How many times has someone reminded you of certain things in your life that you might consider unnecessary? As far back as I can remember my dad thought that I was perpetually living in a fog, aimlessly wandering around. I’m sure he was hoping I would get a clue.

I thought it was simply the result of being a teen-ager, but it appears I have taken that fog with me at times and my wife would bear testimony to that. And this is why she has sometimes taken it upon herself to remind me of things that might seem to many to be unnecessary.

If I take the check book out of the house she will sometimes remind me not to lose it or leave it somewhere. The more cynical side of me usually responds, under my breath, 'my objective is to leave this house and deposit this check book into the hands of some unsuspecting person.'

And yet that very reminder places an extra sense of caution in me so that I'm much more aware of my movements in the store. And so, this mental check list goes into action. 'I'm now taking the check book out of my pocket. I'm writing down all of the pertinent information. I'm handing the check to the sales person. I am now placing the check book back into my pocket.

Of course, all of this extra attention to my check book doesn't take into account the need to put my driver's license back into my wallet, which the salesperson needed to see. And so the fog continues as I try to walk through it.

Now, I 've seen this fog at work in the lives of other people at times, and though this plague is not discriminatory it does have a tendency to be chronic among husbands of wives who expect an awful lot of their husbands. Some of you guys know what I mean.

This is not a joke. You know that when art begins to imitate life we understand that such things are real. You've all seen the commercial for some particular brand of cat litter where the husband is far away in thought putting some plastic model together and off in the distance his wife asks, "have you washed the car?"

Peering out the window he sees that the sprinkler is showering the car and he responds, "yes dear." The next question has to do with whether or not he put down paper to protect the table from the project he's working on. Instead of taking the project off the table he quickly puts the paper over it and then respond, "yes dear."

And of course the last question she asks, "did you change the litter in the cat box", as she comes walking through the door smelling for any signs of foul odor. He's afraid to respond until she gives the O.K. that the air in the room smells fresh and he responds, "yes dear."

The guy is in a fog as many of us are, so be considerate and kind as well as understanding.

But this is not the reason Peter is about to remind his readers of something very important. You see, reminders often times have nothing to do with trying to dispense of a fog, but to reinforce what we already know.

Keep in mind that the entire second chapter of 2Peter was dealing with the false teachers and how to identify them and to show, from God's perspective, the heart of these people. Peter reminds his readers that these people are dangerous to the cause of Christ precisely because these false teachers are actually invited to be part of the church as they claim to believe in the Lord Jesus themselves.

This was always a danger and continues to be a danger. This is why Jesus Himself refers to them as wolves in sheep's clothing. And so, on the one hand they appear to be hard to identify, and yet on the other Peter is warning the church to be discerning enough to distinguish a sheep's costume from the real thing.

The blame for succumbing to false teaching cannot be laid entirely on the false teachers. We are instructed to study the word of God to show ourselves approved. And though that particular phrase is in the context of Paul encouraging Timothy in his ministry, who would suggest that it would be exclusive to one person or one office of elder?

We are all to be in the word of God so that we might know our Lord and His will better. When the writer of Hebrews wrote his letter it was not just to the leaders but to the entire body of Christ and he gave this exhortation.

HEB 5:12 "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!"

In a similar way, Peter is saying to the entire body of Christ to be on the alert and know the word of God so that you might not only be able to recognize falsehood, but also be able to encourage each other and build each other up in the faith.

And this is why Peter turns from very harsh words, directed at the false teachers, to words of comfort and edification as he now turns his attention back to the brethren who are being assaulted by these false teachers and reminding them of these truths they already knew.

2PE 3:1 "Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.
2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles."

Notice how Peter addresses them as dear friends. This is in contrast to what the false teachers have proved themselves to be in the body of Christ. They are anything but dear friends. The phrase "dear friends" is actually one word in the Greek. It's agapetos which means beloved, esteemed, favorite. It comes from the word agapao which is where we get our English word agape.

This is a love which God has for us which is sacrificial and has only our best in mind. It is best seen at the cross of Christ where both God's justice and His love are shown in the same act.

Now, in our text, Peter says this is his second letter. Some have argued that this letter is in response to another letter other than 1Peter. But, in light of all of the evidence there is no reason to think that 1Peter is not what Peter has in mind as he writes this second letter.

But it's the reason he's writing this second letter that is so important. "I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking."

Peter is trying to stimulate us, or as the NASB puts it, "I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,...". the NKJV puts it, "I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder."

What does Peter mean by this? The Greek here is instructive. This whole idea of stimulating to wholesome thinking carries with it the idea of having our thinking, and what we put in our minds, effect our lives.

The Greek word for wholesome is actually taken from two words which means the sun's ray and that which is pure, sincere, unsullied. When the two words are put together it implies being found pure when unfolded and examined by the sun's light, "and so it carries with it the sense of transparent sincerity". (John Stott, pg.126)

In other words, when we are examined by the light of God's word we will be found pure in a way that follows and obeys the commands of Christ out of gratitude for so great a gift of salvation.

And what Peter is saying here is that this is his objective, to stir us up to walk in the truth and bring glory to Christ. And he's going to do this as he reminds us of certain things, keeping in mind that this is all in opposition to what the false teachers are promoting.

2PE 3:2 "I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles."

Notice what Peter does here. He places the holy prophets and the ministry of apostles, who deliver the commands of Christ, in the same context. And so, what he's doing here is placing them both on the same level as being men who are inspired of the Holy Spirit and therefore bringing them the very word of God.

The holy prophets would be those who were before the incarnate Christ and recorded what we know as the O.T., while the apostles would be those inspired of the Holy Spirit bringing us what we know as the N.T.

The command given by our Lord would include all of those things revealed to the apostles not only during the earthly ministry of Christ, but also during those 40 days when our Lord was with His disciples after His resurrection.

And it would also include the inspiration of the Holy Spirit after our Lord's ascension. The point being that God has personally spoken to His apostles with the express purpose of passing those things on to His people, you and me in Christ.

And so, Peter wants us to consider the whole counsel of God's word, both Old and New testaments, making up one entire book delivered to us from God. But it's in the context of this whole counsel of God's word that Peter is going to remind us of a problem and this problem has to do with falsehood in contrast to the truth as it relates to their personal involvement with these false teachers.

And so, what is it that the prophets of old and the apostles of Christ want us to recall or remember? It's that this was always foretold that we would have to contend earnestly for the faith because many false prophets and teachers would come to disrupt the people of God.

2PE 3:3 "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

Now, when Peter says, "know this first of all" he's not intending to run down a list of things starting with number 1 and going through 2,3,4 and so on. The language here is really giving the sense of first importance.

And then he reminds his readers that in the last days scoffers will come and attack the truth of God's word. Now, he doesn't suggest that the last days are a future event and that in those last days these false teachers will come. They're already in the midst of those Peter is writing. In fact, that's the point he's making.

'Because these false teachers are in the church you can be sure that you are living in the last days', is essentially what Peter means. In fact, when the N.T. uses the phrase "last days" it always means last days in relationship to Jesus Christ coming into this world the first time. The writer of Hebrews makes this abundantly clear.

HEB 1:1 "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe."

When Peter was writing in the middle of the first century they understood that they were living in the last days. And because they were they could expect the fulfillment of God's word which spoke of such things taking place in the last days.

We see the same thing when James wrote to those who placed their dependence in their wealth rather than in the God who saves.

JAM 5:3 "Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days."

James is saying to his contemporary readers that they are presently living in the last days. Does this mean that there is no sense of last days which is future? Of course not. But the point Peter and other N.T. writers make is that the last days have to do with the last part of God's plan unfolding in the Christ who came into this world to redeem sinful men. The same Christ who was promised to Adam and Eve after they sinned.

And yes, there are still future things which the Christ must fulfill. But the last days started some 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem and then moved to the Place of a Skull when our Lord was delivered over to sinful men to be crucified. And the last days have never been the same since our Lord rose bodily from the dead defeating sin and death for us. And the last days give us the promise that Jesus will return again.

The scoffers of course would take issue with this in both Peter's day as well as ours. Peter speaks of scoffers or as other translations put it, mockers. Whenever we think of a scoffer or a mocker we usually think of someone who expresses a derogatory meaning to those things we hold dear. They consider it nonsense. They make fun of our beliefs which are based on the word of God.

Just look at the media when they do commentary on those who take the word of God seriously. How many times have you heard them scoff at the idea that Christians actually have the audacity to believe and promote that homosexuality is sinful. We're accused of being homophobes as though the ones who are really sick are the ones who haven't come into the 20th and now almost the 21st century as we hold to prehistoric ideas that God judges such sin.

Or that God has actually designed women to have desires for motherhood and creating a home where both children and husband are her main ministry. To most in the media this is laughable. When you even hint that women can be fulfilled being moms and wives at home they can't resist calling us idiots who don't have a clue regarding the real world.

And I suppose they're right if the only world that exists is theirs. God teaches us different and we are not of this world, nor is our King who came to give us life eternal. But in "the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires."

These make believe teachers of righteousness scoff and they follow after their own evil desires with the intent of promoting themselves all the while denigrating the truth. And what truth do they scoff at?

2PE 3:4 "They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

Why are these scoffers picking on this particular teaching? Why are they so concerned about a promise that refers to the future? The first thing we notice is that this is a teaching which has to do with a promise which is yet unfulfilled. It strikes at the heart of the faithfulness of God.

Remember, these false teachers are ultimately trying to divert attention away from Christ and place it on themselves. They want to be the center of attention. What better way to do it than to undermine the truth that Christ has no intention of coming back. If you can convince people that a God whom you can't see has given you a representative you can see who has the authority to carry on in his name then this places that representative at the pinnacle of attention.

How many false teachers and Messiahs have we seen over the years who have tried to accomplish this? They always divert attention away from the true Messiah by setting themselves up as the final Christ and final authority. Well, if they are the final authority why would there be a need for Jesus Christ to come back? He's simply sent His representative to take His place.

All of the cults have done this to one degree or another. They've replaced Christ with a new representative who has new revelations. Even many in the Christian church have diluted the truth about Christ's second coming so that it has actually been relegated to a teaching which is placed on a shelf. All of this undermines the reliability of our Lord and Savior as One who is true to all of His promises.

If He can't be trusted to fulfill that one promise how can we trust Him for anything? And then the doubts begin to mount. Can He be trusted to be there for me in any area of this life? And over time our faith in our Lord and Savior begins to wane. And what often happens is that we give up hope of our Lord's return and the only other alternative is to dig in and get comfortable with this world.

After all, if we can't expect Him in our lifetime we might as well make the most of where we are. And that's a point that did not escape either the false teachers Peter refers to or the readers of his letter.

You add into that equation that God is not really that concerned about this world as much as He is the next and you've opened the door for all sorts of false teachings which actually promote sinful behavior. This is what Peter meant in the second chapter of this letter when he identifies these false teachers as: unreasoning animals, having eyes full of adultery, springs without water, slaves of corruption, dogs returning to their vomit.

If only the world to come is to be of any concern then what we do in this world doesn't matter since it's all covered by God's grace anyhow. These teachers who promote sensuality will lead many astray by suggesting that God knows we're only human and He loves us so much that He'll over look it. Does sinful behavior make a difference to God?

1CO 6:9 "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

Paul then goes on to explain that this was [past tense] the condition of these people outside of Christ.

1CO 6:11 "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

New Age religions of every stripe preach being one with the universe and one with god or gods. But there's no accountability to the one true God. And so, you can be religious and immoral all at the same time. If God is not personally involved in the affairs of men, nor has any intention of personally coming back, anything goes.

And yet we are told clearly that Christ will come back. Didn't the disciples watch our Lord ascend back to the Father? What were they told?

ACT 1:10 "They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

And yet, Peter tells us the question which is posed by these false teachers in verse 4. "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

GEN 3:2 "The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.
5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

It was a lie then and it's a lie today when we hear that Christ's return is just some fairy tale to hold the minds of the weak and keep them enslaved to such nonsense. No, the Lord said He would return and that we should look for Him everyday.

"He will not surely come. For God knows that when you give up such a notion you will be free to worship Him fully and with the freedom to enjoy everything about this life. Eat, drink and be merry for He will not come to you, you will one day go to Him. It is the next life you should look forward to. Enjoy this one."

But aren't these false teachers right? "Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

It doesn't appear that God has ever gotten involved in the affairs of men. Everything remains the same whether we do good or not. Another lie of the enemy. Ever since our fathers died everything has not gone on as it has since the beginning of creation. God has most certainly been personally involved in the lives of people.

And His personal involvement has clearly indicated that He expects certain things from men, not the least of which is faith and obedience. Peter is again contrasting what he has already revealed about God's personal involvement in the lives of sinful men.

2PE 2:5 "... he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;
6 .... he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;

These false teachers would have the readers of Peter's day believe that God has taken a vacation from this world. Peter makes it clear that this is no holiday from God where we can live life thinking that we are not held accountable to a personal holy God.

If Christ has every intention of returning, and will in fact return, then He still has a vested interest in this world and the people who are in it. He's coming back and we as believers ought to look forward to His return everyday as we continually remember what brought Him here the first time.

It was Paul who told us to never forget our Lord's word surrounding that last supper when He took bread and wine and showed how these were signs of His body and blood being offered for the penalty of our sin. But then Paul adds something we've heard many times when we've celebrated the Lord's supper.

1CO 11:26 "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."

It may appear as though He's never coming back, but that simply is not the truth.

HEB 9:27 "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."

Next week I'd like to investigate the second return of Christ in more detail as it relates to our text here in 2Peter and once again bring up the issue as to why we need to be reminded of this important teaching. Let me leave you with the words of our Lord and Savior and you tell me if this sounds like He personally plans on coming back for us.

JOH 14:2 "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

So remember, don’t let any "fog" overtake you. Remember, God is faithful to His promises. He is coming back. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus.