Expect the Lord's Return Part 2 - 2 Peter 3:10-13

3:05Well, my question is: how many expecting fathers do we have out here? Expecting fathers. Do we have any expecting fathers? What I mean by that, what are you expecting? Hopefully, we have a lot of expecting fathers out here. Specifically, let me get a little more precise to this text. This whole chapter, what Peter is trying to impress upon his writers is be expected, or upon his readers, is expect the Lord's return. Expect the Lord's return. And he gives nine marks of an expectant believer as he goes through this chapter. And we are working our way through these. Nine marks of an expectant believer. We expect the Lord's return in several ways, and he lists nine of them. But it's very important, especially as if I could put one characteristic in every father in every home, it's that he would live in expectation of the Lord's return. If there's one thing that will shape a person more than anything, it's knowledge and an understanding of the Lord's return. What are you expecting? What shapes the father?

4:30In our homes is what he is expecting. And what shapes the father will shape the home. And what shapes the home will shape society. Are you living in expectation of the Lord's return? It isn't just about fathers, it's about all of us. Because what you are expecting will shape you. And I can tell you, that's what we need more than ever as people who will model and live out a life that is expecting the Lord's return. Nine marks. Dressed in readiness. What is being ready for our Lord's return look like? And what can you be doing to be expecting, to be demonstrating that you are expecting his return? Well, we started walking through this.

5:25Well, last time, verses one and two, we looked at you expect the Lord's return by remembering the right words, the right words, the words spoken specifically by the holy prophets and those spoken by his apostles. The words that we are a people who are our whole understanding, worldview is to be shaped upon the word, the Old Testament prophets, and the New Testament apostles, if you will, the words of the Lord Jesus Christ brought to us through his apostles. We are a people shaped by. The right words. Second thing, verses 3 to 7. We expect the Lord's return by anticipating mocking mockers. They will come. They will come. They will mock, and they will be in error. Expect it. That's what Peter is saying. They are coming. They will be here. And don't be blown away and don't get caught up in their thinking or in their words, in their mocking. Just expect they're going to come. They're going to come.

6:32Third, expect the Lord's return by knowing the purpose for his delay, while the mockers will mock in verse 4 and say, Where is the promise of his coming? For everything just continues. It's been a long time. Therefore, he's not coming back. And what Peter tells us is: make sure you understand why God delays. It's not that he has broken his promise. But look at verse 9. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. We are to understand those words. God is wishing for all to come to repentance, that it is an expressed desire of his. We are to take those words very similar, in a very similar fashion as Ezekiel 18:32, which says, I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies. Declares the Lord. Therefore, repent and live. The word in verse 9, literally, give way to repentance. Make room for repentance. God's patience is not to be used as an argument against him. He has not broken his promise. He desires that all would stop destroying themselves. Literal interpretation of the verb there. That they would stop destroying themselves by sin and turn to him.

8:03The way to peace is through the path of repentance. It's not excusing, not denying, suppressing, or mocking. But what God desires is that you would respond rightly to him and live. This past week, there was a news article, headlines said this: Flight 1328, stop, stop, stop. The desperate shout of an air traffic controller who averted disaster after two planes loaded with passengers tried to take off at the same airport at the same time. Two airplanes crossing path had very similar flight numbers, both taking off. And the air traffic controller yelled over the air very, very impatient. Emphatically, flight 13, 28. Stop, stop, stop. That's the message of our Lord. It's a message of Scripture. The Lord does not delight in anyone's destruction. Stop, stop, stop, turn, listen. Put your faith and trust. Go the way of Christ. Go the way of discipleship. Do not go the way of the flesh. The way of the flesh, there's a way that seems right to us, but in the end, it leads to death. There's a way that seems right to you.

9:39Scripture tells us it's the way of death. But the right way is the way of the Spirit of the disciple. We saw what the Holy Spirit did in Christ and how he drove him. Be sure that the way of the Spirit of life is conformity to the image of the Son of God. Two paths in life. Two paths. So you expect the Lord's return. And we'll pick it up here. Shifting gears to keep marching through this text. In verse 10, you expect the Lord's return by understanding the day of the Lord. By understanding the day of the Lord. Number four, understanding the day of the Lord. Look at verse 10. But the day of the Lord will come. Like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Now, the day of the Lord, in Scripture, the day of the Lord is often a term used a lot, or a phrase used a lot, to describe the coming judgment of God. And there are many little days of the Lord, if you will, throughout history. For instance, the Babylonian Empire, or conquering Jerusalem, was a day of the Lord. It was not the ultimate day of the Lord. And certainly, if you were living at the time, you would have considered that to be a great day of the Lord. But Scripture speaks of a great day of the Lord. A great day. It's a time of God's judgment. And specifically here in context, Peter is referring to the ultimate day of God's wrath. And the nice thing about this is that there isn't really any eschatological debate about this. No matter what system you come to, if you're a Bible believer, you come to this event. Whether you place it after whatever events you put before it, you come to this event, and Peter gives us this event and uses it as a marker for how we are to live our lives. But there are three things, three aspects, three truths about the day of the Lord that you need to understand. And Peter gives them. Right here in verse 10, there is a comparison, a devastation, and a revelation. We'll look at each one of those. First, look at the comparison that he makes. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. It's going to be like a thief. A thief. And the emphasis here is upon the suddenness, not the stealthness, if you will. The day of the Lord is going to be noticed. It's not going to miss it. I know, like picture somebody breaking into your car. You come out of a store, you come in, and all of a sudden, wow, your car's broken into. We had our RV broken into on a vacation one time. They stole a bunch of stuff out of there. I mean, sudden. Wow, didn't expect it to happen. I remember coming home from one day when someone had broken into our house and had stolen a few things. You notice, there's something like someone's been here. Now, picture going home after church today, and you go into your house, and everything's cleaned out. You'll notice that a thief has been there, right? That's the idea here. It's the idea of suddenness. It comes unexpectedly, but it will be noticed. You know, one does not expect a thief, right? I mean, if they do, you're probably not going to be a thief very long, right? If you're a thief that people are expecting, you probably won't be out of business.

13:30Pretty quickly. Well, Jesus used the same imagery in Matthew 24, 43. Let me read this to you. But be sure of this: that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think he will. Now, for those who are not ready, the day of the Lord is going to be a day of disaster.

14:08Serious heartbreak. But for those who are ready, it will be a day of joy. Jesus said in Luke 21, verse 25: There will be signs in the sun and the moon and stars, and on the earth, dismay among the nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the seas and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And in verse 28, he says, This, but when these things begin to take place, straighten up, lift up your heads, because your redemption is near. It will be a day of joy for his people.

15:01Well, second, there's a devastation about the day of the Lord that Peter tells us. Look back at verse 10. And he gives it to us in two steps, really. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat. First of all, the heavens will pass away with a roar, pass away, disappear, come to nothing, come to an end. Word for roar is like a rushing sound. And you can think of it in this context as like a roar of a bonfire. Think of, you've been around a bonfire, if you've seen, especially like the Aggie, those of you who remember the old Aggie bonfire, or just if you hear, there's a roar associated with a big fire. There's a crackling noise, there's a wind, there's a roar. Those of you familiar with that? Well, that's the idea here: a roar, a crackling, a devastating sound of consumption, if you will.

16:13Look back at verse 10. Second phase of this: the elements will be destroyed with intense heat. Word for destroyed is dissolved, or literally, it's really to unloose something, to take something that's held together and just let it. Go. Falls apart. Energy being released as it falls apart. The word for elements here refers to the building blocks, the basic building blocks of something. One commentator likened it to the ABCs, just says, like the ABCs are the foundation blocks for the alphabet and for language. Then, if you destroy the alphabet, you destroy the basic components for language, or like notes on a scale, musical notes. If you destroy the individual notes, it makes music impossible. And that's the idea here: the basic elements from which this world is made of, by which we know and understand and have our being and our environment and all that, is going to just fall apart, be unloosed, dissolved, come to nothing.

17:38One commentator, and I like what he said, he said, These things by their nature are intended to be dissolved. The destiny of dissolution is already at work in them. You see that entropy. That world seems to move towards chaos as opposed to. Chaos to order. We see it, we observe it. Just ask my wife as she tries to keep her house clean. You understand things move towards disorder. But you can think about this on the atomic level. Just as we know much more about the atom, certainly Peter probably isn't talking at this level, but he uses very interesting language that the elements. I don't think we're to think of these as the periodic chart, but I think he, in his mind, he is talking about those basic fundamental building blocks of the world. And certainly on an atomic level, it's interesting to note that we've learned to split the atom. As you know, I grew up in a town that built the first atomic bomb.

18:52I remember reading along the way that when they first tested the atomic bomb there at White Sands, that there was one school of thought that was very concerned that the nuclear fission that would take place, the splitting of the atom, might cause a chain reaction that we might not be able to stop. And that there is some concern that the whole atmosphere might go up. So obviously, that was a minor position, and we're glad that that didn't happen, right? But if you can think about it for a second, that we could consider.

19:31In our minds and in our study of the physical realm, a separation, an unloosing to such a degree that it would destroy everything in its path. It's not as far-fetched as one might first seem. As Christ says, okay, it's over. All things, the elements, destroyed with intense heat, is not too hard for us to imagine. So there's going to be a devastation. But third, there's also going to be a revelation. Look back. The earth and its works will be revealed for what they are. I want you to look at that last phrase. The day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. And the earth and its works will be burned up. That last phrase is an interesting one. A literal translation is, and the earth and its works shall be Eureka. You ever heard that word?

20:38Eureka. Remember, it wasn't Archimedes, right? I found it. That's the word. And the earth and its works shall be found, shall be exposed, shall be judged, shall come to light, shall be understood. That's the idea. And you can see this in various translations, the ESV. And it says it reads it like this: and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. The NIV and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. It says, Oh, it's tested by fire, and God has revealed everything so that the works of the earth are exposed for what they are. A revelation. There's a comparison, there's a devastation, and a revelation. And when the day of the Lord comes, life as we know it will come to an end, and all of its works, all of its deeds, all of its accomplishments will be fully exposed for what they are. And for those who are not ready, it will be a day of disaster and a day of an awful, awful revelation.

21:58Everything I've done, everything I am, is lost. But for those who are dressed in readiness, it will be a day of blessing. So be ready. Understand what the day of the Lord is and what its purposes are. Then look at verse 11. Peter makes a logical transition here. Since all these things. Are to be destroyed in this way. What sort of people ought you be in holy conduct and godliness? In other words, okay, this is how things are going to end. Therefore, let this be a marker in your life. As you look forward to the day, you understand things are going to end like this. How should you live today in light of the truth? Peter isn't getting so wrapped up in the win of it, but the that of it. And that is what should shape our lives. Is that that it is coming? And how should that shape our lives? Well, there's two ways of life: there's the way of the flesh, and there is the way of the Spirit. The coming day of the Lord is by itself motivation enough for us to separate ourselves from the fleshly way of life because it and all its works are going to be completely dissolved and laid bare before a holy God. That alone is motivation to live separately from the way of the flesh. And brothers and sisters, be careful what you put in front of your eyes. Be careful of what grips your heart, what entertains your senses. Be careful.

23:54Choose the way of discipleship rather than the way of the flesh, because that way of the flesh. Is going to be destroyed and dissolved. And those whose hearts are bound up with it will be destroyed with it. What sort of people ought to be? It's an interesting word. What sort? It often denotes a point of origin. Like, what country are you from? That's the idea. What sort? From what country? What kind of people should you be? You've heard, maybe some of you Aggies have heard this statement. Aggies do not what? Lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do. Let me read this to you again. This is the Aggie motto. Aggies do not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do. Isn't that incredible? They don't lie, cheat, or steal over there at Texas AM ever.

25:03I mean, you can leave your wallet out there on the library because Aggies, they're of a noble sort. They're a higher caste of individuals. They don't lie, cheat, or steal, right? Okay, maybe not. Put your wallet in your pocket. But it's a good idea, right? But what are they trying to communicate in that? They're trying to create a culture, right? What. Aggies don't do this. They're of a nobler sort. They don't lie. They don't cheat. They don't steal because they're noble.

25:40They have a higher point of origin. Well, that's the idea here: that what Peter is saying: what kind of people, what caliber of people are you to be? We are to conduct ourselves as people of a more noble origin than those of the passing system of the world. We are of a different sort. Those who have been born again have been born of another realm, a realm in which the Spirit of the living God, who brings order out of chaos, and who brings holiness out of unrighteousness by his work, that's the kind of people we should be, following his way, yielding ourselves to his work in the conforming of ourselves to the image of Christ.

26:42And he gives two expressions. You see, the way of the flesh is going to be completely destroyed, but the way of the Spirit of God is going to endure forever. Look it back. Two words: holy conduct and godliness. What sort of people ought to be in holy conduct? Holy conduct deals with the external actions, the behavior. Godliness deals with the inner thoughts and the motivations and attitudes. I liked how one commentator put it: considering that this entire world system, with whatever it contains, is doomed to perish, it becomes us Christians to tear our hearts from all inordinate love of the world and to qualify ourselves even now as citizens of the celestial world. You see, we are born of a more noble sort, we have a more noble birth, and we're passing through. So do not get too used to the house you're living in or even the relationships that you have, because we are, all this is passing away. Only those in Christ can send it on ahead. Thank you, Russell, for your sermon title. It's really good. Like how Augustine puts it: if there is an end of the world, if we are to move away from this world, we must not love the world. He goes on to say, seeing that Christ shall come to judgment the very day in which the world shall be dissolved, and that all must be. Appear before his judgment seat. Let us live in the true fear of God, serve him in holiness and righteousness, and carefully guard against sins. So the question becomes: what kind of person are you?

28:45What is the principle that drives you? There is a way that seems right to man. There is a way that seems right to you. But in its end, it will lead to death. Only the way of Christ is going to last. Only the way of Christ is going to stand in that day. You remember Lot's wife? The scripture burns that image in our mind. Remember Lot's wife. Remember Lot's wife. Where was her heart? After being led out of Sodom and Gomorrah and the coming destruction upon it, where was her heart? It was back in Sodom and Gomorrah, and she turned. She turned because that's where her heart was. And when the city went, she went with it.

29:40Remember Lot's wife. Where is your heart? Well, in verse 12, Peter adds another dimension to the kind of people we are to be. We are to be holy in conduct, godly in our thoughts and motivations, but then he adds another dimension. Dimension. Look in verse 12. We are to be looking, number five, come to the fifth way we expect the Lord's return, by looking forward to the day of God. Interesting change here. Look at verse 12.

30:16Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning and the elements will melt with intense heat. But according to his promise, we are looking for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Do you see a change in words here? Change in phrases. Before he was referring to the day of the Lord, and now he's changed his expression to the day of God.

30:46The coming, you know, literally the presence or the advent of the day of God. That's the idea, the coming of the day of God. And in the New Testament, sometimes it's used to speak of a, or it doesn't really refer to a place or an event so much as a person, the advent. Be looking forward to the advent, the coming of the day of God. And some commentators make the day of God and the day of the Lord synonymous, but they're very different expressions. The day of God refers to that which is coming after the day of the Lord, to that eternal state where God will have. Completely subdued his enemies.

31:34But the day of the Lord refers to that final event of judgment, that tumultuous event as God is leading up to final judgment. The day of God is different. It's that final and eternal state of God's blessing. It's the fulfillment of all of God's good promises. It's that place, that time, that advent. We can think of it as the calm after the storm. We can think of the day of the Lord as the storm. We can think of the day of God as the calm after the storm. And it's because of the day of God is coming that the day of the Lord will take place. Look back.

32:21Look at the text. Looking and hastening the coming of the day of God because, because of which, because of the day of God, the heavens will be destroyed by burning and the elements will melt with intense heat. It is coming. The day of God is coming. And it's because it is coming that the heavens will be destroyed and the elements will melt with intense heat. So why does the day of the Lord come? To bring judgment, to set the stage for the day of God, blessing. And that's what verse 13 does. But according to his promise, we are looking for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. The day of God, because it is coming, the day of the Lord must come to set the stage for the new heavens and the new earth, the place where righteousness dwells. There's three truths about the day of God. You need to understand and know and to look forward to the day of God. Three things. Verse 13. First of all, it's according to his promise. It's according to his promise. Remember in verse 4, what's happening? The mocking mockers are mocking. The mocking mockers are mocking at Christ's promise. Where is he? He hadn't come back.

33:49Peter's making it very clear. No, it is according to his promise. And there's one thing that the New Testament teaches us about Christ is that he's going to be good on his word. He has the power and the authority and the morality to make good on his word. He walked on water, demonstrating his lordship over the physical laws. He demonstrated his lordship over every aspect of human existence, even creating matter out of nothing. He demonstrated his authority over the spiritual realm.

34:36He demonstrated his authority over death, even his own death. We have a promise. This one has made a promise to us. You see how sure that is? We are looking for a new heavens and a new earth according to his promise. And what he has promised, he will deliver. That's where our hope is. The day of God will come. The day of God will come. This day will come. So, first thing you need to know about the day of God is it's according to his promise. The second thing you need to know about it, look back at the text. There will be a new heavens or new heavens and a new earth. I love this word new here because it speaks about quality. It's not just like, okay, your car wears out, so you get a new car, but it's more of the same kind. It's got four, you know, it kind of does the same purpose. You know, your cell phone wears out, you get a new one, right? Your pencil wears out, you get a new one. But it's more of the same kind. But the word here is different. It speaks of a different sort. We are getting not just another new one in time, but we're getting one of a Completely different character. And what character is it? It's a new heavens, it's a new earth. So it's according to his promise, there will be a new heavens and a new earth. And number three, righteousness will dwell there. Look at it. This is the characteristic that's different.

36:22Righteousness will dwell there. You know what dwell means? To take up permanent residence, to settle down, a place of permanent residence. Think of a family moving around the country and been bounced around for many reasons. Finally finding a place to settle down and call home. Or think about that refugee who's been forced out of his country and finding a place to dwell. Finally finding that homeland that he can call home. That's the idea. Righteousness will be at home there. Righteousness will dwell there. Righteousness will have its perpetual place, a permanent existence. That's the idea. Righteousness will dwell there.

37:23And all the pain and all the sorrow, all the tears shed, why has it come about? Because of unrighteousness. And that's why it will be a place of joy. It's because it will be the abode of righteousness. And that is where joy, that is where peace, that is where satisfaction is. So, how are we to be looking? This day of God is coming. So, look back at the text. Here's the exhortation: we are to be looking for it. We are to be looking for and hastening that day. The word for looking for, really expectantly waiting, eagerly expecting, waiting for. And the term, it happens three places. If you just look at verses 12 through 14, it occurs three times in that space of three verses. We are to be looking for it. It's more than just a longing for, passively longing for, it is a straining toward. We are to be looking forward to this. You can think about a student that looks forward to graduation, right? What do you do? You graduate, but there's a straining towards that day, right? You don't just passively wait for graduation, because if you passively wait for graduation, guess what? It'll happen, but you just won't be in it. That's the reality.

39:00So, students, they do what students are supposed to be doing. They are to be hastening the day. And to hasten the day is to literally means to speed up the progress of something. It implies hurrying or being zealous for or being industrious, exerting oneself. That's the idea here. Looking for, straining towards, hastening the day. A student hastens the day of graduation by being studious, by exerting himself or herself towards that goal. That graduation is coming. The question is whether you're going to be in it or not.

39:37You see, graduation, and if you can think about it, if we can expand this analogy a little bit, you know, graduation reveals the kind of student you were, what kind of student you were, and the opportunities that will be opened up to you after graduation, right? Did you make the most of your time? Did you take advantage of the opportunities that were given to you? It's important to make a side note here, maybe a very direct note. This command does not change God's timing or his sovereignty in the course of human events. Proverbs 6:33 says this, the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. Isaiah 46, 9 says, Remember the former things long past, for I am God. And there is no other. I am God, and there is no one like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times which have not been done, saying, My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all my good pleasure. Ephesians 1:11 makes it clear that God works all things after the counsel of his will.

40:52There's a human responsibility, there is an element of human responsibility, but that doesn't set aside God's sovereignty in all this. Such, this teaching, Peter is not intending to cancel out the sovereignty of God in our lives. But at the same token, we are to see the plain meaning of the text. We are to be straining towards, we are to be zealous for. That day is coming. And we are to be kind of people that are looking for and hastening it through our discipline and our longing. And that's somehow in there to be obedient to this text. We must recognize that God is sovereign. And it is upon that strength that He gives us that we hasten towards the goal. And yet we are, at the same token, to be exerting ourselves, hastening towards that goal.

41:57You see, that's the kind of people we are. That's the kind of people we are to be. We are to strain for it, look for it, hasten it with all of our hearts. That's the kind of people we are to be in light of this, in light of the coming day of the Lord, and in light of the coming day of God. That's just the kind of people we are to be. And it's the Spirit who works these things in us.

42:26And it's important to note here that we are to be looking forward to the day of God. We are to understand the day of the Lord. I don't think we should, we're not really a people characterized by looking towards the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is a day of judgment. And so our approach as believers is a little more sober to this day, the day of judgment. We're not to be a people characterized by looking forward to God's judgment. And God Himself said he does not delight in the destruction of anyone, but longs that they would come to repentance. And that attitude should also reflect us as His followers.

43:14But what we are to look forward to, we do look forward to the day of the Lord, not because of what's going to happen to the ungodly, but because what it is paving the way for, and that is. The glorious day and city in which righteousness dwells. This is the kind of waiting for God's kingdom to come. Matthew 6:10, Jesus tells us to pray like this, Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. You remember Abraham?

43:53Hebrews 11:8 says what he was looking for. By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise. He was looking for the city which has its foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And what city was he looking for? He just sang about it. Revelation 21, Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there was no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride for her husband.

44:43Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men. You remember Bunyan's pilgrim's progress? There is the city of destruction, and those who are discipled by their flesh. Go there. And there is a celestial city, and those who are discipled by the Lord Jesus Christ, go there. So flee. What is in your heart? It's desperately wicked. Trust God's word over your own heart. Will you follow the way, the fleshly way, or will you follow the Lord's way? Well, we expect the Lord's return by remembering the right words, by anticipating mocking mockers, by knowing the Lord's purpose for his delay, by understanding the day of the Lord, and by looking forward to the day of God.

45:45You know, Christmas is a special time in our home. We celebrate the incarnation of our Lord, and I realize that December 25th probably isn't the day that he was born. It's probably a lot closer to the day in which he was conceived, which therein is the miracle, the incarnation, that God become flesh. But Christmas in our home is a time of celebration, time of joy. And I know it's in many of your homes as well. And what happens? Thanksgiving ends, at least in our North American culture.

46:21Thanksgiving ends, and then all of a sudden our hearts turn towards Christmas, right? We start the preparations. And when you have six kids, I mean, it starts. I mean, it's the music comes out. The decorations go up. The tree, the music, it all comes together, and we start working through our Advent book, and we start reading every day the story and the account of our Lord becoming man. But the days and weeks before Christmas are really a preparation, aren't they? We look forward to that day, we anticipate that day. So, what do we put a lot of effort? I mean, a lot of baking goes on, a lot of gift buying goes on. And the more preparation that goes into it affects the celebration, right? The arrangements, the travel arrangements, the people gathering, the more you prepare for that day, makes that celebration longer, greater, more glorious, more joyful. Well, our anticipation of the Lord's return should mark everything we do. Every day, as a believer, we are anticipating. We are one day closer to his return, one day closer to that glorious celebration.

47:46The Lord's return should mark everything we do. Let us live in expectation. If we can live expectantly for a day on a holiday on the calendar, how much more should we be living? Living in light of something far more glorious. And what you do now affects that celebration. The entrance is based upon His grace, of course. Some of you here need to be washed. You're not born from above, and you need to be. And you are born from above by calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus, confessing your sins, and saying, Lord, come into my heart, forgive me. I want to be yours, and He will save you like that.

48:38And the nice thing is, He's given us a way to deal with our sins. Even after we have walked with the Lord for many years and we stumble and we fall and we sin and we're back and forth, we have a place to wash. Keep going to Him, keep confessing. So we can go on and we can live in expectation of this day and its glorious beauty. The day will come, and the specialness of that day for you will depend on how you prepare for it. Heavenly Father, let us be a people born from above by your grace, by your Spirit, solely your work. Let us be a people who respond in faith. Let us be a people who are. Live of that noble sort.

49:34Father, that we would ever be expecting and showing what expecting your return looks like to those around us. Father, we thank you for the glorious truth of your word. We thank you for the ministry and life of Peter. And Father, help us now. May you do your work in our lives as you see fit in Jesus' name.