A.      Ridicule and mockery are methods used by unbelievers to tear down the faith of those who believe in Christ.  These methods are often effective, so we must be on our guard.

B.      Presently, let us consider the instruction of 2Peter 3:1-10, which gives us the understanding needed to overcome the attacks of mockers against our faith.

II.      MOCKERS WILL COME

A.      It is necessary to always keep in mind the words of the prophets and the apostles (3:1-2).

                                                             1.      One of Peter’s goals in this letter (and his previous letter) was to remind his readers of things they already know (see 1:12-14).  Whereas these ideas may have settled in our minds, Peter’s words stir them up again.

                                                             2.      Peter intended to remind us of the two manifestations of God’s word:

a.       “The words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets” – By this, Peter indicates the Old Testament Scriptures (see 1:19-21).

b.       “The commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles” – This indicates the gospel that has been revealed through Jesus and is now contained in the New Testament.

B.      It is also necessary to expect the mockery of unbelievers (3:3-4).

                                                             1.      It was certain that mockers would come “in the last days.”

a.       Often the term “last days” is used in Scripture to denote the final dispensation of time.  In this period of time, Christ has come and established His kingdom (see Isa. 2:2-4; Dan. 2:28, 44-45; Joel 2:28-32; Mic. 4:1-3; Acts 2:16-21; Heb. 1:1-3).

b.       In this text, Peter describes an event that must happen before the end of time, which is the rise of mockers.  Paul gave a similar description in 2Timothy 3.

i.         Mockers are persons who ridicule and scoff at other persons.  Peter is warning Christians that mockers will ridicule and challenge their faith.

ii.        Such mockers are motivated by worldly lusts rather than truth or faith.

                                                             2.      The mockers’ accusations challenge the belief of Christians that Jesus is coming again for judgment.  The mockers say, “Where is the promise of His coming?”

                                                             3.      The reason given by mockers for their challenge is this: “For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

a.       By this, mockers are accusing Christians of believing in something that is unprecedented.  The mockers imply that nothing like the day of judgment and destruction has ever happened before, and therefore it is foolish to believe it will happen in the future.

b.       A similar argument is used by evolutionary scientists who mock the Bible’s account of a six-day creation.  They say that the earth formed over billions of years because it takes a long time for certain events to happen today (erosion, geologic formations, etc.).  Because natural events today are unlike the spectacular events recorded about creation, they dismiss the Bible’s account.

C.      Such mockery is not valid, for it is founded upon ignorance (3:5-6).

                                                             1.      Such accusations do not take into account the truth about the creation and the worldwide flood.

a.       The mockers forget that “the earth was formed out of water and by water” through the word of God (see Gen. 1; John 1:1-3).

i.         None of us was there to witness the creation, but by faith we believe that “the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible” (Heb. 11:3).

ii.        Our faith regarding creation is based on the Bible and convincing evidence that supports the Bible’s account (fossil records, geological evidence, internal and external evidence for the Bible’s inspiration, etc.).

iii.      If the mockers acknowledged that God had the power to create the world, then they would also have to acknowledge that He must have the power to destroy it.

b.       The mockers also forget that God destroyed the world previously by a flood of water.

i.         This was an event unlike anything else in history before of after it.  “The fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened” (Gen. 6:11).

ii.        The flood, like the creation, was the result of God’s power and God’s word (Gen. 6:7, 13, 17-24).

iii.      If the mockers acknowledged that God had destroyed the world once before, then they would have to admit that He can destroy it again.

iv.      Notice that the evolutionists who now mock the Bible’s account of creation also fail to acknowledge the flood and how that catastrophe changed the world.

                                                             2.      Therefore, we know that the basis for the mockers’ ridicule is false.

a.       The flood is proof that not “all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

b.       If God affected the whole world through the catastrophic events of the flood, then He can affect the whole world again through another great catastrophe.

III.   THE DAY OF THE LORD WILL COME LIKE A THIEF

A.      Just as God once destroyed the world by water, so also will He destroy the heavens and earth by fire (3:7).

                                                             1.      God created the world by His word and flooded the world by His word, and He has also reserved the “present heavens and earth” for fire by His word.  This is the Lord’s promise that is ridiculed by the mockers.

                                                             2.      This fire is not only for the destruction of the heavens and the earth but also for those ungodly men who are judged as worthy of destruction.

B.      Men are sadly mistaken if they doubt and mock the Lord’s promise because they think the day of judgment and destruction is too slow in coming (3:8-9).

                                                             1.      The Lord is not subject to time, and so to Him “one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”  Waiting does not bother Him as it does us.

                                                             2.      The mockers may count the Lord’s delay in fulfilling His promise as reason to doubt, but the truth is that it is evidence of His great patience and love.

a.       The Lord is patient and longsuffering rather than impulsive in His wrath.  He would be justified to destroy sinners instantly, but instead He patiently waits for them.

b.       The reason the Lord waits is to give sinners opportunity to repent and be saved.  The Lord is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

c.        In the next lesson, we will notice that we should consider the Lord’s patient delay to be our salvation (v. 15).

d.       How sad it is that the mockers turn the evidence of God’s love for them into a reason for mockery, ridicule, and doubt.

C.      In truth, the day of the Lord will come suddenly and severely (3:10).

                                                             1.      The figure of a thief is used in the Scriptures to illustrate the way in which the Lord will come (Matt. 24:43; Luke 12:39; 1Thess. 5:1-3).

a.       The figure demonstrates how the Lord’s coming will be unexpected and surprising for those who are unprepared.

b.       Notice that those who are faithful will not be caught by surprise, for they will be looking for the Lord’s coming (see the next lesson from vv. 11-13; also see 2Thess. 5:4-11).

                                                             2.      When the day of the Lord comes, the destruction by fire will be swift and complete.

a.       “The heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

b.       In this sudden and swift destruction, there will be no opportunity for the mockers, the doubters, and the ungodly men to change their ways.  That opportunity must be taken now while the Lord delays the final day of judgment and destruction.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      It is the height of foolishness and ingratitude for men to mock the promised day of the Lord.  Such men reject the patience of God and condemn themselves to the coming destruction.

B.      In our final lesson, we will consider 2Peter 3:11-18 – “Holy Conduct and Godliness”