New Covenant Presbyterian Church
Sermon - 2 Peter 3:8-15 - Gift of a New Heaven and Earth
December 10, 2017
December 10, 2017
This is the second Sunday of the Season of Advent and we have already started opening or Christmas Gifts. Our first gift, which we opened last week, was the gift of God’s Grace in Jesus Christ. With this gift, we now have greater knowledge of God, the ability to tell others about God, through our testimony of what God has done for us, and we have received spiritual gifts to do what God wants us to do to advance his kingdom. This gift of grace comes to us from our merciful God who forgives our sin and promises us eternal life.
Today we turn two our second gift. This is the gift of a new heaven and a new earth. The Apostle Peter put it this way, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13) It sounds like a nice place to be. God will recreate both heaven and earth and bring them together. God will reign and we will all live together in righteousness. Sounds pretty good! Right? But, when will this all happen? We will get to this, but first, let’s pray.
“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy Heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)
When I was young, my family would drive over the Alleghany mountains to my grandparent house in Uniontown Pennsylvania. I loved visiting my grandparents. But I hated the 5-hour drive. I just didn’t like to wait. My brother, sister and I would sit in the back of the car with the constant question on our lips, “Are we there yet?”. Of course, this infuriated our parents and they resorted to numerous things to keep us occupied. I remember counting the cows we could see from the car. Eventually, our drive would be over and the visit with grandma and grandpa would begin.
The message on the lips of Christians at the end of the first century was, “Are we there yet?” Jesus had told them, “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:34-35). But by the end of the first century, that generation was passing away and the new heaven and new earth had not yet come. “Are we there yet?” must have been a constant refrain for Christians living a generation after Jesus. “When are the new heaven and new earth coming?” is what we want to know and we have been waiting for 2000 years.
An aging Apostle Peter worried that people might fall away from the faith if they had to wait too long. He had to tell them something that would encourage Christians to wait patiently until Christ returns. And so he wrote a letter.
2 Peter1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Peter wanted Christians to root their faith in the stories of Jesus Christ spoken by the apostles and in the Hebrew scriptures. Here is what he said.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
And later he said this:
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
According to Peter, the two things we have that will sustain us until Jesus comes again are the apostolic eyewitness stories of Jesus, in our New Testament, and the inspired prophets in our Old Testament. The Bible is what sustains us while we wait for Jesus to return.
So what does the Bible say about all this time that has passed since Jesus? Why have we been waiting so long? According to Moses in Psalm 90:
Psalm 90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. 2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 3 You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” 4 A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
The 2000 years we have been waiting for Jesus to return is like just a couple of days in heaven. Time is different with God. Let’s hear from Peter.
2 Peter 3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
Time, with God, is quite different from our time. That means we need to be patient. Jesus will return with a new heaven and a new earth, but we don’t know when. So we wait. And in our waiting, we are sustained by scripture. The church was established to maintain the scripture faithfully and proclaim it generation after generation until Christ returns.
But why is God waiting so long? There must be some explanation. Let’s go back to Peter.
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
The Lord is patient with us? I thought we were being patient with God who was taking so long. But Peter said that God is waiting for us. What does God want us to do? Well, according to Peter, God’s wants everyone to come to repentance before Jesus returns because our loving God wants no one to perish. God wants everyone to receive the promise of eternal life. And that means everyone has to repent, everyone has to turn away from sin and turn toward faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, God is waiting for us to bring everyone into the world to faith. That is our mission.
According to the Apostle, when the new heaven and new earth come, all sin will be purged away in a refiner’s fire.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
No one will be able to hide their sin anymore. Sin will be exposed for all to see. All sin will be burned off, purged in the coming recreation of heaven and earth. And anyone still clutching their sin will go with it. This is not what God wants at all. God wants no one to perish when heaven and earth are recreated. God wants everyone to repent and live in righteousness.
So what do we have to do? We have to bring the good news of the grace of God in Jesus Christ to everyone in the world. Once we have finished our work and everyone has had an opportunity to turn from sin and turn to Jesus Christ, then Jesus will return and we will be blessed with a new heaven and a new earth. Bringing everyone to repentance seems like a pretty big job. We can’t do it alone. But we can do it together.
On the back counter, you will find these. This pamphlet is called “The Star, Journey to the Unexpected.” It is an invitation for people to experience Christmas as we do. On the back is our addresses and an invitation to our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service and Christmas Pageant on December 24 at 6 pm. All you have to do is to pick up a few of these and give them away. Maybe you know people who are not involved in a church. Give them one. Or give one to the next waitress who serves you or the next cashier you meet in the grocery store. Just pick up a few and give them away. And you will be doing your part to bring everyone to repentance.
That is what we can do right here in Middletown. But what about communities around the world? How do we bring the good news to them? What if we supported a whole new generation of church leaders who could bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to communities around the world? We would need to educate students who come from a wide variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. We could then send them to immigrant communities here in America and to communities around the world. If we could support this new generation of evangelists I think we would be fulfilling our responsibility to bring the gift of God’s grace to everyone in the world hastening the time when we all receive the gift of a new heaven and a new earth.
Another thing we could do would be to support pastors and missionaries who have sacrificed so much to bring the gospel to everyone. Many of these pastors and missionaries struggle financially in retirement. What if we could somehow say “thanks” to these folks who have already brought us closer to the day when Jesus returns.
So, how would we support a new generation of racial ethnic church leaders? And how could be help retired church workers? One way would be to support the Christmas Joy Offering of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Half of the Christmas Joy Offering supports racial/ethnic education at Presbyterian colleges and seminaries. Half of it supports retired missionaries and pastors. All of it comes from the generous contributions of Presbyterians at Christmas.
Last year New Covenant Church was very generous. You gave almost $1400 to the Christmas Joy Offering. And this helped the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to raise over $3 Million to raise up new racial/ethnic church leaders and support retired pastors and missionaries. Thank you.
Next week you will have the opportunity to give the 2017 Christmas Joy Offering. Once again you have the opportunity to advance the kingdom of God bringing closer the glorious day when Jesus returns and we all enjoy the gift of a new heaven and a new earth. Let’s pray.
“Empowering God, we give thanks for young people who strive to fulfill the potential you have given them. May our church nurture them, encourage them, and listen to them. Bless them and bless our future. Amen.”
Today we turn two our second gift. This is the gift of a new heaven and a new earth. The Apostle Peter put it this way, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13) It sounds like a nice place to be. God will recreate both heaven and earth and bring them together. God will reign and we will all live together in righteousness. Sounds pretty good! Right? But, when will this all happen? We will get to this, but first, let’s pray.
“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy Heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)
When I was young, my family would drive over the Alleghany mountains to my grandparent house in Uniontown Pennsylvania. I loved visiting my grandparents. But I hated the 5-hour drive. I just didn’t like to wait. My brother, sister and I would sit in the back of the car with the constant question on our lips, “Are we there yet?”. Of course, this infuriated our parents and they resorted to numerous things to keep us occupied. I remember counting the cows we could see from the car. Eventually, our drive would be over and the visit with grandma and grandpa would begin.
The message on the lips of Christians at the end of the first century was, “Are we there yet?” Jesus had told them, “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:34-35). But by the end of the first century, that generation was passing away and the new heaven and new earth had not yet come. “Are we there yet?” must have been a constant refrain for Christians living a generation after Jesus. “When are the new heaven and new earth coming?” is what we want to know and we have been waiting for 2000 years.
An aging Apostle Peter worried that people might fall away from the faith if they had to wait too long. He had to tell them something that would encourage Christians to wait patiently until Christ returns. And so he wrote a letter.
2 Peter1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Peter wanted Christians to root their faith in the stories of Jesus Christ spoken by the apostles and in the Hebrew scriptures. Here is what he said.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
And later he said this:
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
According to Peter, the two things we have that will sustain us until Jesus comes again are the apostolic eyewitness stories of Jesus, in our New Testament, and the inspired prophets in our Old Testament. The Bible is what sustains us while we wait for Jesus to return.
So what does the Bible say about all this time that has passed since Jesus? Why have we been waiting so long? According to Moses in Psalm 90:
Psalm 90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. 2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 3 You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” 4 A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
The 2000 years we have been waiting for Jesus to return is like just a couple of days in heaven. Time is different with God. Let’s hear from Peter.
2 Peter 3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
Time, with God, is quite different from our time. That means we need to be patient. Jesus will return with a new heaven and a new earth, but we don’t know when. So we wait. And in our waiting, we are sustained by scripture. The church was established to maintain the scripture faithfully and proclaim it generation after generation until Christ returns.
But why is God waiting so long? There must be some explanation. Let’s go back to Peter.
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
The Lord is patient with us? I thought we were being patient with God who was taking so long. But Peter said that God is waiting for us. What does God want us to do? Well, according to Peter, God’s wants everyone to come to repentance before Jesus returns because our loving God wants no one to perish. God wants everyone to receive the promise of eternal life. And that means everyone has to repent, everyone has to turn away from sin and turn toward faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, God is waiting for us to bring everyone into the world to faith. That is our mission.
According to the Apostle, when the new heaven and new earth come, all sin will be purged away in a refiner’s fire.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
No one will be able to hide their sin anymore. Sin will be exposed for all to see. All sin will be burned off, purged in the coming recreation of heaven and earth. And anyone still clutching their sin will go with it. This is not what God wants at all. God wants no one to perish when heaven and earth are recreated. God wants everyone to repent and live in righteousness.
So what do we have to do? We have to bring the good news of the grace of God in Jesus Christ to everyone in the world. Once we have finished our work and everyone has had an opportunity to turn from sin and turn to Jesus Christ, then Jesus will return and we will be blessed with a new heaven and a new earth. Bringing everyone to repentance seems like a pretty big job. We can’t do it alone. But we can do it together.
On the back counter, you will find these. This pamphlet is called “The Star, Journey to the Unexpected.” It is an invitation for people to experience Christmas as we do. On the back is our addresses and an invitation to our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service and Christmas Pageant on December 24 at 6 pm. All you have to do is to pick up a few of these and give them away. Maybe you know people who are not involved in a church. Give them one. Or give one to the next waitress who serves you or the next cashier you meet in the grocery store. Just pick up a few and give them away. And you will be doing your part to bring everyone to repentance.
That is what we can do right here in Middletown. But what about communities around the world? How do we bring the good news to them? What if we supported a whole new generation of church leaders who could bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to communities around the world? We would need to educate students who come from a wide variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. We could then send them to immigrant communities here in America and to communities around the world. If we could support this new generation of evangelists I think we would be fulfilling our responsibility to bring the gift of God’s grace to everyone in the world hastening the time when we all receive the gift of a new heaven and a new earth.
Another thing we could do would be to support pastors and missionaries who have sacrificed so much to bring the gospel to everyone. Many of these pastors and missionaries struggle financially in retirement. What if we could somehow say “thanks” to these folks who have already brought us closer to the day when Jesus returns.
So, how would we support a new generation of racial ethnic church leaders? And how could be help retired church workers? One way would be to support the Christmas Joy Offering of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Half of the Christmas Joy Offering supports racial/ethnic education at Presbyterian colleges and seminaries. Half of it supports retired missionaries and pastors. All of it comes from the generous contributions of Presbyterians at Christmas.
Last year New Covenant Church was very generous. You gave almost $1400 to the Christmas Joy Offering. And this helped the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to raise over $3 Million to raise up new racial/ethnic church leaders and support retired pastors and missionaries. Thank you.
Next week you will have the opportunity to give the 2017 Christmas Joy Offering. Once again you have the opportunity to advance the kingdom of God bringing closer the glorious day when Jesus returns and we all enjoy the gift of a new heaven and a new earth. Let’s pray.
“Empowering God, we give thanks for young people who strive to fulfill the potential you have given them. May our church nurture them, encourage them, and listen to them. Bless them and bless our future. Amen.”
(file:///home/chronos/u-0c25c1b56fcb280f64d92af3ceee2a2489afdee2/Downloads/CJO17-Menaul-School-M4M.pdf)
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