Living in light of Jesus' Return - 2 Peter 3

from 2 Peter chapter 3 verses 1 to 14. I don't have a page number from the church Bible.

2 Peter 3:1–14

Was it? 1, 2, 2, 3. Thank you. So 2 Peter chapter 3 verses 1 to 14.

2 Peter 3:1–14

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to

stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 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. First of all, you

must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.

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. But they deliberately forget that long ago, by God's word,

the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world

of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved

for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this

one thing, dear friends. With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you,

not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But 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 in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way,

what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to

the day of God and speed is coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire,

and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward

to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you

are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, everybody.

Good afternoon, everybody.

God's word and promises, particularly Jesus' promised return. But in direct contrast,

the believer must remember and hold fast to these promises, spending every day looking forward to

and getting ready for Jesus' return. So in the churches in Asia Minor, which is modern-day

western Turkey, these scoffers had been denying Jesus' return as a load of hype.

Peter firstly describes their thinking, secondly, their motivation, and thirdly, why they are so badly mistaken,

showing the basis for believing Jesus will return as he has promised.

Then, finally, he talks about what's going to happen on the day that Jesus returns.

And he instructs the believers as to how this day makes a difference every day of their lives.

So that's where God's word is taking us today.

And before we begin, let's just take a moment to pray.

We need God's help as we go forward.

Father God, we can't go any further without your help.

We need your spirit here to be speaking into our hearts through your word.

And Lord, we realize that we're in a battle today.

Your enemy, the devil, he does not like what's going on here.

He does not want your word to be planted deep in our hearts.

But, Jesus, we thank you that you're stronger.

We pray that by your spirit, through your word today, you would correct us, you'd rebuke us, instruct us,

and that we would not leave this service today without being changed.

Lord, be with us by your spirit and in your power today.

And make us open to you.

Amen.

So, RTE, that's the Irish National Broadcaster, has a YouTube channel

on which they post up the best and most popular moments of Irish television.

If I asked you what has been their most popular YouTube video over the last two years,

I wonder what you'd get.

Maybe Ireland being the All Blacks.

Maybe it would be Theresa Manion, Don't Make Unnecessary Journeys.

Would it be the Late Late Toy Show?

Well, this might surprise you.

But coming in at over 7 million views,

a two-minute snippet of an interview with Stephen Fry

from February 2015 is the most popular.

And maybe this rings a bell for some of you guys.

In this interview,

Gay Byrne asked the actor and comedian

about his beliefs in God,

to which he began to label God

as being utterly evil,

capricious,

selfish,

and monstrous,

if he even were to exist,

among many other things.

Now, I personally don't love

and serve

the God that he was talking about

in that interview,

and the God that

we know from the Bible.

However,

the video went viral,

and people from all over Ireland

were captivated

and intrigued

by this man's

tarad

on live television.

Now,

while we find

such comments

upsetting,

perhaps we shouldn't be surprised

that this video

was so popular.

When we think about

how many people

around us in Ireland today

actually think

the exact same.

maybe Stephen Fry

was just being a little bit

more bold and outward about it.

I mean,

and what do we do

with such comments?

Well,

we find the answer

in today's passage.

These comments

are perhaps

a more outward

and bold example

of what the Bible

calls scoffing.

So,

scoffers

mock,

ridicule,

and jeer

at the beliefs of another.

And Peter,

in our passage today,

tells us that they will jeer

at Christ's second coming

and they will deliberately

overlook

God's role

in creating the world.

They do this

in order to justify

their own sinful behavior.

So,

after spending

much of his letter

reminding the believers

of the reliability

of the gospel

and warning them

of false teachers,

Peter now turns

to warn God's elective scoffers

and the danger

of joining them

in their thinking.

So,

he exhorts them

always to remember

and live in the light

of God's commands

and coming judgment.

Today,

we're going to see

these two things

contrasted in our text

all the way through.

The choice of each person

to either deliberately

forget God's word

or deliberately remember

and live in the light

of it.

And it starts

in verse 1 and 2.

Have a look.

And I read from,

I read it now.

This is now

the second letter

that I am writing

to you, beloved.

In both of them,

I am stirring up

your sincere mind

by way of reminder

that you should remember

the predictions

of the holy prophets

and the commandment

of the Lord and Savior

through your apostles.

Okay,

so,

here we go.

Straight away,

Peter is trying to stir up

the believer's memory

of the prophecies

and commands

in God's word.

He does this

because the scoffers

in the community

are in many ways

doing the opposite.

They're questioning

what is being prophesied.

So these two verses,

they set up

the rest of the following section

in which Peter begins

to deal with scoffers

and,

number one,

their thinking.

Two,

their motivation

for thinking that way.

And then,

thirdly,

Peter's response

to their thinking.

So firstly,

Peter begins to show us

how scoffers think.

So let's pay attention here

so that we know

how to recognize it.

Looking at verse 3 and 4.

Above all,

you must understand

that in the last days,

scoffers will come,

scoffing

and following

their own evil desires.

They will say,

where is this coming

he promised?

Ever since our ancestors died,

everything goes on

as it always has

since the beginning

of creation.

Now,

I don't know about you,

but I find this

really interesting.

The rationale is,

well,

this world

has just

kept going on

as it always has.

No sign of stopping.

No reason to believe

it will stop.

You know,

I read this,

sorry,

I read this

and think

not much has changed

in the way

the people think

over 2,000 years.

This is common perception

in Ireland 2017,

is it not?

The majority of people

you know will say,

yeah,

I believe God exists.

But if you asked him,

do you believe

God

when he says

he's coming back

in judgment

on this world

and your life,

well,

they'll probably start

to get a little bit

uneasy at that stage

and say something

along these lines?

Well,

it doesn't really

look like he's coming,

does it?

I mean,

he said that,

what,

2,000 years ago

and it still

hasn't happened.

I mean,

it's taking forever.

So,

clearly he isn't coming

and I'm just

going to live my life

in the way

that I truly

think is best.

what's the key part

in that thought process?

It's taking forever,

so obviously

he's not coming.

Like two friends

who are standing

at the bus stop

down in Fountainstown

and after half an hour

of standing around,

one of them cries out

in desperation,

it's taking forever,

forget the bus,

it's not coming,

come on,

let's find another way

back to Kerrigaline.

You know,

that's exactly

what's going on here

with these scoffers.

Well,

Peter's response

to this kind of thinking

is swift

and he has a list

of reasons

as to why

that's no justification

whatsoever

for believing

he will not return.

Number one,

this is Peter's

number one response,

he says,

if God made the world,

then he's surely

able to end it.

And we find this

in verse five,

have a look.

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.

These scoffers,

they deliberately

overlook

or forget the fact

that the world

is made by God.

They don't want

to acknowledge

that it had

a start point

because if God

started this earth,

then he's well able

to end it.

And this is

Peter's point

in the next two verses

of Luke 6 and 7.

By these waters

also,

the world of that time

was deluged

and destroyed.

By the same word,

the present heavens

and earth

are reserved for fire,

being kept

for the day

of judgment

and destruction

of the ungodly.

So Peter's saying,

look,

if God can make

the world,

and more than that,

if God can partially

destroy the world

by means of a flood,

then he can absolutely

fully destroy the world

when he calls

an end to it.

So scoffers

don't want to think

about how God made it.

They would rather

conveniently push

that out of their

day-to-day memory.

And in verse 3,

we find out

why

they want to push

that out of their memory.

Look at verse 3.

It says,

In the last days,

scoffers will come

scoffing and

following

their own evil desires.

The reason why

they're denying God

will come back

and judge this world

and their lives

as this.

They want to follow

their own evil desires.

Let me put it

another way.

They want to live

the way that's best

in their own eyes

and not God's.

And believing

that there's no judgment

allows them to do that.

Now,

can we just pause here

a second?

We can begin to say,

Oh,

those old scoffers

at it again.

Why can't they all

just be as good

and obedient

to God's word

as I am?

You know what?

Before you or I

begin to think that way,

think about this.

How many times

do we

even as self-professed

followers of Jesus

get up to the very

same thing?

We push the truths

of God conveniently

out of our minds

so that we can

continue to justify

different things

that we want to do.

Like that particular

hateful attitude

towards our work colleague.

Or that habit

of watching pornography.

Or those indulgent

shopping trips

that we know

we don't really need.

Scoffers

deliberately forget

God's word

and his promises.

And Peter says

in verse 1

and verse 2

believers must

deliberately remember them.

Let's not join

scoffers

in their

deliberate

forgetfulness.

Let us instead

hold fast

to God's word.

And here comes

the question.

Are you in it

every day?

How are you

getting God's word

into your life

every day?

You're responsible

for this.

As am I.

Not my parents.

Not my spouse.

It's me

that has to make sure

that I'm getting

God's word

into my life

every single day.

It's the same

for you.

And if you're not

getting God's word

you're going to

start living

like these scoffers

in a way that's

right in your own eyes

but not God's.

These days

we have multiple

means of feeding

ourselves regularly

with God's word.

We have Bible apps

audio Bibles

such an array

of translations.

Look

you and I

don't have any

excuse.

Especially when we

consider that in

many other countries

of this world

it's illegal

to even own a Bible.

You know

God blessed

Elena and I

with both the time

and the money

to carry Bibles

into Laos

and Vietnam

a couple of weeks ago.

Some of you guys

were following along

the emails.

Well back in February

when we made

the big decision

to buy those flights

and it was a good

bit of money

I can tell you.

When we committed

to it

it began to hit

home

but if we're

willing to pay

all this money

to travel

halfway across

the world

to transport

Bibles across

communist borders

then how do we

even value

the word of God

in our own lives

at home?

Well that was

a challenge.

You know

we have over

ten Bibles at home.

I actually went

around on Tuesday

counting them

and walked

around my house.

Honestly

we actually need

to offload a few

if anyone is interested.

We've got small ones

big ones

study ones

even a flowery

ones

not in content

in appearance.

We have it so easy

you and I.

We can definitely

take it for granted.

But it's God's word.

It's a fountain

of life.

It's a feast

of everything

that's good

and instructive

in our lives.

It's our guidebook

on how to live

God's perfect way

he intended for humanity.

Now how can we

miss out on such

an incredible gift

that's in our own

language?

So you need to

figure out

and I need to

figure out

what's the best

way for us

to feast on

God's word

each day

and have your fill.

Now I know

someone

who gets up

early

gets in their car

and drives

to work

extra early

in order to

beat the cork

traffic

and they sit

in their car

in the car park

and they've

half an hour

there

to read God's

word and spend

time with him.

That works

for them.

I actually have

another friend

who's a teacher

and he meets

the Lord

for a short

time in the

morning

but then

once school

is over

right

listen to this

he locks

himself

in the storeroom

of his

classroom

for ten minutes

straight after

school

and he has

another time

to just get

God's word

into his life.

He's being

strategic about

it and you

know what

we also need

to be strategic

about it.

What's the

best part

of our day

that we can

give to God

where we're

most alert

and we're

most able

to take in

his word?

Maybe

coming away

from today

you need to

think up a new

strategy in terms

of that.

It's vital.

So far

we've established

that scoffers

question Jesus

coming

and deliberately

forget God's

word in order

to justify

their own

lifestyle.

So after

Peter has

addressed their

theories by

saying well

if God can

make the

world he

can also

end it

he then

moves on

to confront

their theory

of it's

taking forever

so obviously

it's not

happening.

So let's

look at

verse 8

and 9

and see

Peter's

response to

this.

Verse 8

But do

not forget

this one

thing

dear friends

with the

Lord a

day is

like a

thousand

years

and a

thousand

years

are like

a day.

Now here

we get an

incredible

glimpse into

the grandeur

and majesty

of God.

Think about

it.

What is

two thousand

years to

God?

A snap

of the

fingers.

God is

not limited

within the

constraints of

time.

He's the

maker of

time.

He's beyond

it.

Peter

continues

in verse

9

The

Lord is

not slow

in keeping

his promise

as some

understand

slowness.

Instead

he is

patient

with you

not wanting

anyone to

perish

but everyone

to come

to repentance.

So

why is

it taking

forever

in our

minds for

Jesus to

return?

Well

here's the

reason.

the love

patience

kindness

and mercy

of God.

You know

how ironic

how ironic

that those

who scoff

at God's

so-called

delay in

fulfilling

his promise

are actually

scoffing

at God's

gracious

act of

mercy

towards them

and giving

them time

to repent.

But what

does this

verse mean

for those

who have

already come

to repentance?

And this

hit me hard

during the

week.

And this

is how I

was working

it out

in my

head.

If Jesus

comes later

today after

the fellowship

lunch to

take me

home, so

be it.

I will be

with him in

glory.

If he

doesn't come

today, then

that's one

more day I

get to

share his

saving gospel

with those

who haven't

yet believed

and stand

condemned

before a

holy God.

See, now we

see why Jesus

hasn't returned

yet.

There are

so many

more precious

souls he's

waiting for

to run

into his

forgiveness and

eternal life

before it's

too late and

they spend

eternity without

him in

hell.

So, now

that Peter

has shown up

the scoffer's

way of thinking

and motivation,

he now turns

his attention

to the day

of Jesus'

return, which

he calls the

day of the

Lord.

And he

gives us

some very

important

insights into

what is

going to

happen on

that day.

So, let's

pay big

attention here.

It's in

verse 10

we're going

to read

for now.

But 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.

So, firstly,

it's going

to be as

predictable as

a robber

coming to

steal from

your house.

Now, that

caught me by

surprise when

I was 10

years old.

Arriving back

to my house

with my

family on

St. Stephen's

Day.

Why is our

house so

cold?

Mum, why

is the

kitchen window

jarred open?

Dad, why

is my money

box empty in

my room?

That thief

took us

purely by

surprise on

that night.

Likewise,

no one will

see it coming

when Jesus

returns to

this earth.

And what

else do we

learn here?

Everything

will be

destroyed.

Not by

water this

time, by

fire.

The stars

and planets

will also be

no more.

But, you

know, that's

not where the

story ends.

Peter says

in verse

13,

but in

keeping with

this promise,

we are looking

forward to a

new heaven

and a new

earth where

righteousness

dwells.

Now, this is a

huge comfort

for us.

God doesn't

stop at

destroying the

world.

He promises a

new heaven and a

new earth, but

the last three

words here are the

most important.

world.

It says,

where righteousness

dwells.

All hurting,

pain, evil, and

sin will be no

more.

There is a hope

for a new

heaven and a

new earth without

the taint of

sin.

And what an

incredible reality

it is for us

to look forward

to.

So now we

come to the

last part of

this passage in

our message

today, in

which Peter

asks the

million dollar

question for

those of us

who claim to

be followers of

Jesus.

Look at it in

verse 11.

since everything

will be destroyed

in this way,

what kind of

people are you

to be?

There is the

question.

I think Peter

asks this question

right after verse

10 for a

purpose.

He just told

them, the

believers, that

everything in

this world is

going to burn,

literally.

It's like

this.

Think of that

house of yours

that you may

have been

working 30

years to pay

off.

If Jesus

returns tomorrow,

you'll be

standing before

your maker

and your

house will be

gone.

It's the same

with your car.

There's no

highway to

heaven.

There's not

even a highway

to hell.

You can't

bring it with

you.

You know,

coming back

from visiting

Asia, God

has challenged

me that I

need to watch

the importance

that I place

and things

that I

own.

As if they

are what

gives me

satisfaction

and life.

No.

God's word

tells us here

they don't

matter for

eternity.

Nothing here

is eternal

apart from

your soul

and the

soul of

every person

you see

around you.

And that's

why Jesus

says in

Matthew

Matthew 6:19

chapter 6

verse 19,

you needn't

turn there,

I'll read

it for you.

Do not

store up

for yourselves

treasure

in earth

where moth

and rust

destroy

and where

thieves

break in

and steal.

But store

up for

yourselves

treasure in

heaven

where moth

and rust

do not

destroy

and where

thieves

do not

break in

and steal.

For where

your treasure

is,

they your

heart will

be also.

So what

treasure are

you and I

building up

in heaven?

The world

doesn't think

that it's

treasure.

Caring for

an older

relative who

may never

say thank

you.

Showing

patience to

a boss

who definitely

doesn't deserve

it.

Quietly

slipping your

brother in

need a

check when

you know

you could

have used

that money

for your

own

pleasure.

Laying

down your

life for

your spouse

and your

kids even

when you

think

no one's

looking.

But someone

is the

only person

that matters

your father

in heaven.

Brothers and

sisters,

keep building

up treasure

up there,

not here,

because

everything that

you see down

here,

it's all

going to be

burning if

Jesus returns

tomorrow and

you can't

take it with

you.

So let's

go back to

Peter's

answer to

his own

question.

In

verse 11,

since

everything

will be

destroyed

in this

way,

what kind

of people

ought you

to be?

You

ought to

live holy

and godly

lives as

you look

forward to

the day

of God

and speed

its coming.

So,

there are

two consequences

of Jesus'

return for

the life of

believer here.

Number one,

verse 12,

we need to

look forward

to Jesus'

return.

And number

two,

verse 11,

we need to

live holy

and godly

lives in

preparation for

his return.

Now,

to illustrate

these two

things more

clearly,

I'd like to

share with

you an

experience

from my

own life.

So,

my wife

went away

for a few

days this

week.

She went

with her

mom and

sister.

It has

kind of

become an

annual

tradition,

and as

long as

it doesn't

get too

wild,

I'm happy

for it to

continue.

So,

there I was,

I guess.

I was there

on my own for

three days

at home.

I was

preparing this

sermon,

doing some

jobs,

getting awfully

distracted.

I was eating

some quality

takeaways with

Rob and

the boys.

But,

Elena is a

wonderful wife,

and as you can

probably imagine,

as the days

went on,

I really began

to miss my

best friend.

I began to

look forward

to her

return.

Now,

men in the

room who

are married,

and even

children in

the room who

have mothers,

I have a

question for

you.

Your wife or

your mom is

away for a

few days.

What's the

number one

thing that

you have got

to do before

they come back

to the house?

You don't have

to be a genius

to figure this

one out.

You clean

it, of

course.

Even the

dogs in the

street know

that.

You have

to get

your house

ready for

her by the

time she

comes back,

or it

will mean

her distinct

disappointment

when she

arrives home

to three

days worth

of dishes

piled up

and socked

all over

the floor.

It just

makes sense.

Clean the

house.

So there's

two things

I did this

week.

Number one,

I was looking

forward to my

wife's return,

and number

two, I was

getting ready

for my

wife's return.

You know,

isn't that

kind of

the same

with Jesus

followers and

his return,

as we see

in this

passage?

Instead of

a wife or

a mother

returning,

it's our

Savior, our

King, Jesus

Christ.

He's the

one who's

ransomed us

and taken

the blame

for our

rebellion on

the cross.

He's our

closest friend,

and he

promises us,

I am

coming back.

Now,

what's your

attitude towards

your Savior's

return?

Scoppers will

bend over

backwards to

deny it.

A lot of

Christians,

including Sam

Ross, forget

about it, and

they don't think

of it from one

day to the

next.

Now, Peter

implores us to

remember that we

will stand before

Christ when he

returns.

In fact, three

times in three

verses, he tells

us to look

forward to it.

Verses 12, 13,

and 14.

So it has to

be important to

be said three

times, right?

Let's listen

up here.

But some

will ask,

some people in

this world will

ask, you know,

what difference

does it make in

the grand scheme

of things if

I'm not looking

forward to my

Savior coming

back?

What difference

does it even

make?

Let's go back

to that

illustration.

My heart of

longing and

anticipation for

my wife's

return demonstrates

my love for

her, right?

And so also, if

there's a desire

for Christ in

our lives, we

should be longing

for his return,

for him to put

right everything

that is wrong.

But even more

than that, just

have him, to be

with him physically

in all his glory

forever.

And this is why

Paul says in

Philippians chapter

Philippians 1:23–24

1, verses 23

to 24, I am

torn between the

two.

I desire to be

with Christ, which

is far better

indeed, but it

is more necessary

for you that I

remain in the

body.

Did you hear

that there?

Paul just

wanted Christ.

For him, Christ

was the reward

of Christianity.

Now, is that

good enough for you

and for me?

Is it good

enough for us

to get Christ

on the last

day and for

eternity?

If not, then I

don't think we

understand what a

treasure God is.

If not, we

don't understand

that we are made

to love him and

enjoy him forever

and that nothing

could ever satisfy

us like he can

for eternity.

You know, there

are three words

in verse 12

that could easily

slip by without

notice.

I don't know if

you noticed them.

They can be a

little bit puzzling

to some people.

And we need to

just address them.

Have a look.

It says, you

ought to live

holy and godly

lives, verse 12,

as you look

forward to the

day of God

and speed its

coming.

Now, you might

be asking, how

could we possibly

speed Jesus

coming?

Here's my very

brief take on it.

God's heart is

that every nation

under the earth

will hear that

Jesus died to

make them right

with God.

Now, Jesus

said that himself

in Matthew 24,

Matthew 24:14

verse 14.

And I could.

The gospel of the

kingdom will be

preached in the

whole world as a

testimony to all

nations and then

the end will come.

Okay?

So, Jesus

won't return.

He said this.

He won't return

until every people

group in the

world has a

witness for the

gospel speaking

and living among

them.

So, by fulfilling

Jesus' commission

to go into all

the world and

make disciples of

all nations,

you know what?

We are, in

effect, speeding

his coming.

So, we need to

really consider how

we each individually

and how our

church is fulfilling

our God-given

mission to bring

his gospel to

every people

group, both in

Ireland and

abroad.

So, Peter's

first instruction

was to look

forward to

Christ's return.

And secondly,

and this is my

last point, we

need to be ready

for him.

We need to get

ready for him.

And it's not

a house that we're

getting ready here,

guys.

It's our lives.

So, let's look at

Peter's instructions

as to how we can

get ourselves ready

for Christ's

return.

They're in

verses 11, 12,

and 14.

You ought to

live holy and

godly lives as

you look forward

to the day of

God and speed

its coming.

And then it's

14.

It says,

So then, dear

friends, since

you are looking

forward to this,

make every effort

to be found

spotless,

blameless,

and at peace

with him.

So, the

essence of both

these verses,

I think,

is this.

make every effort

to become more

like Christ.

He's the one

who lived the

perfect example

of a holy and

godly life,

as it speaks

about in this

verse.

He lived a

spotless,

blameless life

at peace with

God.

So, we also

need to remember

we can't,

and we won't

ever imitate him

perfectly this

side of heaven,

because our

sinful nature

still gets in

the way of

that.

But, we are

to still make

every effort.

We are to

still strive to

be like him,

Peter says.

And the only

way to become

more like Jesus

is to spend

time with him,

is to walk

in his spirit,

is to marvel

at him as

revealed in his

word and to

follow his

commands.

But you know

what, there's

just one caution

here.

We're not

striving,

to earn our

salvation.

We're not

obeying God

to make God

love us any

more than he

already does.

We have to be

careful here.

We're obeying

him because we

love him.

And because we

want to make him

proud when he

returns.

And we find

the basis for

this in Jesus'

parable of the

talents, which

you can find

later on in

Matthew 25.

But briefly,

it says,

the brief

gist of it

was that to

each servant,

the master

gave differing

amounts of

money before

leaving on a

journey.

And on his

return, he

found two

servants had

worked hard

and used the

money he gave

them wisely.

To those

servants he

said, well

done, good

and faithful

servants.

But to the

last servant,

who had

buried his

money, and

he had made

no effort to

use it for

good, the

master gave

him a

severe

rebuke.

You know

what, in

the same

way, Christ

has saved

me and

given me

everything that

I have in

this life.

He's blessed

me with my

freedom, my

family, my

money, etc.

But he's

also commanded

me to use

these things

for his

glory, to

follow him

and become

more like

him.

Now I

want my

life to be

ready for

Christ, my

master, when

he returns.

Every day we

need to bow

the knee to

our king, to

obey him, and

submit to his

loving rule over

our lives.

And yes, we

should want to

make our

master proud on

the day that he

meets us.

I pray that

all of us

here will be

able to hear

him say on

that last day,

well done,

good and

faithful servant.

To finish,

where does

this leave us

today?

Firstly, we

heard Peter's

call to

remember God's

words and

promises, not

conveniently forget

them like the

scoffers.

So are we

feasting at

God's word

every day?

Secondly, we

need to remember

the fate of

this world and

everything in

it.

We learn from

God's word that

it's all going to

burn on the

last day.

So, we

need to invest

our lives in

the things that

last for

eternity.

Loving God

and loving

others.

And lastly,

we need to

look forward to

and get ready

for Christ's

return.

Because he

has saved us

and now he

has commanded

us to live

holy and

godly lives.

And we

don't want to

be ashamed

on that day

when we

meet him

by the way

we have used

the lives

that he's

given us.

Let's commit

all this to

God in

prayer.

Jesus, we

thank you that

you're coming

again.

Thank you for

all the songs

we've sung today

which have

reminded us

of this.

You're coming

to put us

right everything

that's gone

wrong.

And Lord

Jesus, you

call us

to look

forward to

your return

and not

only that

but to be

ready for

your return.

And I