The Lord is not slack concerning his promise ...

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 11 JUNE 2023

2 Peter 3 verses 1 – 10

The world awaits the greatest experience and event that man has ever known.  It could take place at any moment.  That is the second coming of Jesus Christ.  When he came the first time every prophecy of the Old Testament was fulfilled.  Guided us to the town he would be born in.  There is one scripture still to be fulfilled – the day the Lord will leave his Father’s side and come to the air with the shout and trump and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Will we rise or be left behind?  Peter spoke of the doctrine of Christ’s coming again.  There was great ridicule, scoffers claimed God has forgotten about his promise.  Today many point to the many sermons they have heard, that many films and books have been written about this second coming yet nothing has changed, everything continues as it were.  Verse 9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness but is long suffering to usward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

 

Recognise a problem man has.  He is not willing that any should perish.  Man is a perishing soul.  A universal problem we can do nothing about it.  Man will perish.  The apostle Paul said “for the preaching of the cross is foolishness.”  As I preach about the Lord who forsook heaven and came down into the world to die on the cross to some it is foolish.  To the Jews it is a stumbling black.  Jesus told the story don’t be concerned about man who can kill the body but be concerned about those who can kill the soul.  In Luke 13 a couple of tragedies had taken place locally – Pilate mingled the blood of the Galileans with their sacrifices.  The people thought they were terrible sinners.  When we compare ourselves to this man we think we are not so badly off.  The Galileans were religious, upright and had a sense of God.  Consider another tragedy – a tower fell and crushed 18 people.  The Lord asked are you coming to me to see if they were terrible sinners and he responded “except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.”  It is a problem that man has – there is confusion around it.  Why would this holy God turn me, the one who tries his best, why would he turn me into a lost sinners hell?  People get confused about the message they hear.  When God created man Adam and Eve he placed the in the Garden of Eden.  Sin entered into the situation.  God didn’t forget about them.  God came right down to where they were hiding.  They didn’t want to face up to God because of the sin in their hearts.  You have a problem tonight – you are going to perish.

 

The planning God made.  God accepts man’s problem.  He didn’t turn a blind eye.  He created man with certain qualities above the animals.  He was made from the dust of the ground, breathed into him and he became a living soul.  With that came a will to do what he wanted.  God has a plan for you to come to him tonight.  He has sent his son to die on Calvary to make a way back to God.  You have a will tonight.  You can do whatever you want or you can say no.  God accepts that.  God gave man the ability to made decisions, a free will to make those decisions.  Of every tree in the garden you may eat of abundantly but do not eat of the tree in the centre because if you do you will experience death.  Eve looked at the fruit and took of it and gave it to Adam.  Sin entered into the world.  Every man has sin in his heart.  God made provision for the effects of sin.  God had a plan.  He took the skins of animals and put them together to make a covering for their sin.  God has a plan and that plan was from the foundation of the world.  That is the remedy for your sin.  You see that plan materialise through the scriptures.  Exodus 12 tells us all the firstborn were to die.  Here’s the plan – take the lamb and sacrifice it, then take the blood and put it into a basin and apply it to every doorpost. “When I see the blood I will pass over.”  Whenever Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice him, he had the knife ready to come down on his son.  God told Abraham to turn around and he saw a lamb caught in the thicket.  That lamb became the substitute for Isaac.  “The soul that sinneth shall die.”  God is not willing that you should perish.  The only plan is the plan of Calvary.  The Lord gave his life, shedding his blood for you.  He waits tonight for you to come and accept what has been done.  Jesus was the last one to be sacrificed for sin.

 

The passion that God reserves.  God is not willing that any should perish.  It is marvellous to turn that around.  If he is not willing that any should perish that means all could be saved tonight.  You can come to the Lord where you are tonight, trust him as your Saviour.  The great passion he had.  Some writers say this verse proves that God will not turn anyone into hell because his love is greater.  He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  Will you come in repentance?  When Jesus spoke of the great supper every aspect was catered for.  The invitation was sent out “come now for all things are now ready.”  Remember the excuses started to roll in – someone got the invitation and turned it down.  One by one with one consent they all began to make excuses.  The master of the house was angry.  Bring in the deaf, the maimed, halt and blind.  He didn’t want anything to fail.  This servant said “there is yet still room.”  He was told to go out to the highways and hedges and compel them to come.  Jesus’ only mission was to see souls saved.  For the blindness to be taken from their eyes.  The man took time to send out invitations only for them to be refused.

 

The patience God shows.  Why has Jesus not come yet?  He is not willing that any should perish.  Perhaps you are not saved. He doesn’t want you to perish.  He is giving you another opportunity to come.  The patience God has.  Revelation 3 verse 20.  God is standing knocking.  We have a remedy - to let him in.  He is still pleading, asking to come into your life.  There will come a day when God will close the door.  He did it in Noah’s day.  One day all the pleadings were stopped.  The access was impossible.  It is possible to be saved tonight.  Maybe tomorrow God might have closed the door.