2 Peter 3 - Do You Want Jesus to Return? Why Has He Not?

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The Day of the Lord

3 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

This first verse in chapter 3 confirms that the apostle Peter wrote both of these epistles. Peter is trying to build the church up, especially in their "thinking". This relates to the false teaching. The antidote to false teaching is the truth of God's Word, both in the Old and New Testaments. The holy prophets spoke God's Word, the apostles did through Jesus, and Jesus was the "Word made flesh". 

“Peter believed in the inspiration of the very ‘words’ of Scripture; he was not one of those precious ‘advanced thinkers’ who would, if they could, tear the very soul out of the Book, and leave us nothing at all." - Spurgeon

Peter understood that Jesus gave His apostles the inspired authority to bring forth God’s message to the new covenant community. He understood this from passages such as Matthew 16:19, where Jesus gave the apostles authority to bind and loose, much as the authoritative rabbis of their day.

Do you respect the authority of God's Word, as it is taught in your church? Do you define God's Word, or does it define you? 

3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Some of these false teachers who were living hedonistic lives by being controlled by the sinful nature. They also scoffed at the idea of the end times. Like today they said, "Jesus hasn't come back in a long time, what do we have to worry about?" The people in the time of Noah had the same attitude as they frolicked in their sin. Many people live life the same way today. Though we don't know when Jesus is going to come back, he teaches us to be sober, alert, and ready for that day. He says it will come, "Like a thief in the night!" 

The scoffers presume upon the mercy and longsuffering of God, insisting that because they have never seen a widespread judgment of God, that there will never be one. But they willfully forget God’s creation and the judgment God poured out on the earth in the days of Noah.

If Jesus were to come back today would you be ready? Why or why not? When do you plan to get ready if you aren't? If you are ready, how can you stay ready?

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

Peter makes it clear that to presume that because the Lord has not returned is a very dangerous assumption. One of the reasons the Lord has not returned is because there are still people he loves who are not saved. When people say they want the Lord to return soon, I often wonder if they have loved ones or friends, who are not saved. As long as there are people in my life who are not saved, I am hoping the Lord tarries so that they might have more time to believe in Jesus and be saved. 

Who do you know who isn't saved? Have you shared your faith in the Lord with them? Why or why not? How might you turn a conversation with them into a spiritual conversation that might lead to an opportunity to share the gospel?

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[b] That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

So you might ask the question, "How can I prepare for Jesus' return?" Peter tells the believers they should lead holy and godly lives!  I think a simple way to summarize what it means to be ready is living as a disciple of Jesus which is, to living my life as he would live, if he were me. Sometimes the words "godly" and "holy" are hard for people to relate to.  The simple command Jesus gave was, "Follow me!"  

Though we fall short, we can always strive to live a life more like he lived. His life was summarized by obedience to His father and emptying himself by serving others. 

14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

In a sense we are looking forward to Jesus' return so we can be redeemed from this body of death and suffer no more. Peter also says we should "make every effort" to be found "spotless, blameless, and a peace with him." This is all about our personal relationship and walk with Jesus. As we spend time in prayer, studying Jesus' life, and doing life with other believers, we can stay focused on the most important goal in our lives. 

Notice this doesn't happen by accident. Like anything in life our relationship with Jesus takes effort. We need to undergo the disciplines he himself practiced. If Jesus spent copious amounts of time in prayer with the Father, we should probably take a cue from his example. If Jesus had other men he entrusted himself to, we should probably do this as well.

Would you say you are making every effort to be at peace and have a good relationship with Jesus, which will translate into a life worthy of our calling as his disciples?

17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Verse 18 is one to memorize as it summarizes what it means to be a Christ follower!

Though we are given grace, we need to grow into what it means as we live our lives. Though we are given knowledge of Jesus, we need to grow to know him more and more. Note our growth and knowledge is "of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ". The Greek word for "to know" is not intellectual in nature but experiential. Knowing Jesus is a "heart issue" as much as it is a "head issue". Though we need to know what we believe so we can recognize false teaching, especially about the nature of who Jesus is, we need to KNOW HIM personally! 

A worthy personal or church mission statement would be, "To Know Christ and Make Him Known!" That is a great summary for any believer or any church!