Three Encouragements about Jesus’ Second Coming

2 Peter 3:1-18
INTRODUCTION
I. Opening
-What if Mark 13:4 onwards read differently?
-Narrative of the Apostles asking Jesus about the End of Time, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all
these things are about to be accomplished?”
-What if instead of giving signs to look out for, Jesus said, “Truly truly I say to you. The end will happen on April 1, 2018.” (A week
from now)
-What difference will this information make in your life? If as a church we knew that Jesus is coming again on April 1, how would we
conduct ourselves?
-Read the Bible more? Drop all our worldly preoccupations and devote 24/7 of our lives sharing the Gospel to our friends, family,
neighbors, everyone?
-Ensure that we will live a pleasing, godly, holy life? Use all our money, energy, skills, life for the spread of the Gospel?
-I’m very sure that we’ll live very differently if we had known that Jesus will return next week. But what if we didn’t know? In fact we
don’t know when He’ll come back. Is this a license to relax, procrastinate and even lower our standard of holiness? I hope not.

II. Transition
-Our passage today is addressed to a group of people, much like us, who do not know when the Second Coming of Jesus will be (1Pt.
1:1 – elect exiles of the Dispersion)
-but unlike us, they are in a dire situation of persecution, beatings, imprisonment, murder for their faith in Jesus
-so the Second Coming is a sweet melody to their ears for it is a hope for justice, end of suffering, salvation (which they were denied
on earth)
-In Peter’s first letter, he exhorted them to endure and continue living godly lives among Gentiles even in the face of persecution
because Jesus is surely Coming Again soon! He exhorted them, “…set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you by
the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pt 1:13b)
-But around two to four years after, persecution still existed, there is still no Second Coming, there is still no Jesus. How do you think
did they feel? Confused, disheartened, discouraged, disillusioned.
-to make matters worse, there are now false teachers exploiting the situation, denying the Second Coming and leading them astray.
-With this backdrop in mind, Peter pens his second letter, probably his last to exhort and remind them of the prophecies and
commands of the Lord Jesus (2 Peter 3:1-2) look.
-These include encouragements to continue living godly lives because of the certainty of Jesus’ return (2 Pt 1), Warnings against and
exposure of false teachers (2 Pt 2); and now in our passage (2 Pt 3), a refutation of their false teachings. He did this by giving:
3 Encouragements About Jesus’ Second Coming.
A. BELIEVE HIS RETURN (vv. 3-9)
B. BE AWARE OF HIS RETURN (vv. 10-13)
C. BE STEADFAST FOR HIS RETURN (vv. 14-18)

III. Connections
-for the early Christians: call not to despair or lose hope about Jesus’ return discouragement
-for us today: call to remember and emphasize the Second Coming in our lives. To place it where it ought to be: central in our
hope and faith as believers memory loss (How often do we talk about His return? What is our attitude towards it?)
-I pray that whether you associate with the discouragements of the first believers because of the fallenness of our world, or you
are plagued by memory loss as with many Christians today, minimizing the importance of His return, the message today will
spur you to look at the Second Coming as a source of joy, excitement and hope.
BODY
I. Believe His Return (vv. 3-9)
POINT: two millennia have passed since Jesus’ birth and we, the church, are still waiting for His promised Second Coming. God’s first
encouragement: Do not doubt the Second Coming! BELIEVE HIS RETURN!
PROOF:
A. What is the Second Coming?
-we are aware of Jesus’ first coming: He was born in a manger in Bethlehem as the Suffering Servant, our Savior from sin
(Christmas, Incarnation)
-the first coming culminated during Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection where He fulfilled His mission of becoming the
Savior of God’s people
-and the last scene is at Mount Olivet (Bethany) where Jesus blessed His disciples and was bodily taken up into heaven (Luke
24:50-51; Acts 1:9-11)
-Immediately after His ascension, two men dressed in white appeared among the disciples and said, “Men of Galilee, why do
you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw
him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
-They promised Jesus’ return in the future. In the same way that He was bodily taken up, He will bodily return here on earth,
thus the Second Coming (Zechariah 9; Matt 24:30; Rev 1:7).
-But this time, Jesus returns as the Conquering King, finally crushing the Enemy, judging people’s eternal destinies (whether
they believed or not) and ushering in a New Heaven and a New Earth (Revelation).
-When will this Second Coming be? Only God knows when (Matthew 24:36)
-without a clear date, false teachings about the Second Coming abound
-in our time, we’re well aware of the various attempts at pinpointing the date of the Second Coming (Harold Camping—12x;
latest: Oct 21, 2011)
-Peter’s time, the false teachers went to the other extreme: denied the Second Coming of Christ

B. The Mockers’ Mocking (vv. 3-4) look

-the presence of mockers is not a surprise but is expected
-main characteristic is their worldliness, following after their own lusts (reject the Second Coming with its judgment because
they want to continue living in a worldly manner)

What is their contention? (v. 4) read

-Everything has always been the same from then until now. If Jesus is coming again, the things around us do not seem to
indicate His return.
-Cast doubt on the truth of the Second Coming based on the argument of “changelessness” in the world (uniformitarianism)

C. Peter’s three-fold Response (vv. 5-9)

i. God has been changing the landscape of the universe and He continues to do so (vv. 5-7)
-vv 5-6, look -Peter goes back to Creation which is a grand change (by the word of God…)
-Peter also discusses God’s cataclysmic flood from Genesis 7-9
*far from being changeless, God has been moving actively in the universe (Creation and Flood)
-v. 7 read: though God is not going to destroy the world by water any longer (Gen 9:11), He determined to judge it by fire on
the day of the Lord (Is 66:15; Mal 4:1)
*It is not true that nothing’s happening in the universe. God has judged the world once because of the wickedness
of mankind. He promised to do it again at the Second Coming. He was able to do it before by water. He can do it
again by fire.

ii. God is not bound by our conception of time (v. 8)

-to the mockers, the delay of Jesus’ promised return is proof that it will never happen
-but God’s timeline is different from ours; as the Creator of time, He is outside it
-v. 8: “one day is like…” read

iii. God’s delay is His patience for the elect (v. 9)

-this delay is actually good because it is a display of God’s patience towards His elect, until all of them will come to
repentance (which is God’s desire)
-Jesus could return today if He wants to. But this would mean that His people will not be able to repent and believe! So, this
delay is a chance for them to respond in faith.
 -PROBLEM: -v. 9 is controversial read
-Notice how I qualified “any” and “all” (not “any” and “all” without exception)
-God’s promise was to save His people, not everyone (Rom 8:30)
-if it had been “any” and “all” w/o exceptionuniversalism (all will be saved)
-context: YOU, referring to the elect (1 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1), limits the “any” and “all” (any of you; all of you)
(ex. Join tayong afternoon sa retreat! Lahat sana andoon)
-whether Calvinist or Arminian, I believe we all agree that Peter is certainly not talking about universalism
(that all will be saved regardless of their response to God)
PROBLEM: Do you know anyone denying the Second Coming? Many unbelievers do (atheists, agnostics, universalists, etc.) But theirs
is not the greatest denial of the Second Coming. You know where the greatest denials come from? More often than not, the
greatest denial comes from the way we live our lives as Christians. Often we live as if Jesus is never coming again. We see this in
the way we use our time, we waste it in things without eternal value forgetting that these should have been opportunities to
point people to Christ. We see this in the dreams and ambitions that we pursue. We invest too much in this world as if this is
where we will spend eternity. We see this in the entertainment that fill our hearts, how they lead us away from thoughts of God.
We see this in our unwillingness to sacrifice our comforts, to live for Christ, much more to die for Him.
PRACTICE:
I ask myself, is my lifestyle a reflection of the reality of the Second Coming? Or am I living my life as if Jesus will never return?
May the beautiful lines of the WEC founder CT Studd burn in our hearts:

Only one life, yes only one,

Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
 
Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

RESTATE: Friends, I pray that our lives will prove that indeed, we BELIEVE HIS RETURN.

II. Be aware of His Return (vv. 10-13)

POINT: Because Jesus’ return is certain, God’s second encouragement is that we watch out that we will not be caught off guard by its
fulfillment. We need to BE AWARE OF HIS RETURN.
PROOF:
What are the things that we need to know about the Second Coming?
A. External realities of the Second Coming (vv. 10, 12) look These are very graphic imageries
-it will come like a thief (Matt 24:37-39): He will return suddenly, of destruction of the earth, space,
without warning, in a surprise heavenly bodies (stars, moon,
-the heavens will pass away with a roar (will be destroyed by fire)
planet), the universe as a whole!
-the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved (will melt as they burn)
-the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed

B. Internal realities of the Second Coming (v. 11, 12)

-knowing that God has the power to do all these things, what response is expected of us?
-response 1: fear (reverence) and awe of the Lord’s power
-causing us to pursue holy conduct and godliness (“what sort of people…”) read
 *knowing that the God we are waiting for can do all these things, we cannot, we must not take Him lightly but respond in
obedience to His will (a life of Godliness and holiness)
-response 2: eagerness for Jesus’ return (v. 12a) read – why be eager for the universe’s destruction? For it doesn’t end there!

C. Eternal realities at the Second Coming (v. 13)

-the old heaven and earth are done away with to usher in the new heavens and new earth
-righteousness dwells (Revelations 21:1-5; How can you not long for these eternal realities?)

PRACTICE: How do you feel about the Second Coming? Excited? Afraid? Apathetic?
-our responses are partly influenced by how much we understand and know about Jesus’ return
-ignorance makes this topic seems complex, beyond our understanding. But this is not true!
-References of the Second Coming are clear enough in Scripture (in general- a few controversies here and there)
-Why not make it your goal to consider studying Eschatology or the End Times?
-Familiarize yourself with terms like Rapture, Millennium, Tribulation, etc. And take a stand on the various debates.
RESTATE: May the Lord grant us hunger to know more about the Second Coming so that we will Be Aware of His Return.

III. Be steadfast for His Return (vv. 14-18)

POINT: I pray that at this point, God has stirred us to long and eagerly desire for His coming. But as we wait, He gives us one last
encouragement: Be steadfast for His Return.
PROOF:
What do we do while we await the return of Christ?
A. Confirm your salvation (vv. 14-16a)
-“be diligent to be found…”read : echoes Paul’s own admonition in 2 Corinthians 13:5
-to be without spot or blemish (justified in the sight of God) and at peace (from assurance of one’s relationship with God
Rom 8:16) are true only for people who are genuinely saved
-PRACTICE: God’s patience is salvation (v. 15) in the sense that while He has not yet returned and while we are still alive, we
have the opportunity to confirm our relationship with Him, and to help others know Christ.
-Are you really saved? How about your friends and family? Professing faith, knowing truths about Jesus, praying a
prayer, being at church are no assurance of salvation. A person who is truly saved knows (kilala) Jesus, has a
relationship with Him, admits his powerlessness because of sin, and trusts in Him alone for salvation. In his heart is a
testimony of the Spirit. And in his life, transformation is evident.
-(Grace through faith= salvation  transformation; Mat 7:15-20)
-PICTURE: Bus hits a person. If he survives, his life is forever changed. That’s a bus. If a person claims to have
encountered God, should we not expect a far greater change?
*While we await His return, use this time to honestly examine ourselves. And use this time to continue preaching the
Gospel. For we have but this life and this side of history to believe and repent. When He returns, time’s up!
B. Contend against false teachings (vv. 16b-17)
-Warning: false teachers (ignorant and unstable) will exploit the hard passages of Scripture, twisting them to promote false
teachings (ex. Paul’s teachings on salvation Judaizers and hyper grace/ abuse of freedom)
-(v.17)look be careful not to be carried away by their error, which may lead you astray (not if you’re truly saved)
-PRACTICE: Be like the Bereans, search the Scriptures to determine if the teachings are correct (Acts 17:11)
-learn how to properly interpret Scripture (exegesis not eisegesis)
-read Systematic Theology books, familiarize yourself with theological controversies
-read up on works of the great fathers of faith from of old (Augustine, Calvin)
-PICTURE: If you are saturated by truths from Scripture, it becomes easier to spot a false teaching. (ex. Joseph Prince)
C. Commune deeper with God (v. 18) read
-grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
-WORD STUDY: grow enlarge, increase (the focus is not to reach a certain size but to continue to be growing)
:grace divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in life, joy, pleasure (allow God’s control to keep on growing,
allow Him to become Lord over all of you, until you reflect Him in speech, thought, act, life)
:knowledge recognition, full discernment (recognize His presence, His will, small still voice)
 -PRACTICE:
How can we commune deeper with God?
-the same way we grow in our other relationships, we need to spend more time with God
-we need to bathe and saturate ourselves in His presence
-Prayer, Word, Fellowship, Church, Evangelism (God uses these to draw us closer to Him, experience Him)
-don’t make the mistake of thinking, “I will only pray, study His Word… if I’m spiritually mature, ok or strong.”
-Instead, “If I want to be spiritually mature, ok, strong, all the more I should run to God in prayer, study of His Word…”
These are gifts of God, His provision to help us in the arduous journey of sanctification.
RESTATE: Friends, as we await Jesus’ return let’s continue meditating on our salvation. How are we with God? Let’s also use this
time to help other people understand the Gospel that they may believe Him by grace.
-as we do so, be careful of false teachings, and false teachers, do not be misled. Be people of the Book
-Lastly, deepen your walk with God. Be ever growing in your love and recognition of our Lord.
-These will certainly help us to BE STEADFAST FOR HIS RETURN.

CONCLUSION
-Mark 13:4ff doesn’t include the statement, “Truly truly I say to you. The end will happen on April 1, 2018.”
-We do not know when Jesus’ Second Coming will be. But I pray that this will not cause us to be complacent.
-The greatest threat to the Second Coming is not the unbeliever with his denial of this truth. The greatest threat is the Christian
who lives as if there is no Second Coming.
-The first century believers longed for Jesus’ return in the midst of persecution. So they were discouraged when He was not
returning soon as they expected.
-In our time, however, it seems that the attitude is more of apathy. We are not too concerned about His return. We are not too
knowledgeable. Or worse, we have become too comfortable in this world.
-In both instances, Peter gives Three Encouragements
A. BELIEVE HIS RETURN: Live a life putting this truth into the equation. Spend your time, energy, resources, have ambitions,
dreams, goals with eternity in mind.
B. BE AWARE OF HIS RETURN: Do not be ignorant of Jesus’ return. Overcome laziness in understanding and learning about it in
His Word. So that you will always be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for that hope that is
in you…” (1 Peter 3:15b)
C. BE STEADFAST FOR HIS RETURN: Consider His delay as an opportunity to confirm your salvation and to grow in your
relationship with God.

-And let us also keep this one truth in mind as we close our discussion about Jesus’ Second Coming. Pastor Oswald Smith puts it
perfectly when he said, “We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first.”
-May we not just battle complacency as we await Jesus return. May God be gracious and fan the flames in our hearts, renewing our
passion for Him and compassion for the lost. So that we will actively preach the one we love as we wait His return. May God have
mercy on us and change us with the truth of His return.

-Prepared by Frederick Paulo Tomacder

25March 2018