Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from 2 Pet. 3. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- What is it that motivates you, that moves and compels you to live life as you are doing? It is an important question, at least to God, for what is inside of us, our reasons and compulsions, are often much more important than what we do.
- You remember the account in the Gospel of Luke, of the poor widow who gave as her offering two small coins of very small value. Yet Jesus asserted that she had given more than all the others. What mattered was not her small offering, but what was in her heart.
- Likewise, you will remember accounts of Pharisees coming to Jesus and appearing to ask Him pious questions – but who were only coming in unbelief to trap Him in His teaching. What was in their heart was of far greater importance than their actions.
- Peter wrote about “what sort of people you ought to be,” but he linked it to a motivation, a motivation based upon “THE RICHNESS OF GOD’S ETERNAL BLESSINGS.” He describes these blessings, and how they impact our lives here and now. He urges us to consider them, to understand them, to grasp their importance, and to then base our life – our priorities, values, and decisions in the reality of what we have and what is coming to us at the end! First, Peter wants us to know and give proper consideration to the fact that:
I. We Currently Live Under God’s Blessing – And Under His Patience
Text: “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.”
A. So We Repent, And Live Each Day In Repentance
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
B. And So We Live By Faith In The Gospel, The Promise And Assurance Of His Forgiveness And Mercy – And We Will Surely Be Saved
John 5:24 “Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears My Word and believes in Him Who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation but has passed from death to life.”
Statement: It is easy for us to forget God’s patience and to begin living as if there will be no end to this present evil world. We can become quite presumptuous in this way, assuming that God does not really care that much about how we are living, or what we are thinking, or our impact on others around us. Then our compulsion for doing things becomes our own self-interest, our selfishness, and perhaps our greed and pride. We may still do externally good things, but it is likely that they will feed an unseemly arrogance within us. This makes it much more likely that we will drift into impenitence, and if left to develop long enough it may even destroy our faith in Jesus.
Application: So Peter reminds us that we are not living because of our righteousness and goodness but rather because of God’s patience. And he reminds us that God’s patience is not intended to give us enough time to develop a case of self-righteous hypocrisy and arrogance, but rather that we should “reach repentance.” Unfortunately, our sinful nature and the evil influence of the world [which often reaches into the life of the church], strongly believes that our main responsibility, task, and purpose in life is to paint an external picture in our behavior that justifies such arrogance and self-righteousness, and that this is what we are to encourage others to do. And then we wonder why the world despises the church – when there is more integrity among unbelievers than is apparent within the church!
Transition: So let us take care to heed the words of Peter, and to contemplate their import and force in our lives, for Peter assures us that:
II. Even Greater Blessings Are Coming
A. The Destruction Of This Sin-Cursed Universe
Text: “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 heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!”
B. Then God Will Make New Heavens And A New Earth – A Place Of Righteousness
Text: “But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
Statement: Even the unbelieving recognize the probability of some cosmic disaster destroying the earth and the world we know and live in. This is the topic of many programs on the “Nature” channel and the “History” channel, and the theme of many science-fiction productions. It almost seems as if there is an inherent knowledge in human beings that resonates to such presentations. The destruction, that is, but not God’s prominent part in it, and not the new heavens and new earth “in which righteousness dwells.” This is reserved for believers alone, those who know and believe the love that God has for us, those who have been reborn to a life of repentance and faith in God, and who have been informed by His Word.
Application: So, have you learned? And have you incorporated what God’s Word teaches about these matters into your own heart and mind, and so also in your internal priorities and make-up? Do you live each day remembering what is coming, and even looking forward to it? But this is extremely important to us and to our life of repentance, faith, and devotion to God – so that we do not set our hearts and minds on our sinful desires and the accumulation of the things of this world, but rather on love and God’s will and what is truly good and right. And this is Peter’s main point, that:
III. As People Who Believe We Will Receive All Of These Blessings By God’s Grace, Our Lives Are Changed
A. We Now Pursue Holiness And Godliness Out Of Gratitude To God
Text: “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people out you to be in lives of holiness and godliness?”
B. And We Trust God’s Promises And Eagerly Await The Fulfillment Of These Things
Text: “Waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God.”
Text: “But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”
Statement: So the proper motivation that God wills for us to have, is found in a renewed heart and mind which is based in His gracious love and mercy with full faith and trust in His Word. It is a life filled with humble and repentant joy in His present blessings and one that is lived in eager expectation of even greater blessings to come. This is the foundation, and the result is a life of holiness and godliness, of righteousness and peace.
Application: God is interested in what is within us, and creating a new heart and mind within us. This keeps us safe in repentance and faith, and firm in our transformation into His image. It is all part of “THE RICHNESS OF GOD’S ETERNAL BLESSINGS.” This is the life of faith and discipleship to which we are called, an eternal life of peace with God and joy in God.
Conclusion: Pity the superficial hypocrisy of those who merely act like Christians but are pursuing the wretched dynamics of their sinful flesh – selfishness, greed, pride, and arrogance. Pity them – and remove yourself as far from this wretchedness as you can. Focus instead on “THE RICHNESS OF GOD’S ETERNAL BLESSINGS,” what you have even now by God’s grace and patience, and what is coming to you. Then you will remain in the very heart of God! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.