2 Peter 3:9

0:00 All right, how many of you, and don't be afraid to raise your hands, how many of you have had days or even seasons where you are ready for Jesus to return and make all things right? All right, most of us, if not all of us. There have definitely been days and seasons of my life where my most consistent prayer was, Lord, beam me up, we had a good run. For real. Well, as glorious as the second coming of Christ will be, For those who have repented of their sin and placed their faith in Jesus for salvation, there is a reason for the Lord's delay.

0:37 If you want to follow along this evening in one of the Red Pew Bibles, we're going to be on page 1019. Again, that's 1019. Our biblical text tonight comes from 2 Peter. If you are not familiar with Christianity, Peter was one of Jesus' 12 apostles. Second Peter simply means this is Peter's second recorded letter to the church in Asia Minor, which is present-day Turkey. As Peter wrote this letter, he knew that he was approaching the end of his life, and he wanted to remind the Christians in these various churches to continue living in a godly way.

1:12 He also addresses different false teachings that were making their way through the churches at that time. By the time we get to our passage in chapter 3, Peter is refuting the false teaching that Jesus would not be returning at all. Essentially, the false teachers were arguing that there wouldn't be a final reckoning or a day of judgment because God was simply taking too long. And so, we're going to start in 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 8.

1:42 Our particular verse is verse 9, but I think reading verses 8 through 10 will give us a bigger picture. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with the roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. In light of our verse tonight, here is the main point. God's patience in delaying judgment is a gift. Let's not waste it. God's patience in delaying judgment is a gift.

2:36 Let's not waste it. I'm going to break it into two points, simply the first half and the second half of the main point so point number one God's patience in delaying judgment is a gift and point two let's not waste it so point number one God's patience in delaying justice is a gift if you'll look with me again at verse nine the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness but is patient towards you not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance the verse is very straightforward in light of Jesus impending return to judge the world there will only be two groups of people. There will be those who perish and those who don't.

3:17 To be clear, and we learned about this this morning in Pastor Greg's preaching, both groups deserve to perish. However, one group will respond to God through repentance, and sadly, the other group will not. With that in mind, I want to say this as clearly as I can. If you're gathered with us tonight, or if you hear this online at some point, If you are not a Christian, please hear me. The God who made the universe, the God who made you, doesn't want you to perish because of your sin.

3:51 He wants you to repent. If your view of God is an angry deity in the sky that's just chomping at the bit to strike you down, your view is of a God that doesn't exist at all. The God of the Bible, the one true God, is not salivating at the thought of lighting you up. It's the exact opposite. He doesn't want you to perish. He wants you to repent. And so why has Jesus not returned yet? Because God is patient. As I was preparing to preach, I couldn't help but think of my own testimony.

4:25 I repented from my sin and put my faith in Jesus about 11 years ago. It dawned on me that Jesus had every right to come back 12 years ago. He could have executed judgment. There's nothing in terms of me deserving his delay. And so had he returned 12 years ago, my eternal trajectory would be the exact opposite of what it is right now. Why didn't Jesus return 12 years ago? Because he was patient towards me.

4:56 By the grace of God, I did decide to put my faith in him and to repent from my sin. And so, since God is patient in delaying judgment, and it's a gift, and he wants everyone to reach repentance, let's not waste it. As we consider the second point, I want to first address anyone hearing this who isn't a Christian. By your own words, you would say that you have not reached repentance. Well, what is repentance, and what does that look like practically?

5:28 I think it's helpful to think of repentance from sin and faith in Jesus as two sides of the same coin. You can't have one without the other. And so to repent means to turn from the way that you have been living towards God. Essentially, you recognize that left to your own devices, you are dead in your trespasses and sins. You recognize that your sin separates you from God. You recognize that you need a Savior.

6:00 From there, you put your faith in Jesus. said another way, you believe the gospel. What is the gospel? I'm really glad you asked. The Bible tells us that God created the heavens and the earth. Our world is beautiful and complex as art points to the artist who made it. Our world points to the creator who created it. Because God is creator and the author of life itself, everything including humanity belongs to him. God created us to know him and to enjoy him forever. In the beginning, everything was very good, but something obviously went very wrong. The first humans were given a choice similar to the choices that we face every day. They could obey or disobey their creator. Tragically, they did disobey God and sinned against him. Their original sin is a starting point of everything that is wrong in the world.

6:51 Death, disease, abuse, racism, decay, you name it, everything wrong in the world is the result of sin. We're not victims, though, of the sin that they committed. We are also at fault. Like them, all of us have sinned and disobeyed God from birth. Rather than obeying God out of a love for God, we have all done what was right in our own eyes. Because God is holy and perfect and just in every way, our sin separates us from him. And if that wasn't bad enough, our sin deserves the judgment of God.

7:25 And there is literally nothing that we can do to pay the cost on our own. What is the cost for sinning against an infinitely holy and perfect God? It's death. First spiritual, eventually physical. Beyond death, it's eternal separation from God. That's really bad news. And yet, there is good news. Although God would be perfectly just and righteous to judge and condemn us for our sin, he paid the costs that we could not.

7:59 Around 2,000 years ago, God the Son entered time and space. Jesus was fully human and fully God. After living a perfect and sinless life, he willingly stood in the place of sinners and gave his life as a sacrifice on the cross. Three days later, he rose from the grave and he defeated sin and death. As John 3 16 says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Remember how I said that repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin.

8:31 We just read John 3 16, those who believe or have faith in Jesus don't perish. Our verse tonight, 2 Peter 3 9, those who reach repentance don't perish. God is inviting everyone to repent and believe, no matter who you are or what you've done, the God who made you is offering mercy and forgiveness to you right now. All you have to do is repent, turn from your sin, and put your faith in Jesus. When you put your faith in Jesus, God forgives you of all of your sin, past, present, and future.

9:06 You are not only forgiven, but God adopts you as his own and places his Holy Spirit inside of you. He then commissions you to share this gospel message which literally means the good news to a lost and dying world. The God who created you has his hands open and is offering the most incredible gift that you could ever receive, the salvation of your soul and eternity in his presence. All you have to do is receive this undeserved gift by repenting and putting your faith in Jesus and what he has done on your behalf. There is an urgency here as well. 2 Peter chapter three verses eight and nine they're pretty warm and fuzzy god is patient god doesn't want you to perish he wants you to repent and then there's verse 10 but the day of the lord will come like a thief and then the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed simply put the day of the lord will come when we don't expect it and once jesus returns the two groups of people that

10:09 we considered at the beginning of this sermon will be solidified for eternity. Please remember both groups deserve to perish because Romans 3 23 is crystal clear. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God. Like Pastor Greg explained this morning, no one deserves salvation and yet God receives those who reach repentance with joy. If you are not a Christian, please hear me. God's patience in delaying judgment is a gift.

10:42 Please don't waste it. For those of us hearing this that are already Christians, what does it look like practically for us not to waste this gift of God's patience? First, we should align our hearts with the heart of God and pray that all will reach repentance. Not some, but all. According to our verse tonight, anything less than a desire for all to reach repentance falls short of God's desire for humanity. If this is God's heart for the world, may it be our heart as well.

11:13 Second, we need to preach, teach, and share the gospel with anyone and everyone who will listen to us. Ask God daily for opportunities and courage to share the gospel with people. If you struggle to communicate the gospel in a clear and understandable way, find a brother or sister in Christ and practice with each other. There's nothing wrong with preparation. In fact, you should prepare. Put the time in and the effort to learn how to share the gospel. It's also very helpful to share your testimony as well. No one knows your story better than you do. Honestly, I think the best gospel presentations include both the gospel message and our personal testimonies of coming to faith in Jesus. A few months ago, Tim Jackson taught the Introduction to Christianity Explained during Sunday school. As he introduced us to himself and the content of Christianity explained at large, he shared his testimony with all of us and he interwove the gospel throughout all of it. It was so clear and it left me in awe of our gracious God

12:14 and I want you to know that you can do the exact same thing. You can practice this, write it out, do whatever it takes. The Lord will bless your efforts and he'll be with you. Third, set aside some time to thank God and simply sit in awe of his patience towards you. Praise God that the day of the Lord didn't come before you reached repentance. Remember too that you didn't reach repentance on your own. Yes, you made the decision to repent and believe in Jesus. That's 100% true.

12:48 It is also 100% true that ultimately even your decision was the result of God's grace towards you. take time to meditate on that. Lastly, rest, knowing that God alone can save. Yes, every Christian is responsible for sharing the gospel with those around us. We should feel a healthy burden regarding that. We should absolutely pray and seek to persuade others to repent and believe in Jesus. We absolutely have a part to play in this. Ultimately though, God alone can save. We can't and we don't need to bear that weight. Rather, let us strive for ever-increasing faithfulness to pray and to share the gospel out of a love for God and a love for others because God's patience in delaying judgment is a gift. Let's not waste it. Will you pray with me?

13:45 Father, your word is living and active, and you know exactly how all of us need to receive it, God. If there's anyone here or anyone that ever hears this that is not a believer, I pray that by your grace, they would become a believer. And that they too would join us in praying and seeking to evangelize and share the gospel with a lost and dying world. And God, for those of us that by your grace have already been saved, I pray that you would encourage us in prayer. encourage us in evangelism, and the fruit of what you do through us, God, would echo for eternity.

14:21 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.