1 00:00:00,440 –> 00:00:04,100 Well, you open your Bible at 2 Peter and chapter three. 2 00:00:04,920 –> 00:00:07,720 2 Peter and chapter three. 3 00:00:10,220 –> 00:00:12,260 As you look at the world today, 4 00:00:13,600 –> 00:00:15,700 I think it becomes immediately obvious 5 00:00:15,700 –> 00:00:17,580 at least to any thinking person 6 00:00:17,580 –> 00:00:20,620 that there is something terribly wrong 7 00:00:20,620 –> 00:00:24,879 with this planet that we call Earth. 8 00:00:24,879 –> 00:00:29,639 I pulled up just yesterday on the internet 9 00:00:29,639 –> 00:00:34,639 a list of natural disasters. 10 00:00:36,099 –> 00:00:38,000 That list, as I printed it off, 11 00:00:38,000 –> 00:00:43,000 runs to 21 pages with between 30 and 40 12 00:00:44,660 –> 00:00:48,240 separate entries on each page. 13 00:00:48,240 –> 00:00:50,020 They’re divided by category. 14 00:00:50,820 –> 00:00:55,639 Earthquakes, volcanoes, heat waves. 15 00:00:55,639 –> 00:00:59,660 Did you know, for example, that 37,000 people 16 00:00:59,660 –> 00:01:04,660 died in 2003 in the heat wave in Europe? 17 00:01:05,639 –> 00:01:06,720 2003. 18 00:01:06,720 –> 00:01:08,180 37,000! 19 00:01:10,040 –> 00:01:14,800 Hail, storms, tornadoes, cyclones, hurricanes, 20 00:01:14,800 –> 00:01:19,120 typhoons, floods, landslides, wildfires, 21 00:01:19,120 –> 00:01:23,580 blizzards, famines, and diseases, 22 00:01:23,580 –> 00:01:26,699 and each one with its own death toll, 23 00:01:27,660 –> 00:01:30,220 each one of these entries, 24 00:01:30,220 –> 00:01:33,900 21 pages, 30 to 40 entries a page, 25 00:01:33,900 –> 00:01:37,580 an individual’s story of pain and tragedy 26 00:01:37,580 –> 00:01:40,419 and loss of human life, sometimes in tens, 27 00:01:40,419 –> 00:01:43,260 sometimes in hundreds, sometimes in thousands, 28 00:01:43,260 –> 00:01:45,660 and sometimes in millions. 29 00:01:46,519 –> 00:01:51,519 1,800 dead through Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 30 00:01:54,220 –> 00:01:59,220 283,000 dead in the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004, 31 00:02:02,300 –> 00:02:06,459 the sixth-greatest loss of life in a natural disaster 32 00:02:06,459 –> 00:02:08,380 in the history of the world, 33 00:02:09,960 –> 00:02:11,979 but even that seems small 34 00:02:12,000 –> 00:02:16,500 beside the staggering loss of human lives 35 00:02:16,500 –> 00:02:21,440 in the great floods in China in 1931, 36 00:02:22,380 –> 00:02:26,320 where the loss of life is estimated 37 00:02:26,320 –> 00:02:30,940 between two and four million people. 38 00:02:30,940 –> 00:02:32,160 Absolutely staggering. 39 00:02:33,979 –> 00:02:37,240 And so you have to ask the question why. 40 00:02:38,199 –> 00:02:40,580 Why in a world so beautiful 41 00:02:40,580 –> 00:02:43,139 with all the marks of order and design, 42 00:02:44,220 –> 00:02:46,839 why in this one planet in the cosmos 43 00:02:46,839 –> 00:02:50,520 that is so perfectly adapted for an environment 44 00:02:50,520 –> 00:02:54,220 to support human life of all sorts in its abundance, 45 00:02:54,220 –> 00:02:58,139 birds and insects and animals and fish 46 00:02:58,139 –> 00:03:01,020 and plants and crops and people, 47 00:03:01,020 –> 00:03:04,759 why in this world is there every kind of disaster 48 00:03:04,820 –> 00:03:08,880 in every continent of the world in every generation, why? 49 00:03:11,679 –> 00:03:13,899 What is wrong with this world? 50 00:03:13,899 –> 00:03:16,380 That is the question before us today. 51 00:03:19,660 –> 00:03:22,399 Now, Fox News has an answer for that question, 52 00:03:22,399 –> 00:03:26,119 I quote from the website yesterday, 53 00:03:26,119 –> 00:03:28,360 an article on their science page, 54 00:03:29,600 –> 00:03:32,820 quote, the Mayan Mars cyclone, 55 00:03:33,779 –> 00:03:36,039 the earthquakes off the coast of Japan, 56 00:03:36,039 –> 00:03:39,820 the Chilean volcano, has the earth gone bonkers? 57 00:03:40,820 –> 00:03:43,860 Not at all, says the Fox News editorial, 58 00:03:44,699 –> 00:03:49,139 this level of natural activity is normal for the earth, 59 00:03:49,139 –> 00:03:54,139 scientists say, quote, Mother Nature is just reminding us 60 00:03:54,600 –> 00:03:57,860 that she is in charge, Bill Patzert, 61 00:03:57,860 –> 00:04:01,619 a climatologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory 62 00:04:01,820 –> 00:04:05,100 in Pasadena, California, told Live Science. 63 00:04:06,380 –> 00:04:08,240 That also means, Fox News continues, 64 00:04:08,240 –> 00:04:12,380 that the recent Midwestern quake centered in Illinois 65 00:04:12,380 –> 00:04:15,660 and tremblers near Reno, Nevada, 66 00:04:15,660 –> 00:04:19,899 though unnerving and frightening to locals, 67 00:04:19,899 –> 00:04:22,380 were just another day for planet Earth. 68 00:04:24,380 –> 00:04:26,660 So, we asked the question this morning, 69 00:04:26,660 –> 00:04:28,839 what is wrong with this world, 70 00:04:29,720 –> 00:04:34,320 and Fox News says on their webpage yesterday, 71 00:04:34,320 –> 00:04:35,160 nothing. 72 00:04:36,220 –> 00:04:39,260 It’s, quote, perfectly normal, 73 00:04:39,260 –> 00:04:41,519 quote, mother nature is reminding us 74 00:04:41,519 –> 00:04:43,140 that she is in charge. 75 00:04:44,480 –> 00:04:47,019 Well, you know their slogan, don’t you? 76 00:04:47,019 –> 00:04:50,959 They report, you decide. 77 00:04:50,959 –> 00:04:52,559 And I hope that you will decide 78 00:04:52,559 –> 00:04:54,920 something very, very different 79 00:04:54,920 –> 00:04:57,320 with regards to what is wrong with the world 80 00:04:57,679 –> 00:04:59,720 as we look at the Bible today, 81 00:05:00,839 –> 00:05:02,040 because when we ask the question, 82 00:05:02,040 –> 00:05:04,320 what is wrong with the world, 83 00:05:04,320 –> 00:05:07,160 the Bible gives us a compelling answer 84 00:05:07,160 –> 00:05:09,299 that I invite us to look at today. 85 00:05:10,839 –> 00:05:14,459 That answer is along these lines, 86 00:05:16,040 –> 00:05:20,079 that the world is under a curse 87 00:05:20,079 –> 00:05:22,140 that came about through human sin 88 00:05:22,140 –> 00:05:23,880 and rebellion against God, 89 00:05:24,679 –> 00:05:26,739 that Adam rebelled against God 90 00:05:26,739 –> 00:05:30,100 and humanity continues that rebellion 91 00:05:30,100 –> 00:05:33,399 and that no rebellion against God can ultimately stand. 92 00:05:33,399 –> 00:05:35,260 I think it’s good for us to remember 93 00:05:35,260 –> 00:05:38,640 that the Bible frequently pictures God as a warrior 94 00:05:38,640 –> 00:05:41,399 who goes out to subdue all his enemies 95 00:05:42,320 –> 00:05:45,179 and no enemy of God will finally stand. 96 00:05:46,700 –> 00:05:48,440 The rebellion against God, of course, 97 00:05:48,440 –> 00:05:52,179 began long before Adam, it began in heaven, 98 00:05:52,459 –> 00:05:56,820 but the human phase of the rebellion against God 99 00:05:56,820 –> 00:05:59,500 was launched by Adam together with Eve 100 00:05:59,500 –> 00:06:03,040 and God came and confronted Satan at that time 101 00:06:03,040 –> 00:06:06,200 along with his new allies, the man and the woman. 102 00:06:07,179 –> 00:06:09,640 You remember the story from Genesis in chapter three 103 00:06:09,640 –> 00:06:12,980 that God said to Satan, cursed are you. 104 00:06:12,980 –> 00:06:16,239 Very important word in the Bible, cursed. 105 00:06:16,239 –> 00:06:19,380 The word cursed simply means to destroy 106 00:06:19,380 –> 00:06:21,179 or to bring something to nothing, 107 00:06:21,299 –> 00:06:24,179 so when God says to Satan you are cursed 108 00:06:24,179 –> 00:06:28,299 what God is saying to Satan is your work will not stand, 109 00:06:28,299 –> 00:06:30,820 you are doomed to destruction, 110 00:06:30,820 –> 00:06:35,179 nothing that you attempt will ultimately be accomplished, 111 00:06:35,179 –> 00:06:39,059 all your works will be destroyed, cursed are you. 112 00:06:40,359 –> 00:06:43,140 Then you remember in Genesis three God turned to Adam 113 00:06:43,140 –> 00:06:45,179 and in Genesis chapter three in verse seven 114 00:06:45,179 –> 00:06:48,320 God said an extraordinarily gracious thing. 115 00:06:49,079 –> 00:06:54,079 God said to Adam cursed is the ground because of you. 116 00:06:55,839 –> 00:06:58,059 Genesis chapter three in verse 17 117 00:06:58,059 –> 00:07:00,260 that means two things. 118 00:07:00,260 –> 00:07:04,579 The first is that the earth, the ground the planet 119 00:07:04,579 –> 00:07:07,579 will be utterly destroyed, cursed is the ground, 120 00:07:08,619 –> 00:07:09,880 will be brought to nothing 121 00:07:11,019 –> 00:07:13,000 which is what Peter is going to tell us here 122 00:07:13,000 –> 00:07:15,619 and we’ll look at it in just a moment. 123 00:07:15,619 –> 00:07:17,160 The planet will be destroyed 124 00:07:17,279 –> 00:07:19,720 what God is saying here in the book of Genesis 125 00:07:20,540 –> 00:07:23,119 he will bring life on earth to nothing 126 00:07:23,119 –> 00:07:25,579 that is Genesis chapter three in verse 17 127 00:07:25,579 –> 00:07:28,160 God will not allow the human rebellion to stand 128 00:07:29,119 –> 00:07:33,279 man will be overthrown and utterly defeated 129 00:07:33,279 –> 00:07:36,760 all of man’s works will be destroyed. 130 00:07:38,059 –> 00:07:40,600 But second notice that God is making a way 131 00:07:40,600 –> 00:07:42,519 even right here at the beginning 132 00:07:42,519 –> 00:07:45,220 for human beings to be part of his great plan 133 00:07:45,220 –> 00:07:48,299 after the cosmos has been destroyed 134 00:07:48,299 –> 00:07:50,859 after this fallen world has been brought 135 00:07:50,859 –> 00:07:53,480 under this final judgment. 136 00:07:53,480 –> 00:07:57,559 See if God had said to Adam, cursed are you 137 00:07:57,559 –> 00:07:59,299 that would have been the end of the human race 138 00:07:59,299 –> 00:08:01,160 no hope for the human race at all 139 00:08:01,160 –> 00:08:02,440 if God had said that 140 00:08:04,739 –> 00:08:06,880 but God did not say to Adam cursed are you 141 00:08:06,880 –> 00:08:08,940 God said to Adam cursed is the ground 142 00:08:08,940 –> 00:08:09,779 because of you. 143 00:08:09,779 –> 00:08:11,839 Cursed is the earth, cursed is the planet 144 00:08:12,720 –> 00:08:16,640 and that opens the door of hope for men and for women. 145 00:08:16,640 –> 00:08:18,239 So right at the beginning of the Bible 146 00:08:18,239 –> 00:08:21,040 You have judgment clearly pronounced 147 00:08:21,040 –> 00:08:24,980 and mercy mixed in with it. 148 00:08:24,980 –> 00:08:28,399 Now, this reminds us just beginning to think on the scale 149 00:08:29,540 –> 00:08:32,080 that the gospel is about much more 150 00:08:32,080 –> 00:08:34,799 than you and your personal salvation. 151 00:08:35,719 –> 00:08:38,380 It is about the global future. 152 00:08:38,380 –> 00:08:40,280 It is about what will happen to the world 153 00:08:40,359 –> 00:08:42,719 and to nations and to kings and to presidents 154 00:08:42,719 –> 00:08:45,000 and to science and technology. 155 00:08:45,000 –> 00:08:47,119 It is about what will happen to humanity 156 00:08:49,080 –> 00:08:51,659 and this is very important for us to grasp 157 00:08:51,659 –> 00:08:53,299 and to engage in the discussion 158 00:08:53,299 –> 00:08:54,359 that’s going on these days 159 00:08:54,359 –> 00:08:57,760 because you know that there is massive interest today 160 00:08:57,760 –> 00:09:00,080 in the future of the planet. 161 00:09:01,000 –> 00:09:04,320 Globalization is one of the great themes of our time. 162 00:09:04,320 –> 00:09:06,440 We understand today in a new way 163 00:09:06,440 –> 00:09:08,799 that we all live in a global village 164 00:09:08,799 –> 00:09:11,479 and what affects one affects all. 165 00:09:11,479 –> 00:09:13,859 So what is going to happen to this global village? 166 00:09:13,859 –> 00:09:15,080 That is a great question. 167 00:09:15,080 –> 00:09:17,520 And can we save the planet. 168 00:09:17,520 –> 00:09:21,280 These are the issues that people are talking about 169 00:09:21,280 –> 00:09:22,140 in our time. 170 00:09:24,539 –> 00:09:26,760 Now, I want us to grasp two things from the Bible 171 00:09:26,760 –> 00:09:30,280 that I hope will help us to engage in that discussion 172 00:09:30,280 –> 00:09:34,119 and sharpen our understanding of what God has to say to us 173 00:09:34,119 –> 00:09:36,640 on this momentous theme. 174 00:09:37,599 –> 00:09:39,280 Two things are simply this. 175 00:09:39,280 –> 00:09:44,200 One, the world is completely hopeless. 176 00:09:45,099 –> 00:09:49,419 Two, Jesus Christ offers glorious hope. 177 00:09:49,419 –> 00:09:51,679 And you got to keep these two things together, 178 00:09:51,679 –> 00:09:53,580 so please stay with me. 179 00:09:53,580 –> 00:09:56,080 The world is completely hopeless. 180 00:09:57,020 –> 00:10:00,799 Jesus Christ offers glorious hope. 181 00:10:00,799 –> 00:10:03,859 Now let’s look at the first of these 182 00:10:03,900 –> 00:10:06,820 And then we’ll come to second Peter right here, 183 00:10:06,820 –> 00:10:08,539 the world is completely hopeless. 184 00:10:08,539 –> 00:10:10,700 And, this is America, 185 00:10:11,599 –> 00:10:14,140 and we’re an optimistic people. 186 00:10:14,140 –> 00:10:16,099 And we like to be positive. 187 00:10:16,099 –> 00:10:18,419 And some of you have already got as far in your minds 188 00:10:18,419 –> 00:10:20,260 as to say doesn’t our senior pastor know 189 00:10:20,260 –> 00:10:22,099 that good communication is positive? 190 00:10:22,099 –> 00:10:23,500 Why can’t he turn this around 191 00:10:23,500 –> 00:10:26,219 and say Jesus Christ is the hope of the world? 192 00:10:26,219 –> 00:10:27,739 I’ll tell you why I can’t say 193 00:10:27,739 –> 00:10:30,479 that Jesus Christ is the hope of the world, 194 00:10:30,479 –> 00:10:31,739 because it’s not true. 195 00:10:32,020 –> 00:10:34,799 And, if you think it’s true, 196 00:10:34,799 –> 00:10:36,799 you’ve not understood the Bible clearly. 197 00:10:37,840 –> 00:10:41,380 The Bible never says that Jesus Christ 198 00:10:41,380 –> 00:10:42,780 is the hope of the world. 199 00:10:44,859 –> 00:10:47,919 The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the hope 200 00:10:47,919 –> 00:10:51,979 of those who turn to Him in repentance and faith 201 00:10:51,979 –> 00:10:55,020 and cast themselves upon the mercy of God, 202 00:10:55,900 –> 00:10:57,960 accomplished through the cross of our Lord 203 00:10:57,960 –> 00:10:59,460 and Savior Jesus Christ, 204 00:11:01,940 –> 00:11:03,760 what the Bible says about the world 205 00:11:03,760 –> 00:11:06,280 is that it is under the curse and the judgment of God 206 00:11:06,280 –> 00:11:09,039 and that, therefore, the hope for a man and for a woman 207 00:11:09,039 –> 00:11:11,520 is found, as we are separated from this world, 208 00:11:11,520 –> 00:11:13,059 in Jesus Christ. 209 00:11:14,559 –> 00:11:19,000 So, if you cherish in your heart great hopes for this world, 210 00:11:19,000 –> 00:11:21,299 I don’t know where you got them from, 211 00:11:21,299 –> 00:11:22,960 but please be sure you certainly 212 00:11:22,960 –> 00:11:24,500 didn’t get them from the Bible. 213 00:11:25,820 –> 00:11:28,739 So, let’s get that clear in our thinking. 214 00:11:28,739 –> 00:11:29,900 This is very important. 215 00:11:29,900 –> 00:11:33,020 The world is under the curse of sin 216 00:11:33,020 –> 00:11:34,780 through our rebellion against God. 217 00:11:34,780 –> 00:11:36,700 Satan will be utterly destroyed. 218 00:11:36,700 –> 00:11:38,440 The earth will be utterly destroyed, 219 00:11:38,440 –> 00:11:43,440 and Peter says that God will keep his promise. 220 00:11:44,140 –> 00:11:46,419 Now, I want you to see how clearly this is stated 221 00:11:46,419 –> 00:11:48,820 in 2 Peter, chapter three, in verse 10. 222 00:11:48,820 –> 00:11:51,179 So, as we’re trying to align our minds with the Bible, 223 00:11:51,179 –> 00:11:53,559 please have it open in front of you 224 00:11:53,559 –> 00:11:55,440 so that you can interact with others 225 00:11:55,440 –> 00:11:56,900 who do not yet believe. 226 00:11:57,679 –> 00:12:01,659 The day of the Lord, 2 Peter, 3, 10 will come, 227 00:12:01,659 –> 00:12:04,820 it will come, and it’ll come like a thief. 228 00:12:04,820 –> 00:12:08,039 The heavens will disappear with a roar. 229 00:12:09,460 –> 00:12:13,500 The elements will be destroyed by fire. 230 00:12:13,500 –> 00:12:17,900 And the Earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 231 00:12:19,039 –> 00:12:21,619 Do you see any ifs in that statement? 232 00:12:21,619 –> 00:12:23,020 Do you see any qualifications? 233 00:12:23,020 –> 00:12:24,140 Do you see any conditions? 234 00:12:24,140 –> 00:12:25,299 Do you see any caveats? 235 00:12:25,320 –> 00:12:27,820 Do you see any chance that it might not happen? 236 00:12:29,960 –> 00:12:33,260 See, there is no way of avoiding this. 237 00:12:35,440 –> 00:12:37,960 Peter does not say unless you repent, 238 00:12:37,960 –> 00:12:39,400 the Earth will be laid bare. 239 00:12:40,539 –> 00:12:42,099 He doesn’t say unless the church 240 00:12:42,099 –> 00:12:43,679 in America gets its act together 241 00:12:43,679 –> 00:12:45,559 and really returns to the Lord in prayer 242 00:12:45,559 –> 00:12:47,119 and America comes back to the Bible, 243 00:12:47,119 –> 00:12:49,739 unless these things happen, unless we turn to God, 244 00:12:49,739 –> 00:12:51,080 unless there’s a revival, 245 00:12:51,080 –> 00:12:52,640 then the world will be destroyed by fire. 246 00:12:52,640 –> 00:12:53,880 There’s no condition in this. 247 00:12:53,880 –> 00:12:55,140 It is a clear statement. 248 00:12:55,140 –> 00:12:57,000 This is what is going to happen. 249 00:12:57,000 –> 00:12:58,140 It is unconditional. 250 00:12:59,659 –> 00:13:00,520 It’s inevitable, 251 00:13:02,400 –> 00:13:04,260 because God has said He will do it 252 00:13:06,159 –> 00:13:07,440 and there is nothing, therefore, 253 00:13:07,440 –> 00:13:10,840 that you or anybody else now 254 00:13:10,840 –> 00:13:14,760 or in the future can do to stop it or to change it. 255 00:13:14,760 –> 00:13:17,320 The Earth is under the curse of sin 256 00:13:17,320 –> 00:13:19,880 and God will keep His promise. 257 00:13:19,880 –> 00:13:23,200 Cursed is the ground. 258 00:13:24,039 –> 00:13:25,799 It means it will be destroyed. 259 00:13:26,799 –> 00:13:28,880 It will be brought to nothing. 260 00:13:30,419 –> 00:13:32,299 So God wants you to know, 261 00:13:32,299 –> 00:13:33,840 God wants us, His people to know, 262 00:13:33,840 –> 00:13:35,760 Peter is writing to Christians 263 00:13:37,280 –> 00:13:41,760 that this destruction is absolutely certain, 264 00:13:41,760 –> 00:13:43,500 which is why the title that I chose 265 00:13:43,500 –> 00:13:45,640 is That the World is Completely Hopeless. 266 00:13:48,039 –> 00:13:50,400 Now, implications. 267 00:13:50,400 –> 00:13:51,840 Where does that take us? 268 00:13:54,000 –> 00:13:56,059 Does that mean, for example, 269 00:13:56,059 –> 00:13:59,239 that Christians can be careless about the environment? 270 00:14:01,400 –> 00:14:02,719 Meaning, that we kinda walk around saying, 271 00:14:02,719 –> 00:14:05,239 well this Earth’s gonna be destroyed so who cares? 272 00:14:06,400 –> 00:14:08,359 Absolutely not. 273 00:14:10,119 –> 00:14:12,760 I tell you, I thank God and I think we all should 274 00:14:13,719 –> 00:14:16,760 for a younger generation that sees the need 275 00:14:16,760 –> 00:14:18,919 to care for this world more clearly 276 00:14:18,919 –> 00:14:20,799 than many of us have done. 277 00:14:21,799 –> 00:14:25,760 But as we engage in this discussion of caring 278 00:14:25,760 –> 00:14:28,340 for the planet as we must, 279 00:14:30,359 –> 00:14:32,960 you might find it helpful to think of it this way 280 00:14:32,960 –> 00:14:35,559 and maybe you can use this in the kind of discussions 281 00:14:35,559 –> 00:14:38,460 that go on so often and are great opportunities 282 00:14:38,460 –> 00:14:39,419 for the gospel. 283 00:14:41,119 –> 00:14:46,119 We care for the planet like we care for the dying. 284 00:14:46,479 –> 00:14:50,940 We do not care for the dying 285 00:14:50,940 –> 00:14:53,179 because we think we can save them. 286 00:14:55,159 –> 00:14:58,039 We care for the dying because we love them. 287 00:14:59,679 –> 00:15:03,140 We care for the dying because we value them. 288 00:15:04,840 –> 00:15:07,320 We care intensely for the dying 289 00:15:07,320 –> 00:15:11,179 because we know that the time that the dying have is short. 290 00:15:12,719 –> 00:15:15,039 And that is how we care for the planet. 291 00:15:16,520 –> 00:15:18,599 No Christian who reads the Bible 292 00:15:18,599 –> 00:15:20,239 can cherish hopes within his heart 293 00:15:20,239 –> 00:15:21,979 that the planet can be saved 294 00:15:21,979 –> 00:15:23,619 from what God has said will happen. 295 00:15:24,919 –> 00:15:29,159 We care for the planet, like we care for the dying. 296 00:15:32,039 –> 00:15:35,539 Peter tells us where this truth does take us. 297 00:15:36,539 –> 00:15:40,179 Verse 11, since everything will be destroyed in this way, 298 00:15:40,179 –> 00:15:43,099 what kind of people ought you to be? 299 00:15:43,979 –> 00:15:48,960 You ought to live holy and godly lives. 300 00:15:50,700 –> 00:15:51,539 I don’t know about you. 301 00:15:51,539 –> 00:15:54,119 I find it so difficult to think on a global scale 302 00:15:54,119 –> 00:15:55,559 because it’s just so vast. 303 00:15:55,559 –> 00:15:57,380 I find it helpful, I hope you will. 304 00:15:57,380 –> 00:16:00,820 To try and pull it down to the kind of scale 305 00:16:00,820 –> 00:16:01,960 that I can imagine. 306 00:16:04,239 –> 00:16:08,099 Suppose that a revelation was given to you 307 00:16:08,099 –> 00:16:11,039 that at some point in your life, 308 00:16:11,179 –> 00:16:14,299 your home would be destroyed by fire 309 00:16:14,299 –> 00:16:17,880 and everything in it would be laid bare. 310 00:16:17,880 –> 00:16:18,780 What would you do? 311 00:16:20,280 –> 00:16:21,500 You’re not told which home. 312 00:16:21,500 –> 00:16:23,700 You’re not told whether it’s your starter home 313 00:16:23,700 –> 00:16:26,020 early in life or your family home in midlife 314 00:16:26,020 –> 00:16:28,179 or your retirement home late in life. 315 00:16:28,179 –> 00:16:31,440 You’re just told that at some point in your lifetime, 316 00:16:31,440 –> 00:16:32,719 the place where you live, 317 00:16:32,719 –> 00:16:34,320 so you can’t get out of it by moving 318 00:16:34,320 –> 00:16:36,020 because you gotta live someplace. 319 00:16:36,020 –> 00:16:37,760 But at some point in your life, 320 00:16:37,760 –> 00:16:40,260 the place where you live will be destroyed by fire. 321 00:16:40,260 –> 00:16:41,539 It’ll happen one night. 322 00:16:42,859 –> 00:16:45,440 What would you do if you knew that to be the case? 323 00:16:47,900 –> 00:16:49,380 Well I’ll tell you what I do. 324 00:16:51,359 –> 00:16:53,900 I’d move as much as I possibly could 325 00:16:54,739 –> 00:16:58,520 of what I value to another place. 326 00:17:00,460 –> 00:17:01,900 Like my computer files. 327 00:17:01,900 –> 00:17:04,020 I’m so scared of losing my computer files. 328 00:17:04,020 –> 00:17:05,859 Do you know that thing? 329 00:17:05,859 –> 00:17:08,060 I’d leave my computer at the church 330 00:17:08,839 –> 00:17:11,780 just in case this was the night that my home went up. 331 00:17:13,540 –> 00:17:16,780 My wife would take all of our family photographs 332 00:17:16,780 –> 00:17:18,420 and she’d say, we’re not keeping them in the house 333 00:17:18,420 –> 00:17:20,260 because we know that sometime in our life 334 00:17:20,260 –> 00:17:21,099 the house is gonna go up. 335 00:17:21,099 –> 00:17:23,020 So we’ll put them some place 336 00:17:23,020 –> 00:17:24,619 that we can have them for a longer time. 337 00:17:24,619 –> 00:17:25,579 That’s what we’d do. 338 00:17:26,859 –> 00:17:27,959 And you’d do the same. 339 00:17:29,699 –> 00:17:32,839 Now try and spread this up to the macro scale. 340 00:17:34,439 –> 00:17:36,719 Isn’t this the point that our Lord Jesus is making 341 00:17:36,719 –> 00:17:39,400 when he says do not store up for yourselves 342 00:17:39,400 –> 00:17:43,339 treasure on the earth where moth and rust destroy, 343 00:17:43,339 –> 00:17:45,579 where, where it’s just, you can’t keep it here, 344 00:17:46,900 –> 00:17:49,640 but rather store up for yourself treasure in heaven 345 00:17:49,640 –> 00:17:51,859 where moth and rust do not destroy 346 00:17:51,859 –> 00:17:53,540 and where thieves do not break in and steal 347 00:17:53,540 –> 00:17:56,459 for where your treasure is there your heart will be also. 348 00:17:58,300 –> 00:18:02,180 See, if everything in this world is going to pass away 349 00:18:02,239 –> 00:18:05,380 then wisdom says that you and I 350 00:18:05,380 –> 00:18:09,099 should seek to live radically God centered lives. 351 00:18:10,699 –> 00:18:13,979 That the way that you and I use our time, 352 00:18:13,979 –> 00:18:16,979 our talent, our money, our years, 353 00:18:16,979 –> 00:18:21,380 our energy, our resources should be 354 00:18:21,380 –> 00:18:24,219 moved to the greatest possible extent 355 00:18:24,219 –> 00:18:27,260 to investment in that which will last for eternity. 356 00:18:29,060 –> 00:18:32,119 Make it your mission in life if you know this. 357 00:18:33,020 –> 00:18:37,599 To invest yourself in things that will count for eternity. 358 00:18:40,140 –> 00:18:41,160 So it’s very practical, 359 00:18:41,160 –> 00:18:43,939 if you know the future of this world, 360 00:18:43,939 –> 00:18:48,280 it changes your whole priority system 361 00:18:48,280 –> 00:18:49,939 for living in this world. 362 00:18:51,339 –> 00:18:53,619 If you know this, what kind of people should you be? 363 00:18:53,619 –> 00:18:55,619 You live God centered lives. 364 00:18:56,540 –> 00:18:58,800 That’s what Peter is saying. 365 00:18:59,780 –> 00:19:02,380 And it also changes, not only your priorities, 366 00:19:02,380 –> 00:19:04,020 but it changes your attitude. 367 00:19:05,500 –> 00:19:08,060 What is your attitude towards the future right now? 368 00:19:09,819 –> 00:19:11,540 One word, what would it be? 369 00:19:11,540 –> 00:19:12,660 Would it be fear? 370 00:19:14,339 –> 00:19:16,060 Look to the future, what do you feel? 371 00:19:16,060 –> 00:19:19,040 It’s a black hole. 372 00:19:20,380 –> 00:19:22,579 What’s your attitude towards the future? 373 00:19:22,579 –> 00:19:24,640 Well, knowing this great truth 374 00:19:24,640 –> 00:19:25,780 that Peter’s laying before us 375 00:19:25,780 –> 00:19:27,520 changes our attitude to the future. 376 00:19:27,599 –> 00:19:29,680 Look at what he says in chapter three verse 12. 377 00:19:29,680 –> 00:19:32,160 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, 378 00:19:32,160 –> 00:19:34,060 you ought to live holy and Godly lives 379 00:19:34,060 –> 00:19:37,680 as you look forward to the day of God 380 00:19:37,680 –> 00:19:40,719 and speed its coming, there’s anticipation here. 381 00:19:41,599 –> 00:19:42,920 There’s joy here. 382 00:19:43,800 –> 00:19:44,780 There’s hope here. 383 00:19:47,280 –> 00:19:48,239 Now you say, wait a minute, 384 00:19:48,239 –> 00:19:51,739 why should Christians look forward to this day? 385 00:19:51,739 –> 00:19:53,199 I mean, does this mean that Christians 386 00:19:53,199 –> 00:19:54,280 are sort of rubbing their hands 387 00:19:54,280 –> 00:19:56,239 and rejoicing with glee at the thought 388 00:19:56,239 –> 00:19:58,319 that the earth will be destroyed by fire? 389 00:19:58,319 –> 00:19:59,660 Surely not. 390 00:20:00,619 –> 00:20:01,839 And he said last time, you know, 391 00:20:01,839 –> 00:20:04,319 God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked 392 00:20:05,260 –> 00:20:07,319 and certainly Christians take no pleasure 393 00:20:07,319 –> 00:20:11,520 in the thought of the judgment coming upon the earth. 394 00:20:11,520 –> 00:20:13,479 Cursed is the ground because of you. 395 00:20:14,579 –> 00:20:16,319 So let’s look at this a little more carefully. 396 00:20:16,319 –> 00:20:18,760 Notice in verse 12, Peter says that believers 397 00:20:18,760 –> 00:20:21,339 look forward to the day of God. 398 00:20:22,439 –> 00:20:24,439 Now of course, scholars debate 399 00:20:24,439 –> 00:20:27,180 whether the day of God in verse 12 400 00:20:27,180 –> 00:20:31,020 is the same as the day of the Lord in verse 10. 401 00:20:32,280 –> 00:20:35,339 And Dr. John McArthur suggests that they are different 402 00:20:35,339 –> 00:20:37,420 and I think that he is right. 403 00:20:37,420 –> 00:20:39,300 I find this helpful in all of my reading, 404 00:20:39,300 –> 00:20:41,780 I thought he caught this point most helpfully. 405 00:20:41,780 –> 00:20:43,099 He says, and I quote, 406 00:20:43,099 –> 00:20:44,979 some commentators equate 407 00:20:44,979 –> 00:20:47,439 the day of God with the day of the Lord, 408 00:20:47,439 –> 00:20:50,540 but they are not synonymous expressions. 409 00:20:50,540 –> 00:20:54,260 The day of God refers to the eternal state 410 00:20:54,260 –> 00:20:59,260 when God will have permanently subdued all of his enemies. 411 00:20:59,939 –> 00:21:03,239 Now, that helped me, that makes sense to me. 412 00:21:04,500 –> 00:21:07,859 Christ’s people have a different destiny. 413 00:21:09,540 –> 00:21:12,119 Our destiny is not to find ourselves 414 00:21:12,119 –> 00:21:14,300 consumed in the judgment of God. 415 00:21:15,479 –> 00:21:18,819 The destiny of those who are in Christ 416 00:21:18,819 –> 00:21:21,140 is to be with Him 417 00:21:21,140 –> 00:21:23,479 and to enter with all the community 418 00:21:23,479 –> 00:21:25,140 that He has redeemed together 419 00:21:25,140 –> 00:21:27,839 into the joy of everlasting life. 420 00:21:28,900 –> 00:21:30,739 That is why, those who are in Christ 421 00:21:30,739 –> 00:21:32,579 find ourselves praying, 422 00:21:32,579 –> 00:21:34,420 Lord Jesus, come quickly. 423 00:21:35,300 –> 00:21:37,060 We long for His appearing. 424 00:21:37,060 –> 00:21:39,020 We live in anticipation of the day 425 00:21:39,020 –> 00:21:41,400 when we who have shared in His death 426 00:21:41,400 –> 00:21:42,839 and in His resurrection 427 00:21:42,839 –> 00:21:44,979 will share in His ascension 428 00:21:44,979 –> 00:21:48,819 as we are caught up to meet the Lord together in the air. 429 00:21:48,819 –> 00:21:51,099 The day when He will bring us before the Father 430 00:21:51,099 –> 00:21:52,219 and can you imagine this? 431 00:21:52,219 –> 00:21:53,819 Christ, the book of Hebrews says, 432 00:21:53,819 –> 00:21:55,319 will stand before the Father 433 00:21:55,319 –> 00:21:57,140 and He’ll say, here I am 434 00:21:57,140 –> 00:22:00,500 and here are the children you have given me. 435 00:22:02,119 –> 00:22:03,140 And if you’re in Christ, 436 00:22:03,140 –> 00:22:05,099 you will be standing there on that day. 437 00:22:06,579 –> 00:22:07,660 No wonder, Peter says, 438 00:22:07,660 –> 00:22:10,020 you look forward to the day of God 439 00:22:11,380 –> 00:22:13,579 and you speed its coming. 440 00:22:13,579 –> 00:22:15,719 You say, wait a minute, speed its coming? 441 00:22:17,339 –> 00:22:19,719 How could we speed the coming of this day? 442 00:22:21,520 –> 00:22:25,800 Well, we saw in verse nine last time 443 00:22:25,800 –> 00:22:29,739 that God is actually holding back the judgment 444 00:22:29,739 –> 00:22:32,619 until all of His children are gathered in, 445 00:22:32,619 –> 00:22:34,140 all the children that Christ 446 00:22:34,140 –> 00:22:35,760 will present before the Father. 447 00:22:37,579 –> 00:22:40,000 And God gathers his children how? 448 00:22:41,160 –> 00:22:43,300 Through the gospel. 449 00:22:43,300 –> 00:22:45,579 And the gospel is trusted to whom? 450 00:22:46,540 –> 00:22:47,859 Us. 451 00:22:47,859 –> 00:22:50,619 And we have the inestimable privilege 452 00:22:50,619 –> 00:22:53,140 of investing our lives and talent and treasure 453 00:22:53,140 –> 00:22:55,780 and energy, our days and our years 454 00:22:55,780 –> 00:22:59,699 in the advance of this gospel, more for the gospel. 455 00:23:01,280 –> 00:23:05,140 And so you hasten and speed the day of His coming, 456 00:23:05,140 –> 00:23:07,619 the day when all of His children will be gathered 457 00:23:07,619 –> 00:23:09,939 in not only here but from around the world 458 00:23:09,939 –> 00:23:13,060 and we’re part of what Christ is doing right now 459 00:23:13,060 –> 00:23:14,699 in anticipation of that day. 460 00:23:14,699 –> 00:23:15,660 Isn’t that glorious? 461 00:23:15,660 –> 00:23:18,060 Isn’t that a glorious thing to be a Christian? 462 00:23:20,800 –> 00:23:22,859 But this world is completely hopeless. 463 00:23:25,079 –> 00:23:28,500 That is why, if you live for this world 464 00:23:28,500 –> 00:23:33,319 and continue to do so, you will face a total loss. 465 00:23:35,099 –> 00:23:39,160 A loss that is inevitable, unavoidable 466 00:23:39,160 –> 00:23:40,439 and it will be eternal. 467 00:23:41,599 –> 00:23:46,380 Now do you see what we need saving from? 468 00:23:47,199 –> 00:23:52,119 See, if it was just that we need 469 00:23:53,020 –> 00:23:54,760 saving from ignorance about knowing 470 00:23:54,760 –> 00:23:56,140 the right way to live, or whatever, 471 00:23:56,140 –> 00:23:59,060 then a Christian education program could fix that, right? 472 00:24:01,000 –> 00:24:03,000 If it was just that we needed saving from 473 00:24:03,000 –> 00:24:08,000 bad behavior, then morality could fix that, couldn’t it? 474 00:24:09,859 –> 00:24:14,640 But if what you and I need saving from 475 00:24:15,160 –> 00:24:17,439 is the destruction of the heavens 476 00:24:17,439 –> 00:24:19,900 and the burning up and melting of the Earth 477 00:24:19,900 –> 00:24:23,459 in fervent heat, what will save you from that? 478 00:24:23,459 –> 00:24:25,739 How could morality save you from 479 00:24:25,739 –> 00:24:27,619 the destruction of the world? 480 00:24:27,619 –> 00:24:28,780 It’s impossible! 481 00:24:30,920 –> 00:24:35,359 No, only God can save you, and saving you 482 00:24:35,359 –> 00:24:37,719 means pulling you out from this world, 483 00:24:37,719 –> 00:24:42,719 which is what is promised to all who are in Jesus Christ. 484 00:24:44,780 –> 00:24:46,920 We’ve got to be clear about this, 485 00:24:48,520 –> 00:24:53,520 this world is completely hopeless. 486 00:24:55,599 –> 00:25:00,599 Christ came to save us from it and from its destruction. 487 00:25:03,739 –> 00:25:08,739 Second, Jesus Christ offers glorious hope. 488 00:25:11,160 –> 00:25:13,260 Now this is the great theme of the New Testament, 489 00:25:13,260 –> 00:25:16,579 a hope in the New Testament is never a hope for the world, 490 00:25:16,579 –> 00:25:19,900 but it is always a hope that is found in Jesus Christ. 491 00:25:22,040 –> 00:25:25,560 Christ in you, that’s your hope of glory. 492 00:25:26,819 –> 00:25:30,199 If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation. 493 00:25:30,199 –> 00:25:34,540 The old things are gone and the new thing has come. 494 00:25:34,540 –> 00:25:36,060 And Peter takes up this theme 495 00:25:36,060 –> 00:25:38,699 and I focus in on verse 13 now. 496 00:25:38,819 –> 00:25:42,060 That day, we’ll bring about the destruction 497 00:25:42,060 –> 00:25:44,660 of the heavens by fire 498 00:25:44,660 –> 00:25:47,020 and the elements will melt in the heat. 499 00:25:47,979 –> 00:25:52,979 But, in keeping with Christ’s promise, 500 00:25:53,979 –> 00:25:56,619 we, that is we who are in Christ, 501 00:25:57,699 –> 00:25:59,739 we are looking for what? 502 00:25:59,739 –> 00:26:04,260 A new heaven and a new earth, 503 00:26:04,260 –> 00:26:05,900 the home of righteousness. 504 00:26:06,719 –> 00:26:09,900 Now let’s try and put these things together then. 505 00:26:09,900 –> 00:26:11,060 What are we learning here? 506 00:26:11,060 –> 00:26:14,380 First, the earth being under a curse 507 00:26:14,380 –> 00:26:16,140 that God will fulfill. 508 00:26:16,140 –> 00:26:18,979 The earth will be laid bare. 509 00:26:18,979 –> 00:26:20,420 Everything in it, 510 00:26:20,420 –> 00:26:22,579 the heavens disappear with a roar. 511 00:26:22,579 –> 00:26:25,780 But, in keeping with God’s promise 512 00:26:25,780 –> 00:26:27,060 we are looking forward. 513 00:26:27,060 –> 00:26:28,619 We are looking beyond that 514 00:26:28,619 –> 00:26:29,859 to what God will do. 515 00:26:29,859 –> 00:26:33,520 The other side of this global destruction 516 00:26:34,199 –> 00:26:36,719 which will be a new heaven 517 00:26:38,439 –> 00:26:39,800 and a new earth. 518 00:26:42,119 –> 00:26:44,040 Now this raises an important question. 519 00:26:45,560 –> 00:26:49,760 Are we talking about a whole new cosmos, 520 00:26:50,680 –> 00:26:54,160 new planets that do not now exist 521 00:26:55,719 –> 00:26:59,680 or are we talking about the renovation, 522 00:26:59,680 –> 00:27:01,560 the total renovation 523 00:27:02,400 –> 00:27:05,239 of planet earth going rather like back 524 00:27:05,239 –> 00:27:08,119 to the day in Genesis where the earth 525 00:27:08,119 –> 00:27:10,739 was without form and void and the spirit of God 526 00:27:10,739 –> 00:27:12,560 brooded over the waters and brought out of it 527 00:27:12,560 –> 00:27:16,180 all the glories of this magnificent creation. 528 00:27:18,479 –> 00:27:20,859 Some months ago, Cona and I had lunch 529 00:27:20,859 –> 00:27:24,300 with Dr. Willam Van Gemmern and his wife Ivana. 530 00:27:25,359 –> 00:27:27,359 They came to our home, Willam teaches 531 00:27:27,359 –> 00:27:29,660 at Trinity International University. 532 00:27:29,660 –> 00:27:30,800 He’d being teaching here 533 00:27:31,500 –> 00:27:32,979 in one of her Sunday morning classes 534 00:27:32,979 –> 00:27:36,339 and that was how he came to have lunch together. 535 00:27:36,339 –> 00:27:37,819 He’d being speaking on the new heaven 536 00:27:37,819 –> 00:27:39,680 and the new earth so it was kind of natural 537 00:27:39,680 –> 00:27:43,579 that we got into that subject over lunch. 538 00:27:43,579 –> 00:27:45,939 And something Willam said really helped me, 539 00:27:45,939 –> 00:27:48,199 it made something clear that I hadn’t 540 00:27:48,199 –> 00:27:51,219 quite grasped in the same way before. 541 00:27:51,219 –> 00:27:53,680 He said this, one of the things 542 00:27:53,680 –> 00:27:56,400 that I would like to do in the new earth 543 00:27:56,800 –> 00:28:00,380 is to climb Mount Everest 544 00:28:01,680 –> 00:28:03,780 because that’s something I’ve always 545 00:28:03,780 –> 00:28:05,359 felt I’d love to do but I have 546 00:28:05,359 –> 00:28:08,500 neither the ability nor the opportunity. 547 00:28:10,060 –> 00:28:12,020 But I think I’d like to do that. 548 00:28:12,020 –> 00:28:13,979 But I think I’d like to do that. 549 00:28:13,979 –> 00:28:15,760 You realize that he’s pretty clearly 550 00:28:15,760 –> 00:28:17,380 of the opinion that this is the total 551 00:28:17,380 –> 00:28:19,599renovation then of this planet 552 00:28:19,599 –> 00:28:20,739 that we’re talking about here. 553 00:28:20,739 –> 00:28:23,920 I am absolutely convinced that he is right. 554 00:28:23,920 –> 00:28:25,819 There are many reasons for believing that. 555 00:28:25,819 –> 00:28:29,040 Not least of course it is a new earth 556 00:28:29,040 –> 00:28:32,819 that is talked about not some other planet. 557 00:28:32,819 –> 00:28:34,719 But more specifically and clearly 558 00:28:34,719 –> 00:28:37,459 Romans 8 verse 21. 559 00:28:37,459 –> 00:28:38,339 Think about this. 560 00:28:38,339 –> 00:28:40,939 Paul says the creation itself, 561 00:28:40,939 –> 00:28:42,660 he’s talking about this creation. 562 00:28:43,699 –> 00:28:46,780 It will be liberated from its bondage to decay 563 00:28:46,780 –> 00:28:48,660 and it will be brought into the glorious 564 00:28:48,660 –> 00:28:50,140 freedom of the children of God. 565 00:28:50,140 –> 00:28:52,619 So just as the children of God are liberated 566 00:28:52,619 –> 00:28:55,160 from the bondage to decay that is in 567 00:28:55,219 –> 00:28:57,819 our body and is in our very nature 568 00:28:57,819 –> 00:28:59,859 and Jesus Christ redeems us from that 569 00:28:59,859 –> 00:29:01,359 to give us ever lasting life. 570 00:29:01,359 –> 00:29:04,900 So the creation, this creation he’s talking about 571 00:29:04,900 –> 00:29:07,579 will be liberated and shared in the glorious 572 00:29:07,579 –> 00:29:09,520 freedom that will be ours. 573 00:29:11,300 –> 00:29:13,300 So here’s the big picture. 574 00:29:13,300 –> 00:29:16,719 Sins destroying work has gone global, 575 00:29:16,719 –> 00:29:18,839 it has affected the whole planet, 576 00:29:19,819 –> 00:29:21,880 the very course of nature 577 00:29:23,319 –> 00:29:27,160 and Jesus Christ’s saving work will go global. 578 00:29:28,119 –> 00:29:30,780 Beyond the judgment in which all 579 00:29:32,579 –> 00:29:34,400 on Earth is destroyed, 580 00:29:36,739 –> 00:29:39,079 the saving redeeming work of Jesus Christ 581 00:29:39,079 –> 00:29:41,260 will bring a new heaven, a new Earth, 582 00:29:41,260 –> 00:29:43,459 the two combined together, 583 00:29:43,459 –> 00:29:47,619 both enjoying the glorious presence of almighty God. 584 00:29:49,719 –> 00:29:51,560 Now there are many things that we do not know 585 00:29:51,560 –> 00:29:53,099 about the new heaven and the new Earth 586 00:29:53,099 –> 00:29:54,560 and many many things, surely, 587 00:29:54,560 –> 00:29:57,260 that are well beyond our imagination 588 00:29:57,260 –> 00:29:59,780 and remain as delights to be savored 589 00:29:59,780 –> 00:30:03,459 when Christ brings us into the glory 590 00:30:03,459 –> 00:30:05,140 of this new creation. 591 00:30:08,040 –> 00:30:10,239 But there is one thing that you need to know 592 00:30:10,239 –> 00:30:12,280 and one thing that is absolutely clear 593 00:30:12,280 –> 00:30:15,260 and it’s right here in verse 13. 594 00:30:15,260 –> 00:30:17,280 Notice that Peter describes the new heaven 595 00:30:17,400 –> 00:30:18,760 and the new Earth and he says, 596 00:30:18,760 –> 00:30:23,760 it will be the home of righteousness. 597 00:30:24,040 –> 00:30:25,640 The home of righteousness. 598 00:30:28,119 –> 00:30:31,260 There will be, in other words, no sin there, 599 00:30:32,920 –> 00:30:35,119 no temptation, and no evil. 600 00:30:36,520 –> 00:30:38,160 There will be no suffering, 601 00:30:38,160 –> 00:30:40,000 there will be no death, 602 00:30:40,000 –> 00:30:41,739 there will be no loss, no tears, 603 00:30:41,739 –> 00:30:42,900 there will be no fear. 604 00:30:44,479 –> 00:30:45,979 There will be no sorrow, 605 00:30:46,079 –> 00:30:47,819 there will be no depression, 606 00:30:48,760 –> 00:30:50,239 there will be no conflict, 607 00:30:50,239 –> 00:30:51,839 there will be no self-interest, 608 00:30:51,839 –> 00:30:54,119 there will be no fractured friendships, 609 00:30:54,119 –> 00:30:55,800 there will be no hidden agendas, 610 00:30:55,800 –> 00:30:57,900 there will be no painful revelations, 611 00:30:57,900 –> 00:31:00,619 there will be no gut-wrenching goodbyes. 612 00:31:01,719 –> 00:31:05,400 Glory of life in the new Heaven and the new Earth. 613 00:31:06,599 –> 00:31:08,359 And God, we are told in the Book of Revelation, 614 00:31:08,359 –> 00:31:11,739 will wipe all tears from the eyes of his people, 615 00:31:13,300 –> 00:31:15,260 the old order of things, God says, 616 00:31:15,280 –> 00:31:16,219 everyone who has passed away, 617 00:31:16,219 –> 00:31:19,060 behold, I am making everything new. 618 00:31:21,219 –> 00:31:23,680 Now here’s the question to cut to the chase. 619 00:31:25,459 –> 00:31:30,459 How could you live in the home of righteousness? 620 00:31:32,199 –> 00:31:33,459 That’s the real question. 621 00:31:36,020 –> 00:31:37,520 If there’s no sin there, 622 00:31:37,520 –> 00:31:39,439 how could you be there? 623 00:31:41,859 –> 00:31:43,859 If there’s no fear there, 624 00:31:44,760 –> 00:31:46,280 how could you be there? 625 00:31:48,780 –> 00:31:50,319 If there’s no conflict there, 626 00:31:50,319 –> 00:31:51,680 how could you be there? 627 00:31:54,160 –> 00:31:58,540 How could you live in the home of righteousness? 628 00:32:00,859 –> 00:32:03,160 If you’re to live in the home of righteousness, 629 00:32:03,160 –> 00:32:06,160 you have to be righteous. 630 00:32:06,160 –> 00:32:08,959 And you have to love righteousness. 631 00:32:10,660 –> 00:32:12,199 And there’s only one way in this world 632 00:32:12,300 –> 00:32:13,739 that that can happen for you, 633 00:32:13,739 –> 00:32:15,380 as there is only one way in the world 634 00:32:15,380 –> 00:32:16,780 that that can happen for me. 635 00:32:18,739 –> 00:32:23,060 If you are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, 636 00:32:24,579 –> 00:32:26,079 you will be righteous. 637 00:32:28,180 –> 00:32:32,780 And if you are filled with the Spirit of Christ, 638 00:32:32,780 –> 00:32:35,140 you will love righteousness. 639 00:32:37,420 –> 00:32:39,180 That’s why we’re saying today from the Bible, 640 00:32:39,180 –> 00:32:40,540 only God can save you, 641 00:32:40,540 –> 00:32:45,380 only God can make that kind of fundamental change 642 00:32:47,099 –> 00:32:50,719 in who you are, who I am. 643 00:32:53,859 –> 00:32:56,160 There’s a poet by the name of Thomas Binney, 644 00:32:57,119 –> 00:32:59,060 lived some centuries ago 645 00:32:59,859 –> 00:33:02,560 and in one of the great hymns that he wrote, 646 00:33:02,560 –> 00:33:04,699 its first line is eternal light. 647 00:33:04,699 –> 00:33:08,040 You might like to check out the words later. 648 00:33:08,040 –> 00:33:11,079 But he really faced the ultimate question 649 00:33:11,079 –> 00:33:13,760 that any human can ever face which is just this, 650 00:33:13,760 –> 00:33:18,680 how can I possibly live in the light and the intensity 651 00:33:18,680 –> 00:33:21,839 and the holiness and the glory of the presence of God? 652 00:33:21,839 –> 00:33:26,699 How could I ever be in the home of righteousness? 653 00:33:26,699 –> 00:33:27,680 That’s the question. 654 00:33:29,479 –> 00:33:32,300 And he gives this answer in a verse of his great hymn 655 00:33:32,300 –> 00:33:33,760 which is quite magnificent. 656 00:33:33,780 –> 00:33:38,180 It says, there is a way for man 657 00:33:38,180 –> 00:33:41,839 to rise to that sublime abode. 658 00:33:41,839 –> 00:33:42,839 And here it is. 659 00:33:43,979 –> 00:33:48,459 An offering and a sacrifice, 660 00:33:48,459 –> 00:33:53,459 a Holy Spirit’s energies and advocate with God. 661 00:33:56,000 –> 00:34:00,520 Here’s how a person like me or you 662 00:34:00,520 –> 00:34:02,239 could be in the home of righteousness, 663 00:34:02,239 –> 00:34:03,439 and there’s only one way. 664 00:34:04,920 –> 00:34:07,199 It’s through an offering and a sacrifice, 665 00:34:07,199 –> 00:34:10,000 the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross 666 00:34:10,000 –> 00:34:13,840 by which His righteousness is counted as yours 667 00:34:13,840 –> 00:34:17,219 if you will come to be in Him a new creation. 668 00:34:18,899 –> 00:34:22,500 And a Holy Spirit’s energies, the life, the power, 669 00:34:22,500 –> 00:34:26,360 the newness of the Holy Spirit 670 00:34:26,360 –> 00:34:28,540 changing you from the inside out 671 00:34:28,540 –> 00:34:32,060 giving you a hunger and first after righteousness 672 00:34:32,060 –> 00:34:33,620 that will go on to all eternity 673 00:34:33,620 –> 00:34:36,179 so you’ll love righteousness and love Heaven 674 00:34:37,239 –> 00:34:38,620 which sinners would never do 675 00:34:40,320 –> 00:34:42,379 an advocate with God, Jesus Christ 676 00:34:42,379 –> 00:34:44,919 standing before the Father and saying, 677 00:34:46,860 –> 00:34:49,419 here’s Colin, here’s whatever your name is 678 00:34:50,439 –> 00:34:53,179 let him in for my sake, for my sake. 679 00:34:58,320 –> 00:35:01,260 God has to save you no other way 680 00:35:02,860 –> 00:35:04,979 God has to make you righteous 681 00:35:04,979 –> 00:35:07,620 He has to fill you with a new love for righteousness 682 00:35:07,620 –> 00:35:10,139 and he will do this for you 683 00:35:12,199 –> 00:35:15,580 if you will humble yourself before him 684 00:35:15,580 –> 00:35:17,840 end you’re rebellion against him 685 00:35:19,219 –> 00:35:21,399 come before him in repentance 686 00:35:22,659 –> 00:35:26,139 and trust in his Son Jesus Christ 687 00:35:26,139 –> 00:35:29,179 who died and rose again for you 688 00:35:29,179 –> 00:35:30,659 to save you 689 00:35:31,439 –> 00:35:33,780 from this world 690 00:35:33,780 –> 00:35:35,679 and from its future destruction 691 00:35:36,939 –> 00:35:39,120 and from your own part in it 692 00:35:40,899 –> 00:35:43,100 and bring you as one of his people 693 00:35:44,500 –> 00:35:47,360 into the everlasting glory of his new Heaven 694 00:35:47,360 –> 00:35:51,300 and his new Earth that will be the home of righteousness 695 00:35:51,300 –> 00:35:53,399 he can make you a person 696 00:35:54,399 –> 00:35:55,300 who belongs there 697 00:35:55,580 –> 00:35:56,479 and a survivor 698 00:35:58,919 –> 00:36:00,600 Now the very last thing is this 699 00:36:00,600 –> 00:36:02,520 in these last moments 700 00:36:02,520 –> 00:36:04,780 I want you to notice please, verse 14 701 00:36:04,780 –> 00:36:08,520 because Peter kind of earthed this 702 00:36:08,520 –> 00:36:10,459 with one more application 703 00:36:10,459 –> 00:36:12,219 that is to Christian believers 704 00:36:12,219 –> 00:36:13,979 and so I want us to see it today 705 00:36:13,979 –> 00:36:15,060 So then dear friends 706 00:36:15,060 –> 00:36:16,840 since you are looking forward to this 707 00:36:16,840 –> 00:36:18,979 make every effort 708 00:36:18,979 –> 00:36:22,239 to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him 709 00:36:22,239 –> 00:36:24,360 When he says dear friends here 710 00:36:24,360 –> 00:36:26,020 and he says you are looking forward 711 00:36:26,020 –> 00:36:27,520 to the glory of this day 712 00:36:27,520 –> 00:36:30,699 he’s obviously talking to Christian believers 713 00:36:30,699 –> 00:36:32,219 so if you’re a Christian 714 00:36:32,219 –> 00:36:34,419 and by the grace of the Lord Jesus 715 00:36:34,419 –> 00:36:35,820 you expect to have a share 716 00:36:35,820 –> 00:36:37,000 in the new Heaven and the new Earth 717 00:36:37,000 –> 00:36:40,300 will you listen up to what he says to us 718 00:36:40,300 –> 00:36:44,399 as his final application of this message 719 00:36:44,399 –> 00:36:46,699 He says to us 720 00:36:46,699 –> 00:36:48,439 make every effort 721 00:36:48,439 –> 00:36:50,500 he wants us to do something as a result of this 722 00:36:50,500 –> 00:36:53,879 to be found spotless and blameless 723 00:36:53,919 –> 00:36:56,719 at peace with him 724 00:36:56,719 –> 00:37:00,159 that is with the Lord Jesus Christ 725 00:37:00,159 –> 00:37:02,780 why does he say that? 726 00:37:02,780 –> 00:37:04,500 because the easiest thing in the world 727 00:37:04,500 –> 00:37:07,500 is for us to profess repentance towards God 728 00:37:07,500 –> 00:37:09,399 and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 729 00:37:09,399 –> 00:37:11,399 and then spend much of the rest of our lives 730 00:37:11,399 –> 00:37:15,239 resisting what he wants to do in us 731 00:37:15,239 –> 00:37:19,239 easiest thing in the world 732 00:37:19,239 –> 00:37:22,399 And if you’ve got your mind set on this future 733 00:37:22,399 –> 00:37:23,560 what he says is 734 00:37:23,739 –> 00:37:25,080 Here’s what you must do now 735 00:37:25,080 –> 00:37:26,800 if you really got a hold of this 736 00:37:26,800 –> 00:37:29,379 make every effort go to any length 737 00:37:29,379 –> 00:37:32,739 to be at peace with Jesus today 738 00:37:32,739 –> 00:37:33,459 and I make sure 739 00:37:33,459 –> 00:37:36,280 if there is anything that you can identify in your life 740 00:37:36,280 –> 00:37:39,159 that you wouldn’t want to have in your hands 741 00:37:39,159 –> 00:37:41,179 when you’re standing before him 742 00:37:41,179 –> 00:37:43,439 that you get rid of it right now 743 00:37:43,439 –> 00:37:45,500 that’s what he’s saying 744 00:37:46,500 –> 00:37:49,360 Make every effort to be at peace with him, Christian 745 00:37:49,360 –> 00:37:51,360 because this is the one thing that really matters 746 00:37:51,439 –> 00:37:55,419 You see, are you ready to meet him today? 747 00:37:57,620 –> 00:38:00,300 If Jesus Christ gathered his people 748 00:38:00,300 –> 00:38:02,719 and there you are among them 749 00:38:02,719 –> 00:38:05,320 into his presence today 750 00:38:05,320 –> 00:38:07,939 Are you ready to look Jesus Christ in the eye today? 751 00:38:09,699 –> 00:38:12,459 Now, Peter says make every effort 752 00:38:12,459 –> 00:38:14,860 to be in that position 753 00:38:14,860 –> 00:38:16,860 of being ready to meet with the Lord 754 00:38:16,860 –> 00:38:19,280 and to live ready to meet with the Lord 755 00:38:20,159 –> 00:38:23,280 because that’s what you know 756 00:38:23,280 –> 00:38:26,439 and have staged your life on believing is gonna happen. 757 00:38:29,399 –> 00:38:32,159 There’s a poem that I heard years ago. 758 00:38:32,159 –> 00:38:35,239 It’s deeply impressed on my mind has really helped me. 759 00:38:36,239 –> 00:38:40,860 It was written by a Padre in the British army 760 00:38:40,860 –> 00:38:43,280 in the First World War. 761 00:38:43,280 –> 00:38:45,439 His name was Woodbine Willey. 762 00:38:46,459 –> 00:38:47,300 I need to try and picture this man, 763 00:38:47,300 –> 00:38:51,020 he was a godly man and he pastored soldiers 764 00:38:51,020 –> 00:38:53,540 in the trenches in the First World War. 765 00:38:53,540 –> 00:38:56,219 Can you imagine any greater horror 766 00:38:56,219 –> 00:38:57,899 than the experience of these men 767 00:38:57,899 –> 00:39:01,260 and Willey was a pastor in the trenches 768 00:39:01,260 –> 00:39:02,919 to these men and with these men 769 00:39:02,919 –> 00:39:04,739 and they called him Woodbine Willey 770 00:39:04,739 –> 00:39:07,139 because he carried boxes of woodbine cigarettes 771 00:39:07,139 –> 00:39:10,199 and he used to give woodbines to the guys 772 00:39:10,199 –> 00:39:12,179 which must’ve made him a very popular padre, 773 00:39:12,179 –> 00:39:14,520 wouldn’t you think, in the trenches 774 00:39:14,520 –> 00:39:16,520 and then he shared the gospel with them. 775 00:39:17,399 –> 00:39:18,300 Faithful man. 776 00:39:19,679 –> 00:39:22,159 Willey was a poet, used to write these ditties 777 00:39:22,159 –> 00:39:25,439 that were really vehicles to communicate 778 00:39:25,439 –> 00:39:27,840 with First World War soldiers in the trenches 779 00:39:27,840 –> 00:39:30,699 and to get them to really understand what mattered 780 00:39:32,360 –> 00:39:35,760 and one night, Willey had a dream 781 00:39:35,760 –> 00:39:37,800 in which he had this kind of vision 782 00:39:37,800 –> 00:39:40,340 of himself standing before the Lord 783 00:39:41,919 –> 00:39:44,120 and he wrote a poem from it that he shared 784 00:39:44,120 –> 00:39:45,899 in the trenches of the First World War 785 00:39:46,020 –> 00:39:47,000 with British soldiers 786 00:39:47,000 –> 00:39:50,199 and I quote you, it’s a long poem 787 00:39:50,199 –> 00:39:52,000 so I’ll quote you just part of it. 788 00:39:52,000 –> 00:39:53,320 From his vision he said, 789 00:39:55,560 –> 00:40:00,560 there ain’t no books and there ain’t no thrones. 790 00:40:00,699 –> 00:40:03,000 It’s him you’ve got to see. 791 00:40:04,120 –> 00:40:08,340 It’s him, just him who is the judge of blokes 792 00:40:08,340 –> 00:40:09,760 like you and me. 793 00:40:11,899 –> 00:40:13,979 And boys I’d sooner shrivel up 794 00:40:13,979 –> 00:40:15,860 in the flames of a burning hell 795 00:40:16,760 –> 00:40:19,879 than stand and look into those eyes 796 00:40:21,239 –> 00:40:25,280 and hear his voice say, well. 797 00:40:27,919 –> 00:40:30,239 My friend the thing that you need to be worried about 798 00:40:30,239 –> 00:40:32,780 is not the destruction of the world. 799 00:40:34,939 –> 00:40:37,500 The thing you need to concern yourself with 800 00:40:37,500 –> 00:40:42,260 is being ready to look into the eyes of Jesus Christ. 801 00:40:43,100 –> 00:40:44,600 That’s the issue. 802 00:40:46,500 –> 00:40:50,239 Peter says if you’ve understood what lies ahead 803 00:40:50,239 –> 00:40:54,699 than make every effort to be found blameless 804 00:40:56,300 –> 00:41:01,300 and spotless and at peace with your savior Jesus. 805 00:41:04,739 –> 00:41:07,139 John put it this way saying just the same thing. 806 00:41:09,139 –> 00:41:12,219 We shall see him as he is. 807 00:41:13,179 –> 00:41:16,580 And everyone who has this hope in him 808 00:41:17,580 –> 00:41:22,580 will purify himself or herself just as Christ is pure. 809 00:41:22,719 –> 00:41:24,060 Is that what you’re doing? 810 00:41:25,780 –> 00:41:27,239 Let’s pray together, shall we? 811 00:41:31,320 –> 00:41:35,199 Father we have spoken about awesome and eternal, 812 00:41:35,199 –> 00:41:40,199 global momentous events. 813 00:41:42,800 –> 00:41:46,020 And our own place in them. 814 00:41:48,899 –> 00:41:51,520 May some who are living for this world 815 00:41:51,520 –> 00:41:56,040 run in repentance and faith to Jesus Christ, 816 00:41:56,040 –> 00:41:57,739 the only savior today. 817 00:42:01,639 –> 00:42:05,840 And may we who know Christ humbly have a new passion 818 00:42:06,780 –> 00:42:09,860 to live in the light of his coming 819 00:42:09,860 –> 00:42:11,399 for which we long and pray. 820 00:42:13,179 –> 00:42:16,580 And to invest ourselves in the light of eternity 821 00:42:16,580 –> 00:42:20,580 and to be this week at peace with Jesus 822 00:42:22,139 –> 00:42:25,780 ready to look the savior in the eye 823 00:42:25,780 –> 00:42:29,360 and to fall before him with joy 824 00:42:31,159 –> 00:42:32,600 and wonder and praise. 825 00:42:35,040 –> 00:42:38,219 Hear our prayers and Father, use this congregation 826 00:42:38,219 –> 00:42:41,500 as a means of gathering in more people 827 00:42:41,560 –> 00:42:46,340 to the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 828 00:42:46,340 –> 00:42:49,379 even this week through the gospel 829 00:42:49,379 –> 00:42:52,479 that you have entrusted to the church 830 00:42:53,379 –> 00:42:56,300 in the world for Jesus sake. 831 00:42:57,939 –> 00:42:58,780 Amen.