Well, good morning to all of you. It's good to be here in the house of the Lord, and let us go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we come before your throne this morning. Lord, we gather together as a people that need to hear from You. Lord, I recognize and understand my own weakness in my body, and I ask for strength. I ask for clarity of mind. And Lord, just the ability to be able to relay what Your Word has for us this morning. So Lord, I do ask for the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit amongst us. That you may visit us in areas where our lives need to be changed, transformed. Lord, that you would do that in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Lord, I ask that You prepare the hearts of Your hearers. Lord, more than what I can say with my own words here, Lord, and what You have put upon my heart as I was studying this passage, Lord, I pray that You would go beyond and that You would make Your Word effectual. and let it land on good soil. Unwilling hearts, unwilling souls to follow after you. We pray this in the name of Christ. Amen. This morning we find ourselves in 2 Peter 3. This is probably going to be the second to last study here in 2 Peter. So this one and one more, and I think we'll be done. But this morning's passage is found in 2 Peter 3.11-14. 2 Peter 3.11-14. I will read beginning with verse 10 just to get a little bit of the context and probably a little bit of verse 15, although we won't get there. Verse 10, but the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up. But since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by 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 found by him in peace, without spot and without blemish, blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. Amen. Here we are, we're nearing the end of this wonderful letter. It certainly has challenged me in certain areas of my thinking, in areas of my walk with the Lord, the reality of who I am in Christ and what does that mean in my daily living. What does it mean when I hear different things happening around me and I see different types and forms of teaching and different teachers that are entering the scene. What does that mean? What am I to think about that? And Peter, he worked through that in this book. And what a wonderful book it is. And there's just so many promises that are mine. And he begins with that, doesn't he? He begins with these promises, these magnificent, these precious promises of Christ. that are mine, that are yours, because of who Christ is, because of Him being the faithful and true one. The last time we did look specifically at verse 10, and the latter half of verse 12, where we saw that the day of the Lord will come. That's how Peter puts it, it will come. It's not an if, it's not a possibility, but it's a surety, the day of the Lord will And Peter repeats that imagery that our Lord had used. He's going to come like a thief. And it was really a call for us, each of us, to watch with great alertness and soberness. It reminds me of the time of when Jesus went to go pray, you remember it, in the Garden of Gethsemane. And he comes to his three disciples and he says, watch and pray. so that you won't fall into temptation. How oftentimes I'm like those three disciples. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak, he says. And just that alertness that I'm called to, that soberness that I'm to be called to as the Lord Christ calls us to be, and we fail. But saints, that day, the day of the Lord coming as a thief should not be a surprise to us. Not for those that are of the day, not of those that belong to the light. It's not going to be a surprise for those who are found in Christ. The day of the Lord is what we have been and what we are longing for. It's what we were made for. to be with the lover of our souls. This is what it's about, the day of the Lord. But for those who are not in Christ, well, this is a day of night, this is a day of deep darkness. They are the asleep ones, and this day, Peter says, Paul says, it will overtake them. It will be a surprise and it will be a dreadful and a dark one. So when this day comes suddenly upon this world, Peter writes, he says, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be exposed or laid bare. This is similar to what he already mentioned in verse seven and in verse 12, the latter portion of it. I'm not going to go over the details of that or even the excursus that we took last time in the study of what does that mean. Could it be the annihilation, extinction of this world, the heavens and the earth? Or could it be the rebirth, the recreation of it? Suffice it to say that this world is coming to an end. It will burn up. It doesn't matter to what position you hold to. The point is this, and I think this is what Peter is really getting at here in our text. It's not just a destruction. It's the judgment of a holy and just God upon this sin-filled world and the ungodly. And we need to see this and not be so fixated on the burning aspect, but see that behind this destruction lies the wrath and anger of God. Have you considered the holiness of God in this light? The fact that he dwells in unapproachable light. that he is in all-consuming fire, that his eyes are too pure to look on evil, meaning he cannot tolerate or approve of sin, that his purity penetrates, his holiness burns, it purifies and cleanses, but also destroys. We're remembered in the book of Habakkuk that with wrath comes mercy. And Habakkuk prays rightly, he says this very thing in chapter three, verse two, because he knew the character of God. I mentioned it last time and will again in chapter two, verse nine, Peter states this, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment. His mercy is toward the righteous, the godly, the ones whose lives are hidden in Christ. But on that day, the day of the Lord, it will be too late to join that number. That is why there's so much of this language found within Scripture. Language about the coming of the Lord, the day of the Lord. The call within the whole of Scripture is this, Christ is coming, come to Christ. It's like in the days of Noah, Peter says that he was a preacher of what? Of righteousness. He was a preacher of righteousness. There was a warning that the earth will be destroyed, and Peter covers this in chapter two. The earth will be destroyed by water. The ark was a picture of the mercy of God. The salvation of God for anyone who would enter in. There would not be It's the same with us now, here. And it is with Christ. Christ is our righteousness. He is the mercy of God. Listen, if there is one that is not in Christ, who can stand in that day? No mercy will be shown. None. All will be laid bare, exposed before the Lord of hosts. So saints, the end is near. The present heavens and earth, as we see it, will be destroyed. This world is not our home. We know that. It's temporary. We are but passing by. We're pilgrims on this earth, in this world. But for all whoever have lived and died, death is not the end. They may think it is, and the thought of this day is that we just live this life that we want to live, and then we die, and it's the end. Nothing happens thereafter. This is what the false teachers were thinking as well. No second coming of Christ, therefore no judgment, therefore we can live however we please to live. They're mistaken. And that's the wrong attitude for living in this life. Barclay, a commentator, said it rightly. He said, without truth embodied in the second coming doctrine that life is going somewhere, there is nothing left to live for. How often do you think about these things? I've said it before, but the three The three things that the Puritans had in their mind very often, probably daily, are these three things, heaven, hell, and death. These things were ever before them as they lived out their lives on this earth. You take the three and what do they have in common? It's about the end things. It's about the end of all things. Eschatological things. And listen, whatever position you hold in your eschatology, you will live according to that end. And it is said that eschatology always leads into ethics. You see, up to this point, we've been looking at the consequences, haven't we? Last study and up to this point are the results of what will take place when Christ comes. What is that going to look like when Christ comes? But Peter shifts and directs it now back to his readers and to us as well. How are we to live in light of all that will take place? What kind of people are we to be? This is Peter being very pastoral here. He is certainly getting into the practical and moral implications that should arise from everyone who sees the day of the Lord rightly. See some of the words he uses in our text this morning. Holy conduct, godliness, looking for, hastening, being found by him in peace, spotless, blameless. This is a part of the whole of your life. In other words, it's all about Jesus. When you are awake, you think Jesus. When you dream, you think Jesus. Whatever you do, whatever you do, whatever, if you eat or drink, you do to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10.31. And what is the glory of God but Jesus Christ? He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. We move, we breathe, we have our being in Christ because of Christ for Christ. Saints, look at this verse when you read it. What goes through your minds? I want to read it again. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you and me to be? This is not a question that Peter is asking here. I suppose it can be viewed as a warning, but I think even more than that, it's an exclamatory statement. It's to encourage us to pursue after the things that pertain to holiness and godliness in our lives, to look for and hasten the coming of Christ. Because of the truth of His coming and what all that means as it pertains to our eternity, well, this here is what Peter says is the kind of people we ought to be. This is how we should be. This is who we should be. in the Greek, maybe not as significant, but I would like to point it out anyway. Both of those terms, holy conduct and godliness, are in the plural, implying that there are many different ways or methods to accomplish this holy conduct and godliness. Peter doesn't get into a list of do's and don'ts here. You see that, he doesn't. He just says, live a life that is holy and godly. He isn't about checking the box like a rich young ruler. And just like Christ did with that young ruler, Christ went to the heart of the matter. And Peter does that here as well. Our lives right now, as we live, should have the aroma of what is to come. This is accomplished through living lives that align, that are like, that are an imitation of the one who is to come. In other words, be like the one you say you follow. Peter mentioned it in his first letter, in 1 Peter 1, 13 through 16. Therefore, prepare your minds for action. This is not just an intellectual assent here that he's calling for. He says, prepare your minds for action. Keep sober in spirit. Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance. But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior. Why? Because it is written, you shall be holy because I am holy. Holiness has much to do with separation. That is why Peter wrote, do not be conformed to the former things, but be holy. Let me ask you something. Are you still doing the things you did in the past as an unbeliever, but coding it with the grace of God that covers all my sin? Paul puts it quite well in plain in 2 Corinthians 6.14. He says, don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers. What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? What fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said, I will make my dwelling among them. I will walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, he says, and be separate from them. You see that separation that he calls for. And the Lord says, and touch no unclean thing. And then I will, this is the promise here, I will welcome you. and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty." And in the very first verse of the next chapter, he says, since we have these promises, he's drawing a conclusion here. Beloved, dearly loved ones, let us cleanse ourselves. from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. When the Lord calls us to be a separate people, he is calling us to be a devoted and dedicated people to him. That's what the separation calls for. It's not just being a separate and going your own way, it's being a separate and being devoted, fully committed to following heart after the Lord Jesus Christ. Holiness, bringing holiness to completion. Paul says, let us cleanse ourselves. This is an action item, cleanse yourselves. Be clean, be separate, separate yourselves from these things because of who you are in Christ. While he then mentions godliness, and this has much to do with our deeds being godly, our way of life being godly, Remember, this is what Peter mentioned at the beginning of the letter, that he, Christ, has given us everything that pertains to life and godliness. All that we need in order to live these lives in a godly manner, he has given to us in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, it is yours, meaning the power of the Holy Spirit able to help you to fulfill that. in this life. He has provided and continues to provide, Christ does. And Peter even mentions it even several verses later in the first chapter, when he talks about the qualities that we are to add to our faith. Godliness being one of them. Saints, godliness is not only for this life. Paul says in 1 Timothy 4.8, for while bodily training is of some value, some value. Godliness is of value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. That's the promise of godliness that Paul puts forth by God and saying, this is what godliness will produce. It will produce a promise. It's a promise for this present life and also for the life to come. You live godly in this life, guess what? You're going to be godly in the next life as well, in the one to come, because you're in Christ. You're godly living, you're living in accordance to the precious word of God speaks to your present and your future life. But what I'm afraid of is happening in our day is this, there is an appearance of godliness with no power, 2 Timothy 3.5. In other words, there are those, and you may be one of them, that in all appearances in the public square, you seem to be this godly person. Speaking of the things of God, maybe quoting a few verses here and there, but when it comes to the sin in your own life, that godliness you profess has no power because it is not accompanied by the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. Or maybe put it in a different way, your godliness is not in line with the fruit of the faith you profess. Listen, there are many in our day, many in the church, maybe some here this morning that are being deceived. They call themselves Christians, but their lives don't reflect the Savior. They say, cleanse them from all their sins. They keep going back to them, their sins, and not to Christ. This is becoming, and I think already is, a problem in our day. They take the once and for all, sacrifice of our dear Savior, the grace of God that Paul speaks of in Romans 6, and use it as a license to sin, as Paul says. It isn't as obvious, I suppose, but when we remove all the fluff, this is exactly what is happening. Listen, if you claim Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can't live according to the flesh. If you've died with Christ, you are dead to these things. Stop living a life that is blaspheming the name of God among the Gentiles. Either stop doing that or stop calling yourself a Christian. What am I saying? I'm saying that some of you need to examine yourselves in light of scripture to see if you are in the faith. Stop comparing yourselves with yourselves, for in so doing, you are without understanding. Take the Word of God and read it. Compare yourself with the Word of God with Christ. Get on your knees and call out to the living God and ask for the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Ask for Christ to come and rule and reign. The Christian life is a call to live to righteousness. Be a slave to it. Let it own you. For you are not a slave to sin any longer, but a slave to righteousness. So glorify God with your mind, with your body, with your thoughts, with the whole of you. This is your mark. This is your life. This is the people we ought to be in holy conduct and godliness. We can't be chasing after the things of this world or living according to their standards or their ways. We can't. There needs to be a difference. Peter continues, people who are holy in conduct and godliness are people who are looking forward to and hastening the day of the Lord. They're hurrying, they're accelerating the coming of our dear Savior. And he uses that word again, that word three times here in these last three verses, looking for, to look for, three times. It's this looking for the day of the Lord. And it's simply this, it's a longing after. It's an eager expectation to see Christ come. This is what we are waiting for and the whole of our lives will demonstrate this very thing. Schreiner put it like this, those who disregard the future cosmos of what is to come, the future world, will not live well in the present one. There's a looking forward to the day of the Lord as it pertains to the destruction of this sin-filled world and the justice of God being executed, but there is also and looking forward to the day of the Lord in which the new heavens and the new earth will come and which righteousness shall and will dwell. But what about that hastening? And we'll get to that new heavens and new earth. But what about the hastening or the hurrying of this day? Do we really affect the day of his coming? Can we really hurry the day of the Lord's coming? Well, yes and no. No, in the sense that this day has already been appointed by God. We know this because Jesus said that of that day, no one knows but the Father. The day of the Lord is not a moving target. But yes, we can hurry it in a sense we can and do speed the day of the Lord, and at the same time, not diminish or threaten the sovereignty of God. We can do that. The Bible is clear of that. There's a healthy tension there. And we need to be careful not to uphold the sovereignty of God, meaning we're just gonna sit back and let God do what God does. That's not really the sovereignty of God, by the way. But we can't do that at the expense of disregarding the teaching of scriptures as to how we are to hasten the coming of the Lord. The means that God has ordained for the coming of the Lord is through prayer and the gospel message, which in turn calls for repentance. This is how we can hasten that day, to pray as the Lord Jesus Christ taught. What do you say? Thy kingdom come. We are to preach the gospel of the kingdom in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. Christ said that when that happens in Matthew 24, 14, then the end will come. To repent and believe will also hurry the day. This is exactly what Peter was saying in verse nine. And again, in verse 15, God is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. So if our unrepentance, work with me on this one, if our unrepentance delays the coming of the Lord, then our obedience will hasten the day of the Lord. Peter again in Acts chapter three, verse 19 through 21. Therefore, repent and return so that your sins may be wiped away in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus, the Christ, the one appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until when? The period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient of time. Even our own testimony of the way we live our lives can hasten the day of the Lord, can hurry the day of the Lord, because we are bearing witness of the Christ we serve, again, in holy conduct and godliness. Peter mentions this as well in 1 Peter 2.12, keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles. Keep it excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may, because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. Saints, what are you doing, what am I doing, to hasten the coming of the Lord? There is an aspect of waiting for the day of the Lord, but this is not a passive waiting. This is an active waiting, and it must be an active one. Peter continues in verse 12, because why? The heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat. Considering this, we must be active and not passive. We must tell others about the patience of God towards them to come to him. and the love of God, as well as the judgment of God to come. And as we actively await, as we hasten the day, we're reminded again and again, the wonderful passage in Habakkuk again, though it tarries, wait for it, for it will certainly come. It will not delay, says the Lord. But I want us to direct our attention to verse 13. a most wonderful verse that I think Peter was just so eager to pen. I could just imagine him just waiting, oh wait, wait until I get to that verse 13 there, and he writes it and he begins with but. In other words, in light of all this destruction, of all that's going to happen to this world, to the ungodly, of all that's going to take place, The judgment and the wrath of God being poured out, going forth, he says, but according to the promise of God. He's not saying according to what I'm just gonna tell you here. He's going back to the promise of God. We await, we long for, we look for the new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells. And what Peter does here, he does fall back on those precious and magnificent promises he spoke of in chapter one, verse four, that are for those that are in Christ Jesus. But there's that word again, looking. And before we take a look at this verse, as a whole, this whole statement here. I want to get into some of the particulars as it relates to the word new. The word used here by Peter describes, is the word kainos, not neos. So, there are two different words in the Greek that signify new. He uses the word kainos, which pertains to nature or quality. where Neos describes a newness in time and in origin. So in nature or quality is what he's referring to as far as new heavens and new earth. Therefore, the newness of the heavens and the earth is again, as I relayed in the last study, the position that I hold to that they will be a renewal or a recreation. Paul clearly demonstrates this as well in Romans 8, creation as a hope, it awaits its liberation. It groans as in pains of childbirth, not for death, but for life, for birth. But what marks the new heavens, and you can go listen to the other study if you want to get more on that, but what marks the new heavens and the new earth is this, it's where righteousness dwells. Notice how righteousness is personified. It is where righteousness dwells. Almost as if righteousness is a person. Well, it is. This righteousness is God's righteousness that will permeate everything. The new heavens and the earth will be filled with his glory. Saints, do we long for the new heavens and the new earth? I was in my office preparing for this earlier this week and Ligia comes in and we just sat down and we started just talking about new heavens and new earth. And then we began to weep. A place where there will be no more sin. There'll be no more wickedness. There'll be no more temptations. There will be no more hurt or pain. A place in which my own, my own thoughts, my own actions, my own heart, my own words, my own ears will not have any hint of sin. Saints, I am just so, I'm so tired of this world and I'm so longing to be with our Lord, a place where righteousness dwells, where purity can be seen and felt, where the glory of God that shines so bright is unveiled for all of us to gaze, to marvel, and to worship Him, to be with Jesus. I just, I see this world, I see my own self and I just, if I could just right now go and just be with the Lord, I'd be a very, very happy person. But the Lord is teaching us all through all of this. Living on this earth and trusting Him and setting our gaze on the Lord Jesus Christ. Saints, I'm not one who has lost hope or is in despair in this present hour. We have a promise here. But oh, how we long for this promise to be fulfilled. Do you long for this? Do you desire this? Is this like the beat of your heart? I want to see Jesus. I want to be with Jesus. I want to be with my master. I want to just sit at his feet. I want to weep. I want to rejoice. I want to sing for joy. I want to hear what he has to say. I just want to be there. If this is what you're longing for, if this is what you're looking for, then your way of life will demonstrate it. You will begin getting ready for that moment now. And that's why Peter moves to verse 14 and says, therefore. In other words, because of all these things, because of what has been said about the new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells, oh, dearly loved ones, he says, since you look for these things, be diligent, be diligent to be found by him in peace, spotless and blameless. Peter is coming right back to the way you were living your life right now. And again, he uses that word, be diligent and make every effort. This is hearkening back to verse 10, actually 5 through 11 of chapter one, to be diligent, to make certain his calling and choosing you. And this is accomplished by adding to your faith or actively pursuing the qualities of faith that he mentions there. In other words, there is a doing on our part. We are to be found by him without spot or blemish. Peter uses these terms throughout his letters. There in chapter two, verse 13, he describes the false teachers in this light, actually as a contrast. He's saying, well, they are those that are stains and blemishes. That's what he calls false teachers. But he also used it in 1 Peter 1, verse 19. He says that we have been redeemed with what? With precious blood. As of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. This is Old Testament language here. Being used as it is describing the requirements of an acceptable sacrifice. It is needed to be, it needs to be the best that you have for God. Perfection. And certainly they walked away every time they offered an animal that was unblemlished and spotless and said, this will just, this just can't do. It's not enough. Hebrews says, it's not enough for the blood of bulls and goats to take away the sins of the world, the sins of man. You need someone who is perfect. the spotless one, the blameless one, the pure one, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we do see that he is the one that has fulfilled it on our behalf. But saints, it's precisely for this reason that we ought to be found spotless and blameless. Because we look to him to be our perfect sacrifice. We need to be found spotless and blameless as we continue to live this life in this body of sin. If we have been made acceptable to the Father by Christ, our once and for all sacrifice, the just for the unjust, the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, well then, live like it. Let that be your aim, to be more like the Master. We need to be careful to not simply pass by this verse and say to ourselves, well, the Lord Jesus took care of that and took care of that for me and then just move on. Because what you're going to do with all, what are you going to do with all those warning passages? What are you gonna do with the verses that speak of be diligent, that speak of you doing something in your walk of faith? of living a life that is a reflection of who you follow. These warning passages, they're not just scare tactics. And what about the verses that are found like in Colossians chapter 1 verse 22 and 23, but now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you wholly in his sight without blemish and free from accusation. This is what Christ has done and he's done it once and for all, we believe it. But Paul continues, if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. There's a continual looking for. We need to be a looking people. What about Philippians chapter two, 14 and 15? Do all things without grumbling or disputing so that you will become or prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent. Children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you appear as lights in the world. James says it well, this is pure and undefiled religion. to watch after orphans, care for widows in their distress, and be unstained from the things of this world. One commentator puts it like this, it may be asked how anyone can be found blameless by Christ when we all labor under so many deficiencies. But Peter here only points out the mark at which the faithful ought all to aim. though they cannot reach it, until having put off their flesh, they become wholly united to Christ." This is what Peter's talking about in verse 11, about being a holy and godly people. And lastly, he says this in verse 14 here, to be found in peace. This peace is both the peace with God through our Lord and Savior and the peace of God that we experience. We who have been justified by faith have this peace with God and now are also experiencing this peace of God as our relationship with Him deepens. I want to really just ask you several questions, hopefully challenging you to pursue more diligently after Christ. The reality is this, saints, and I want to end with this. He's coming. He's coming. And how will you be found by Him? How will you be found by him? Will you be found as one who has escaped the lust-filled corruption that is in the world or still finding your satisfaction or desires fulfilled by it? Will you be found as one who has died to self and is living to Christ? Will you be found as one who has forsaken all for the sake of the gospel? Will you be found as one whose life exemplifies a life of Christ, the one whom you profess to follow? Is your life marked by holiness? Is it marked by godliness? Do you love the things that God loves? Do you hate the things that God hates? Will you be found as a Imposter, a fake, a Pharisee at the coming of the Lord? Will you hear the words, depart from me, for I never knew you, or hear the words, come, enter into my rest, into the joy of your master? Think about these things. Peter says it. Think about these things. Look for these things and think about what kind of people, what sort of people are we to be in light of who God is, essentially is what he's saying. So help us, Lord. Amen. Let's pray. Father, so grateful to You, Lord, that You hear our prayers. And Lord, that You accompanied Your servant. Lord, I don't consider this a little thing, Lord, that we prayed at the beginning that you would work in each one of our hearts, and Lord, to expect it and then to know that you did. Lord, you are a living God, and you're able to penetrate deep into the recesses of every heart within this place and to pull out what is really there. And Lord, if it needs to be dealt with, Father, I pray that you deal with it. Lord, that you call your loved ones. Lord, to repentance, to following hard after Christ. Lord, I pray that you give us all strength, Lord, to walk humbly in this world, to walk rightly in this world, to live a life as if you are on our side everywhere we go. Lord, you have given us of your spirit, the Holy Spirit that resides within us. Let that ever become a reality in our lives as we walk on this pilgrimage. But Lord, we so await your return. We so await to be with you. It is a promise that we hold onto that has not yet been fulfilled. But we look back within your word, Lord, and see that your promises are yes and amen in the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is not one that is outside of that. So thank you, Lord, for who you are. Thank you for this morning. Thank you for the hope that we have in Christ. Amen.