Well, good morning to everybody. I hope everybody's doing well. It's good to see everyone here. Price family, welcome back to Providence Chapel. Alright, well, if you have your Bibles with you, 2 Peter 3. 2 Peter 3 is where we find ourselves this morning. If you remember from our last study, we had just finished chapter 2, a chapter in which Peter spent some time, as we did as well, in describing and warning about these false teachers. He went through much detail, as we know, just giving their current state, that they arose among the people, but that their judgment is sure, and he references the three events in the Old Testament that really validate this very thing, that these false teachers, that their destruction, their judgment is not idle, it's not asleep. Christ, God, is not asleep in these things. He's very much aware and involved. And then he went through the character, the character of the false teachers, what they're all about, what they desire, what they're after, and how they are after enticing or going, luring the unstable souls, the new converts, as we had mentioned, but ultimately, and Peter ends with this verse, ultimately they will return back to the very nature that is within them. A dog returns to its own vomit. A sow after washing returns back to the mire. What is within them will be made evident by the way that their life will either demonstrate itself or the way they'll end, the true nature will come out. This morning, however, we begin with chapter three. And we plan, the plan is this morning to be able to go through verse four, so verses one through four. And I wanna read it now. 2 Peter 3, verses one through four. This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you, in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember. the word spoken beforehand by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the father's fall asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we come before you this morning and just your word is open to us, Lord. Let our hearts be open as well. Lord, to hear what it is that you would have for us, Lord, to encourage us, Lord, to see, Lord, to be stirred up in our own minds, Lord, and to rejoice in who you are, Lord, in remembering the word spoken and remembering the commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to know, Lord, how to live this life in these last days. We ask this in the name of Christ, amen. So I want us to begin really by seeing, first off, the heart of Peter, the heart of Peter. the pastor, the shepherd that Jesus Christ had called him to be. And I make that reference often of remembering him on the seashore, on the Sea of Galilee, there in the Lord Jesus Christ, the great shepherd, the good shepherd of us all, restoring Peter. But it's evident in the language he uses. He uses that language, beloved. Akapetoi, dearly loved ones. You hear the word agape in that Greek word, don't you? It's the loved ones, it's the prized ones, it's the valued ones. And this is the title used for those who are in a very special relationship, one with another. Peter uses this word actually four times in this last chapter alone, four times. Verse 1, 8, 14, and 17. He says, dear loved ones, recall. Dear loved ones, do not let this one fact escape your attention, your notice. Dear loved ones, make every effort. Dear loved ones, be on your guard. A true shepherd is going to lead with much love and care by directing the sheep to recall the things of God, pointing them to God's sovereignty and character, encouraging them to make every effort to live holy lives. and admonishing the sheep to be on guard and not to be carried away by the things of this world. These are the four things that follow when Peter says, dear loved ones, dear prized ones. So although this last chapter has much to do with the refutation of the arguments of the mockers or scoffers, it is also very pastoral. But not only does the phrase dear loved ones give us insight into Peter's heart towards the people of God, but it also serves, and oftentimes you'll see this within Scripture, but it also serves as a transitional marker in the letter. Peter is changing his focus away from the false teachers and is now addressing the saints, the loved ones. Sure, he's going to tackle the remarks or sayings of the mockers, but he does so with the purpose of stirring the minds of the saints. Some would argue that this last chapter really doesn't flow, really doesn't connect well with the rest of the letter. Some commentators will say it's something that was added on to Peter's letter. But when we take a more in-depth look we will see that there are some connections with chapter one and two indeed. Immediately, and we'll look at some of these immediately, we see the connection with the last few verses. You see the word there, last two verses of chapter two. So chapter two into chapter three, we see that the link is found in the word commandment. What the false teachers did is they turned away from the holy commandment. And what Peter does is he's stirring their minds, their sincere minds to remember what the holy prophets have spoken. And then the commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ as delivered to you or as taught to you by your apostles. There's also that contrast, as I mentioned, between the dog that returns to the vomit and the sow after washing and returning to the mire. There's that contrast between those types of people and now he's redirecting to dearly beloved ones. And so we see that contrast. But as it pertains even to connecting with chapter one, with one and three, we have this reoccurring desire of Peter. We have this desire of Peter to stir up the saints by way of reminder. We see that in chapter one, verse 13, and here in chapter three, verse one, and this is because there is a legitimate concern for those who are professing to be followers of Jesus Christ, that the concern is really this, for them to not be enticed by the teaching and lifestyle of the false teachers, but rather to persevere, to remember what Peter wrote in the first chapter. Remember, he wrote this, he said, to be diligent in adding to your faith, to be diligent to make certain of God's calling in choosing you. And then lastly, he says to pay attention to the prophetic word, made sure as to a lamp shining in a dark place. These are responsibilities for every believer, but not absent or void of the power of God that is working in you and me, both to will and do according to his good pleasure. Here in verse 1 of chapter 3, we see Peter stating the purpose of writing this second letter. There is a stirring up of the sincere mind by way of reminder. Now Peter felt it necessary to word this in this way, namely to use the word to stir. To stir. To stir is to awaken. To stir is to arouse. The same word used when Christ fell asleep in the boat and his disciples came to awake him, awake because of the storm. It's the same word that is used as the sea that was calm was aroused because of a strong wind. So why the stirring? Why was it needed if they possessed or had a sincere mind? The stirring served as a warning, really, lest they be lulled to sleep by the arrogant and enticing words and lifestyle of the false teachers. As Calvin wonderfully puts it, he says, it now appears what is the use of admonitions, of warnings, and how necessary they are? He says, for the sloth of the flesh smothers the truth once received and renders it inefficient. except the goads of warnings come to its aid. In other words, even the minds of the godly need these admonitions, these stirrings, these warnings. The scripture is full of them because through them, through the warnings, we are reminded to cling to Christ and trust Him fully as the author and finisher of our faith. The warnings are probably most evident in the book of Hebrews. I say stay tuned to what Jeff is going to be going through. But also, as we will see shortly, it's to be ones who are remembering the way of life. These warnings, these admonitions are to remember the way of life, the way of righteousness, as we talked about last time, the way of truth as it is written in the Holy Scriptures. Saints, we need to be both the ones who are receiving and giving these admonitions according to Scripture as well. Let me ask you to engage you a little here. Do you have faithful friends that are willing to warn, to admonish, to correct you according to Scripture? How well do you receive that word of correction? Do you get defensive? Do you see it as the love of a friend or do you see it as the kisses of an enemy? With what attitude of heart do you give that word of warning or admonition? In what manner? If it's not with that great love that Peter gives or even calls, O beloved ones, O prized ones, With that attitude of heart, well then it's best that maybe you don't say anything at all. We all need friends and leaders in our lives who are willing to come alongside us and speak truth according to the truth. And so let us be that friend, let us be that brother, let us be that sister who gives and receives well. So we see Peter writing for the purpose of stirring. But notice it is the stirring up of the sincere mind. The sincere mind that he's talking about here is the pure or unmixed mind, the wholesome thinking that is focused, it's grounded in and rooted and remembering the holy scriptures. The sincere mind, this way of thinking is actually, it's clearly opposite to the thinking and the way of life of these false teachers that Peter has already Explained or detailed for us if you recalled the false teachers they recounted as a Pleasure to revel in the daytime. It says of them that they are stains and blemishes Revealing in their deceptions as they carouse with you having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin Enticing unstable souls having a heart trained in greed accursed children This is the result of an impure mind. But what Peter is stirring in his readers is this, to remember, to be mindful, to pay close attention to the words spoken by the holy prophets and the commandment given by the Lord Jesus Christ that is taught or given to you by your apostles. That's what he's saying there. That's what he's trying to stir up. Peter's not going to stir up outside of the word of God. It is always because of and through the word of God. But we gotta ask the question, what does Peter mean by the holy prophets, the word spoken? And what does he mean by the commandment of Christ, spoken by your apostles? Interestingly, as Shriner, a commentator, he wonderfully points out this clue or this match. The mention of the prophets and apostles is similar to that what Peter lays out in chapter one, verses 16 through 21. It's the order and even the content to a degree. So as it pertains to the words spoken by the holy prophets, he is referring to the Old Testament prophets, the Old Testament prophets. I'm not going to get into as to why it's not the New Testament prophets, but the Old Testament prophets. There's a whole section of that in commentaries, but suffice it to say that most would say that it refers to the Old Testament prophets. And what Peter has been covering in chapter two, and clearly in the whole letter, the truth claim that Christ is coming is something coming not only the first but the second time as well. So the first advent and the second advent is something that the holy prophets of old have spoken of, have prophesied about, and has come to pass. The day of the Lord, the coming of the Messiah as it pertains to the salvation of some and the condemnation or the judgment that awaits others. The Lord will save and judge is the theme that these Old Testament prophets spoke. But what about that commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ? To what is Peter referring there? Well, most likely this is referring to the teaching of Christ as a whole. If you notice there, he uses the word commandment, not commandments, but the commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's in the singular. It's describing the whole of Christ's teaching. But I do believe also, along with most, that it is the teaching of Christ as it relates to moral or right living in light of what the Holy Prophet spoke beforehand. In other words, Peter addresses this, he addresses this even later, and we will discuss this in the verses that follow, in verses 11, 12, and 14 of this chapter, that we are to be holy people, People of holy conduct and godliness, we are to be found when Christ returns in peace, spotless and blameless. Our living, our lifestyle, needs to be such that it aligns with the teachings and the person of Jesus Christ, the very one that is coming to redeem his own, his pure and spotless bride. In essence, the words spoken by the holy prophets, the command of Lord Jesus as taught by the apostles, have to do with the return of the king and how we, as his servants, are to live in light of that return of Christ. Remember, he who hears my commands and obeys them? Remember how we talked about that last study? It is he who loves me, Jesus said. So the stirring up, by way of reminder, is Peter pointing the saints and us back to the word of God. What does the word of God have to say about the last days and the day of the Lord? Is he really coming or not? What does the word of God have to say about our living and comportment in these last days? How is it that we are to await? In what manner are we to await the coming of the Lord? Well, the answer to these questions is what the remainder of the chapter really outlines. And I do appreciate very much so Michael Green's outline of this chapter. We will soon see that beginning with the third verse, and particularly the fourth, that these mockers have an argument. They have something to say. A thesis that they are working from as their basis or foundation of this so-called pseudo-debate between Peter and these false teachers, these mockers. But the remaining verses of this chapter, verses 5 through 18, have much to do with the response and argument that Peter presents from various vintage points. Peter will argue from history, he's going to argue from scripture, he's going to argue from the character of God, and he's going to argue from the promise of Christ. And he's going to end with the effects that the return of Christ and the judgment that follows should produce in each believer. But here in verse three, Peter begins with the important phrase of, know this first of all. Know this first of all. You see, this phrase serves as a continuation of the warning that he's already issued, but with an exclamation point to it. He's pretty much saying, pay attention to what I'm about to tell you, because it is of most importance. And not only that, but Peter's saying this, that you should know this first of all. He's using that phrase to remind the saints that what he's about to say they should have already known. In other words, the statement that he makes that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking should not be something new to the scattered saints that he's writing. This is precisely why Peter makes it a point to tell them why he is stirring up their sincere mind by way of reminder to remember what the prophets have said and Christ spoke of. that in the last day mockers will come with their mocking. They should have known this from the scriptures and the teachings of the apostles." Well, he begins by giving his readers the era, the time frame, in which these mockers and scoffers will come. And what does he say there? He says it's going to be in the last days. The last days is not something that should be foreign to any student of scripture either. It wasn't to the readers of this letter and it shouldn't be to us either. When those words, last days, appear within scripture or we talk about them, the last days is best known or understood, we are to understand them as a time or period between the two advents of the Lord Jesus Christ, between the first and second coming of Christ. It is also known as the church age, the gospel age. The prophets of old wrote about what will happen in the last days, from Isaiah to Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Micah, Daniel, and not to mention the multiple times the New Testament writers referenced the last days. But the last days, the eschaton, is where we get our word eschatology from, don't we? The study or the doctrine of the last days, the last times, the last things. Eschaton meaning last. But often we reduce this, we reduce this to what is to come. We reduce this to what is to come and not to what has already taken place and still continues in our day. That's a flaw that we have. Our text this morning is a good case in point of how we are to see this. But most importantly, the last days for Peter has to do with more about the way of life, the way of life. the quality of time rather than the amount of time or the quantity of time, if that makes sense. So it has to do more with the way of life, the way we're going to live in these last days rather than when or when is it coming, always looking ahead. Peter's trying to redirect and say, they're here, these are the last days. And that's what Peter's point is, that the days following Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension, there will be mockers coming with their mocking. Now, that phrase sounds pretty catchy in the English, the mocking mockers, or the scoffing scoffers. And these mockers are mocking the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In a moment, we'll look at their argument, but first notice something that Peter mentions about their mocking. Their mocking is only an outflow of what is in their heart. There's a deeper problem within their heart. And what is that? It's a desire to follow after their own lusts. Or in other words, they are so controlled by their lusts that they oppose any doctrine that stands against their evil and wicked practices. Remember, by what a man is overcome, By this he is enslaved, what we covered last time. Their motive for their mocking is to remain in their lust. That's the motive of their mocking. They want a doctrine that falls in line with their sinful desires. And what is interesting to see is that what the holy prophets spoke of the coming of Christ, they mock. And then the commandment that is given to live holy lives, they reject and follow after their own lusts. You see the contrast there. You see the difference between what is required, what the word of God says, and how these false teachers, these scoffers are living. Saints, whenever we find someone mocking the word of God, what scripture says or blowing it off with a sarcastic remark, there's a greater problem. There's something deeper in the heart of that individual. Often, if not always, you will find that they are living in sin and are always trying to find a way to satisfy their conscience, to suppress the truth through their mockery and unrighteousness. Remember, these are false teachers that arose among you. They arose among you, they are in your midst, they're at your table. These are people who want the best of both worlds, so to speak. They want to have the blessing and assurance of eternal bliss, and yet they want to have that satisfaction or the pleasures, the pleasures of the world. Again, they want a system of beliefs that fall in line with their lustful desires. Well, if we move on to see the basis of their mockery and lustful lifestyle, we see something. How are they satisfying their conscience? We just need to read their argument or justification for following after their own lust. Now, just as a side note, and I mentioned this in a previous study as well, but I want to make sure that we understand this, that although these lusts that they are following after are primarily to be understood in the arena of sensuality, their sensual desires, it is not limited to just that. It can also be a lust that is in the heart of man, the pride of life, the power, the position that comes into the heart of man. Essentially, they are driven by what John calls the things that are in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride, boastful pride of life. This is what John says. He says, this is not from the Father. This is of and from the world. And so this is the kind of fruit that they produce. Listen, if you are going to, the kind of fruit you're going to produce is what you're feeding off of. If you're gonna feed off of the bread, the true bread and the true wine, the Lord Jesus Christ, you will produce good fruit. But if you are not going to do that, you're going to produce bad fruit, very simply put. But notice with me something interesting about these mockers or these false teachers that is found by just surveying their argument in verse four. Let's read that argument. They say, where's the promise of his coming? This is found in 2 Peter 3, verse four. They're saying, where's the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers have fallen asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning. of creation. One observation we can make is that these scoffers, these mockers, these false teachers that arose among the people, that they are not ignorant in their theology. In other words, they know their theology or doctrine of the last days. Or at least enough of it to know where they want to disagree and where they can go against the true doctrine and still be able to convince the unstable souls to join them in their desires of the flesh. Look with me and see. They know that there is a promise that Christ will come. They know it. They make that accusation of, the holy prophets of old have spoken, and you all are teaching this. that Christ is coming, but where is that promise of his coming? They know of the fathers who have fallen asleep, and they know about the beginning and creation. Well, that shouldn't surprise us, though, that they know their theology. We know that the evil one and his followers are not ignorant of what is written in Scripture. James tells us that even the demons believe and shudder. But if we take what they say in verse four and follow it to its logical yet false conclusion, we'll find that this is exactly what the false teachers were teaching. This is exactly what they were doing. No second coming, and hence, no judgment. And by the way, when I make that distinction between, I'm not making a distinction between the mockers, scoffers, and false teachers. They're one in the same. All right, so their argument or question, where is the coming of Christ? Where is that promise of his coming? And if you remember our study back in chapter one, verse 16 there, Peter states something. And this is the early signs of their mockery against the promise of the Messiah, of his coming. Peter says this, he says, for we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. That's them calling out what they were teaching, what the apostles were teaching of the coming of Christ as a myth. It's just a cleverly devised tale. It's not real. But where is the promise of his coming is an attack on the very word of God and his ability to follow through on what he has promised. That's what they're doing. This mockery, this taunting, this sarcastic accusation against our God is not something that these mockers just began to do in the time of Peter. They do so now. And they did even back in the time of the holy prophets. It's interesting to note that the previous generations, they did this as well. I wanna read to you two different passages here that show this, that describe this very thing. In Isaiah chapter five, verses 18 and 19, Isaiah writes this, woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood and sin as if with cart ropes. They're dragging it. He says this, Woe to those who say, let him, meaning God, make speed. Let him hasten his work that we may see it. You hear the mockery in that, don't you? And let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come to pass that we may know it. They're mocking God's word, God's ability, God's promise, God's faithfulness. In Ezekiel chapter 12, it's even more evident as we see this dialogue happening. In chapter 12, verse 21 through 28, then the word of the Lord came to me saying, and this is sad, but listen, son of man, what is this proverb you people have concerning the land of Israel saying? The days are long and every vision fails. Sounds familiar? Therefore say to them, thus says the Lord God, I will make this proverb cease so that they will no longer use it as a proverb in Israel, but tell them the days draw near as well as the fulfillment of every vision. For there will no longer be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I, the Lord, will speak and whatever word I speak will be performed. It will no longer be delayed. For in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, declares the Lord. Furthermore, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, behold the house of Israel, saying, the vision that he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies of times far off. These are things that don't concern us. They're just out there. God says, therefore say to them, thus says the Lord God, none of my words will be delayed any longer. Whatever word I speak will be performed, declares the Lord God. These are two prime examples of how the people questioned, they doubted, they mocked the word of God and His ability to fulfill it. But the reasoning behind their mocking of where is the promise of His coming, is because of what they have observed. They say, for ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation. In other words, nothing has really changed since the beginning. Notice that their reference or starting point is since the fathers fell asleep in the beginning of creation. Notice that they are not going back to the life and ministry of Christ, but that they are going back to the fathers who fell asleep, the patriarchs, and then even further back to the beginning of creation. Now it is important for us to understand that when they make that statement, that all continues just as it always has, that in actuality they are making the claim that God has not intervened into creation since the beginning. We need to work with this for a little to understand their argument and what point they are trying to make. Why creation? Why the fathers? It's empirical or observed evidence They can see it and experience it. They're basing on what they are seeing, rather than what the Word of God says. Creation, or this world, has not changed, they say. And the fathers fell asleep, or they died without seeing the promise. As Calvin said, and to me, Calvin was most helpful in this section. I read many different viewpoints, and they seem to not really hit the point of what Peter's really trying to say. And Calvin, in very few words, hit it. He just got it. And so I'm gonna read to you what he says about this very where is the promise of his coming. He says this, quote, they set the regular course of nature such as it seems, they set the regular course of nature such as it seems to have been from the very beginning in opposition to the promise of God as though these things were contrary or did not harmonize together. Though the faith of the fathers, they said, was the same, yet no change has taken place since their death. And it is known that many ages have passed away. Hence, they concluded that what was said of the destruction of the world is a fable. It's a fable, because they conjectured that as it had lasted so long, it would be perpetually." You see, he hit it. In one way, these mockers fit the worldview that we know of today as deism. Deists believe that God exists, but he is not involved nor interacts with his creation. He spins the top and he lets it unwind, and this world just is a clicking clock. working just fine on its own without God. He is a God that observes from afar. He's definitely not a personal God. He is transcendent, but He is not imminent. Deism holds to the belief that through reason, through observation of the creation, we can truly know the Supreme Being that's outside of His Word. And this falls in line with the idea of even uniformitarianism, which really is that natural laws are consistent, constant, predictable across time and across space. In other words, there's no room for the supernatural. There's no room for miracles. There's no room for God. Creation or this natural world is just humming along. Life continues as it always has. Everything is very predictable from the rising of the sun to the setting thereof, but we know it is God who declares that sun to rise and to set. As the day turns into night and the night into day, so we can expect that tomorrow. This is the way of reasoning. But the coming of Christ in which he will redeem his own, but there is that coming of Christ in which he will redeem his own. He will do that. And then comes the end. The judgment, the destruction of the earth and the wicked, they would say is just a fable. It's not really going to happen. There's no way that is going to happen because catastrophes can't happen in a world that is so well-ordered. They put their trust in the material world. They find security in this world because of the things that can be observed, verified, touched, and experienced. But again, this is so that they can follow after their own lusts. There's a motive for this way of thinking. There's a reason for it. And so with this way of thinking as a result, morality is not an issue because God doesn't judge because Christ is not coming. You see how this logic flows in their minds. Because if the second coming of Christ is not going to happen, well judgment is not going to happen. We just all live these spiritual lives to the best of our ability, and in the end, God is just great love, or we all go to this eternal bliss, and we just live happily ever after, and we get to live this life on this earth with however we please. And in the end, everything will just be okay. But that's a misunderstanding of who God is, the holiness of God. So, Saints, I want to close with this. I think that the argument that these mockers bring forth is a similar one that is used even in our own day. Or at the very least, it has infected our way of thinking. To some, it's to their detriment, to their loss, harm, or even destruction, if it's not dealt with. And really, Peter, as I mentioned, will give the arguments back in much greater detail. We'll go through those. So that's why I'm not hitting this point as hard as far as what their argument is, because we'll go back and forth with what Peter says. But I want to just bring this across as it pertains to us. and this way of thinking. You see, we get caught in this vicious cycle. We get caught in this way of thinking of this life, this mundane, this routine. We get so engulfed and attached to this material world that we often forget or lose sight of the hope of glory, the promise of the coming of Christ. We live in such a way and with such emphasis on self-preservation and longevity of life that somehow this is going to last forever and our tomorrow is a surety. Or maybe, even worse for some, We ignore or somehow attempt to convince ourselves that God is just a loving God, as I said earlier, and in the end, somehow, love just wins, because that's just who God is. That's the character of God, which is love, and I can't overlook it. That's just what I know of God. He's just a loving God, because I know me. I would love everyone as well. And this way of thinking is similar to the mockers. Behind that reasoning is really a desire to hold on to your own sinful practices. But saying some of us have lost sight of the promise of God, the promise of the return of Christ. We may not say it, but we live it in such a way that it validates the very thought that we have. How often do you think about the coming of Christ? How often do you think about these last days that we are living in? You may think of it often, but the effect that is made to produce is not present. Many of us, the result of such thinking regarding the last days drives us. It either drives us to Christ or it drives us away. Out of fear and selfishness, we want to be more prepared. more prepared so that we may be able to survive the difficult days that are ahead, as if the last days are not now, or that they were since the beginning of the coming of Christ. I'm not saying that it's wrong to be prepared, but you have missed the purpose of remembering the words spoken in the commandment given regarding the last days and the coming of our Savior. It is to stir us up in the faith. It is to stir us up to good works and to holy living. It's not to drive us away from Christ, but to Christ. It's to yearn after with a great Intense and ever-increasing desire to want to be more like Christ and to be with Christ Listen we're living in the in these last days and the promise of God stands Christ is coming this is the message of second Peter Christ is coming and With him judgment comes And to use the language of Peter, which we will get to, and I'll end with this, in verses 11 through 13, he says that because you know these things, because these things are true, because these things are in the word of God, and they're yes and amen in the Christ, he says what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ? Saints, look for, live for, desire for these things. He says, the new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells. That's what we're to be about in these last days. Don't get lost in their argument of where is the promise. Go back to scripture. The holy prophets of old have written. Christ gave his commandment. Follow them. Go back to scripture. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we come before you and so grateful, Lord, that we have your word and that we have your spirit in us to be able to understand your word. What a gift, and what a God You are that cares for us in this way. Lord, that these arguments come our way, these mockers, Lord, in their mocking, these false teachers, but Lord, You enlighten the minds of Your servants to see the right way and to live according to Your Word. Help us, Lord, we pray, in Christ's name, amen.