In Trent Moody's sermon, 'A Faithful Reminder of A Present Truth,' he explores the book of 2 Peter, emphasizing its overarching themes. The sermon focuses on the importance of remembering the 'present truth' revealed through Jesus Christ, urging believers to be diligent in their faith. Moody highlights Peter's intent to remind the believers of their firm foundation in Christ, warning them against false teachers who might introduce destructive heresies. He reinforces the idea that while the external Christian journey is fraught with challenges, the internal life is filled with joy and peace. Diligence in Christian virtues is crucial for spiritual growth and assurance. Moreover, God's promises, including the promise of a new heaven and earth, necessitate a life of holiness and righteousness. Moody stresses that God's seeming delay in judgment is an act of patience, ensuring that all of the elect come to repentance.

What a blessing it is to be back into the Word of God. As we have come to the second, to second Peter, go ahead and turn to chapter one and as my text this morning I'm going to be reading verses 12 through 15. However, the message this morning is really an overview of the entirety of the book as we have finished up last week with the very detailed exposition. I want to go back through and look at some of the highlights. And with this theme in mind, a fateful reminder of the present truth.

A fateful reminder of the present truth. This present truth, however, is not something that's just now. That's not what it really means here. In the context, what it means is this truth that has come to us. So it's a fateful reminder of this truth that God has given that has come to us so that we would have it in our hands so that we would hear it so that we would believe it and so that we would live it.

So read with me 2nd Peter chapter 1 and verse 12. Thus says the word of the Lord through the apostle Peter, For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right as long as I am in this tent to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover, I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease. Would you pray with me?

Our gracious Heavenly Father, we have come to your word again and we have come, Lord, with a heart that is open and hands ready to receive the word of the living God. Lord we realize that we are such frail people we are such forgetful people and Lord we have not come this morning to hear some new thing. We have come to hear the truth of the Word of God, to be reminded of these truths that we have heard over and over again. But Lord, we need to hear them again. We're forgetful hearers, Lord.

And Father, so often we fail to live what we know to be true. So God would you help us I pray in Jesus name. Amen. You may be seated. So I believe that this passage that I read to you this morning is really Peter's focal point and the reason, he says for this reason.

This is the reason why he wrote the book of 2 Peter was so that the believers would be reminded of the present truth, of this truth that has come to them through the revelation of Jesus Christ and that last song that we sang that that is one of my favorite hymns of all time it was one of the hymns that that helped me through the last weeks when my mother was dying, she was very sick and passing away and that song really helped me through that walk and really that song in my understanding takes us through the book of 1st and 2nd Peter. 1st Peter as we went through months ago was Peter bringing these people along, helping them to understand that the trials that they experience in this life, that there is a need in them, That Christ to be formed in you requires the heat and the trial of adversities. And then in 2nd Peter he brings us into this and he begins in 2 Peter chapter 1 with some really glorious truths and really just a sure foundation of our faith. But then he also brings them this danger that they may face and that they must be guarded against and then he ends with another point that Josh brought out about all of the promises of God.

He has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises and that's really where chapter 3 takes us. Calvin notes that Peter predicts that danger was approaching from false teachers who would spread impious inventions as well as from the despisers of God who would mock all religion and he did this that the faithful might learn to be watchful and that they might be fortified and he seems to have spoken this designedly lest they expected listen careful lest they expected that the course of the truth in the kingdom of Christ would be tranquil and peaceable and free from all contentions. If so someone lied to you. The Christian walk is not one of tranquility externally. Now, on the inside, the Lord does give us joy and peace and just an overwhelming happiness to be a child of God.

But On the outside, and some struggles on the inside, you will find that the Christian walk is not one that is where you let go and let God, as some used to say. But the walk that we walk in the Lord Jesus Christ is one of diligence. It is one of putting off the old man and putting on the new man. It is one where we must do battle against our flesh. We must do battle against the worldly devisings and against the schemes and the wiles of the devil.

So Peter's main object in writing 2nd Peter was really to prepare the believers for and strengthen them against the invasion of false teachers. That was the big thrust that we saw in chapter 2 and a little bit into chapter 3. So I want to just tell you where I'm going. This is again just kind of a generalization over the entire book of 2 Peter. In the first chapter, Peter wants to remind them of their sure foundation, this steady bedrock that we stand upon as Christians.

That's where he wants to go first. Peter is that good shepherd, under shepherd. He's a pastor at heart. He wants to bring the people into a place and he wants to encourage them. He wants them to understand that they are established in the present truth.

This truth that has come to them, they are standing. God has taken you and brought you out of the mire clay and set your feet upon a rock. And that's where we stand as believers and that's where he wants them to stand. And then in chapter 2 and the first part of chapter 3 he's giving them a picture of the dangerous yet defeated foes that they will face in this life. There are some very dangerous destructive deceptive foes that you are going to face in this life and not only outside of the walls of the local church.

Unfortunately, but factually, there will be deceptive deceivers even in the church that must be guarded against. And then thirdly, He is reminding them of their certain promises of God. What I was wanting to say was, it is this promise that is steadfast. It is a promise that you can hang everything upon. It is a promise to which it's like grabbing a parachute and jumping out of an airplane.

You have no concerns that this is going to hold you and deliver you safely. But it's so much greater than jumping out of an airplane with a parachute. This is something that your feet can be established upon and in fact all of Christianity is based upon the promises of God. So first let's jump into this first chapter here as we look and again the reason Peter was writing this second epistle to these believers who remember in 1st Peter these were people who had been through all kinds of difficulties and trials They were in fiery trials and Peter told them that if need be you are in heaviness through manifold temptations because he told them that their faith was more precious than gold. It was a faith that needed to be tried.

It was a faith because remember God's greatest desire in you is to purify your faith. And that only comes about through challenges and difficulties and trials. We read it from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation. And that's how God does it because your fate is more precious than gold. Gold perishes.

But your faith will last forever. And he's in the process of purifying that faith. And so he wanted them in chapter 1 to understand this sure foundation. It is not a foundation like the foolish man who built his house upon the sand and the storms came and great was the fall of the house. It's not like that.

This is a foundation that is settled on bedrock That when the storms and the trials of this life come, the winds blow, the rains come, but it stands. That is the foundation that we have. It's a sure foundation and you need to understand this. This sure foundation is not based upon your ability and your strength and it's not even based and hear me carefully it's not based on the greatness of your faith. It's based upon the greatness of the object of your faith which is the Lord Jesus Christ because your faith you remember what he said if you had faith the size of a mustard seed faith in what faith in the Lord Jesus Christ because remember it's not the size of your faith, it's the object of your faith that matters.

But I want to show you here just a few things in this first chapter here that this sure foundation is the gift of God. Notice how many things that he mentions here in these first few verses are given to us by God. In verse one, we read this, Simon Peter, a bond servant, an apostle of Jesus Christ. Listen, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. That word obtained there actually means received.

To those who have received like precious faith, this faith that we have is the gift of God. It's not something that you have mustered up. It's not something that you have worked up. It's not because you are smarter. It's not because you are wiser.

It's not because you're older. It's not because of any of these things. It is the gift of God. Lest anyone should boast. Why should we boast about what we have received as a gift?

So faith is the gift of God, we see that. And that's really what Peter, again, he's wanting to understand the sureness of the foundation that they are given because that will bring them through the difficulties of dealing with false teachers and these deceivers who come in bringing damnable heresies. Next we see this promise we've been given grace and peace verse 2 grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. This grace and peace, we know that grace is the gift of God, Ephesians chapter 2. We understand that that is what God has given to us.

He's given to us faith and that faith is a grace of God and because we have been recipients of the grace of God we have received the peace of God. But not only did we receive grace and peace, but we have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. As Josh quoted this morning in verse 3, as his divine power has given into us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue. His divine power notice again it is something that was given to us. It was he has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

We lack nothing. Brothers and sisters, we have a sure foundation. Next we see that we've been given exceedingly great and precious promises in verse 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. These are the gifts of God that help you to be established in the present truth, the truth that has come to you. We see the surety of this foundation is not because of diligence but it is experienced through diligence.

Something that we talked about last week was the diligence. There's a couple of themes that run throughout 2 Peter. One of those of course is this whole point that he is just reminding you of things you already know. I hope you didn't come to hear anything new this morning. I have nothing new to share.

I'm just going to tell you the same things that you know and I've told you throughout this entire book. I'm just going to keep reminding you. I find that I need to be reminded over and over and over. You ever find yourself telling your children to do the same things over and over again. How many times do you have to tell them to do something before they remember?

You know I think the Lord in His great love and patience and long sufferings towards us, He's the same way with us. How many times will I have to tell Trent? Over and over and over again he's gracious that way And so Peter writes this as a way of reminder. You see the surety of this foundation, this other theme that we're talking about here, is that it's experienced through diligence. We have the sure foundation of the faith that is a gift of God, the grace as a gift of God, the divine power and all things that pertain to life and godliness as the gift of God, and all of these exceedingly great and precious promises are the gift of God.

You've received those and they're building you up in the most holy faith. But look, in verses 5 through 11, we see here that their only experience, the assurance of these things is only experienced through diligence. This is not a works based salvation. This is a salvation that works. There's a world of difference.

Let me say there's an eternity of difference between those two things. He says in verse 5, but also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to your virtue knowledge, and to knowledge self-control to self-control perseverance to perseverance godliness to godliness brotherly kindness and a brotherly kindness love and Listen to what he says in verse 8, for if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But, and that's my but there, for he, verse nine, for he who lacks these things is short sighted even to blindness and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. These wonderful foundational truths and the outgrowing of these things are experienced through diligence. He says, but also for this very reason, because I have given you all of these things, I've given you faith, I've given you grace, I've given you peace, I've given you all things that pertain to life and godliness, I've given you exceedingly great and precious promises for this reason giving all diligence." Add.

Add. The Christian life is not one that we sit back and expect these things to grow within us. Matthew Henry says in these words the Apostle comes to the chief thing intended in this epistle. To excite and engage them to advance in grace and holiness. They have already obtained precious faith and been made partakers of the divine nature.

This is a very good beginning, but it is not to be rested in as if we were already perfect. The apostle had prayed that grace and peace might be multiplied to them and now he exhorts them to press forward for the obtaining of more grace. We should as we have opportunity exhort those we pray for and excite them to use all of the proper means to obtain what we desire God to bestow upon them. And those who will make any progress in religion must be very diligent and industrious in their endeavors. He says, without giving all diligence, there is no gaining any ground in the work of holiness.

Those who are slothful in the business of religion will make nothing of it. We must strive if we will enter in at the straight gate. Slothfulness. Those who are slothful in the business of religion will make nothing of it. It is with all diligence.

So diligence in Christian graces ensures fruitfulness. That's what he tells us in verse 8. For if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Any of y'all planted garden this year? I know we have.

Anything common about a garden to all of us, if you're going to receive fruit, you can't sit on the porch and watch it and never mess with it. If you sit on the porch in slothfulness and drink your sweet tea and watch your garden, all you're going to see grow is weeds. To have fruit to be produced so that it would be beneficial and good, it takes diligence, not slothfulness. We must be out there in the garden. We must be pulling the weeds.

We must be tending the vegetables and tending what we're growing. It takes constant diligence. That's the Christian life. It is constant diligence in the graces of God, not work salvation. This is a diligence to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You see if these things are yours and abound you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. You will grow. Growth in grace establishes Christian assurance. Do you doubt your salvation if you struggle with assurance of your salvation? I think every one of us, almost every Christian I've ever met has doubted that at some point in their life.

But I want you to realize something that growth in grace establishes Christian assurance. That's what it does. Verse 10 and 11 he says, Therefore brethren be even more diligent to make your call and election sure. Now listen what he says, 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. If you're struggling with the assurance of your salvation, maybe what you ought to do is not be focused so much on your doubts of your salvation and start focusing your diligence upon the growth of grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Be diligent in what he says here in verses 5 through 8 and focus giving all diligence add to your faith virtue and to your virtue knowledge and knowledge self control and right on down the line. Be focused in upon these things and you know what will happen. You'll find that your assurance will be built because of your growth in grace. You'll understand that I am a child of God. You'll begin to understand that God is through the Holy Spirit working in me to accomplish these things.

Remember it's not our own strength that we're diligent. We're diligent because God has given unto us these things so that we would grow in grace. But I want you to realize this sure foundation is not only the foundation that is experienced through diligence, but we have the testimony of God's word that shows us the surety of our foundation. That's where he gets to in these next verses. Look down in verse 16 he says, for we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You see we quoted this this morning in our in our congregational reading. This is something that you need to understand. This foundation that we have as Christians is not a fable. It's not something that people were making up and just coming around and talking about. No man could make this up.

Matthew Henry notes here, he says, we have the reason of Peter giving the foregoing exhortation and that was so much diligence and seriousness. He says these things are not idle tales or vain things but of undoubted truth and vast concern. The gospel is not a cunningly devised fable. He says, these are not the words of one who hath a devil, nor the contrivances of any number of men who by cunning craftiness endeavor to deceive. The way of salvation by Jesus Christ is eminently the counsel of God, the most excellent contrivance of the infinitely wise Jehovah.

It was he that invented this way of saving sinners by Jesus Christ whose power and coming are set forth in the gospel and the Apostles preaching was a making of these things known to the people. It's not a contrivance of man, it's not a fable of man. These contrivances were the contrivance of an infinitely wise God who determined to save sinners through his Son Jesus Christ through his life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and intercession, and return, and glorification. That is the wise counsel of God. Not only is it not a fable but it was seen by eyewitness.

We also learned this as we look through these verses months ago. He says, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. Hey, he's saying it's not a fable, we saw it. We saw his glory on the mount of transfiguration. Not only did we see it and were eyewitnesses, we even had the Father in heaven's testimony, his verbal testimony that this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

But you know what we have something as I mentioned months ago better than the experiences of the apostles and disciples. Verse 19 says, and so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place. Listen to the surety of this word. The way is this is written, this prophetic word confirmed. It would seem to say that the experience of the Apostles on the Mount confirmed the prophetic word.

But the Greek construction which you may have noted in your Bibles as an alternate reading states this way and we also have the more sure prophetic word or and we have more firm the prophetic word. So I concur with this commentator when he says this, Peter is ranking scripture over experience. The prophetic word is more complete, more permanent, more authoritative than the experiences of anyone. More specifically, the Word of God is a more reliable verification of the teachings about the person, atonement, and second coming of Christ than even the genuine firsthand experiences of the apostles themselves. So when you have experiences bring them to the prophetic word of God because this is more sure than your experience.

Because your experiences will toss you like the waves of the sea. Your emotions will be up and down and all around. But the word of God is sure. It is your only sure foundation throughout this life. Stand upon the rock of God's Word.

It's not a fable. It's more than eyewitnesses. It's more than even the verbal testimony of God the Father. It's better than any experience that we have. He says in verses 20 and 21, holy men were moved by the Holy Spirit knowing this first.

That no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation for prophecy never came by the will of man but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." You see, we have this sure foundation in the Word of God and we would do well to obey what God has so wonderfully given. Again, one commentator notes at this point, we do well if we take heed to the scriptures. That is, apply our minds to understand the sense and our hearts to believe the truth of this sure word. Yea, bend yourself to it that we may be molded and fashioned by it. The word is that form of doctrine into which we must be cast, that formulative knowledge by which we are to regulate our thoughts and sentiments, our words, our confessions, our whole life and conversation.

He says, if we thus apply ourselves to the Word of God, we continually do well in all respects what is pleasing to God and profitable to ourselves and this indeed is but paying that regard which is due to the oracles of God." The second London Baptist confession of which we hold to says much of the same thing. I'm not going to read all of that, but you can look that up in the second London speaking about the Holy Scriptures, and it is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule for all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. That is how we view this word here and we want you to as well. This is our only sure word of authority that we will strive with all that we are to live our lives to. And so Listen, back up just for a moment.

Why am I going into all of this depth? Peter is wanting to give these believers a sure foundation because he knows what's coming. He knows what's coming. If there was a huge tsunami that I knew was coming and I failed to tell you of the place to shelter that you would be safe, I would be negligent. Peter saw a false teacher tsunami coming into the early church and he's telling them there is a sure foundation so that you will not be swept away with the air of the wicked and it is the Word of God.

That is what he is doing here. So secondly, we move into chapter two and through chapter three verse seven, this is my second outline if you will, second point of the outline to bring us this overarching view of second Peter. So chapter two, we need to understand that we have dangerous yet defeated foes. Don't take them lightly. Don't be slothful in your attention of them.

They're dangerous. But hey, they're defeated. They're defeated through the Lord Jesus Christ. They have destructive doctrines. Here's the warning.

He's bringing this huge amount of, this huge general picture of what the false teachers are like. He doesn't name names, he has other places, he doesn't name names, but he wants them to understand the general character of these people. He wants you to understand the general nature of these people and the things that they say. So they teach, primarily they're teaching destructive heresies. He says in chapter 2 verse 1 and then down in verse 18 I'll pick up there.

He says, but there were also false prophets among the people even as there will be false teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction." And then down in verse 18 he says, "'For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lust of the flesh through lewdness the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error while they promise them liberty they themselves are slaves of corruption for by whom a person is overcome by him also is he brought into bondage for if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ they are again entangled in them and overcome the latter end is worse for them than the beginning and he goes on down from there just continuing to describe these people. He wanted them to understand that they have destructive heresies in their teaching. Now the interesting thing about this and we went into great depth when we were going through this line by line but one of the things that was interesting about this they bring in secretly.

They come by stealth. It's not just the heresies out there, it's not just the heresies that you carry on your phone with you that you can get all of this nonsense of worldliness, But these heresies are those who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." It is those who profess to be Christians, profess to be teachers in the faith, and yet they bring in secretly destructive heresies. I mentioned this illustration long ago when we were here but if you've ever of rat poison. 99.995% food. 0.005% poison.

What kills the rat? Not the food. Brothers and sisters, we must be guarded. There are those in the church, the visible church, I don't know of any here, praise the Lord, but there are those in the visible church who will bring in destructive heresies and they want to slide it right in. It almost sounds right, but it will kill you.

We must be on guard. Not only that, but these destructive heresies lead to a destructive end. We see this in verse 1 and verse 18 as well. Tim Challis notes, Satan's greatest ambassadors are not pimps, politicians, or power brokers, but pastors. He says his priests do not peddle a different religion, but a deadly perversion of the true one.

His troops do not make a full-out frontal assault but work as agents sneaking into the opposing army. So you see Satan's tactics are studied, clever, predictable, and effective. Therefore we must always remain vigilant. Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits." Matthew 7, 15.

You see, my great concern for God's people and for you is not that you will be tricked by the Mormons or the Jehovah's Witnesses or Creflo Dollar or any of these other people. My concern for you is that certain men, as Peter was warning, or as Jude says, excuse me, Jude was warning, for certain men have crept in unnoticed. You see, the lewdness is unrestrained vice or gross immorality, which describes a shameless lifestyle of one who irrevocately flaunts God's grace by indulging in unchecked and open immorality. You will know them by their fruits. That's the danger.

It almost sounds right. They live destructive lives. You'll know them by their fruits. Their lives will be marked out by destructive patterns. He says in verse 3 of chapter 2 by covetousness, they will exploit you with deceptive words.

In 2nd Peter 2 13 he says, these will receive the wages of unrighteousness as those who count it pleasure to corrals in the daytime, their spots and blemishes corralsing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin enticing unstable souls they have a heart trained and covetous practices and are accursed children they forsaken the right way and gone astray following the way of Balaam the son of Beor who loved the wages of unrighteousness this is their way second Peter 3 says knowing this first that scoffers will come in the last days walking according to their own lust and saying where's the promise of his coming. You see these people will deny the very foundation that you are to hold so sure. They'll come and question it. Where's the promise of his coming? All things continued as they were from the beginning.

I don't see any what's going on. I don't see God coming to judge anything. That's what they say. Where is he? Oh, you know you've seen videos I'm sure of atheists.

They say, well if God is real let him do. And they try to jerk God's chain. You don't jerk God's chain. There's coming a day when he'll jerk yours. You're not going to put God in a position where he has to act.

Don't forget your very breath is in his hand. This is our God. And so listen, these are those destructive heresies that Peter is warning them about. Remember, we have this sure foundation of the Word of God and of the testimony and all that he has given us. All of the exceedingly great and precious promises.

He wants your feet to be sure because there's a tidal wave of deception that's coming in. It's not just the outward attacks that we face and we face them, but it's those who come in in sheep's clothing who are actually wolves and they want to devour you. Be on guard. They not only are destructive, They not only are destructive, but remember they are defeated. Chapter 2, verse 3-7, but in verse 4 there of chapter 2, their destruction is as certain as the fallen angels.

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment. He speaks there about how God knows. He is more than able to bring destruction upon them. Jonathan Edwards in his famous sermon Sinners in the hands of an angry God notes it like this. If God should only withhold his hand from the flood gate, it would immediately fly open and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God would rush forth with inconceivable fury and would come upon you with omnipotent power and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yea ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it.

What a picture. These false teachers are defeated. They will be utterly destroyed and they will not be able to withstand the fierceness of the wrath of God when it comes because of their deceptive and destructive ways. Remember stand upon the sure word of God it will protect you from their falsities and all of their deceptions and remember this that God will bring them into derision. Not only are the angels their destruction is as certain as the angels the fallen angels Their destruction is as certain as those who were destroyed by the flood.

He goes into the flood here in chapter 2 verse 5 and he says, and did not spare the ancient world but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly. These are historical testimonies that God is able and has the authority to bring judgment upon the ungodly. The angels are an example of that. Those during the time of Noah who were destroyed in the flood were an example of that. There's another example that Peter gives us in verse 6 of chapter 2.

And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly. These are examples for them. So when these scoffers come and says where's the promise of his coming? You just go back and you point. You remember the angels?

You remember Noah? You remember Sodom and Gomorrah? There's the promise of his coming. These are pre-figures of what is coming and what is coming is going to be worse. And the end will be their end.

Verse 7 he says, and delivered righteous lot who was oppressed with the filthy conduct of the wicked for that righteous man dwelling among them tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment. There is a day of judgment. There is a day coming when you will stand before an Almighty God. You will either stand in Christ and be delivered or you will be outside of Christ and you will be destroyed. And hear me, if you're here this morning and do not know Christ, that is my great end.

I want you to know Christ. I want you to know the forgiveness of Christ. I want you to know that he breaks, as we sang, he breaks the power of canceled sin. I used to wonder what that meant. What does that mean he breaks the power of canceled sin?

Well guess what? When you're in Christ he breaks the power. You have a canceled sin. Your sin has been wiped away. You're justified in Christ.

But he doesn't only do that, he breaks the power of canceled sin. Not only does he save you from the penalty of sin, Jesus Christ came to save you from the power of sin in your life. In other words, he came to endow you with the ability to put to death the deeds of the body and to live a holy life. He breaks the power of canceled sin. Matthew Henry again notes on this point.

He says, men are apt to think that a reprieve is the forerunner of a pardon and that if judgment be not speedily executed it is or will be certainly reversed. But the Apostle tells us that how successful and prosperous so ever false teachers may be, and that for a time yet their judgment lingereth not. God has determined long ago how he will deal with them. Such unbelievers who endeavor to turn others from the faith are condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth upon them. The righteous judge will speedily take vengeance.

The day of their calamity is at hand and the things that shall come upon them make haste." Again, Jonathan Edwards says this, there is no want or lack of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment. Men's hands cannot be strong when God rises up. He says the strongest have no power to resist him nor can any deliver out of his hand. He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell but he can do it most easily. Sometimes an earthly prince meets with a great deal of difficulty to subdue a rebel who has found means to fortify himself and has made himself strong by the numbers of his followers but it is not so with God.

There is no fortress that is any defense from the power of God. Though hand joined in hand and vast multitudes of God's enemies combined and associate themselves they are easily broken in pieces. They are as great heaps of light chaff before the whirlwind or large quantities of dry stubble before devouring flames. He says, we find it easy to tread and crush on a worm that we see crawling on the earth, so it is easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that anything hangs by. Thus easy it is for God when he pleases to cast his enemies down to hell.

What are we that we should think to stand before him at whose rebuke the earth trembles and before whom the rocks are thrown down?" Listen, I say that for the believer by way of encouragement. The false teachers are dangerous but their destruction is sure. I say that to the unbelievers. Don't think for one second that you can fortify yourself against what's coming. There's only one way.

You must be in the cleft of the rock. You see when Moses was there he wanted to see the glory and God said you can't handle all the glory and he said I'll put you here in the cleft and I'll put my hand over you. It's like the blood upon the door post at the Passover. There's only one thing that will keep you from that wrath and that's the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the angel of death will pass by or pass over you.

Lastly, we want to look in chapter 3, we have a certainty of the promises of God. We have a sure foundation. We have an understanding that the deceivers are dangerous yet they are destroyed and we have a certain promise of God. That's kind of the three big things that Peter is bringing us to. That's why he began with this great bedrock that we have of our foundation in the very Word of God and then he tells us here's a tidal wave coming.

It's the false teachers and their destructive damnable heresies but listen we have a promise of God. Don't you love how Peter does that? He helps us, he lifts us up, he tells us the bad, and then he brings us right into the promises right again. That's how God works. He gives us such exceedingly precious promises.

Excuse me, exceedingly great in precious promises. So look with me in chapter 3 and we'll close this out in this last chapter. I want you to understand something. God's delay does not negate God's promise. God's delay does not negate God's promise.

Chapter 3 verses 8 and 9, 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 as long suffering towards us not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance You see God's promise necessitates his delay. His promise necessitates a delay. Remember the Lord is not slack concerning his promises some count slackness but is long-suffering towards us And you remember who the us are in this. You remember, let's look real quickly in chapter 3 verse 1, beloved I now write to you this second epistle. Remember he's writing a second epistle.

Well who did he write the first one to? You got to figure that out to understand who he wrote the second one to. So 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 1 and 2. You can underline this in your Bible. It's helpful.

This is called context. Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and by Thinnea elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. So who's he writing to? He's writing to the elect. So who is God longsuffering towards?

He says us. Us who? The elect. God is long-suffering for the elect, not willing that any of the elect should perish, but that all that the elect should come to repentance. You see there are those who are elect who have not yet come to repentance.

That God has determined before the foundation of the world who they are. I don't know so I'm going to preach it to everybody. I'm going to preach it to the elect and not elect. And you know what? To one is an aromant of life unto life and to other of death unto death.

That's not my business. My business is to preach the gospel to every creature. And so, as we see this here, his promise necessitates his delay. He's not willing that any of those for whom Christ died would perish. So until every one of the elect believe he will not return.

I don't know when that is. I don't know how many is left. Is there one left? Is there one here this morning that might be left? I don't know.

God knows. God knows who they are. God is waiting on the entirety of the elect to come to faith and repentance and he's not willing that any of us should perish but that all should come to repentance. Jesus said this in John 6 39, this is the will of my father who sent me that of all that he has given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day. This is what he's talking about here.

He will lose nothing. The real reason for God's seeming delay is that he is not willing that any of his elect should perish. He's not slack. Every last one will be saved from the wrath to come. Now you may think to yourself, why doesn't God just go ahead and bring all the elect of faith and repentance and be done with all of this?

I don't know. All I can say is, why did God not create the ark for Noah in a moment? But it took over a hundred years of him being faithful and diligent in building that ark. And then the flood came. When did the flood come?

When the ark was finished. And when all of those animals came in, then it began to rain. But it won't rain next time. The timing is of the Lord. The great news is what we read in 1 Thessalonians 5, 9 through 11.

He says, for God did not appoint us to wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with him, therefore comfort each other and edify one another just as you also are doing. Isn't that wonderful? We have a God who loves his people and he will not lose any of them, not one. So listen, how should you view the delay of God's judgment? View it as the proof of God's forbearance and his desire to save his people.

That's what it is. 2nd Peter 3 15 gives us a clear answer and consider that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation. That's what it is. It is salvation. Not only that, but God's promise is of a new heaven and a new earth.

Remember, we have this certainty of the promises of God and part of that promise as we looked at just a few weeks ago is a new heaven and a new earth. Note where righteousness dwells. Let me ask you a quick question. Does that sound inviting to you? Think about it just for a moment.

A new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells. Have you ever been somewhere and you sit down to a meal and you decide, like you always do, to give thanks to the Lord for your meal? And there are others who are sitting there now. Occasionally there'll be someone who says, that really blessed me, thank you. But there are also times when people look at you with disdain.

I want you to realize the new heaven and the new earth is a place where righteousness dwells. He says in chapter 3 verses 12 and 13, 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 a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." Could I just note that God's promises should produce holy living. God's promises that we have, hey, there's a heaven, a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells. What does that do in you? It will tell a lot about you.

He says in verse 11, therefore since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of person ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness. And in verse 14 he says, Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by him in peace, without spot and blameless. One commentator noted this. He said, never expect to be found at that day of God in peace if you're lazy and idle in this your day in which you must finish the work given for you to do. Only the diligent Christian will be the happy Christian in the day of the Lord.

Our Lord will suddenly come to us or shortly call us to himself and shall he find us idle? If righteousness dwells in the new heaven and the new earth, should we not be seeking for righteousness to be dwelling in us now?" You know it's preparation. God is preparing us for the new heaven and a new earth. That's what he's doing. He's working in us through the power of his Holy Spirit and through this motivating factor of diligence to grow, to add to your faith virtue and your virtue knowledge, this growing in grace that we would be found in him without spot and blemish, that we would love righteousness because God is righteous.

This fact, the fact that the dissolving of the heavens and the earth ought to be allowed to exert a deep and abiding influence on us, to induce us to lead holy lives. We should feel that there is nothing permanent on this earth, he says, that this is not our abiding home, but that our greatest interests are in another world. We should be serious, humble, and prayerful, and should make it our great object to be prepared for the solemn scene through which we are soon to pass, and habitual contemplation of the truth that all that we see is soon to pass away would produce a most solitary effect on the mind. It would make us serious. It would repress ambition.

Let me add selfish ambition. It would lead us not to desire to accumulate what must soon be destroyed. It would prompt us to lay up our treasures in heaven. It would cause us to ask with deep earnestness whether we are preparing for these amazing scenes should they suddenly burst upon us. What are we preparing for?

Are you preparing for the promises of God? Because they are certain. It's not they might come about. Every promise of God is yes and amen. Every one of them, none, will fall to the wayside.

I will leave you with this quote as I did from last week from D.A. Carson. He says, people do not drift towards holiness apart from grace-driven effort. That's what I'm talking about in this book, grace-driven effort. People do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.

We drift towards compromise, he says, and call it tolerance. We drift towards disobedience and call it freedom. We drift towards superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation. We slouch towards prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism.

We slide towards godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated. So in conclusion, brothers and sisters, my prayer is that today I have worked and through this book I have worked the work of a faithful shepherd under Shepherd of God. I pray that I have reminded you of what you already know. I pray that your faith has grown and become more diligent in your walk with the Lord and more watchful against false teachers and their teachings. That you have full.