Alright, let's turn back to 2
Peter 3. I'm so glad that Art read Colossians
3. That goes so well with our message
this morning. The Lord gives us The Holy Spirit
of God gives us two things here that really are two great reasons
for us not to live as this world lives and not to look to the
things this world's looking to. He says there in verse 11, Seeing
then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of
persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of the
Lord, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and
the elements shall melt with fervent heat? That's one reason.
Here's the second, verse 13. Nevertheless, we, according to
his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that
you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found
of him in peace, without spot and blemish, and account the
long-suffering of our Lord's salvation. Look down at verse
17. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing
you know these things before, beware, lest ye also, being led
away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness,
but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and
forever. Amen. Now, I've titled this according
to His promise. If we're going to grow, if we're
going to be living in this world, there's one thing that we need
to be diligent for, and that's the Word of God, the promise
of God, to be in His Word, to be seeking what He says, what
He's teaching us, to seek the knowledge, to learn more of the
Lord Jesus Christ. When I was in school and you
walked around in the hallway, you know, you got water fountains,
and if you want water, you got to go to the fountain. You're
not going to just walk down the hall and walk away from the fountain
and expect to get water out of the fountain. If we want to grow
in grace, we're going to have to continually be coming to the
fountain. The fountain's Christ. That's
where all the water of life comes from. We're going to have to
be coming to Him. We won't find it in this world.
Now, we have received grace from Christ for one reason. We've received grace for grace. Of His fullness have we all received. All the believers who call by
His grace, we have received grace for grace. When He gives you
grace, you start seeking grace from Him. And He gives more grace. That's what James said. And He
gives it so that we declare His grace. Because He's going to
give grace to some others that He's chosen to call out in this
world. That's our purpose here. Our purpose here is to be growing
in grace that we might be useful of God, to be used of God as
instruments to declare His grace where through which God will
call out His sheep by His grace. And when the last one's called
out, we're done. We're going home. So that's what
we're here for. That's why we're here. For His
grace, the glory of God. To Him be all glory and honor
in all. Now, everything that God does,
He does according to the promise of His Word. I wanted you to
see that message in Exodus 21. God fulfills His promise. That's
what I taught. God fulfills His promise. Now
I want you to see here, because all of this third chapter of
Peter is filled up with the Word of God, the promise of God. Seek
His Word. Seek His face. Heed His Word. Heed His promise. Look at verse
5. By the Word of God, the heavens
were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water.
That's how He made the first creation. You know how He's going
to make the new heavens and the new earth? By His Word. Speaking
His Word in power. That's how He makes the new heavens
and the new earth. Verse 6 says, whereby. That means
by the Word of God. The world that then was, was
overflowed with water and perished. Because He spoke it and did it.
He spoke it, created it. Can't He speak it and destroy
it? And then verse 7, it says, the heavens and earth, which
are now by the same word, are held in store, and they're reserved
unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly
men. And then he says in verse 9, the Lord is not slack concerning
his promise. He's not slack concerning his
word. You see the word, the words throughout this chapter. He's
not slack concerning his promise, his son men can't count slackness.
He's not willing. He's longsuffering. He's not
willing that any should longsuffering to us. We're not willing that
any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. You
know why that is? Because the word who was in the
beginning, that word who is God was made flesh. That promise
of God came. That covenant God gave as a covenant
for his people. He came, Christ Jesus. John said,
Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of all of
his elect children scattered throughout the world. And that's
what John said when he said he takes away the sin of the world.
He didn't take away the sin of every single individual in the
world because some were in hell when he died. And if He took
away all the sins of everybody, they all got to be saved, because
God's Word is just, and what He does is right, and God's purged
His people of all their sin. So, don't think this Word of
Promise is slack, as some men count slackness, but God is longsuffering
to the usward for whom Christ has obtained eternal redemption. Because He's not willing that
any of those for whom Christ died should perish, but that
they all should come to repentance. And because God's not willing
that they should perish, they're not going to perish. And because
God's willing that they come to repentance, they're going
to come to repentance by God's power. He's going to do that.
All of this is by His Word. Okay. Now look at verse 10. This is where we're going to
start. Verse 10. Now, the Lord's not slack concerning
his promise, but he says here, but the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night, into which the heavens shall
pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat. The earth also and the works
that are therein shall be burned up. Now, this is according to
God's promise. The day of the Lord will come. It will come. The Lord is coming
again. Not one word, not one word that
God has spoken from the beginning has failed to be fulfilled by
God. He's fulfilled everything He
said He would do, and He shall fulfill everything He says He's
gonna do. The day of the Lord will come. It's gonna come unexpectedly,
as a thief in the night. Are you ready? Are you ready
for the Lord's return? Honestly, everybody listening
to me right here, are you ready for the Lord's return? Not knowing
the day, not knowing the hour, that ought to make us earnest. It ought to make us diligent.
to be found in him, to be prepared for that day when he returns.
He will return. The majority in this world right
now are in darkness. This time-space continuum that
we're in is called the night. That's what it's called. And
this world is teaching everybody in it, chase your dreams. Chase
your dreams. You know what Jane Bonar wrote?
When her husband was dying, she sat down and wrote, fade, fade,
each earthly joy. And she wrote this, farewell,
ye dreams of night. Lost in this dawning bright. If we accomplished all our dreams,
everything we could possibly dream in this lifetime, you know
what we would have accomplished? we would have latched on and
accomplished something that would eventually prove to be as worthless
as the dreams you have when you sleep at night. They're worthless. You can get up and think they're
going to fill you, and think they're going to clothe you,
think it's all going to come to pass, but they're worthless.
That's what the dreams of this night are. Farewell, ye dreams
of night. These dreams are worthless. Nothing
you see here will remain. Look at verse 10. The heavens
shall pass away with a great noise. And the elements, the
sun, the moon, the stars that are in the heavens, they're going
to pass away with a fervent heat. The earth also. And the works
that are in the earth, they'll be burned up too. that we see
is going to remain. Everything that man's ever constructed,
all the riches, all the architecture, all the most lasting monuments
that have been built in this earth, all the mansions, all
the worldly things that men are feverishly working themselves
to death to get. They're just trying and trying
to get everything they can get. And every bit of it's going to
melt. with a fervent heat. It's going to just vanish. Now
this is the promise of God. This is His promise. All who
do not believe on Christ shall perish in that day. Now Christ
shall come, and 2 Thessalonians 1.8 says, in flaming fire, taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I know we sitting here that
profess to believe, we know the doctrine of grace. We know God
chose a people. We know Christ redeemed them.
We know the Spirit of God regenerates them. We know that we're dead
in trespass and sin till God comes. We know that we're preserved
by God, kept by Him, that none's going to be lost, that He's going
to bring us to glory. We know salvation is of the Lord.
But are we obeying the gospel? Are we obeying the gospel? God
tells us to remember the former things of old. He said, I'm God,
there's none else. I'm God, there's none like me.
So let's remember the former things of old. God destroyed
the world in Noah's day. Israel looked like they would
flourish and prosper and be lasting forever. God destroyed Israel.
Jerusalem was this great, mighty city. In 70 AD, God burned it
up using Rome to do it. But God's telling us when He
returns, He's going to do something far greater than any of that,
but He's not left us in darkness concerning. He's shown us repeatedly
what He's going to do in the end. He's declared the end from
the beginning to us. So we're not in darkness on it.
So this is the first word of promise we have. Christ shall
return, and everything we see is going to dissolve. All right?
Here's the second word. Then what would we be wise to
do? Now believe God, that's what would be wise to do, and heed
his gospel, obey his gospel, heed his word of instruction
to us. Here it is, verse 11. Seeing
then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of
persons ought you to be in all holy conversation, conduct, and
godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of
God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and
the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Now you who believe,
we who believe have experienced the grace of God. How is it that
we've been separated from this world? We couldn't do it ourselves.
We love the world. We love everything in it by nature
if we're born in this world. And unless God interrupts us
and intervenes and effectually calls us, we'll go on it. We'll
go on, as Brother Tim James used to say, getting all we can and
canning all we get and sitting on the can. That's what we'll
do until it all melts away. But God the Father separated
us by divine election when he chose his people and put them
in Christ. Christ separated his people by his blood when he came
into this earth and redeemed his children and perfected forever
all them that are sanctified that's what he did and God the
Holy Spirit separated us sanctified us when he regenerated us and
brought us out of darkness into his marvelous light out of separation
from God into God, making us fit, meet to be partakers of
the inheritance of the saints in life. That's how we were separated. So what should we do seeing how
we have received this great grace of our God whereby he's made
us separated from this world? Well, we ought not to be as the
scoffers who hate our gospel, who mock the truth of Christ
returning. They laugh and mock. They think
that because judgment's not executed speedily, that it won't come.
But it will, and it will come speedily. Well, we ought not
to be indifferent to the promise of God, to the word of God, as
many are who profess to know the Lord God. Many can tell you
the doctrine of grace, and dot every i and cross every t, and
could and could give care less for the gospel. They prove it
because they live for this world. They're where the rest of the
world is today. That's where they are. We ought not to be
conformed to this present world. That's what he's telling us.
Not to be conformed to this world. Seeking what the men of this
world are seeking. We know the flood was coming.
When he knew that, Noah, when he knew that flood was coming,
Noah lived in his day the total reverse of everybody else in
his day. Everybody in his day were seeking
the world, giving in marriage and feasting and just living
and thinking, live it up while you can. Moses, I mean, Noah
didn't live that way. Noah building that ark every
day, going and working on that ark every day for 120 years. You know what that's a picture
of? That's a picture of a believer seeking to know more of the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's a picture of a believer
seeking to obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, to learn
more of Him, to hear more of Him, to study to be more like
Him, to study and truly desire to obey His gospel as it flows
from His mouth. We can do nothing without Him.
We have to sit at the fountainhead of all grace to receive grace,
to have nourishment ministered to us from our head. That has
got to be. But in Christ, you are complete
now. Every believer is complete in
Christ. justified, sanctified, righteous. There is therefore
now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, those who
are born of His Spirit. You will not get more separated
than you are by God's grace in Christ. You will not get more
holy than you are in God, in Him, being separated into Him.
Having Christ, we have the holiness without which no man shall see
the Lord. But we have a lot of room to
grow in grace, in the graces that God gives while we're here.
We have much room to grow. He's given us grace for grace. We've been called to be men and
women of holy conduct and godliness. This word holy conversation,
you know what it means? It means to be separated from
the world to the service of God. That's what it means. Philippians
1.27. Let me read this turn there with
me. Philippians 1.27. And you hold your place in Philippians.
I'm going to come back there in a moment. Verse 27. Philippians
1.27. Only let your conversation, ask your conduct, Be as it becometh the Gospel
of Christ. No matter where you are, no matter
what situation, no matter what you engaged in, only let your
conduct be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ. That whether
I come and see you or else I'll be absent, I may hear of your
affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind,
striving together for the faith of the gospel, holding forth
the word of life, Paul said. That's our mission. That's our
purpose in this world. Look over at Hebrews 13 and look
at verse 5. Let your conversation, let your
conduct, be without covetousness and be content with such things
as you have. What do you have, believer? You
have the attention of the thrice holy God. You have the constant
protection, the constant care, the constant everlasting eternal
provision of God who owns everything in this world. Everything. That's what you have. Righteousness
in Him. Holiness in Him. Everything that
we could want, we have it in Him. Be content with such things
as you have. Why do we want to chase after
something that's going to dissolve? If we got all that, why are we
running after something that's going to dissolve? Look here,
for he has said, I'll never leave thee, nor forsake thee, so that
we may boldly say with confidence, knowing of a surety, that the
Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto
me. Now brethren, our old fleshly nature, a believer's got two
nature. This, we got a nature in us that wants to do what we're
hearing right here. The believer has a nature in
us that wants to, just completely disregard what this world is
saying and running after those things and heed this gospel of
our Redeemer. There's another man in us that's
nothing but covetousness. All that old man wants is to
go after this world. All that old man wants is a bigger
piece of this world. That old man's what he always
was before God ever came, and he'll be what he always will
be till he's laid off by God in the end. We've put off the
old man and put on the new man, but as Paul said, oh wretched
man that I am. That body of death is still with
me. Those old lustful desires so
that I cannot do what I want to do because he's here with
me. Always, that old nature. We think
that's going to make us more secure and that it's going to
make us more useful to get more of this world. We feel like we
get a little more of this world, it'll make us more secure and
it'll make us more useful. Our security is Christ. It can't
be found in this world. Our security is above. Set your
affection on things above. Our security is Christ, to whom
we've been separated. And our usefulness will come
as we faithfully use these spiritual riches that He's already given
us to seek more of His grace from Him. We're not going to
get it in this world. We're not going to get it by
sowing to the flesh. We're not going to get... If
we cover these riches in a napkin and we sow to the earth, we sow
to this flesh, we shall of the flesh reap corruption. But if
we sow to the Spirit, if we sow to the Spirit, if we feed the
inner man with the things of the Spirit of God, if our affection,
our innermost bowels are yearning and set on Christ above, and
we're seeking grace from Him, we'll reap life everlasting.
Look over 1 Peter 1, and look at verse 13. This is what Peter's
dealing with all through these two epistles. Peter's an old
man writing this, and he's been down the road that we're walking. 1 Peter 1.13, Wherefore gird
up the loins of your mind, and be sober. You know, I told you
Thursday night that drunkenness in Scripture is compared to those
who are drunk in the night. I mean, worldliness and having
our minds set on this world and on the cares of this world and
being overly anxious about, you know, paying our bills and our
jobs and all those things. We have to do those things, but
being overly anxious with those things is compared in Scripture
to being drunk, like a drunk out in the night, staggering
around in the night. That's what all that stuff does to us. It
makes us drunk. It makes us drunk. He says here,
be sober. and hope to the end for the grace
that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
as obedient children. This is what obedient children
do. What do we consider obedient children? We consider obedient
children to be those who listen to what we're telling them and
do what we're telling them, don't we? That's pretty simple, isn't
it? This is what he's saying. Gird up the loin, the inner man.
and be sober. Don't go after this world. Go
after Christ. Hope to the end for the graces
to be brought of us at the revelation of Christ. As obedient children,
now watch this, not fashioning yourselves according to the former
lusts when you were in your ignorance. That's what we did when we were
ignorant of God's grace. We just went after the world
then. But as he which hath called you is holy, He's not conformed
to this world. He didn't conform to this world.
He didn't seek anything from this world. He's holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners. As He's holy, so be you holy
in all manner of conduct, conversation. Because it's written, be ye holy
for I'm holy. And you see, He's made us holy,
brethren. It's not that we're going to
be more holy. But if we turn back and run back into the world,
we'll prove we never have been made holy. We'll prove we came
out in word and profession only, but we never were made holy.
But when he says, be ye holy, he's saying, don't go back to
what you were when you were in your ignorance. Now look, and
if you call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth
according to every man's word. In other words, God knows the
heart. He's not mocked. So pass the time of your sojourning,
of your pilgrimage. We're just passing through here.
and pass through here in fear, for as much as you know, you
were not redeemed with corruptible things. These things that we're
running after in this world, we weren't redeemed by those
things. Those are corruptible things, silver and gold. Those
are things that came from our vain conversation, our vain conduct
received by tradition from your fathers. But we've been redeemed
with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and
without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation
of the world. He's instructing us, ensuring
us that all the promise of God is sure. You see Christ was foreordained
before the world came? He came, didn't He? God's Word,
sure. He came and did the work, and
finished the work God sent Him to do for us. God's Word, sure.
He was manifest in these last times for you, who by Him believe
in God, that raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory,
that your faith and hope might be in God. Not in these things,
you see. Alright, look over at 2 Peter,
back to 2 Peter, and look at chapter 1, verse 5. Godliness
is what Peter is instructing us to give diligence to pursue
at the first of the epistle. Look at verse 5, 2 Peter 1 5. He said, besides this giving
all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge,
and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and
to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness,
and to brotherly kindness charity. So he said, We can't just make
ourselves have any of these things. They've got to come from God.
But when He says give diligence to add these things, what He's
saying is give diligence toward God, toward His Word, toward
His Gospel. toward seeking these things from
Christ in his word and by prayer and by through hearing the gospel
like what Art was talking about in looking at the things of providence
and seeing what God is showing us in it and looking for God
in his works in this world. Be diligent. Look at the next
word. If these things be in you and
abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful. We could have our coffers full
of silver and gold. We could have an extra wing added
on to our houses. That's not going to make us fruitful. This is going to make us fruitful.
What he's doing. Where are they found? Look at
the next phrase. In the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ. That's where they're found. What
do we find ourselves diligently pursuing the most? Art. I'm just ashamed about it. I
mean, I diligently pursue more this world's promotion than I
seek to grow in grace and the knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ.
Look at 1 Timothy 6 and verse 6. Now watch, we're talking about
godliness now. Verse six, but godliness with
contentment is great gain. Now he's talking about, he's
gonna show us something here that is really great gain. Godliness
with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this
world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. Everything
here is gonna be dissolved. And having food and raiment,
Let us be there with content, food and raiment. But they that
will be rich fall into temptation and a snare. and into many foolish
and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the
root of all evil. While some coveted after, they've
erred from the faith, pierced themselves through with many
sorrows." Now listen to this word. But thou, O man of God,
flee these things. Flee these things. He's saying,
run from money. That's what he's saying. Run
from it and follow after righteousness and godliness and faith and love
and patience and meekness. Isn't God so long-suffering to
us? He's more patient with us than we are with our own children
because we're slow to believe Him and we're slow to follow
what He's spoken to us. We flee to that which God says
flee from. And what God says diligently
follow after, we seek a whole lot less than the other. Isn't
that right? Isn't that right? We really think
that we might miss out on something in this world if we simply obey
God and give ourselves to grow in grace. That we really do. God says if we simply believe
Him, and walk according to His Word. I mean seeking His face. He'll protect us and He'll hold
nothing back from us. Do you believe God? That's what
He says. Be sure to read the bulletin this week. Let me read
this scripture to you. Psalm 84 11. For the Lord God
is a sun and a shield. He said He's going to protect
His child. The Lord will give grace. He'll give it right now. Give it to His children. He will
give grace. If He's given us grace to seek grace from Him,
He's done it for grace. He will give us more grace and
glory. He'll give us glory. He will
promote us when we need to be promoted. I'm talking about in
this life. He'll promote us when we need it. He'll give us more
light right now to follow Him. He'll promote us when we need
to be promoted. He will He will reward us in this life by showing
us more of Christ. What do you want more? What other
reward would we want? That's what I want. And then
glory hereafter He will give to us to be with Christ forever,
to have, He's our portion and we're His portion. He'll give
us glory with Him. And it says, at no good thing
will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. No good thing
will he withhold from us. He didn't withhold his son for
us. He will give us any lesser thing. But he'll withhold it from us
if we're trying to get it by the wisdom of our own intellect
and by the power of our own hand and seeking it in this world.
Forget it. Forget it. Do we not think that
God, who turns the king's heart whichever way He will, and who
rules the wind and the storm, the sea, and all things in it,
do we not think that He's able to stop us from succeeding at
all if we're turning and going another direction? And at the
same time, when He's turned us to Him, do we not think that
He's able to give us every good thing we need in this life and
keep us? All right. I'm going to have
to hurry here, but he says there back in 2 Peter 3.12, looking
for and hasting unto, that means desiring earnestly the coming
of the day of God. Now, remember what we saw Thursday
night? If you didn't hear the message,
Thursday night's message was titled, Faithful and wise servants. We get that backwards. I typed
it out when I was posting the message, my notes for the message,
and I typed out wise and faithful servants. And I thought, wait
a minute, that's not right. I went back and looked at it.
It's faithful and wise servants. You see, we don't become wise
till we believe God. We'll never become wise till
we follow God and heed his word and seek him and seek wisdom
from him. You can't be wise and then faithful. That's getting it backwards. It's not that way. Faithful and
wise. But he says we don't know the
exact hour he's coming, but we know the watch. He's told us
he's coming in these last days in this watch. Watch, therefore,
for you know not what hour your Lord doth come, but know this,
that if the good men of the house had known in what watch the thief
would come." Four watches in a night. We're in the last watch
of the night. We're in the last watch of time.
We know he's coming in this watch. We don't know the hour, but we
know he's coming in this watch. He says, If he had known, he'd
have watched, and he wouldn't have suffered his house to be
broken up. Therefore, be ye also ready, for in such a hour as
you think not the Son of Man come." We don't know the hour,
but we know the watch. All right, thirdly, let's look
at our text. Here's what we're looking for.
We're looking for the Lord's return for this reason. Verse
12, the heavens are going to be on fire, be dissolved, the
elements will melt with the fervent heat. Nevertheless, We, according
to His promise, look for new heavens and new earth wherein
dwelleth righteousness. Everyone and everything in that
new heavens and new earth will be the new creation of God, all
righteous by His grace. Everything. Born of the Spirit
of God, created anew in righteousness and true holiness, robed in the
righteousness of Christ, our bodies raised immortal, incorruptible,
without sin. There shall no wise enter into
it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination
or maketh a lie. Won't that be good? None of those
things will be there. But they which are written in
the Lamb's Book of Life, there won't be one of them missing.
They'll all be there. There's nothing in this world
now that will not be burned up. There's nothing in this world
worthy to be compared with that world. and with everything in
it. Nothing. Try to imagine it as I read this
to you. Just try to picture that new heavens and new earth. It's
going to be like this. It's going to be an earth. It's going to be a place. We're
not going to be floating around on clouds, like we're floating
around on angel soft tissue. We're going to be in a substantial
place that's never going to melt or be destroyed ever again. Try
to imagine it as I read this to you. There should be no more
curse, but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it,
and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be in their
foreheads." That means our minds be set on Him, really set on
Him. And there'll be no night there.
We're in night right now. There won't be any night then.
There's no need, no candle. They need no candle, neither
light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they
shall reign forever and ever. Brother Scott Richardson, right
before he died, Brother Ravi reminded me of this the other
day. Brother Scott Richardson said, we understand more about
what heaven is and will be to us by what it is not and will
not be. He preached this right before
he died. He said, there'll be no more sin. No more darkness. No more pain. No more sorrow. No more jail. No more crying. No more war. No more sickness. No more heartache. No more dying
in a ditch. No more fear. No more confusion. No more lacking anything. No
more vanity. No more waiting. No more going astray. No more
reproach. No more affliction. No more darkness. No more trouble. No more curse. No more dishonoring God. Our
name will no more be called Jacob. We'll be called children of the
living God. And he said, and no more birthdays. Now, look at verse 14. Wherefore,
beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent. In a crowded place with your
children, are you diligent to keep your eye on your children?
We keep our eye, we diligently keep our eye on that which is
precious to us. That's what he means. Be diligent. Be diligent. That you may be
found of Him. Or it could be said, in Him.
Paul said, I count everything lost. I count it done. That I
might win Christ and be found in Him. Not having mine own righteousness. But the righteousness which is
of the law. But the righteousness which is of God. The righteousness
of Christ's faithfulness. His fidelity. What He's done
for me. He said, I'm pressing towards
that mark. And he said, be of that mind. Press toward that
mark. The high prize of the high calling
of God. He said, there's some in this
world whose God is their belly, and they mind earthly things.
They follow after earthly things. And he said, look for Him. Look
for Him. All right, look here at this next thing. Be diligent
to be found of Christ in peace. You see, the world disturbs our
peace, believer. Christ does not give us peace
as this world gives it. He just does not. To have the
peace the world gives, carnal security, means we have to forsake
the peace Christ gives. We can't have both. We can't
have both. He said in the world you'll have
tribulation. And if we're His, that's what we're going to find
out. That's all we get by seeking more of this world. But the peace
he gives is peace in believing, believe in him. Fighting for
the world, trying to fight with the world to make our way in
the world, to get more of this world, means we have to live
by the sword. and we'll die by the sword too,
and it'll disrupt our peace. And you know what'll end up happening?
We may end up still coming in here in the gospel priest, we
may end up still going through all the outward motions, but
in our heart of hearts, we'll be envious of our fellow brethren. Won't be at peace with them,
because they believe God, and they're content, and they're
following after Him, and they seem to have plenty. And here
I am, striving hard, and I don't have anything. And our peace
will be gone. It'll be gone. We'll be envious
of our brethren. It disrupts our peace with one
another. That's the peace he's talking about. Be found of peace
with one another. Be diligent to be found of him without spot
and blameless. In Christ, we're spotless. We're
blameless in him. He's gonna present us to himself
a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
And he's gonna present us to the Father's glory, faultless,
with exceeding joy. You remember how James told us
to stay unspotted? He said, keep yourself unspotted
from the world. That's what he's talking about.
Remember the prodigal? He ran off, and man, he was going
to go off and get as much of this world as he could get. You
know where he ended up? He ended up in a pig pen. If
we seek to live like swine, we crawl into the hog pen to feed
on the hog slop with swine. We're going to get muddy. We're
going to get muddy. We may prove our profession was
in word only, but we're not going to get anything there. We're
not going to prove anything if we did get more of this world.
He said, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and
keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.
All right, look at the next word, verse 15. Account that the longsuffering
of our Lord is salvation. Now I said to you at the beginning,
all the elect of God, they're all gonna be called. They're
all gonna be called. They're all gonna be taught of
God. They're all gonna come to Christ through faith. None shall
be lost. That's what we're waiting on.
But now, consider it in light of what Peter's teaching us here,
what the Spirit of God's teaching us. At the job, at the job, at
school, wherever we are in this world, you ever think the person
in the next cubicle, or that person that just walked up to
the counter, That might be the last elect child of God. If they are, they're going to
be called out. God's going to cross their path with the gospel.
But wouldn't it be a shame if I had my mind so set on my worldly
business? And I got my mind so carried
away looking for peace somewhere else other than Christ that I
wasn't fit to be used of God to speak the gospel to that last
elect child of God. Wouldn't that be a shame? Our
diligence to grow in grace is so that we might be useful of
God for this chief purpose. The long-suffering God's just
waiting right now because He's gonna save all His people. And
He's using us for that purpose. This is why we're seeking to
grow in grace. All right, let's read it out,
verse 17. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things
before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error
of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. That won't
happen for anybody whom God has called. He's going to keep us.
But if we can fall from our own steadfastness and be led away
with the error of the wicked, we never knew Him. We never knew
Him. That scares me. I don't want
to be led away from Him. I want to be found in Him. So
be steadfast. Beware. But verse 18 says, but
grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. Let me give you one more verse.
Turn over to Hebrews 10.35. This is why I preached that first
message to you, to show you that God is as good as His Word. He fulfills everything He's promised.
And He's coming again. He's told us that. And He's telling
us now, seek, be diligent, seek grace from Me. That's what He's
telling us. don't don't turn to this world
now look at Hebrews 1035 cast not away therefore your confidence
which has great recompense of reward for you have need of patience
that after you have done the will of God you might receive
the promise for yet a little while and he that shall come
will come and will not tarry and this This last word in 2
Peter will be our song. It'll be our song now if we're
diligent to seek Him. And it'll be our song in that
day. To Him be glory, both now and forever. Amen. All right, Eric, you'll lead
us in a closing hymn. Alright, let's stand and close
with hymn number 52. Hymn 52, Majestic Sweetness,
sits enthroned. Majestic sweetness sits enthroned
Upon the Savior's brow. His head with radiant glories
crowned, His lips with grace o'erflow. His lips with grace
o'erflow, No mortal can with Him compare Among the sons of
men. Fairer is He than all the fair,
Who willed the heavenly train? Who filled the heavenly train? He saw me plunged in deep distress
And flew to my relief For me He bore the shameful cross, And
carried all my grief, And carried all my grief. To Him I owe my life and breath,
and all the joys I have. He makes me triumph over death
and saves me from the grave and saves me from the grave. Heavenly Father, we are so grateful
for your words, Father. With David we can say, it has
been good for us of being in the house of the Lord. Father,
we are so thankful that in your presence there is fullness of
joy. Father, we pray that you teach us, Father, to live above
the rubbish of this world, Father. Several factions upon things
above, not upon things on this earth. May you teach us, Father,
to hold the things of this world with a loose hand. Bless us,
our God, and break our grips, Father. Our affections and this
things of this world that should decay, shall pass away and be
burned up by our Lord God. Father, it's a time for our Father
to give us grace and then glory too. Father, we thank you for
the time you have spent in our presence, Father, in your Word,
to find a lodging place in our hearts and lodge there. Father,
we pray that you give us grace, Father, to live for you in this
world, to love you more, and to serve you better. Father,
for this week ahead of us, we pray that you go before us and
lead, guide, direct us in all things, Father. Father, we pray
for the message that will be preached We pray, Father, not
only for those of us within these four walls, but a message as
you go through the media, Father, we pray that you call us, that
you strengthen and instruct our people, Father, in the grace
and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. May you please
now to dismiss us at our richest blessings. May you bring to us
your precious name. Brethren, for the offering, Scott
just wanted me to remind you, please make sure that you don't
put your name on the outside of the envelope, but just put
the amount on the outside of the envelope. If it's cash or
check, whatever it is, just put the amount on the outside of
the envelope. There's a spot there also for the building fund.
It's a special. So if you want to contribute
above and beyond what you normally give or have something designated
for the building fund, put it, mark it there. There's two places
on there. And if you do give cash and you'd
like to receive a statement at the end of the year, you'll have
to put your name inside the envelope so that Chris knows and she knows
who to give it to at the end of the year. All right, thanks.