You can Bank on it!

Reading 2 Peter 3:1-10

There aren’t too many things in this world that you can actually count on. The stock markets have their ups and downs. The economy could be doing better. The prospects for peace in the world are about as distant as they have ever been. Preachers, churches and ministries are continually straying away from the Bible and causing confusion and doubt.

In fact, if you live with your faith in men, ministries and money then you are going to live a very disappointing and discouraging life.

Yet, even in the midst of all the doubts and confusions that surrounds us in the world today, there are still some things you can believe in. I hold one of those things in my hands today. The Bible, the inspired, infallible, inerrant and indestructible Word of the living God. This book is pure and it is worthy of our faith and our acceptance. Every word in this Bible is inspired by the Lord and will endure forever; Psalm. 119:89; Every word in this book will come to pass just as it is written; and this includes every promise of God.

Every promise God gave in His Word is worthy to be believed for it will come to pass just as He said. Think of what this means. When He promised to save you if you called upon Him, Rom. 10:13, He meant that! When He promised to be with you, Heb. 13:5, He meant that. When He promised to take care of you as you passed through this world, Phil. 4:19; He meant that. And, as we read a moment ago from the 2^nd letter of Peter, when the Lord promised to come back again, He meant that too!

Take, for instance, the last recorded promise in the Bible from the lips of the Lord Jesus, “surely I come quickly” in Rev. 22:20.

In this verse, Jesus makes it crystal clear that He is going to return to this world. Many people refuse to accept this truth as fact, but that doesn’t change a thing! Jesus said that He was coming again, and He will! Jesus is coming, and you can bank on it. it’s a real cert!

My Sermon today entitled “You can Bank on it” is about the certainty of Gods word and the reason why we can be sure of that, … when we can be sure of little else?

Let me show you some reasons why that is true.

Consider firstly THE ASSURANCE OF THE SCRIPTURES

Peter speaks of the Word of God in verse 2 and calls it to witness to this great truth.

The Bible Is A Perfect Book – It is the absolutely perfect revelation of God’s will to mankind. You can count on the Word of God! Therefore when something is written in the Bible, you can consider it forever settled – The psalmist writes: “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” Psalm. 119:89.

The Bible Is A Prophetic Book – Throughout the Bible, there are prophecies presented and fulfilled, over and over again. In fact, there were over 300 prophecies given in connection with the first advent of Jesus, and all of those 300+ prophecies were literally fulfilled. (i.e. His virgin birth – Isa. 7:14; His birth in Bethlehem – Micah 5:2; His humiliation and death – Isa. 53; His resurrection – Psalm 16:10, and so on)

The Bible is first and foremost a book of prophetic content!

The New Testament speaks of many different matters.

We all know how important the notion of the New Birth is,

but did you know that it is only mentioned 9 times in the New Testament? Some are big on Baptism, but that is only mentioned 20 times in the New Testament. Even the great and vital doctrine of Repentance is only spoken of 70 times in the New Testament. However, in the 27 books of the New Testament, which are divided into 4 categories: Historical, Pauline Epistles, General Epistles, and Prophetic, there are over 380 references to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Somehow, I get the impression that it is an important doctrine to the Lord! After all, He devotes 1 out of every 25 verses in the Bible, to the Second Coming.

Then The Bible Is A Preserved Book – Every word in this Book will literally come to pass. God will see to it that none of His Words fall or fail. If you dare to declare as I do, that you believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, indestructible and infallible Word – then you had better be prepared to be ridiculed and criticised. You see, people nowadays think that we old-school, fundamental, Bible believing folk are crazy. They kind of smile at us as if to say, “It’ll be all right! One day you will be enlightened like the rest of us.” Others believe that we are a dangerous element. Some would like nothing better than for all Bible believers to be locked away from the rest of “normal” society. I like to respond to my critics saying …

I may be a nut, but at least I am screwed onto the right bolt.

In the Second place Peter talks about THE IGNORANCE OF THE SCOFFERS

Consider their Doubt – They deny the reality of Christ’s coming. On what do they base their reasoning? On the fact that nothing seems to change! Spring follows winter, summer spring and autumn summer. All things continue as they have for ages.

Nothing has changed since the beginning; therefore the threat of the end of this world as we know it, must not be true!

But these theories fail in two areas?

One, they fail to remember that God has already judged and destroyed the world once with a great flood, Gen. 6 & 7.

By the way, the people in those days also refused to believe

that judgment was coming.

Then they fail to realize that God is not bound by time as men are. In truth, as God sees it, Jesus has only been gone about two days, v. 9. These scoffers base their doubt on their denial of God’s revealed truth. It begins with something as basic as creation. Men deny creation, which is testified to by the Scriptures, then from there, it is easy to deny everything else that God says. If the first eleven chapters of Genesis are not true, then nothing in the Bible is worthy of our faith.

Again, according to verse 6, God has already judged the world one time. This was during the flood of Noah. The fact that He has done it once should make men realize that He can and

will do it again.

By the way: Regardless of what the scoffers say, and our schools teach – the world did not come about as the result of a big bang. Man, and the animal kingdom, did not evolve from some sort of primordial soup. We are not the offspring of some germ placed here by travelling space aliens. God made this universe by His very Words.

In Genesis 1, eleven times the phrase, “and God said…” appears in the Biblical record. This world was created by the Word of God and it is sustained by that same Word, v. 7. This world has already been judged and destroyed by water once, the next time it will happen by fire! This world did not come into existence with a bang, but it is going out with a bang!

May God help our foolish society which has been tricked into

believing the devil’s lie! Unless children learn this truth at home and at church, they have no hope for our school system has abandoned this truth! I do wish that those of you who are parents would stop allowing the schools to teach fiction as if it were fact. (I cannot do it, I am not a parent.) One prominent evolutionist in a recent radio interview called all “creationists” fools and while the same man professed to be, and was indeed introduced as an eminent scientist he kept speaking about “facts” while any true scientist will never use that word. Hence we have the theory of relativity, the theory of evolution even the “big bang theory”? No real scientist ever uses the word fact, for science itself would become obsolete were scientists to consider their theories factual? “Professing themselves to be wise, they have become fools“ as the

apostle Paul says in Romans 1:22.

Then consider Their Denial. Why are folks so quick to deny the plain teachings of the Scriptures? Why do they seem so eager to invent fables and myths to explain away truths that are so clearly taught in the pages of Scripture? Simple! The problem is not one of the head; it is a problem of the heart. It isn’t that they can’t understand; it is that they do not wish to understand. Notice what Peter says in verse 5, “willingly ignorant”, and again in verse 3, “walking after their own lusts.” If man admits that there really is a God – and that this God has given us a perfect revelation of Himself in the Bible, then he will have to bow down before God, repent of His sins and submit to God – or be eternally damned! It is to the sinner’s advantage to undermine the authority of the Word of God. You see, if you can dispense with “Thus saith the Lord”, then there are no absolutes, there are no standards of right and wrong and nothing is off limits!

Abortion on demand, homosexual practice, casual sex,

drunkenness, free drugs, etc, all become all right and socially acceptable if there is no God and no moral accountability. That is why we have the theory of evolution! There is no basis of scientific fact behind it! Man is simply looking for a way around the clear cut teachings found in the Bible. Because, if we admit that there is a God, and that He is a holy and righteous God, then we must also admit that there will be a great day of reckoning! If there is a God, then there is a day of judgment, and there is a place called Hell as well as the place called Heaven. Rev 20: 10-15

The fact is, there is a God; this Bible in my hands is the perfect Word, and we will all stand before him some day, for

“… it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” Hebrews 9:27 An appointment that we cannot change or avoid? Even those who deny and doubt His existence must show up there!

Notice what the Bible has to say in verse 10. The Elements, Literally in the text, “the elementum” the “smallest part.” In modern terms: the atom! Did you know that atomic power is all around you today? Every breath we take is filled with highly flammable and explosive gases. The water, which covers 75% of this earth’s surface, is composed of gases so explosive and volatile that even the slightest molecular change would result in the total destruction of the planet. Consider these observations:

Oxygen – Oxygen is required for all combustion. It is what fire feeds on. Take away the oxygen and the fire dies, turn it on and the fire flares. Yet, with every breath, we pull this highly explosive material into our bodies. Then there is

Nitrogen – Nitrogen is the component that makes dynamite, TNT and nitro-glycerine explosives.

Yet, every day we gulp massive quantities of nitrogen in the air we breathe. Cannot the same God who made these elements and combined them in such a way that they do not explode, also change the mixture and cause them to explode?

Of course He can! Think too of

Table Salt – It is 1/3 Sodium. Sodium by itself is a grey, putty like substance. It must be kept in kerosene or it will explode. If a drop is placed in water, it will result in a violent fire. Yet, most of us eat it every day!

Water – is composed of Oxygen and Hydrogen. Both chemicals are extremely explosive yet combined in a manner that makes them altogether safe. All God has to do is speak the Word and the chemical arrangement is altered and the world could become a huge fuel dump. Yet, we drink this life giving substance every day.

Consider The Atom – When the atom is split, a chain reaction is set in motion that has the power to level cities and vaporize men. Yet, we are all made up of atoms. Then consider the Earth itself. – The earth has been compared to a globular egg with a hard crust covering a semi-liquid or lava centre. There have been times when this lava has burst forth and killed thousands. Yet, we walk on this thin crust every day and trust in the safety of the earth. In the very building blocks of creation God placed the elements essential to bring about a fiery end to this world. Could the God who made this world not cause it to burn? He can and He certainly will! The world was created in the beginning and it will be cremated in the end! In that day, all that will matter is your personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ! As bad as the thought is that this world will ultimately be destroyed, the reality of an eternity in Hell is infinitely worse!

It seems awful to let the scoffers have their day. It doesn’t change the fact that Jesus will come again! You can Bank on it!

Finally let us ponder THE PATIENCE OF THE SAVIOUR

God Is Patient – Peter uses the word “Longsuffering” which means “Long Tempered”. The reason why God waits – is to allow lost men and women ample time to repent and to turn to Him. He waits while His chosen ones are gathered into the family and flock. It is not God’s design or desire that anyone should die lost and go to Hell. He desires to see all men saved, 1 Tim. 4:2, so that they can spend eternity with Him in the great glory that we call Heaven. Therefore, He waits and He loves and He calls and He gives mankind opportunity after opportunity to get right and put things right with Him.

But, one day, God’s patience will be exhausted, and He will return to this earth. Then, it will be too late to repent, but there will be nothing more to look forward to but an eternity without him – an eternity in Hell! Therefore, please do not presume upon the patience and grace of God. One day, there will be no more time; and like he did with Noah’s Ark, one day God will close that door of opportunity and then it will be too late.

Then God Is Punctual – He isn’t slack or tardy as others would be. God is a God of order and of punctuality. He will come when the time is exactly right for him to do so. Most look at the supposed delay and wonder why Jesus hasn’t come. The answer is easy – It simply isn’t time. When it is time – He will come. God never tarries, but He will come swiftly, at the precise time and He will judge decisively. God always shows up exactly when He is supposed to!

And God Has Promised – He will come again, just as He said He would. I myself am of the conviction that this coming will be in two stages. First, He will appear in the clouds and catch away His Bride, the Church and take her away to Heaven,

1 Thes. 4:16-17; Then, after a seven year period of trouble and great tribulation here on the earth, I believe that Jesus Himself will return in great glory and will defeat the armies of the Anti-Christ and will establish His throne from which He will rule and reign for a thousand years, Rev. 19:11-21. Whatever the sequence of events, the primary response from man needs to be that man readies himself for that hour .

NOW THIS FINAL WORD.

With all this in mind, are you ready to meet Him? If not, YOU MUST get ready! When you hear a message like this, it ought to make you consider the terrible danger that you are in if you are not prepared, for when He comes, it will be suddenly – it will be a sudden unannounced event! (like a thief in the night.)

These truths should also stir the hearts of God’s people and make us want to get as close to Jesus as we can get, so that in the time remaining, we might be used by Him to touch our world. There are multitudes all around us who have never received Jesus as their Saviour. You could be the one to reach them.

Now, let’s search our hearts and if there are issues that need to be settled, let’s bring them to Jesus … because, Jesus is coming! You can Bank on it!

God Bless you

Amen