God’s word
and the scoffers (2 Peter 3:1-4)
Sermon
delivered by Christopher Hobbs on 2nd November 08
There are many people these days scoffing at
Christians and their beliefs: Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchen,
Philip Pullman, and many more. ‘Probably there is no God, so enjoy yourself’,
or something like it, will be the sign on the buses soon.
Atheists have often mocked Christian claims. The things
that Dawkins and co say today are no worse than the
mockery by people like Rousseau, Marx or Nietzsche, or countless others in
previous generations. Humanist atheists may seem to be winning in
But I don’t think the particular situation that Peter
is writing to the church about is attacks from outside. I believe he is writing
about people who claim to be within the church, who do not believe the teaching
of Christ and the apostles. In particular they do not accept Christ’s authority
and they do not believe the teaching about the second coming of Christ, and the
commandment concerning holiness.
For Peter the scoffers were part of what would be in
the last days. He was telling that church that the last days were already
there. And we today are still within the last days.
Peter was warning that church then that there were
people who claimed to be Christians but they did not believe that Christ would
come again, and he knew that soon they would be troubling that church he wrote
to. False believers like that also considered themselves free to act as they
wanted in regard to their sexual desires. And they did not admit the authority
of the apostles and the Lord.
These people were in the church but they were not
godly. I don’t know enough church history, and we should all read more, but I
think we can be sure that regularly there have been Christian leaders in name,
who have pursued and promoted immorality, and who have not believed in the
second coming of Christ. People like them are certainly troubling churches
today. The Episcopal Church in the
If you like there are three things we need to be
reminded of: not giving in to our wrong bodily desires; not disobeying the
Master Jesus Christ and his apostles; and not scoffing at the doctrine of the
second coming of Jesus.
So firstly, and putting it positively, Godliness is
essential for Christians. And Godliness, putting it negatively, means we are
not to follow our lustful desires.
Look back at chapter 1. Verse 3 tells us that God has
given us everything we need for life and godliness. Verse 4 tells us that
through the promises God has given us we can escape from the corruption that is
in the world because of lust.
In chapter 2 we have a description of these people who
will soon be troubling that church. Verse 2 tells us that they have licentious ways, that means unrestrained, not held back, do what you
like, especially concerning sex and greed. In verse 10, after talking about
The people these false teachers lead astray in Christ had
once escaped the defilements of the world, and now the world has entangled and
overpowered them, they are worse off than they were before. They are like dogs
that go back to eat their own vomit. They’ve been made clean, and have made
themselves dirty again.
Chapter 2 concentrates on describing their sexual lack
of restraint, but it also refers to the way the false believers reject
authority. In particular the authority of the word of God,
and the authority of the apostles.
It’s no surprise that people who reject the authority
of the word of God and the apostles will carry on in all sorts of greed and
sexual immorality. Knowing that something is wrong does help us to stop doing
things. Lawmakers know this, when they make things illegal to try and stop us
doing them.
Chapter 2 verse 10 tells us they despise authority.
Chapter 3 verse 16 tells us that they twist the scriptures to their own
destruction. We see today when people say that particular acts are not sinful,
that it goes with not accepting the authority of the word of God. We can’t
avoid thinking about homosexuality when we look at 2 Peter,
it even puts
We are in a terrible mix up in the Anglican communion these days. Bishops say that they have authority, and that if individual churches step out from
their authority they should be kicked out. But the same bishops say that
faithful homosexual relationships should be blessed, divorced people with
partners still alive may be remarried with another church wedding, and sleeping
with your boyfriend or girlfriend is part of getting to know each other. We
should be clear, bishops only have authority if they themselves
are under the authority of the Bible.
We have seen the way the letter is specifically aimed
at people who claim to be Christian but don’t hold back their sinful desires,
and reject the authority of the prophets, Christ and the apostles. The third
area the letter draws our attention to, is the way they reject the doctrine of
the second coming of Christ.
Chapter 1 verse 4 reminds us that we have been given
precious and very great promises. That is, our Christian faith is something
that looks to the future. It is promises. Verse 10 and 11 says that our
godliness is confirming our election, and will mean we won’t stumble, and in
this way our entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ will be richly provided for. That is to say it looks to a future step, that we are not yet in the eternal kingdom.
Verse 16 is the particular verse that makes the link
of the future promise and the second coming of Christ. It makes the link by
referring to the event we call the Transfiguration. Peter, James and John were
with Christ on a mountain when he was transfigured before them. They saw him in
his eternal glory. For a brief moment they saw what is to be. You may remember
reading about it in one of the gospels. Peter talks here of being eyewitnesses
and earwitnesses of Christ’s divine glory.
Verse 16, ‘For we did not follow cleverly devised
myths when we made know to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
Peter made known to them the coming of Jesus. That is
not the first coming, when he came in lowly humility, but the glorious coming
as God in majesty that is yet to be.
Verse 19 he calls this the prophetic message more
fully confirmed by this Transfiguration. Peter is referring to the way the Old
Testament prophets foretold the coming of the day of the Lord. We have seen
this in Isaiah in the home groups, the prophets foretold both the coming of the
Messiah as the Suffering Servant on the cross, the one who is Prince of Peace
born of a virgin; and also the one who is coming as judge in eternal glory and
splendour. Both the comings of the Lord Jesus are clear in the prophets, and Peter
says we have their word backed up by what has already been seen by
eye-witnesses – the glory of the Lord Jesus on the mount of transfiguration.
What the Old Testament promises about the coming of
the Lord Jesus cannot be dismissed. Verse 21 tells us the Old Testament writers
were moved by the Holy Spirit to speak from God.
In Chapter 2 Peter says just as there were false
teachers in the Old Testament, there are false teachers in the New Testament.
In particular they deny the Master. How do they deny the Master? Both by
refusing to be mastered by him in matters of bodily desires and by not
believing he is coming again.
The doctrine of the second coming of Christ is a key
doctrine for our behaviour and growth as Christians. In this last chapter of 2
Peter that we are studying for the next weeks we will see that the day of
judgement is an integral part of our belief in the second coming of Jesus, so
is our belief that the world will come to an end, so is our striving for holy
living now, so is our struggle to understand and obey the scriptures, and so is
eternal security. All these things are part of our understanding of the second
coming of Jesus.
So we turn to chapter 3 verses 1 to 4.
This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing
to you; in them I am trying to arouse your sincere intention by reminding you
that you should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and
the commandment of the Lord and Saviour spoken through your apostles. First of
all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come,
scoffing and indulging their own lusts and saying, ‘Where is the promise of his
coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were
from the beginning of creation!’
Probably Peter is referring to 1 Peter, but it could
be another letter. What jumps out at us is the emphasis on remembering. This is
something we easily forget. Christ hasn’t come yet, and so we forget he is
coming. Christ hasn’t come yet, and so we give in to wrong bodily lusts. Christ
hasn’t come yet and so we doubt his word. Of course so many things would be
easier for us if Christ would come again. We would be ended with those
struggles. We would no longer need to share the gospel. Prayer would no longer
be hard. Godliness would be easy. But Christ wants us to be his followers now,
and learn discipline now, and love him even now.
Scoffers come, and mock our literal beliefs and our
failure to do what we really want to do, and sometimes we may think we may have
made a mistake, and maybe they are right.
Well don’t be surprised about the scoffers
says Peter. In fact, expect them. We should expect people to make fun of
us if we remain virgins until we marry. We should expect people to make fun of
us if we resist homosexual or adulterous desires, or refuse to get drunk. They
laugh. They think we are missing out, or repressing our true feelings. But what
Christ thinks is far more important than a few scoffers.
Your holding out against the sexual pressures of our
porn mad world, the easy availability of sex, the cheapness of drink and drugs,
they may seem like little battles to some, but Jesus Christ knows the power of
temptation, and we may be great heroes in these little ways, even if we have
not managed yet to be great heroes on the mission field.
And don’t be surprised at the length of time it is
taking for Christ to return. The false teachers have the shoddy argument that
Christ hasn’t come yet, and therefore he isn’t coming. It’s like thinking that
no fire has happened so we don’t bother changing the batteries in the fire
alarm, because no fire will ever come. Actually Christ hasn’t come yet, and
that means the time when he returns is now closer than it was.
We have already been reminded of the way the Old
Testament prophets look forward to the coming of the Day of the Lord. Well
Jesus too often spoke about his return. Matthew 24:44 says, “You also must be
ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”. The reading
we often use at funerals says, “I will come again and will take you to myself,
that where I am you may be also” John 14:3. Acts chapter 1 verse 11 says, “This
Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way you saw
him go into heaven.”
The theme of the coming again of the Lord Jesus is
frequently mentioned in the New Testament. It is the great hope of the New
Testament. The Christian faith without the sudden, personal, visible, bodily
return of Christ is not the Christian faith. It is not something that we can
say I’ll have this bit and that bit, but I won’t have the return of Christ.
We know this is so because things have not always
continued as they have since the beginning of creation. A great difference has
happened. The author of creation has taken flesh and entered in to our world
bodily. He has died for our sins on the cross. He has been raised from the dead
to God’s right hand. He will come to judge the living and the dead. We will
either be with him in glory for ever, or left with our sins in hell. This Jesus
is the Lord and Saviour. He is the only one who saves us, not our perseverance
in holiness and resisting sin. But he is also our Lord. And he has given us the
commandment to be more righteous than the Pharisees. He has commanded us to be
godly.
Brothers and sisters when our Lord Jesus comes again
he will reward those who have tried to be faithful, who have listened to the
reminders of his apostles, who have had faith in his precious promises. Let us
be with him, and not against him.