Beloved, Remember the Promise
Beloved, Remember the Promise
2 Peter 3:1-13
December 25th, 2001 I was introduced to the Lord of the Rings. My family went to watch a movie every Christmas and going in I knew nothing about the Lord of the Rings. I found out it was a trilogy at the end of the first movie. I probably was like many people in the early 2000’s that were more ‘watch the movie’ then ‘read the book’ people. Now, almost every Christmas since, I watch the entire trilogy again. The end of the first film still gets me. The Fellowship of the Ring composed of 2 men, 4 hobbits, a wizard, an elf and dwarf set out to Mordor to destroy the Ring of Power. Frodo Baggins and his best friend Samwise Gamgee leave the Shire and stumble into the epic quest to save Middle Earth.
Frodo sees the ring’s negative effect on the team and decides to head to Mordor on his own. He gets in a boat and is headed across the river when Samwise Gamgee appears yelling, “Frodo, no! Frodo! Mr. Frodo!” He replies, “No, Sam. Go back, Sam! I'm going to Mordor alone.” The ever faithful friend shouts back, “Of course you are. And I'm coming with you!” The lovable Sam begins to pursue Frodo in the River, but he can’t swim. It is an epic moment when we think Sam is lost until Frodo snatches out of the water. Frodo looks at this best friend gasping for air and Sam shares a line that has echoed in my head for over twenty years, “I made a promise, Mr. Frodo. A promise: 'Don't you leave him, Samwise Gamgee.’ And I don't mean to. I don't mean to.” Epic line for an incredible friendship sustained by an enduring promise.
Remembering the promise guided Samwise Gamgee through the dangers of the journey that lied ahead. Beloved, remembering the promises of God will help guide us on our journey home. Peter was almost finished with his earthly journey and wanted to make sure the people he loved remembered the promises of God. Most of the Christian life is not learning new things about God, but being reminder of what we already know and conforming our lives to that knowledge. As Peter closes the letter, he double clicks on what he wants us to remember.
Beloved, Remember the Promise of God’s Judgment
There were false teachers in the church claiming that Christ was not returning. He spent the last chapter detailing the traits of the false teachers and their targets. 2 Peter 3:1–2,
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,
The word ‘beloved’ marks a shift in the letter. Some translations may use, ‘dear friends,’ but the term beloved is much stronger. The use of ‘beloved’ conveys the church has received God’s saving love and that they were dear to Peter’s heart. Peter takes a fatherly tone as he closes the letter urging them to remember. Notice the three sources in verse 2, “you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.” We see three sources Peter is drawing on: the prophets, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the apostles.
All of them explicitly shared about the promise of judgment. Peter has already highlighted the importance of the Word of God in 2 Peter 1:19–21,
And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
The prophetic word is more fully confirmed than Peter’s own experience because it comes from God. The prophets consistently mention the Day of the Lord in the Scriptures. Here is one example in Zephaniah 1:14–18,
The great day of the LORD is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter;
the mighty man cries aloud there.
A day of wrath is that day,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and devastation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness,
a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements.
I will bring distress on mankind,
so that they shall walk like the blind,
because they have sinned against the LORD;
their blood shall be poured out like dust,
and their flesh like dung.
Neither their silver nor their gold
shall be able to deliver them
on the day of the wrath of the LORD.
In the fire of his jealousy,
all the earth shall be consumed;
for a full and sudden end
he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth. (ESV)
And Jesus made the same predictions. Near the end of his earthly life, Jesus warned his disciples to be ready for the return of the Lord, Matthew 24:42–44; 48-51
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming…Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect…But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And Peter, like the other apostles, are continuing the same message.
Remember the promise of God’s judgment. Why? Because there will be scoffers in the last days. 2 Peter 3:3–4,
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.”
Notice how the scoffers are following their own sinful desires. They are mocking and sneering and belittling the idea of a day of judgment. ‘Nothing has changed,’ they say. ‘It’s all a hoax. Do not listen to all the talk of judgment.’ They scoff at the Day of the Lord because they want to follow their own sinful desires.
Many people say they disagree with the Bible on intellectual grounds, but the real reason for their disbelief is their morality. They want to live in a particular way the Bible doesn’t approve of so they try to change their beliefs to fit their desires. Their motivation is not theological but moral. They change their morality then they change their theology to fit their new morality. Notice what Peter says next, verse 5, “For they deliberately overlook this fact.” They know the truth but choose to ignore it. False teachers often begin their shift away from truth because they ignore the Scriptures. Peter says, ‘Beloved, remember the promise of God: the wicked will be judged and destroyed. 2 Peter 3:5–7
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 earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
Peter reminds the church of two things: The Creation and the Flood. The Word that created the World and the Word that sent the flood is the same Word that has promised a day of judgment. The false teachers deliberately overlook what has happened to ignore what will happen.
Friend, are you overlooking God’s promise of judgment to pacify your conscience so you can continue to live the way you want? Are you following your own sinful desires or are you following the truth? When was the last time you asked yourself, “Should I be living this way?” How have your life choices shifted what you believe?
Beloved, Peter is encouraging the church to persevere against false teachers because they will have their day. Church, stand fast. Remember what the prophets have said, what Jesus has said, and what the apostles have said. The day of judgment is coming. Stay awake and be ready. The ungodly who stand against Christ and his people will perish. Do not join them. Do not listen to their lies. Beloved, remember the promise of God’s judgment.
Beloved, Remember the Promise of God’s Patience
The false teachers deliberately overlooked how the Word created the world and destroyed the world in the flood. Peter does not want the church to do the same. He wants them to remember God’s patience. 2 Peter 3:8–9,
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 wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
The Lord does not view time the way we do. The Lord is eternal. He is timeless. A thousand for an eternal being is like a drop in the ocean, a grain of sand at the beach. The false teachers are attacking God because the world is the same. The promised word has not yet happened so they want people to assume it's not going to happen.
Imagine telling your three year old they are going to Disney world in a year. A year for a 3 year old feels like an eternity. After a month, they are not going to believe you are going anyway. It feels like an empty promise. For a 3 year old a day feels like a year. We are often like that three year old. We have a very hard time waiting and when things do not happen as fast as we wait, we start to believe they are never going to happen.
This is what the false teachers were trying to exploit in the church. Peter reminds us, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” The Lord is waiting to return so that more people will repent and be saved. The false teachers were twisting the patience of God for sinners to exploit people for their greed and evil desires. Peter wants the church to have a biblical worldview on why the Lord is waiting to return. He wants more people to be saved. The Lord desires people to come to him. Hear the words of Jesus in John 10. John 10:11–17,
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.
Jesus laid down this life for the sheep. He laid down in dying for sinners on the cross. Jesus laid down his life so that he could take it up again. He was speaking of his resurrection. Jesus died but was raised from the dead. His resurrection is proof that he is God and He has the power to save all who would come to him in faith. Jesus did not come for the righteous but for sinners. He did not come for the healthy but the sick. He came for those who were not yet in the sheepfold. He said, “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also…So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
Notice how the false teachers were only concerned for themselves and their own sinful desires while Jesus was concerned for those not yet in the fold. Friend, if you are here today and are not a follower of Jesus Christ, let me encourage you with the patience of God. God does not want you to perish. He wants you to have eternal life. But you and I are sinners. We have rebelled against God and followed our own sinful desires. And because of it, we deserve to pay for our rebellion. And the worse news is that it's a debt we can’t pay. This is why Jesus came. He came to save sinners. He came to pay for yours and my rebellion against him. Jesus was raised from the dead and the Bible says, he is seated at the right hand of God waiting to return to usher in his kingdom. But he is waiting because he wants more people to come to him and be saved. Look at the end of verse 9 again, “He is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” God is patient toward you. He doesn’t want you to perish but to live. And the only way to live is to repent; is to turn from your sins and trust in Christ.
Do not twist God’s patience as an excuse to follow and to satisfy your earthly desires. God’s patience is extended to you another day so that you may come to know him. Friend, God wants you to come to him. Repent of your sins and turn to him.
Beloved, Peter is writing this to you. He does not want you to overlook this fact. The Lord has been patient toward you, He is patient toward you, and will be patient toward you. He has saved you, is continuing to purify you and will keep you until the end. And the Lord wants you to remember his patience toward you and his patience towards others. This past Wednesday, we prayed for many of the adult children of our members who have walked away from the Lord. It is good for us to remember God’s patience. Every day the Lord waits to return is another day of his patience toward this world. It is another day someone gets an opportunity to reach repentance and inherit eternal life. Beloved, we all know people in our life who are not walking with the Lord. God is patient with them. God does not want them to perish but to inherit eternal life. Let us persevere in patience. Let us keep trusting. Keep hoping and keep waiting for the Lord to save.
This is why the teaching of the false teachers was so deadly. They wanted to church to live for themselves and their desires and not those who are lost. False teaching so often causes us to focus on ourselves, while true biblical teaching lifts our eyes to others. Beloved, are you taking advantage of the opportunity of the Lord’s patience? Are you sharing the gospel with those who are lost? Are you praying daily for your family and friends who don’t know the Lord? Are you burdened with their eternal state? Or have you been lulled into thinking the Lord’s delay is enabling you to continue to pursue your own selfish desires?
There has been much ink spilled over who are the ‘any’ and the ‘all’ in verse 9. Some have concluded that since God’s desire is not for any to perish and for all to reach repentance then all are saved. That is not the teaching of the Bible or even the teaching of this chapter see verse 7 for the day of judgment will destroy the ungodly. Some have concluded that the ‘any’ and ‘all’ are referring to the ‘you’ which in the context is clearly the ‘beloved’ of verse 8. They read this as, ‘not wishing that any of the elect should perish, but that all the elect should reach repentance.” This is more consistent with the New Testament than the first view. However, I believe a third view is more applicable. The ‘any’ and the ‘all’ in the passage are any and all in the world. God does not desire that any should perish (especially those in the church who have followed the false teachers) but God does desire that all should come to repentance. Theologians have wrestled with the Decreed versus the Revealed will of God. God reveals his desires, but does not always indicate his decrees. Ezekiel 18:30-32 offers a similar sentiment, Ezekiel 18:30–32,
“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”
God wants everyone to turn and live. We can wrestle with these matters, but we cannot miss the point, God does not want you or anyone to perish. So turn and live. Encourage others to turn and live.
We can’t avoid the Day of the Lord. It is coming. The world may want you to believe it will never come, but beloved, remember the promise of God, 2 Peter 3:10,
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.
The day of the Lord will come when you are not expecting it. It will be instantaneous and comprehensive. Two questions, are you prepared for the day of the Lord when your works and beliefs will be exposed? Are you helping others prepare for that day? If we are ready, we should help others get ready to meet the Lord.
Beloved, Remember the Promise of God’s Reward
Godliness is worth it. The end is coming and your righteousness and holiness will be rewarded. 2 Peter 3:11–13,
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 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! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
We will further unpack the new heavens and the new earth next week, but let us focus on one phase as we close, ‘what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness.”
If the gospel is true, and if Jesus lived a perfect life and died a sinner's death, and was raised on the third day and ascended into heaven, then our lives should be governed by the promise of a future reward as we wait for the new heavens and a new earth were righteousness dwells. Only the righteous will be where righteousness dwells. We can only be righteous if we are declared righteous and we can only be declared righteous by the Righteous One, Jesus Christ. And if we are righteous in Christ, we should give ourselves to live in holiness and godliness.
The promise of a future reward is a strong motivation to live differently. We tell our kids they will get dessert if they finish their vegetables. We tell ourselves if we save wisely we can take a nice vacation. The promise of reward is a powerful motivation to live in a particular way. Shouldn’t the promise of reward in receiving new heavens and a new earth, the promise of being with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, for eternity, motivate us to say no to sin and yes to righteousness?
How can you remember? Three simple ways:
His Presence - We need to pray and seek the Lord’s face. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal things to us. We need solitude away from the busyness of life to think and consider all the ways the world is trying to conform us into its image so that we can stand fast and ask the Lord to form us into his image. It is his presence we remember we are the Beloved of God. Chosen and precious in his sight.
His Word - We see the same contrast in this letter as we do in Psalm 1:1–2
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Do not just read the Word, but delight and meditate on it. This is way we avoid scoffers and hold fast to the truth.
His Church - Hebrews 3:12–13, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
We need the church to exhort and remind us of these truths. What Peter did for the church in his day, our elders are trying to do for the church in our day. And it is the church’s job to exhort one another as long as it is called today.
God has made promises. He will judge the wicked, he will save those who trust in him. Beloved, remember the promise of his coming. Let us work to remember his promises and work to live for them.