"As In The Days Of Noah..." 2 Peter 3:3-14

The Second Last Sunday In the Church Year (Trinity 26)14-November-21
Sermon Text: 2 Peter 3:3-14
Sermon Theme: “As In The Days of Noah..”  by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. “O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might.” The world laughed at the foolish preacher. He called them to turn and live. He invited them into God’s vessel of salvation. He warned them that judgment day would soon break out upon the world. He was mocked as a fool. Majority rules. What the mob rules must be right and acceptable. Numbers were on their side. They could’ve numbered 11 to 14 billion. The foolish preachers congregation dwindled. He buried the older faithful members. The younger people had no time to hear him preach. The world was more attractive and successful.
        The preacher undertook a massive building project. He invested all his wealth and the congregation’s resources in it. The world laughed as he preached that God had ordered him to begin construction. No one in their right mind wanted to enter his building. His congregation dwindled to eight. Only his immediate family listed to the preacher. His brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, and cousins wanted nothing to do with this foolish preacher and the ancient God whose word he preached.
        The last day of rest came. His small congregation gathered to be comforted by their Creator’s Word and promise. The world had to roll with laughter as they saw the crazy preacher and his congregation fill his great building project with animals. Was he giving up preaching to open a zoo?  
      Seven days later the massive door shut. The preacher, his family, and at least a male and female of each kind of land dwelling creatures were sealed inside his church. The world’s ridicule and laughter turned into screams of fear as death swallowed all outside of the foolish preacher’s church. His word of warning was true. Judgment day broke. The fountains of the deep erupted causing a worldwide tsunami. The sky emptied all its water. All outside of Noah’s Ark died that day. They had squandered the day of grace, refused to repent and believe God’s promise of salvation. Just judgment fell upon them. The soul that sins shall die.
      It was Tuesday of Holy Week. Judgment day was very near. The Lord God was in His Temple breathing out His life giving Word. The Jerusalem leaders sought some way to make Him stumble in His teaching so that Roman authority would do their dirty work to silence this Preacher through murder. That day the glory of the Lord left His Temple. Jesus’ disciples marveled at its beauty. Jesus wept. He knew of its impending destruction. Not one stone would be left upon another. The disciples asked, “When?” Jesus teaches them of the signs preceding the Temple’s destruction four decades later and the signs preceding the end of our world. His followers are not to sit around calculating when the world will end. That day is only known to God the Father. Listen to Jesus’ Word, “Matthew 24:35-39 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. (36) "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. (37) But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. (38) For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, (39) and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
      Another church year ends next Sunday. Another year of God’s grace where Christ came among us here in this place in His Word, water, bread and wine. Judgment day is nearer than when we first believed. Next Sunday we will hear St. Paul’s preaching on judgment day. Today we hear from St. Peter as he echos Jesus’ Word that living in these last days of world history we are, “As In The Days of Noah..”
      Mark 13:13 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. This is the reality of following Jesus, the Truth, in a world chained by Satan in the Lie. Peter echos Jesus’ Word (vs.3-4) Do you want to be called a fool? Ostracized? Deplatformed? Confess the Truth of The Apostles’ Creed in your daily walk. The world will hate you for speaking this truth outside of the walls of your church building. They will mock you as being unscientific and dangerous as you teach it to your children and grandchildren. The world laughs at those who confess Christ Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead. Though the world clings to its myths of climate destruction from the life gas of carbon dioxide. The mocking worldly minded think that creation has remained the same since the beginning. They pay no attention to the record of massive climate change long before the internal combustion engine was invented. They are fools who have convinced themselves in their own hearts that God is only a figment of our imagination.
          “I believe in God the Father, Maker of heaven and earth.” (Vs.5-7) Minds blinded by Satan the world clings to the biologically impossible myth of life arising by chance random processes. The human genome project reveals the complexity of life on the cellular level. Not only is there a complete information system in each cell, but also the ability to read and reproduce what is recorded. Genetic mutations instead of creating new life, often only produce death. Cancer is a genetic mutation as cells no longer live to serve in the entire body, but live only for themselves.
        “ Willfully they forget” for their foolish minds are darkened by the prince of darkness. Professing themselves to be wise they play the fool. Rebelling against the Creator. They think they can mutilate a male into a female. They treat human life as disposable murdering infants in the womb for love’s sake, then using its tissue to produce medicines it hopes will stave off its own death. “I believe that God has made me and all creatures.”
God spoke His Word and called this creation into existence out of nothing.
This world was created in six 24 hour days, less than 10,000 years ago by God. The world laughs at this truth as being unscientific. Many Christians surrender this truth for friendship with the world.
      God’s Word created this world. Dry land was called forth on the third day and filled with vegetation that reproduced after its own kind. It was standing in the water and preserved by the water above in the atmosphere. This planet was created perfectly for life by a loving God and Father. He preserved it by His Word. He is a just God. When mankind turned from Him to pollute this world with sin. To destroy one another in cold blood. God justly judged the world that then existed. The evidence of God’s just judgment in Noah’s day in a world wide flood is written in the rocks. “Millions of dead things, buried in rock layers, laid down by water all over the earth.” The fossils cry out that the creation that once existed came to an end by a massive deluge. The rock layers perfectly laid down cry out that they were laid down rapidly by a catastrophe not over millions of years. Coal, oil, shale, all testify to lush plant life rapidly buried by sediments laid down by a massive flood.
      The rocks cry out that of the judgment in Noah’s Day. They warn us of the judgment day to come. Not by water, but by fire. God’s Word preserves this creation. Judgment Day will come for ungodly men who deny the truth. Psalms 19:1-2 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. (2) Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. The fire of judgment day will forever usher the ungodly into eternal torment in hell.
    Today is the day of grace! (Vs8-9) “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. Who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, “ Confess the Truth that Christ Jesus is the only Savior of mankind. The Lord isn’t slack concerning the promise He made to Adam on the day of our rebellion. Echo the truth that Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to God the Father apart from Jesus’ crucified and risen flesh and blood. The religious world will scoff at you as being hateful. Christ’s Word will never pass away. Apart from Jesus is only hell. Listen to His Word preached by the least of His brothers.
        In Christ, God is gracious, not willing that any should perish, but giving us time to repent. To turn from the deception of our world and by His Holy Spirit cling to Christ Jesus alone.
          We confess that Jesus “shall come again to judge the living and the dead.” (Vs.10) The Day is fast approaching. It will sneak up on the world as a thief in the night. Suddenly the heavens will pass away and our world will be purified by fire. Just as silver and gold are purified by fire in the crucible as all impurities are burned off. All the world’s great works will burn up - worldly elements will be burned up.
          Where can we find shelter? St. Peter writes,1 Peter 3: (21) There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (22) who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.” In your baptism God the Holy Spirit has judged you to be Christ’s own, a beloved child of your heavenly Father. (Vs.11-12) Confess the truth of the Apostles’ Creed that you could not choose to follow Jesus. You were dead in your sin. The Holy Spirit alone called you to life in the Gospel. He alone keeps you alive in this true faith in the ark of Christ’s Church. Daily He judges you forgiven through Christ’s sacrifice and perfect life in your baptism, through absolving words spoken by your pastor as from God Himself. He places forgiveness, life, and salvation every Sunday upon your unclean lips feeding you Jesus’ living body and blood in bread and wine.
          Scoffers will mock your simple Holy Spirit given faith in Jesus’ Word and Sacraments. They boast of their great ministries, but never receive the least of Jesus’ brothers sent to preach His Word and administer His sacraments. They will enter the eternal fire prepared for the devil and all his angels. (Vs.13-14) By God the Holy Spirit working through the Promise of Christ - we are kept in this one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.” Through faith in Christ we know that we have passed from death to life. Death has lost its claim on us. Living by faith and not by fear we pray, “Father, let Thy Kingdom Come!” Free this creation from our sin and death. Make all things new again. Raise my body from death to life eternal. This world will be freed from man’s sin and all its effects. We will dwell eternally with Christ face to face. Fully restored in righteousness - never again to be plagued by sin, or death. We will finally be freed to be fully human body and soul. To rejoice with all our loved ones who fell asleep clinging to Christ by faith. Learn to pray, “O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might. O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth. Revelation 22:20-21 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (21) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.