Living In Light of the Future

2 Peter 3:11-13

Transcript

in verse 13. So let's see the challenge of living in the present in light of
Christ's coming in the future. Verse 11 begins, since these things are thus to
be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and
godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God? Because of
which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved as the heavenly bodies will
melt as they burn. Now we've been going through the book of 2nd Peter, so let's
give a little bit of a context here before we dive into these texts. As I
mentioned earlier, Peter is writing this epistle, his final letters, to exhort
God's people to keep on growing. That growth is both a normal and necessary part
of the Christian life. And as we see Peter exhorting God's people to keep on
growing, we see two aspects of growth that Peter promotes here. There's both a
putting on, but also a putting off. Growth involves not only pursuing and
putting on Christ-like virtue, which was the emphasis of chapter 1, but also
recognizing and then rejecting the deceitful lies of false teachers and
scoffers. That's really the focus of chapters 2 and 3. In chapter 2, Peter
describes the scoffers character, and in chapter 3, the scoffers argument. And
his basic argument is this, Where is Jesus? What about all these so-called
promises that Christ will be coming back? Nothing has happened. Nothing's
changed. There's no future judgment. All that stuff is irrelevant. You're
wasting your time waiting for a promise that just isn't true. Now the appeal to
that argument is this, but in our lived experience, not a whole lot changes from
day to day. I mean outside of weird fires from Canada, pretty much every day is
mostly the same. So it's tempting as we think about just how we live on a day-
to-day basis to just kind of think about that promise as being sort of out
there. And maybe not really relevant to the here and the now. And so how does
Peter respond to this compelling argument? Well, he reminds us that things
haven't been the way they always are, and things aren't always gonna be the way
things are now. God in history has intervened. We think of the flood, and God in
history will intervene in the coming of Christ. And when Christ comes for the
second time, He will bring judgment. He will right the wrongs. And He will make
all things new. So Peter's argument here in response to the scoffers isn't
something that's novel. The whole of Scripture testifies to Christ's return. In
chapter 3 verse 2, Peter says, Remember the prediction of the holy prophets and
the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles. Don't mistake
God's patience and delay for indifference. For Christ has not come back yet, and
yet He gives people an opportunity to repent. But the day will come when the
opportunity to repent will be no more. He will return. Make no mistake about it,
and when He does, He will bring judgment. That's what we've been seeing in
chapter 3, 1 through 10. So the question becomes, okay, if that's true, so what?
Well now Peter shifts his focus from defending the truth to applying it and
pressing it home to our consciences in verses 11 through 12 as he uses a basic
logical formula. He said, look, if this is true, and it is, then here's how we
ought to live. So he begins with this first part of the formula, if this is
true. Verse 11, since all these things are thus to be dissolved, he elaborates
on that in verse 12, the latter part, the heavens will be set on fire and
dissolved and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn. Since all these things
are thus to be dissolved, again referring back to what he's previously said in 7
through 10, you see the world as it is, this world under the curse, it will be
no more. In the same way that God brought judgment through the flood, he will
bring judgment by fire to purify his creation. Corruption will be removed. Human
evil will be destroyed. And through the purifying fire of God's judgment, the
cosmic effects of sin and the curse which have brought death and decay and
destruction to God's creation will forever be brought to an end. As Roman 8
states, when Christ returns, creation itself will be set free from its bondage
to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. The
heavens and the earth will be renewed, restored under the righteous reign of
King Jesus. The dwelling place of God will once again be with man. And in this
renewed state, with our glorified bodies, we who trust in Christ will be with
him forever. That is the promise. That's what we as God's people anticipate.
Titus calls this our blessed hope. Here's the hope. Sin and death don't have the
final say. Things aren't going to be the way they are today. He will come back.
And for those who know Christ, what a day that'll be. Okay, if that's true, and
it is, how then should we live? He says, since all these things are thus to be
dissolved, this old order will come to an end. What sort of people ought we to
be in lives of holiness and godliness? Now I love this. Because Peter's not
entering into the debate just to throw out his ideas and say, okay, here's my
view. Cool. So, business as usual. No. He's making sure that we understand there
are massive ethical implications behind these doctrines. These truths are
revealed to us so that we might know how to live. Not just what to do, but what
kind of people we should be. What kind of people, what sort of lives ought we to
live, he says here, in holiness and godliness. Let's look at those two words
here. Holiness and godliness. I wonder if these would be the descriptions that
would characterize our lives. Holiness. The idea here is distinct. Set apart. A
lifestyle that is shaped not simply by what everyone else in our life stage is
doing, but by great, grand, eternal realities. Paul talks about this in
Colossians 1. If we've been risen with Christ, seek those things which are above
where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your affections not on
things below, but on things above. For that's where Christ is, and Christ is our
life. We died to this old way, so put it to death. We're distinctly God's
people. A people, a treasured possession, Peter says, purchased by the blood of
Christ, purchased for the glory of God. And so, knowing this to be true, ought
we then not to pursue holiness in our actions and attitudes and values and
priorities? And this makes sense because why would we be caught up and just so
heavily invested in the priorities of an age that we know is coming to an end? I
mean, that would be like taking your whole life savings and investing in
Blockbuster. Some of you might not even know what Blockbuster is. I pity you.
Okay, incidentally, there is one more Blockbuster left in the United States of
America. It's in Oregon, for those who might be interested in taking a trip. But
we might say that that era, the Blockbuster era, is over. Nobody in their right
mind would invest their entire life savings into Blockbuster. Now granted, that
was a kind of a good era. The era under sin is not so much a good era, and it
will come to an end. And there's no reason then to be so invested in that which
will dissolve. Jesus says this in Matthew 6, do not lay up for yourselves
treasures, those things that you value on earth, where moth and rust destroy,
where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust destroys, where thieves do not break in and steal,
for where your treasure is there will your heart be also. A holiness of heart,
where we treasure that which is eternal. Peter ends his letters with this
exhortation, but if you recall all the way back in 1st Peter, he began his
letters with this exhortation. He says in 1st Peter chapter 1, as he explains
and elaborates on our living hope, he says, set your hope fully on the grace
that will be brought to you at the coming of Jesus Christ. As obedient children,
do not be conformed, molded to the passions of your former ignorance. But as he
who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, a whole lifestyle
since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. Christ is coming.
Therefore what kind of lives should we ought to live? Lives that are marked by
holiness. And the truth is for all of us, this should be a wake-up call. Because
the reality is, all of us are far too emotionally invested in the things of the
here and the now. I say all of us. It might look different. It might be
politics. It might be sports. It might be financial security. It might be
things, status. It could even be ministry. We all need to take stock because all
of us lose sight of eternity. All of us coast in complacency and worldliness.
Living as if this was the grand reality. You say, well Micah, I get what you're
saying, but it seems sort of abstract. Like what does holiness really look like
in action? Well, just look at Jesus. Jesus is holiness in action. He's both our
model and He's our motivation. We look at a life that is set apart to God and we
see in Jesus the beauty of compassion. We see the beauty of mercy, of grace, of
service, of humility, of dying to self that others might live. We see a life
lived in union and communion with the Father. He is our model. If you want to
know what holiness looks like, open your Bible and see Jesus. Because that's
what holiness is and that's what holiness looks like. So Christ is coming. So
what? Well that all should motivate us to pursue lives of holiness. But He goes
on then and say a life of godliness. Now think about this. When was the last
time you heard someone say, I want to be more godly? We might hear people talk
about being more faithful, more loving, more active, more involved, but more
godly? We don't hear that word very often. We don't really think a lot about
godliness. Maybe it's because we just don't understand what it is. Maybe it's
because we're afraid that it sounds legalistic. Maybe it's kind of an indicative
of how worldly we become. But our indifference toward godliness is not okay.
Especially when we think about the promises that the Bible gives to those who
pursue it. In 1 Timothy we read that godliness is profitable for all things. If
you want to live a fruitful life that is profitable, that's beneficial, that is
a blessing, then you pursue godliness. Because it's profitable for everything,
for your business, for your family, for your relationships, for all of it. Paul
says in 1 Timothy, same book, godliness with contentment is great gain. It's
better than gold, better than silver, better than money, better than stuff. So
what is it then? If it's profitable for all things, if it brings great gain, we
ought to understand it and pursue it. Well, godliness is more than just action.
It's an action that springs from devotion. It's a devotion to God that leads to
passion and action for God. It's daily living in the presence of God for the
glory of God. Now the truth is oftentimes devotion to God is really more of a
devotion to an ideal or to an activity. But Peter here is talking about
something far greater. He's talking about a devotion to a person, a living God,
to pursue fellowship with him. And so how do we live in the present in light of
Christ's coming in the future? By pursuing holiness, a life set apart for God.
By pursuing godliness, a life that is devoted to God. To live a holy, devoted
life of fellowship with the Almighty through his word as we encounter his glory,
through prayer as we respond to his revelation, through ongoing repentance and
faith as we pursue Christ-like character in conduct. And as we do so, we do so
with a gaze toward eternity, an eternal reward. Verse 12 says, waiting for and
hastening the coming of the day of God, the day of Christ, the day when he
returns. Waiting, anticipating. Oftentimes when we think of waiting, we think of
impatience. The other day I had the extreme misfortune of having to pick up
something from Walmart. And you know exactly if you've ever had to have that
experience, you know what that involves. It involves a lot of unnecessary and
unhelpful waiting. So when we think of waiting, it's generally a very negative
thing. But we're not talking about something negative here. We're talking about
looking forward. This was my birthday weekend. I had to travel. So this
afternoon, we have an ice cream cake. You know I love ice cream. So I'm waiting
for this afternoon. I'm looking forward. This is not a burden. This is not, oh,
this is, yes. This is a good thing. I'm anticipating and I'm looking forward to
it. It's gonna be really good. When we think about waiting for the day of God,
we anticipate it. It brings us joy thinking that Christ is gonna come back and
gives perspective and purpose so that we live today knowing, hey, Jesus is
coming back. I want to work for the night he's coming. I want to live for his
glory. I want to walk with him in this world. I'm looking forward to that day.
But also hastening that day. Now this one, this is a toughie because he's not
just talking about looking forward in anticipation, but laboring to see that day
come sooner. Now this was tricky because you think, well, wait a minute. Isn't
that day like sovereignly fixed by God? I mean didn't Jesus say concerning that
day and hour, no one knows but the Father only? It seems like that day is kind
of fixed. And yet, we read in Jewish literature, we read in early Christian
literature, and we read in the scriptures of themselves this idea of making that
day come quicker. Hastening that day. Peter himself says in Acts 3 19 through
20, repent, turn, that your sins may be blotted out, that the time of refreshing
may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send the Christ.
Appointed for you, Jesus. He's literally saying repent so that Jesus will come
back. So there's some tension here. The sovereignty of God, the responsibility
of man. And it might leave more questions than answers. But here's the point. In
devotion to God, we are called to actively be engaged and labor and work in his
mission. His mission of seeing the gospel advanced. Knowing that as Josh pointed
out last week, that every day that Christ doesn't come back is another day for
more believers to come in. And so we pray for that day. We pray let your kingdom
come. Return, O Lord Jesus. And we labor to see that day. Hastening. And so we
see this exhortation in verses 11 through 12. Live holy, godly lives, waiting,
looking forward, laboring to see the day that Christ comes back in the future.
So we see the exhortation verses 11 through 12 and now the clarification in
verse 13. But according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new
earth in which righteousness dwells. Now up until this point, Peter's focus has
been on the judgment that will take place when Christ returns. For those who
have not yet repented, the reality of Christ coming back should be terrifying.
This is a serious thing. Your eternal soul hangs in the balance here. Because
when Jesus comes back, there's no second chance. There's no other opportunity to
repent. It should be terrifying. The truth is, in a room like this, you could be
here. You could know the claims of Christ, the truths of Christ, you could even
acknowledge them. And yet, have never come to a place of repentance. You still
want control. You want the outcome of your life to be determined by you. And
you've never bowed the knee to King Jesus. You might think, well, you know, I'm
thinking about it. I just need a little more time. You know, one day, one day
I'll follow Christ. But friend, I urge you, don't delay. Don't presume on God's
grace. There may never be another day for you to repent and believe in the Lord.
2 Corinthians says, Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation.
Friend, if you are here and you're on the fence, you know it, even mentally you
agree with it, but you've never turned from your proud, stubborn, unbelief.
Christ is coming. And when he does, he will bring judgment. Do not delay. Now is
the day of salvation. Don't walk out of these doors having heard the truth and
saying, oh, that's interesting. I'll think about that. Because then the seed
that was sown can become taken and there may not be another chance. For the
unbeliever, for the unrepentant, that day is terrifying. And Peter spends a lot
of time pointing that out. But for those who know Christ, that day brings future
reward and hope. Yes, there will be a dissolving of the old. But the goal isn't
merely the end of this sin-cursed era. It's the ushering in of a new heaven and
a new earth where righteousness dwells. It says we wait for the new heavens,
this new earth, the promise that Jesus will make all things new. And
righteousness, perfection will dwell. Isaiah states it this way, for behold, I
create new heavens and a new earth and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind. I will be glad in my people. No more shall be heard in it the
sound of weeping and the cry of distress. This is our hope. He makes all things
new. And so that day, which yes, will bring judgment, also brings great hope. So
we press on. So we labor. So we put sin to death and we pursue holiness and we
live lives of godliness knowing that when Jesus comes, it's all gonna be worth
it. We'll be with him. We'll reign with him. No more sin. No more sorrow. No
more suffering. Faith becomes sight. And so the clear truths and promise of
Jesus' return, future judgment, restoration, the eternal kingdom are revealed to
us, not so that we can have debates, but so that we can understand who we are
and how we then live as God's people. Lives marked by holiness and godliness. So
the promise of Jesus' return in the future gives perspective, and purpose for
our lives in the presence. So my friends, let us live in the present in light of
Christ's coming in the future. Let's pray.