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Is everybody alright? Yeah. You're here. It's good to be in the house of the Lord gathering in his name this morning. Would you stand with me?
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I'm going invite Scott Humphrey if he'll come forward and sing with me. We're going
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to sing a few starting off right here with I'll Fly Away, I think. Is that what we're starting off with?
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Hymn number seven seventy nine. Hymn number seven seventy nine. If you want to find your part,
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I think you know the song.
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Some glad morning when this life is all fly away God bless you
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Y'all enjoy singing, don't you?
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You better be.
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That's right. An enthusiastic crowd. I had somebody send me the Greek of in Theos. In Theos is where we get in God. That's where we get enthusiasm.
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So, think I'm enthusiastic singing. Like. Blessed assurance. In number 572,
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They're classics. Classic hymns. Beautiful. Good to see all this morning.
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Assurance Jesus is mine oh what a foretaste of glory divine there is salvation purchase of God born of his spirit washed in his blood this is my story this is my song praising my savior all the day long this is my story this is my song praising my savior angels descending ring from above echoes of mercy whispers of love this is my story this is my song praising my savior all the day long this is my story this is my song praising my savior all the day long last this is my story this my song praising my savior this is my this is my song praising my savior all the day long
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Amen. Y'all can have a seat. We have a few announcements and a covenant ceremony too. So, first of all, Monday nights at first B, they're happening. Tomorrow night, Carl is going to begin a new sermon series.
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He just finished up Colossians last week and he will be starting in songs and Psalms. Songs and Psalms. He's the worship leader for our 09:00 service. We're gonna sing a song together for special music today. The band is.
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And songs and psalms. It's gonna be good. I'm looking forward to that one. Vacation Bible School is happening June 24 through the twenty eighth. So, that's just a few weeks away right now.
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We're in June already. Can y'all believe that? Praise God. The sun is shining. It's wonderful.
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June 24 and through the twenty eighth, nine to twelve each day. If you have a child that is in between the ages of I think that it is potty trained up through fifth grade is what I've heard. They are welcome from nine to twelve, June 24 to the twenty eighth. If you'd like to volunteer, please let us know and we'd love to put you through the paces before we get to the place of needing you at Vacation Bible School. So, June 24 through the twenty eighth is when that's happening.
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And Immigrant Hope, Ken and Lori McCune are especially Lori McCune is doing a shoe collection fundraiser. So if you have some decent shoes that you would like to donate, they are attempting to raise 25,000 pairs of shoes. That sounds like a lot to me. But we're well underway in the office in there. There's a big pile of shoes.
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So please bring them in, and we will help get those to where they need to be. Next week, in both services, the nine and the eleven we're not having a combined service, but both the nine and the eleven, we are going to have a an original courtroom drama that was written by one of our own, and it will be acted out by all the cast of First B folks, kids and adults. The Liberator is the name of this drama. Both services next Sunday. So they say it's going to be twelve to fifteen minutes and then I'll have a little time to clean up or wrap up.
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Which is that? Not sure. Wrap up afterwards. No, it's it's it ought to be a lot of fun. The the script is fun.
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Volunteers are needed. We are going to be taking the church van and as many other vehicles as we need to go up to Gillette, Wyoming. Do you all remember Scott Eichen? Scott Eichen, was one of the pastors here right before I got here. Actually, while I was an intern, he and I worked together for a couple of summers.
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So Scott has moved from where they were in Englewood, Colorado. They have moved in January up to Gillette, Wyoming. And they are attempting a reboot, a church plant of a church where they already have a building, but they're rebooting this. And Gary Geek is gonna be leading the trip. We have a couple of guys that are already committed to go.
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But if you would like to go, please let us know, and we will make sure to accommodate, get you there. It'll be some painting, some light carpentry, some probably some light electrical plumbing and fixtures changing out and just freshening this place in Gillette. So if you want to have a part in going, let us know and we will get you there. Miss a message. If you miss a message, you can go to our firstbjackson.org is our website, and the audio messages are there.
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But if you need to hear one that has been in the last year and a half or so, you can scroll back through our Facebook page and find video and audio with all the slides and all of that. So that happens. We have connect hour between services each week, so usually about ten. There'll be coffee and donuts and good stuff down there too. Have I forgotten anything?
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Is there anybody in here that's willing to tell me what I forgot? Diane, have I forgotten anything? The bulletin will have it in there. If I've forgotten it, the paper bulletin that you got on your way in should tell you exactly everything, announcements and prayer requests, and they'll be in that. We also today, though, have a covenant ceremony.
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Ginger Eva Collin is not going be able to be here this morning, but Rosales is. And so Rosales, I'd ask you to come forward. And if you would like to say something, you are welcome to say something. This is the little brown microphone right here. Blake.
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Thank
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all of you for being so welcoming, and I love the way we do the service and going straight through the word of God.
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Amen. Just thank you all.
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So she has come we have a little discovery class, we call it, And the discovery part is usually by the time people decide that they wanna be members, they have discovered what it is they wanna discover. But but I'll let you hold that. Sorry. But when we go down there, the discovery is to find out who who we are, you know, who who Rosales is. And I'm glad that she's a part.
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She wanted to get active and involved right away, and she has. And so I'm gonna ask you if you have personally trusted in Jesus Christ as your savior, believing that he died for your sins and rose from the dead.
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I have.
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Amen. And that's the bar for membership right there. We have a regenerate church membership. Do you believe that God has led you to join First Baptist Church as an evidence of your desire to grow in the grace of Christ and in your love and service for his glory, do you?
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Yes, I do. Amen.
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Do you recognize the authority of scripture in your life? And do you endeavor to live by its teaching and that express God's purpose for our lives and worship and in fellowship, Christ likeness, service, and outreach, do you?
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Yes, I do. Amen.
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And as members together in the body of Christ, this is for all of us. Will you endeavor to open your hearts to ministry towards and receiving from Rosales, serving and being served. Will we all do that? Yes. Amen.
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Thank you. And would you all endeavor to grow in faithfulness to one another as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our lord and savior Jesus Christ together as his body. Amen. Thank you. Alright.
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Welcome. Glad that you're here. We love you. Thank you. Alright.
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And so, for the shake hands time, she's probably going to get mauled but you're welcome to shake hands. Would you stand and greet each other and welcome Rosales in to our
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Let's keep singing. Keep singing.
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I belong to Jesus Jesus belongs to me for eternity from sorrow and shame now I belong to Jesus Jesus belongs to me on the last Joy floods my soul for Jesus has saved me freed me from sin that long had enslaved me his precious blood he gave to redeem now I belong to Jesus Jesus belongs to
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Amen. That's a gooder, like that one.
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Anybody really connect with that one? Yeah, I must feel it. It's good. It's a good one.
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Good words. There's a savior. Do y'all know this is the chorus of the Sandy Patty song from Aways Back? There is a savior. We'll sing it a couple of times.
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Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I'm going to invite the frontline team to come forward but God almighty, thank you that there is a savior. We stand in the presence of Jesus, the Nazarene. We wonder, lord, how he could love us.
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Sinners, condemned, and unclean but you but he does but he does. Lord, this morning, we humble ourselves before you trusting that you are the giver of every good and perfect gift. We humble ourselves lord that you might exalt us in due time. In Jesus name, lord, we pray for these funds to be used for the ongoing of your good gospel, for the advance of your kingdom, that we would never retreat, lord, because of what we see around us, but we would advance in faith, that we would not fear. In Jesus name, lord, we ask you for the boldness to preach your word and proclaim your good gospel, to proclaim the savior.
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There is a savior. In Jesus, lord. All of the promises of God are yes and amen. Lord Jesus, we ask for you comforting spirit. Lord, to direct us as you would have us to go and lord, we pray for that same divine power to be access, accessed by us, and accessible to us that we would be able to walk in the strength that you give.
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Lord, and do your will in your way This morning and proceeding forth no matter where our road will lead. In Jesus name, we thank you.
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Before Ray's sermon, this morning, I wanted to, share just a little expression of worship through poetry that was written by one of our very own, Joni DeMarsh. Joni's right over here. And
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and I think this is
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a sweet expression of worship, and I I wanted to share it with you just first in word, but then we put a little music to it. But it says, I've been in the presence of Jesus today. I felt his Holy Spirit. I've seen his power displayed. He is right here with us, and he wants to share his love.
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So let's open up and let him share blessings from above. I've been in the presence of Jesus today. I felt his Holy Spirit. I've seen his power displayed.
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I've been in the presence of Jesus today. I felt his Holy Spirit. I've seen his power display. He's right here in his, and he wants to share his love. So let's open up, do his blessings from above.
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In the presence of the Lord. In the presence of the In the presence of the Lord. We come. I've been in the presence of Jesus today. I felt his Holy Spirit.
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I've seen his power displayed. He's right here with us, and he wants to share his love. So let's open up to his blessings from above. In the presence of alone, in the presence of alone, in the presence of alone, we come. I've been in the presence of Jesus today.
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I felt his Holy Spirit. I've seen his power display.
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Carl we we push Carl all the time to do everything that he does, but he doesn't need pushing to get everything arranged for all of us. He's a great band leader. But Eugene is constantly saying, when are gonna write a song? When you gonna write a song? And when he saw that poem, there was no doubt about it.
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He was like, this is the now. So his first song he's ever really written because he was inspired by that. That's the way the body of Christ is supposed to work together. So amen. Thank you both and the band too.
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So, we are up to second Peter two twenty. That's where we stopped last week. Two nineteen is where last thing I stopped on. So, we're going forward from twenty. I'm gonna go to three nine rather than just three two this morning and it's second Peter.
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The first chapter of second Peter is presenting to you or to you all, to y'all. It says, hey, y'all add to your faith, goodness, and self control, godliness, and all these things in the first chapter. In the second chapter, I'll show you in just a minute. He turns and he is talking about false teachers and false prophets. He says, in the end of the first chapter, he says that the we have this prophetic word, this message that is completely reliable.
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And then beginning in chapter two, he says, but just as there were false prophets in the days of old, there will be false teachers in your time. And he's writing this to the far flung reaches out from Rome, and he's writing to mostly Gentile audience as a Jewish background boy himself. When he's presenting this, it's it's fiery. It's good, but it's fiery. I want you to notice something.
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I started last week with 10 b, and want you to notice something. I'm literally gonna highlight on the slides up there these days, okay, these days and these peoples. Bold and arrogant. Now who is he talking about? They.
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Bold and arrogant. They. The false teachers, the ones who for greed have walked away from the straight and narrow way of the gospel, the narrow gate. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings. Now, I presented last week something right here that might have thrown some of you.
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I don't know. When you read past that, you might just read past it, go bold and arrogant. They're not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings. Why would they do that anyway? The term there is glorious ones, and I presented it as being about demons.
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They are not afraid to heap abuse on demons. But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. I'm gonna go back through that one more time. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings. Now, that could be and I I presented last week that it could be the demons or the demonic realm.
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I don't I'm not a devil behind every bush kind of guy. So, I try not to read that into scripture but I do believe it's what it is here because the next sentence says, yet even angels who are stronger and more powerful do not heap abuse on such beings when they are bringing judgement on them from the Lord. So, it's these beings, celestial beings, such beings, they are receiving judgement from the Lord. Now, glorious ones can be notable human beings. It can be but I don't think that's what he's saying right here.
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Satan masquerades as an angel of light and his minions often draw people away into thinking they're doing good. Yet, even angels, although they're stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings. When bringing judgement on them from the Lord but these people blaspheme in matters that they do not understand. In our time, I think we have a lot of people who are making some really, really bold claims about their own human powers to command the spiritual realm. And I think that Peter was saying that it was the same then.
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They blaspheme matters they do not understand. They're like unreasoning animals, creatures born of instinct, only born to be caught and destroyed, and they too, like animals, will perish. They will be paid back for the harm that they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to corral in the broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.
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That's a lot of days, isn't it? Aren't you glad you're not a they? Now, now, I think that Peter to begin with said, y'all need to, I'm making a call towards holiness in the first chapter. In the second chapter, he says, but there are those who will try to entice you away from holiness saying that's not really necessary. Jesus paid the price for all of that.
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You can do whatever you want to. Now, you got complete and total liberty. You know, Paul says, all things are permissible but not all things are profitable, right? It's that and he says, here, he's saying, they are blots and their blemishes and their reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you with eyes full of adultery. They never stop sinning and they seduce the unstable.
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They are experts in greed and a cursed brood, children of the cursed and a cursed brood. The they, they, they, they, there is a way of saying that there are two camps that one can be in. There are two ways you can go by. Sorry, quoting Led Zeppelin, the second service. But in the long run, no, no, no.
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There's not any time. You cannot remain neutral, all right? I mentioned in the first service, I said, is it possible to remain neutral? It is not possible to remain neutral. We are by birth and by bent, bent towards sin and iniquity, and we have that on us from our federal head, Adam.
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It is impossible to remain neutral. You start out separated. And unless you accept and the only provision that God has made for salvation, you will suffer being a they. Are you alright with that? It's exclusive, and it's hard.
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In our society, it flies in the face of everything that our society promotes. They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam, the son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. Two weeks ago, we did a long bit about it was numbers 22, 23, and 24 about Balaam. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey and animal without speech who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. These people, these enticers, these false teachers, these people are springs without water.
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They have nothing to offer. What's a spring if it doesn't have any water? Their mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty boastful words and by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.
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Isn't it sad? That when people finally have found something that looks like this is the way and they begin to come in to the family of God, they may or may not have crossed over into a right relationship with God but they begin and they're pulled in and then the false teachers would pull them back away or push them away, drive a wedge between. They entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error and they promised them freedom While they themselves are slaves of depravity. For people, all of us, are slaves to whatever has mastered them. It's interesting to note that Peter in the very first verse of this says, Peter, an apostle and slave of Jesus Christ.
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Jesus Christ is what had mastered Peter and he took that and faithfully transmitted the teachings of Jesus to the rest of us. They promised them freedom while they themselves are slave to depravity. And I dot dot dot it last week. So that's far as we made it last week, left you on a of a cliffhanger. But who are these people?
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I've said it nine times. They are the false teachers. I think it's a gentle way, though, of saying if you recognize yourself in this, you might be a them and not an us. Are you with me? Who are these people there, the enticers, one who would try to convince people that holiness does not matter because it actually does matter.
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If they have escaped, and it's still they. This one's a little bit more pointed. If they have escaped the corruption of the world. If they're able to to get out of it by knowing our lord and savior Jesus Christ and they are again entangled in the corruption of the world and overcome by it, then they're worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. So we hit a place of the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man.
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We also hit the place of once saved, always saved versus the possibility that you could forfeit your salvation. And the two camps that argue back and forth this point. Since Peter says and he'll say it in just a minute. We'll get to it in just a couple of verses that he is to he is stimulating us to wholesome thinking. And since he says that he's writing this letter to Christians, he's writing a letter to Christians and saying, you, though, worry about yourself, and you stay on this straight and narrow path, and you don't be enticed by these false teachers If they have seen an escape from the corruption of the world by coming into this and then they've been entangled in it again, they're worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.
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What happens when someone comes to Christ and their life is transformed and they are able to put down by submitting their will to the will of God. They're able to put down whatever their besetting sin was that separated Christ. I use alcohol, but it's not because I'm a Baptist preacher. It's just a ready ready one. It could be anything.
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But AA is so strong about it is possible to live day by day in victory over this struggle, over this particular bent. And if you were to ask people years ago especially, what is the only way that someone will escape from alcohol as being a besetting sin? They would say conversion, evangelical conversion, believing in Jesus. Now, it might sound like they've watered things down today to say the higher power can be anything. Well, if it's just anything, then they have watered it down.
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I think it was supposed to be originally a statement of humility that to my understanding, I am willing to submit my will to this higher power. I can't is the first step. I have a problem that I can't get over. The second one is, there is a higher power who is willing to set me free and then the third step is, I'm going to let him. It takes a complete fearless and searching moral inventory is the step and that's helpful and then given all that over to God.
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As you understand him, because you might not know him at all but you can come to understand him through his word. Imagine that someone has sat down, sat down that, They have started the path towards God. They understand that there is a way and they start to come out of it and then they are immediately by a false enticer or teacher convinced that that was not a problem in the first place. Sure, you can have one. You could you could probably have more than one.
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Jesus turned water into wine, not the other way around. They're teaching Bible, right? But it's a false gospel. That person is convicted of that sin and Jesus is setting them free from it and then you convince them that, no, that's not bad. That's false teaching and that's a that's a real they move, okay?
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If they've escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our lord and savior Jesus Christ, they're entangled again in it and they're overcome, Then, they're worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. Think about this. They had walked for two, three years and they're alright and then they go back into it and now, after you've gone back to it, does it feel like I tried that and it didn't work? They're worse off at the end than they were at the beginning because it does work. Mark Twain, I think it was.
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Not that I quote him much on Christianity but he he said that it's not so much that Christianity has been tried and found wanting. It's that it's not really been tried. If you get a false gospel of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps or your own ability. If you get a false gospel, you get inoculated against the real gospel. You get a dead form of this virus that will keep you from ever catching the real thing.
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That's what that's talking about. They are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning and it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness. Now that does not say not to known the savior. It says to know the right way to live, right? To know the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
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They're backed. This one is a little closer to home because it could be talking about you. If you're looking at it and you're saying, yeah, I I knew that that was the right thing and now, I'm upset because it didn't work for me. And you didn't get it. Alright, are you with me?
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And it's still available, okay? Having a dead form of Christianity is not the same thing as knowing Christ and following after him. Of them, the Proverbs are true. A dog returns to its vomit. Yuck.
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Whatever caused that dog to throw up was bad for him the first time he took it in. And he throws it up and then he's got just something that drawing him back into it. It's of them, those who have tasted and seen the Lord is good and then walked away from him. Of them, the proverbs are true. A dog returns to its vomit and a sow that's washed returns to her wallowing mug because a sow is a sow is a sow is a sow, right?
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Dear friends, that's the way it changes right there. Chapter break, It's they, they, they, they, them, them, them, them. And then it says, dear friends. And actually, dear friends is kind of softening the full impact of agape toy. Agape toy is a plural.
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Beloved ones, those of you who he's writing to, you, y'all, you, y'all, all the way throughout, and then he starts the day, day, day, day, day. You know there's something to who and how we attach. Like, as babies, it's part of our development to attach ourselves to our mama and to our parents, right? And they give us that which we need at the time that we need it, even before we know that we need it, and our attachment to them sets a foundation that we can build off for the rest of our life. When we grow up a little bit around teenager hood, we start to see that there's more than our family, and our attachments make a difference.
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If we attach ourselves to the crowd that's running wild, what are the chances we're going to do? Run wild. If we attach ourselves to the body of Christ, we attach ourselves to that, then the chances are our attachments are going to help the situation. He is making a distinction and saying, this is not the way and this is the way. Agape toy.
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Beloved ones, dear friends, this is now my second letter to you, and I've written both of them as reminders, as reminders and he's saying as reminders because you already know this stuff in fact. In the first chapter, he said, so I will always remind you of these things even though you know them and you're firmly established. You're believers already and you are living in the truth that you now have. I think it's right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body because it won't be forever because I know that I'll soon put it aside as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me and I will make every effort. He's already told them a couple times.
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Make every effort to add to your faith. Goodness, self control. I'll make every effort to see to it that after my departure, you will always be able to remember these things. Jude, write this down real quick. Alright?
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Maybe Jude. Write it down so that they can remember it. So it's not just one and done and it's gone. What's he writing to remind them? To stimulate you to wholesome thinking.
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If you look at this passage and you go, oh, I've sinned and I go back to that sin again. I must be lost. It's a call to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. It's a call for you to access the grace of God and to move forward in holiness, submitting your will to his. That's what it's a call for, to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.
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I want you to recall and what is it that he wants us to recall? I want you to recall the words that were spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our lord and savior through your apostles. Sounds like Paul, doesn't it? From Ephesians two nineteen through 21 says this, so now, you Gentiles, you're no longer strangers. This book of first Peter first and second Peter are both written to Gentile Christians.
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You're citizens along with all of God's holy people. You're members of God's family together as Jewish background guys and Gentile background guys that find themselves on level ground at the foot of the cross. Together, we are his house. Built on the foundation of the apostles and of the prophets and the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We're carefully joined together in him and we are becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
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But Peter says to build off of the foundation of the prophets and apostles. He already told us that he is an apostle. He has already also told us that the prophets have given us a completely reliable word. Above all, you must understand that in the last days, scoffers will come, scoffing and they are also going to be following after their own evil desires. Can I get a witness?
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Yeah. So I put this picture up here this morning I came in because I've gotten in the last three or four days, I've gotten five or six people have sent me text or messages or emails or called and asked about this thing. This is the Creation Museum in Kentucky. Some of y'all have been there. Think it's great.
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I don't have any kind of a problem with it. It's a life size replica as best we can tell, built from the schematic that the Bible gives. And it's also a place where people can go and learn more about creation. Recently, the folks that have built this or are in charge of this have sued their insurance company. They sued their insurance company because rains came and washed away a road that was nearby.
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Now just that, it's like, wait a second, that's Noah's Ark and it's about rain. That's the response that everybody gets. Now, I'm not saying that I heard it and thought, oh my goodness, how are they going to beat Christians up with this now? And about 50 articles came up worldwide, all over. You Google Noah's Ark Sue's insurance company, and you'll have 50 different ones, and all of them will be some manner of scoffing.
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I have heard a I did read a couple that were by preachers, but most of them will be, ugh, sure. That's the way this goes. Now, it didn't harm the boat. It didn't harm the ark at all. It was a road that was washed away and they paid part of the claim if they didn't.
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It was just a normal kind of thing but because they can, they do scoff and mock because it's something that Christians have done. Anyway, above all, you must understand that in the last days, scoffers will come. Now, he wrote this in about '65, '66, or sixty seven AD. Just thirty four, thirty five years after the cross, thirty two, thirty four years after the cross. He says, in the last days, scoffers will come scoffing and following after their own evil desires and they'll say, where is this coming?
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Where is this coming? Using the same word, the perusia, the where is this coming that he promised Jesus? Where is he? He hadn't come back yet. It's been thirty something years.
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That's what they're saying in his day. And nowadays, what are they saying? Been two thousand years. I mean, I think it's crazy. It's ridiculous.
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You live your life according to the old book. Scoffers and mockers, right? It's like, what should the death of a first century Jew have to do with you? Well, first Corinthians warns and says, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to those who are being saved, it is the very power of God. They will say, where is this coming he promised?
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Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on just as it has since the beginning of creation. Now, that's not true. Are there new things going on? Yeah, there's plenty of new stuff going on all the time. Inventors of new ways to do evil is one and device list.
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That one's one that always comes up. People come up with new ways to do evil. And they don't know. How is it that they know exactly how things have gone since forever, since the beginning of creation? At least they point towards creation.
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Ever since our ancestor died, everything goes on. It's just the same. It just keeps on going. Where's this company promised? But they, again, it's a they, deliberately forget that long ago, by God's word, the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water, the waters above, he hovered over the face of the waters.
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This is what Genesis teaches. By God's word, the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water and by these waters also, the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. He's preaching about the flood. That's why I used the Noah's Ark reference there. They're deliberately forgetting that.
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They have a historical record in front of them that they are ignoring and putting aside. These very same waters of also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. He's mentioned that earlier in chapter two. He said, if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people but he protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness and seven others, his family. If he didn't spare the ancient world but he brought the flood on its ungodly people.
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This is about judgment. By the same word, the word of God, by the same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgement. Now, the rainbow was to signify. The symbol was to signify that he would not destroy the water, the the world with water. Again, but the same word does say, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire and being kept for the day of judgement and the destruction of the ungodly.
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This is a call to be a y'all and not a they. This is going to happen. It's coming. If he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, this is from chapter two also. If if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes and that's what he did and it was the wrath of God fallen from heaven, okay?
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If he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes and he made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly. He's mentioned it a couple of times now. It's coming. Do not forget this one thing, dear friends. Again, Agape Toy, beloved ones, those beloved of God.
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Do not forget this one thing. With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. Now we tend to view things right now with what CS Lewis called a chronological snobbery. We feel like we know more now than anybody has ever known. And it's the information age, and we double the amount of human knowledge every, you know, fifteen minutes or something nowadays.
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It gets to be closer and closer a climb how often we double the knowledge, but the wisdom of man is pure foolishness when it's compared with the wisdom of God. And God is the author of time. He spoke it into existence. He could see the end from the beginning because he stands completely outside of time. We don't have that luxury.
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We have to deal with past, present, and future because we don't have another way of doing things. Oh, to be like God and to be outside of time so that when someone says, forgive me of my sins, you could throw em as far as the East is from the West and remember them no more. Oh, to be like God and to be able to obliterate all that has happened in the past, but we can't. We live past, present, future. We have to be able to stand in the grace of God with our present, forgiving the past, learning from it, and moving towards a hopeful future submitted to him.
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For the Lord, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. So, it's been two days. That's not long. Alright. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise.
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The old King James says, the Lord is not slack. He's not slack. He's not slack as some people count slackness. Like, why hadn't he come yet? If he's going to do it, he should've done it by now.
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Oh, you're going to set yourself up as a mocker and a scoffer to say, you know when God should've done something? This verse is saying, the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise. It's going to be right on time. No man knows the hour, not anybody, not even the son, only the father, and he knows and when it happens, it will be right on time. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness.
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Instead, consider this, he has been patient with they. No, he has been patient with y'all. He's been patient with y'all. Up to this point, if you see yourself in the day and you've wavered towards a greed or if you have wavered towards legalism or if you've wavered away from the good old gospel way and you think you're going to take it on by your own righteousness. No, you submit.
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Allow the righteousness of Christ to work its way out in you. Good. But if you find yourself wandering off course, he has been, to this point, patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance. Repentance. The word is metanoeo.
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It is a changing of the mind, a complete change of mind. It is changing into the mind of Christ in this case. I actually wanna set this one up. Second Peter three nine. There was a it's it is exactly 11:53.
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And every Sunday at 11:53 in a little church I grew up in, there was a preacher that every Sunday, 11:53, he would crescendo the sermon, and he'd hit this verse every Sunday. And I always thought that was weird. He is an evangelist, though. I mean, his his wiring, everything about him. He came to Christ as an adult, and he recognized the grace of God that had extended itself.
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Had he died in all of the stuff he was involved in before he was an adult. If he had died at a moment or if Christ had come back at a moment when he was not ready. And this verse just framed everything. It used to gripe me because every Sunday at 11:53, was like, here it comes. Second Peter three nine.
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Lord's not slack, concern is promise. But you know what? Now I look at it and I go, that was the perfect thing for him to preach in that place, that day. He's been patient with y'all so far. Not wanting that anyone should perish.
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I mean, that brings you right to the John three sixteen. For God so in this way, love the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. He's not slow. He's right on time. He's patient and long suffering.
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He's not slow. It'll happen. All of the promises of God are yes and amen. Habakkuk two three says, for the vision is yet for the appointed time. It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail though it tarries.
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Wait for it. For it will certainly come and it will not delay. Hebrews quoting that in the New Testament, a different version says, in just a little while, he who is coming will come and he will not delay. Below that, it actually says, and the righteous shall live by faith. I think that's the last slide.
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That's the last place I'm going get today. Next week, I'll start off with verse nine and we'll finish the book if you want to read ahead. I think that this is a call for us to consider like the call of Joshua. Consider this day. Who's out of y'all?
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Are you with us? Are you the, are you a y'all or are you a they? Are you following after Christ who is the head of the you alls? Or are you following after an enticer that's trying through the lust of the flesh to convince you of a false gospel? God, forgive us where we fail you and forgive us where we go for the bait to be drawn off course.
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God, I also ask that in the time that remains that you would call some of those false teachers out of their error, lord, and that they would humble themselves before you and that they would find what salvation brings, and then start the humble process of sanctification, staying sober, staying vigilant, resisting the devil, and allowing you to perfect and confirm and strengthen and establish. In Jesus name, lord, I ask that you do this and that you would show us the way that we may walk in it. In Jesus name, amen. Would y'all stand? I'm going to ask Judy to come by and Scott to come back up and we're praying and a lot of times y'all hear me say, lord, would you do your will and your way in our life?
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I I mean that. I I hope that that's your prayer. When you wake up in the morning, lord, I long to do your will. Show me your way and I'll walk in it. That's a great place to live life.
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That's a very fulfilling life, an abundant life. I think this is a very plaintive prayer right right here, hymn number five ninety one, have thine own way, lord. It's not my will but thine be done. Have thine own way, lord. Have thine own way.
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Thine own way Christ only Amen.
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The benediction of days come from Psalm 30 fours eight and ten says this, taste and see that the Lord is good. We've been talking about judgement and we've been talking about the days but days can become y'alls, okay? Days can become us's. It's an invitation if you're outside of Christ to taste and that the Lord is good. Blessed is the one who takes their refuge in him.
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There is no other way. The lions may grow weak and they may grow hungry but those who seek the Lord will lack for no good thing. Lord, would you fill us up to overflowing and spill out onto those around us. Your good and powerful grace with joy inexpressible, full of glory, and may you be passing on the peace that passes understanding. Amen.
