The Coming Days
Let's pray and get started. Mighty God and to recognize your touch of our lives and to praise you and give you glory in this moment. And so, father, as we worship together, may we bless you with our words, are our songs and our fellowship in Jesus name. Amen.
Let's sing together about that. Old hymn How Great Thou Art?
Oh my God.
I see this.
Dancing.
Play Through the Fire and Flames.
Dance music.
When Christ shall come.
Where do I sell my home?
Amen, one of those gray, cold him.
Speak to us all the time. Our scripture reading from Luke chapter 12 verses 35 to 40.
It says be dressed and ready for service and keep your lamps burning like servants waiting for their Master to return from A Wedding Banquet. So that when he comes and knocks, they can immediately open the door for him. It would be good for those servants whose Master finds them watching when he comes. Truly. I tell you, he will dress himself to serve will that will have them recline at the table, and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose Master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or Gorge break, Daybreak. But understand this, if the owner said no, not the hour, the thief was coming. He would not have. Let his house be broken into you also must be ready because the son of man will come up in an hour. When you do not expect them where I going to be concluding second Peter today and taking a look at the coming days. And so this describes how we need to be ready for those coming days, active in the all the weed think and believe in. So this is an encouragement to step up that way.
Let's go to print.
Precious father. How we thank you that we can come before you and worship you. The mighty one who is above all, what a joy it is to exalt you for father. That is something that we will have the opportunity to do throughout Eternity. For your, the mighty one who has created us and continues to stay at sustain us in this life. And maybe we be faithful in all that. We do that. We would never let up that we would stay forward and and seek to grow in you as our days pass. Father. We do. Thank you for your Mighty work in our community. In our lives and in the ability to reach out and touch others. And we recognize and understand that there are many. In this community that do not know you was Lord and savior. They are friends, sometimes family. And they need to hear the truth of your word for father, apart from Jesus Christ, and his gift of Salvation. They are lost, not only in this life, but for all eternity. And so father, we pray that your spirit would lead their hearts to draw near to you. And lead us to be able to openly express our love for Jesus Christ, and then need to know him to change the direction of our eternity. Lord, we thank you for the work that you're doing and we just had a new young one arrived in our community this week. And we praise you and give you glory and we pray that we as a body of Christ would surround Ricky and Taylor in this baby and encourage them in their walk with you. Thank you Father, for these gifts that lighten. Our hearts and really encourage our spirits. Father now is we I think about each request that we have, many of them are unspoken request and yet they are near and Powerful to our hearts. And so we pray that your spirit would be working in each of those activities to bring healing to guide a path that is swerving and uncontrolled to lead in life. Drop people back to you, father, you know, the nice, you know, what needs to be done. We pray for your Mighty hand to guide and direct. And now, father, We are continuing in our worship of. You may our hearts be lifted as we praise your name through song through continued prayer and through the worship of your word in Jesus precious name. Amen.
Well,. I never see big song by Flo Rida.
Dear Irene.
Hold up.
02 gray and Let Die.
Everybody sing.
Streams of Mercy University.
Send me.
Cuz I bring me the food stamp interview.
Heaven Avicii.
Can you list the greatest love?
Yeah, well, let's get started with a word of Prayer. Our gracious. Father? How we thank you that. You are with us here today in our presents that your spirit is mighty and powerful, and guiding, and we thank you for these things. Father, for we have come to worship the Living, God to seek you, with all our hearts. We pray that your Mighty hand would be here to touch each of us, that we would draw closer and closer to you, or father. We live in desperate times and desperate Thief. As we grow closer to your return. May your spirit be powerful touching each heart and specially be powerful and be that is I open my mouth. I would truly speak your words in your way and that you would lead and guide my path. We pray this in the precious name of our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, we are ending up of the last message from 2nd Peter and the last chapter looks really at the coming of the return of Jesus Christ. And because of that, there are issues that arise when we speak on these things. And so there may be some struggles with what I have to say today. There might be some offense taken and if there is a forgive me for that to open with and if you need to talk about it later, then please do. So. I am certainly open to discussing all of these things. We are looking at. Those are goals that we are facing as we go forward. There are Things that I look at scripture in perhaps different ways than others. Look at scripture, and I'll explain why that is. I, I look at scripture as being absolutely literal in, I mean, is that when I look at any of the passages in the Old Testament, talk about to Adam and Noah and Abraham and lot and other people like that. I look at them in a truly literal sense. And I look at the time that God gives us, I take scripture for what it is, not trying to change it or anything like that. And I do so because I believe that that is the way. Jesus looked at scripture when he looked at Adam and Eve, he looked at them as real people when it looked at. Noah and the flood he looked at is a real occurrence when he looked at Abraham. He looked at him as a man of faith and one coming at all of those Old Testament passages it we sometimes went to look at it and say our different I look at it as being absolutely true and That's the struggle that sometimes we fix that. Why do I do that? Again? Jesus is the highest example, but it continues on. I don't know if you knew about the history of the church as it flowed through the centuries, but in the first few centuries, most of the powerful teaching that came out of the Christian Church came out of the church at Antioch. I don't know if you remember the Church of Antioch from acts, but Antioch was a church that had some very powerful people come through it and build the standard for how we look at scripture. These people were following the teachings of Jesus Christ. Very close. Let me give you some of the names Paul. Barnabas Peter. Mark Luke, these are people that are powerful that came through the Antioch Church. They believed in a literal. Recognition of scripture they believe the scripture was absolutely true. And this took place for about two hundred years their teachings held on for about 200 years. Then there are rows some teachings coming out of the Church of Alexandria wear, some really powerful leaders rose up and they began to look at scripture from a more figurative or allegorical way of teaching and this became the president's for a scripture for Generations. In fact, it was where the it led the Catholic Church as it expanded, it became more of an allegorical, look at scripture and how it went about and eventually, because they were looking at it in the allegorical way. Now, when you look, That is an allegorical or figurative way. You begin to interpret the way you want to see those scriptures and that brought some struggle. To the church. In fact, it brought them to the Dark Ages. We had about A Thousand Years of Living in the Dark Ages. When there were was a lot of struggle to maintain even scripture, much less those things through those sort of teachings. We had the Crusades come about which was not a benefit to the church at all. We had a lot of things coming and then all of a sudden, the Reformation a rose and the Reformation Rose and there were some teachers that rose up and began to take a look at scripture and started to take it again from a literal point of view. And this literal point of view lead to certain ways to look at scripture. Now, they're still both sides are still present in our lives, a literal or an allegorical way of scripture and I choose to look at it as God called it to be. Now that's important when we take a look at what is to come, and that's what we're doing today. We're taking a look at what is to come. And so I wanted to make it clear, why I believe that, that's the way it is. So let me give you some ideas about why that makes a difference. First of all, I think that, as we look at a scripture, we see that if I take it in a literal sense, God, created the heavens and the Earth 6,000 years ago. Not 19 billion years ago. Okay, it makes a huge difference and how we look at the past, but it also makes a difference in how we look at the future. I believe that because of that God brought about some things that were explosively different in lines of people every two thousand years. The first two thousand years transpired from Adam to Abraham and through Abraham. He brought on the whole idea of Faith being Central to our walk with the Living God. Okay. Hey, bruh, ham was saved by faith. He wasn't saved by his activities. He was saved by his faith. It was true from the Adam to Abraham, but God brought light to it with Abraham coming along. What happened? Two thousand years after Abraham? Jesus Christ came to this earth, and he established proof. In that faith and justification in that Faith through his life. His death and his resurrection. And he brought life to mankind, so that Faith had its true reality through the precious blood of Christ. Well, how long have we been since Jesus Christ? When Jesus Christ died about the 1990? 9 years ago, 1991 years ago, something close to that. In other words. We're getting close to that 2000 year. Again. And I think that that's significant when we start to look at scripture. I'm not predicting anything. I'm just giving you the facts of what I see in scripture and you can take for whatever you desire, but we're getting close. There are some signs that scripture gives us. And one of those signs is the re-establishment of Israel as a nation now, is it is really isn't really following God right now, but there is a future for Israel that the Bible describes very clearly in any of the Old Testament passages and putting Zakaria that clearly described as being a restored Nation. It, couldn't happen if it didn't exist, but it exists now. Unbelievable. A nation that didn't exist for 2,000 years and all of a sudden it does. How can you keep a people together like that will only God can and he We take a look at the way, things are going in our world today. The struggles and we see the descriptions of Jesus. In Matthew 24, really exploding across our scenes over and over again, and we realize, yes. The end is coming. It is near and we're close. And as we take a look at that second Peter today and all it has to say about the incoming. As I look at it as a something that is described and as being the literal coming of Jesus Christ, as we look forward to it. It's important for us to remember. God is not slow and what he does God is not slow. Anyway, let's begin by reading of 2nd. Peter chapter 3 verses 3 to 7.
I Peter at has gone through a number of things here. If you remember, we talked about the Believers walk. We've talked about the Believers guide, we talked about the struggles with people coming along and we continued that a little bit here, but then we move on to the return of Jesus Christ with eye which I believe is eminent and then will eventually end up with what we do. And I are as Believers in Jesus Christ, need to be focused on as we go through this because the struggles will be here. It says above all. You must understand that the last days scoffers will come Golfing and following their own evil desires. In other words, they have a pathway that they want to go and they want to take you along that pathway and they will do what they can to get you on that path. They will say, where is this coming? He promised ever since the our ancestors died. Everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word. The heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. Buddy's water is also the world of that time was Dale used in destroyed by the same word, the present heavens and the Earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgement and destruction of the ungodly. Okay, a very big challenge for you. And I are as Believers to really, keep our What's clear and concise and what we believe and how we walk in this face?
Along with Peter, Tim Paul writes these letters to Timothy 1st Timothy 4:1. He says the spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. If you remember last week, I talked about the incredible rise in witchcraft in our country today. In fact, witchcraft is one of the growing churches in our world and Witchcraft is the worship of who the worship of Satan and following his lead in guiding. Our pads. Satan is powerful, and he is trying to gain control of our world and guess what? You, and I stand in his way. How's that going to work out for us? When we battle Satan? Well, it works out pretty well. If we're walking and standing in our faith and persevering in our work as we go along, but not so good. If we do not.
There are lots of choices coming our way in this time. Also. Remember, we talked about the various churches that have Arisen that kind of tweak scripture to fit their point of view. And to follow their plans, Isaiah 5:20 says woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put Darkness for light and light, for Darkness who put bitter for sweet and Sweet for bitter. And if you think about some of the things that are coming down the road today, and even the churches are arising and say, well, that sounds pretty good. Let's follow those things. Let me give you some ideas about what the churches are saying. The whole idea of abortion, not a big issue. It's no problem. We don't struggle with that. But we forget the, the life of each Soul was created in eternity, by the Living God. And for us to take that Soul. Even as a unborn child, is an absolute sin and yet the churches are approving of that today. Well, how about gay relations over and over? Scripture says that that is an abomination of sin. And yet we as churches today are accepting that not only accepting it, but we're having pastors rise up that are gay pastors. With that's that's calling sweet-bitter. If anything does the whole idea of marriage? When you think about marriage God says that we are to remain celibate until we are united in marriage. How many marriages now today?
Don't start that way at all. You know, that's not following the path that God does and we can go down the list and see multiple things that show that we are not. Being called to the right path, but we are being led astray by little teachings. Would come along and say it's okay. We can do that and we're still okay. We're still righteous before the Living God, when we are not, when we are involved in sin. We're not righteous before the Living. God, we're walking in sin. And we need that path. So that we walk Faithfully because we'll see you in the end. That's what God is calling us to to walk faithfully, and then Peter points out the past judgments. He talks about creation a little bit that all things came about because they were called into existence, by the Lord Jesus Christ, the word of God, and they were brought about and they were set in place and they were given to Mankind and God said, you know, take care of my creation for you. And we're right away, send and we fell and we feel so horribly that over a a perhaps a 1500 year. We got worse and worse to the point where God said I can no longer walk with man and I'm going to bring judgment on this world. You can be thankful for Noah that he chose to walk with God because apart from him and his walk with God. We wouldn't be existing today. We would be wiped out, but thankful for knowing. It's pointing that way Genesis 6:7 says. So the Lord said I will wipe from the face of the Earth, the human race. I have created and with them the animals, the birds, and the creatures that move along the ground, for I regret that I have made them. You see God regrets in? Why does God regrets in so much? Well, he made you and I to have fellowship with him. And the problem is, if we choose to walk in sin. If we true to say that thin is acceptable and we still have a relationship with God Is A Lie? From each and every one of us and God calls us to stand in the truth of who he is, any judges, if we choose not to do that and that's what happened to the people before the flood. They were judged by the Living. God and condemned and they died and what Peter is trying to point out is that judgment is coming again, and we need to be faithful and true to what God has called us to. There is a rising wrath of God. Paul in the Romans chapter 1, he goes through this process, beginning and verse 18, all the way through verse 32, he goes through the list of how we turn away from the Living God, and ultimately not only reject them. But say that what sin is is okay and you need to keep doing it. But it starts off with this statement. Verse 18 of Romans 1. The wrath of God is being revealed from Heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. In other words, they choose pads. They turn away from the truth and go their way. Their desire.
And we need to. Truly desire to walk. Follow in the truth. A Bugatti has. Continue on, let's read a 2nd Peter 3:8 and 10 8 10. It says, but do not forget. This one thing. Dear friends with God a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow, in keeping his promises, some understand slowness and said he is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance with the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar. The elements will be destroyed by fire and the Earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
You know, and when we think about these words that you know, the the thousand years is a day and a day is a thousand years. You know, God doesn't live in time. He lives in eternity. In fact, God dwells in all of eternity.
From beginning Dam. In other words, there's no difference to God in any of it. God's concern is not time, but God concern is people. You see how God created you, and I to be people that walk with him. He loved us so much that he created each of us to have a relationship with him. And then we broke that relationship right off the bat and Inn in Eaton. And we fell from his grace.
But he had a plan in his plan was to come himself to restore that relationship. God loves you and I so much. That you are of greatest value and greatest importance to him, you know, time doesn't matter when his love for, you is so great. And that's the important thing to remember, about the whole idea of time situations. That's not important to God. Relationship is, what is important to the Living God and he wants a relationship with you and with me that is eternal and everlasting and so when we look at those things, that's the important thing. Psalm 40 verse 4 says, blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord who does not look to the proud to those who turn aside from false gods. God wants us to be blessed by him. He wants us in a relationship with him. That is growing day by day. Moment-by-moment. He doesn't want us faltering in fading in all those things, but he wants us to walk with him. And he wants to have a that relationship with us. That is an eternal relationship. Here is God's heart. 1st. Timothy 2 O versus three and four. This is good and pleases God, our savior who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. In other words, time is not important. People are important. And God wants that time for you, and I, he doesn't want anyone to miss out on the glory of heaven. And so, he has waited and waited for many to come to know him. Aren't you? Glad he didn't choose to come back in the first century or the second century or any of the other centuries until now, because you are now included in that glory to come. Because he has waited and that's important, but he's not going to wait forever. There is an end that is coming and is showing this and Peter is trying to get the people to understand the end is coming and we need to operate as God has called us to Bear, is the day of the Lord that will come. And it will not totally bring light to mankind. In fact, for most of mankind, it will bring Darkness, the day of the Lord Amos. 5:18 describes. It won't do, you will long for the day of the Lord. You see all the people of Israel were longing for God to come back at that time. Forgot to establish his kingdom. But if he had it that time, most of them would have been lost, right? Because they weren't following what God has called them to do. Let's read on, why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be Darkness? Not light. Amos could have been talking to us today. Why do you long for the coming back of the Lord? Because your heart is not Yearning For the Living, God on your not following, what he has commanded you to do, you know, I pray for the people of power. If every time I stand in the Pulpit here. Do you know why? Because there are so many people in this town that think they are part of a life. And they're not part of the light, because of not chosen to follow with. God has called them to follow you. And I are the live and we must display that lie to them so that they know and understand and they won't face the darkness when they pass from this life.
They? The day is coming, Isaiah 34:4 describes. It, it says all the stars in the sky will be dissolved in the heavens rolled up like a scroll. All the story horse will fall, like withered leaves from the vine. Like shrivelfigs from the Fig Tree. In other words is coming. The Bible prediction over and over again, and when the Bible says that the day is coming, and we believe that the day is coming. We must remember that. That day is a very bad day for those who do not know, Jesus Christ, as Lord and savior. It's a great day for us for those who truly call on Jesus Christ who truly want to walk in his life. It's a great day. But our hearts should yearn, for those who don't know. Whoever lost and dying and Bound for hell because they have not chosen the right path. And that's what the last part of Peters message here is about verses 11 through 13. It talks to us about where we need to be and how we need to be operating. But it also talks about Is coming eternity? And it says his everything will be destroyed in this way. What kind of people want me to be you want to live? Holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed? It's coming that day will bring about destruction from Heaven's by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. The new mansion eat melting all the elements and destroying it in keeping with his promise. We are looking forward to a new Heaven and a new Earth where righteous this dwells. That's the hope the hope of Eternal righteousness did well. And that's what you and I need to be focusing on need to be yearning for is that eternal glory and heaven? But not just for ourselves. but for so many others to because we are the light of the world. It doesn't have any other lines. We are the people that Express the glory of the Living God to others.
And so II are 1st Thessalonians 5 6 says so then let us not be like others who are asleep. But as let us be awake and sober in other words awake and sober ready for Jesus Christ to come back. In other words. We need to be doing the things that God has called us to do. God has said that we need to live as a spirit lives. In other words. We have these gifts of the Spirit that God has given us. We have the ways we ought to be operating the power of the spirit with love and joy and peace.
We have these things that ought to be taking indoor Lodge day by day, making us stronger and more powerful in our walk with Jesus Christ wife. Well as for our own good, that we have more power and more strength to do the things we've called to do. But it is also, That we have the opportunity to make a difference in our world.
There are lost people. We need to be reaching them.
1st Thessalonians 5:9 continuing on in that same passage. It says for God did not point us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Why do we keep going? Because we have this incredible. Hope in Jesus Christ. In what he's done to change our lives. That we believe that when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we change the direction of Our Lives from it. Destiny of hell. And Destruction for all eternity, do a destiny of eternal glory in heaven. Fellowshipping with the God who created us to have fellowship with him.
That's what we need alone for but there is a destiny awaiting Us in the Bible points that Destiny out continually, but even in the end when we get all the way to Revelation almost to the end chapter 20 verse 11, it says then I saw a great white throne and him who was Seated on it? The earth and the heavens fled from his presence and there was no place for them. The people that were left on the earth that are left on the earth in the end. I left there not knowing the savior. And when it comes there won't be Joy. Oh boy. He's coming back. You'll be fear and running and then they will stand before the throne of grace and be judged eternally for who they are. But you know, there's that Great and Mighty hope that we all have finding in the next chapter of Revelation chapter 21. Says then I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth for the first Heaven, and the first Earth had passed away. Remember, they were destroyed by the fire. And there was no longer any sea, and it goes through it. It talks about our Eternal relationship with the Living. God, where there will be no more pain, no more suffering. No more struggles in this life are in life whatsoever because we will be living with the pure and holy living. God, living is he is called us to live. No change. No struggle there. But we have a battle that we are continuing to walk in this life. You and I have a responsibility to be all that we can be for Jesus Christ. Why? Because it does make a difference in our lives. God says, he has blessings for us because we have chosen to follow the righteous way, but it also demonstrates for you and your life that you're truly walking is God has called you to walk and therefore, you have confidence. In your walk in Christ, you don't have to wonder and look back and say, you know, who am I really God's child or am I not God's child, you know, I I don't really like to do the things that God calls me to do. Do you want that for your life? Do you want to be living as God has called you to live? Because it makes a difference in your life and it makes a difference in the lives of those who are around you. We live for eternity. And we live for his righteousness. And so that's what we're called to.
It is coming to a close. I don't know how soon, and I don't know what you believe in terms of how things are going to play out from now until Jesus Christ, actually returned.
But know this. He is returning and he's probably returning very soon. And do we need to live lives in the way? He has called us to live.
Grace's. Father, in Heaven. How thankful we are that we have a mighty. Mighty God who loves us. So desperately, he is willing to wait and wait, and wait for our Redemption and the Redemption of so many others. the last to be redeemed is,
Maybe even now on this Earth. We don't know.
The father help us to be faithful and true to the task. We are called to persevere to not give up in The Way We Walk and may we be persevering in our lives? All the way to the very end. We have that strength because we trusted you and maybe walk in that light as we go forward. Thank you father in Jesus precious name. Amen.
Restore the joy.
And renew a right? With the Henry. Create in me. A clean. Heart and renew.
Restore & renew.
Truly father met, you restore that right spirit in each of our hearts that we would live in the light in the power and the strength of the Holy Spirit. As we go out and walk our lives in this week, May we do so look into Jesus Christ. The author and Perfecter of our faith that we would not lose sight of the goal of that eternal security. We have in Jesus Christ and his love for us bless us. Oh Lord in this as we go for in Jesus precious name. Amen.