Sermon: FAQ on the Return of the Lord – 2 Peter 3:1–10 (9/27/26)
Introduction
Scripture
Turn in your Bibles to 2 Peter 3.
A Word about Next Week's Schedule Change
New Schedule
8:30
Summit Worship #1
9:45
Sunday School for all ages...
11:00
Celebration Worship
Summit Worship #2
Celebration Announcement
How we chose the 11:00 hour for Celebration Worship...
Once we knew our best two worship hours were 8:30 and 11:00...
We got good input from many of you...
We looked around Nacogdoches to see what time the majority of people worshipped in other faithful churches...
It was 11:00.
So, that is what we landed on.
If that is not the very best schedule, we will look at it again.
But I'm very excited for us all to be worshiping together from 11:00 to 12:15 next Sunday!
8:30 parking request and plea...
Summit Announcement
8:30 parking request and plea...
If you come for the 8:30 service next week, there will be PLENTY of parking!
But that is not necessarily a good thing.
The problem is going to happen when people arrive for the 9:45 Sunday School and all of the young people have taken all of the close and convenient parking places.
If you are able bodied, please drop off your family and park as far away from the church as you can next week.
That will not seem necessary at 8:15 next Sunday morning...
But it will be by 9:30!
Message Introduction
When you see the evil in this world, do you ever wonder...
“Why hasn’t the Lord done something about this?”
Peter tells us that God WILL act.
He also explains why God is waiting.
And before we finish, we may find ourselves deeply thankful that he has waited.
Look with me at 2 Peter 3.
Scripture
2 Peter 3.1 | Dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you; in both letters, I want to stir up your sincere understanding by way of reminder, (CSB)
Dear friends...
ἀγαπητοί, "beloved"
A term of deep endearment...
People who are loved...
This is one of Peter's favorite words...
Second letter...
The first was likely 1 Peter.
Reminder...
2 Peter 1.13 | I think it is right, as long as I am in this bodily tent, to wake you up with a reminder, (CSB)
2 Peter 3.2 | so that you recall the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles. (CSB)
Here Peter gives us a window into the doctrine of Scripture.
He answers the question of what is authoritative Scripture...
Words previously spoken by the holy prophets...
The Old Testament...
The command of our Lord and Savior...
This was an idiom referring to the gospel and the words of Christ...
Given through your apostles...
God's message through the Apostles...
At the end of 2 Peter 3, he gives us more help on this subject...
Scripture
2 Peter 3.15 | Also, regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. (CSB)
2 Peter 3.16 | He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some things hard to understand in them. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures. (CSB)
Peter commends Paul and his writings...
And he puts Paul's writings in the Scripture category...
As they also do with the rest of the Scriptures...
2 Peter 3.3 | Above all, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days scoffing and following their own evil desires, (CSB)
The last days...
The time between the resurrection of Christ and the return of the Lord...
We are living in the last days.
Scoffers...
False teachers who we have been talking about...
And those who ridicule and dismiss the truth...
Scoffers will... scoff...
So do not be...
Surprised...
Discouraged...
2 Peter 3.4 | saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” (CSB)
One thing scoffers scoff about is the return of Christ.
They love to ridicule biblical Christians who embrace and proclaim the promised return of Christ.
They say...
"He has not come. So, that means he is not coming!"
Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation...
Now, sometimes Christians invite the world's ridicule by proclaiming UNBIBLICAL and FANTASTIC predictions of when Christ will return.
Many of you have heard these crazy prophecy sermons or read these crazy prophecy books...
Crazies...
Edgar Whisenant books...
Eighty-Eight Reasons Jesus Will Return in 1988, Edgar Whisenant
The Final Shout: Rapture Report 1989, Edgar Whisenant
23 Reasons Why a Pre-Tribulation Rapture Looks Like It Will Occur on Rosh-Hashanah 1993, Edgar Whisenant
Hal Lindsey...
Harold Camping...
Similar but maybe to a little lesser degree...
Tim LaHaye...
John Hagee and his Four Blood Moons...
Chuck Smith and 1981...
Let us be clear right now and then we will expand on some of this...
1. The Lord is coming back.
2. The Lord's return is imminent.
Imminent means it could happen or begin to happen at any time.
3. No one knows the day or even the year, decade, generation, or century.
God has not given us a date to calculate.
The times and seasons belong to the Father.
Acts 1.7 | He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. (CSB)
4. Peter models how to live in this tension.
On one hand...
Peter lived like the Lord might return any moment.
On the other hand...
Peter anticipated that Christ would not return before Peter's life came to end unconnected with the return of Christ.
2 Peter 1.13 | I think it is right, as long as I am in this bodily tent, to wake you up with a reminder, (CSB)
2 Peter 1.14 | since I know that I will soon lay aside my tent, as our Lord Jesus Christ has indeed made clear to me. (CSB)
2 Peter 1.15 | And I will also make every effort so that you are able to recall these things at any time after my departure. (CSB)
More on this next week...
So, we must ignore two groups...
Ignore the scoffing scoffers...
Those who ridicule the coming of the Lord...
Ignore the presumptuous predictors...
Those who try to predict the timing of the coming of the Lord...
2 Peter 3.5 | They deliberately overlook this: By the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water. (CSB)
2 Peter 3.6 | Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded. (CSB)
Many suggest that God would never bring judgment on the wide world...
Peter says...
Just look to history!
They deliberately overlook this...
Notice that this ignorance is willful.
Sometimes people are ignorant of the truth because they have not heard it.
Sometimes people are ignorant of the truth because they want to be ignorant of the truth.
2 Peter 3.7 | By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. (CSB)
The day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly...
I believe this refers to end-time events.
You might ask which end-time event?
The rapture of the church...
The tribulation...
The return of Christ...
Armageddon...
Hold that question.
Peter is speaking of God’s final judgment.
His point here is its certainty, not a timetable of end-time events.
Creation is not careening randomly toward catastrophe.
It is being preserved for an appointed divine purpose.
2 Peter 3.8 | Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. (CSB)
This is an allusion to Psalm 90.4...
Psalm 90.4 | For in your sight a thousand years are like yesterday that passes by, like a few hours of the night. (CSB)
With the Lord one day is like a thousand years...
This is a simile, an analogy, a comparison...
He is not giving of a mathematical equivalency.
He is saying...
God's relationship to time is fundamentally different from ours.
When people say about the delayed return of the Lord...
"It has been a long time."
Well, long according to whose clock?
2 Peter 3.9 | The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. (CSB)
The Lord does not delay his promise...
God has a plan that has not and will not be DELAYED or DERAILED.
With God, a PROMISE IS A PROMISE!
Patient with you...
What may look like DELAY is really PATIENCE.
What is the Lord's patience?
Peter mentions the Lord's patience again in 2 Peter 3.15.
2 Peter 3.15 | Also, regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. (CSB)
Patient means to wait without agitation.
I like the old word we seldom use today: longsuffering.
The Lord desires a certain outcome and he is happy to give sufficient time for that outcome to take place.
What is the outcome?
Not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance...
Of all of the things about the Lord we should be thankful for, his patience should be near the top of the list!
How long did the Lord wait for you to repent and turn to him?
Longer than you deserved!
How many times did you sin and God withheld judgment to give you a chance to repent?
More than you deserved!
Or is the Lord still waiting for you?
2 Peter 3.10 | But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.(CSB)
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief...
The Lord is patient, but there is a day that will be ONE DAY PAST HIS PATIENCE.
Not because God finally gets too irritated...
But God has a clock and a calendar and a plan.
Jesus explained this thief analogy in Matthew 24...
Matthew 24.42 | Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.(CSB)
Matthew 24.43 | But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. (CSB)
Matthew 24.44 | This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (CSB)
The day of the Lord comes like a thief in that it will happen without CLEAR WARNING or PARTICULAR EXPECTATION.
We do not peer out the peep hole waiting to see a thief and then lock the door just before he gets to the house.
No.
We lock the door before there is any particular sign of the coming thief.
On that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed...
So, to what aspect of end time events does this passage point?
Clearly it points to something that will be somewhat of a surprise.
Come like a thief...
Clearly it points to something that will be cataclysmic for the heavens and the earth.
The elements will burn and be dissolved...
I believe Peter is pointing here not to a particular point in the chronology of end-time events.
I believe he is pointing to all of the events.
We will see his application next week as we begin our message in 2 Peter 3.11.
Imagine looking at a mountain range from a distance...
How far are away are the mountains?
Well maybe 10 miles...
And 12 miles...
And 18 miles...
So you say, "We will be to the mountains in 10 miles."
That is how Peter deals with the end times.
FAQ on the Lord's Return
I have identified three frequently asked questions about the Lord's return that Peter answers in these ten verses.
There will be more to say in the next few verses next week...
But these three questions are important and an important first step.
I. Why should we believe the Lord will return?
Peter said some will scoff at the return of the Lord.
2 Peter 3.3 | Above all, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days scoffing and following their own evil desires, (CSB)
2 Peter 3.4 | saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” (CSB)
So, why should we believe it and expect it?
Two reasons...
God has intervened before.
Some believe...
God is hands off...
Too lenient or loving to judge...
But history says something different...
Flood
2 Peter 3.5 | They deliberately overlook this: By the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water. (CSB)
2 Peter 3.6 | Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded.(CSB)
Other judgments
God has promised to act again.
Scripture
Acts 1.11 | They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.” (CSB)
Some people want to embrace the encouragements and maybe some moral and ethical advice of Scripture, but reject things like the end of the world and the judgment of God.
But the promise of the return of Christ is an integral part of all of God's word, the message of Christ, and the teaching of the apostles.
2 Peter 3.2 | so that you recall the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles. (CSB)
Notice how 2 Peter 3.7 begins...
By the same word...
2 Peter 3.7 | By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. (CSB)
The same word that brought the world into existence and initiated the flood...
Is the same word that promises the coming judgment.
II. Why does the Lord’s return matter?
Peter presents the Lord's return as a critical matter.
2 Peter 3.7 | By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. (CSB)
2 Peter 3.10 | But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. (CSB)
Why is this so important?
A. History is going somewhere.
Scripture
2 Peter 3.10 | But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. (CSB)
We build our lives around things we assume will always be here.
Peter says the very heavens and earth will not remain as they are.
If even the world beneath our feet is temporary, we had better take seriously what God says about eternity.
B. Evil will not go unanswered forever.
Scripture
2 Peter 3.7 | By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. (CSB)
For those suffering injustice, God has not forgotten.
For those practicing evil, God has not given permission.
For every listener, God’s judgment is personal.
C. The present opportunity to repent will not last forever.
Scripture
2 Peter 3.9 | The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. (CSB)
2 Peter 3.10 | But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. (CSB)
You may be planning to get right with God someday.
But you do not control...
How many days you have...
Whether your heart will still desire to be right with God at some later date...
Hebrews 3.12 | Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. (CSB)
Hebrews 3.13 | But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. (CSB)
You cannot assume that the opportunity you have today will always be available.
III. What does the Lord’s apparent delay teach us about him?
Quick answer...
God knowingly and willingly withholds deserved judgment to give sinners opportunity to repent.
Scripture
2 Peter 3.9 | The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. (CSB)
The patience of the Lord does not mean what you probably think it means.
It is not...
It is not a pleasant temperament...
It is not a counterbalance to his holiness and justice...
Nahum 1.3 | The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will never leave the guilty unpunished. His path is in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust beneath his feet. (CSB)
It is not uncertainty or hesitation...
His patience is different from ours.
My patience is often based on IGNORANCE...
Often I seem patient because I do not really know the whole story.
If I really knew everything someone was doing or thinking, I might not be nearly as patient.
God has no such ignorance.
He knows everything.
He knows every action...
He knows every thought...
He knows every motive...
He fully understand what he endures...
His patience never rests on an underestimate of evil.
And yet, God is patient.
My patience is often fueled by me becoming ACCUSTOMED to the sin or the problem...
Some things no longer bother me because over time bad stuff does not seem so bad to me.
I become calloused or even approving of evil...
This is not true with God.
God's patience is not because he compromises...
The evil never becomes less evil to him.
He never becomes accustomed to sin.
Psalm 50.21 | You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But I will rebuke you and lay out the case before you. (CSB)
My patience is often the product of my EXHAUSTION...
Sometimes I am patient because I just do not have the physical and emotional energy to continue to oppose and to struggle with sin or sinful people.
God never grows tired of championing what is right and true.
God never relents in exhaustion or frustration.
Isaiah 40.28 | Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding. (CSB)
God always holds the absolute power and prerogative to execute judgment and right all wrongs.
My patience is often INVOLUNTARY...
Sometimes I do not really have any other choice than to be patient with someone's sin.
Maybe I do not have the power or authority to address the situation.
Maybe the personal cost of taking a stand would be too great.
In the business world...
Maybe we overlook an employee's misconduct because we do not have a good replacement.
Maybe we show "patience" to a boss or company because we do not have another job opportunity.
God always has a choice.
He is subject to no higher authority.
He needs no one's...
Help...
Approval...
Cooperation...
My patience is often PASSIVE...
Sometimes instead of confronting a problem, I just ignore it.
You might call it patience, but it is really AVOIDANCE.
But look at God's patience.
It is active not passive.
When God is patient with me, a sinner, not only does he withhold judgment, but he blesses me in my rebellion and in a sense gives me what I need to continue my rebellion.
But God continues to support me and give me the capacity to sin while he is patient with me.
God continues to give us good gifts even while we misuse those gifts to sin against him.
We use the breath he gives us to speak against him.
We use the strength he supplies to disobey him.
We take the blessings that should move us to gratitude and turn them into instruments of rebellion.
One of the most amazing verses in God's word is Hosea 2.8...
Hosea 2.8 | She does not recognize that it is I who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the fresh oil. I lavished silver and gold on her, which they used for Baal. (CSB)
Long story short...
Israel was worshipping the pagan god, Baal.
God was patient with Israel waiting for them to repent and return to him.
And his patience was so incredible, he even supplied the blessings to Israel that he knew they would use in pagan worship.
That is active patience!
So the Lord's patience is not...
Based on ignorance...
Fueled by becoming accustomed to sin...
Product of exhaustion...
Involuntary...
Or passive...
What should the Lord's patience prompt in us?
Thank him for his patience toward you.
Without the Lord's undeserved patience you would never have had a chance to repent.
Paul did exactly this!
1 Timothy 1.15 | This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. (CSB)
1 Timothy 1.16 | But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. (CSB)
Trust God's justice when patience is difficult for you.
Sometimes we are frustrated because it seems the ungodly are prospering and gaining influence.
On a world or nation level...
But also in our personal lives...
Let us remember God's patience.
God is showing them patience because he loves them.
At his appointed time, God will bring the judgment he has patiently withheld.
The timing of his patience was right in our lives.
It will be right and just in the world as well.
Show patience toward others.
When we are frustrated with those around you...
We often assume they will never change...
We often judge their actions as the final verdict on who they are...
We often neglect to really love them...
Perhaps we should think of how the Lord could have done all of the same to us...
The Lord knew exactly how to show us undeserved patience.
Respond to his patience with repentance.
The kindness of God's patience is intended to lead you to repentance.
Romans 2.4 | Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? (CSB)
Romans 2.5 | Because of your hardened and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed. (CSB)
Conclusion
God knows every sin.
He hates every sin.
He has the power to judge every sin.
Yet here you are, still receiving his kindness and hearing his invitation to repent.
What will you do with the patience God is showing you?