Grow In Anticipation

We're going to be examining verses twelve, thirteen, and fourteen today as we've worked our way through the majority of this letter, and we'll be wrapping it up over the next few weeks.

We know that the theme of the book is grow, that Peter wants us to grow and to keep growing in the Lord Jesus Christ and our walk with him.

And in these verses we find that he wants us to grow in anticipation of the second coming of Christ.

Second Peter 3 12 says, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherewith the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.

Nevertheless, we according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent, that you may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless.

Let's pray.

Dear Lord, it is our heart's desire to draw close to you through your word.

Lord, I pray that you would just empower me today, fill me with your Holy Spirit, bless the uh work that I've put into study and help me to proclaim your word.

Lord, may your second coming be ever more real to us.

May we grow in anticipation of that day, realizing that it could be this day.

Father, I pray that you would help us to live our lives with that in view.

Father, I just pray and trust that your word will do the work you've designed it to do.

As you said, it will not return void, but it'll accomplish the work you send it forth to do.

Lord, there's work that needs to be done in our hearts and lives today.

For some, it may be the work of salvation.

There may be one that needs to be saved.

For others, it may be surrender or some other decision.

I just pray, Lord, that we'd be willing participants in your program today, and that if your word pricks our hearts, that we would not repel from it, Lord, but that we would embrace it.

And I pray that in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Peter tells us in verses one and two of this chapter that he is writing to believers in order to stir us up in our spiritual mindedness, right?

This second letter, right unto you to beloved, to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance.

If you remember, that phrase stir up means to fully awaken from drowsiness.

As the kids are saying nowadays, lock in, right?

That means pay attention, engage, focus on this.

And so Peter wants to awaken us fully to the fact, to the reality that Jesus is coming back.

As a matter of fact, he goes from those introductory verses in 1 and 2 when he says, I'm writing to stir you up, immediately into the second coming of Christ, and he stays on the second coming of Christ from verse 3 to verse 14, the final verse that we just read.

What I would like for you to note is that phrase last days in verse 3.

As we're finding our footing here for this text, we need to understand the context.

And there in verse 3, he transitions from his intro to focusing on the last days.

What does he mean by last days?

Well, this designation refers to the period of time between the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ.

And sometimes people think of last days as being future, right?

Those are the ones that are yet to come.

But when you look at this subject in Scripture and we take the cross references into account, what we're going to find is that those last days started with the first coming of Christ, and they'll conclude with the second coming of Christ.

For reference, this phrase is actually used for the very first time in Jacobean prophecy.

If you remember in Genesis 49, Jacob is about to die.

Jacob calls his sons together and he speaks a prophetic word about each of those twelve sons.

But he begins in Genesis 49, verse 1, by saying, Jacob called his sons and said, Gather together that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days.

Genesis 49:1

And so we're looking at that phrase.

It's used here in Peter.

The first time it's used is in Genesis 49.

Jacob has a prophetic word, and it's not just for future days, it's not just for his last days, it's not just for their last days, it is for the last days.

And in verses 8 through 12 of that same chapter, he speaks this prophetic word to Judah.

And if you remember, Judah is the son through which the tribe of Judah is populated.

It is the tribe through which the Messiah, Jesus Christ, comes.

And so what he says to Judah is, Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise.

Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies.

Your father's children shall bow down before you.

Judah is a lion's whelp.

From the prey, my son, you have gone up.

He bows down, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who shall rouse him?

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes.

And so Jacob is speaking about the last days, and in his prophecy to Judah, he actually gives us a clue about when those last days begin.

He says, until Shiloh comes.

Shiloh is an epithet for the Messiah.

And so this text indicates that the last days begin with the first coming of Christ.

What's going to happen in the last days?

Shiloh is going to come.

And he's going to come to the earth.

The Messiah is going to come.

For another confirmation, listen to Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 and 2.

Hebrews 1:1

It says, God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.

And so if we're putting the pieces together, then the Son speaks in the last days.

That couldn't happen until Jesus came.

And when Jesus came, we notice that that marks the beginning of those last days.

We go on to gather a little more information.

And I would point out to you that the Apostle Peter knew this.

The Peter that is writing this letter, telling us about the last days that are to come, actually mentioned those last days in his very first sermon at Pentecost.

Remember, after Jesus died, is buried, rises again, he spends 40 days with his disciples, and then 10 days later, Pentecost comes, and that's when the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples, and Peter stands up and preaches the inaugural sermon, and he proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ, and 3,000 people get saved.

And in that sermon, he quotes from the Old Testament prophet Joel.

And he says in Acts 2, 16 and 17, but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel, and it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.

And so what he is telling them is this is happening now.

What Joel prophesied is what's happening today.

The Holy Spirit is descending.

God is pouring out his spirit on flesh.

And Joel said it's going to happen in the last days.

So that tells me the last days aren't future, but they actually began in the New Testament with the first coming of Jesus Christ.

The last days begin with the incarnation of Christ, when Christ comes the first time, and they will be consummated when the kingdom of Christ comes, and Christ comes back and sets up his throne on the earth.

That's what is told us by the prophet Isaiah.

That's what Micah says.

It talks about those last days, lasting until his kingdom comes.

And so this means that we are living in the last days.

We're living in the last days.

They began with Jesus' first coming, they conclude with his second coming.

Now, as we're framing this for our text, we also must note that Peter says, those last days, those last days are going to be marked by anti-Christ sentiments.

You say, okay, I've got the timeline.

You're telling me the last days began with Jesus, they'll conclude with his second coming, so I'm in the last days.

But how do I know that I'm in the last days?

I mean, that's a lot of days.

That's 2,000 years.

Well, Peter tells us it's going to be marked by these anti-Christ sentiments.

He says in 2 Peter 3, 3 and 4, knowing this first that scoffers will come in the last days.

There's a mark of the last days.

There will be scoffers, those who mock.

What are they mocking about?

Well, he says that they'll walk according to their own lust and they'll say, Where is the promise of his coming?

Right?

Christ isn't coming back.

What are you believing in?

Some sort of fairy tale?

Some sort of fantasy?

Some sort of mythology?

He's not coming back.

How ignorant do you have to be?

How base do you have to be?

Jesus isn't coming back.

He was just a man.

He died 2,000 years ago.

He is not coming back.

That is going to be a mark of the last days that there will be these antichrist sentiments.

The Apostle Paul speaks about this in 2 Timothy 3, 1 through 5.

He says, but know this that in the last days, perilous times will come.

And then he tells us what those perilous times look like.

He says, men will be lovers of them own selves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.

Well, that sounds like the culture we live in, doesn't it?

That people love themselves more than they love God, that they love pleasure, they love money, that they are brutal, that they want to have a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.

Can I translate that into the jargon of today?

I'm not religious, I'm spiritual.

Okay, so you want to say you believe in some etheral God, but but you deny the very power of that God in acknowledging that he became a man and we call him Jesus.

And so it is a description.

We can look around and say, well, we've got the marks of the last days, right?

We're in the time frame, and we've got the marks of it.

And then the Apostle John adds in and he tells us this.

He says in 1 John 2.18, little children, it is the last time.

And as you have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many Antichrists who have come, by which we know that it is the last time.

And so we think about last days as the days of tribulation, when the Antichrist reveals himself.

But John says, let me tell you, yes, the Antichrist is coming, but in the last days there'll be many Antichrists.

In other words, there'll be many that are Antichrist, against Christ.

John uses a slightly different phrase.

He said, This last time.

And from what I understand about the original language, this indicates the final period of the last days.

Kind of like the football game has those four quarters, and then you get into the final one, and you know it is getting close.

That seems to be the tone of what John is saying.

He's like, hey, you'll know it by the number of anti-Christ sentiments that you see in your culture.

Not only does Peter tell us that we are in the last days, but he also tells us they're going to be long days.

You see, that word days throws us off a little bit because we think, well, last days are going to be a short amount of time.

But Peter says there in 2 Peter 3, 8 and 9, that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

And so God doesn't keep time the same way that you and I keep time.

And so it is very plausible that the last days began with the first coming of Christ, and they will end with his second coming, and that even though it's been 2,000 years, a thousand years is as a day to the Lord, and a day as 2,000 years, it's only been a couple of days, if we go by that equation.

And so what Peter warns us about is that we not be gas-lit and discouraged by the scoffers because of the long delay.

Know this, those last days last for a while.

And you're going to have to endure those who mock and those who scoff.

In one passage, it points us back to Noah, who was commissioned to build the ark, because God said, I'm going to send a flood.

And the Bible says that Noah spent years and years working on that ark.

And that while he and his sons were laboring on that ark, everybody else was scoffing.

Look at this crazy old fool building that monstrosity.

Somebody ought to call the HOA.

That cannot be allowed in this neighborhood.

He says it's going to flood.

He says there's something called rain.

I don't even know what that is because we've never had it before.

And yet he endured, he persevered, and he was saved, and his family was with him.

And so Peter is telling us the same thing.

We're in the last days, but there are going to be long days.

And there are going to be those who berate you.

And you're going to feel the pressure.

But let me remind you that this is not just Peter's message.

It's actually a primary message of the New Testament.

And it was a primary message of Christ.

Did you know that on average the promise of Christ's second coming is found in one out of every 30 verses in the New Testament?

One out of every 30.

That's quite a redundancy.

I've always been told that when God repeats something in Scripture, he is emphasizing it.

He doesn't want us to miss it.

If he says it once, that's sufficient.

We don't need a second word.

But if God says it a second time, a third time, a fourth time, every 30 verses, then he is really emphasizing it.

What does God want us New Testament believers to know?

Jesus is coming back.

As a matter of fact, Jesus mentioned it twenty one times himself.

Twenty-one times.

It's recorded in the New Testament.

Jesus says, I'm coming back.

I'm coming back.

I'm coming back.

I'm coming back.

And so Jesus, we know, uh, wasn't uh afflicted with the deficiencies that you and I have, to where he would repeat himself without knowing it.

If he repeats it, he does it on purpose because he wants us to be assured of it.

And so we must live in this reality.

In fact, just consider how the Bible ends.

And what you will find if you turn to Revelation chapter 22, verse 20, you'll actually find the last red letter words in your Bible, indicating that they are the last words that Jesus ever spoke in revelation of Scripture.

Revelation 22:20

And you know what his last words were in Revelation 22.20?

Surely I come quickly.

Jesus said as his last words, to the end of the book, I'm coming back.

Some versions translate it as, Yes, I am coming soon.

As if it is an intuitive answer to what is likely to be a question that comes at the end of the book.

You ever got to the end of the book and you've got this Bernie, well, what happened next?

And that's how we came up with that little tagline that's placed on all these Disney fairy tales.

And they lived happily ever after.

We love that kind of resolution, don't we?

We want to know that after this big conflict, that it goes on and it's all, you know, flowers and unicorns from here.

Well, you come to the end of the Bible, you're going to have the same question.

Well, what happens next?

And Jesus says, I'm coming back.

That's my last word to you.

I'm coming back.

And so, my friend, if you claim to believe in Jesus, then you have to believe that Jesus is coming back.

In spite of whatever else might discourage you about the delay, if you claim to believe in Jesus, you must believe that he's coming back.

This is what Peter wants our minds to be fully awakened to.

As he pins verse 12, 13, and 14.

He wants us to be fully awakened to the fact that Jesus is coming back.

And so the first thing that he wants us to do is to look for the second coming of Christ.

And so, you note takers, that's the first point in the outline.

Look for the second coming of Christ.

If you will notice, you'll find that Peter repeats the same Greek word in all three verses, and it's translated as looking for or look for.

We find in verse 12, verse 13, verse 14.

What that phrase means is to look for with anticipation or expectation.

We know that there are different moods to what we're looking for.

Sometimes we look with dread, and sometimes we look with anticipation.

We can't wait to see.

We can't wait for that to come.

We can't wait for it to happen.

But I would point out that it's not just like how a child looks forward to Christmas.

There is another dimension to this anticipation of the second coming of Christ.

And that is indicated by the conjoined verb that we have there in verse 12.

Looking for and hasting unto, which means to eagerly work in preparation for it.

And so we're supposed to look for it, but he says we're supposed to work in preparation for it.

And so instead of the child at Christmas, picture the parent who is also in anticipation of that day, but is working in preparation for it.

Cleaning, right?

God cleaned the house.

Company's coming.

We're going to have a cleaning done.

That dusting I've been neglecting, gonna do that.

Cooking.

Oh my goodness, there are gonna be so much food, and I gotta get the supplies and I gotta make the plans and I gotta do the cooking.

And then, of course, the decorating.

I mean, it's gotta look like uh the North Pole vomited in our living room, and it's all decorated up.

And uh, and then there is the shopping, right?

I mean, there's gonna be people here, and we're gonna say, and I gotta get the right gift, and then those gifts have to be wrapped, right?

That's the idea.

You're anticipating that day, that Christmas day, but in that anticipation, you're preparing for it.

You are working towards that.

It's coming, by the way, whether or not you are ready for it, whether or not you have prepared for it.

But the word to us as believers is that we're supposed to be looking for the second coming of Christ, and we're supposed to be working for the second coming of Christ.

However, the text goes on to indicate that this is not just an occasional activity.

It's actually supposed to be a lifestyle of anticipation.

Notice that verse 14 uses a similar but slightly modified phraseology.

It uses the word look for, that exact Greek phrase.

Looking for in verse 12, but the companion verb is a bit different.

The companion verb in verse 14 is be diligent.

So looking for and hasting unto, look for, be diligent.

While our English uses two different words there for hasting and be diligent, I would point out to you that in the Greek they are from the same word family.

And it means to make every effort.

It means to labor eagerly and to work with earnest dedication, just like the hasting word did.

The difference is that this word describes a character trait, it describes a lifestyle.

And so we are supposed to be looking for the second coming of Christ.

We're supposed to be looking for it in anticipation.

In anticipation, we're preparing for it, we're working for it, we're laboring for it, but it's not just occasional, it is a lifestyle, it is a character trait.

And so when we grow in anticipation, as Peter wants us to do, of the second coming, it doesn't just mean that we look for it, it means that we live for it every day.

We're supposed to be living for the second coming of Christ.

Which brings us to our second point.

Live for the second coming of Christ.

Isn't that good alliteration?

I mean, look for the second coming of Christ, live for the second coming of Christ.

This is clearly what Jesus taught in his Olivet discourse to Peter and to the other disciples, right?

We have to calculate in that everything that Peter is writing here not only is being inspired by the Holy Spirit, but it was largely informed by his time with Christ.

And so as we look back to Matthew chapter 24, we'll notice that this is the content of the conversation that was had.

Matthew 24 · chapter mention

So if you have your Bible open there in front of you, let's turn to Matthew 24 and hold our place in 2 Peter.

And I want you to notice how the conversation begins in verse 3.

It begins with them asking him about his second coming.

And so Matthew 24, verse 3 says, And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world?

Matthew 24:3

Now, we know that Peter was oftentimes the spokesman for the group.

And so it's very plausible that in Matthew 24, it's Peter who comes to Jesus.

Hey, Jesus, you're talking about what's going to go down in the end of the world.

How about you tell us when that's going to happen?

How about you tell us about your coming?

Give us some information about that.

Then notice that in response, Jesus refers to the coming of the Son of Man in verse 27, verse 30, verse 37, verse 39.

Specifically, he says, the coming of the Son of Man shall be, the coming of the Son of Man will be, the coming of the Son of Man.

And so we are just using all the information available to us to say, I know Matthew 24 is about the second coming of Christ.

Jesus is coming back.

That's what they asked about.

That's what Jesus goes on to explain.

But what I want you to really see is the parable that Jesus gives in verses 42 through 50.

And so we know he's talking about the second coming.

That's what they asked about.

That's what he's been telling them about.

And now in true Jesus fashion, he illustrates it with a parable.

He drives the moral lesson home by telling them this story that illustrates what living in anticipation of your Lord's return should look like, and what the danger is of not living in anticipation of it.

And so, Matthew 24, verse 42, the parable begins.

Matthew 24:42

Watch therefore, for you know not what hour your Lord does come.

Well, we were on the subject.

But know this that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Anticipation.

Something's going to happen.

I'm on the lookout for it.

I'm prepared for it.

Verse 44, therefore be you also ready.

For in such an hour as you think not, the Son of Man cometh.

Who then is a faithful and wise servant?

Whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household to give them meat in due season.

Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he comes, shall find so doing.

Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

But, and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delays his coming, and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and to drink with the drunken, the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he's not looking for him, and in an hour when he is not aware of.

You see, Jesus taught Peter and the other disciples that he's coming back.

And that because he is coming back, they have this responsibility to live in anticipation of his return.

And he says, Let me show you what it's like.

It's just like the man who has a servant and he goes away, and if that servant is faithful when the master comes back, that servant is rewarded.

You did well.

But the danger is that if the Lord delays his coming, kind of like he has with us 2,000 years, that you stop feeling the urgency of his return and you start living as if it is not imminent, and you start doing things that the master does not approve of.

And I would say to you that since the return of Christ is not a day that we can mark on our calendar like Christmas, that we need to live every day as if it could be today.

And it could be today.

You understand?

There's nothing preventing Jesus from coming back.

There's nothing prophetically that has to happen before Jesus comes back.

All the pieces are in place.

Everything is set.

Jesus could return this very day.

The danger is that the longer our Lord delays his return, the more we are tempted to live as if his return is not imminent.

In other words, we live as if it can occur at any moment.

And yet that's what we're supposed to do.

We're supposed to live every day as if it could be the day that Jesus comes back.

Our tendency, I'm afraid, is to think that we have time to make last-minute preparations.

Kind of like procrastinating on an assignment until the night before it's due.

Oh, I've got 30 days.

Oh, I've still got three weeks, two weeks, one week, three days.

Oh, I can get it done the night before.

That's our tendency with the return of Christ.

Yeah, he's coming back, but it's probably going to be a while.

It's been a while, hasn't it?

I mean, all these people are saying, oh, where's his return?

And so we have this tendency.

But Jesus said in that parable, the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he is not looking for him.

And at an hour when he's not aware of.

Therefore, be ready, for in such an hour as you think not, the Son of Man will come.

You and I have to be ready.

As the old saying is, be ready so you don't have to get ready.

Because we don't know when Jesus is coming back.

But we know that he is.

And we know that there's nothing preventing it.

We know that it occurred, could occur at any moment, and lest we're tempted to procrastinate still, imagining that you'll have some little window of time, some sort of advanced notice about his return, listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15 about the return of Christ.

This is for us who might think, well, I can slack off a little longer.

I can hold on to this pet sin a little longer.

I don't have to give up that selfish indulgence just yet.

I think I've got a little bit of time.

I'll get some sort of advance notice before Jesus comes back.

Paul described it this way in 1 Corinthians 15, 52.

He said, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, the trumpet shall stand, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Let me explain just how quick that is.

That word moment that is translated from the Greek word automos.

It is where we get our English word atom.

And in this context, it refers to an atom of time.

And it was understood by the original readers as a fraction, so small that it could not be divided.

That's the word that's used in a moment.

In a moment.

In a fraction of time that is so small it cannot be divided any smaller.

And just to make sure we get it, he went on to say, in the twinkling of an eye.

Now, you may have a translation that says blink of an eye, twitch of an eye.

That's really not accurate.

Twinkling of an eye is referring to how fast the eye can move.

And I was curious about this.

What has modern science discovered about the speed of the human eye?

And what I found is that the human eye can move at 900 degrees per second.

And a degree is just a movement, an indicator of a movement.

900 degrees per second.

And so if you divide one second by 900, you'll come close to getting a twinkling of an eye.

So how much time do you have to get ready before Jesus comes back?

In a moment?

A fraction of time so small it can't be divided?

In the twinkling of an eye, faster than your eye can move?

And that led the apostle Paul to conclude with this admonition.

Therefore.

Because Jesus is coming back, because you won't be advancely notified.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, this is what I mean when I say grow in anticipation.

Now let me ask you, as we come to a close, how will this affect your life this week?

How should it rearrange your priorities if you are looking for and living for the second coming of Christ?

Let me just narrow it a little bit more.

What would you do differently if you knew Jesus was coming back before next Sunday?

I mean, we can't set a date, and I'm not setting a date.

But I do want you to think, if I knew Jesus was coming back next Sunday, what would I do differently?

Would you get saved?

Surely.

If you're in this room and you've not trusted Christ and you knew Jesus was coming back next Sunday, before next Sunday, and your eternal fate will be sealed.

I can't imagine that you want to get saved.

Would you get baptized?

You've been saved, but you've never taken that step of obedience for whatever reason, embarrassment or fear or timidity.

You knew Jesus was coming back, and you've been putting that off, surely you would take that step.

Would you join the church?

I love this church.

I believe it's where the Lord would have me.

I just, I'm not ready to join you.

If you knew Jesus was coming back, would you want to be a member of his church?

Would you read your Bible?

Would you pray?

Would you clean up your language?

Would you change your attitude?

Would you serve in a ministry?

Would you tell that person about Christ?

You know, that one you've got a burden for, that one that you want to see saved and in heaven with you, but you've not found the right time, you've not found the right words.

If you knew Jesus was coming back before next Sunday, would you tell that person?

Then do it.

That's what Peter says.

Do it.

You don't need to know the day that Jesus is coming back.

All you need to know is that Jesus is coming back.

And you ought to live your life looking for him and living for him every day.

Would you bow with me?

Would we bow our heads for just a moment?

It's somewhat of a provocative message in that it ought to provoke you to do something.

I believe that's how Peter intended it.

He wants to provoke us to something, he's shaking us awake, and he's saying, look for him, look for him, look for him.

And if you're looking for him, then you need to live for him.

This anticipation of being prepared when he comes back.

And so if God has spoken to your heart and the Holy Spirit is trying to provoke you, then won't you just say yes?

Yes, Lord.

Yes, I'll get saved.

Yes, I'll follow your baptism.

Yes, I will tell that person about Jesus.

That's how you grow in anticipation.

Dear Lord, thank you so much for your word.

Thank you for making it so abundantly clear that you are coming back.

And that that is the terminal point that we are looking for and we're supposed to live for.

And if we really, really believed it, we probably would live differently.

So God help us to really believe it.

I pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.