“It’s the End of the World and we know it”
(Matthew 24:3) “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the
disciples came to him privately. ʻTell us,ʼ they said, ʻwhen will this
happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the
age?ʼ ”
(2 Peter 3:3-10) First of all, you must understand that in the last days
scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They
will say, “Where is this ʻcomingʼ he promised? Ever since our fathers
died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But
they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed
and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters
also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same
word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for
the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget
this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years,
and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his
promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not
wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the
day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a
roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and
everything in it will be laid bare.”
Writing this letter near the end of his life, Peter wanted to remind Christians that the final day is real. He calls it “the day of the Lord” and reminds his Christian readers that it is unquestionably coming.
To scoff means to speak in a scornful or mocking way. What do scoffers think about the end? In verse 4, Peter says that the false teachers mock the promise of Christ’s return and a final judgment. “Where is it?” they ask. “Ever since the days of the ancient patriarchs the world has gone on without interruption.” The scoffers claim that God has not and will not intervene in world history.
How do we know?
√ People will do their own thing.
(Me focused, materialistic, not heavenly minded)
(Matthew 24:37-39) “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at
the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood,
people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about
what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.”
√ People will forget God.
(Matthew 24:12) “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love
of most will grow cold.”
Many will turn away from the Faith, against the Faith, Twist the Faith, & Tune out the Faith. Then there will be those that Trust the Faith & Tell the Faith!
√ People will think Heʼs not coming.
(1 Thessalonians 5:2) “For you know very well that the day of the
Lord will come like a thief in the night.”
√ People will not be ready.
(Matthew 24:40-42) “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken
and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one
will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you
do not know on what day your Lord will come.”
If the end is near…
(1 Peter 4:7) “The end of all things is near…”
I should pray.
(1 Peter 4:7) “…therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so
that you can pray.”
Real prayer is driven by relationship not need or crisis.
U can dump your junk. God gets bigger, your junk gets smaller.
Causes u to b more heavenly minded
a. Make it personal not formal.
(Matthew 6:7-8) And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like
pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many
words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need
before you ask him.
b. Pray with confidence.
(Hebrews 4:15-16) For we do not have a high priest who is unable
to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been
tempted in every way, just as we are —yet he did not sin. Let us
then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we
may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
(James 5:16 NLT) “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has
great power and produces wonderful results.”
I should focus on my relationships.
(1 Peter 4:8-9) “Above all, love each other deeply, because love
covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another
without grumbling.”
most important - on 911 ppl were making last calls to loved ones
a. What relationship needs to be initiated?
(Luke 6:13) “When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them…”
b. What relationship needs to be nurtured?
(Galatians 5:13-15) “Serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”
What relationship needs to be restored?
(Ephesians 4:3) “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
What relationship needs to be severed?
(1 Corinthians 15:33) “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.”
(Proverbs 13:20) “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
3. I should get my life right with God.
(2 Peter 3:11) “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what
kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly
lives.”
(Matthew 24:42) Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
(Romans 10:9-10) “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is
Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are
justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are
saved.”
Share Christ with urgency.
(Luke 12:16-21 NCV) “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Conclusion
Just as there was a beginning, there will be an end. We will not be reincarnated. We will not be given another chance. We live once, we will die once and then we will stand before God. For unbelievers, today is the day to believe in him and turn from sin. For believers, today is the day to live lives of godliness and holiness so that we are ready for that final day.
Do you anticipate the coming of the Lord? Do you think much about eternity and the day you will meet Jesus?
