## Closing the Books on 1998

## II Peter 3:14-15

In just a few days we will say good-bye to 1998 and hello to a brand new year. As we move closer to the new millennium, what should we, as believers, be doing? Some would have us running for cover for fear of Y2K. However, the question before us today is not what we will do in the year 2000, but what will we do in 1999?

Let me give you some thoughts on what I believe we should be doing as we close the books on 1998 and look forward to 1999:

I. We Should Be Looking For The Lord's Return

(2 Pet 3:14) "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless."

A. Peter writes that we should look for "such things".

1. What are these things? In order to answer that question we must first look at the verses preceding this one.

2. In verses 3 and 4 of this chapter Peter speaks about the mockers of the last day who would question the coming of Christ.

a. Non-believers today often ask the same question and literally ridicule the concept of a coming Savior. The reason? It's been a long time.

b. Peter answers that mocking by looking at time through the eyes of God.

(2 Pet 3:8) "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

3. Is God giving us some sort of secret time code to calculate the return of Christ? NO!

4. Peter is stating that God is not slow about his promise.

a. And what is His promise?

b. The angels made the following statement:

(Acts 1:11) "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

c. Jesus also makes a similar statement about the promise of His return.

(John 14:1-3) "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. {2} In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

4. Peter goes on to reassure us that the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and the impending destruction of the world will take place.

(2 Pet 3:10) "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."

B. The first thing we need to be doing as the new year dawns is to look for and anticipate Christ's return.

1. The Christian anticipation of Christ's return began the day He ascended into heaven.

a. Throughout the epistles of the New Testament, we repeatedly see the anticipation of Christ's return in the hearts of the believers.

(Phil 3:20) "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:"

b. In 1 Thessalonians 4:18 we are told to comfort one another with the thought of Christ's return.

2. Do we have that same anticipation?

a. Our children were excited about opening all their gifts.

b. That is the same type of anticipation and excitement we should have concerning Christ's return.

3. When we are failing to look for His return, we become caught up in the routine of the world.

a. The devil doesn't want us to look for Christ's return.

b. He wants us to believe that He isn't returning.

C. Jesus Christ left us with this whole concept of looking for and anticipating His return.

1. Everywhere we look we can see signs that point to His return.

2. These things trigger within us the remembrance of Christ's return and move us into the place of anticipating it.

3. That is the way it should be.

4. Remembering my brother coming home from the Navy…every car…every sound.

II. We Should Be Living For Him Until He Comes

(2 Pet 3:14) "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless."

A. That ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless.

1. This will take diligence or concentrated effort.

2. It will not just happen.

a. There is a lack of diligence in our society to work hard, accomplish goals and succeed in life today.

b. The spirit of complacency seems to prevail.

c. That same lack of diligence has crept into the church.

3. We've got to exert ourselves, work hard at, set our minds to, and follow through to be found as spotless and blameless.

B. Now to be found by Him in peace means that we are at peace with His return.

1. Does the thought of His coming stir any fear in us? If so, we are not at peace with Him.

2. Sin - wrong living robs us of the peace we are to have with Christ.

a. When children are left with a babysitter and they do something really bad, there's very little peace in their hearts about the return of their parents because they know they're going to get in trouble.

b. When there is sin in our life, there is no peace in our heart concerning His return.

c. Often, we don't even want people to talk about it.

(John 14:27) "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

3. He left His peace with us. The question is: Do we have the peace He's given to us?

C. Peace is always found on the road of right living.

III. We Should Seek God's Will Until He Comes

(2 Pet 3:15) "And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;"

A. God's Will is not hard to understand: He wants folks to come to Christ and be saved.

(2 Pet 3:9) "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

1. Peter is wanting the believers to look on the bright side.

2. Why hasn't the Lord returned yet?

3. There are others who need to hear.

B. God's patience should never be viewed as His forgetfulness.

1. The mockers said that God had failed to follow through on His promise…that He had forgotten and had fallen asleep.

2. God has not forgotten!

3. He desires that more come to know Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

C. We should regard God's patience in coming as an opportunity to carry out the work of the kingdom and fulfill His will.

1. There's no reason to be discouraged because He hasn't returned yet.

2. There are times when we may find ourselves with a longing to go home and be with Jesus, but…

3. At the same time we should be about the Father's business.

(Luke 12:40) "Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not."

4. When Christ returns, we want all our friends and loved ones to go with us, don't we?

a. The time to tell them is now.

b. The harvest truly is plentiful.

What should we be doing in 1999? Have we set goals for ourselves? Include these three along with them. As Christians…

- We Should Be Looking For The Lord's Return
- We Should Be Living For Him Until He Comes
- We Should Seek God's Will Until He Comes

For those here who do not know Christ personally, may I encourage you to accept Him today? Jesus died that you might live. Come.