2 Pet. 3:1-10 SOMETHING YOU CAN TAKE TO THE BANK

Intro: There aren't too many things in this old world that you can actually count on. However, the promises of God are some things that we can, Heb. 6:18. Take, for instance, the last recorded promises in the bible from the lips of the Lord Jesus, Rev. 22:20. In this verses, Jesus make it crystal clear that He is going to return to this world. Most folk refuse to accept this truth as fact, but that doesn't change a thing! Jesus said that He was coming again, and He will! You can take that to the bank! All me to share with you 3 reasons from this 3^rd chapter of 2^nd Peter that give me absolute assurance of the fact that Jesus is coming again.

I. V. 1-2 THE ASSURANCE OF THE SCRIPTURES

(Ill. Peter speaks of the Word of God in verse 2 and calls it to witness to this great truth.)

A. The Bible Is A Perfect Book - 2 Tim. 3:16 It is the absolutely perfect revelation of God's will to mankind. You can count on the Word of God! Therefore when something is written in the Bible, you can consider it forever settled - Psa. 119:89.

B. The Bible Is A Prophetic Book - Throughout the Bible, there are prophecies presented and fulfilled, over and over again. In fact, there were over 300 prophecies given in connection with the first advent of Jesus, and all of those 300+ prophecies were literally fulfilled. (i.e. His virgin birth - Isa. 7:14; His birth in Bethlehem - Micah 5:2; His humiliation and death - Isa. 53; His resurrection - Psalm 16:10, etc.) The Bible is a book of prophetic content!

(Ill. The New Testament speaks of many different matters. We all know how important the notion of the New Birth is, but did you know that it is only mentioned 9 times in the New Testament? We Baptists are big on baptism, but it is only mentioned 20 times in the new Testament. Even the great doctrine of repentance is only confronted 70 times in the New Testament. However, in the 27 book of the New Testament, which is divided into 4 categories: Historical, Pauline Epistles, General Epistles, and Prophetic, there are over 380 references to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Somehow, I get the impression that it is an important doctrine to the Lord! After all, He devotes 1 out of every 25 verses in the New Testament to the Second Coming. Some of those prophetic passages are: John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thes. 4:16-18.)

C. The Bible Is A Preserved Book - every word in this Book will literally come to pass. God will see to it that none of His Words fall to the ground, Isa. 55:11. He will see that it gets the job done - Matt. 5:18; 1 Pet. 1:25; Rom. 4:21. Even the parts about the Second Coming!

I. The Assurance Of The Scriptures

II. V. 3-7, 10 THE IGNORANCE OF THE SCOFFERS

A. V. 4 Their Doubt - They deny the reality of Christ's coming. Their reasoning? Nothing has changed! Spring still follows winter, summer spring and fall summer. All things continue as they have for ages. (Ill. They fail to realize that God is not bound by time as men are. In truth, Jesus has only been gone about 2 days, v. 9.)

(Ill. If you dare to declare that you believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible you had better be prepared for ridicule. People think that we old fashioned fundamental Bible believing Baptists are crazy. They kind of smile at us as if to say, "It'll be all right! One day you will be enlightened like the rest of us." Others believe that we are a dangerous element. Some would like nothing better for all Bible believers to be locked away from the rest of "normal" society. Ill. I may be a nut, but at least I am screwed onto the right bolt.)

B. V. 4-5 Their Denial - These scoffers base their doubt on their denial of God's revealed truth. It begins with something so basic as creation. Men deny creation, which is testified to by the Scriptures, then from there, it is easy to deny everything else God says. If the first 11 chapters of Genesis are not true, then nothing in the bible is worthy of our faith.

(Ill. Regardless of what the scoffers say, the world did not come about as the result of a big bang. Man, and the animal kingdom, did not evolve from some sort of primordial soup. We are not the offspring of some germ placed here by traveling space aliens. God made this universe by the very Word which He spoke - Genesis 1 - 11 times there is the phrase, "and God said..." No, this world did not come in with a bang, but it is going out with one!)

(Ill. God help this foolish society which had been tricked into believing the devil's lie! Unless children learn the truth at home and at church, they have no hope! For, if the evolutionists are right, then you might as well live for the devil, have a big time and live it up, because when you die you're just like the dogs. You simply cease to exist. Well, that is what they wish was the truth.)

C. V. 4-7 The Discovery - Why are men so quick to deny the plain teachings of the Scriptures? Why do they seem so eager to invent fables to explain away truths that are so clearly taught in the pages of Scripture? Simple! The problem is not one of the head, but it is one of the heart. It isn't that they can't understand, it is that they do not wish to. Notice verse 5, "willingly ignorant", verse 3, "walking after their own lusts." If man admits that there really is a God and that this God has given us a perfect revelation of Himself in the bible, then he will have to bow before God, repent of His sins and submit to God or be eternally damned! You see, if you can dispense with "Thus saith the Lord", then there are no absolutes, there are no standards of right and wrong and nothing is off limits! (i.e. abortion, homosexuality, free sex, drunkenness, drugs, etc, all become all right if there is no God.) That is why we have the doctrine of evolution! There is no basis of scientific fact behind it! Man is simply looking for a way around the clear cut teachings found in the Bible. Because, if we admit that there is a God, then verse 10 must be dealt with, for if there is a holy and righteous God, then there must also be a great day of reckoning!

(Ill. The Elements - Literally, "the elementum" the "smallest part." In modern terms: the atom! Atomic power is all around us this evening. Even the very breaths we take are filled with highly flammable and explosive gases. The water, which covers 75% of this earth's surface is composed of gases so explosive and volatile that any molecular change would result in the total destruction of the planet.

a. Oxygen - Oxygen is required for all combustion. It is what fire feeds on. Take away the oxygen and the fire dies, turn it on and the fire flares. Yet, with every breath, we pull this highly explosive material into our bodies.

b. Nitrogen - Nitrogen is the component that makes dynamite, TNT and nitroglycerin explosive. Yet, every day we gulp massive quantities of nitrogen in the air we breath. Cannot the same God who made these elements and combined them in such a way that they do not explode, also change the mixture and cause them to explode? Of course He can!

c. Table Salt - It is 1/3 Sodium. Sodium by itself is a gray, putty like substance. It must be kept in kerosene or it will explode. If a drop is placed in water, it will result in a violent fire. Yet, we eat it every day!

d. Water - It is composed of Oxygen and Hydrogen. Both extremely explosive, yet combined in a manner that makes them safe. All God has to do is speak the Word and the chemical arrangement is altered and the world a huge fuel dump. Yet, we drink this life giving substance every day.

e. The Atom - When the atom is split, a change reaction is set in motion that has the power to level cities and vaporize men. Yet, we are all made up of atoms.

f. The Earth - The earth has been compared to a globular egg with a hard crust covering a semi-liquid center. In scale, the earth's crust is the same thickness of a egg's shell when compared to the vast sea of lava under it. There have been times when this lava has burst forth and killed thousands. Yet, we walk on this thin crust every day and trust in the safety of the earth.

(Ill. V. 7 - "reserved unto fire" = "reserved with fire." In the very building blocks of creation God placed the elements essential to bring about a fiery end to this world. Could not the God who made this world also cause it to burn? Certainly!)

(Ill. The world was created in the beginning and it will be cremated in the end! In that day, all that will matter is your personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ! Because as bad as the thought that this world will ultimately be destroyed is, the reality of an eternity in Hell is infinitely worse!)

(Ill. Just let the scoffers have their day. It doesn't change the fact that Jesus will come again! You can take that to the bank!)

I. The Assurance Of The Scriptures

II. The Ignorance Of The Scoffers

III. V. 8-9 THE PATIENCE OF THE SAVIOR

A. God Is Punctual - He isn't slack, or tardy as others would be. God is a God of order and of punctuality. He will come when the time is exactly right for doing so. Men look at the delay and wonder why Jesus hasn't come. The answer is easy! It simply isn't time. When it is time, He will come. He will not tarry then, but will come swiftly and will judge decisively. God always shows up exactly when He is supposed to!

B. God Is Patient - "Longsuffering" = "Long Tempered" The reason God tarries is because He is giving lost men and women time to repent and to turn to Him. God doesn't want anyone to die lost and to go to Hell. He wants all men to be saved so that they can spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Therefore, He waits and He loves and He calls and He gives mankind opportunity after opportunity to get right with Him.

(Ill. Thank God for His patience in allowing me and you to get in!)

(Ill. One day, God's patience will be exhausted, and He will return to this earth. Then, it will be too late to repent, but there will be nothing more to look forward to but an eternity in Hell! Ill. Heb. 10:26-27! Therefore, please do not presume upon the patience and grace of God. One day, there will be no more time - Gen. 6:3)

C. God Has Promised - He will come again, just as He said He would. I am of the conviction that this coming will be in 2 stages. First, He will appear in the clouds and catch away His Bride and take her away to Heaven, 1 Thes. 4:16-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-52. Then, after a seven year period of tribulation here on the earth, I believe that Jesus Himself will return in great glory and will defeat the armies of the Anti-Christ and will establish His throne from which He will rule and reign for a thousand years, Rev. 19:11-21. Whatever the sequence of events, the primary response from man needs to be that man readies himself for that hour - Matt. 24:44.

(Ill. Jesus is coming again, and you can take that to the bank!)

Conc: With all this in mind, are you ready to meet Him? If not, I'd sure get ready! When we hear a message like this, it ought to make lost people realize the terrible danger they are in and cause them to run to Christ in repentance. It ought to stir the hearts of God's people and make us want to get as close to Jesus as we can get so that in the time remaining, we might be used by Him to touch this world. There are multitudes all around us who have never received Jesus as their Savior. You might be the one to reach them. Now, let's search our hearts and if there are issues that need to be settled, let's bring them to Jesus and get right for the flight. Because, Jesus is coming, you can take that to the bank!

Sermon By Alan Carr