As some of you know we finished Ephesians our Series in the book
of Ephesians and we try to make it a habit that every time we
finish a book we want to give an interval period where we just
really prayerfully, consider a messages that we can touch on
topics maybe that we can speak on before we jump into another
book and just follow it verse by verse and this is one of those
messages. That.
We trusted the Lord has for us. One of the unfortunate
consequences of our daily routines and our daily
responsibilities is that certain truths, We Believe can be buried
in the back of our minds to a degree in which we almost
completely dismiss. What these truths mean to us.
This is an influence. This is something that happens
to us because of unfortunate neglect on our part to remember
and to continue to keep these things before us and it deflates
the influence of these truths on the way we actually live.
There is a draining of something in us when a truth is blanketed
by busyness, lies different voices.
And this happens today and it happened and Peter's Day, where
our minds can go stale, and we are in need of a stirring.
Look at verse 13 of chapter one with me.
Peter says this, I think it is, right?
As long as I am in this body to stir you up by way of reminder,
since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon as
our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me, Peter had a revelation
from the Lord. It's a Lovely Revelation, he
knew that at any time. Now the Lord was going to take
him into glory, the lord was going to take him home, he was
going to stand before the son. Savior face to face.
Now if you knew that if somehow the lord gave you Revelation
that at any time very quickly you would slip into eternity and
you had at the same time, an opportunity to write a letter to
the Believers that, you know, what would you write?
What would you include in that letter?
Would you encourage? Would you Warren?
Peter does both. It does a both times in his both
letters actually. And in fact he says this more
than once. When we come to chapter 3, this
is now the second letter that I am writing to you in verse one.
Beloved in both of them, I am stirring up your sincere Mind by
way of reminder. So again, he is, he's coming to
the Believers and say, listen, I want to get here again, because
something here has gone stale and I want to make sure that it
doesn't grow cold and callous to the point where it uses you in a
certain manner of life. So I'm going to use this time
that I have left. I'm going to make it my ambition
to make sure that your stirred again Believers.
We need to be stirred all the time all the time and we don't
stir ourselves up emotionally. We don't stir ourselves up by
just whipping ourselves up into a frenzy know, it's through the
word of God. It's by allowing the truth of
the scriptures to break up that drying callous ground.
That we've built up unfortunate because of neglect and allow the
Lord to rain righteousness upon us.
What did Peter include? What does Peter want to focus on
as he desires to stir up the minds of the Believers, the
concluding chapter focuses on a truth, that not just Believers
back. Then could forget about, but
Believers today, especially forget about, and it is, this
Jesus is coming back. Jesus is coming back.
This is something that we need to really take a hold of Peter
wants to write it in such a fashion that you and I would
never forget this truth. What do we mean by Jesus is
coming back? We as Christians.
We as the Church of Jesus Christ doctrinally.
This is our doctrinal statement. We believe we confess, we
wholeheartedly hold to this truth that the Lord Jesus
Christ. We'll return in a literal way in
bodily fashion, Jesus Christ who walked on this Earth, 2,000
years ago, who dwelt in eternity before that.
And who is sitting at the right hand of the father will one day,
come back and he will come back for this purpose.
Do it can be many reasons. There are many implications to
his return, this is the main one, he will come back to
redeem. The faithful, those who put
their trust in his saving work. To bring them into everlasting
life with them and he will also come back to condemn, those who
have not put their trust in him into Everlasting destruction.
This is the reason why he's returning.
In other words, this is not it. Now, this teaching, already,
probably in some people right here are making you feel
uncomfortable, making you feel really uncomfortable, really
fidgety. In fact, it makes a lot of
people feel uncomfortable, even professing Christians.
Now, for the, for the unbelieving world, that's a
whole nother category, why this would make them feel
uncomfortable for believers. Why would this teaching make us
feel squirmish? I believe one reason is, this is
because we have plans. We have desires.
We have things that we want to do in life and this concept of
Jesus returning, kind of interferes with that, doesn't
it? It's kind of intrusive. and so
we hear it and it doesn't really make us feel uncomfortable
because it's like, well, Lord could you just hold back a
little bit and there's some things I want to kind of do And
I believe that thought pattern that show, common it kind of
Springs up. Even from time to time, that
thought pattern is evidence that, we've unfortunately
allowed our affections To be too tied down to this world here.
And that we have failed to allow the word of God to renew our
minds to such a degree where we say what it says in the end of
Book of Revelation with with the spirit come Lord Jesus, would
you come? Why are you holding back?
We want you to be here now. And I believe the reason why we
don't have that cry, come Lord, Jesus, and because we don't
realize one who he is and to what he wants to bring with him.
And we think that what is here is better, and that heaven and
seeing Jesus face-to-face, is kind of like a plan B to this.
It's kind of a downgrade when Jesus comes back.
So Lord, just hold off because we want to have some fun here,
and come back. When maybe, when I'm old and I
can't move as much. We fail to realize.
That it should actually be the Cry of the believer, the
craving, of his heart, for the Lord to return.
Peter says, I want to stir you up by way of reminder because
acts 1:11 tells us And When Jesus ascended before his
disciples, these angels said, men of Galilee, why do you stand
looking into heaven? This Jesus who was taken up from
you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go
into heaven This event known as the second coming.
Is an event that has been marked to the hour by God.
The Father this event of the second coming.
It is so dramatic that it will be seen by every eye that is on
Earth. This event of the second coming
will change every aspect of our existence as it will usher in a
new Heaven and a new Earth. This event known as the second
coming is something to be prepared for even by Christians.
even by Christians, And so, Peter begins, I want to stir up
your sincere Mind by way of reminder verse 2.
That you should remember the predictions of the Holy prophets
and the Commandment of the Lord and Savior through your
Apostles. Peter Begins by nudging at their
minds and their memory by pointing them back to the book.
And he's saying, did you forget that this was predicted?
Did you forget that this was something that was actually an
Old Testament theme that the prophets foretold of this
coming? That this is something that is
not, it's not a loose, it's not a blurry, it's not a Civic
event, it is clear and concrete from the beginning of time.
I'm going to read a quote to you and I want you to think which
prophet or which man of God in the Old Testament said these
truths just listen to this behold.
The Lord comes with ten thousand of his.
Holy ones to execute judgment on all and to convict all the
ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have
committed in such an ungodly way and of all the harsh things that
ungodly. Sinners have spoken against
them. Now, don't say it out loud.
Who do you think said that? Isaiah Ezekiel, Daniel Hosea
habbakuk. Enoch.
Jude, 14. 15 tells us that the seventh from Adam Enoch
prophesied of the second coming. So we get to Genesis chapter 5
according to Jude's commentary, and Enoch has been given the
revelation of the return of the Lord.
And from that moment on every Prophet, almost every Prophet
had that same Revelation that Jesus is coming back.
And this is fascinating because even Jesus, in his Earthly
Ministry interpreted, these prophetic statements and even
himself to such Precision Precision said that he was going
to fulfill these things even in ways that we can't even really
see. Yes, we know that Jesus spoke
about the times and the signs, but even in subtle matters that
the Lord interpret the scriptures, Concerning his
return. Let me give you an example turn
to Luke chapter 4. This is after Jesus came out of
the Wilderness journey and overcame Temptation from Satan.
Where he came out in the power of the spirit and verse 16 of
chapter 4. It says he came to Nazareth
where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went
to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read.
And the scroll of the prophet, Isaiah was given to him.
He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written.
The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to
Proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to Proclaim
Liberty to the captives and recovering the site of the blind
to set. At Liberty, those who are
oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
What does that have to do with the second coming?
That sounds like his first coming.
It is speaking of his first coming.
But Jesus. Knew the scriptures and Jesus
knew who he was. Obviously, in Jesus knew his
ministry in the first coming and what his ministry would be in
the second coming in light of using Isaiah chapter 61, and you
say, well again, what does that have to do with the second
coming? You have to turn to Isaiah, 61
to see, turn to Isaiah 61 and see what the Lord did here.
Isaiah 61 verse 1. The spirit of the Lord God is
upon me because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news
to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the
Brokenhearted to Proclaim Liberty to the captives.
Sounds familiar, and the opening of the prison to those who are
bound to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
Now, that's where Jesus stopped. Why?
Because look at the next part and the day of Vengeance of our
God. Jesus did not go to the next
line, why? Because that is the Fulfillment
of his second coming. He stopped it right there
because the first verse and a half of the second speaks of his
first coming and he goes, you know what, I'm gonna stop it
right here because I did not come to condemn I came to save
first time aren't you glad for the first coming?
Because the second coming is a second part which is what the
day of Vengeance of our God. So he stopped it right there and
that is the fascinating thing about Prophecy in the Old
Testament, a lot of the times. And this is why even many of the
religious people in Jesus. They were kind of confused
because they didn't know the scriptures as much as they
thought a lot of the times and Old Testament prophecy you have
first for Jesus. First coming really compiled
them blended with his second coming and it's not so divided.
Neat least for us to be able to see all that.
Speaking of his first coming. That's being of us, it's kind of
Blended. Almost seems like it's all one
event. So it's Quite possible that when
Jesus first came, many people were expecting the Messiah to do
all those other things, but he said, no, you don't understand.
That's about my second coming. Jesus knew very well who he was
and what his ministry was all about and many Believers today.
Maybe you even thought the solder even said this, don't you
wish we lived in biblical times. Don't you wish that?
It's awesome to study this word. It's awesome to look at the
different moments in history and the different things that
happened but it would be a whole different thing.
If we were living in it, you are living in it.
You and I in this technologically advanced age and
all these things that we're seeing in this Godless
generation. You and I are living in biblical
times y, because there are events that are still yet to
happen that are still to come. And we're playing in that role
in history. And if it's up to the Lord, he
can come back in our lifetime as well.
That's what this message is about.
Actually, he says, you're not just the Old Testament prophets,
when you go back to Second Peter, He says.
And the Commandment of the Lord and Savior through your
Apostles. Now this automatically indicates
that the New Testament Believers and the apostles believed that
even though the Canon was not yet complete that their writings
were on the same level of authority as the Old Testament
prophets right there. And what he's saying is that the
Lord through the Apostle's have given and echoed these teachings
and Jesus did teach and these Jesus did prophesying.
The apostles did very much so just like Peter is pressed on
this reality of the second coming of Christ.
But notice it doesn't say the predictions of the Holy prophets
and the predictions of the Lord and Savior through your
apostles. no, it says the Commandment the Commandment of
The Lord and Savior through your Apostles.
Why? Because again, Jesus did predict
Jesus did teach, but Jesus and the apostles spoke of the second
coming in light of you. And I living in a certain way as
we relate to the second coming. There's a commitment, there's a
way of life to live in knowing that the Lord is going to
return. And so, he categorizes it as a
commandment. He sees this as a way to posture
yourself. Am I to live?
If and so he says, listen. Remember what they said?
Why is he saying to remember because other people are saying
different things? And this is the unfortunate
thing that the influence of other voices, the influence of
other people's Lifestyles can unfortunately affect not whether
or not we believe this in a Doctrine away but how it affects
us. How it affects us.
And so he says this verse 3, knowing the first of all that
scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing following
their own sinful desires. Because listen, they're going
to, there's going to be people in the last days that are going
to scoff. At this idea of the second
coming, scoffers are markers. They're going to jeer, they're
going to make fun of, they're going to continually point out
at the fact that it's been 2000 years.
There's going to be people that are going to mock this concept.
And if anybody in here, mocks the concept of the second
coming, you are evidence that we are in the last days.
The fact that we see people mocking at Salvation, mocking
Christ, mocking the judgment to come is proof that we are in the
last days amongst many other proofs.
And so he comes here to say, I want you to know that the
scriptures tell us that there is a second coming, no matter what.
Anybody else says we're in the last days and you might be
asking, are we in the? Are we actually 2018 and last
days and I say yes. Absolutely not because in my
opinion, not because I'm predicting events and trying to
tie them into this. No, because it's already said in
the scriptures. You want to know one solid verse
that tells us we're in the last days.
In Acts chapter 2. When the Holy Spirit was poured
out upon the church and the church was born.
And Peter gives that magnificent sermon.
It says in verse 16. Funny enough as people were kind
of scoffing that they were like drunk men. in verse 16, he says
but this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel and in
the last days, It shall be God declares that I will pour out my
spirit on All Flesh, and your sons and daughters shall
prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old
men shall dream dreams. The birth of the church
inaugurated the last days. So we've been in the last days
for the past 2000 years. Now, if it was the last days
back, then, what do you think it's now, I'll tell you.
It's a last seconds. We are in the last days.
People might think otherwise, But it's true.
Now, Peter inspired by the spirit will either give us
insight to what these scoffers will say, their points of
arguments of why this idea is foolishness and their site.
They will say in verse 4 of second.
Peter 3, where is the promise of his coming for ever since the
father's fell asleep? All things are continuing as
they were from the beginning. So, let's chop this up a bit.
The first thing that they're going to say, to criticize this
concept and this Doctrine, and this truth, this event Is that
they will point out the apparent delay of his return.
Why is he waiting so long? What's been happening this past
2000 years and they might even point out the fact that the
apostles and the early Believers at this time believe that Jesus
was going to return in their day.
So they believe that it didn't happen.
So what makes you think it's going to happen in your day?
And so they will look at the apparent delay and say it seems
like it's not going to happen, is it?
Every generation of Christians, have been saying that there's
going to be a return of Christ in their day.
It's true but one of them is going to be right.
And here's the understanding Jesus intended for every
generation of Christians to believe that he was going to
return in their day. He intended that to happen.
So you have the apostles that and Acts chapter 1 asking Jesus,
right before he's going to ascend in verse 6.
Lord is this the time where you're going to restore the
Kingdom of Israel? So they're asking for the time,
you know how the Lord answers amazingly verse 7, you can just
hear this, he said to them. It is not for you to know the
times or Seasons at the Others, fixed by his own authority says,
it's not for you to know. For you to know the dates and
the times that try to predict it.
Don't waste your time. Don't waste your efforts.
God knows in his wisdom. Imagine he did reveal the time
he was coming. What would it be?
Like for all these Generations that just passed the apathy in
the laziness and the carelessness I would come.
He knew in his wisdom not to reveal it.
So what he's saying, verse verse a but the holy spirit will come
to you and give you power. You go and preach.
Don't get so caught up in all this stuff.
Go and make disciples go and plant churches.
Go and spread the good news go and bear fruit.
That's how you. And I have to live in light of
the revelation of the second coming.
Not sitting in our basement, going to figure out.
Do this event looking at the news and trying to tie it to a
verse. Oh Jesus don't even waste your
time. Jesus in his wisdom intended for
every generation to live with the expectation that he can come
back, even while you're having lunch after this service. and it
says, here in the second part of their argument, For ever since
the father's fell asleep, all things are continuing as they
were from the beginning of creation.
Next, they will point out the timeline of History.
And they will make the observation that it's always
been the same since the beginning.
So Jesus said that part of the signs and part of the things
that will show that we are near the end, is that there's going
to be famines and rumors of war and diseases, and pestilence,
and all these different things. And here's the counter argument
for the scoffer, that's always been happening.
There's always been earthquakes and there's always been natural
disasters. We've always had bumps of
history and history and look where we are right?
We're just fine it's just a cycle.
It's been the same since the beginning of time.
And in fact, they might add to this, that there's nothing major
that has occurred. That would indicate the Lord
coming. Our society's developing.
We are advancing in our technology.
Unity amongst Nations becoming more of a reality and inventions
are coming along that are improving the way of life.
And so even this, cause of like Jesus, bodily returning, and
coming to judge that sounds. So medieval That sounds so
cinematic and so imaginative. How can you think in this day
that there's actually going to be a return?
Peter now wants to answer those things.
In verse 5, he criticizes the critics.
For they deliberately overlook this fact.
In other words, if they really wanted proof, they have this
proof which Peters about the described but they deliberately
overlooked it. They don't want to believe it.
They choose to turn a blind eye to this reality.
That points to the fact that judgment is going to come Christ
is going to actually return. And what is he pointing to the
flood? They deliberately overlook this
fact that the heavens existed long ago and the earth was
formed out of water and through Water, by the word of God, and
that by means of these the world, then that existed was
they lose with water and perished.
It's no wonder that these events in the Old Testament.
You have even professing Believers that want to point to
these Supernatural events and say that it's allegory.
And say that it's just stories to give a meaning, that there's
no way that there could have been this and that.
Are you kidding me? And I find it amazing that the
stories that modern-day Skeptics criticize are the stories that
Jesus validated the most. A man being swallowed up by a
fish. Come on.
And Jesus says, you're going to receive the sign of Jonah.
That's the only sign you're getting.
What were the days of the end be like, what did Jesus say as were
the days of Noah? Do you know why I can believe
these stories are true as historical narratives despite
the world mocking it? Because Jesus believed it.
Jesus believed that these were historical narratives.
You didn't use these as allegorical, stories and
metaphors. No, he said these things
actually happen. In fact, it's going to repeat
itself. What did he say?
Matthew 24:37, you have to turn there.
Just hear these words for as were the days of Noah.
So will the coming of the son of man for as in those days before
the flood, they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in
marriage until the day when Noah entered the Ark and they were
unaware until the flood came and swept them all away.
So, will be the coming of the son of man?
What will the days of Noah be like People are going to go out
to eat at restaurants. They're going to enjoy meals.
People are going to be planning to get married.
People are going to have families.
People are going to enjoy life. But you know what, though,
people have plans in this life, though, people are enjoying
their life. None of that will stop what God
had ordained in his schedule. His prophetic timeline of the
return of Christ. Jesus pointed back to the days
of Noah as much as it was violent it was violent as much
as it was sexually perverse. There is normal activities going
on. We think that when the second
coming Santa come, it's going to be already like this.
Apocalyptic kind of thing, things are going to go down.
Oh no he says people are going to be marrying each other
looking at families. They're going to go out on
vacations. They're going to go and finish
their degree. And this is when Jesus is going
to come back in the midst of all your plans, in the midst of all
your desires. In the midst of all those things
in the middle of your pregnancy, Jesus is coming back.
So Jesus. Validated these stories.
And Peter wants to say, listen, if God judge the world before,
what makes you think that he's not going to do it again?
And the only difference between God's judgement back then and
God's judgment to come is that he's just going to change the
element of his judgment before it was water, but now he's
storing up fire. In fact, what does it say here
verse 7, but by the same word, what word the word that spoke
water into existence. The word that created the Earth.
he says that same word, the heavens in the earth that now
exists are stored up for fire. The only thing that is holding
back this world as you and I know it from being consumed in
Flames is that God hasn't spoken for it to come to pass.
And in the midst of all this scoffing, and all the mocking on
all the late night, TV shows that spit in the face of Christ.
And all the loudness of all of it.
God is keeping his mouth shut. but then one day God will open
his mouth and when he says the word, All for a sudden just like
that flood. People are going to be swept up
into judgment. It says here, that they scoffed.
And what else? There was a second description
of what these kind of people were they scoffed?
And verse three following their own sinful desires.
I'm a firm believer that the fact that we have diluted this
understanding of the second coming of Christ has increased
the wickedness in our day. Do you want to know why?
There's so much murder in the city?
Do you want to know why there's so much sex trafficking in our
world? Do you want to know why?
There's so much chaos. I'll give you one reason why
there's a contribution to that because people have lost the
fear of God. And they do not know, you know
what they do know, they know that God is forgiving go to
anybody on the street and ask them how they know they'll go to
heaven. Anyway, I'm talking about people
that don't go to church and you ask them that if you were to
stand before God and you bring the law and you show them that
they will be guilty even if they just lied or whatever and you
ask them. Well, you just clearly admitted
that you broke, you've lied. You look at a woman with lust
that you are guilty before God. So how are you?
How are you can have eternal life?
You know what they'll say, take it from a guy who talked to So
many people on the streets about this.
They'll look at you say, well God is forgiving.
He is forgiving but when you've reached that point you've cut
off your opportunity to receive forgiveness.
We've lost the fear of God, we've lost this concept of the
god, that we worship. And because of that people
willfully continue in their sin and part of their scoffing is to
numb them is to numb them from the conviction of their way of
life. So they scoff so that they can
continue in their sin. Being kept until the day.
The second part of verse 7 of judgment and destruction of the
ungodly. So, this is the argument of
these people who criticize this truth, And Peter now turns his
attention to the Believers. So he points out what these
scoffers will say and he goes you know what, those are the
scoffers. Now let me turn to you
Christians, let me give you some words of exhortation.
Let me bring up some clarity to you concerning this idea of
Jesus returning. Again look at verse a But do not
overlook this one. Fact beloved that with the Lord,
one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.
So these scoffers look at you and they say it's been 2000
years. These scoffers will look at you
say it's been so long and they failed to realize amongst many
other things. They fail to realize that our
perception of time is not God's perception of time.
How time affects us. Is not the way the time affects
God. In fact, A Thousand Years them
is like a day in a Day is Like A Thousand Years time does not
have any influence on our God, and if we use that and we kind
of do the math, it's been 2000 years for us.
It feels like two days for God. All the things that has happened
in history. All the, all the events, all the
lifetimes that have been lived, all the saints of old, all the
craziness, all the Wars, all of that to god, it feels like
nothing but to use this kind of argument to use this kind of
expression. It's been like two days. and we
see here that he points out that these people fail to realize
that in fact God's apparent slowness is actually the
expression of his long-suffering They fail to realize that God
lives in a different realm and they failed to realize that this
apparent slowness, the fact that it has been two thousand acres,
maybe we've even thought that ourselves, it's been kind of
long. Why so long and Peter says, you
want to know why it's been 2000 years after this point?
Not 2000, but for us verse 9, the Lord is not slow to fulfill
his promise as some count slowness.
But is patient toward you. Not wishing that, any should
perish but that all should reach repentance.
You might be tired this morning. You might be weary in the flesh.
But know this, the reason that you and I have another day to
live today is because God desires for some people to
repent today. Maybe in this room.
Definitely in the city, definitely around this world.
The only reason why there is another day amongst.
Yes, his grace and everything else.
But here's what I see here. God is still waiting for people
to repent this morning. He's waiting for somebody to get
into turn and I see here a God that doesn't want some saved.
He wants all saved. I don't see God here.
That's looking to judge. He is the lighting and mercy
more than his wrath. I see God here that as much as
he does want to be one with his bride in the fullness.
He still waiting for people to be added to the bride.
This is a god of compassion and here's these scoffers mocking.
The fact that he's in return and what is the revelation we have?
It's because he's waiting for you to repent.
That's why And so we think it's been 2000 years it's been a long
time. But what's 2000 years in light
of Eternity in hell So, God knows.
And God Waits, and there is a time in which God's justice must
be satisfied. And he will speak the word and
Christ will return. But that day is being held back
by one thing, his long-suffering And he calls and appoints
preachers of righteousness. During this time, what is it
saying? Second Peter 2, you don't have
to turn there. That Noah was a preacher of
righteousness. Anybody in here that's feeling
called to be a preacher to any degree weather, full-time, or
part-time. Know this be a preacher of
righteousness, we don't have much of that today, most of his
pop psychology, most of us how you can feel good about yourself
and what was Noah's preaching in light of knowing that the flood
was coming righteousness. What is it?
And let a New Covenant that you don't have righteousness that
you need Christ's righteousness? That you need his imputed
Perfection into your account. What is it to the believer who
has put his faith in Christ's righteousness?
How live righteously and live. Holy and light of the second
coming. Righteousness was no, esteemed
preaching and this is God's desire for those who want to
share their faith, especially behind the pulpit.
This is amazing. Because if we want to learn
something about the second coming, even from Enochs
prophecy, we learn a lot that God even from the beginning has
uttered His desire and his set appointed moment where he will
judge from Genesis chapter 5 through Enoch.
But there's something else about Enochs life that we learn.
And some of you were here last Sunday.
When we talked about this casually after the service, go
to Genesis chapter 5 and realize something about the life of
Enoch. That is so very relevant for us
in the beginning. Genesis chapter 5.
Verse 21. Chapter 5 speaks of the
generations of Adam to descendants of Adam.
And only one in Genesis chapter 5 is mentioned to have walked
with God only 1 Enoch, it says simply that Enoch had lived 65
years. He fathered Methuselah Enoch
walked with God, after he fathered Methuselah 300 years.
So there's an indication here, that Methuselah after he was
born, something there with his birth and raising him up cause
the Enoch to want to walk with God.
What was it about fathering Methuselah that provoked?
Enoch to say, I want to walk with the Lord. now we know from
Jude that clearly Enoch had received some kind of prophetic
Revelation throughout his life And I believe here that Enoch
had received Revelation, not just at the second coming but
Enoch had received revelation of the flood and the Judgment.
I was going to come in his day. How do you know?
Remember, it's just that after he fathered Methuselah he walked
with God. Now, here's the interesting
thing. The named Methuselah means when
he dies it shall come, that's what Methuselah means.
When he dies. It shall come.
And with that revelation, You knock says, I'm gonna walk with
God. if you do the math, some believe that if you do the math,
very carefully when Methuselah died is exactly when the flood
occurred, And so, here's the, here's the application that with
the Revelation that Methuselah was a prophetic time clock of
God's judgment In the Flesh, it caused Enoch to say, I'm going
to walk closely to the Lord. That is significant, that is
very significant. Because Peter is going to use
that same motivation for Christians to live in a certain
way in light of the coming judgment for Christians.
Here's the most amazing thing about Enoch and Methuselah
Methuselah is the longest living, man recorded in the
Bible. 969 years, meaning? What that God does not desire to
give judgment. He prolonged it as long as
possible through Methuselah's life.
That he extended his years as long as possible, until he
brought judgment. Why?
Because he doesn't want to do it.
Yes, he does in the satisfaction of his justice but knowing that
those would be destroyed and Lyda he waited he waited as long
as he could before he actually Unleashed.
His judgment. So Enoch walked with God
implying, what Walking with God? He didn't visit God, like so
many Christians do today. He walked with God daily
intimately, conversationally, including him in All matters.
And Peter. Comes back here because he has
some applications for us. Application for the
non-believer. Clearly is to repent to
recognize the love of God, and to turn towards him before.
It's too late. Because you know what?
You and I don't have that Enoch had, we don't have a time clock
in the flesh, like Methuselah to realize that God could be coming
in Judgment at any time. Can you imagine how that was
like for Enoch that every time with Lucilla had a cold or was
really sick? He goes oh it could be happening
today. Methuselah sick today.
He's not looking very well. God are you coming to walk close
to you more than ever? You don't have that.
You know what you have today? You only have today if you don't
know Christ, in this place, you only have today if you're a
professing Believer, but you're not truly born.
Again, you only have today. There's no clues that God is
going to give you. There's no prophetic name that
he's going to give you for your future son or daughter.
No, you only have today. But there's an application for
the believer. Look at verse 17 of second
Peter, chapter 3. Look how Peter concludes his
letter. You therefore beloved, he's
talking to Believers and look how tenderly this man is
speaking to them. Beloved Knowing this beforehand,
take care that you are not carried away with the error of
Lawless people and lose your own stability.
Knowing this beforehand, don't lose your stability.
John writes it in this way and 2nd John 8, watch yourselves.
How this is amazing, watch yourselves so that you may not
lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.
He says two things, two words that can be a sermon in itself.
Watch yourselves. Don't let your mind gets stale
now. Don't get carried away by life.
Don't lose this truth. Jesus is coming back.
Don't get influenced by other people.
Don't believe the scoffers don't get so caught up in the way
societies developing and how there's new things out there to
distract you from the call of God on your life.
Don't forfeit the full reward. Now we know in Christ because
we're in Christ the judgment to come does not affect us know.
But in Christ yes there is a judgment for us in the way we
live their lives and this is what he's talking about here.
Don't forfeit it, don't forfeit. Don't press the, here's my word,
this morning to this church. Don't lose your stability.
You stay close to him. You do whatever you need to do,
to stir your yourself up and way of reminder, that Jesus is
coming back. Can I ask you an honest
question, how often do you meditate on that?
In the midst of all the things that you think about in the
midst of all your meditations, when was the last time that you
just sat there, even for a moment, even on your way to work
in the car. You know, Jesus can come back
and split the sky open right now as I'm holding my coffee to
work. Has it ever occurred to us?
He's going to come back bodily. And we're going to see him
face-to-face. Him become like him as he is.
Where does that fit in our day-to-day routine?
Don't lose your own stability. Don't forfeit the reward.
How do I not lose my stability doll?
By just remembering the fact that Jesus is coming back Verse
18 is the antidote, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Listen, there are only two
directions in the Christian walk, and you've heard this
before. If you're not going forward in
Christ, you're automatically going to lose your stability.
You're automatically going to just just think of it this way,
that there's only grow or go. And the moment you and I lose
the ambition to grow in Grace and grow in the knowledge of
Jesus is the moment. We open ourselves up to being
pushed over and losing our centeredness and Christ losing
our Focus, losing our ambition, losing that Zeal, it's grow you
and I must invest in growing in Grace, not talking about the
grace for salvation, talk about the grace for the power of God
in our lives, the grace of the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ, knowing him more. What Paul said possessed him I
must know him more. That is your protection from
losing your stability. The moment.
You feel like you've lost your desire to grow in the knowledge
of Christ and growing grace is the moment you should have in a
Alarm going off and fall on your face before God and say, oh God,
this is not your will for me. I need you to help me.
Give me that appetite again. So don't lose your aunt Cecilia.
Well how do I do that? You just grow, you just keep
feeding yourself, you just keep investing in your relationship
with God and you will be protected from verse 17.
Do you know how people get to verse 17?
They stopped doing Verse 18. They stopped seeing the
necessity, even the discipline of coming to the place where you
saying I want to know more of his grace.
I want to know more of him and the moment you lose that is the
first step of losing stability. Enoch walked with God and it
says something amazing about Enochs life that he walked with
God in such a way where it says in Hebrews 11 that it pleased
God and he was taken up. And I just I can't help but see
that in a literal way that as she's literally Walking with God
in a moment, he's walking with God and he walks into eternity.
And that's how the Lord wants you.
And I to live that you would stay close to him until you slip
into that next life. Not to lose your instability and
found on your face. And the Lord says what happened.
I don't know about you but I want to walk into heaven.
In a way in which I was conversing with the Lord before
I got there. I don't want it to be this thing
where I stand before him. It's like, oh Lord, I haven't
talked to you in so long. And here I am standing before
you I want to be translated into Glory knowing that just moments
before that I was in the perfect will of God. and I lived a life,
not for salvation, no, but in light of my salvation, that
pleased him, Very short message today because I'm closing with
this thought. The second coming of Christ.
Has practical implications for you and me, and this is how you,
and I know it. If you knew that Jesus was
coming back tonight at 10 p.m. What changes would you make in
your life right now? What changes would you make if
you knew that Jesus Christ, gave you a Methuselah.
I'm coming back at 10 tonight. Who do you have to forgive?
Who do you have to forgive that? You have not forgiven you.
What prayers? Have you not prayed yet?
What fruit have you willingly held back?
What gives have you held back from the Lord being used for his
glory? What conversations should you be
having that? You have an idea?
Yes, I understand that. Listen, Peter is not promoting a
way of living in such a way where you are, this Escapist
mentality and you just hide yourself in your house and you
don't do anything normal in society.
No, no, the main ambition, that Peter has in mind by the holy
spirit that you and I, in the context of our life with live,
holy and expectant of the Lord, Go back to Second Peter and see
how he describes it. Look at verse 11, a second Peter
chapter 3. Since all these things are thus
to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives
of Holiness and godliness such a beautiful picture.
It's kind of terrifying, but it's beautiful the same time.
He goes, listen, God is coming and holy fire and it's literally
going to melt all the elements of the world.
And he goes since these things are going to be dissolved, what
kind of life should you live? It's kind of a humorous thing to
some of us we might have even joked about it before but it's
true you know that phone. That you're so obsessed with.
It's going to burn up one day. You know, that car that you're
living your life for to buy one day, it's going to turn into
mush. That house that you've so
focused on its going to turn it to powder.
This is what he's saying. Everything in this world is
going to dissolve. Now, again, he's not promoting a
Hermit lifestyle, but what he is saying, is get your perspective,
right? Get your priorities.
Straight Christ is coming back. So what kind of lives you have
to live? Giving yourselves over to things
that don't matter? Yes, God wants us to enjoy.
Yes, God wants us to invest, yes.
God wants us to be people that are not so alienated from normal
society that people don't even want what we have, because they
think we're just out of there. No, but we ought to live in such
a way in which we know how to distance ourselves enough based
on the Revelation that Jesus is coming back and I want to be
able to give him something to lay at his feet.
So he says these things are going to dissolve and so many
people are focusing on things that are going to dissolve.
Over things that are eternal. And he says, make sure.
That your ambition, is in Holiness and godliness.
Make sure like Paul says in 1st Corinthians 15 in light of his
teaching on the resurrection. Out of all the things that he
said to prove that the resurrection was true in that
Jesus was going to take us back up.
Look how he ends in a verse 58. Therefore, my beloved Brothers,
First Corinthians 15 be steadfast immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord,
your labor is not in vain. It's everywhere in the New
Testament. Don't lose focus.
When things try to take your attention away from the things
of God concerning his return and concerning his reward that he's
bringing with him concerning the new world that is being ushered
in. Live in light of that. now, if
you heard this entire message and you feel condemnation, you
feel burden, you feel fear, you've completely missed it,
completely missed it. What they're trying to promote
here is hope for the believer. What they're trying to promote
here is a purpose in life that is beyond what you think is
limited to this and he's saying you don't lose sight of it,
don't let your mind grow stale to this.
He can come back and you can come back at any time.
Believe it and live it in your daily decisions.
Let the world scoff. God will get the final word.
Let the world mock, the Lord sits on his throne and laughs I
don't know about you when I think of the second coming, if
you're a born-again believer that should put a smile on your
face, And every ache in my body. And every discouragement or
disappointment in life is totally swallow but swallowed up
by the reality that Jesus is the one who's going to rescue me
from all of this. but if you're not saved in this place, even if
you grew up in the church, He's coming, and he's waiting for you
to make that choice to follow him.
He's coming. And he's not wanting to judge.
He's wanting to save. So he extends and he waits.
But one day that that time will be cut off.
What do we take out of this as a church as a community?
Again, here's a stirring reminder, for us.
Let's live in light of Eternity. Let's pray.
Big prayers. Let's prioritize ourselves right
and let's really believe when I Was preparing this message.
Can I just be transparent with you?
I looked at these verses and I said, this is great.
I believe this stuff, but he was my prayer.
As I Was preparing. Lord.
I get it here, but I wanted so much more here You might be
sitting here this morning saying, I believe it, I get it,
I see, I understand what you're saying, but Lord, I wanted to
come to a place where it actually grips me.
I want to be gripped by this truth.
I don't want to go into fanaticism like so many people
do and and they just go into a place where there's just like,
again, divorced from society and they don't, they're not
relatable and there. No, no.
But Lord, I just want to make sure that I'm actually walking
believing daily that you can come back.
And I want everything that I do, I want everything that I do to
be anchored by that truth. Don't let my mind.
Go still. More importantly though, don't
let my heart grew still. Would you pray that prayer with
me this morning as we close? Lord.
We choose to say yes not just in our minds, but in our hearts
with the spirit and we say, come Lord, Jesus.
Well, we thank you that this is not it.
We thank you that you're coming to bring in.
The completion of our Redemption.
And low with this simple message this morning.
We pray that we would see everything in this world that so
many people idolize and slave themselves over as dissolving.
Help us prioritize on the treasures of Heaven.
Help Us live for the glory of God.
Let us not lose that reward that we've been working for and that
reward to us more than anything. Is that one phrase?
Well done, good and faithful servant.
Lord of Peters audience was in need of a stirring, how much
more we lord. We ask that by the spirit, even
throughout this day. Our hearts would be stirred by
the truth. O Lord that you're coming again.
and Lord, that causes us not to fear, not to worry but to
rejoice, To rejoice. And Lord, if you choose to do it
in our lifetime or not, we will live in light of it.
And we pray Lord that with this time that we have you would give
us the wisdom. You would give us the love.
You would give us the ambition. To walk with God and to invite
others to do the same. Lord.
Keep our hearts, keep our hearts and light of this truth.
And protect us Lord from losing our stability in the faith.
And Lord, we now worship you. Because you have redeemed us to
the Cross, because now we are awaiting for the Blessed.
Hope the Glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior
Jesus Christ, receive our worship.
Receive our worship and receive these words as a cry for your
return. And Lord if our affections are
not there and they're set on other things in this world.
Renew us. If there's other things that we
desire, if there's other things that we think are worthwhile and
worth more of our life and our energy in this world, more than
you coming back and having communion with you and being in
glory with you with the Saints. Lord, forgive us and wash us
thoroughly until it is set on those things.
We give you our hearts this morning in Jesus name, amen.