The Day of God

Temple Baptist Church - 6-27-2018

2 Peter 3:10-13

Introduction:

A.  As we get to the end of the Book of 2 Peter, we find the eminent Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the impending judgement of fallen angels, the unsaved, and the removal of the curse placed upon God’s creation.  Two things:

1.  “Looking For” – As God’s children, we are excited in anticipation of eternity.  A new body, a new home, and a new heaven and earth.

2.  “Hastening Unto” – It will not be long until time is no more!  As we studied in Romans, chapter 8, we found the saved groaning, the creation groaning, and the Holy Ghost groaning.  The Lord told John, “Behold, I come quickly.”  This does not reference a set time but the suddenness of His coming.  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

3.  “Righteousness” – Sin judged and the curse removed.

B.  I know that men of God have expounded these verses, but I have never personally heard a sermon preached on the subject.  I have never had a pastor who preached through the books of the Bible verse by verse.  I believe that this failure (I am not knocking my pastors but explaining the necessity of preaching verse by verse) has led to God’s people having a “lack of knowledge” that has hurt their spiritual growth. 

C.   I just want to take a few minutes and look at the sequence of the removal of the curse of sin.  The why, when, where, and time of sin’s curse removed from God’s creation.

1.  God’s creation in all of its purity and perfection. 

Genesis 1:31  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Very-vehemence, a superlative; good-beautiful, bountiful, a very good thing, something very special.)

Genesis 2:1  Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  (No theistic evolution: finished, all the host of them.)

Job 38:5-7  Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?  (6)  Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;  (7)  When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Psalms 19:1-3  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  (2)  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.  (3)  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

2.  Sin’s entrance and the curse of God’s creation implemented. 

Genesis 3:17-19  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;  (18)  Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;  (19)  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Genesis 5:29  And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands,because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

Isaiah 24:4-6  The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.  (5)  The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.  (6)  Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

Job 25:5  Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.

3.  The creation’s curse removed, and righteousness restored.  There will be a two-fold judgement for sin taking place at the same time:

a.  The Great White Throne Judgement – Revelation 20:11-15  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.  (12)  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.  (13)  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.  (14)  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  (15)  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.  (God’s judgement for man’s sinfulness is Fire!)

2 Peter 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.  (Peter, timewise, ties the judgement of ungodly men and the renewal of the universe together!)

b.  The Removal of the Curse of the Heavens and the Earth:

1)  The Time of the Renewal – Revelation 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.  The key to know the time of the renovation is found in Revelation 21:1: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

2)  The Method of the Renewal - 2 Peter 3:10-13  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.  (11)  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,  (12)  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?  (13)  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (God’s judgement for sin in the heavens and the earth is also by Fire!)