffers thinking.

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They think God's okay with sin and they're in error by assuming God is not coming back in judgment.

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And their error is that everything will continue as they have observed it. Their little window of observation there.

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The events of the creation and the flood, they more than prove, they more than prove the false confidence and error of these bold men.

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Right? But notice with me in verse seven. You would think that'd be enough, but Peter does not stop there. He continues to show their error by describing the coming judgment of the ungodly.

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See, God will indeed intervene once again to judge sinful humanity, only this time in finality and with fire.

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He says in verse seven, by the same word, that is the word of God and the intervention of God.

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Peter says in verse seven, 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.

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You can count on it. God is going to return in judgment and destruction of who?

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What does the end of verse seven say? He's coming back for judgment, destruction of the ungodly.

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Does that make you uncomfortable? Right? It's a terrifying thought. Even if you're washed in the blood of Christ, even if you're covered by his sacrifice, but he will return at just the right time to judge the wicked.

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But it's at this point in our text that Peter turns his focus from the judgment of the ungodly to the comfort of God's people.

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Peter uses the same promise of Christ's return for both groups. It's terror for one, but it's blessing for the other.

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Notice in verse eight and nine with me, Peter says this, follow along, he says, but do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the

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Lord, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.

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The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but he's patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

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This is such a big statement and it contains an amazing promise of comfort for God's people in light of this coming judgment.

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Notice with me, look at the text, notice with me, who is Peter addressing in these two verses? Who is he describing?

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Look in the middle of verse eight, circle the word beloved in your mind or in your

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Bible, Peter is speaking to the beloved of God. Remember those in chapter one, verse one, who have obtained a faith by the righteousness of our

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God and Savior Jesus Christ. That's who he's writing to. This is huge. Right?

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Peter comforts these persecuted beloved exiles who are away from their home, who are probably wondering if God has forgot them at this point, who is hearing that God is not coming back.

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He comforts these people by letting them know that our eternal God has a perfect timing.

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Remember, many around them were claiming God is slow to fulfill his promises or even that he was not coming back at all.

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But Peter reminds them and us that our Lord is not slow to fulfill his promises by counting days and years as a sign.

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Now in his perfect timing, Jesus will return. You can count on that.

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Rest in that. Hope in that. Even if you're being persecuted and driven from your comforts right now, even if others are mocking the idea of Jesus's return, judgment, he is coming back, church.

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But also, there's another comfort in here. Take comfort in God's patience for those of his who do not yet know him.

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Notice what Peter says in verse 9. He says, The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but rather he is patient towards you.

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Again, who is the you of verse 9? Okay, I would say the same. Draw a line in your mind or in your

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Bible from the word you directly back to the previously circled word beloved in verse 8.

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I think we can clearly see who this promise is written to and who God's patience is directed to.

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Look at the second part of verse 9. We read that God, again, is patient towards you, but he continues saying, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

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Church, this is where it is crucial that we define who Peter's referring to here with the any and all of verse 9.

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I'm going to tip my hand. I'm going to make a statement here, but I'll let the text prove it, okay? I think it's that we can safely conclude that the any and all here is speaking of the elect of God who do not yet know him.

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And you may ask, why would we conclude that? You may ask, couldn't the any and all here be every person to ever live?

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You may ask, does it matter? I say it does matter. I believe that we must conclude that the any and all here in verse 9 is in the context of the elect.

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But why? Well, for starters, consistency in and around the text.

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And if you haven't had your Bible open, please let this text show you this. Okay, Peter surrounds the text with the certain destruction and judgment of the ungodly.

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Do you see that at the end of verse 7? How about in verse 10 if you look ahead?

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These judgments serve as a clear bookend that surround verse 8 and 9. And the text tells us that this judgment is directed at who again?

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The ungodly. But in verse 8 and 9, we find this island of hope and assurance for the beloved.

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So let's dig a little deeper. Okay, condensed recap again of verse 8 and 9 is this. Verse 9 clearly points out that God is patient towards who?

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You, the context, the beloved of verse 8. And how does God show his patience towards his beloved according to this text?

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By not wishing or willing that any of his people who do not yet know him should perish, but that all of his people who do not yet know him should reach repentance.

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Does that make sense? If not, or if you're still not convinced, please listen to what one commentator wrote.

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It should be up on the screen here in a minute. Please follow along. Maybe the way he explains it will add a little clarity where I can't if it's not making sense.

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Okay, he said this. It's kind of longer, but listen, it's so rich. He says that any in verse 9 must refer to those whom the

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Lord has chosen and will call to complete the redeemed. Since the whole passage is about God's destroying the wicked, his patience is not so he can save all of them, but so he can receive all of his own.

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He can't be waiting for everyone to be saved since the emphasis is that he will destroy the world and the ungodly.

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Those who perish and go to hell go because they're depraved and worthy only of hell and have rejected the only remedy,

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Jesus Christ, not because they were created for hell or predetermined to go there. Right, the path of damnation is a path of the non -repentant heart.

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It is a path of one who rejects the person and provision of Jesus Christ and instead holds on to their sin.

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Does that make sense? He continues, the all in verse 9 must refer to all who are

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God's people who will come to Christ to make up the full number of the people of God.

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The reason for this delay in Christ's coming and the attendant judgments is not because he's slow to keep his promise, or because he wants to judge more the wicked, or because he is impotent in the face of wickedness.

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He delays his coming because he is patient and desires time for his people to repent.

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Okay, end of quote. Church, verse 8 and 9 are written as a comfort for God's beloved.

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They're not meant to try to disprove God's sovereign grace. And I've heard this, these verses used to try to do that.

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Right, the any or all of verse 9, if it includes anyone but the elect of God who are not yet redeemed, then this verse would call into question

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God's sovereignty and ability. Think about that for a moment. If God is not willing that any should perish, speaking even to the ungodly, yet they do perish, then

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God's ultimate will and wishes, they're thwarted by man and his sin. And if God is willing, so if God is willing, that all should reach repentance, speaking even to the ungodly, and yet all of them that do not repent, then

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God's ultimate will and wishes, again, would be thwarted by man and his sin.

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And church, I don't know about you, but the God that I read on the pages of scripture, my

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God is not an impotent weak God. He is an all -powerful sovereign God who providentially works out everything, and he works it together according to his perfect will.

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Therefore, I think we must conclude in verse 8 and 9 that Peter is speaking to the beloved about God's elect who are not yet redeemed.

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His future beloved, if you will. Verse 8 and 9 are meant to be a comfort to the beloved.

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May we find the same comfort that I, and out of the promises that I think that Peter here is trying to intend.

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Okay, church, we can know, what does this mean in our life? We can know that not even one sheep, one of God's people will be lost.

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Do you have a loved one who does not know the Lord? Somebody you've been praying for for years? Keep praying.

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We have a sovereign God. We can know that nothing, nothing will defeat our

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God and his will. Do you look around and see the news? Do you see nations crumbling?

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Do you see sin rising? Our God is sovereign.

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Keep praying. And church, we can know and we can rest in Jesus and long for his return.

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Even though, even though we know that his return means that when he comes back, he's coming back in judgment of the ungodly who do not know him.

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And this again is where Peter goes. He picks up in verse 10. Please look with me.

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He starts verse 10 by saying, but the day of the Lord will come like a thief.

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See, unlike the comfort and patience for the beloved in verse nine or verse eight and nine,

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Peter contrasts verse 10 by saying, there will be judgment and destruction for the ungodly.

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Do you remember this judgment of the ungodly is also the same way that he ended verse nine.

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Remember that or verse seven, that bookend that surrounded it. But in verse 10, he says this, he says, but the day of the

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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 on it will be exposed.

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There are so many descriptions. I wish we had time to explore in that verse, but we will focus on one, the day of the

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Lord. Okay, the day of the Lord, I'm sure everyone's heard that term, but it's described as the day of judgment for the ungodly and it's well quoted in scripture.

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On that day, God will come and he will judge the wicked for every sin that they have committed.

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And in light of that terrifying thought, I find myself again desiring to confirm who this promised day of the

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Lord will come like a thief to. Not to the beloved in verse eight and nine, right?

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We just looked at that. Rather, this day of judgment will come like a thief to the ungodly as described in verses three through seven.

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Church, broad is the road and there are many who are on it. Keep praying for the lost.

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Keep sharing the hope that lies within you. Keep proclaiming Christ.

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This world needs it. Peter uses this judgment of the ungodly as the backdrop for verses 11 and 12.

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In these verses, he turns back to the beloved, but with a very pointed question. In verse 11 and 12, he says this, he says, since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness waiting for in 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?

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See, in light of the judgment of the ungodly, I would ask, are you living the same way as the ungodly?

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If anyone's familiar with Romans one, there Paul asks a very similar question.

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He talks about the coming judgment of the ungodly who do not know him, and then he turns to the

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Jews who have the law, and he says, you who have the law, do you covet? Do you sin?

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Peter does the same thing here, right? What sort of people ought you to be?

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All right, so in light of that coming judgment, are you living the same way? Or is your life one that is striving after God's holiness and godliness?

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Obviously not in perfection, right? But are you living in a direction of repentance and faith?

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Are you living a life that longs to love your Lord and do it well by desiring to walk with him and live for him?

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Are you living a life that remembers the gospel? In your failings, right?

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You can't do it, but one that remembers the gospel in your victories as well, where he alone has done it.

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Are you living a life that realizes Christ, and Christ alone is your righteousness?

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And as Peter spoke of it, verse 12, are you waiting for Jesus's return?

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Church, Christ is coming back, and he could come back at any moment. Are you hastening for and longing for that day when he will make a new heavens and a new earth?

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If we are his, if we are his, our story will not end in defeat to sin.

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It will end in an eternity with him. It's an awesome thought. Free from sin, worshiping and enjoying our

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Lord forever. So to ask Peter's question again one more time from verse 11 and 12, if ungodliness will be judged and it will cease, and if his beloved's final state is a sinless heaven with our

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Lord, then right here, right now, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness?

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We do a lot of things throughout our days and weeks and months and years, but are we living for him?

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Do you love your Lord? Are you living for him now? He is our hope.

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He will return, Church. But if you're not part of the beloved, and if you know it, if you're just going through motions, if you're just here to please someone, then would you run to Jesus today?

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If you're not his and you can hear his voice, not mine, if you can hear his voice this day, repent.

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His patience is still being extended to you. Do not wait until a day when he returns in judgment.

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It would be too late. Run to Jesus's open and loving arms this day if you do not know him.

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He died for you. He loves you, and he will save you if you turn to him in repentance and faith.

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Such an awesome truth. Friends, in just a moment we will take communion.

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If you are God's beloved, then please join us in remembering everything that Jesus did to redeem us from our sin.

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It is such a joy. It is such an awesome reminder, right?

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He died in our place, taking the wrath that we deserve, and then he rose again, and he did that when we were the ungodly, not when we cleaned ourself up.

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He did that before we knew him, and we were the ungodly, when we were the scoffers, when we were mocking him.

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Remember that victory. Remember that as we take the cracker, symbolizing his body broken for us.

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Remember those truths as we take the juice, symbolizing his blood shed for us. Church, we were the ungodly.

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He died for us. The Lord is coming back to judge the ungodly.

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We could count on that, but he's also, he's also, church, coming back for us.

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He's coming back to claim his bride, his beloved. Remember these promises, church.

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Turn your eyes to the Lord, especially if you have lost sight of him. Rest in his promises.

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Long for his return. He is our hope. And with that thought,

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I will conclude where Peter did in verse 13. But according to his promise, and again,

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I intentionally want to say that again. It is according to his promise that we, his beloved, are waiting for the new heavens and the new earth in which righteousness dwells.

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Let us pray, church. Our Father, we thank you.

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We thank you just for all of these promises, for all of these truths, for all of these realities that we read today.

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Though I don't think any of us are dispersed exiles here this morning, though I don't think any of us are displaced from our homes, though I doubt any of us are receiving much more persecution than maybe random scowls and mockings, we need to be reminded of these truths as much as these saints did years ago.

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Lord, it's so amazing, it is so awesome that we can be so sure of your promises that you will come back again someday.

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What a terrifying thought that is, the thought that our hope and our enjoyment of you coming back is also the same thing that will usher in judgment for the ungodly.

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May that break our hearts if we know you. May it break our hearts and cause us to share our faith, to live our lives loud and differently, live our lives for you.

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May we be such salt and light in this earth and in this place that it is contagious that other people come up to us to ask us, please share the hope which lies within.

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Lord, we love you. Help us to love you more. Help us to walk with you closer. Help us to enjoy whatever we do.

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If we're rising, if we're sleeping, if we are coming or going, if we're coaching, if we are raising kids, wherever we are in life, help us to do it all for you in your glory,

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Lord. Thank you for loving us and dying for us when we were the ungodly. We long for a day when we can know you again, when we can see you face to face, and when we will never lift these sinful hands to sin against you, but rather we will lift nothing but praise.