2 Peter 3:1-10

2 Peter 3:1-10

Remember!

I. Mockers will mock, but God will always be faithful to His Word; so we must remember the sure foundation of God’s Word (Vv. 1-2)

a. Peter stirs his “beloved” up to remember the importance of being founded on God’s Word. The complete provision of hope in the gospel is everything we need for life in a world opposed to God’s Word. We must remember God was faithful to His Word spoken through His prophets. God also spoke thoroughly and clearly through the life, death, and resurrection, of Jesus, so we can trust in His return. The gospel witness of the apostles places a demand on everyone’s life, commanding our complete submission and obedience, and promising perfect grace, forgiveness, and salvation. (Vv. 1-2; Ps. 119:160; Isa. 13:10-13; 24:19-23; 34:1-4; 51:6; 66:15-16; Ezek. 30:3; Dan. 7:9-14; Joel 2:31; Micah 1:3-5; Zeph. 1:14-18; 3:8; Zech. 14:3-5; Mal. 4:1-5; Matt. 16:27; 24:29-30; 25:31-34, 41; Mark 13:3-27; Luke 12:40; John 14:1-4; Acts 1:11; 17:30-31; 1 Cor. 4:5; 15:23-28; 1 Thess. 1:9-10 ; 3:13; 4:14-16; 2 Thess. 1:7-8, 10; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Titus 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:13-16; 2 Pet. 1:2-4; 2:9-12; Jude 17; Rev. 1:7; 16:15; 19:11-16)

II. Mockers will mock, but God will always be faithful to His Word; so we must remember that God’s enemies always attempt to remove the sovereignty of His Word (Vv. 3-4)

a. These false teachers rejected God’s Word because they reasoned that their personal wants and desires were superior to God’s wants and desires for them, not because of intellectual objections to the reality of God. Peter reminds us that in the time between Jesus’ first and second advent, mockers will come. Their objection to Jesus’ return ultimately calls God a powerless liar. By pointing to the fact that time keeps passing by and nothing has happened yet, they try to reduce life to a mechanical series of events and insinuate that God has no control. However, things continue on as they do because God designed them that way and set the laws in place to which these false teachers appeal to in order to deny the truth of God’s Word. (Vv. 3-4; Gen. 8:22; Matt. 24:3-5, 11, 23-26; Acts 20:29-31; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 3:1; Jas. 5:3; Jude 18)

III. Mockers will mock, but God will always be faithful to His Word; so we must remember that God always acts according to His nature and character revealed in His Word (Vv. 5-10)

a. The mocking of mockers is an attempt to deny who God is by denying what He does. But God’s actions testify to who He is, and because He never changes, His past actions testify to what He’ll do in the future. The mockers say that everything is the same as always, so God isn’t going to intervene in the natural order of things. But, they “forget” that God has brought order to chaos and chaos to order multiple times in history. God spoke order from chaos through His creative Word. Then, when the wickedness of humanity became rampant, God judged man through the chaos of the flood. So, it should come as no surprise, that God would justly and finally judge His creation. God’s Word is powerful and certain, so we must trust it. (Vv. 5-7; Gen. 1:1-31; 9:11-17; Deut. 32:22; Ps. 33:9; 75:3; Isa. 30:30; 66:15-16; Ezek. 38:22; Amos 7:4; Zeph. 1:18; Mal. 4:1; Matt. 3:12; Col. 1:17; 2 Thess. 1:7; Heb. 1:3)

b. These false teachers and mockers try to assign human attributes and limitations to God to justify their own lusts. But Peter reminds us that even though we judge things according to time, God doesn’t operate on our calendars, because He transcends time. Further, they questioned whether Jesus could keep His promise, since He hadn’t returned yet. Peter reminds us that the delay in the Lord’s return is born out of His longsuffering love and patient desire to save many as possible through repentant faith in Christ, even these false teachers and mockers. Finally, we’re reminded that no matter who rejects the coming of the Lord or why, He’s coming anyway, and His return will be sudden and unexpected. His full glory will be revealed in His just, permanent, great, and terrible judgment. He’ll come with a loud noise, like fast rushing water. The components of the universe will be dissolved with intense heat. There won’t be any place to hide, all will be laid bare before God, and all our works will be judged as being good or worthless. These false teachers called God a liar to justify their own selfish interests. God is faithful to His Word, which describes the actions that result from His nature and character. He’ll be faithful to hold all who reject Him accountable, but He’ll be equally faithful to eternally preserve all who come to Him in repentant faith through His Son! (Vv. 8-10; Exod. 34:6-7; Numb. 14:18; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:15; 90:4; 103:8-10; 145:8-9; Isa. 34:4; Ezek. 18:32; Joel 2:12-13, 31; Nahum 1:3; Jonah 4:2; Hab. 2:3; Matt. 24:42-44; 25:14-30; Mark 13:31; Acts 2:20; Rom. 2:4; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; 2 Cor. 5:7-10; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 2:3, 9; 1 Thess. 5:2-3; Rev. 3:3; 10:6; 16:15)