Remember to Live Expectantly!

Remember! – Message 6
Perry Duggar

June 5, 2022

I. Introduction: Today, we will finish survey of 2^nd Peter, called Remember!

A. The title to this morning’s message is, Remember to Live Expectantly!

1. Theme verse: 2 Peter 3:13 (NLT)— …we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth He has promised …
2. This letter was written during Peter’s final year of life, 67 or 68 AD, likely from prison.
3. Peter was martyred by Roman Emperor Nero, according to church tradition (not in the Bible), he was crucified upside-down in Rome, on an inverted cross at his request, because he did not consider himself worthy to die as Jesus had.
4. Peter wrote to remind people he cared for about some very important truths that were being challenged by false teachers who had infiltrated the churches.
5. Those errant doctrines included that immorality didn’t affect spirituality and that Jesus was not going to return to earth (so live however you want).
6. Peter argued forcefully that Jesus would return in 2 Peter 3:1-10 (last Sunday’s passage).
7. He encouraged these Christians to live expectantly, hopeful, eagerly anticipating the day of the Lord when Jesus would wonderfully appear!

II. Expectant living includes… (2 Peter 3:11-18)

A. 1. Looking to Jesus’ return. (2 Peter 3:11-14. C/R: Matthew 24:14; Philippians 1:10; Titus 2:11-13; 1 John 3:2-3)

1. 2 Peter 3:11 (NLT)— Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this [fire, v.10], what holy [separated from sin] and godly [devoted to God] lives you should live,
2. Peter used the impending destruction of the universe by fire as motivation for living as people who are committed to God and convicted about sin, so they reject immorality.
3. 2 Peter 3:12a (NLT)— looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along.
4. Believers, including us, must not merely wait passively for Jesus to return; instead, we should busy ourselves with the work He assigned to us, including worship, prayer, evangelism, and caring for people in need. (At Brookwood, we refer to this as Communicating with God, Connecting with Christians and Caring for Others)
5. Can we really hurry it along (affect the timing of Jesus’ return)?
6. [Screen] Matthew 24:14 (NLT)—“ And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.” [APP.: Are we doing our part? Reaching out, inviting, encouraging?]
7. 2 Peter 3:12b-13 (NLT)— ^12b On that the day, He will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. ¹³ But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth He has promised [Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; Revelation 21:1] , a world filled with God’s righteousness.
8. We can be confident in God’s promise to bring justice on the day of Jesus’ return (v.10).
9. The new heavens and new earth will a permanent place of righteousness, with no evil, no fear, no temptation, no sin, no sorrow, no more!
10. 2 Peter 3:14 (NLT)— And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in His sight.
11. Believers are to be morally pure and blameless, in contrast with the false teachers.
12. Since only the righteous will reside in the new heavens and new earth in the future, Peter’s audience should take an interest in practicing righteousness in the present.
13. We must prepare for Jesus’ return by living in ways that will please Him now; it’s how we want Him to find us when He arrives, and it is how we will live for eternity.
14. APP.: Are we living with an awareness of Jesus’ imminent return that shows in our lives?

Expectant living includes…

B. 2. Leading others to faith. (2 Peter 3:15-16. C/R: Acts 20:24; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11,18-20; 1 Peter 3:15-16)

1. 2 Peter 3:15a (NLT)— And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved.
2. The scoffers declared that Jesus’ delay in returning indicated that He would not come.
3. Believers should understand the delay in Jesus’ return as evidence of God’s merciful patience, which allows the opportunity for more people to be saved—and we have an important role in bringing people to belief in Christ.
4. 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NLT)— So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
5. 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT)— ¹⁵ Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.
6. APP.: Are you calling people back to God by telling your story, inviting to services?
7. 2 Peter 3:15b-16a (NLT)— ^15b This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—^16a speaking of these things in all of his letters.
8. This letter’s recipients in Asia Minor knew Paul and had received letters from him.
9. They knew Paul expressed views similar to Peter’s regarding the certainty of Jesus’ return and the reason for His delay.
10. 2 Peter 3:16b (NLT)—Some of his [Paul’s] comments are hard to understand,…
11. Peter admitted that some of Paul’s writing about the events accompanying Jesus’ return were difficult to interpret; it was hard to discern how they would occur practically.
12. We still have difficulty grasping what the references to Jesus’ return mean today.
13. 2 Peter 3:16c (NLT)—…and those who are ignorant [lack of information] and unstable [spiritually unsettled] have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.
14. Peter expressed a high regard for Paul’s writings, classifying them as Scripture, part of the inspired writings of the church (though he was Paul’s contemporary).
15. Even at this early stage of church history, Paul’s writings were being deliberately misrepresented by teachers who were rejecting God’s way and substituting their own preferences and opinions, which would lead to judgment.
16. APP.: Are you trying to understand and apply God’s Word in your life without altering or ignoring its meaning to accommodate personal opinions or cultural biases?

Expectant living includes…

C. 3. Learning our Savior. (2 Peter 3:17-18. C/R: Psalm 86:11; John 17:3; Colossians 3:10; Jude 20-25)

1. 2 Peter 3:17 (NLT)— I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people [characterized by their immorality] and lose your secure footing.
2. The false teachers initially seemed to know Jesus and experience faith, but they moved from Christ to destructive heresy based on non-biblical doctrines (2 Peter 2:20–22).
3. Peter cautioned his audience not to lose [their]secure footing, in other words, don’t slip and fall away!
4. The best way to recognize and reject resist incorrect teaching is to grow in our understanding of Jesus and His work, knowing Jesus and knowing the Bible.
5. 2 Peter 3:18a (NLT)— Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
6. Grace (Greek charis, unmerited favor) means divine influence on our hearts that is reflected in our lives.
7. Grace is that attribute of God that enables us to break free of our sinful nature and follow Christ; it is supernatural, spiritual assistance.
8. Growing in grace is maturing as a believer; it is moving forward, experiencing Christ in an ever more intimate way, so we will not regress and fall back.
9. We are saved (forgiven and regenerated; Ephesians 2:8–9), sanctified (made more like Jesus) and eventually glorified in heaven by God’s grace alone, which means these transformations happen through God’s efforts as we pursue knowing Christ.
10. John 17:3 (NLT)—“ And this is the way to have eternal life—to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One You sent to earth.
11. We grow in grace through the Spirit’s work as we increase our knowledge of Jesus through prayer, reading and studying the Bible (God’s Word) both individually and in groups, and also by serving others.
12. These actions don't mature us by themselves, but God uses these—and other spiritual practices and life experiences—to grow us as we learn the ways of our Savior.
13. Psalm 86:11 (NLT)— Teach me Your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You. [Exodus 33:13;
    Psalm 103:7]
14. The more we know Jesus, actually experiencing Him, the more we become like Him.
15. Colossians 3:10 (NLT)— Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.
16. Becoming like Him provides greater spiritual sensitivity and discernment so we will not be easily carried away by false teaching in the church, in our culture or in the media.
17. APP.: Are you learning your Savior and becoming like Him so you won’t lose your secure footing in your faith?
18. Peter closed his letter with a call to worship and adore God!
19. 2 Peter 3:18b (NLT)—All glory and honor to Him, both now and forevermore! Amen.
20. Peter considered Jesus to be fully divine, equal in honor with God the Father, so glory should be given to Jesus now, when He returns, and forever into eternity.

• Memory verse: 2 Peter 3:14 (NLT)— And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in His sight.