We come to you today as believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and we worship at a place called the Bible Centre. which is found on Frederick Street. It's about a 10 minute walk away from here. And we meet on a Sunday at 10.30 in the morning and 1pm in the evening. And you'll be more than welcome to come and join with us and worship our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But more importantly, do you know Jesus yourself? Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will return to this earth again. He came 2,000 years ago unto His own, and His own received Him not. He came unto His own, and He died in the place of sinners. Friends, the Lord Jesus Christ came the first time to redeem sinners. He came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them. But when He returns to the earth at the end of time, He will return as Judge. How will you fare before Him? And friends, whether you are in your own righteousnesses, which are filthy rags before the Lord, or whether you stand before Him, clothed in the righteousness of Christ. I'm going to read now from 2 Peter chapter 3, which speaks of the return of Jesus Christ. And we need to be ready for that day. For we do not know when that day will come, and none of us know when we will breathe our last breath and stand before the Lord of Glory. Will we stand with our own works condemned, or will we stand in Christ Jesus by faith and by faith alone to the glory of God alone? That God the Father may delight in you, but only in Jesus Christ. It's only in Jesus Christ who is the truth, the way, and the life. We read in 2 Peter 3, verse 10, But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with 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 holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening 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. Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for the new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. And we end our reading in verse number 13. Peter here, writing under the inspiration of the Spirit of Almighty God, he's telling us all, this day even, that the Lord Jesus Christ will return. Surely, we would like to forget that. That there is coming a day of judgment. There is coming a day where this world, which has fallen in sin, which groans and surveils under the effects of sin, which suffers, which faces death and trial, in this world, but this will come to an end when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ comes to reign in the new heavens and the new earth. Now it is not that the old heavens and the old earth will be done away with, but they will be renewed. They will be made new in that sense. It says in our text But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away. None of us know, this expression, the thief in the night, none of us know when our houses will be broken into. For if we knew, we would be there ready. But it will come in the time when people will not be expecting. And what we must be doing is watching and looking looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. For none of us know when we will face and stand before God and be judged righteously. Friends, our sin has either been dealt with on the cross of Christ or it will be dealt with And the wrath of God will be poured out upon you for all eternity. Those are the two paths before you. Facing your own way, which is the wrath of God. Or going the way of Jesus, trusting in Him and in Him alone. Friends, it says, the heavens shall pass away with great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat and the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. We live in a fallen world. We live in a world with death and suffering. We live in a world with health problems and all sorts of things. But that will come to an end. And there will be a new earth and also new heavens. Because in that time, righteousness will dwell on the earth. And the question for you this day is, do you love this present fallen world and its sin? Or do you love the world to come where righteousness dwells, when Jesus Christ rules and reigns? Do you look to Him and to Him alone? By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. It says here, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in holy conversation and godliness? These things that we cling to, our possessions, our money, our homes, our cars, whatever the things you have and that you worship in this world, for we all worship something or someone. Either we worship ourselves and our own ambitions, or we worship our possessions, or we worship our health, whatever it is. We are all worshipers. Friends, you need to turn from these dead and lifeless idols and turn to the living and true Savior, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Friends, all that follow dead and lifeless idols are like unto them. If you worship that which is dead, if you follow that which is dead, it cannot help you in the world to come. But friends, we call upon you this day that you would look upon the One who is able and indeed willing to save all that will come to Him by faith alone. And faith alone means you have no confidence in the flesh. You've given up all hope and self. You have died to self that you may live in Jesus Christ. And in walking with Jesus Christ, you put to death the deeds of the flesh and say no to yourself. You say no to your own ambitions. You say no to your own lusts. And you look to Jesus Christ and you rest in Him. And notice how I say rest. There is wonderful rest and refreshment in Jesus Christ. I wonder if any of you here have ever struggled to sleep at night. It is difficult when you have not had rest. We all need rest and you need rest unto your souls. In heaven, in the new heavens and the new earth, there is perfect rest. And why is there perfect rest? Because there is no sin. Because it is a place of perfect righteousness. In this world, we are weary. In this world, we suffer sadness. In this world, we suffer loss and death. We suffer the loss of loved ones and other things. But in the world to come, because of Jesus Christ and what He has done in the place of sinners, there is no death. The wrath of God has been appeased in and through Jesus Christ, through the cross of Christ. Isaiah 53 and verse 10 says, it pleased the Lord to bruise Him. The Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, poured out His wrath upon His Son, so that justice was satisfied in the place of sinners. And so that on this day, when there'll be new heavens and a new earth where righteousness will dwell, all those in Jesus Christ, forgiven in Jesus Christ, clothed by the righteousness of Jesus Christ, will stand before God and will delight with everlasting enjoyment Delight to glorify Him forever in the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Friends, if you love Jesus Christ, you will love to be in His presence. But if you hate Him, you will mock Him. You will fight against Him with all hostility. Because that is what we all are by nature. We are all sinners. By nature we are children of wrath. By nature we are dead in trespasses and sins. By nature we serve the world, the flesh and the devil. But if you've been set free by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone, then you follow in that narrow way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. And that day of the Lord will be unto you light. That day that is coming. There is no avoiding the day of the Lord, a day of judgment. To the Christian in Jesus Christ who has truly put their trust in Jesus Christ, the day of the Lord is a day of light. But for those, whether you be religious or not, who have not looked to Jesus Christ, who follow their own way, if that is you, then the day of the Lord is a day of darkness and a day of wrath, a day that ought to be feared. Friends, this is a day that is surely coming to us all. When this world ends, when the elements of this world are dissolved up, And this world is renewed. The new heavens and the new earth in which righteousness dwells. It says in our text, looking for and hastening. That means the coming, hastening, the coming. Unto the coming of the day of the God. Where into the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Friends, which world do you need to look to? Is it this present fallen world, with its service of sin, with its service of idols, dead and lifeless idols, or the world to come? This world, this present fallen age will end. But the world to come will not. Which should you spend more time thinking about? Which is more important? Your eternal soul or this brief moment on this world? This world is vanity of vanities. All is vanity. This life is but a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanishes away. And then you will stand before God. Then you will face the day of judgment, the day of the Lord. All those in Jesus Christ will enjoy Him fully forever. But all those outside of Jesus Christ will be cast into the lake of fire. Friends, we do not wish that for you. We wish that all would repent and turn to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That they would find, that you would find, rest and refreshment in Jesus Christ. And rest and refreshment, you say, from what? From sin. Sin is rebellion against God. And sin is a rebellion against the Almighty, the Infinite, Eternal. Immense and holy God. And who do you think will win on that day? Who do you think will be victorious? You or God? Friends, sin is foolishness, sin is unrighteousness, and sin is fighting in hostility against the God who made heaven and earth. But look unto Jesus. And then the day of the Lord is a day of light. It is a day to rejoice in, because this world, which is burned up, will then be a new earth, but there will also be a new heavens. And that is a day to rejoice in, for those in Jesus Christ, but it is a day of terror for all those outside of Jesus Christ. What must you do to be saved? Look unto Jesus. Look away from your sin and be saved, all the ends of the earth, that you may rejoice on that day of judgment, that you may rejoice on the day of the Lord. It says in our text, nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Friends, you have to ask yourself, all will say that they want to go to heaven. None will say, I want to go to hell. How many say, oh yes, I would love to face the wrath of God. Eternal torment for all eternity. None wants that. But friends, what is heaven? Heaven is heaven because of the righteousness of God. Because of the beauty of holiness that is there. And if God is good, what does God do with you? You see friends, because God is good, this news is not good news to the one outside of Jesus Christ. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of Almighty God. All of us, in thought in word and in deed, have broken the law of God. Even our greatest works are but filthy rags before the Lord, because they fall short of that perfect righteous and holy standard. Friends, heaven is heaven because it is to enjoy God. It is His perfect blessed presence. And friends, there is nowhere to escape God. Both in this world and in the world to come. He is eternal. He is infinite. He is omnipresent. You can't go a million miles one way and a million miles another way to escape God. There is no escaping the judgment of God. And you know this. Because you're surrounded by all the evidence in creation. And you also have a conscience. Because you've been made in the image of God. And what must man do if he doesn't turn unto the Lord? He must fight against that which has been revealed through nature, that which has been declared. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth forth His handiwork. Nature shows us there's a Creator. Nature shows us that there's a God. Nature shows us He's almighty, true, holy, and wise. But the light of nature does not show us the Gospel. The Bible shows us the Gospel. The Bible shows us the light from heaven. That where we who are in darkness may find marvelous light, And that marvelous light to you friends this day is Jesus Christ. As you stand before God on that day, may you have an advocate, a perfect advocate, a representative, someone to stand in your place to argue your case on that day. Not based on your own righteousness, but based upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. Friends, will you come before God? Will you say you deserve heaven based upon your own works? Friends, God will not change for any of us. Heaven will not change for any of us. The new heavens and the new earth will not change for any of us. We need to be washed, all of us, by the blood of the Lamb, we need to be clothed by the righteousness of Christ, so that when we stand before God on that day, He will say to us, if we're in Jesus Christ, if we're forgiven in Jesus Christ, well done, thou good and faithful servant. Friends, if you have any questions, please come, talk with us. This is your eternal soul. And one day it will be too late. One day there will be no second chances. One day you will breathe your last breath and if you're outside of Christ, you will spend an eternity in hell. Friends, we do not wish that for you. This is why we are here this day. We are sinners just like you. But friends, we have been forgiven. We have eternal life in Jesus Christ, something we do not deserve. We have the mercy of God. We have all these wonderful things by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And we pray that for you, that you too would enjoy sweet union. and communion with Jesus Christ. Friends, are you ready for the day of the Lord? If you are looking unto Jesus with no confidence in the flesh, you are ready for the day of the Lord. But if you are looking unto yourself, if you are living for this present evil world, then friend, You will not be ready for this day. This day of the Lord which comes as a thief in the night. So if you have any questions, please friends, you can ask. Amen.