Are You Looking Forward? - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. He said the God this is just doesn't mean this is the accuracy but a thousand years like today in a daze like a thousand years in a sub. He was a white got big God is eternal time. You could say.

Days like a billion years it would make a numerous the bodies outside of time, let's just take a minute. So for thousand years is like a day how long we've been waiting today. That seems a long joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our world when I was younger. They thing that really brought a lot of attention was population of the planets growing too fast and I remember reading that if we ever got the 6 billion people, were likely all the start over 7 billion people. And here we are, but boy that was a big concern about this one.

Y2K all my goodness you one of those people what's going to happen to us all. We actually had a couple in the church family. Actually, and they went to the mountains in Arizona and had all kinds of supplies that they took with them so they can live through it and the funny part was they didn't invite any of us to go.

Fortunately, we really didn't need to.

Then you hear people talking about that right now. Climate change all climate change is going to get warmer season arrives and this is constant what's going to happen to us with what's going to happen to us. What I can say this much I was reading an article online from a climatologist and he said that if we stopped today worldwide any fossil fuels at all.

There be none used from day one. It would take at least 100 years to reverse the course of the earth right so it's not really your problem accident. It's about 100 years, but there's all one world economy. Once we have a one world economy will have a one world depression and everywhere on earth will go sort of bankrupt at the same possible time from then there's always another group that there is a rogue comet or asteroid out there with our name on and when it hits us, then that's it for all of us. It's amazing how preoccupied are we are with a hypothetical situation that might occur in the future.

But something is going to occur going to be cataclysmic beyond the imagination of virtually everyone on earth. Jesus Christ is coming again. Oh boy. When an event the judgment of mankind. No second chances. It's in the future and at certain this is an hypothetical. The question is because of it. What is the profile where the situation with the loss, but more importantly, how should that affect us. How should we think, what should we think about this, so one can open your Bibles. The second Peter chapter 3, second Peter chapter 3 and second Peter three and verse three.

It's interesting that Peter was already facing the same dilemma.

The response of the culture. When Peter was writing when you said Jesus is coming back is pretty much this not, this is ridiculous not coming back to same today but it certainly was.

Then notice what Peter writes. He says in verse three knowing this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lust and saying where's the promise of his coming for ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was in the beginning of creation is not common. You hear anyone say today real world, that he could become in writing your here that on the news crisis, not common, and it's interesting.

There's a little phrase another sort tells you why, even at this time. He said mockers will come with their mocking and here's the reason behind their mocking, following after their own lust when sent me living their own life the way they want to not being accountable to anyone, including God. I love my life for me. I do what I want to do seek knowledge, but never judge me that's not going to happen. It is going to happen, but from their point of view.

See once I put God in the equation. Once I see Christ is coming back once a seawall be judged for that kinda squeezes me so he's not coming back. I have nothing to worry about and nothing is really changed in 2000 years with this. It's the same way it is been before. Notice that he says then that where's the promise of his coming. Ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues as it was in the beginning of creation. That's a very sophisticated philosophy. By the way, the philosophy is called uniform Metairie and is uniform attending is a means that there was an original creation didn't know much about that and that's all there is and everything would just go on as it's going to go one. The creation will just by its own natural laws dysfunction forever as it has the following the 19th century named Charles Lyal. He wrote a book called principles of geology and netbook set forth this whole idea. One of his readers. By the way, that had a tremendously prime this book is a tremendously profound effect on him was Charles Darwin and so Darwin was able to come up with evolution. On that basis that it's just something that here.

It's always been here, and it's always going to be here and so what ends up happening is that as he goes through this he goes on, and he says this that verse five for when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago, and that the earth was formed out of water and by water. They ignore creation and note there is no creation of this water thing that was interesting about that other me just read from Genesis 1 verse six through nine then God said, let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.

God made the expanse, separated the waters which were below from the expanse of waters which were above the above and it was so. God called the expanse heaven.

And there was evening and there was morning of the second day, then God said, let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let dry land appear. And it was so so even then, the creation basically ignore that. That's not the way it works in effect for a long time since the scientific revolution, man's whole approach to the idea of creation is it there wasn't one that existed for hundreds of years with intellectuals that it always existed. Then they knew it didn't always exist, then by the time someone like Einstein came along, he proved it and he said there is a big bag that is occurs at one moment in the universe the way it is the day is a result of that big now. There's a lot of things are kind of funny about the Big Bang.

As scientists continue to move in this area. One of them is that the original pure original mass that started the Big Bang of the entire universe number member billions and billions of galaxies, each with billions including ends of stars. Okay, was about the size of the dot at the end of a sentence. That's all bent. It was nine and a high hypothetical. That is that that seems a little bit far-fetched for me to understand and then quite that dense.

But the whole idea was people and now there's been a change. Now there's very few people that believe in itself existed universe almost no astronomers. In fact, so many of them are saying it's a creative act there so many perfections in the creation that they say this can happen just the way it is so coming back a little bit from that but the ideas again. Why would men say this even 2000 years ago. I'm not accountable to anybody were not accountable to anyone or any God. Then he goes on, and he says in verse six through which the world of that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. That's a description of Noah. Then he said, but by his word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, God predicted that he said For the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men judgments coming we know that's true. The second coming of Jesus Christ.

He said do not let this one fact escape your notice. Beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years a thousand years like one day not remember back then what are they saying, Lord, he's not coming back to siblings the way it's always been now the early church really struggled with this if you remember when the people converted in Jerusalem many Jews converted from all over the region, then go home.

They all stay in Jerusalem.

Why is coming back. You see, we know that he told the apostle he's coming back several getaway form will get how that turned, but now what happens is when you get to this part of it. He says yeah you have to understand timing SGOT God's timing is God's timing and God is not restricted by time in any way. He said to God in the this is just. He doesn't mean this is the accuracy because it's not, but a thousand years like today in a days like a thousand years, and I some people so why did God pick a thousand meters he didn't. God is eternal. He's timeless.

You could say a day is like a billion years it would make any difference. The God is outside of time, but let's just take it literally. So for thousand years is like a day how long we've been waiting two days. That seems a long view, but the interesting thing is it Peter tells us why God's way.

Next verse, the Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness.

He is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but all to come to repentance. That's ways waiting is waiting 2000 years. You see is weighted. Why he doesn't wish any cost. He wish he gives man a chance to come to repentance.

That's man's opportunity. The longer God waits this brochure. It is you see that's the whole point. He's just waiting.

Nothing else but just waiting now. What's interesting about that, but he's coming.

You will not wait forever. He's coming know what but the day of the Lord will come like a thief the day of the Lord 19 times at expressions using the Old Testament four times in the New Testament the day of the Lord the day of God's judgment on Earth's coming.

He said, but the day of the Lord will come like a thief.

What's that mean when you don't expect it to.

When you don't expect to become it's coming. He said that's the way it's going to come, he said, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar of the elements will be destroyed with intense heat.

He said in the earth and its works will be burned.

Everything that word roar is interesting. It's in onomatopoeia. It's in Greek.

It's Roy's a bond and it raises I mean that's what it's going to sonic King James translators in the mixed enters it like a war zone. Roy's of God's gonna be a big loud noise that's all we say he sent since all these things are destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought to be, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness. The reason I can set everything up, set up than I was as a whole group of people that say he's not coming in or having to worry about. He is coming and they have a lot to worry about, but my interest is in what Peter next says because of what it means to us. In fact, if you truly believe what I meant to tell you today you truly believed your life would be forever different forever. It would change your outlook and everything you see Christians have a terrible tendency in a certain way to do something like this. This is the only real life I have and I know it's going to end. And when it does, I hope I go to heaven because I don't want to go to hell that's that's a Christian view.

You can be more wrong. You can't you see that's a perspective we have and it hurts us, and especially when one difficult circumstances. It's hard for us. We don't suffer well at all.

You see, we are only happy if things are going well but but Peter's going to tell us here today is so interesting to me. He says here the idea holy conduct and godliness is just a simplicity thing.

The whole idea is holy conduct means external behavior. Godliness means your internal latitude. In other words walk with God that be another way to put while were waiting, but then he says this looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed and burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat, but according to his promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things. Be diligent to be fine by him in peace, spotless and blameless. Now I emphasize those things as much as they could. Looking noticeably starts that he says looking for and hastening. Looking forward you do that as I know you see your life. All I do is I look forward that's what it member Paul said it this way to seek the things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God, do you frame your life by looking forward. It's it's what's because then we tell you something, the best things that have ever happened to you are going to happen to you in the future it as such, it is so much greater than anything that ever happened to you on earth. There is no comparison to it at all. You see, but you have to think about this. I have to look forward to this. So I want to give you this morning are five things that you can absolutely look forward to and it doesn't matter whether Christ is coming for us in the rapture or I'm going to him through death makes no difference. The first one is this a reassuring welcome a reassuring welcome not church history is always sort of painted what happens when you die, and a lot of it of what they based I think is all based on the story that Jesus told about Lazarus memory told the story a poor man named Lazarus was in Abraham's bosom. There was a rich man in Luke and he said the rich man said go.

Could you go back and tell my brothers and all that and it says in Luke in that passage. Now the poor man died and was carried away by angels and Abraham's bosom. Now that's okay. I went complain about, but I don't think that's the truth I don't think angels when you die going to carry you to Abraham's bosom back Abraham's bosom was in paradise. Paradise doesn't exist anymore. Jesus said that it is in heaven right it's a consequently it's not that angels would carry me away. It's something much, much better than that. Turn with me to John chapter 14, Gospel of John chapter 14 in the context here is wonderful. It's death. This is the night before Jesus dies.

Guess how his disciples horrible, awful, and therefore fear you see in Jesus.

Once that address it with, so he says do not your heart be troubled. Apparently it is. He said do not let your heart be troubled, what's the solution believe in God believe also in me. If you believe me then you believe what I'm telling you, let me tell you what I'm going to tell you and ask yourself do I believe it in my father's house are many dwelling places. Okay there many dwelling places in God's house and have if it were not so I would've told you, then this phrase I go and prepare a place for you.

Interesting you. There is singular or plural that you all you I told you in the past.

How overwhelming that is to me that right now in heaven. There's a dwelling place.

There will put a door on it.

I don't know if we need doors in heaven, but knew it says on the door built 1 Out My My Pl. you made for me my Lord. He did the same thing for you. He snuggled prepare the place for you while that is not a generically always just a nice place now there's a place for you as a place for me. He said I will go and I'll prepare a place for you. Then he said if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. While so what I believe the moment I leave this life and walk into the next. The Lord receives me and I believe you received about it and let the middlemen deal with the Lord Jesus Christ welcome. Imagine how overwhelming that would be. I mean just absolutely overwhelming. And by the way, not in all cases but I can tell you something, and I experienced a lot as a pastor, I've experienced a lot of it is a pastor of people believers I know who have died in their family describing to me what happened in the last minute that God I just have one not long ago, and is the same thing.

All of a sudden there was a change in the breathing changed and it was just like a look eyes open Outlook and it was a piece I couldn't explain it. Why think I could. You see, it's not like I died a minute dark, and I think all know what happens I believe is him dying and dying grace of God. Jesus is, you know, reassuring that you have to fear that reassuring Jesus is look on receive you to myself, that's an amazing listening to Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever missed one of our broadcast or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time.

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Pastor Bill sermon. You can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series you're looking you can search by title. Once you find the method you're looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own. And remember, you can do all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website is FVC Nola.org for pastoral Gebhardt unseasoned Gebhardt thanking you for listening to fellowship in order