The Debbie Taylor Williams Podcast

Debbie Taylor Williams: Today we're looking at 2 Peter 3, and it is packed with incredible words pertinent to us. Let me begin by asking, have you ever gone on a trip, and before you left, you put someone in charge of your children, business, or maybe your pets? More than likely, you left instructions. You gave a heads-up about potential issues or problems that might arise. You gave information about your return.

That's what Peter is doing in chapter 3. The big fisherman who has become fisher of men for the Lord says Jesus is coming back and we're to be ready. Let's read 2 Peter 3. Pay attention to and maybe jot down the words that are most important to you or that you want to pass along to others.

Guest (Male): Beginning in 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 1, Peter writes and he says, "This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder," he keeps using these words, reminder and stirring up, verse 2, "that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.' For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word, God's word, the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day." In verse 9 he says, "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."

Verse 11, he writes and he says, "Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat?

Verse 13, "But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells." He then says in verse 14, "Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you."

He says in verse 16, which I appreciate, he says, "as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Verse 17, "You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge," there are those words again that he began with, "grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." And would you say amen with me?

Debbie Taylor Williams: This is not your children's Sunday school lesson. Do you agree? In verses 1 and 2, we can't help but notice the tender way that Peter continues to address believers as beloved children. He will close his letter with the same tenderness in verses 17 through 18. What is on Peter's heart? He tells us. It's of great importance that we not fall asleep at the wheel in our daily Christian walk. Peter's intention, God's intention, is to stir us up, get us to think, help us remember. The word stir up means arouse, awaken.

Let me ask, have you ever been driving and suddenly you realize you've been on autopilot? You wonder, did I stop at that stop sign? How did I get through this street light? You drive from home to work or from home to the grocery store without even thinking about it. Or maybe you've missed a turn when you were traveling because you were talking and enjoying the scenery and missed the turn-off altogether. It can happen when we're driving, and it can happen in our spiritual walk. Wake up, Peter says. Pay attention to what's going on in the world, our nation, and closer to home, in our attitude and in our own mindset, in our relationship with the Lord. Are we remaining true to Him?

Remember the words spoken by the holy prophets, Peter tells us. Remember Jesus' commandments, that we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength, and our neighbor as ourself. Peter calls us to do a check-up, to pay attention to our spiritual condition. Has our love for the Lord grown cold? Are we more culturally tolerant than we are Christ-faithful followers? We do well to pay attention.

Why? Peter addresses four important points. In verses 3 through 6, he talks about the characteristics of mockers. In verses 7 through 12, he talks about the day of the Lord, and in verses 11 through 18, what kind of people we should be. Let's begin with verses 1 through 5 that we just read about where Peter warns us that mockers will come. Your Bible may say scoffers. First of all, he says it's predictable that scoffers will come. He writes the fact is friends, they have already come. Scoffers and mockers have always been here. Proverbs 14:9 warns, "Fools mock at sin." Do you recall in Genesis, Satan mocked that God had told them they couldn't eat of the forbidden tree? "Oh, surely you will not die." In Matthew 27:19, Jesus foretold that mockers would mock Him and crucify Him, which they did.

What are the characteristics of mockers? Peter points out four. In verse 3, he states that mockers will follow after their own lust, or your Bible may say follow their own sinful desires. They mock Christianity because it doesn't fit their lifestyle. Know anybody like that? They want to have sex with who they want. They don't want to be told what to do. They don't want a Lord over them. Their motto is, "My body, my life, my right, my choice." They have to say there is no God. Jesus isn't Lord because they don't want Him to be their Lord. They want to be their own Lord. Jude 18 and 19 adds to this and he says, "These are the ones who cause divisions, they're worldly minded, they're devoid of the Spirit." They do not have the Holy Spirit.

A second thing that Peter points out is in verse 4. He says that when they mock, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the creation, it has been just the way it has always been, it continues just the same." He brings out the second point about them. He says they are frightfully arrogant. Jesus said He is returning in glory and will recompense every man according to his deed. Matthew 16:27. They are arrogant, and three, they are just flat wrong, as Peter explains in verses 5 and 6. These mockers, they are just wrong. All has not continued as it was from the beginning. God has already brought judgment on the earth one time with a flood. He's bringing it again, Peter says, in a few verses, but with fire. So they are wrong. All things haven't continued just as they were from the beginning.

And fourth, mockers are willfully ignorant, as verses 5 and 6 point out. They dig in their heels and maintain the earth evolved, not that God formed it. They can't say where the first matter came from, but they just say it just happened. That's harder to believe than that there is a God.

Next, in verses 7 through 12, Peter moves to the serious topic of how God will judge the world again. Both spirit-inspired Old Testament prophets and New Testament authors refer to this time period of God's judgment as the day of the Lord, which is considered to not be limited to 24 hours but does also include a final 24-hour day. These are important facts to know about the day of the Lord.

In verses 7 and 13, Peter tells us concerning the day of the Lord that our present heavens and earth are being reserved. Reserved for what? Reserved for a fiery day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people. God used the flood, as we've mentioned, to judge the world the first time, and He's using fire the second time. Numerous scriptures refer to this. For instance, Revelation 21:1 says our heaven and earth will be destroyed and replaced. Scripture says, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away and there is no longer any sea."

Why would God need or want to destroy our beautiful earth? Because it's been affected by man's sin. Romans 8:22 states, "For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now." Just like we long to be free of our earthly sin-ridden, diseased bodies, the earth does too. The new creation will be like Eden, where Jesus is again in our midst. Isaiah 65:17 says, "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind." Doesn't that sound wonderful? No hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, volcanoes, or other natural disasters. No pollen, disease, infections, cancers. It does sound good.

Second, in verse 10, we learn that the day of the Lord will come like a thief. 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 2 through 6, address the day of the Lord coming like a thief.

Guest (Male): And the passage says, "For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying 'Peace and safety!' then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night or darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober."

Debbie Taylor Williams: Peter later refers to Paul's writing, saying some of these things are hard to understand. I agree, don't you? In the same way that the Holy Spirit inspired Old Testament prophets to foretell that a virgin would bear God's Son and He would be our Savior, there was no way that they could understand how a girl could give birth to a baby without being impregnated by a man. And today, we look at some of these prophecies and we wonder, "Well, how could all of this be?" And we are not able to see today how this new heaven and new earth will come about and this heaven and this earth will be destroyed. But the prophecy inspired is true. When the scripture says that He is going to come to earth again as King, He is, this second time.

What more does Peter tell us about the day of the Lord? Well, third, in verse 10, he tells us the heavens will pass away with a roar. It's going to be loud, more thunderous than we can imagine. And in verse 12, he adds the heavens will be destroyed by burning. The fourth point he tells us is that the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, so much, verse 12 says, they will melt. The earth will be burned up. Works of the earth will be burned up: buildings, spaceships, homes, banks, universities, clubs, cars, planes, factories, skyscrapers—you name it, gone. Wait, why is all this happening? Because the earth is filled with sin and sinful man, and the day of the Lord is a day of reckoning, God reckoning with our evil world.

So, why is God waiting? Why hasn't Jesus already returned? It's been almost 2,000 years, right? Well, Peter points out in our calculation, it's been around 2,000 years since the time of Christ. But to God, he says it's been like two days. He explains in verse 8, "Do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day." Okay, but why the wait? Why doesn't Jesus come? It's a good question. When Jesus comes, He's coming as reigning eternal King. He's coming as Judge, not like the first time, a suffering servant. He's coming with the armies of heaven.

John, who was given a revelation of the day of the Lord, writes in Revelation 19, 11 through 16, about His return.

Guest (Male): He says in this passage, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war." Verse 12 continues the description of Jesus. "His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.

From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, 'KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'"

Debbie Taylor Williams: You better be with Him, not against Him, because it's too late at this point to say, "I was wrong." Judgment is already taking place, friends. The question: why hasn't Jesus already come? Or why doesn't Jesus come now and stop all the crazy killings and abuse and violence? It's answered in verses 9 and 15. Jesus loves you and He wants you to bow your knee before Him now, confess He is Lord, repent, turn from your sin, and walk with Him.

2 Peter 3 answers the question: why hasn't Jesus come? "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness. He's patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:15 answers the question: why hasn't Jesus come? It says, "Regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as also our beloved Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you." So our fifth point regarding the day of the Lord is the Lord does not wish for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance, and that is why He has not come yet.

What does repentance even mean? It's an alteration or a change of our mind that results in an alteration of our heart. 2 Corinthians 7:10 helps us understand what genuine repentance is. It tells us, "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death." In other words, genuine repentance is recognizing you are a sinner when placed in God's light, and realizing the consequences of your sin, that it is not only damaging to you but also to others.

It leads us to confess, "I am a sinner before holy God, and I'm going to be judged for my sin," which leads us to say, genuine repentance does, "God forgive me. Thank you for Jesus dying on the cross for my sins. Please, Lord, forgive me." That's genuine repentance, friends, when we ask God to forgive us. God is waiting for you to turn to Him. That's why He hasn't come back yet.

If you're saved and saying, "But I want Jesus to come back and save me from all this craziness in the world," well, would you have wanted Him to come back the day before you were saved? No, you're glad His patience extended the extra year, month, day until you were saved. The day of the Lord, the day of judgment, is coming. And so in our final verses, Paul addresses what kind of people we ought to be, and this is important.

In verse 11 he says, "Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holiness and conduct?" He says number one, that we ought to be holy in our conduct. The word holy in this verse means separate. The way we act and speak is to be different from people who don't know Jesus. We are to follow Christ's example. We have the Holy Spirit in us, as Peter explained from the very beginning of his letter. The divine nature of God resides in us. We don't just wear a cross; it's on the inside. We're to live by His nature, not our corrupt earth nature we came into this world with.

And we are to look forward and hasten the coming day of the Lord. We are to look forward, in other words, to the new heavens and the new earth where righteousness dwells. In verse 14, Peter writes and he says that we are to be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.

Hey, have you ever had someone pop in on you and you had on dirty clothes or your house was a mess? Peter is saying, how do you want Jesus to find you when He returns? In the middle of an affair? Watching porn? Reading Fifty Shades of Grey? In the middle of an angry outburst? How do you want Jesus to find you? Because He's returning. That's what Peter's saying here. And so he says in verse 17, "Be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness." In verse 18, he tells us, "Grow, grow," he says, "in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." That's that experiential knowledge of Jesus. That's that relationship, it's the intimacy. And he closes as we've read, "To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."

So this book, 2 Peter, is a call for us to check ourselves. Are we following Christ, or have we become more like the world? Is there any distinction in how we talk, think, do, shop, buy, whatever, from somebody who doesn't know about Jesus? Are we excited about the return of Christ? Are we in peace with other people? Are we blameless because we confess our sin? Are we on guard? Are we steadfast? Are we careful to not be carried away by false teaching? Are we steadfast in our faith? Are we living by the divine nature of God in us to the best that we can be mindful of doing that every day? Are we growing in grace, His divine influence on us? How well are we doing in our walk with the Lord Jesus?

This has been a great study for us. We need to consider what points Peter has brought up that we could be doing better with, because Peter, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has told us that we can grow in the grace, the divine influence of God in our lives. We grow through that experiential knowledge with Jesus. He wants to know, are we growing? Are we living by the supply of Christ's qualities? Are we adding them? Are we looking for the day of the Lord?

What do you want to take away from your study of 2 Peter? Has there been anything that has quickened in you that you might need to be more attentive to doing in your Christian walk? Do you need to get back to the Lord if you've strayed a little bit? Do you need to get back to reading your Bible, maybe join a Bible study or continue in one if this is your first one? Do you need to learn more about what it means to be a Christian? Do you need to learn how to prepare for Christ's return? Because He's coming back, just like He came the first time. Peter says this is so serious, and there is a day of the Lord coming. Be ready. Join me in prayer, please.

Father, we thank You for this study. Thank You for Peter and that we saw what he was like before he had Your nature in him, before he had the Holy Spirit, and then we saw the change as we watched him become bold and different in the book of Acts and as we listen to him now speak so intimately that he has a personal relationship with You, Lord. And we want that personal relationship. We don't want head knowledge; we want head knowledge that transfers into heart experiential knowledge. We invite Your divine influence on us. We give You, Lord, as Peter said, to You the praise and the glory now and forever. Amen.

Friends, if you don't know how to become a Christian or what that looks like and you want more information, please visit my website. I would love to share with you how you can have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and begin your best life ever. Thank you for joining me for the study, and I look forward to you joining me for our other studies that are available on the website. Bless you.