Posted 5 years ago by Anonymous

Comment Removed

 

Summary

“Until He Comes: Be Ready & Look Ahead!”- II Peter 3:8-13 Global Warming: very real threat. But you “ain’t seen nothing’ yet!” It’s going to get a lot hotter than we can imagine. 2000 degrees for oil to ignite; 3422 degrees (C) to melt some rock. According to Scripture (II Peter 3:10, 12) there is coming a day when the heavenly bodies (stars/planets, etc) will melt and the earth as we know it will be destroyed. We’re talking hot! This will happen when Jesus comes again. The question then, is will you be ready for that day? Will it be a glad or sad day? 2012 Theme: “Until He Comes” - looking for Jesus to come and living according to that perspective. Until Jesus comes, we must be ready for and look ahead to His coming. Peter had pointed out that scoffers would come and scoff at the thought that Jesus is coming again. Their argument? “Things haven’t changed from the beginning.” They deliberately overlook that God had created the world by His word & that God destroyed the world by flood by His word. By “the same word (God speaking it into being) the heavens & earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment & destruction of the ungodly” (vs7). II Peter 3:8-13 - Peter continues his argument. Vs8 - To God, who is not bound by time as we are, “1 day is as a 1000 yrs, & a 1000 yrs is as 1 day.” Jesus is coming, at just the right time. Vs9 - God is allowing time to repent, embrace Christ by faith. Ezekiel 33:11 Vs10a - The “day of the Lord” is “God’s time” - when He will break thru & act decisively. It is the day of the Lord Jesus’ coming & judgment. Vs10b - The “heavens” are “the vaulted expanse of the sky, w/all things visible in it…the region where the clouds & the tempests gather & where thunder & lightening are produced” (Strong’s). The heavenly bodies are the stars/planets. Vs10c - ESV: “exposed;” NIV: “laid bare;” KJV: “burned up” Vs12b - Hebrews 12:29 - “our God is a consuming fire.” It is vital that we be prepared, but how? Vs11 - 1)Living lives of holiness & godliness (which puts us in a hole) - Philippians 3:9, II Corinthians 5:21 - hallelujah! Embrace Christ by faith, depending only/totally on Him & His redemptive work as the basis of right standing before Him. We who believe must live lives of holiness & godliness, reflecting the light & imitating the likeness of Christ - I John 3:3. 2)Waiting for & hastening the day of the Lord - there is so much to do before Jesus comes! “Even so, come Lord Jesus!” Vs13 - A word of great hope - new heavens & a new earth. Revelation 21:1-8, 27 Will you be in that number of the redeemed? You can be, if you will come to faith in Christ, if you will commit your life to Him & receive Him into your life as Lord. Until Jesus comes, we must be ready by faith in Him & look ahead to that glorious day, being used by Him to help others be ready, too.