The Model Life: Alertness, Part 7

In the 19th century, there was a Danish religious philosopher

named Soren Kirkegaard. He said a lot of things that we

would not accept nor agree with, but one thing he did say would

spark a lot of interest in the church today.

He said these words too often in the church.

People adopt an attitude of theater, imagining the preacher

is an actor and they as critics praising and blaming his

performances. Actually, he says, the people

are the actors on the stage of life.

The preacher is merely the prompter reminding them of their

lost lines. He hits on a nerve.

Now we know you're not actors. We know you're children of the

living God. And yet it is true that the

essence of our gathering together is to remind us of our

responsibility to live and honor the Lord.

All that to be said is that when you think about it, my

responsibility is to remind you of what you're supposed to be

doing. Have you ever thought this way?

That that the Bible, the Bible is a book of reminders.

The Bible is a book of repetition.

The Bible is a book of reiteration because the Bible

says the same thing over and over and over again.

It's it's come from different authors, it's come by way of

different illustrations and historical situations, But

everything in the Bible is the same.

Every book of the Bible is literally the same thing.

It's just come at from a a different perspective.

It's all about a Redeemer. His name is the Messiah, the

King of Israel. He is coming, He's coming to

die, and after he dies he's going to rise again and then

he's going to come back again instead of his Kingdom.

Everything in the Bible is about that.

So all the authors just keep pointing to the same person

who's going to do the same thing that they all say he's going to

do because it's all inspired by God.

And so the book is a is the Bible is the book of repetition,

a book of reiteration, a book of reminders.

And I think it's imperative that that the preacher reiterate over

and over again the same thing. That's what the preachers of the

Bible did. So Jesus did, so Paul did, so

Peter did, so Malachi did. It's what the psalmist did.

They just kept reminding the people of where they were and

what happened and where they need to be going and what they

need to be doing. So Kirkegaard hit hit on a on a

nerve in the church. There's so many times we just

come to watch and listen and then pass criticism on what we

see or don't see instead of coming to listen to what it is

that we need to be reminded of and to follow through on that

truth and to live it out that that is just so incredibly

important. And Paul in First Thessalonians

5, where where we're at is giving by way of reminder of the

day of the Lord. He's going to remind them as to

the the time of that day. He's going to remind them in

terms of the term of that day. He's going to remind them in

terms of the terror of that day. He's going to remind them as to

the thief who comes in that day and reminds them though of the

thrill of that day. And we need to understand that

thrill. That's where we have paused.

We've been here for a couple of weeks and we'll be here for a

couple of more because I'm in no hurry.

After all, I'm not going anywhere.

And I'm going to be here next week, Lord willing, and the week

after that, Lord willing until he comes again.

But the bottom line is there's this great thrill behind

everything about the coming of the king.

So I want you to be able to train the children sitting next

to you about the second coming. I want you to teach them about

salvation 1st and the second coming second.

That's the order you teach your children.

You teach them about what it means to have faith in Jesus

Christ and to live for the glory of his Kingdom.

And then you tell him that this King is coming again, because

that is the emphasis of the Scriptures in the New Testament.

And so we as parents likewise need to fill the hearts and

minds of our children about the coming of that day.

Listen, if you want your discouragement to disappear, you

must stay focused on the coming of the King because that's where

the world's going and we need to understand that.

And so we need to be reminded. And let me remind you so you can

tell it to your children and explain to them about the day of

Christ, the day of the Lord and the day of God, because it

encapsules everything about the coming of the King.

The Day of Christ is about the rapture of the church and the

reward to the Christian. That's the day of Christ.

That's what Paul talks about in first.

That's one. He's 413 to 18.

Then he goes on to the day of the Lord, because the day of the

Lord follows the day of Christ, and the day of Christ is about

the retribution of sinners and the redemption of Israel.

So just make sure you got it, that the Day of Christ is about

the rapture of the church and the reward for the Christian.

And then the Day of the Lord is about the retribution of sinners

and the redemption of Israel. And then comes the Day of God

and day. The Day of God is all about the

righteousness that dwells forever because the ruling 1

reigns forever. All of us in many enemies are

subdued and you dwell in perfect righteousness and that is the

thrill behind the coming of the king.

We are looking and longing and hastening the coming of the day

of God. If you got your Bible, turn to

second Peter chapter 3 with me if you would please.

2 Peter 3 · chapter mention

This is good for your children as you sit there and you open

your Bible that they learn that they need to open their Bibles

to hear what God has to say that they might listen to the living

and abiding word of God. That is just so incredibly

important. And so Peter says that this way

in second Peter chapter 3 verse #10 But the day of the Lord will

2 Peter 3 · chapter mention

come like the thief, in which the heavens will pass away with

the roar, and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat,

and the earth and its works will be burned up.

And since all these things are to be destroyed in this way,

what sort of people are you to be in holy conduct and

godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day

of God? So you see the contrast between

the day of the Lord and the day of God.

But notice what he says. He says as you live your life

and you're anticipating and you're alert to all that's going

to come. Note this.

What sort of people ought you to be?

Listen carefully. This is not a question.

This is an exclamation. Peter's not saying what sort of

people are you to be in light of all this?

That's the question. No, that's not the question.

It's an exclamation. Now you need to understand this

because the phrase what manner of people or what manner of

person ought you to be? Is is 1 phrase in the original

language. It's from the Greek word

potipen. So he says these words.

What other generational, what other worldly, what other

dimension of people ought you to be in holy conduct and

godliness? In other words, until the day of

God, which is the end where righteousness dwells, there's a

certain kind of person you need to be, You need to be the kind

of person that's from another dimension, that's from another

world. That's what Pontipen means.

So let me illustrate it for you. Mark chapter 4 verse #41 The

Mark 4 · chapter mention

disciples are on the boat and it was a great storm, right?

They, they, they wake up the Lord and he and he calms the,

the sea. It becomes like glass.

And the phrase the disciples give is what manner of man is

this? That even the winds and the

waves obey him. Same phrase.

What other worldly kind of man is this?

What kind of man from another dimension is this?

That even the winds and the waves obey Him?

In other words, he's not from this dimension, He's not from

this world, and our Lord was not because he came down from above.

What other worldly kind of person is this?

That even the winds and the waves obey him?

Wow, what a statement. So Peter says the same thing

because Peter was on the boat. He was on the boat that day.

And so he's going to say, what manner of people ought you to

be? What other kind of worldly

dimension ought you to exemplify?

Because you're not from this world, You're heavenly citizens

living in holy conduct and godliness.

And then how about this one? The Bible says in first John

1 John 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3 verse #1 In John the Apostle, who was also on the

boat with Peter and the other disciples said this, What manner

of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be

called the children of God? What other kind of dimensional

love is this that we should be called the children of God?

Remember in John's Gospel, John always refers to himself as to

the disciple whom Jesus loved. He never calls himself by name.

And that's because John was so overwhelmed by the fact that he

was loved by the living God, he could not even speak his name.

So he was the disciple whom Jesus loved.

So now when he writes first John chapter 3, he says, oh, what

1 John 3 · chapter mention

manner of love is this? What other worldly kind of love

is this? It's from another dimension.

It's not from the natural dimension.

It's from a supernatural dimension.

It's not from an earthly perspective.

It's from a heavenly perspective because there's nothing on earth

that can compare to the love that God has for his children.

So he says, ah, what manner of love is this?

The Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the

children of God. Peter comes right on the heels

of John and right on the the the heels of his experience on, on

the Sea of Galilee and says, ah, what other worldly kind of

people ought you to be? It's an exclamation.

You're from a different world. And then he says this, he says

in holy. And God is first looking for and

hastening the coming day of God. Looking is a word of alertness,

a watchfulness of soberness, awakeness.

Hastening deals with anticipation.

And we have told you that the model life is characterized not

just by abstinence in First Thessalonians 4128, not just by

aspiration in First Thessalonians 49 to 12:00, but

by anticipation in First Thessalonians 4 verses 11 to 18,

1 Thessalonians 4:11–18

and then alertness in First Thessalonians 51 to 11.

That's the model life. The model life is all about the

coming of the King. Our whole lives are encompassed

by the arrival of the Messiah. He's going to come again.

And so we live in the realm of another dimension, living in

holy conduct and godliness, looking and hastening the day of

God. The day of God is the day of

eternity. Look at verse #18 To him be the

glory. First, Peter 3, second Peter 3,

Excuse me. To him be the glory both now and

two, the day of eternity. That's the day of God where

righteousness dwells that that's the thrill of the day of the

Lord. That's the thrill of the day of

Christ. That's the thrill behind the

coming of Christ. It's all about the day of

eternity where righteousness dwells.

There is no more pain. There is no more sorrow.

There is no more sadness. There is no more loss.

It's all about the glory of the King.

It's about where righteousness dwells forever and ever and

ever. And that's what is the thrill

behind everything that encompasses the coming of the

king, the day of Christ, the day of the Lord, and ultimately the

day of God. So Peter says these words in

verse #9 and they're important words because you need to teach

your children that the coming of Christ is a sure event.

He is coming and the veracity of God is at stake.

There is a fixed time in which he's going to arrive.

And you say, but it's been 2000 years, 2000 years.

We talked to you a couple of weeks ago about how how Israel

was so apathetic because it's only been 400 years since they

heard anything from a prophet or an Angel or from God.

Now it's been 2000 years. What is taking God so long?

Why does he wait so long? Remember there, there's no

clocks in heaven, there's no calendars in heaven, There's

nothing in heaven because it exists outside the realm of

time. So Peter would say earlier in

verse #8 but do you not not let this one fact escape you?

Your notice beloved, that the with the Lord one day is like

1000 years and 1000 years like like one day.

So in 2000 years has been like 2 days in heaven, not very long at

all. But still we ask what?

Why is the Lord not here yet? What is he waiting on?

When things are bad around you and you're thinking, wow, Lord

Jesus, come quickly and we greet one another with Maranatha.

Did anybody do that? By the way, today did anybody

greet one another with Maranatha?

I was greeted by one person today who said Maranatha.

Pastor, did you do that? Did you forget already from two

weeks ago? That's how the early church

greeted one another because they were so enamored with the coming

of Christ, they could not wait for him to arrive.

And yet so many times we just become so lethargic and

complacent and apathetic to the coming to the King.

And yet that is the sunum bonum of motivation in the life of the

believer. It's everything, Everything.

That's why you need to know all you can about the second coming

to the Messiah. And so Peter says this.

The Lord is not slow about His promises, as some count

slowness, but it's patient towards you, not wishing for any

to perish, but for all to come through repentance.

Here's your answer as to why the Lord has not come yet.

Our God is a patient God, a long-suffering God, and He is

waiting. He is waiting for that last

person in the church age to come to saving faith like it was in

the days of Noah. First Peter chapter 3, Peter

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

would talk about the patience of the Lord for 120 years and he

waited for 120 years because it took Moses that long to build a

boat with his boys. But on top of that, he was a

preacher of righteousness, praying for people to come to

saving grace. But the patience of the Lord ran

out, for he will not always strive with man, but he is a

patient God. In fact, back in Exodus chapter

Exodus 34 · chapter mention

34, when God spoke to Moses and and declare it to him his glory

in verse number six, he said then the Lord passed by in front

of him and proclaim the Lord the Lord God compassionate and

gracious, slow to anger and abounding and loving kindness

and truth. So he characterizes himself a

God of compassion, mercy, a God of long-suffering, a God of

patience. And then over in, in the the

Psalms, Psalm 145 verse number #8 The Lord is gracious and

merciful, slow to anger, and great and loving kindness.

The Lord is good to all. It is mercies over all his

works. Joel and 2 chapter 2 verse #13

says rend your heart and not your garments.

Now return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and

compassionate, slow to anger, abounding and loving kindness

and relenting of evil. Paul said in Romans 2 verse #4

Or do you think lightly of the riches of his kindness, and

tolerance, and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God

leads you to repentance? Chapter 9 verse #22 What if God,

although willing to demonstrate His wrath, and to make His power

known, and dirt with much patience, vessels of wrath,

prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the

riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared

beforehand for glory, even us whom He also called, not from

among Jews only, but also from among the Gentiles.

It's all about the patience of God that the the fact that the

Christ is going to come again is a sure event.

It's ironclad. It's been fixed by the Father's

authority. Acts one, verse number 7.

And although it's been 2000 years on, although we don't

think of it as Christ coming in my lifetime, you got to realize

that he could come at any moment to take his church home to be

with him. And the day of Christ will

happen, then the day of the Lord will happen, and then the day of

God will come. It's all, it's all been mapped

out in the sovereign plan of the living God.

But he's patient because he's looking for the salvation of

lost souls. And Luke, he said, I came to

seek and say that which was lost over in the book of Isaiah, the

45th chapter. The Lord says these words, He

says, turn to me and be saved all the ends of the earth, prime

God, and there is no other. I have sworn by myself, the Word

has gone forth from my mouth in righteousness and will not turn

back, that to me every knee will bow, and every tongue will swear

allegiance to me. So he cries, Turn to me, and be

saved all the ends of the earth. Paul says in Acts 17 that God is

declaring that all men everywhere should repent.

Why? Because he has a fixed day in

which the righteous judge will pass judgments.

That's why Paul says over in first Timothy chapter 2 verse #4

1 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

he desires all meant to be saved and to come to the knowledge of

the truth. That's God's desire.

That's very important. That's the heart of God.

First 24 says that God desires all men to be saved.

It doesn't say that God decreed all men to be saved because the

Greek word is thelema and thelema is the the will of

desire. OK, it's like Matthew chapter 6.

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And the will, there is the will of desire, not the will of

decree because God's decree happens as he has appointed it

to happen. Nothing can thwart his plans.

But God has a desire and, and when he says, so when you pray,

you pray this way, Lord, I desire that your will be done

right here on earth as your desire is accomplished in

heaven, because in heaven God's desire is always accomplished.

And so the prayer is the longing for whatever has happening in

heaven, which is your ultimate desire, may it happen here on

earth, because we know that you desire that same thing to happen

here. So with a desire so, so God

desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the

truth. It does not mean that he has

decreed all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the

truth. That's very important to

understand that because not everybody's going to be saved.

Not everybody's going to give their life to Christ.

But it doesn't diminish the desire of God.

God's decree never diminishes His desire.

The heart of God is that all men be saved.

Exodus chapter 34 Ezekiel, excuse me, chapter 34.

Exodus 34 · chapter mention

God says, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

He doesn't. So when you come to second Peter

2 Peter 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3 verse #9 Peter says these words.

He says the Lord is not slow about His promise as some

counsel on us, but is patient towards you, not wishing or not

willing for any of you to perish, but for all of you to

come to repentance. Now that word willing there is

bhullamai. That's the decree of God.

That's different than first Timothy 24, which is thelema,

the desire of the will. This is the desire of His

decree. God has a decree that all the

elect will be saved, but during this church age, as the gospel

goes forth, there are many people yet to believe the

gospel. And so our prayer is that they

would be saved, that they would come to know Christ.

Think about it this way, you, you are you are asking the Lord

to do what is ultimate desire is that man to be saved.

And maybe you're here today and you have a loved one.

Maybe that loved one is sitting next to you.

Maybe you're going to have lunch today with that loved one.

Maybe you're going to spend some time with that loved one in, in,

in days to come. And you know that they're not

saved. And your prayer request is, oh

Lord God, I know that you desire all men to be saved and to come

to the knowledge of the truth. I know that you are patient and

you are long-suffering with this one who does not know you.

Lord Jesus, save them. Save them from their sin.

You can't save them. You can't.

You are the vehicle. You are the vessel by which the

word of God has been displayed and declared.

Don't take up on the responsibility of saving them.

Take up on the responsibility of speaking to them about the

saving grace of Jesus Christ our Lord, and let God do what God

does, because God saves man. And therefore you pray and you

ask the Lord. This is why God hasn't come yet.

There are people even in our church that are not saved,

they're not giving their life to Christ.

And, and this is a, a, a message of, of, of plea to you that you

would come to Christ today, that you would give your life to the

Lord today and not wait another day.

Because the only reason the day of the Lord has not been enacted

and the only reason the day of Christ has not come, the

rapture, the church, and the reward for Christians is because

in this church age, the time from Pentecost and Acts chapter

Acts 2 · chapter mention

2 until Jesus comes again, the rapture, the church, the church

age, God is still saving people. He's completing his bride.

And if you're here today and never give your life to Christ,

know what the Lord says. He says, coming to me, all you

that labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you. Learn from me, for I meek and

lowly in heart, Christ invites you to come to be a partaker of

his salvation, His grace, his mercy.

He wants you to have that. And if you're here today, know

this, that the day of Christ is coming, which inaugurates the

day of the Lord, which inaugurates the day of God, the

day of eternity. So I'm going to come on a fixed

schedule, just like when Jesus came the first time in the

fullness of time. Galatians 4 Four.

God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

that he might redeem those who are under the law.

Wow, what a statement. It's just that that at the right

moment, in the fullness of time, when everything had come to a

point where it was the perfect time for the Son of Man to come

in his incarnation, he sent forth his Son.

It was the right time, it was the perfect time, it was a

precise time, it was an excellent time, But the time

that the Father is fixed by his own authority.

X-17 the time that has not yet arrived.

And So what do we do? We proclaim the Lord's death

until he comes, right? We proclaim the Lord's death

until he comes because we know he's going to come again.

But until that day, there's hope.

There's opportunity for you to give your life to Christ in my

prayer is that that would be you today.

When you when you talk to your children, you talk to them about

the saving grace of God. Why?

Because the Lord's coming again and because he's going to begin

coming again. I want you to know him.

I want you to love him. I want you to serve him and

honor him and glorify his name. And so God is not slow and some

may count slowness, but he is patient.

He is long-suffering. He's long-suffering with your

husband as to why he's not saved, your spouse as to why

she's not saved, your children as to why they're not saved.

It's the patience of God on display and God at the great

preacher that he is offers the invitation That's even at the

book, the end of the Book of Revelation, very last chapter,

he extends an invitation. He says the Spirit and the bride

say, come, who's the bride? That's the church.

And let the one who hears say, come, and let the one who was

thirsty come. Let the one who wishes take the

water of life without cost come. He offers this divine invitation

at the very end of the Book of Revelation because the heart of

God is on display. Yes, He's going to bring

retribution on all those who do not believe in His name.

But but, but he wants his desire to be fulfilled.

And that's why it's the desire of his heart that should be

saved. Are you, do you know Christ as

Lord and Savior? Are you born again?

Have you experienced new life in Christ?

We gathered together today on the 1st Sunday of the month of

June to celebrate the Lord's death.

He came that we might live because He died for us.

Have you experienced that life? That's the essence of our

celebration. That's why we spend time around

the Lord's Table asking the Lord and thanking the Lord for all

that He has done and saving us from our sin that we might be

able to say, as John said, what other worldly kind of love is

this? The Father has bestowed upon me

that I should be called a child of God.

Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for today

and we're grateful. And although our time is short,

the opportunity you give us is great.

And our prayer, Lord, is that as we partake of the Lord's Table,

it would be that one, that one element that would help us

understand that we proclaim your death until you come again,

because people need to be saved. And you came to save the lost.

You came to die for the sins of man.

For that we are grateful. We partake of the Lord's Table

with great thankfulness in Jesus name, Amen.