Pastor Railton would consider it a privilege to talk with anyone about the church, living the Christian life, how to become a Christian or any problem or discouragement you may be experiencing. Let him know and he will be glad to either come to your home or meet in the office.
There's Another Flood Coming
I. LIFE NEED
A. For the past few weeks we've been talking about Noah, the flood, and the salvation God offered him and his
family.
1. Sin had gotten so bad that God grieved he had even
created man.
a. Wickedness
b. Corruption
c. Violence
2. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
a. Righteous
b. Blameless
c. Walked with God
3. God told him he was going to wipe mankind from
the face of the earth. He was going to flood the earth and begin over.
4. He then told Noah exactly what he was to do. He
gave him the specs for the ark, what kind of wood, who was to get on it, etc.
5. It then says, "Noah did everything just as God
commanded." This was the key to Noah's being saved on the ark. He would have drowned like
everyone else had he not done it just as God said.
6. This was all an actual historical event, but . . .
B. It's Also A Picture Of Our Own Salvation.
1. We are every one of us guilty of sin, and under
condemnation.
2. And yet we too have found favor in the eyes of the
Lord.
3. He's told exactly what we must do to be saved from
judgment.
a. Believe The Gospel
1. The good news of the Kingdom of God, and
2. The name of Jesus Christ
b. Repent Of our Sin (Recognition, Regret,
Renunciation)
c. Be Baptized
d. Obey the Lord. Part of that obedience lies in
doing exactly what the Lord requires for salvation. Don't think you can pick and choose.
4. This is our ark of salvation. This is the good news.
a. But let me tell you something. There's a flip side
to this. There's a bad side. In Noah's day there was a flood of wickedness and evil.
b. Because of that, God brought on a flood with
water. He then promised he'd never flood the earth with water again.
c. But there is another flood coming. That's what
we'll talk about this morning, looking at II Peter
3.
II. BIBLE LEARNING (II PETER 3:3-18).
A. II Peter 3:3,4. Scoffers!
1. These are the last days . . .
2. But there will be scoffers. They will question and
doubt the return of Jesus to earth . . .
a. The return of Jesus to establish the kingdom
here on earth will be the consummation of our hope. It is a major theme of scripture.
1. Someone has counted 1,527 verses in the Old Testament. that refer to the second coming of
Jesus.
2. It's taught in the gospels. Jesus gave signs of his return in Matt. 24, and instructions in
Matt. 25. In Luke 17 Jesus said, "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be
in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day
Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all."
a. We usually remember Noah and the ark as a good thing, and it was. People were
saved - eight of them.
b. But there's a flip side as well. Everyone else was destroyed!
c. Our day is much like the day of Noah. People are eating, drinking, and marrying. Everyone goes about their
business and pleasure as though everything will continue forever. But Jesus is coming! Most people will not be
ready. They will be destroyed.
3. The angels taught the return of Christ, when he ascended.
4. The Apostle Paul taught the return, probably more than any other writer. In fact, every New Testament. writer wrote about the
return. Jesus is coming back!
b. Scoffers not only doubt the return of Christ;
they follow their own evil desires. This describes our society to a T.
c. I fear it describes the church as well.
1. Now surely none of you doubts the return of Jesus. None of you would scoff at it,
literally. But what about in lifestyle?
2. I trust you don't follow evil desires, but even good plans and activities become evil if they
distract us from the Lord!
3. I fear that we eat and drink and marry as though Jesus is never coming back. Now
there's nothing wrong with eating, drinking and marrying, unless the Lord, his church,
his cause get pushed to the back burner. In all honesty, I believe this passage is directed
toward some of you. The Lord is on the back burner. You're not giving your "all" to
the Lord. You're good people, but you're following after your own desires and not
taking care of first things first!
3. There is a fallacy in the original premise of the
scoffers. They are soothed into complacency, thinking everything has continued since the
beginning of time, without judgment from God.
B. II Peter 3:5-7. There's Another Flood Coming!
1. They are forgetting about the flood. And it's not out
of ignorance. It's deliberate. It's selective forgetfulness. It's kind of like so many politicians
today. They "don't recall!" There's enough evidence to prove the flood, without even reading the Bible.
God is holding the world accountable! He's putting the world on notice!
2. Logos
3. This heavens and earth are reserved for fire. This is
the other flood coming. It's going to be a time of judgment and destruction. It's called a lake of fire
in Rev. 21. "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the
vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars - their
place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
a. Notice the Bible calls it a "second death."
b. Peter describes it as the "destruction" of
ungodly men.
c. There's no mention of eternal torture. This is the
flip side of the return of Christ. It will be great for those in the Lord! But it will be judgment
for those who are not. I believe the majority of people are not!
1. Only 8 were saved in the day of Noah.
2. The ratio is normally very low of those who survive the judgment of the Lord.
3. Even Jesus said the gate is wide and there are many that go through it to destruction.
The gate is narrow, and only a few enter into life.
C. II Peter 3:8,9. Thank The Lord For His Patience!
1. His compassion is the motivation behind the delay.
2. He isn't willing that any should perish. Don't be
fooled!
3. By the way, this is an illustration, not a formula for
figuring time.
D. II Peter 3:10. The Day Of The Lord (Describes everything surrounding the return of Christ until the
new heavens and earth.)
III. BIBLE APPLICATION!
A. II Peter 3:11-13. What Kind Of People Ought You To Be!
1. Live holy and godly lives.
2. Look forward to the day of the Lord.
3. Look forward to a new heaven and new earth.
B. II Peter 3:14-16. Since You Are Looking Forward To This!
1. Make every effort to be . . .
a. Spotless,
b. Blameless,
c. At peace with the Lord.
2. Remember the Lord's patience means salvation for
others.
C. II Peter 3:17,18. Therefore, Since You Already Know This!
1. Be on your guard, so as to not be carried away by
those who distort the scriptures.
2. Grow . . .
a. In the grace,
b. And knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
IV. LIFE RESPONSE
A. Review the above.
B. The only other thing I would add to this is that we need to be serious about getting the gospel message out to
others. We need to be a church that is evangelistic in nature. We need to be a people that has a love and
concern for those who have not heard the good news of the Kingdom of God.