Find second Peter chapter three. Second Peter chapter three We're going to start in verse one and read through verse 12. We're focusing in this morning on verse nine in in a particular word that is used there at the end of the verse but let's get the context this morning in which Peter is writing this and the Lord is revealing this to us. Second Peter chapter three and verse one. This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord, and savior.

Knowing this first that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts and saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. For this, they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God, the heavens were of old and earth standing out of the water and in the water whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water perished. But the heavens and the earth which are now by the same word are kept in store, reserved against fire, unto fire against the day of judgement, and petition of ungodly men. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness but his long suffering to us were not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. And let's stop there. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you Lord. For all that you have done for us.

Lord, the opportunities that you have given us to know you through faith in your son, to receive of your precious gift and promises of eternal life. To be a light and and salt in this dark world today. In which so many are scoffers. And refuse to bow before you and many who are ignorant of your love and grace and mercy. Lord, may we show them.

We show them that God is a god, is a real God, a mighty God, and makes a difference in the life of those who come to him. May we show them the love of Christ and may we share with them the good news of the gospel that they too are offered repentance and Lord, may you be glorified as we continue this morning. May you be magnified in our service today. May the Holy Spirit take the sword of the spirit and use it in our hearts to draw us closer to you. In Jesus name, we pray.

Amen. As we study through the Old Testament last year in our Thursday morning Bible study group, we saw again and again the sad result of fallen humanity. Even Israel and their inability to stay true to the Lord. Again and again, people were warned of God's coming judgment. Because of their spiritual infidelity, because of their unbelief, because of their turning to idols but with these warnings also came a message of hope, a way of escape, repentance.

Again, humanity is staring the judgment of God straight in the face as we follow the pattern of Romans one. From knowing and worshiping God to denying and defying him and we talked about that in Sunday school this morning. Sadly, the world has gone from knowing and worshiping God to denying and even what? Defying him. There's a lot in our world today that that screams that.

It is only a matter of time before the judgment of God falls. Is there yet a way of escape for humanity? Is there yet a way of escape for The United States Of America? Is there yet a way of escape for you as an individual? Yes, there is.

And it's called repentance. That's what Peter is talking about here. Scoffers, he said, are going to come into the world. Scoffers who are saying, you know, God said he's gonna bring judgement. Well, I haven't seen it what?

I haven't seen it yet. I don't believe it. Peter said, being willing, willfully ignorant of what happened in the past when God brought judgement to the flood and by the way, you can still see that evidence all over the world today and my man tries to contribute it to everything but the flood. When it is much more easily explained that way. God said, the day of judgement is coming but praise God to him one day is a thousand years, a thousand years is this one day and this world is going to be burnt up with fire and he's going to create a new heaven and a new earth for all those that love him.

Why does he wait? Look at us. You see what's going on in the world today? All this confusion, all this defiance against God and how God even made us. We want to whether you're born a born a boy and you said, well, I want to be a girl or vice versa.

It is sad, is it not? And it is wrong. Amen. And God's judgment is coming. Amen.

Why isn't it here yet? Well, it's tells us here in verse nine. The Lord is not slack concerning his promises. Some men count slackness. In other words, God always keeps his what?

Promises. But his long suffering to us were. Not willing that any should what? Perish but that all should come to repentance. Why doesn't God's judgment come?

You say, why doesn't he fix this? Why doesn't he stop this? I I talked about somebody that this past week. Why doesn't God, if God can stop this right now, why doesn't he stop it? Stopping it is judgement and God is long suffering towards sinful human beings and he is patient and he's waiting for the day that that last soul comes to Christ.

He is long suffering toward us. Not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Is there a way of escape from this judgment? Oh yes, there is. Repentance is the answer.

Let's take a look, quick look at how this word is used in the scriptures starting with the Old Testament. The Hebrew word translated most often the Old Testament repent means to sigh as in exasperation, sorrow, or pity and is most often used of the Lord in his dealings with men. So, there's second Peter three nine. Genesis six six and it repented the Lord that he made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart. Well, it tells us there what the word repent means at the end of the verse.

It grieved him in his what? In his heart. It grieved him. It made him sorrowful. That he had made man and now man had followed Satan into such reparibacy and destruction.

It repented, it made him sorrowful. Judges two eighteen, and when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. Now, a little context here. In the book of Judges, Israel had conquered the land under Joshua and then divided up into tribes but they didn't quite finish the job.

They were told the tribes were to push, cast, kill all of the pagans, idolatrous Canaanites out of their land and then to follow the Lord with all their heart but they didn't do it and so the Canaan, many of the Canaanites remained in the land and they allowed themselves to be influenced by the idolatry of the Canaanites and they began to stray from the Lord and when that happened, God would bring judgement and he would allow an oppressing group to come in and to rob them of their crops, to enslave their their people, to rule over them, and tax them and all of these things and then they would cry out to God in repentance and God would send them a deliverer. Now, it's often the book of Judges called a judge but this person was a deliverer to deliver them out of the hand of the oppressor that had come upon them because of their what? Because of their sin and turning away from the Lord. So, in context there again, verse 18, and when the Lord raised and when the Lord raised them up judges, that's after they cried out to him, then the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge for repented, that is it made God sorrowful because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

When God saw the misery and destruction that had come upon his people, it was their fault, not his fault. It was their fault but nonetheless, God was made sorrowful and he raised up a judge and he what? He delivered them, okay? And that is one of the ways the word repent is used in the Old Testament in reference to to God, okay? This kind of repentance is not commanded of men in the Old Testament but a different use word is used often translated to turn from or away, okay?

A different word for men. To turn from or away. Demanding a drastic change of heart towards God followed by a corresponding change in actions or behavior, a life change. So, repentance is used concerning God, him being sorrowful. Number two, repentance is used as a command in the Old Testament given to man to repent and thus to turn away from.

So, the first verse here, Ezekiel fourteen six. Therefore, say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God, repent and turn yourselves from your idols and turn away your faces from all your abominations. Again, Israel would turn to idolatry. God says, you must make an about what? About face.

That needed to begin where? In their heart. Because their heart allegiance was the problem. Ezekiel eighteen thirty. Therefore, I will judge you, oh house of Israel.

Everyone according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent and turn yourself from all your transgressions so iniquity so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Again, God commands Israel to what? To repent. To repent and turn away.

Repent, a change of heart that results in a corresponding change in what? In behavior. Second Chronicles seven fourteen, God commands Israel. He says here, if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and same word, not translated repent, but translated to turn, and pray and seek my face and turn or repent of their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Again and again, God came to Israel and says, repent and turn.

Repent and turn. Have a change of heart that with a corresponding change in what? Behavior. A change of heart from allegiance to idols back to an allegiance to who? To God That was what he wanted them to repent of.

Humanity is instructed to turn to God in confession, admission of fault, and in faith and humility or contrition as David puts it. From their wicked ways, idolatrous, immoral, oppressive, greedy, murderous, thieving, lying ways. Wicked ways resulting from a lack of faith and trust in God and of love and allegiance to him. God instructed humanity again to turn to God in confession. Faith and humility from their wicked ways.

Ways which result resulting from a lack of what? A lack of faith. And trust in God and a lack of love and allegiance to him. So, God came back to Israel again and again and again and he said, repent and turn. Repent and turn.

Repent and turn. And if they will repent, God declares he will respond with forgiveness and love for them and stay his judgment either collectively as in the case of Israel or in or individually in the case of salvation. God did this again and again in Israel's behalf. They turned away from God. God said, repent.

They repented. And they turned back to him. And God forgave them and blessed them and then, they turned back to idols again. They shared his allegiance. God said to Israel back in Deuteronomy six, understand Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord and thou shalt worship the Lord your God with all your what?

With all your heart, soul, and your mind. They would give their heart to idols and paganism and God would say, repent, repent, repent. I will spare you. God, they often times would repent. But then not too long a generation later, they would go back into sin.

Still, and God would bring judgement. Still, when a remnant in exile sought to face the Lord in repentance, God did as he promised and sent them back to rebuild Jerusalem. They rebuilt the temple under Zerubbabel and the walls under Nehemiah and God blessed them. It got to the point to where they no longer had any interest in repentance and God say, okay, that's it and he brought judgement and he destroyed Jerusalem but a remnant remained and that remnant returned and they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. They rebuilt the temple.

When they turned in their heart to who? When they turned in their heart to God. Four hundred years later, we come to John the Baptist. Four hundred years later, after their return to the land. We come to John the Baptist and the scene that we first read about in the New Testament and the religion that had evolved.

That had changed over time was now a religion of self righteous works which had taken the place of a genuine relationship and trust in God. Essentially, a religion of faith in themselves rather than in the mercy of God. Faith in themselves rather than in the mercy of God. Even the Old Testament, the Old Covenant teaches us that our hope is not in our works but the hope, their hope was in the mercy of God because God provided a means to them to seek his mercy and receive it through the sacrifice of the innocent lamb in their behalf and why was that necessary? Because they sinned and they sinned and they sinned and they broke God's law And despite all of the wonderful advantages given Israel, they still broke God's law.

But there was a way of mercy through the sacrifice of the lamb. To the sacrifice them. Through faith, not in their ability to keep the law but in God's mercy to forgive. And wash away the sins of his people but they lost that understanding. It seemed many of them did.

Christ pointed this out in Luke in a parable. He spoke of a Pharisee, a religious leader who came to the temple to pray and he spoke of a publican, a tax collector, an outcast, a traitor to his own people who came to the temple to pray. The one Pharisee stood there and looked up to God and said, God, I'm thankful that I have escaped the perils of sin and that I'm not like this publican over here. He wasn't really thanking God. He was thanking who?

Himself, you know. The publican over here was prostrate on the floor couldn't, Jesus said, could not but lift up, couldn't lift up his head to heaven And cried out to God, have what? Have mercy on me. Have mercy on me, a sinner. And Jesus said, which one of those do you think which which one do you think went home justified in the eyes of God?

It wasn't the Pharisee, it was the one, it was the who? It was the publican who had faith in the mercy of God. That went home justified in God's sight. But many in the religion of the day were trusting in their own good works. So, God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for the Messiah.

God sent John the Baptist with a message. What was John the Baptist message? It was repent. Repent you. For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Repent. The king is coming. You need to get ready. Repent. That is turn away from your faithless, heartless religion of good works promoted by your religious leaders or turn away from the hedonistic pleasure seeking ways of the immoral and uncaring and turn to the God, the Lord God in faith.

Who loves you? Who will receive you? And who is sending his messiah to die for you. John's message, repent. Turn away from your self righteous religion.

Turn away from your hedonistic ways. Right. And turn to God. Jesus continued to trumpet the same message of repentance. He preached the gospel of repentance and faith, warning the Jews to repent of their wickedness and unbelief and turn in faith to the son of God who was able to save their souls.

Matthew seven fourteen or four seventeen. From that time, Jesus began to preach and say, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. That should be four seventeen, I think, not seven fourteen. My my paper here conflicts with the thing there. So, regardless, it's the words that he said that matter this morning.

From that time, Jesus began to preach and say, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Luke thirteen three, Jesus said, I tell you nay but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. The word repent in Greek is metanoiao. Is used throughout the New Testament emphasizing a change in mind and heart. Let me say that again.

The word used for repent in the New Testament emphasizes a change in mind heart. A change of mind and heart for salvation is a matter of the heart. This was part of Israel's problem. They cleaned up their acts somewhat on the outside but Jesus said, your heart is far from me. He said that they were like whited sepulchres.

That means tombs that are painted white and and adorned on the outside that look pretty but he said inside like that tomb, you're full of death and decay into corruption, dead men's bones. You look good on the outside but God sees the God sees the heart. That's right. Their system of rules and rituals which had taken the place of God's commandments and a genuine relationship with him through faith was not sufficient to save their soul or stay the judgment of God. Thus, when they celebrated the deaths of those whom they judged reprehensible, Jesus declared to them, unless you repent, you shall likewise perish.

Jesus said that in response to them saying, well, you know, those reprobates over there, they had it coming and and this group over here, they had it coming and Jesus said, guess what? You've got it coming too. Right. Unless you repent, you will perish just like just like them. And a lot of people today, a lot of people sitting in churches don't see that.

They say, hey, you know, I'm pretty good. Certainly, God is going to accept me. I'm not in jail. I'm not a thief. I'm not an adulterer.

I don't do these terrible things. Certainly, I'll be alright. I'll make it in. Doesn't work that way. For all have sinned and come short.

The glory of God and for the wages of sin is is death. Unless you repent, we will all likewise perish. Mark two seventeen says, when Jesus heard it, he say it unto them, they that are whole have no need of the physician but they that are sick. I can, I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance? The Pharisees were saying, well, why do you hang out with that rebel rousal, you know, like that rabble rouser group over there.

All those wicked people. Why why is Jesus hanging out with them? Jesus said, the doctor comes to heal the what? To heal the sick. I came not for the righteous but sinners.

Who cry out to me in repentance, who recognize their sin, where the Pharisees sinners? Oh yes, they were. Did they see it? No. And therefore, they weren't coming to him for in repentance.

The the rabble was. So, who did Jesus spend more time with? Right. The rabble. Sinners who knew it.

He told Nicodemus that unless he was born again, he would not see the kingdom of God. He explained what that man in the following verses when he declared that the son of God speaking of himself had not not come to condemn the world but to save it and that whoever believed in him being the savior, Messiah, and son of God would not perish but have what? Everlasting life. Nicodemus, you're right. There's something you're missing.

You came to me tonight because there's a void, there's something you don't get. You know there's something missing. Here it is. Your good works are not good enough. You have to trust in the Messiah, the son of God, who is going to go to the cross.

He said, as the as the Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son be lifted up, lifted up to die on the cross, to become sin for us, who knew no sin, to take our punishment, that we through faith in him might be saved. By claiming and pleading for the mercy of God in faith. An act of repentance. What was he commanding? Let's see.

I got ahead of myself there. It's sad how many people today think they will make it to heaven on the basis of their innate goodness. There are a lot of those. It is also sad how many think they're okay with God based on their religious upbringing and denomination heritage. Well, you know, I'm a Catholic.

So, oh, I'm I'm a Methodist. So, even I'm a Baptist. So, what does that mean when you say I'm a Baptist? I'm a Methodist. What does that mean?

Does that mean that you came to Christ in faith and repentance and was saved by his grace and mercy? Or does that mean, well, I was born into a baptist home or a Methodist home or as in many cases say, a Catholic home. I'm a Catholic. I'm okay. No, you're not.

No, you need to hear the gospel and sad to say they're not getting that in the Catholic church. Amen. You get it from here through the what? The word of God. You must repent or you will all likewise perish.

Too many people trusting in their upbringing, trusting in their heritage. It will not get them to heaven. Sad how many think that their idols or ancestors or dead saints they pray to can secure them a place in the afterlife. It won't. One day, sadly, they'll find that out.

Sad how many think they are earning God's grace through keeping the law or the sacraments of the church. I preached on grace a few weeks ago. Grace is not something you can earn or it's not grace. Right. Grace is received by faith alone.

It cannot be earned. It's not by works of righteousness which we have done. Salvation cannot be bought. It cannot be earned. It cannot be attained by good works.

Not by works of righteousness which he we have done but according to his mercy, he saved us. Titus three five. No one is born a Christian but a sinner and so salvation can only be accepted and received by faith in the righteous son of God who gave himself for you. If you're trying to get to heaven any other way, besides simple faith in Christ, his resurrection, his power to save you from sin, his death on the cross, you will never get there. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No man comes to the father but by me. What did Jesus preach? He preached a gospel of repentance. You must have a change of heart. Thus, on the day of Pentecost, after Jesus went back to heaven, when Peter spoke to the crowds, he told them, they must repent.

Meaning that they needed to have a complete change of heart and mind concerning who? Concerning Jesus Christ. Concerning Christ whom they had rejected, whom they had crucified weeks previous, and received him instead as their Messiah and Lord. Signified by their willingness to publicly be baptized and break from Judaism to receive Christ. Amen.

Acts two thirty eight. Then, Peter said to them, repent and be baptized everyone of you. In the name of Jesus Christ, remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. You will be saved. You'll receive the same gift that we have.

The gift of God's holy spirit. You'll become part of his church, his body. Today, if you will repent, you'll repent of your wickedness and your rejection of the Messiah. Instead, you will turn in faith and receive him today. You would have thought that God would not have given the people that stood in the crowd in Jerusalem that day crying, crucify him.

Crucify, you would have thought God would not have given them another chance. But he did. Amen. And that's kind of kind of God he is and Peter said, there is still a chance for you but you must repent. You must repent.

And trust Christ. Baptism doesn't save you. It's just a public declaration of what happens inside when you trust Christ as savior. There was still a chance if they would receive. The judgment of God was coming and as a nation, they had chosen to reject God's Messiah.

And in just a few years later, thirty some years later in 8070, as Jesus prophesied, Rome swept in, he destroyed their city, he destroyed their temple, and he killed many of their people. People. But that is nothing compared to the judgment that humanity will face at the great white throne who have squandered the opportunity to repent and trust Christ and be saved. Paul later would preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Pagans who worshiped idols.

See, in Pentecost, the message is going out to the Jews. Paul would later preach the message primarily to the Gentiles. Pagans who worshiped idols, who lived vile, immoral lives, and told them also to repent of their idolatrous hearts and wicked ways to choose instead Jesus as their Lord. His power to save them from their sins. Who died to take their punishment on the cross of Calvary.

God offered the same to the pagan, idolatrous Gentiles that he did to the self righteous religious Jews. Because he died for them just the same as he died for the others. And the message is still, you must repent. Turn in your heart from your worship and allegiance and love of these idols and the wickedness that went along with it and turn instead in faith to Jesus Christ who died for you and rose again. And you'll be saved.

Acts seventeen thirty and thirty one, Paul speaking in the most idolatrous city in possibly the world, the city of Athens. This is what he said and the times of this ignorance, God winked at but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world ness by that man he hath ordained. Who is that man he hath ordained? Jesus Christ. Amen.

Whereof he hath given assurance unto all men and that he hath raised him from the dead. Paul's message, repent and turn to Christ. Have a change of heart concerning your allegiance and trust in this in turn and put your faith, allegiance, and trust in Jesus Christ to save you from your sin. You must repent. To you today, a risen Christ still proclaims salvation through faith in his finished work And he begs you to repent of your sinful heart, your wicked ways, your misplaced allegiance, your self righteousness, your unbelief, to put your faith in Christ alone.

To save and redeem you from sin and hell forever. There is a remedy for our country. There is a remedy for our society, our world. Most importantly, there's a remedy for you. Repent.

The gospel message of the New Testament is a personal message. It is to individuals. It is to you. Repent. Trust Jesus as Lord.

Revival will only come when individuals turn in their heart to Jesus Christ by faith. You may not be able to change the world but you can choose to let Christ change you. Your heart, your life, your future, your eternity. If you will repent, and trust him. Second Peter three nine.

Lord is not slack concerning his promise. As some men count slackness but his long suffering does work. Not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Amen. The choice is yours.

Maybe he is waiting for you. Are you sure? Do you know that you know that you know that you've been born again? That you have a home reserved in heaven for you? Because you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

If you've done that, he saved you and he'll keep you. He's preparing a place for you. But if you're today and you're just the least bit unsure, please don't walk out those doors unsure anymore. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for all that you've done for us.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity of repentance to turn once again from our wicked hearts and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior. Lord, thank you for what you did for us on the cross of Calvary. Thank you, Lord. For the many, many, many souls that you have saved. Continuing including my own.

Lord, I pray if there's one here today that's unsure. I pray if there's one here today that doesn't know. Haven't made that decision in their heart. I pray Lord they wouldn't put it off till tomorrow but they would make that decision today and as we sing this hymn of invitation, they come. And we might show them how they might be saved today and know it.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.