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2 Peter 3:8-14— ⁸ But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. ¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The earth was corrupt in God’s sight. Every intention of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually (Gen. 6:5). So God told Noah, “Build an ark (lit. ‘a box), and make it big. I’m sending a flood. Everything that is on the earth shall die.” Now, if you were Noah, you’d be jumping in your car and speeding to Menards to get tools and building supplies. God didn’t tell Noah exactly when He would send the flood, and the ark would take a long time to make. It was a pretty big boat – bigger than a football field. But God gave Noah a promise. “I establish My covenant with you, I’ll keep you, your family, and the animals you take with you alive.”

Noah had a big job in front of him with an important deadline, a true deadline. Because of God’s wrath against sin, death was coming to everything. But 1 Peter 3:20 says that God patiently waited for Noah to build the ark. God was disgusted with His creation, but God was patient for Noah’s sake.

God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Beloved by God, the day of the Lord is coming. God will again judge the wickedness of mankind. The heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up, dissolve, and melt. That day will come unannounced, like a thief, like an army marching against a city. Watch.

A watchman’s work is boring. He waits and watches for something that may never come – he doesn’t know. But if a watchman becomes careless, grows impatient, and falls asleep on his watch, the results can be catastrophic – and not just for him. If the watchmen are asleep when the enemy or thief comes… well, nothing good can come from that.

Christ said He would return. He promised. But for 2,000 years now, believers have been watching and waiting. Even the Christians in Peter’s day were getting tired of waiting and watching. They had expected that Jesus would return before they died. But now false teachers were mocking them for believing that Christ would ever return. Peter even quotes them back in 2 Peter 3:4, “Where is the promise of Jesus’ coming? The fathers have died. And everything is the same as it has been since the beginning of creation.”

You can imagine the scoffers of Noah’s day. “What’s that big box for, Noah? There’s no water around here. Nothing bad is going to happen.” I would venture to guess there were days and weeks and months and years when the scoffers’ words got to Noah and made him wonder, “Why am I doing all this?” But then, the waters did come. The unbelievers were caught unaware. God came like a thief and took their lives away.

Most of the time, we don’t need scoffers to distract us into thinking Jesus won’t return. Today feels like yesterday, and yesterday felt like the day before. Most of the time, you don’t think about Jesus’ coming. Your life is manageable, so you get comfortable. You get sleepy. You don’t watch. You start to think that God is getting too old, too slow, too decrepit. You think that God doesn’t care.

But the Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise – at least, not as some count slowness. I love that line. What is any amount of time to God who is eternal? With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Beloved, do not overlook this fact.

With the Lord, one day is as a thousand years. Our kids teach us that one hour can feel like 1,000 years. Monday night, before going to bed, Annalise trotted into the bathroom, emphatically picked up a cup, filled it, and stated, “I haven’t had a drink in 1,000 years.” She just had a full glass of water at supper.

Time, all of time, stands before God as a single thing. God sees every moment of created history right before Him. To God, Adam is just as close as you are. To God, a thousand years are as one day.

Watch because God is not slow to fulfill His promises. Watch knowing that the time is soon. Maybe it isn’t what you call soon, but Jesus is coming soon. The creation will be dissolved, so live in holiness and godliness. Be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish and at peace.

Doomsday is coming, so be at peace. That sounds odd. Everything observable is going to be destroyed by fire, how can you be at peace? Because Jesus, your Savior, is coming. He is coming soon, and He is coming now in bread and wine. This meal of His supper purifies you. Jesus’ body and blood removes all spots, wrinkles, and blemishes. This meal gives you strength and feeds you for a life of godly and holy watching and waiting. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.