God Is On Schedule

Text: 2 Peter 3:3–9
Series: Sermons 2001 Rewritten
Date:
Speaker: Ed Rangel
Location: Waupaca Church of Christ
Bible Version: NASB 1995
Sermon Type: Expository

Learning Objectives

1. Explain why scoffers mock the promise of the Lord’s coming.
2. Show from 2 Peter 3 that God’s delay is not failure but patience.
3. Demonstrate from Genesis 15 and Exodus that God fulfilled His promise to Abraham on His own schedule.
4. Apply Israel’s foreign sojourn, suffering, and deliverance to Christians as aliens and strangers in this world.
5. Call sinners to enter God’s eternal purpose through obedience to the gospel.

Thesis

God is never late, never confused, and never forced to adjust His plan; what men call delay is often God’s patience, and His promises will be fulfilled exactly as He has spoken.

Introduction.

1. Men love to predict the end. a. A war breaks out, and someone says the end has arrived. b. A political crisis comes, and someone ties it to prophecy. c. A disaster happens, and someone builds a timetable. d. Time passes, and their prediction fails.
2. Scripture already warns against false predictions. a. Deuteronomy 13 warns against following signs that lead away from God. b. Deuteronomy 18 warns that the false prophet’s word will fail. c. God’s people must not be carried away by every loud religious claim.
3. Some passages are often abused. a. Matthew 24 is twisted into every modern newspaper. b. Second Timothy 3 is misused to prove every generation is the final generation. c. Men demand signs because they do not trust the Lord’s word.
4. Jesus refused to satisfy that kind of unbelief. a. Matthew 12:38–42 records men asking for a sign. b. Jesus called them an evil and adulterous generation. c. They did not need more spectacle; they needed repentance.
5. Peter dealt with the same spirit. a. Scoffers mocked the promise of Christ’s coming. b. They argued that everything continued as it had from creation. c. Peter says they were deliberately ignoring God’s past judgment.
6. The truth is simple. a. God is not slow. b. God is not late. c. God is not confused. d. God is on schedule.

I. Scoffers Misread God’s Patience as Delay.

A. Peter warns that mockers will come.

1. Second Peter 3:3 says mockers come in the last days. a. They mock because they follow their own lusts. b. Their problem is moral before it is intellectual. c. Men who love sin often mock judgment.
2. Second Peter 3:4 gives their argument. a. “Where is the promise of His coming?” b. “Ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was.” c. They claim history proves judgment will not come.
3. Their argument is not new. a. Men mocked Noah before the flood. b. Men ignored prophets before judgment. c. Men still assume delay means safety.

B. Peter says they deliberately forget God’s judgment.

1. Second Peter 3:5 says it escapes their notice by will. a. This is not innocent ignorance. b. It is chosen blindness. c. They do not want to remember what God has done.
2. God made the world by His word. a. The heavens existed long ago by the word of God. b. The earth was formed out of water and by water. c. Creation itself depends on God’s word.
3. God destroyed the old world by water. a. Second Peter 3:6 says the world at that time was destroyed by flood. b. Things had not continued unchanged. c. God had already judged the world once.

C. God’s patience is not proof of weakness.

1. Second Peter 3:9 says the Lord is not slow about His promise. a. Men count slowness one way. b. God counts patience another way. c. The difference is faith.
2. God is patient toward us. a. Not wishing for any to perish. b. Wanting all to come to repentance. c. Giving space for sinners to turn.
3. Delay should not produce mockery. a. It should produce repentance. b. It should produce gratitude. c. It should produce sober readiness.

II. God Was On Schedule When He Sent Abraham’s Descendants Into a Foreign Land.

A. God told Abraham what would happen.

1. Genesis 15:13 says Abraham’s descendants would be strangers in a land not theirs. a. This was not accidental. b. This was not a surprise. c. God stated it before it happened.
2. Abraham’s descendants would become foreigners. a. They would not own the land. b. They would live as sojourners. c. They would wait under God’s promise.
3. God gave the prophecy long before fulfillment. a. Men might forget. b. Generations might pass. c. God would not forget.

B. The promise was fulfilled in Egypt.

1. Joseph brought his family into Egypt. a. Genesis 47 shows Pharaoh giving them the land of Goshen. b. It looked like provision. c. It was also the beginning of God’s long schedule.
2. Joseph knew God would bring them out. a. Genesis 50:24 says God would surely take care of them. b. God would bring them up from that land. c. God would keep His oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
3. Exodus 1 shows Israel multiplying in Egypt. a. Joseph died. b. That generation died. c. Israel increased greatly. d. The land was filled with them.

C. God’s people had to live by faith while waiting.

1. Four hundred years is a long time to men. a. Generations lived and died. b. Some surely scoffed. c. Some surely wondered whether God had forgotten.
2. God had not forgotten. a. The clock was still moving. b. The promise was still alive. c. The plan was still on schedule.
3. Hebrews 11:8–10 shows Abraham’s faith. a. He obeyed when called. b. He lived as an alien in the land of promise. c. He looked for the city whose architect and builder is God.
4. Faith trusts God’s promise even when fulfillment is not immediate. a. Abraham did not see everything at once. b. Israel did not leave Egypt at once. c. Christians do not receive heaven at once.

III. Christians Are Also Aliens and Strangers Waiting for the Better Country.

A. This world is not the Christian’s permanent home.

1. First Peter 2:11 calls Christians aliens and strangers. a. That language is not decorative. b. Christians belong to another realm. c. The world is not our final home.
2. Peter says aliens and strangers must abstain from fleshly lusts. a. Lusts wage war against the soul. b. The alien life must be holy. c. A heavenly citizen cannot live as a worldly slave.
3. Philippians 3:20 says our citizenship is in heaven. a. We eagerly wait for a Savior. b. Our King is not earthly. c. Our home is not temporary creation.

B. Jesus said His people are not of the world.

1. John 17:14 says the world hated the apostles because they were not of the world. a. Christ gave them the Father’s word. b. The word separated them from the world. c. The world hated that separation.
2. The Christian must accept that tension. a. We live in the world. b. We are not of the world. c. We must not let the world define our identity.
3. If the world feels perfectly like home, something is wrong. a. Either we have forgotten our citizenship. b. Or we have made peace with sin. c. Or we are no longer walking as pilgrims.

C. Hebrews calls us outside the camp.

1. Hebrews 13:12 says Jesus suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people through His blood. a. He bore shame. b. He suffered rejection. c. He became the sin offering.
2. Hebrews 13:13 says we must go out to Him outside the camp. a. Bearing His reproach. b. Leaving the approval of men. c. Standing with the crucified Lord.
3. Hebrews 13:14 says we do not have a lasting city here. a. We seek the city to come. b. That city is not built by men. c. That city belongs to God.
4. The application is plain. a. Do not live as if Egypt is home. b. Do not live as if this world is permanent. c. Do not trade heaven for temporary comfort.

IV. God Was On Schedule When Israel Suffered in Egypt.

A. God had told Abraham about the oppression.

1. Genesis 15:13 says his descendants would be enslaved and oppressed. a. Not only foreign. b. Enslaved. c. Oppressed.
2. This is hard truth. a. God’s schedule included suffering. b. God’s promise did not mean immediate ease. c. God’s people would hurt before deliverance came.
3. Suffering did not prove God had lost control. a. It proved His word was unfolding. b. It proved the schedule was moving. c. It proved deliverance would come when God was ready.

B. A new Pharaoh oppressed Israel.

1. Exodus 1:8 says a new king arose who did not know Joseph. a. He feared Israel’s growth. b. He enslaved them. c. He set taskmasters over them.
2. Pharaoh tried to crush God’s people. a. Hard labor. b. Forced building. c. Population control. d. Murder of male children.
3. Pharaoh did not realize he was inside God’s plan. a. His cruelty did not defeat God. b. His fear did not stop God. c. His evil would become the stage for God’s power.

C. The more they were afflicted, the more they multiplied.

1. Exodus 1:12 says the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied. a. Pharaoh’s plan failed. b. God’s blessing continued. c. Egypt became afraid of Israel.
2. God does not need peaceful circumstances to keep His promise. a. He can bless under oppression. b. He can preserve under threat. c. He can move His plan through hostile rulers.
3. Christians must learn this. a. Hard times do not mean God is late. b. Opposition does not mean God has failed. c. Pain does not mean promise has died.

V. Christians Must Endure Suffering While Trusting God’s Schedule.

A. The first Christians suffered for Christ.

1. The apostles suffered persecution. a. Beatings. b. Imprisonment. c. Threats. d. Death.
2. First-century Christians suffered. a. Social rejection. b. Loss. c. Violence. d. Worship under pressure.
3. Suffering was not strange to the church. a. Jesus warned of it. b. The apostles endured it. c. Faithful saints expected it.

B. Our suffering may look different, but faithfulness is still difficult.

1. Many today have religious liberty. a. We may own homes. b. We may assemble openly. c. We may work and live freely.
2. But spiritual difficulty remains. a. The pressure to compromise. b. The temptation of lust. c. The pull of materialism. d. The ridicule of faithfulness. e. The weariness of continuing.
3. First Thessalonians 5:22 says to abstain from every form of evil. a. That is not always easy. b. It requires vigilance. c. It requires separation.
4. Matthew 7:21 warns against verbal religion without obedience. a. Not everyone saying “Lord, Lord” will enter. b. The one who does the Father’s will enters. c. Suffering includes resisting false religion.

C. Faith must hold fast until the reward.

1. First Peter 1:8–9 says Christians rejoice while obtaining the outcome of faith. a. The salvation of the soul. b. Love for unseen Christ. c. Joy inexpressible and full of glory.
2. Revelation 2:10 calls Christians to be faithful until death. a. Not faithful until inconvenience. b. Not faithful until pressure. c. Faithful until death.
3. God’s schedule requires patience from us. a. We wait. b. We suffer. c. We obey. d. We trust. e. We endure.

VI. God Was On Schedule When He Delivered Israel, and He Is On Schedule Now.

A. God heard Israel’s groaning.

1. Exodus 6:5 says God heard the groaning of the sons of Israel. a. Egypt held them in bondage. b. Israel cried under burden. c. God remembered His covenant.
2. God had not been absent. a. He heard. b. He remembered. c. He acted at the proper time.
3. God’s remembrance is covenant faithfulness. a. Not that He forgot and later recalled. b. He brought the promise to fulfillment. c. He acted exactly as He had said.

B. God promised deliverance with power.

1. Exodus 6:6 says God would bring them out from Egypt’s burdens. a. He would deliver them. b. He would redeem them. c. He would use an outstretched arm. d. He would bring great judgments.
2. Exodus 6:7 says God would take them for His people. a. They would know He is the LORD. b. He would be their God. c. Deliverance would reveal His identity.
3. Exodus 6:8 says He would bring them to the land sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. a. The promise was still the same. b. The land was still ahead. c. God’s schedule was still perfect.

C. God’s eternal plan in Christ is also on schedule.

1. Ephesians 3:8–11 teaches God’s eternal purpose. a. The gospel was preached to the Gentiles. b. The mystery was revealed. c. God’s wisdom is displayed through the church. d. This was according to the eternal purpose carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2. Christ’s church was not an accident. a. Not a postponed afterthought. b. Not a human denomination. c. Not a backup plan. d. God’s eternal purpose in Christ.
3. God’s plan includes salvation in Christ. a. Jews and Gentiles reconciled. b. Sinners forgiven. c. The church purchased by the blood of Christ. d. Saints waiting for final glory.
4. The question is whether you are in that plan. a. Not merely around religious people. b. Not merely interested in prophecy. c. In Christ, in His church, walking faithfully.

Application.

1. For the scoffer. a. Do not mistake God’s patience for failure. b. Judgment has come before. c. Judgment will come again.
2. For the worried Christian. a. God’s clock has not stopped. b. God fulfilled His promise to Abraham. c. God will fulfill His promise to us.
3. For the suffering Christian. a. Suffering does not mean abandonment. b. Israel suffered before deliverance. c. Christ suffered before glory. d. Saints suffer while waiting for the city to come.
4. For the worldly Christian. a. Stop living like Egypt is home. b. You are an alien and stranger. c. Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul.
5. For the sinner. a. God’s patience is giving you time to repent. b. Do not waste mercy. c. Obey the gospel before patience becomes judgment.

Conclusion.

1. Peter says mockers will come. a. They will mock the promise. b. They will deny judgment. c. They will follow their own lusts.
2. Peter answers with history. a. God created by His word. b. God judged the world by water. c. God will judge again.
3. Genesis and Exodus prove the same truth. a. God told Abraham what would happen. b. Israel became strangers. c. Israel suffered. d. God delivered them at the appointed time.
4. God is still on schedule. a. Christ came according to God’s plan. b. The church exists according to God’s eternal purpose. c. The Lord will return according to God’s promise.
5. The delay is not weakness. a. It is patience. b. It is mercy. c. It is opportunity for repentance.
6. Do not scoff. a. Do not drift. b. Do not settle down in Egypt. c. Come into God’s family and wait faithfully for the city to come.

Invitation.

1. Hear the word. a. Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
2. Believe Christ. a. John 8:24 warns that unless you believe that Jesus is He, you will die in your sins.
3. Repent. a. Acts 17:30 says God commands all people everywhere to repent.
4. Confess Christ. a. Romans 10:9–10 teaches confession with the mouth and belief in the heart.
5. Be baptized for the remission of sins. a. Acts 2:38 commands repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
6. Live faithfully. a. Revelation 2:10 calls the Christian to be faithful until death.
7. God is patient now. a. That patience is not permission. b. That patience is not delay. c. That patience is calling you to repent before the day comes.

Word Study.

Scripture Interlock Table.