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Remember! Jesus is Coming Back - Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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As some of you know we finished Ephesians our Series in the book
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of Ephesians and we try to make it a habit that every time we
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finish a book we want to give an interval period where we just
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really prayerfully, consider a messages that we can touch on
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topics maybe that we can speak on before we jump into another
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book and just follow it verse by verse and this is one of those
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messages. That.
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We trusted the Lord has for us. One of the unfortunate
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consequences of our daily routines and our daily
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responsibilities is that certain truths, We Believe can be buried
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in the back of our minds to a degree in which we almost
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completely dismiss. What these truths mean to us.
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This is an influence. This is something that happens
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to us because of unfortunate neglect on our part to remember
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and to continue to keep these things before us and it deflates
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the influence of these truths on the way we actually live.
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There is a draining of something in us when a truth is blanketed
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by busyness, lies different voices.
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And this happens today and it happened and Peter's Day, where
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our minds can go stale, and we are in need of a stirring.
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Look at verse 13 of chapter one with me.
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Peter says this, I think it is, right?
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As long as I am in this body to stir you up by way of reminder,
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since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon as
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our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me, Peter had a revelation
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from the Lord. It's a Lovely Revelation, he
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knew that at any time. Now the Lord was going to take
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him into glory, the lord was going to take him home, he was
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going to stand before the son. Savior face to face.
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Now if you knew that if somehow the lord gave you Revelation
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that at any time very quickly you would slip into eternity and
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you had at the same time, an opportunity to write a letter to
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the Believers that, you know, what would you write?
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What would you include in that letter?
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Would you encourage? Would you Warren?
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Peter does both. It does a both times in his both
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letters actually. And in fact he says this more
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than once. When we come to chapter 3, this
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is now the second letter that I am writing to you in verse one.
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Beloved in both of them, I am stirring up your sincere Mind by
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way of reminder. So again, he is, he's coming to
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the Believers and say, listen, I want to get here again, because
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something here has gone stale and I want to make sure that it
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doesn't grow cold and callous to the point where it uses you in a
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certain manner of life. So I'm going to use this time
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that I have left. I'm going to make it my ambition
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to make sure that your stirred again Believers.
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We need to be stirred all the time all the time and we don't
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stir ourselves up emotionally. We don't stir ourselves up by
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just whipping ourselves up into a frenzy know, it's through the
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word of God. It's by allowing the truth of
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the scriptures to break up that drying callous ground.
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That we've built up unfortunate because of neglect and allow the
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Lord to rain righteousness upon us.
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What did Peter include? What does Peter want to focus on
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as he desires to stir up the minds of the Believers, the
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concluding chapter focuses on a truth, that not just Believers
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back. Then could forget about, but
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Believers today, especially forget about, and it is, this
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Jesus is coming back. Jesus is coming back.
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This is something that we need to really take a hold of Peter
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wants to write it in such a fashion that you and I would
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never forget this truth. What do we mean by Jesus is
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coming back? We as Christians.
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We as the Church of Jesus Christ doctrinally.
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This is our doctrinal statement. We believe we confess, we
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wholeheartedly hold to this truth that the Lord Jesus
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Christ. We'll return in a literal way in
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bodily fashion, Jesus Christ who walked on this Earth, 2,000
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years ago, who dwelt in eternity before that.
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And who is sitting at the right hand of the father will one day,
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come back and he will come back for this purpose.
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Do it can be many reasons. There are many implications to
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his return, this is the main one, he will come back to
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redeem. The faithful, those who put
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their trust in his saving work. To bring them into everlasting
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life with them and he will also come back to condemn, those who
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have not put their trust in him into Everlasting destruction.
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This is the reason why he's returning.
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In other words, this is not it. Now, this teaching, already,
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probably in some people right here are making you feel
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uncomfortable, making you feel really uncomfortable, really
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fidgety. In fact, it makes a lot of
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people feel uncomfortable, even professing Christians.
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Now, for the, for the unbelieving world, that's a
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whole nother category, why this would make them feel
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uncomfortable for believers. Why would this teaching make us
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feel squirmish? I believe one reason is, this is
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because we have plans. We have desires.
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We have things that we want to do in life and this concept of
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Jesus returning, kind of interferes with that, doesn't
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it? It's kind of intrusive. and so
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we hear it and it doesn't really make us feel uncomfortable
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because it's like, well, Lord could you just hold back a
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little bit and there's some things I want to kind of do And
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I believe that thought pattern that show, common it kind of
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Springs up. Even from time to time, that
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thought pattern is evidence that, we've unfortunately
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allowed our affections To be too tied down to this world here.
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And that we have failed to allow the word of God to renew our
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minds to such a degree where we say what it says in the end of
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Book of Revelation with with the spirit come Lord Jesus, would
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you come? Why are you holding back?
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We want you to be here now. And I believe the reason why we
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don't have that cry, come Lord, Jesus, and because we don't
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realize one who he is and to what he wants to bring with him.
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And we think that what is here is better, and that heaven and
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seeing Jesus face-to-face, is kind of like a plan B to this.
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It's kind of a downgrade when Jesus comes back.
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So Lord, just hold off because we want to have some fun here,
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and come back. When maybe, when I'm old and I
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can't move as much. We fail to realize.
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That it should actually be the Cry of the believer, the
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craving, of his heart, for the Lord to return.
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Peter says, I want to stir you up by way of reminder because
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acts 1:11 tells us And When Jesus ascended before his
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disciples, these angels said, men of Galilee, why do you stand
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looking into heaven? This Jesus who was taken up from
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you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go
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into heaven This event known as the second coming.
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Is an event that has been marked to the hour by God.
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The Father this event of the second coming.
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It is so dramatic that it will be seen by every eye that is on
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Earth. This event of the second coming
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will change every aspect of our existence as it will usher in a
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new Heaven and a new Earth. This event known as the second
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coming is something to be prepared for even by Christians.
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even by Christians, And so, Peter begins, I want to stir up
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your sincere Mind by way of reminder verse 2.
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That you should remember the predictions of the Holy prophets
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and the Commandment of the Lord and Savior through your
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Apostles. Peter Begins by nudging at their
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minds and their memory by pointing them back to the book.
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And he's saying, did you forget that this was predicted?
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Did you forget that this was something that was actually an
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Old Testament theme that the prophets foretold of this
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coming? That this is something that is
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not, it's not a loose, it's not a blurry, it's not a Civic
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event, it is clear and concrete from the beginning of time.
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I'm going to read a quote to you and I want you to think which
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prophet or which man of God in the Old Testament said these
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truths just listen to this behold.
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The Lord comes with ten thousand of his.
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Holy ones to execute judgment on all and to convict all the
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ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have
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committed in such an ungodly way and of all the harsh things that
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ungodly. Sinners have spoken against
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them. Now, don't say it out loud.
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Who do you think said that? Isaiah Ezekiel, Daniel Hosea
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habbakuk. Enoch.
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Jude, 14. 15 tells us that the seventh from Adam Enoch
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prophesied of the second coming. So we get to Genesis chapter 5
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according to Jude's commentary, and Enoch has been given the
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revelation of the return of the Lord.
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And from that moment on every Prophet, almost every Prophet
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had that same Revelation that Jesus is coming back.
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And this is fascinating because even Jesus, in his Earthly
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Ministry interpreted, these prophetic statements and even
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himself to such Precision Precision said that he was going
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to fulfill these things even in ways that we can't even really
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see. Yes, we know that Jesus spoke
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about the times and the signs, but even in subtle matters that
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the Lord interpret the scriptures, Concerning his
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return. Let me give you an example turn
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to Luke chapter 4. This is after Jesus came out of
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the Wilderness journey and overcame Temptation from Satan.
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Where he came out in the power of the spirit and verse 16 of
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chapter 4. It says he came to Nazareth
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where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went
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to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read.
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And the scroll of the prophet, Isaiah was given to him.
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He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written.
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The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to
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Proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to Proclaim
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Liberty to the captives and recovering the site of the blind
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to set. At Liberty, those who are
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oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
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What does that have to do with the second coming?
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That sounds like his first coming.
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It is speaking of his first coming.
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But Jesus. Knew the scriptures and Jesus
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knew who he was. Obviously, in Jesus knew his
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ministry in the first coming and what his ministry would be in
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the second coming in light of using Isaiah chapter 61, and you
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say, well again, what does that have to do with the second
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coming? You have to turn to Isaiah, 61
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to see, turn to Isaiah 61 and see what the Lord did here.
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Isaiah 61 verse 1. The spirit of the Lord God is
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upon me because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news
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to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the
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Brokenhearted to Proclaim Liberty to the captives.
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Sounds familiar, and the opening of the prison to those who are
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bound to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
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Now, that's where Jesus stopped. Why?
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Because look at the next part and the day of Vengeance of our
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God. Jesus did not go to the next
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line, why? Because that is the Fulfillment
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of his second coming. He stopped it right there
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because the first verse and a half of the second speaks of his
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first coming and he goes, you know what, I'm gonna stop it
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right here because I did not come to condemn I came to save
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first time aren't you glad for the first coming?
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Because the second coming is a second part which is what the
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day of Vengeance of our God. So he stopped it right there and
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that is the fascinating thing about Prophecy in the Old
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Testament, a lot of the times. And this is why even many of the
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religious people in Jesus. They were kind of confused
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because they didn't know the scriptures as much as they
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thought a lot of the times and Old Testament prophecy you have
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first for Jesus. First coming really compiled
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them blended with his second coming and it's not so divided.
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Neat least for us to be able to see all that.
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Speaking of his first coming. That's being of us, it's kind of
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Blended. Almost seems like it's all one
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event. So it's Quite possible that when
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Jesus first came, many people were expecting the Messiah to do
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all those other things, but he said, no, you don't understand.
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That's about my second coming. Jesus knew very well who he was
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and what his ministry was all about and many Believers today.
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Maybe you even thought the solder even said this, don't you
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wish we lived in biblical times. Don't you wish that?
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It's awesome to study this word. It's awesome to look at the
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different moments in history and the different things that
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happened but it would be a whole different thing.
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If we were living in it, you are living in it.
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You and I in this technologically advanced age and
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all these things that we're seeing in this Godless
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generation. You and I are living in biblical
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times y, because there are events that are still yet to
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happen that are still to come. And we're playing in that role
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in history. And if it's up to the Lord, he
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can come back in our lifetime as well.
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That's what this message is about.
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Actually, he says, you're not just the Old Testament prophets,
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when you go back to Second Peter, He says.
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And the Commandment of the Lord and Savior through your
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Apostles. Now this automatically indicates
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that the New Testament Believers and the apostles believed that
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even though the Canon was not yet complete that their writings
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were on the same level of authority as the Old Testament
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prophets right there. And what he's saying is that the
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Lord through the Apostle's have given and echoed these teachings
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and Jesus did teach and these Jesus did prophesying.
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The apostles did very much so just like Peter is pressed on
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this reality of the second coming of Christ.
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But notice it doesn't say the predictions of the Holy prophets
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and the predictions of the Lord and Savior through your
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apostles. no, it says the Commandment the Commandment of
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The Lord and Savior through your Apostles.
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Why? Because again, Jesus did predict
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Jesus did teach, but Jesus and the apostles spoke of the second
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coming in light of you. And I living in a certain way as
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we relate to the second coming. There's a commitment, there's a
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way of life to live in knowing that the Lord is going to
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return. And so, he categorizes it as a
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commandment. He sees this as a way to posture
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yourself. Am I to live?
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If and so he says, listen. Remember what they said?
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Why is he saying to remember because other people are saying
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different things? And this is the unfortunate
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thing that the influence of other voices, the influence of
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other people's Lifestyles can unfortunately affect not whether
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or not we believe this in a Doctrine away but how it affects
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us. How it affects us.
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And so he says this verse 3, knowing the first of all that
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scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing following
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their own sinful desires. Because listen, they're going
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to, there's going to be people in the last days that are going
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to scoff. At this idea of the second
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coming, scoffers are markers. They're going to jeer, they're
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going to make fun of, they're going to continually point out
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at the fact that it's been 2000 years.
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There's going to be people that are going to mock this concept.
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And if anybody in here, mocks the concept of the second
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coming, you are evidence that we are in the last days.
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The fact that we see people mocking at Salvation, mocking
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Christ, mocking the judgment to come is proof that we are in the
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last days amongst many other proofs.
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And so he comes here to say, I want you to know that the
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scriptures tell us that there is a second coming, no matter what.
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Anybody else says we're in the last days and you might be
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asking, are we in the? Are we actually 2018 and last
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days and I say yes. Absolutely not because in my
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opinion, not because I'm predicting events and trying to
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tie them into this. No, because it's already said in
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the scriptures. You want to know one solid verse
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that tells us we're in the last days.
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In Acts chapter 2. When the Holy Spirit was poured
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out upon the church and the church was born.
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And Peter gives that magnificent sermon.
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It says in verse 16. Funny enough as people were kind
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of scoffing that they were like drunk men. in verse 16, he says
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but this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel and in
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the last days, It shall be God declares that I will pour out my
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spirit on All Flesh, and your sons and daughters shall
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prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old
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men shall dream dreams. The birth of the church
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inaugurated the last days. So we've been in the last days
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for the past 2000 years. Now, if it was the last days
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back, then, what do you think it's now, I'll tell you.
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It's a last seconds. We are in the last days.
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People might think otherwise, But it's true.
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Now, Peter inspired by the spirit will either give us
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insight to what these scoffers will say, their points of
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arguments of why this idea is foolishness and their site.
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They will say in verse 4 of second.
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Peter 3, where is the promise of his coming for ever since the
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father's fell asleep? All things are continuing as
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they were from the beginning. So, let's chop this up a bit.
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The first thing that they're going to say, to criticize this
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concept and this Doctrine, and this truth, this event Is that
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they will point out the apparent delay of his return.
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Why is he waiting so long? What's been happening this past
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2000 years and they might even point out the fact that the
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apostles and the early Believers at this time believe that Jesus
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was going to return in their day.
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So they believe that it didn't happen.
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So what makes you think it's going to happen in your day?
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And so they will look at the apparent delay and say it seems
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like it's not going to happen, is it?
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Every generation of Christians, have been saying that there's
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going to be a return of Christ in their day.
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It's true but one of them is going to be right.
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And here's the understanding Jesus intended for every
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generation of Christians to believe that he was going to
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return in their day. He intended that to happen.
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So you have the apostles that and Acts chapter 1 asking Jesus,
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right before he's going to ascend in verse 6.
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Lord is this the time where you're going to restore the
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Kingdom of Israel? So they're asking for the time,
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you know how the Lord answers amazingly verse 7, you can just
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hear this, he said to them. It is not for you to know the
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times or Seasons at the Others, fixed by his own authority says,
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it's not for you to know. For you to know the dates and
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the times that try to predict it.
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Don't waste your time. Don't waste your efforts.
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God knows in his wisdom. Imagine he did reveal the time
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he was coming. What would it be?
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Like for all these Generations that just passed the apathy in
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the laziness and the carelessness I would come.
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He knew in his wisdom not to reveal it.
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So what he's saying, verse verse a but the holy spirit will come
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to you and give you power. You go and preach.
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Don't get so caught up in all this stuff.
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Go and make disciples go and plant churches.
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Go and spread the good news go and bear fruit.
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That's how you. And I have to live in light of
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the revelation of the second coming.
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Not sitting in our basement, going to figure out.
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Do this event looking at the news and trying to tie it to a
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verse. Oh Jesus don't even waste your
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time. Jesus in his wisdom intended for
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every generation to live with the expectation that he can come
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back, even while you're having lunch after this service. and it
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says, here in the second part of their argument, For ever since
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the father's fell asleep, all things are continuing as they
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were from the beginning of creation.
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Next, they will point out the timeline of History.
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And they will make the observation that it's always
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been the same since the beginning.
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So Jesus said that part of the signs and part of the things
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that will show that we are near the end, is that there's going
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to be famines and rumors of war and diseases, and pestilence,
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and all these different things. And here's the counter argument
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for the scoffer, that's always been happening.
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There's always been earthquakes and there's always been natural
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disasters. We've always had bumps of
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history and history and look where we are right?
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We're just fine it's just a cycle.
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It's been the same since the beginning of time.
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And in fact, they might add to this, that there's nothing major
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that has occurred. That would indicate the Lord
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coming. Our society's developing.
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We are advancing in our technology.
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Unity amongst Nations becoming more of a reality and inventions
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are coming along that are improving the way of life.
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And so even this, cause of like Jesus, bodily returning, and
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coming to judge that sounds. So medieval That sounds so
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cinematic and so imaginative. How can you think in this day
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that there's actually going to be a return?
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Peter now wants to answer those things.
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In verse 5, he criticizes the critics.
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For they deliberately overlook this fact.
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In other words, if they really wanted proof, they have this
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proof which Peters about the described but they deliberately
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overlooked it. They don't want to believe it.
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They choose to turn a blind eye to this reality.
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That points to the fact that judgment is going to come Christ
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is going to actually return. And what is he pointing to the
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flood? They deliberately overlook this
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fact that the heavens existed long ago and the earth was
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formed out of water and through Water, by the word of God, and
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that by means of these the world, then that existed was
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they lose with water and perished.
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It's no wonder that these events in the Old Testament.
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You have even professing Believers that want to point to
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these Supernatural events and say that it's allegory.
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And say that it's just stories to give a meaning, that there's
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no way that there could have been this and that.
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Are you kidding me? And I find it amazing that the
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stories that modern-day Skeptics criticize are the stories that
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Jesus validated the most. A man being swallowed up by a
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fish. Come on.
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And Jesus says, you're going to receive the sign of Jonah.
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That's the only sign you're getting.
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What were the days of the end be like, what did Jesus say as were
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the days of Noah? Do you know why I can believe
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these stories are true as historical narratives despite
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the world mocking it? Because Jesus believed it.
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Jesus believed that these were historical narratives.
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You didn't use these as allegorical, stories and
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metaphors. No, he said these things
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actually happen. In fact, it's going to repeat
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itself. What did he say?
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Matthew 24:37, you have to turn there.
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Just hear these words for as were the days of Noah.
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So will the coming of the son of man for as in those days before
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the flood, they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in
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marriage until the day when Noah entered the Ark and they were
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unaware until the flood came and swept them all away.
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So, will be the coming of the son of man?
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What will the days of Noah be like People are going to go out
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to eat at restaurants. They're going to enjoy meals.
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People are going to be planning to get married.
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People are going to have families.
25:23
People are going to enjoy life. But you know what, though,
25:26
people have plans in this life, though, people are enjoying
25:29
their life. None of that will stop what God
25:32
had ordained in his schedule. His prophetic timeline of the
25:35
return of Christ. Jesus pointed back to the days
25:39
of Noah as much as it was violent it was violent as much
25:43
as it was sexually perverse. There is normal activities going
25:47
on. We think that when the second
25:48
coming Santa come, it's going to be already like this.
25:50
Apocalyptic kind of thing, things are going to go down.
25:53
Oh no he says people are going to be marrying each other
25:55
looking at families. They're going to go out on
25:57
vacations. They're going to go and finish
25:59
their degree. And this is when Jesus is going
26:02
to come back in the midst of all your plans, in the midst of all
26:06
your desires. In the midst of all those things
26:09
in the middle of your pregnancy, Jesus is coming back.
26:16
So Jesus. Validated these stories.
26:21
And Peter wants to say, listen, if God judge the world before,
26:26
what makes you think that he's not going to do it again?
26:30
And the only difference between God's judgement back then and
26:33
God's judgment to come is that he's just going to change the
26:36
element of his judgment before it was water, but now he's
26:40
storing up fire. In fact, what does it say here
26:45
verse 7, but by the same word, what word the word that spoke
26:49
water into existence. The word that created the Earth.
26:55
he says that same word, the heavens in the earth that now
26:59
exists are stored up for fire. The only thing that is holding
27:02
back this world as you and I know it from being consumed in
27:07
Flames is that God hasn't spoken for it to come to pass.
27:13
And in the midst of all this scoffing, and all the mocking on
27:15
all the late night, TV shows that spit in the face of Christ.
27:20
And all the loudness of all of it.
27:24
God is keeping his mouth shut. but then one day God will open
27:28
his mouth and when he says the word, All for a sudden just like
27:33
that flood. People are going to be swept up
27:35
into judgment. It says here, that they scoffed.
27:43
And what else? There was a second description
27:45
of what these kind of people were they scoffed?
27:50
And verse three following their own sinful desires.
27:54
I'm a firm believer that the fact that we have diluted this
27:58
understanding of the second coming of Christ has increased
28:03
the wickedness in our day. Do you want to know why?
28:10
There's so much murder in the city?
28:13
Do you want to know why there's so much sex trafficking in our
28:15
world? Do you want to know why?
28:17
There's so much chaos. I'll give you one reason why
28:19
there's a contribution to that because people have lost the
28:23
fear of God. And they do not know, you know
28:29
what they do know, they know that God is forgiving go to
28:31
anybody on the street and ask them how they know they'll go to
28:35
heaven. Anyway, I'm talking about people
28:36
that don't go to church and you ask them that if you were to
28:40
stand before God and you bring the law and you show them that
28:42
they will be guilty even if they just lied or whatever and you
28:45
ask them. Well, you just clearly admitted
28:48
that you broke, you've lied. You look at a woman with lust
28:50
that you are guilty before God. So how are you?
28:52
How are you can have eternal life?
28:53
You know what they'll say, take it from a guy who talked to So
28:56
many people on the streets about this.
28:58
They'll look at you say, well God is forgiving.
29:03
He is forgiving but when you've reached that point you've cut
29:06
off your opportunity to receive forgiveness.
29:09
We've lost the fear of God, we've lost this concept of the
29:13
god, that we worship. And because of that people
29:17
willfully continue in their sin and part of their scoffing is to
29:21
numb them is to numb them from the conviction of their way of
29:25
life. So they scoff so that they can
29:27
continue in their sin. Being kept until the day.
29:32
The second part of verse 7 of judgment and destruction of the
29:36
ungodly. So, this is the argument of
29:38
these people who criticize this truth, And Peter now turns his
29:43
attention to the Believers. So he points out what these
29:46
scoffers will say and he goes you know what, those are the
29:47
scoffers. Now let me turn to you
29:49
Christians, let me give you some words of exhortation.
29:51
Let me bring up some clarity to you concerning this idea of
29:55
Jesus returning. Again look at verse a But do not
29:58
overlook this one. Fact beloved that with the Lord,
30:02
one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.
30:06
So these scoffers look at you and they say it's been 2000
30:09
years. These scoffers will look at you
30:12
say it's been so long and they failed to realize amongst many
30:15
other things. They fail to realize that our
30:18
perception of time is not God's perception of time.
30:21
How time affects us. Is not the way the time affects
30:24
God. In fact, A Thousand Years them
30:26
is like a day in a Day is Like A Thousand Years time does not
30:29
have any influence on our God, and if we use that and we kind
30:32
of do the math, it's been 2000 years for us.
30:34
It feels like two days for God. All the things that has happened
30:39
in history. All the, all the events, all the
30:41
lifetimes that have been lived, all the saints of old, all the
30:43
craziness, all the Wars, all of that to god, it feels like
30:47
nothing but to use this kind of argument to use this kind of
30:49
expression. It's been like two days. and we
30:55
see here that he points out that these people fail to realize
31:00
that in fact God's apparent slowness is actually the
31:04
expression of his long-suffering They fail to realize that God
31:09
lives in a different realm and they failed to realize that this
31:12
apparent slowness, the fact that it has been two thousand acres,
31:14
maybe we've even thought that ourselves, it's been kind of
31:17
long. Why so long and Peter says, you
31:22
want to know why it's been 2000 years after this point?
31:24
Not 2000, but for us verse 9, the Lord is not slow to fulfill
31:29
his promise as some count slowness.
31:33
But is patient toward you. Not wishing that, any should
31:37
perish but that all should reach repentance.
31:42
You might be tired this morning. You might be weary in the flesh.
31:45
But know this, the reason that you and I have another day to
31:49
live today is because God desires for some people to
31:52
repent today. Maybe in this room.
31:56
Definitely in the city, definitely around this world.
31:59
The only reason why there is another day amongst.
32:02
Yes, his grace and everything else.
32:04
But here's what I see here. God is still waiting for people
32:07
to repent this morning. He's waiting for somebody to get
32:13
into turn and I see here a God that doesn't want some saved.
32:18
He wants all saved. I don't see God here.
32:21
That's looking to judge. He is the lighting and mercy
32:26
more than his wrath. I see God here that as much as
32:30
he does want to be one with his bride in the fullness.
32:35
He still waiting for people to be added to the bride.
32:38
This is a god of compassion and here's these scoffers mocking.
32:41
The fact that he's in return and what is the revelation we have?
32:44
It's because he's waiting for you to repent.
32:46
That's why And so we think it's been 2000 years it's been a long
32:51
time. But what's 2000 years in light
32:53
of Eternity in hell So, God knows.
33:01
And God Waits, and there is a time in which God's justice must
33:05
be satisfied. And he will speak the word and
33:08
Christ will return. But that day is being held back
33:14
by one thing, his long-suffering And he calls and appoints
33:19
preachers of righteousness. During this time, what is it
33:21
saying? Second Peter 2, you don't have
33:22
to turn there. That Noah was a preacher of
33:25
righteousness. Anybody in here that's feeling
33:29
called to be a preacher to any degree weather, full-time, or
33:32
part-time. Know this be a preacher of
33:34
righteousness, we don't have much of that today, most of his
33:37
pop psychology, most of us how you can feel good about yourself
33:40
and what was Noah's preaching in light of knowing that the flood
33:43
was coming righteousness. What is it?
33:46
And let a New Covenant that you don't have righteousness that
33:48
you need Christ's righteousness? That you need his imputed
33:52
Perfection into your account. What is it to the believer who
33:55
has put his faith in Christ's righteousness?
33:57
How live righteously and live. Holy and light of the second
34:00
coming. Righteousness was no, esteemed
34:04
preaching and this is God's desire for those who want to
34:06
share their faith, especially behind the pulpit.
34:10
This is amazing. Because if we want to learn
34:14
something about the second coming, even from Enochs
34:17
prophecy, we learn a lot that God even from the beginning has
34:20
uttered His desire and his set appointed moment where he will
34:24
judge from Genesis chapter 5 through Enoch.
34:27
But there's something else about Enochs life that we learn.
34:30
And some of you were here last Sunday.
34:31
When we talked about this casually after the service, go
34:33
to Genesis chapter 5 and realize something about the life of
34:36
Enoch. That is so very relevant for us
34:39
in the beginning. Genesis chapter 5.
34:45
Verse 21. Chapter 5 speaks of the
34:57
generations of Adam to descendants of Adam.
35:01
And only one in Genesis chapter 5 is mentioned to have walked
35:05
with God only 1 Enoch, it says simply that Enoch had lived 65
35:11
years. He fathered Methuselah Enoch
35:14
walked with God, after he fathered Methuselah 300 years.
35:20
So there's an indication here, that Methuselah after he was
35:23
born, something there with his birth and raising him up cause
35:28
the Enoch to want to walk with God.
35:31
What was it about fathering Methuselah that provoked?
35:36
Enoch to say, I want to walk with the Lord. now we know from
35:41
Jude that clearly Enoch had received some kind of prophetic
35:45
Revelation throughout his life And I believe here that Enoch
35:49
had received Revelation, not just at the second coming but
35:53
Enoch had received revelation of the flood and the Judgment.
35:57
I was going to come in his day. How do you know?
36:00
Remember, it's just that after he fathered Methuselah he walked
36:03
with God. Now, here's the interesting
36:05
thing. The named Methuselah means when
36:08
he dies it shall come, that's what Methuselah means.
36:14
When he dies. It shall come.
36:18
And with that revelation, You knock says, I'm gonna walk with
36:23
God. if you do the math, some believe that if you do the math,
36:30
very carefully when Methuselah died is exactly when the flood
36:34
occurred, And so, here's the, here's the application that with
36:40
the Revelation that Methuselah was a prophetic time clock of
36:46
God's judgment In the Flesh, it caused Enoch to say, I'm going
36:50
to walk closely to the Lord. That is significant, that is
36:55
very significant. Because Peter is going to use
36:58
that same motivation for Christians to live in a certain
37:01
way in light of the coming judgment for Christians.
37:06
Here's the most amazing thing about Enoch and Methuselah
37:09
Methuselah is the longest living, man recorded in the
37:12
Bible. 969 years, meaning? What that God does not desire to
37:18
give judgment. He prolonged it as long as
37:21
possible through Methuselah's life.
37:25
That he extended his years as long as possible, until he
37:28
brought judgment. Why?
37:29
Because he doesn't want to do it.
37:31
Yes, he does in the satisfaction of his justice but knowing that
37:34
those would be destroyed and Lyda he waited he waited as long
37:38
as he could before he actually Unleashed.
37:42
His judgment. So Enoch walked with God
37:49
implying, what Walking with God? He didn't visit God, like so
37:52
many Christians do today. He walked with God daily
37:56
intimately, conversationally, including him in All matters.
38:01
And Peter. Comes back here because he has
38:05
some applications for us. Application for the
38:09
non-believer. Clearly is to repent to
38:13
recognize the love of God, and to turn towards him before.
38:16
It's too late. Because you know what?
38:17
You and I don't have that Enoch had, we don't have a time clock
38:24
in the flesh, like Methuselah to realize that God could be coming
38:28
in Judgment at any time. Can you imagine how that was
38:30
like for Enoch that every time with Lucilla had a cold or was
38:33
really sick? He goes oh it could be happening
38:35
today. Methuselah sick today.
38:38
He's not looking very well. God are you coming to walk close
38:41
to you more than ever? You don't have that.
38:45
You know what you have today? You only have today if you don't
38:49
know Christ, in this place, you only have today if you're a
38:52
professing Believer, but you're not truly born.
38:53
Again, you only have today. There's no clues that God is
38:58
going to give you. There's no prophetic name that
39:01
he's going to give you for your future son or daughter.
39:03
No, you only have today. But there's an application for
39:09
the believer. Look at verse 17 of second
39:12
Peter, chapter 3. Look how Peter concludes his
39:16
letter. You therefore beloved, he's
39:20
talking to Believers and look how tenderly this man is
39:23
speaking to them. Beloved Knowing this beforehand,
39:27
take care that you are not carried away with the error of
39:32
Lawless people and lose your own stability.
39:37
Knowing this beforehand, don't lose your stability.
39:43
John writes it in this way and 2nd John 8, watch yourselves.
39:47
How this is amazing, watch yourselves so that you may not
39:51
lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.
39:55
He says two things, two words that can be a sermon in itself.
40:00
Watch yourselves. Don't let your mind gets stale
40:05
now. Don't get carried away by life.
40:11
Don't lose this truth. Jesus is coming back.
40:17
Don't get influenced by other people.
40:19
Don't believe the scoffers don't get so caught up in the way
40:22
societies developing and how there's new things out there to
40:24
distract you from the call of God on your life.
40:26
Don't forfeit the full reward. Now we know in Christ because
40:31
we're in Christ the judgment to come does not affect us know.
40:34
But in Christ yes there is a judgment for us in the way we
40:36
live their lives and this is what he's talking about here.
40:38
Don't forfeit it, don't forfeit. Don't press the, here's my word,
40:43
this morning to this church. Don't lose your stability.
40:52
You stay close to him. You do whatever you need to do,
40:56
to stir your yourself up and way of reminder, that Jesus is
40:59
coming back. Can I ask you an honest
41:00
question, how often do you meditate on that?
41:04
In the midst of all the things that you think about in the
41:05
midst of all your meditations, when was the last time that you
41:08
just sat there, even for a moment, even on your way to work
41:10
in the car. You know, Jesus can come back
41:12
and split the sky open right now as I'm holding my coffee to
41:15
work. Has it ever occurred to us?
41:21
He's going to come back bodily. And we're going to see him
41:25
face-to-face. Him become like him as he is.
41:29
Where does that fit in our day-to-day routine?
41:34
Don't lose your own stability. Don't forfeit the reward.
41:39
How do I not lose my stability doll?
41:42
By just remembering the fact that Jesus is coming back Verse
41:46
18 is the antidote, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our
41:51
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Listen, there are only two
41:56
directions in the Christian walk, and you've heard this
41:57
before. If you're not going forward in
42:00
Christ, you're automatically going to lose your stability.
42:04
You're automatically going to just just think of it this way,
42:07
that there's only grow or go. And the moment you and I lose
42:13
the ambition to grow in Grace and grow in the knowledge of
42:16
Jesus is the moment. We open ourselves up to being
42:20
pushed over and losing our centeredness and Christ losing
42:25
our Focus, losing our ambition, losing that Zeal, it's grow you
42:29
and I must invest in growing in Grace, not talking about the
42:32
grace for salvation, talk about the grace for the power of God
42:35
in our lives, the grace of the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
42:38
Christ, knowing him more. What Paul said possessed him I
42:41
must know him more. That is your protection from
42:45
losing your stability. The moment.
42:47
You feel like you've lost your desire to grow in the knowledge
42:50
of Christ and growing grace is the moment you should have in a
42:53
Alarm going off and fall on your face before God and say, oh God,
42:57
this is not your will for me. I need you to help me.
42:59
Give me that appetite again. So don't lose your aunt Cecilia.
43:05
Well how do I do that? You just grow, you just keep
43:07
feeding yourself, you just keep investing in your relationship
43:09
with God and you will be protected from verse 17.
43:13
Do you know how people get to verse 17?
43:15
They stopped doing Verse 18. They stopped seeing the
43:19
necessity, even the discipline of coming to the place where you
43:22
saying I want to know more of his grace.
43:24
I want to know more of him and the moment you lose that is the
43:27
first step of losing stability. Enoch walked with God and it
43:35
says something amazing about Enochs life that he walked with
43:38
God in such a way where it says in Hebrews 11 that it pleased
43:42
God and he was taken up. And I just I can't help but see
43:47
that in a literal way that as she's literally Walking with God
43:51
in a moment, he's walking with God and he walks into eternity.
43:57
And that's how the Lord wants you.
43:59
And I to live that you would stay close to him until you slip
44:04
into that next life. Not to lose your instability and
44:07
found on your face. And the Lord says what happened.
44:13
I don't know about you but I want to walk into heaven.
44:17
In a way in which I was conversing with the Lord before
44:19
I got there. I don't want it to be this thing
44:25
where I stand before him. It's like, oh Lord, I haven't
44:27
talked to you in so long. And here I am standing before
44:30
you I want to be translated into Glory knowing that just moments
44:36
before that I was in the perfect will of God. and I lived a life,
44:41
not for salvation, no, but in light of my salvation, that
44:44
pleased him, Very short message today because I'm closing with
44:50
this thought. The second coming of Christ.
44:59
Has practical implications for you and me, and this is how you,
45:02
and I know it. If you knew that Jesus was
45:05
coming back tonight at 10 p.m. What changes would you make in
45:10
your life right now? What changes would you make if
45:16
you knew that Jesus Christ, gave you a Methuselah.
45:20
I'm coming back at 10 tonight. Who do you have to forgive?
45:27
Who do you have to forgive that? You have not forgiven you.
45:33
What prayers? Have you not prayed yet?
45:37
What fruit have you willingly held back?
45:39
What gives have you held back from the Lord being used for his
45:41
glory? What conversations should you be
45:46
having that? You have an idea?
45:47
Yes, I understand that. Listen, Peter is not promoting a
45:50
way of living in such a way where you are, this Escapist
45:52
mentality and you just hide yourself in your house and you
45:55
don't do anything normal in society.
45:56
No, no, the main ambition, that Peter has in mind by the holy
46:00
spirit that you and I, in the context of our life with live,
46:03
holy and expectant of the Lord, Go back to Second Peter and see
46:07
how he describes it. Look at verse 11, a second Peter
46:11
chapter 3. Since all these things are thus
46:18
to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives
46:23
of Holiness and godliness such a beautiful picture.
46:26
It's kind of terrifying, but it's beautiful the same time.
46:28
He goes, listen, God is coming and holy fire and it's literally
46:32
going to melt all the elements of the world.
46:35
And he goes since these things are going to be dissolved, what
46:38
kind of life should you live? It's kind of a humorous thing to
46:42
some of us we might have even joked about it before but it's
46:44
true you know that phone. That you're so obsessed with.
46:46
It's going to burn up one day. You know, that car that you're
46:51
living your life for to buy one day, it's going to turn into
46:54
mush. That house that you've so
46:58
focused on its going to turn it to powder.
47:01
This is what he's saying. Everything in this world is
47:04
going to dissolve. Now, again, he's not promoting a
47:07
Hermit lifestyle, but what he is saying, is get your perspective,
47:11
right? Get your priorities.
47:14
Straight Christ is coming back. So what kind of lives you have
47:19
to live? Giving yourselves over to things
47:21
that don't matter? Yes, God wants us to enjoy.
47:24
Yes, God wants us to invest, yes.
47:25
God wants us to be people that are not so alienated from normal
47:29
society that people don't even want what we have, because they
47:31
think we're just out of there. No, but we ought to live in such
47:33
a way in which we know how to distance ourselves enough based
47:37
on the Revelation that Jesus is coming back and I want to be
47:39
able to give him something to lay at his feet.
47:45
So he says these things are going to dissolve and so many
47:48
people are focusing on things that are going to dissolve.
47:52
Over things that are eternal. And he says, make sure.
47:57
That your ambition, is in Holiness and godliness.
48:02
Make sure like Paul says in 1st Corinthians 15 in light of his
48:06
teaching on the resurrection. Out of all the things that he
48:10
said to prove that the resurrection was true in that
48:12
Jesus was going to take us back up.
48:13
Look how he ends in a verse 58. Therefore, my beloved Brothers,
48:16
First Corinthians 15 be steadfast immovable, always
48:20
abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord,
48:23
your labor is not in vain. It's everywhere in the New
48:27
Testament. Don't lose focus.
48:32
When things try to take your attention away from the things
48:34
of God concerning his return and concerning his reward that he's
48:38
bringing with him concerning the new world that is being ushered
48:41
in. Live in light of that. now, if
48:47
you heard this entire message and you feel condemnation, you
48:50
feel burden, you feel fear, you've completely missed it,
48:57
completely missed it. What they're trying to promote
49:01
here is hope for the believer. What they're trying to promote
49:06
here is a purpose in life that is beyond what you think is
49:11
limited to this and he's saying you don't lose sight of it,
49:17
don't let your mind grow stale to this.
49:20
He can come back and you can come back at any time.
49:23
Believe it and live it in your daily decisions.
49:28
Let the world scoff. God will get the final word.
49:32
Let the world mock, the Lord sits on his throne and laughs I
49:37
don't know about you when I think of the second coming, if
49:40
you're a born-again believer that should put a smile on your
49:42
face, And every ache in my body. And every discouragement or
49:50
disappointment in life is totally swallow but swallowed up
49:53
by the reality that Jesus is the one who's going to rescue me
49:56
from all of this. but if you're not saved in this place, even if
50:03
you grew up in the church, He's coming, and he's waiting for you
50:09
to make that choice to follow him.
50:11
He's coming. And he's not wanting to judge.
50:14
He's wanting to save. So he extends and he waits.
50:18
But one day that that time will be cut off.
50:22
What do we take out of this as a church as a community?
50:26
Again, here's a stirring reminder, for us.
50:31
Let's live in light of Eternity. Let's pray.
50:34
Big prayers. Let's prioritize ourselves right
50:37
and let's really believe when I Was preparing this message.
50:39
Can I just be transparent with you?
50:41
I looked at these verses and I said, this is great.
50:44
I believe this stuff, but he was my prayer.
50:46
As I Was preparing. Lord.
50:48
I get it here, but I wanted so much more here You might be
50:53
sitting here this morning saying, I believe it, I get it,
50:55
I see, I understand what you're saying, but Lord, I wanted to
50:58
come to a place where it actually grips me.
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I want to be gripped by this truth.
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I don't want to go into fanaticism like so many people
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do and and they just go into a place where there's just like,
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again, divorced from society and they don't, they're not
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relatable and there. No, no.
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But Lord, I just want to make sure that I'm actually walking
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believing daily that you can come back.
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And I want everything that I do, I want everything that I do to
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be anchored by that truth. Don't let my mind.
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Go still. More importantly though, don't
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let my heart grew still. Would you pray that prayer with
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me this morning as we close? Lord.
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We choose to say yes not just in our minds, but in our hearts
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with the spirit and we say, come Lord, Jesus.
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Well, we thank you that this is not it.
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We thank you that you're coming to bring in.
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The completion of our Redemption.
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And low with this simple message this morning.
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We pray that we would see everything in this world that so
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many people idolize and slave themselves over as dissolving.
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Help us prioritize on the treasures of Heaven.
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Help Us live for the glory of God.
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Let us not lose that reward that we've been working for and that
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reward to us more than anything. Is that one phrase?
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Well done, good and faithful servant.
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Lord of Peters audience was in need of a stirring, how much
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more we lord. We ask that by the spirit, even
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throughout this day. Our hearts would be stirred by
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the truth. O Lord that you're coming again.
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and Lord, that causes us not to fear, not to worry but to
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rejoice, To rejoice. And Lord, if you choose to do it
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in our lifetime or not, we will live in light of it.
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And we pray Lord that with this time that we have you would give
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us the wisdom. You would give us the love.
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You would give us the ambition. To walk with God and to invite
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others to do the same. Lord.
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Keep our hearts, keep our hearts and light of this truth.
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And protect us Lord from losing our stability in the faith.
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And Lord, we now worship you. Because you have redeemed us to
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the Cross, because now we are awaiting for the Blessed.
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Hope the Glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior
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Jesus Christ, receive our worship.
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Receive our worship and receive these words as a cry for your
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return. And Lord if our affections are
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not there and they're set on other things in this world.
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Renew us. If there's other things that we
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desire, if there's other things that we think are worthwhile and
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worth more of our life and our energy in this world, more than
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you coming back and having communion with you and being in
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glory with you with the Saints. Lord, forgive us and wash us
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thoroughly until it is set on those things.
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We give you our hearts this morning in Jesus name, amen.
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We give you our hearts this morning in Jesus name, amen.