The Patience of God

2 Peter 3:9,15

1. Life and salvation depend on God’s patience.– “The Lord is not slack concerning His

promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance…and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation…” (2 Peter 3:9,15)

Introduction

The Patience of God

1. Life and salvation depend on God’s patience.

2. God’s patience reflects His strong desire to save us, thus making Calvinism false.

3. The more we understand God’s patience, the more we want to love and serve Him!

The Patience of God

Introduction

• Remember God’s word (3:1,2)• Know the certainty of God’s judgment (3:3-

10)• Be prepared for the Day of Judgment (3:11-

18)

The Patience of God

1. 2 Peter 3—Chapter on God’s patience

Remember God’s Word

“Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior.” (3:1,2)

Old and New Testaments Inspired: “Prophets and Apostles”

Remember Inspired Word: Restoration Plea!

The Patience of God

Know the Certainty of God’s Judgment

“Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” (3:3,4)

Scoff at the judgment: Pursue Sinful lusts, Ease Conscience:

The Patience of God

“For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.” (3:5,6)

Willful Ignorance:

God Created God Judged:

The Flood:

The Patience of God

Know the Certainty of God’s Judgment

“But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (3:7)

God Will Judge Again:Perdition of ungodly men!

The Patience of God

Know the Certainty of God’s Judgment

“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (3:8,9)

Time Not a Limit to God.His Patience Delays

Judgment:Why? He Seeks our Salvation.

The Patience of God

Know the Certainty of God’s Judgment

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” (3:10)

Judgment Day:Certain

Time UnknownTotal Destruction

The Patience of God

Know the Certainty of God’s Judgment

• Why man recoils at the idea of judgment– We and our loved ones have sinned

– Hell is horrible and horrifying

– God is just too loving

The Patience of God

• Modern theories deny eternal hell.– Jehovah Witness: Verse 10 means

wicked world gov’t. Earth to be purified.

– Max King—Spirit of Prophecy (pg.131) Heaven and earth mean old Jewish system to end in A.D. 70.

The Patience of God

Be Prepared for Judgment Day

“Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (3:11-13)

Live Holy and GodlyGod’s Home Is Our Home!

The Patience of God

“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you.” (3:14,15)

A Pure Life Means Peace with God.

Trust God’s PatiencePaul Wrote Inspired

Scripture

The Patience of God

Be Prepared for Judgment Day

“As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.” (3:16)

Peter and Paul Taught the Same Doctrine;

False Teachers Twist and Deceive

The Patience of God

Be Prepared for Judgment Day

“You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever.” (3:17,18)

Beware of Falling: There’s Danger of ApostasySpiritual Growth Makes

Us Steadfast: Real Security

The Patience of God

Be Prepared for Judgment Day

God’s Patience and the World in Rebellion

• God sustains the world until Judgment, while scoffers trample His patience! (3:3-7)– Mock sin– Mock the Bible– Christ and His church– The willingly ignorant

don’t want to know– Deny God and His

place in the world

The Patience of God

God Sustains the World Until Judgment!

• Children endangered by rampant immorality– Physical and sexual

abuse– Fetal alcohol syndrome– Homosexuals adopt

children– Newborns infected with

AIDS virus– 1.5 million abortions

each year

The Patience of God

“Crack babies frequently have trouble keeping down their food. Given to spasms,trembling, and muscular rigidity, they resist cuddling by arching their backs…. In pediatric intensive units around the country, they fill the night air with their inconsolable ‘cat cries,’ a distinctive high-pitched whine that conveys who knows what inexpressible misery.” (“Nobody’s Children,” Time, 11-9-89:91-92

• Princeton University Bioethics Professor Peter Singer (1999-

– Atheist evolutionist– Justify abortion,

infanticide, euthanasia of disabled infants.“Killing a defective infant is not morally equivalent to killing a person. Sometimes it is not wrong at all.” (Practical Ethics, pp.175-217)

The Patience of God

God Sustains the World Until Judgment!

God Is Patient While the Gospel Is Preached!

• Wants repentance and salvation for all men. (3:9)– God patiently opens

doors—we must go preach!

– As in Noah’s day, Patience will be followed by judgment!

– He preached and built the ark for 120 years.(1 Peter 3:18-21; 2 Peter 2:5)

The Patience of God

God Is Patient While Christians Grow

• Must grow stronger to overcome Satan. (2 Peter 3:17,18)– God’s people must

give all diligence to grow in Him. (2 Peter 1:5-11)

– Must remain steadfast (1 Corinthians 15:58)

The Patience of God

Christians Must Grow!

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.” (2 Peter 1:5-7)

The Patience of God

“For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:8-11)

The Patience of God

Christians Must Grow!

Great Security in God’s Character and Patience!

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

The Patience of God

“Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.” (2 Peter 2:9)

The Patience of God

Great Security in God’s Character and Patience!

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

The Patience of God

Great Security in God’s Character and Patience!

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

The Patience of God

Great Security in God’s Character and Patience!

God Is Patient With Us; We Must Be Patient With Others!

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3)

The Patience of God

Patience With Each Other in All Relationships!

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:30-32)

The Patience of God

Concluding Thoughts

• Where would we be without God’s patience?– Are we using the time God’s patience

gives us wisely?

• Sadly, we can run out God’s patience!– Rejection and rebellion will put our souls

in harm’s way.– Do not take this risk…