August 31 2025

Summer Heat

II Peter 3:1-18             

August 31, 2025

“This world will burn!”

INTRO: Well, we’ve come to the end of our series. This is the last “Summer Heat” sermon. But boy is it ever HOT!

      Today, we turn our attention to II Peter 3:1-15a. Peter is reminding his readers that this world is only temporary! For the Christian, we are “just visiting.” He reminds them that something MUCH better awaits.

2 Peter 3:1–15a This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,

2   that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

3   Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,

4   and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

5   For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,

6   through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.

7   But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

8   But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.

9   The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

10   But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which 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.

11   Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

12   looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!

13   But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

14   Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,  

15a   and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.

1. Allow your “sincere mind” to be stirred up for the truth!
2. What does it mean to have a “sincere mind?”
3. You are seeking to know and follow the truth!
4. You want to know the truth.
5. No matter if it contradicts things you previously believed.
6. No matter if it isn’t what you would prefer to believe.
7. No matter if it’s terribly inconvenient to how you live your life.
8. No matter if it brings out hostility in those you hold dear.
9. If it’s truth, it’s truth!
10. You want to FOLLOW the truth.
11. Theoretical truth doesn’t change your life.
12. LIVING OUT the truth you know… That changes Everything!
13. What you do changes.
14. Why you do what you do changes.
15. It’s no longer all about pleasing yourself… now it’s about Pleasing God!
16. Pay attention to all Prophecy.

2 Timothy 3:14–17 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;   so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

1. Scripture is TRUE!
2. Not “my truth” or “your truth.” JUST PLAIN TRUTH!
3. The Bible is the most trustworthy book on the planet!
4. Archeology keeps finding what the Bible says was there, where the Bible says it should be.
5. Scripture is worth following!
6. God gives us rules for our protection, not to cause us harm!
7. Pay special attention to the Prophecies that Jesus fulfilled during His time on this earth.

From: gotquestions.org   The story of Jesus saturates the metanarrative of the Bible, and prophecies of His first advent are found throughout the Old Testament. Allusions to Him also come up in micro ways, as many people and events hint at the work He would accomplish. One scholar, J. Barton Payne, has found as many as 574 verses in the Old Testament that somehow point to or describe or reference the coming Messiah. Alfred Edersheim found 456 Old Testament verses referring to the Messiah or His times. Conservatively, Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies in His earthly ministry.

1. No one could have just decided to intentionally fulfill all these Prophecies.
2. Especially the ones about where and how He would be born!
3. Make sure you realize that those who mock the truth will be around!
4. Why do they mock? They want to follow their own lusts.
5. If I acknowledge the God of the Bible, it’s reasonable that I should follow Him!
6. If I don’t want to do that, I need alternative ideas for
7. How we got here…
8. Evolution instead of Creation.
9. Where meaning and purpose in our lives comes from, or if there is any meaning or purpose at all.
10. “If your God is real, why are things still like they’ve always been?
11. “Why does God allow poverty?”
12. “Why does God allow war?”
13. “Why does God allow hunger?”
14. “Why did my Grandma die?”
15. Mockers have a lot to ignore to keep mocking!
16. God created!
17. God destroyed with water.
18. God WILL destroy again, but with FIRE!
19. This will be a renewal.
20. This will be judgement.
21. This will be a clean slate!

1. Know that the Lord CAN tell time!

II Peter 3:7-9 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

1. Many would like to pull verse 8 completely out of context and try to make it say that when the Bible talks about time, particularly in Genesis, that it’s not really meaningful.
2. However, that’s not what this verse is about at all!
3. God INVENTED time!
4. The point is that God is exercising His Patience!
5. God hasn’t wrapped things up yet because He knows there are still people that will turn to Him!
6. God’s love prevents His Judgement.
7. But that day will come!

1. What will that day Be like?

10    But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which 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.

1. It will come when nobody expects it!
2. It’s not something that people will see coming….
3. There are prophecies about this time, but nothing that people can all agree on.
4. Some of the smartest Biblical scholars around are completely at odds with each other about how earthly things will come to an end.
5. When it happens, it will be a spectacular meltdown!
6. The atmosphere will burn!
7. This world will be a giant fireball!
8. The elements that make up our world will melt!
9. The world, as we know it, will be utterly destroyed!
10. Nothing men have made will be left!
11. No monument will be left.
12. No building will be standing.
13. The great wall of China… GONE!
14. Lake Mead and Hoover dam… GONE!
15. The Rocky Mountains…. No more!
16. NOTHING WILL REMAIN!
17. Then God will make a New Heaven and New Earth!

With all this in mind,

1. What kind of people should we be?
2. We should be Holy!
3. Set apart from the World, to be used by God for whatever purpose He has for us.
4. This seems like bad news… I don’t get my own way!
5. This is a very contrary idea to what the world looks for.
6. Whatever I want is what I should have.
7. Whatever I want to do is what I should be doing.
8. My life should be all about making myself happy!
9. But this is actually GREAT news!
10. With our minds, polluted by the world around us, what we think we want is often something very harmful to us!
11. Like a good parent, God knows what’s best for us!
12. He sees time as all present tense.
13. He knows the outcome of every decision, before we make it.
14. We should be Godly!
15. Our goal in life ought to be growing to be more like Jesus!
16. He’s God with a human body.
17. He came and showed us what it meant to live for God.
18. He came and became the sacrifice for our sins, so eternity with God would be a possible choice for us.
19. We should be looking forward to the end, so we can get to the new beginning!
20. We live in anticipation of God “wrapping everything up” and starting over!
21. We are even expected to “hasten” those events.
22. We should be doing what we can to reach those that don’t know Jesus!
23. Those are the people the Lord is waiting patiently for, to give their lives to Him!
24. We look forward to an eternity in this new Heavens and new Earth, with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
25. Finally, we get to the therefore!
26. The conclusion that the writer is getting at.
27. Be diligent!
28. Don’t quit! Put in the necessary work.
29. Diligent to do what?
30. Be found in Him!
31. You want to belong to Jesus, heart and soul.
32. When I live in Him, I will live in peace.
33. Not “the absence of war.”
34. Peace that comes from knowing that “God’s got this!”
35. When I live in Him, I will be spotless.
36. Perfectly unmarked by the stains of the world.
37. Not because I learn to be perfect, but because Jesus makes me clean!
38. When I live in Him, I will be blameless.
39. Again, not because I’m perfect, but because Jesus took my sins “As far as the East is from the West.”
40. When I live in Him, I do my best to make His patience, my patience!
41. I want the Lord to return.
42. But I want as many people to come to Him as are willing.

A new day is coming! I can’t wait!