While you're opening your Bibles, though, I know I gave you some explanation of Psalm 110 that you just sang and how it relates to tonight's sermon, that Jesus right now went back to heaven and is sitting at God's right hand until all the earth is put under His feet. Notice, again, verse 4, He's after the order of Melchizedek, who was a king and priest. Verse 5 speaks of the day of His wrath, when He will strike through the kings that are still fighting. And there's such a connection to Psalm 2. But then I want you to notice, notice the body's dead. I mean, there's this sense of when Christ comes back, it is judgment day. It's awful for those who are not in Christ. But notice verse seven, and this is the reason you want to preach Christ and his kingdom, and it's soon consummation. And you wanna have confidence about it, and you wanna be those ambassadors to the world of come to Christ and submit to him while there's still time to be saved. Notice the power, it's the day of His power, right? Verse 3, but verse 7, the brook that runneth in the way with drink shall Him supply, and for this cause and triumph He shall lift His head on high. What is that image being given to us? In the end, when Christ comes back to judge the world and He's conquering Satan and all his dominions once and for all, and He's conquering all the kings and people of the world who did not want to bow to Him? He's just leaving them all for dead. It's not even a fair fight. I mean, it's he's gonna he's gonna destroy all his foes He came first on a horse or excuse me on a donkey offering peace He comes back on a white horse bringing judgment for those who wouldn't have it But all will bow the knee and confessed. He is Lord. What is this image at the end verse 7? Picture all the dead bodies strewn everywhere. He stops after his works done to take a drink in his humanity from the brook and he lifts up his head and looks around at his victory. It says his triumph. You can't do something like that if you're in any danger of having your head lopped off. He's in no danger of that. He can stop and take a drink in the brook and expose himself. You know, there's always concern you see a watering hole in Africa. The animals that are there, especially the giraffes, they really have to spread out their legs to be able to put down their head to get a drink. That's when they're in danger of the lions. But Jesus is the Lion of Judah. He's in no danger. He has triumph and victory in the end. And we want to get that message out about Jesus Christ, including on December 25th. That's the gospel message that needs to be get out to everybody. Don't be cozy. Be ready. Be ready. He is a king on his throne, and he's coming back. And when he comes back, it is over. You need to be made right with God through Christ while today is still the day of salvation And we need to get that message out and we need to have an urgency about it And that's where we'll be going with what Jesus says about that in the scripture this evening If you look with me at 2nd Peter, excuse me. I said Jesus Peter I'm remembering we were quoting Jesus in the Sermon amount this morning tonight. It's Peter 2nd Peter 3 11 to 12 is what we'll be looking at and I want to read verses 1 through 12. I will bring you back to a few verses before 11 through 12, but I think it will be helpful just to have read starting at verse 1 to get a feel and a sense of the context, because I won't be going through every verse, and I won't be getting to them in great detail. So I want to get a feel of it leading into verses 11 and 12 tonight. 2 Peter chapter 3, verses 11 to 12. I'm going to read starting at verse 1, and then I'll repeat 11 to 12. Hear now the word of the Lord. This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this, they willingly are ignorant of that by the word of God, the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water, whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water perished. But the heavens and the earth, which are now by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto the fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 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. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 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. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God Wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat The part that we're focusing on this evening within its context is this, verse 12, looking for and hasting onto the coming of the day of God. All that at its context, we should be looking for and hasting or hastening the coming day of God. Carpe diem, have you heard that phrase? Latin, carpe diem, it means seize the day. You'll often see that in business contacts, you know, seize the day, make the most of the day, don't wait till tomorrow, and there's a sense there where it's appropriate. But it's a phrase from a Roman poet, and it literally means pluck the day. One person speaking about it notes that it essentially means enjoy yourself while you have the chance. Another one commenting says that it means something like this, make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future. Live in the moment, we might say. We as Christians must have the sense of seizing the day while we can, making the most of the moment. But because of a future, because of an eternal future with eternal consequences of Heaven or Hell on the horizon We need to have an urgency because it is nearly here. We need to make the most of ourselves and our message in this word, our word and in our deed to the world because these last days are dissolving before our eyes and they will dissolve completely into the last day of fiery judgment. We need to be zealous to get the word out to be saved before it is too late. Because we are in the last days that will be dissolved soon in Christ's fiery judgment at his return on the last great day that is nearer and nearer every day. Christians should be living holy, godly lives that expectantly witness to the pending doom non-Christians face unless they repent and help the day along by sharing the gospel with everyone, everywhere, immediately, and often. I give you that as the main idea of what we're looking at in our text as it's longer, I won't repeat it as I do sometimes, but because these days are the last days and soon will be dissolved into the last great day, the way we live should have an expectant hastening of the day, influencing others and going about getting the word out because it can hasten or is used by the Lord in his providence to hasten, to draw it sooner. You are not citizens of Rome, but of the kingdom of heaven. Don't be lukewarm in service or witnessing. seize the day, while today is the day of salvation. That's the message for you this evening. It has primarily, or particularly in view, evangelism, personal evangelism. You know that the church has done all that we can to get the word out through ways we could while we had the resources to do so. We're moving forward now, no longer able to do that for the most part. We trust the Lord, trust that we planted some seeds. But you know that the primary reason people come to church is personal invitation. The main reason, by far, that the majority of people come to church is personal evangelism. And may the Lord put on our hearts a deeper sense of urgency to call upon people to repent and come and trust the Lord and love Him in His church while they still can, giving them a sense of, you don't know that you will be able to do this tomorrow. and then it'll be too late. Seize the day, Christian, that others would be made Christians, that you would usher, help hasten the day of Christ coming back for Christians while today is the day of salvation. Again, the message for you is this. Seize the day while today is the day of salvation. Hurry. Hurry. We kind of have a joke with my wife when I say hurry, hurry. Don't say hurry. Well, I say it because I know I don't like it, but it works. You know, hurry, hurry. We often say that to one another. When we say that, we're trying to help something along so that it's not late, but on time and even early. It's coming. We just kind of want to see it happening sooner. We want to get there sooner and be ready, available. Like when children are eager for it to be their birthdays. When's my birthday? When's my birthday? And a lot of times it's right after their birthday was yesterday. They're all ready for that next birthday to be now. That's kind of the idea. We need to make a list and shop now. Well, we got a year that's coming up. We got to get ready. Let's see if we can't hasten this day along by getting ready and expecting it. Make sure we don't miss it. There needs to be that sense of hastening. And the word hastening in our verse tonight, that we would be hastening the day in verse 12, looking for, watching, and hastening the day. There needs to be a sense of urgency about our anticipating of the coming of Christ at any moment and how we want to see it happen sooner than later and get the gospel out for people to be ready for it. But also, getting the gospel out everywhere is what's going to bring it about sooner in God's providential plan. There needs to be a sense of urgency for Christians about evangelism and apologetics that is acting in a way that we are concerned for everyone to be ready at any moment. Now, this idea of hastening could have a sense of hurrying the day along. The old English word for haste, it means violent, impetuous, vehement. The old Norse that relates to that old English word means a feud or rivalry. There's an excitement and a sense of trying to stir up kinetic energy to get people to be ready for the king and grab him while they can. We want to pray the Lord against the gospel out so that people are fighting to get in the doors, to hear about how to be saved and serve him. That's what we want to see. That's how we want to be. Oh, we got leftover witnessing tracks. I got to get out tomorrow and put those out on the windows of people nearby and the windshields. And how many times have I said that to myself, beloved? There's always something else keeps us busy. It's always something that seems more urgent. There's nothing more urgent. Matthew 11, verse 12. And from the days of John the Baptist, Jesus says, and from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force. Luke, I mean, what did you see with Jesus? They crowded him wherever he went, right? Place was packed. They would go out of their way to get to him. Sometimes they would lower him through a roof if needs be for his mercy ministry and his gospel ministry. That's the idea, Luke 16, 16. The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time, the kingdom of God is preached and every man presseth into it. That's the concern that we should have to see others be brought in, press them to want to be in. Thomas Watson's book, Heaven Taken by Storm is based on Matthew 11, 12, as you know. And one promotion of the book says this, Watson reminds us that Christians are spiritual warriors and the kingdom advances through warfare. The devil would like to lure us into laziness. lure us into lukewarmness. But when Jesus says that, confronts Laodicea about that and says, I might have to vomit you out of my mouth, then he says, repent and be zealous. Calvin does caution that this word hasting the day, the idea that we could speed up the return of Christ, or that we're part of speeding it up, he does caution that the word looking just before it, or watching, looking for, with the word hasten, he would have the idea of we need to understand it at hasten slowly, which is kinda like hurry up and wait, I guess, right? Hasten slowly, but the sense that we wanna be hastening this, but we also need to be waiting and patient, because we're not in control of it. That being said, we want to be patiently helping to move it along. One commentary says that this idea of hasting could possibly mean striving for. Another says that it has the idea of looking for speeding its coming is probably preferable. We're talking about the day of the Lord and that we would be speeding its coming. It goes on to say stressing the importance of human activity in evangelism during the time of forbearance. I think there's a few scriptures from Acts I'd like to look at, but before I do, I want to give two other thoughts. I was curious about, because of, you know, the mix of our congregation, I was curious about the Portuguese translation and the Spanish translation that we have that are similar with the source issues that our King James and English are sensitive to. Now, please forgive my horrible pronunciation, I'm sure, but the Spanish for hastening has apresurandus dos, apresurandus, something like that. And it means hurrying. Well, at least when I type it in on the internet, it says, what's this mean in English? Hurrying. So again, hastening, hurrying it along. The Portuguese version, desejando ardentemente. And again, my apologies for surely butchering it, but it means something according to the online translation in Portuguese means something like ardently wishing, you know? Okay, we're waiting on Jesus, we're wishing so much, it's almost like, okay, okay, I see you wishing, let's go ahead and get the party started, you know? There's this sense of hastening it along. It's how we should be about the second coming of Christ. Acts 3, 19 to 21 would be the example of this witness. Repent ye therefore. and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. Now remember Psalm 110 verse 1, sit in my right hand until I make all your enemies a footstool for your feet. The times of refreshing are coming. Repent and believe in Him now before that time when Jesus is sent back to judge the world. Acts 17 verses 30 and 31, Acts 3 was the message to the Jews, here's the message to the Gentiles. And remember what Jesus told them to do at the beginning of the Mass, go out and spread the kingdom, preach the gospel in Judea, or Jerusalem, excuse me, Judea and the other parts of the earth, right? What's the great commission? Go make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything I've told you, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son of the Holy Ghost. Lo, I'll be with you always, even to the end of the age. What's it say at the beginning? To encourage us, I've been given all power and authority in heaven and earth. He gives us mission impossible, really, but in Him it's mission certain. It's possible and it will happen. It's not just probable, it's certain. The message is calling out on people, Jew and Gentile, to repent and trust in Him in these last days before He comes back on the last great day with a sense of urgency and expecting watchfulness that we even hope has a sense of ushering it in and are getting the Gospel out everywhere as part of making that happen. Acts 17, 30-31, and the times of this ignorance, and the times past that is, of this ignorance God winked at, but now, because Christ has come, commandeth all men everywhere to repent. because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, and that he hath raised him from the dead. That man, Jesus Christ, who is raised from the dead, God hath appointed a day. day that is coming to judge the world. Repent and trust in him today is the message of the church. William Hendrickson in his book, The Bible and the Life Hereafter, he has a bit of a number of chapters dealing with the Olivet Discourse, Matthew 24 and 25, the end times discussion. And he has a chapter that describes what's the first thing Jesus said must happen before a second coming. He's answering the question of the disciples and we were here in Mark not long ago They've really asked two questions that they conflate he breaks in the back up When's the temple gonna be destroyed and all these horrible things that are signs of it and then that's a time that's a sign Jesus qualifies of when is the last day in the end time and he answers both of those things and William Hendrickson is addressing that And in Matthew 24, verse 14, he points out that Jesus is saying there are two things that have to happen before His return. One, the preaching of the gospel for a worldwide testimony to all nations. That has to happen before His return. Until all nations have been evangelized, it doesn't mean all nations or all individuals will repent, but the gospel has to proclaim Christ's kingship, and to repent has to be preached to every nation. Until that happens, he won't return. And there's gonna be a therefore coming from that thought. The other thing though, after that time, there'll be a great tribulation. It'll be short, that's why it's spoken about in Revelation as two and a half, there's always a half. There'll be a short, intense tribulation with the Antichrist. And then the end comes. The end will come, but only after those two things. Christ will return, but for him to return, the preaching of the gospel must go everywhere. And so what should be our response to that knowledge? Hasten it. You're telling me the sooner the gospel gets preached all over the world to every nation, the sooner Jesus is coming back and we can be delivered from this place and enjoy perfect, beautiful heaven? Let's do this. Where, what do I do next? Where, who, how? How do I help that happen? That's how we should be responding to that. We should be looking to hasten the day. Peter says, he speaks of it that way. Because the gospel has to go everywhere. In the witness through the church is how it happens. Through his people and their behavior and their life and their witness of the gospel with their words and testimony. Everywhere throughout all the world. That's what has to happen. William Hendrickson writes this, this gospel proclamation moreover will be a testimony. Its acceptance or its rejection will be decisive. There is no promise here of any second chance. There will not be two gospel ages, one now and the other by and by after the Lord's return. What a nation does with its great opportunity in the here and now will have its final results. You see when Jesus comes back, final judgment comes back with Him at that moment. And again, I want to caution against dispensational theology, you know, particularly pushed out there with the Schofield Bible reference notes that gives this idea that we need to leave, well, no longer VHS tapes, I guess, but, you know, we leave things behind to explain, well, all of a sudden we don't hear, you know, pilots will be gone, planes will be crashing, all of a sudden everybody will just be gone. But then there'll be all these people, what happened? And then there needs to be explanation that they have a chance to, you know, we give people a false sense of the security they can wait and there's no urgency. Let alone they may die before Christ's return, right? That's not the gospel. The gospel is, He's coming back, it could be now, and when He's here, it's done. There are no second chances. There's not any more opportunity. The time is now to trust in Jesus, not later. If you wait when He comes, and you haven't, you will go straight to hell for eternal, fiery, horrible judgment, body and soul. That's the gospel message. The other side of it is trust in Him, trust in His crossword, trust in Him as the resurrected, ascended King and Savior, so that when He comes back, that's not a day for you to fear, but to look forward to and seek to hasten, because then you are brought into His Father's house, where He's been preparing a room for you, where there's just fullness of joy, pleasures forevermore. You want that sooner than later is the idea, body and soul. So we want to get out the preaching of the gospel. We want to share it with everyone now. We want to contribute to missions. God is ultimately in control and the day is fixed. And yet we need to get the gospel out to all nations as soon as we can first to see his return happen. So we should be about hastening the day in these days to that day. So one thing I want to draw out in the context here is we are in the last days. People ask that all the time. And I know I've said it many times, but I know I need to keep saying it. We are in the last days. The last days are the time before the first and second coming of Christ. I'm not going to point all that out in terms of an exegetical, systematical study. Did a lot of that in the book of Revelations. You can go to Revelation chapter 20 in our teaching on Wednesday nights, years ago on Sermon Audio. There's four extra lectures about the millennium that we're in now. It's a figurative expression. The perfect time between the first and second coming of Christ. God knows exactly when it's happening, exactly when He's coming back, which is the purpose of Revelation is to encourage Christians to make it through persecution and all kinds of troubles in these last days, not knowing when He returns, but knowing it is fixed and certain it's the perfect time of His return. Okay, that's the idea of 1,000 with the perfect numbers related to 10. But I will give you some things in our text and some other verses to just remind you, we're in these last days, we should have a sense of getting the gospel out while there's still time, because as we're in these last days, we are closer and closer to the last day, when there'll be no more days. And then judgment. And then eternal heaven or hell. Look with me at verses three and four. Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. Well, that sounds like now, doesn't it? I mean, what did you just read in the gospel tonight near the end of Mark? They're mocking him and on the cross. If you are the son of God, take yourself off of it. You know, this, where is he? Where is it? But notice what it says here, that will be what happens in the last days. And the context is he's encouraging them to get through these last days. He's saying, I know people are mocking you, asking like, why should I have any sense of worry? Everything's like it always is. He's going to speak more to that in a moment, but we'll wait. But notice it says we're in these last days. That's to be contrasted with what is spoken of as the last day, the day of the Lord in verse 10, but also in our text, the day of the coming of God in verse 12, hasten that day. But we're in these last days, which is to give us that sense of come on. give you some other scriptures. Acts 2 17, And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall see dreams. Now Peter is preaching this sermon in Acts chapter 2, And he's referring to Joel chapter 2. And in the broader context he's preaching Psalm 16, remember, pointing to, look, Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. That's what Psalm 16 would say would happen when the Messiah came. The Messiah has come. We're in the last days. The Messiah ushers in the last days at his first coming. He closes them at the second coming. He says we're in these last days. He's speaking of the very moment. He's preaching about applying Joel to that. We are in these last days Hebrews 1 verse 2 Speaking of Jesus he hath in these last days God hath compared to the earlier days the old days in the Old Testament he hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds." What is the marker that we are in the last days? His son has come. The Messiah of the Old Testament prophecies has come. God in our flesh face-to-face has inaugurated his kingdom. Called on all others to what does he say? What does he tell the Apostles disciples and the people of an axe, you know, they're spreading the kingdom What's the gospel message? What's the first word repent for the kingdom of God has come the kingdom of heaven is here We're in these last days now is the opportunity if you want to be in the kingdom before he closes the door on the end of the opportunity and then closes you out of the kingdom at his return and in these last days, Hebrews 1 verse 13, but to which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Now he's quoting Psalm 110 verse one, and he's wanting to show how great and glorious and higher Jesus is than the angels. He also wants to make the case compared to Moses, compared to Aaron and all these things that were prefiguring him, he is the reality that has come. And notice what he says. Psalm 110 verse 1 relates to him, sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. We looked at this in 1 Corinthians 15, 25 a little while ago, which is showing us this is speaking of the ascension of Christ after his work was complete on earth. He ascended back on high and as the high priest he applies the true blood of the lamb that saves us from our sins as the true high priest after the order of Melchizedek, verse 4 of Psalm 110. He applies it in the true holy of holies in heaven and has made access to God even now for us He's the true reality of these things, but he's applying Psalm 110 verse 1 Saying this is now the Messiah has come he has accomplished salvation for his people and Then he was raised from the dead went back ascended high and applied that blood on the altar of the true holy of holies Giving us access to God this Hebrew said he is the veil that was torn in two and we go in through him He's all these things he's come it's done and he's now on his throne in heaven Psalm 110 verse 1 he's ascended back on high and the father says to the son the Lord said unto my Lord sit at my right hand and until I make thine enemies a footstool for your feet. That's the process we're in right now. That's the moment we're in right now. And every day we're closer to that last until. And then the judgment. Hebrews 9, 10 to 12. Speaking of the Levitical priesthood typifying Christ, which stood only in meats and drinks and diverse washings and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of Reformation. Christ being come and high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not of this building neither by the blood of goats and calves But by his own blood he entered into once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us that's very much related to what we said about someone ten one and Now if I can say one other thing before we continue, because I just heard on the Christian radio recently, some pastor, his ad for his program over the weekend, he says, oh the temple is absolutely going to be rebuilt. Again this is dispensational theology, it is, too much of the evangelical church has been influenced by it, by the Schofield reference notes. That's not what you're hearing here. What did you hear? The time of reaffirmation has come. Christ, the real high priest of the good things to come, a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands. What are we told by Paul in 1 Corinthians? We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are the living stones elsewhere, Christ being the cornerstone. We are the holy temple of the Holy Spirit now. It's not bound by space or time. Revelation 1, 3 and Revelation 22, verse 10. Again, Revelation is written to get those Christians and we Christians through these last days of difficulty and persecution that would become extreme in the end, but a half a time representing, but it's short and it's not final. To get them through to the end, Jesus says, blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand. and he saith unto me, seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book for the time's at hand. That's different than Daniel, seal it up, it's for a later time. You remember from our study, but now don't seal it up, the time is at hand. Prophecy's fulfilled in Christ, he's coming back. Now, when I mentioned that you can listen to four extra lectures on the end times, the millennium, and Revelation 20, one of the books I draw extra from is J. Adams' book. Yes, the same J. Adams of the New Theta Counseling work His book is called the time is at hand and he's explaining this very same idea with the scriptures in Revelation There has to be a sense of urgency The time is at hand. We're in these last days John 11 24 Martha said unto him that is Jesus. I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day Now notice that idea of the last day. That's what we're going to contrast in a moment. But as she's anticipating the last day, Jesus points out to her, well, we're in the last days. You better look to me and be ready for the last day, right? Because Jesus says, I am the resurrection. And then what did he do? He raised Lazarus from the dead. I've come. The time of Reformation's at hand, the time is at hand. I've ushered in the kingdom, in the inauguration with my first coming. I consummated at the end. Trust in me while you can. We're in the last days, and that is to impact that we gotta be preaching the gospel to draw in and hasten the last day and have people ready for it. Again, in verses three and four, he speaks of these last days that we're in. but to be ready for the last day that he speaks of in these other verses. So Jesus also says, and now we're looking, we are anticipating the last day. We're in the last days, we're anticipating the last day. John 12, 48. He that rejecteth me, Jesus says, he that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him. The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. And Peter says we should be looking for and hastening that day, the last day in these last days. Look at verses eight through 10. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing. By the way, before we go there, the verses earlier, he's comparing it to the flood of Noah. Everybody didn't think anything was gonna happen, and boom, the whole world was flooded. You think that got their attention? I mean, it's getting people's attention in San Diego again, apparently, tomorrow, right? There's nothing compared to Noah's flood. In the last day, it's gonna be like that, only it's gonna be fire this time. Jesus says the same, it'll be like the days of Noah in the end. That relates to that there has to be persecution right at the end, because there won't be very many people that actually care to be in the church. There were about eight, right, in day of Noah in the ark. Then he says, don't worry when the people are mocking you, asking like, you know, days are always the same. We don't need to be worried about a last day. We don't need to be concerned about whether we're in these last days. Carpe diem. He says this beginning in verse eight. 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. Notice, this is what we call a simile. The use of the word as or like. He is not saying, people use this word, another interjection. This is not a verse to be used to try to teach an old earth and you know, ageless days to try to explain creation. That's not the point of what he's saying. He's saying for the Lord because he's eternal. He's outside of time. He's in every day at every moment at the moment all the time in his experience. So we don't need to think that, you know, God's late or we need to worry and lose a sense of urgency because for God, it's always right there. Verse nine, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some count slackness, but as long suffering to us. We're not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. The context is referring to his elect verse 10, but the day of the Lord, I want to emphasize that the day of the Lord will come as a thief. 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 and That's similar to what is said in verse 2 the heavens the earth will dissolve and melt with fire and heat at the day of Christ's return the last day of judgment and So while people get lackadaisical, the church gets lackadaisical, nobody's worried about it anymore. Well, they ought to be, and you ought to be concerned about making them care. And the more you make them care and get the gospel out through all the world, the sooner the day will come. And for the Christian, that is a day we are longing for. Now, in verses eight and 10, We see that the day of the Lord and then the coming of the day of God The Greek has the idea of this coming and this immediacy. Verse 10 again, the day of the Lord will come. Oh, excuse me, I'm making a connection there. You see in verse 10, I shouldn't have had verse eight in my notes there. Verse 10, the day of the Lord, and then notice how that's very close in referring and informing verse 12 for us, the coming of the day of our God. Verse 12, looking for, hastening, unto the coming of the day of God. Literally in the Greek, it looks like something like this, the coming of the God of day. You know, because the last day is the coming of God, the coming of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ in judgment. So you see this emphasis on the coming of the last day in the coming of Christ. And there ought to be a sense of urgency to get the gospel out all through the world that people are ready for his coming. while they can still be saved. Seize the day that you have. Seize the moment and the opportunity that you have to witness, often when you need to correct someone. For using the Lord's day in vain, the Lord will not hold them guiltless that take His name in vain, and the day of the Lord's coming at any moment. Are you ready? The weather tomorrow, the floods, you know, we just heard a sermon last night on Jesus is coming at any moment. And it's gonna be like the flood, only this time with fire. Are you ready? and getting that gospel out every way we can. 1 Corinthians 1, 7-8 speaks of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. That last great day, the last day, is the day that the Lord Jesus Christ comes, returns to judge the world. There is not any other day to look and wait for. And that needs to be a great concern of us in these last days. The last day is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There won't be any more days after to repent. There will only then be a separating of the goats and the sheep, and either living an eternal night in hell, or an eternal day in heaven. William Hendrickson writes this, and he's again thinking about the fact that the gospel has to be preached through all the world before the end comes. I'm thinking of that related to our verse tonight about hastening the day, and I think he makes that application. Hendrickson writes, we should take notice of this, that the gospel has to be preached to all nations. Before the end comes before Jesus returns. We should take notice of this and by means of work and prayer Strive to bring the promise to complete fulfillment. I Think that's the idea of our text tonight that we would be looking for and hastening For the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ the coming of the day of the Lord you see Is that not the prayer of the end of the Bible in Revelation? The spirit and the bride say, come. Jesus warns throughout Revelation that he comes quickly. Watch. In the gospels, doesn't he always say, watch, be ready. You don't know when, and he says the same thing. It's like a thief in the night. That's in our text here again today. If you know a thief is about to come into your house, how would you be preparing for that? Lock all the doors. Lock all the windows. Maybe get the gun. Call 911. You wouldn't be sitting munching on popcorn with the doors wide open. Well, hold on, my movie's almost over. You would be telling the neighbors to get ready and lock the doors, be ready! Just like when the flood's coming, just when the final judgment's coming. Is not the response of the church also at the very end of the Bible? Even so, when he says, I come quickly, even so, come Lord Jesus. We are to be anticipating, we are to be hastening, eager to see the day approaching. And that involves evangelism of the church. That involves getting the word out any way we come. The response is not our problem. What our concern is to get it out, to broadcast it to as many people as possible while we still can. Well, Are you about trying to hasten the day? Are you about getting the gospel out about the coming judgment of the world and that our days are evil and numbered? With this message, Hebrews 10, 24 and 25, and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as ye see the day approaching. That's a call why you should be in church and be a member in the church as our confession teaches, referencing the scriptures out of which there's no ordinary means of salvation. What is the wait? to get right with Christ in his kingdom. What's the wait? That's not what you see in Acts in the response to the gospel. Get me in while there's still time. Submit to Christ and my entire life to Christ now while there's still time. What are we waiting for? What are we waiting for? Getting the gospel out to everyone. What are we waiting for? Calling on people, teaching them to do everything Jesus says. The great commission is that. As you see the day approaching, come to church. What is our experience? Why do you have to worry so much? I have to be in church every Sunday. Why are you worried about? The day's approaching. Where do you wanna be when Jesus comes back? With his body in his house, just as they found them as a child, teaching the elders in his father's house. Where would I be? Luke 12, 35 to 36. Let your loins be girded about, Jesus says, and your lights burning, and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Well, I think Jesus is knocking at the door. Yeah, but today I'm pretty busy. I have other things I need to, I'll get my life right with the Lord and his church. I'll get to that, hopefully this year. The day is approaching. Open the door to him immediately, lest the door to his kingdom be shut in your face, and it's too late. What is that? Keep your, keep your, your trims, keep your candles trimmed and burning, right? Be ready at any moment. When he comes, be ready to let him in immediately. You don't let the king wait. And if you're not waiting on him and you make him wait, there's a point where he'll be waiting in hell forever, wishing you hadn't waited. Hebrews 3, 13 through four verse nine. I've decided to give you that. It's a longer section, but I wanna give you that as we near the end. but exhort one another daily while it is called today. Lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. for we are made partakers of Christ. If we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end, while it is said today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as is in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke, how be it not all that came out of Egypt by Moses, But with whom was he grieved forty years was it not with them that had sinned whose carcasses fell in the wilderness And to whom swear he that they should not enter into his rest But to them that believed not so we see that they could not enter in Because of unbelief when judgment came that was it they were swallowed in the ground. They were bitten by serpents They were burned with fire They could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them, but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest as he said, as I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest. although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, and God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, if they shall enter into my rest, seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein. And they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief. Again, he limiteth a certain day. saying in David, and he's been quoting this many times, Psalm 95, today, after so long a time, it is said, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. There's still time. to have rest. While today's today, there's still an opportunity to repent. But what he's warning is they didn't enter his rest. And there's a danger that you, the church, might not enter his rest because you're playing church, but you're not really in the church. You're messing around a little bit. You like to dabble with it, but you haven't really given yourself to Christ and his church. There's going to be a day where your time runs out. There's gonna be a day that he returns and your wicks will have been blown out. May you believe, don't brush it off. Oh, I know there's a big game next week. Some people won't be here because of it. That could be the moment. Repent while today is today. It could be the last day of these last days and then the last day when it will be too late to enter the rest of heaven in Christ. And those of you who are in Christ ought to be thinking, we've got to get out there. We've got to get the gospel. How many tracks do we have left? Where are the good news brochures? Where are those cards where I can write my name and put them in church? Folks, we ought to be having to call the printer constantly because we can't keep up with you spreading them out to everyone, everywhere, all the time. Would you please help us struggle financially to print enough evangelism materials? That's what we should be doing. We should have the sense of urgency and hastening the day because also we can't wait for the return of Jesus Christ. This will bring him sooner. 2 Corinthians 6 verse 2, quoting Isaiah 49, 81 about Jesus. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. That's the message you need to have ready to give to people when they hesitate. when they think they have time to come back to it. Well, beloved, it's between you and Christ, and I'm not going to try to force a fake conversion. But let me just remind you, today's the day of salvation. Tomorrow may be too late. That's what the Gospel says. This needs to be your message to the world in your behavior and in your words. What does Peter emphasize? Your godly life. Your godly, holy life. You need to just not be interested in the world. You need to be spending very little time with things of the world, even on the offer, because it can end up being such a waste of time, and especially such a waste of the witness when there's very little time left for anyone. The way you live has to draw people to ask of Christ or convict them just by your very presence, that they would ask, what must I do to be saved? Needs to be seen in how you approach and participate in church while you can. This needs to be your witness to all, always and now. The time's at hand. Point them to the sky to be watching for the return of Jesus. At the beginning of the books of Acts, the angel said he would come back the way he left, which was riding on a cloud in his resurrected glory. And as is said elsewhere, he will be coming on a white horse with a sword on his side, faithful and true, with lightning and the sound of trumpets. There'll be no mistaking the return of Christ. And there will only be a reckoning with Christ at that time. And then the end. That day will be a wonderful day for you, Christian. But get the word out to all while you can, because the day will be an awful day for those who have not, until that day, and then they will be forced, bowed the knee to Christ and professed with their tongue that he is Lord. Do not delay. Seize the day. while today is the day of salvation. And that is the message for you this evening. Be looking, be hastening the coming of the day of God. Seize the day while today is the day of salvation. What are you going to do about this message tomorrow? Let us pray. Forgive us, Lord Jesus, how often we slumber. We pray you would not vomit us out of your mouth for our lukewarmness. We pray that you have stirred us up. as Peter says in the first verse of our chapter. Stir us up, cause us to repent and be zealous. Free us from the ways of this world. Free us from wasting time that could be spent studying and praying the scriptures, witnessing, praying for people's salvation. We know that our times are in your hand But you have shown us to redeem the time the days are evil and you can use and you work through us and the urgency to hasten the day of your return which would we pray and trust include hastening the day of conversion and salvations of those who are lost Oh Lord help us to hasten the day of the drawing in of your elect our family our brothers and sisters in Christ and Work in us a sense of urgency of why we're here. And we know that whether it be your return or whether it be our last day of breath, it won't be that long from now. Help us to live with focus and zeal and urgency for the kingdom of heaven and your righteousness. And let that be contagious to those around us and give us opportunity, Lord, to support missions. to support evangelism. But most importantly, Lord, as Peter's speaking to the members of the church, work through our lives where we are right now and bring a sense of your coming judgment and the need to be saved today. And oh Lord, we do pray as you would advance your kingdom through the work of evangelism and the witness of your people here and throughout the world. We do pray as your bride with the spirit. Come Lord Jesus. And all your people said with amen. Beloved, I invite you now to open your psalters to Psalm 67, a fitting psalm to close with. We close our worship with it. It should be what we close our evening worship with as we're sent out this week every week to serve and witness for the Lord, but it also has an encouragement for us that what we pray for is in the process of happening and it will happen. Psalm 67, as you are able, please stand. Da da da da da da da ♪ Lord bless and pity us ♪ ♪ Shine on us with thy face ♪ ♪ That the earth, thy way and nations all ♪ ♪ May know thy saving grace ♪ ♪ Let people praise thee, Lord Jesus Christ ♪ Let people all thee praise. Oh, let the nations be glad in songs their voices raise. Thou justly, people just. on earth rule nations all. Let people praise thee, Lord, let them praise thee, both great and small. The earth Please remain standing for the benediction. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all.