That went well with the Bible
study. Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon
it. All right, go back with me to
2 Peter 3. 2 Peter chapter 3. Read with me
again a couple of verses. Verses 11 and 12. Seeing then that all these things
shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in
all holy conversation 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." David, the psalmist, wrote over
in Psalm 19, The heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament
showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech,
that is, every day Every time the sun comes up, God is saying
something. Night unto night, showeth knowledge,
teaches us something. He says there's no speech nor
language where the voice is not heard. And Paul in Romans 1 said
everyone is without excuse. Day unto day, night unto night,
everyone See something here, something of the. Power and Godhead. Of our God. And I thought about
the unseasonably warm weather that we're having lately. Do you not hear what it's saying?
Have you do you not learn something of a lesson in this? That things are not as they seem. We haven't had much of a winter
for years, have we? That's not attributed to global
warming. But I believe our Lord is sending
strong delusions. Scripture talks about, our Lord
said this, when they shall say, peace and safety in sudden destruction. Comfort, peace, safety, prosperity
are a false sense of the blessings of God. Comfort, peace, safety, prosperity
are a false sense of the blessings of God and security. Now this portion of God's Word
that we just read, and we'll look at again, as I said, becomes
more and more urgent as the days go by. Paul wrote in the Hebrews,
we are to exhort one another so much more as we see the day
approaching. That's what I'm doing as we see
this day, that is the day of our Lord's return. And this Peter,
this epistle by Peter, the second one, he said, This is the second
one I'm writing to you in both of them. I'm warning you, he
said, I'm stirring you up by way of remembrance. I want to
remind you. This letter, this epistle and
this message is a reminder to the beloved. God's people. To. Wake up, don't fall asleep
in this enchanted ground. I know everything just seems
just wonderful. But we have here no continuance. We look for another. And it's coming, coming down.
Heavenly Jerusalem is coming soon. It really is. And to wake
up and watch and look before your redemption draweth nigh. He's at the door, that's what
the scripture said. He's at the door. 2007, I wrote that at the top of the
bulletin. January 7, 2007. Is that incredible
to you? It was to me when I wrote that.
It just took me back. fellow years ago, years and years
ago, wrote a book called 1984. That was the end of the world. He wrote that back in the, I
don't know, 60s or 50s. 84, that seemed like such a long
ways off. This is 2007. Do you remember what the Lord
said about his return? Peter reminds us. The Lord said,
at a time when you think not. The Lord says, a thief in the
night. That's what Peter says, a thief in the night, when men
are not looking, not expecting. But we're not like them. We're
looking, expecting, awaiting, anxious, yeah? And as I said,
This morning, I hope you will take the time to read the Bulletin
article. How many? Well, I want everybody to read
that because I don't have time to address all of that this morning. It would be a great comfort to
you, especially the young who are, you know, in the future,
looking forward to the future. Well, you need not fear. You
need not fear. But our Lord said that, at a
time when you think not. what an old fellow at one time,
an old preacher said to a brother of his, he said, brother, he
said, do you think the Lord will return tomorrow? And the man
said, I, well, I think not. And that fellow said, then he
probably will. Another time when you think not.
When they pay and and this is when when people are not thinking
about the law and peace and prosperity and all of that is not that's
not a time when people are really thinking about going to meet
God. If it says with a. Loud. Great noise right now well when
the year 2000 rolled around you remember where you some of you
were here. We had a New Year's Eve service at that time and
year 2000 rolled around and you know the whole world. They may
have said they weren't worried. But they were. I believe there was a collective
sigh of relief the world over when that. Big ball hit the sky
in New York wherever they were whatever they were watching.
I thought. The world didn't end. Do you remember what we said,
what we concluded? We knew the Lord was not going
to come to end it. We knew that. Because people were thinking
that maybe he was, but then he wasn't, he's not going to do
it. It's time when you think not. And we also concluded this. We
said it's going to be, you know, a few years are going to go by. And people will have said, like
they said here, see? All things continue as they have
on the beginning. Where's the promise of his coming?
You keep talking about him coming with a 2,000 rolled around. He didn't come. 2,000, 1, 2,
3, 4, 5. See? That's all a bunch of foolishness.
It's all a big fairytale. This is what Peter He's writing
to the people then and now. He said, Beloved, don't you be
ignorant of this. Don't you be ignorant. And our
Lord talked about the days of Noah. Matthew 24, which amazingly,
providentially, we're going to look at real soon, just real
soon. It's coming up. It's just coming
up, Jerry. Matthew twenty four which the Lord goes into great
detail concerning his return. And it just so happens that it's
coming up real soon. We didn't choose the book of
Matthew for that one chapter for that reason but here it is
facing us once again. And our Lord talked about the
days of Noah and he said that's what it'll be when the Son of
Man comes just like the days of Noah they were eating and
drinking and Mary and given in marriage and the Lord not condemning
those things the Lord is the one who gave those things the
Lord is the condone those that marriage and marriage is good
not good for a man to be allowed. It's a good thing. Our Lord attended
a wedding. Our Lord ate and drank. Read
the book of Ecclesiastes young people. Read it for yourself
and see that the Lord gives us all things richly to enjoy. as
long as you are worshipping Him and remembering where it came
from. But our Lord said it would be as in the days of Noah. You
see, Noah was a preacher. That's what Scripture says. Most people don't think of him
as a preacher. They think of him as some long-haired, long-bearded
old fellow with a big staff, you know, and sitting, standing
on a boat, you know, and just saving animals. Now scripture
says he was a preacher of righteousness that's what scripture said. Preacher
of righteousness. What did he preach? God's righteousness. God's holiness. The judge of
the earth. A just God who will by no means
clear the guilty. And Noah's message and when Noah
was building that ark. His message to everyone that
came by. What are you doing, Noah? I'm building a ship, because
God said to. Because God said he's going to
destroy this God-forsaken planet. God is angry with the wicked
every day. This was the message of Noah. This was it. Ah, but Noah, everything,
look how well everything's going. Look, look, it's peace, prosperity. God is angry with the wicked
every day. God is going to destroy this
earth. How do you know? He said so. You think you're right? Well,
God loves us, Noah. God loves everybody. Look at
him. He's blessing me. Look at all the blessings I have
on my wife, life, my family. Look at all the blessings. If
you don't come to this, get in this ark when it's finished,
the wrath of God abides upon you. If you believe not, and
don't come into this ark, you're going to die, and at least punished for your
sins eternally. Noah. That's a bunch of foolishness.
When Noah worked on that ark, what is the ark? What was the
ark? Noah worked on the ark. The ark was a picture of both
judgment If God wasn't going to destroy the world, it wouldn't
need an ark. Did you hear what I said? If
God wasn't going to destroy this world again, you wouldn't need
Christ. Do you understand? It's a picture
both of judgment and mercy. God is angry with the wicked
every day. That's what every blow of his
hammer said to the people. But also, that hammer also sounded
out, but there's mercy with the Lord. There's mercy with the
Lord. It's in one place, but there
is mercy with the Lord. That ark represented wrath and
mercy. That ark represented death. But
it also represented life, new life, brand new life, a new earth. Come to the ark. Get in the ark.
That's what it was all about. A hundred
and twenty year warning. Judgment's coming. There's one
way to be saved. The ark. Get in the ark. You know that art represents
Christ, don't you? And the truth which is Christ,
the truth which is who God really is, true God, living God, the
truth that God is indeed holy, that God is just, that God is
angry with the wicked, that God has and will punish sin, the
truth that God is mercy, God is love, God is grace, The truth
that God has provided salvation, that God has provided one way,
an arc, just one, for guilty sinners to go into. The truth
that Christ is the sinner's refuge, that Christ is the arc of safety,
that Christ is and has borne the wrath of God for all in him. That truth keeps
being preached, doesn't it? from this place and other places.
Not many, but they're everywhere. And that all that are in Christ
are eternally safe. All outside of Christ will be
destroyed. That's what God said. So the message doesn't change. This is not a altar call. This
is a truth. Come to Christ. Do it now. Repent, believe, or perish. That's our message. That was Noah's message. Well,
for a while, folks who heard Noah were curious. were interested. For a while,
people heard that and perhaps we thought about this before,
but perhaps some of them even joined in on the building. But as time went by, you see,
ten years, twenty years, fifty years, eighty years, a hundred I just don't think he's coming." And then they began to laugh.
Then they began to mock. That's what Peter's telling us. He says, in the last days, scoffers,
mockers will come saying, everything, nothing's changed. You know why
nothing's changed? Because God says it wouldn't.
In Genesis 8, after their flood, he said that. that summer and
winter and springtime and harvest and all that will continue right
up to the day. So. What he said. Well they said that to know well
said everything's nothing's changed there's no promise of his coming
where is the promise of his coming and then the ark was finished. Took a long time. But it was
finished. And then Noah and seven persons. Noah and seven persons went in
to that big ship. Along with animals of every sort,
which are a picture of God's people, which are out of every
tribe, kindred, nation, and time. And for seven days they waited. And that was the time, you know,
when Noah went in that boat and his family went in that ark before
one drop of rain fell. Are you still with me? Noah and
his family went in that ark before one drop. They went in by faith. Had the rain start falling, everybody
would run. But the just live by faith. The
just take God at his word, by his grace they believe. They
come to Christ because God said so. They believe God. See, God doesn't prove things
to us and then we believe. God gives us faith. Well, Noah went in that ship,
that ark, and sat down, rested. What a picture that is of those
who come to Christ, they rest in him. works over its finish,
except for feeding the sheep in there and his family. But you know those seven days
were probably the hardest days of all for Noah. The door was
open. That big giant door, it's big
enough for elephants and hippopotamuses and giraffes to go through. That
big giant door was wide open and there sat Noah and his in
his family eight so. And the whole world passed by
for seven days. And don't you know Ron don't you know they
laughed louder than they ever laughed. They probably gathered as a crowd
they probably gathered outside that door and kissed him and
made sport of him. Amen. What a fool. And then suddenly, seven days were over. Amazingly, miraculously, that door of itself just shut. No, it didn't shut. Scripture
says God And in doing so, shut them out. Well. And I thought about that,
have you ever thought about what was going through their minds
at that time? This is real story people, this is real. And it
represents something real. You ever thought about what was
going through their minds? Don't you think that that whole
family was scared to death? Hmm? Trembling. Trembling. And Noah turned to
his trembling family and he said, he said this, he told us didn't He told us this day would come,
and here it is. There's no need to fear. God said this ark would bear
us up safely. God said that everyone in this
ark is going to be OK. And I believe God. I believe
it shall be even as he had said. So, son, daughter, be of good
cheer. And as they heard the winds begin
to pick up, and big raindrops fall, and begin to batter that
boat, I believe, I really do, I believe Noah had his whole
family get down on their knees. And as that boat began to rise,
they got down on their knees and collected as a family. Thank
God for putting us in this ark. Thank you, Lord, for making yourself
known to us. Thank you, Lord, for revealing
your salvation to us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Just an old religious. Superstition
or tradition. No. God's work. You've read it
with me many times. And I believe it's two thousand
seven I'm not making a prediction I'm not. But I believe we're
in those seven days. The art. Which is Christ. The gospel still being preached
mercy stories wide. Wide. We don't exclude anybody
from coming. That's why we're preaching it.
That's why we're on the radio. That's why we're right. We're
not excluding anyone. What we're saying is come. All
we're saying is it's one way. All these other are false refusers
but one way Christ is the way the truth the lie no man come
up under the father but by him and no man can come to the father
drawing. Spirit and bride say come let
him in the thirst come. Come into the ark come. And so here he says beloved verse
one he says beloved I'm trying to remind you, I want to remind
you, brothers and sisters, I want to stir you up out of lethargy,
out of complacency. That means being too comfortable,
not gay. Verse 3, he says, there are mockers
and scoffers. mockers and scoffers they convince
themselves that these things are false because they they have
less that is they have things that they are more interested
in and got so they convinced himself and firmly convinced
that none of this is so. And you make yourself believe
what you want to. Verse four he says. They say
all things are going to continue. And he's not coming first five
he says that they're willing they will and they are ignorant
of. That is they choose to ignore
that God created everything even though the heavens declare his
glory and firmament shows his hand or day in the day of his
speech everybody clear there without excuse. Without excuse everything around
us just says God is God is everything. But they willingly, they don't
want to create her, so they ignore that. They're willingly ignorant
of the flood. Verse six, that the Lord destroyed
the flood. I was standing in my field on
the farm we had a while back, standing in the field, and a
neighbor was standing with me, and we were looking at these river
rocks all in the field. The Pig River now, the Pig River
was at least thirty-five feet or more below that field. That water has never been that
high. Or has it? And that man said, how did these
river rocks get all the way up here? He said, a flood. I don't remember. It happened several
thousand years ago. There's fish fossils in top of
the Andes Mountains. Did they swim upstream or what?
I mean. And on and on it goes. Ancient
drawings in caves of a big boat with animals on it. Without excuse, but they're
willing to ignorant. You see, if God destroyed the
world, that means God is. I mean, God does punish sin and
God says he's going to do it again. And we don't want to think
about that. So we just reject it. in spite
of plain evidence and science. Paul said they study science
falsely so-called. Science means the study of truth.
It's that's falsely so-called, got the wrong name. It's not
the study of truth, it's the study of what they want to study.
It'll make you believe what they want to believe. Evolution is
the greatest concoction of Tommy Rot that's ever been, the greatest
hoax ever been of money on human life really all the physical
evidence to support so-called evolution can be can be put in
a coffin. Find a tooth of a pig somewhere
and can talk some story of an ancient man seriously. And they
had that from the people. Money answer. You got a blank
check. that you're over here digging
in the dirt over in Egypt and government send you a blank check
to find something. How long are you going to dig? We haven't found it yet. We found
a tooth. Keep sending the money. Well, anyway, they ignore this. In verse eight, he says, but
beloved now, beloved, beloved, beloved Henry, old brother Henry. Beloved to us and beloved to
God. Beloved Irene, dear sister Irene, Teresa, Mother Teresa. The only true one. Don't be ignorant
of this. They say, where's the promise
of his coming? Don't be ignorant of this one thing, that the time
is nothing to God. God's not on man's schedule.
A day to the Lord is a thousand years. Now, Brother Henry, to
you, 70 years has gone by pretty quick, hasn't it? I mean, it
seems like days, doesn't it? He says, number your days. And
when you get older, that's what, buddy, that's what you start
doing, don't you? You don't think in terms of how many years you've
got. It's days. You take day to day because they're
flying by. Young people think of years.
Oh, I've got my whole life ahead of me. I've got 30 more. Bam,
it's gone. But with the Lord, with God a
thousand years, a thousand years, He's the eternal God. His time
is of no essence. None. And time goes by, you know, four
or five days. See, see, see what? God's purpose and will has already
been determined. The numbers of days are determined
with the Lord. No man knows it. He does. The day is a thousand years,
a thousand years is a day, and also, folks, I believe that's
a prophecy that we need to consider. Don't be ignorant of this now. The Lord took six days to create
the earth. On the seventh day, it's over. This world is six thousand years
old. I don't care what modern science says. I really don't. I laugh at them. I really do.
I laugh at them. I laugh at people that believe that stuff. One
time, Ron, not too many years ago, the headline said, Earth
is much younger than we think. It's a billion years younger
than science is. Do you catch the irony of that?
You know, we thought it was eleven billion, now we think it's seven.
We made a four billion year mistake. What's a billion year, you know? I'd laugh at that. They found
a rock on Mars, you know, as proof of life. A rock on Mars.
And people just fall for it. Why? They want to believe that.
It takes more faith to believe evolution than to believe God's
Word. God's Word, every day, utter speech. Every day. God
has spoken once, the Old Testament, twice, the New Testament, but
men perceive it not. Having ears, they hear not. Having
eyes, they see not. God said to the preacher, go
and preach to them, blind their eyes. God said, Christ, when
he, Christ came, God came, God Almighty who made this earth,
came to this earth. And he's the one that talked
about his return more than anyone else. He's the one For men and
women to reject this is to reject Jesus Christ and to call him
a liar. He said heaven and earth will
pass away. In my words, not one word. Shall fail. You see, that's who it's all
about. That one who came here 2,000 years ago, he was God or
he wasn't. He either is the truth or we're
believing a lie, the biggest lie that's ever been told. And
the proof, the undeniable, irrefutable proof of who he is, what he said,
and the truth of it all is he rose from that grave, came out
of that grave. He was seen by over 500 people
at one time. And he said, when he left this
place, he said, I'm coming again. That's what he said. That day will come. The Lord
is not slack concerning his promise. He made a promise, he just didn't
tell us the day, did he? As some men count slackness you
know I've been told things by men and women you have to and
it just they just didn't do it. Came and went and they did not
fulfill their promise. Well God's not like that. He's
long suffering you see to us. You know listen he said over
the cross the page you need to account that the long suffering
of our Lord it is salvation. Take that into account. Keep
that in mind that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation. Brother
Kelly, I'm so glad that the Lord did not come back in 1973. I'm
so glad, listen to me now, that the Lord did not come back in
1974. Why? Because there was a prodigal
out there named Paul. A prodigal son out there. But God, whose longsuffering
to me were not willing that I should perish. It's not time yet. The sheep
aren't in the fold. You got any prodigals? They're all going to come to
repentance. Every one of them. You need to take that into account,
you see. We want to come home. We've got husbands and wives
and sons and daughters and mothers and fathers and neighbors and
so forth we want to see come in this. One of. How do you get. Me. Or newly called called this
is how you are what would you hear. What you hear in this one
who you're here right there. And by God's grace you can and
you said. That one drop not fire had fallen
yet. And the world going on it's mocking
and jeering you you're in a cult architrave in a cult that's what
they say that they literally said that they don't think West.
a year in a cold and nobody like you. God loves everybody does
not. It's not like you say. I know that but it is like he
said. And we believe God we believe
it shall be even as he has. Come to Christ in one way one
way he says the day of the Lord will come. As a thief in the
night. The heavens shall pass away with
a great noise. He says, so he says, then to
us in closing, he says, seeing that all these things will be
dissolved. What should we be doing? Now, folks. Again, read the article in the
book. The Lord knows our frame. We've
got jobs to work. We've got homes to provide for
meals to cook children to have and clean up and teach and this
and that and the other. All the cares of this life. And if you don't do it, you're
a poor provider. You can't sit and read your Bible
all day. You can't. You can't be on your knees in
prayer all day. You can't. Got to go to work, got to go
out in the world, don't you? Huh? And rub shoulders with Solomon
Gamara. You got to do it, don't you?
You don't want to do it, but you got to do it. When he talks about
all holy conversation and godliness, what does that mean? It means
have your mind, your affection, your heart set on things of God.
Holy means whatever has to do with God. Set your mind, your affection,
keep thinking on this thing. That's why you're here this morning.
That's my job. This is my job. My occupation
is not to prepare you how to live, though I'm right now telling
you, but really it's to prepare you for the end. And it's coming. Do what you do, whatever your
hand finds to do, do it with all your might, as unto the Lord. Remember, where you got it, who
you got it from, who you serve, Who are you looking for? He's
coming back. Remember that. Don't put all your eggs in one
basket. Don't have all your happiness and everything. Well, if Christ
is your life, then you won't do that. You won't invest all your thoughts
and mind and everything on other things. Perishing things. Perishing
things. A soap bubble. dust and ashes. He said, seeing all these things
shall be dissolved. You know, and verse 12, I like
this. He says, looking for looking
for. You remember that story, don't
you, of that young boy who his father years ago driving to London,
England with his son, young son, and the father had business to
attend to. in town as we left the young young boy in the storefront
door of a place he knew left him there and he said son wait
on me I'll be back to wait right here don't leave I'll be back.
And the man went off on business. And you know he forgot about
that boy. And he started and he remembered.
And he frantically Rushed to the place where he dropped him
off. It's dark. And there is that. Right there
on that step. And he rushed out of that old
coach and picked him up in his arms and said, Oh, son, I'm so
glad to see you. I'm so glad you're here. And
the son said, Father. He said, you told me to wait
on you. He said you'd come back and you have. So I was waiting
on you. See, let us not sleep as do others.
We'd be as those who are watching and waiting. We're waiting, that's
what. We're not ignoring the Lord's coming. It says, hasting
unto. That means, you know, if you
want something to come bad enough, you think about it all the time,
you talk about it, don't you? And it makes it more real to
you and it makes it sooner. Doesn't it? Makes it sooner,
hasting it. It's going to come when it's
going to come. But when you're thinking about it, it comes sooner. That's what that means. Hasten. That's what the revelation says.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus. And the Lord shall make a short
work, compared to time gone by, a short work in the earth. And
it happens, except he'd left us a remnant. We've been like
Solomon and Barth. It's a little remnant here. A
few souls. chosen, and according to his
promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth. And that's what
we looked at the other night, didn't we? New heavens and a
new earth. Wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Now, I'm on it. This is not a sad story. This
is not gloom and doom. My message is not gloom and doom.
My message is glory and mercy. The message is, I hath not seen
and ear hath not heard, neither have entered into the heart a
man the things that God had prepared for them that are in Christ.
They're in the ark. Them that look for them. The
things we think are just wonderful here, you ain't seen nothing
yet, either. It's going to be better, Scripture
says, better than we can possibly imagine. And he says, so look,
see that you look for such things, be diligent, be found, be found
of him, verse 14, in peace without spot and blame. That means when
he comes, you better not be this or that. Now, folks, God looks
on the heart. I'm not condoning, you know,
being where you ought not to be and doing what you ought not
to do at all, OK? We don't, we hate that. Don't
want to. What is it to be found of him
in peace without spot, that is, and blameless? What does it mean
to be found of God, peace of God upon you, and having no sin
upon you? Come on now. It's to be found in Christ. He
is our peace. He's that spotless, blameless
Lamb of God. Our covering, that's what that
means. Am I twisting that? No. Not at all. Rightly divided. And remember
now, the long suffering of our Lord is salvation. And Paul,
in all of his epistles, writes things that are hard to be understood,
and many twist them and corrupt them, their own destruction.
But beloved, you know these things. Beloved Stan, see, you know these
things before. You've heard this all before,
haven't you? Need to hear it again? Oh, yeah. So much more. And we need to
beware, he said, lest we be led away with the error of the wicked.
What's the error of the wicked? Satan, who says all of this is a lie. And many follow his pernicious
ways. Satan's gospel is one of health
and wealth and a carnal utopia. Well, he says, but beware, beloved,
beware. But grow in grace. Need another hour, don't it?
For that, grow in grace. The word of grace. Grow gracious
by his grace. In the knowledge, and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory. both now and forever. Amen. Okay, let's sing it, brother. Hymn number 143, and let's stand. We'll sing the first and last
verse. 143. Rejoice, the Lord is King, pure
Lord and King adored. Rejoice, give thanks and sing
and triumph evermore. Lift up your heart, lift up your
voice, rejoice again I say, rejoice. Rejoice in glorious hope, our
Lord the Judge shall come, and take his servant...