Let's begin with a word of prayer. Father, we again have assembled together around your word, and we ask that you would take the truths that are there, make them our truths that we own, that we hold high, and that we live out, Father, in our lives. We thank you for the privilege of even contemplating doing these things. how lost we would be without Jesus Christ and filling of the Holy Spirit and all the work that you have done. Magnificent things. Make them real to us, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. We're looking at this whole subject of how are we to live if we come under very difficult times and suffer for the things of Christ, which have been, except on a superficial level, and maybe that's not fair, but the suffering here in the United States by believers in the United States has been, my opinion is very small in comparison to our brothers and sisters in Christ, whether they be in other parts of the world or in other times in history, when they have experienced the full brunt of the attacks of Satan through the people who were living around them at that time. Things like the apostles went through and things like our brothers and sisters in many parts of the world go through today. And, of course, the answer to that is the preparation for being ready to suffer is the preparation for living holy lives, lives that are godly, lives that are separated unto Him and living according to His will, it's all the same thing. The mature believer is going to be prepared to face these things, and the immature believer is not going to be prepared to face these things. So we've been studying in 1 Peter, and I'll read from verse 13 down, therefore prepare your minds for action. Keep sober in spirit. Fix your hope, your confident expectation of the things God has promised, 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, because it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. if you address as father the one who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth, knowing that you are not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. When we come to in verse 17, if you address his father, the one who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear, we spent quite a bit of time looking at that, during the time of your stay on earth. The interesting thing about the time of our stay on earth is that it is a time where we are not at home. We are citizens already of heaven by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. So this is not our home. So we're here in that sense, in a very transient way. So let's look at some verses that deal with this. Of course, we would go to Philippians chapter three, verses 18 through 21. And there we read where Paul says, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame." Now listen, "...who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven." The whole idea being, since our citizenship is in heaven, our minds should be set on heavenly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory by the exertion of the power that He has to subject all things to himself. So, we have this during the time of our stay on earth. We are ambassadors during that time. This is why, since our citizenship is in heaven, Colossians Chapter 3.1 addresses this whole thing. Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, and you have, could translate that, therefore since you've been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, heavenly things, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ. God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Hebrews chapter 11, 13 through 16. Interesting. Even for the Old Testament saints, all these died in faith without receiving the promises. but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, of course by faith, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed, if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, think of Abraham, They would have had opportunity to return, but as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. It's interesting when we think back on the times of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and the 12 tribes. You see them in the promised land, but they don't own it. They're on it, but they don't own it. And so when Sarah dies, Abraham has to purchase a place In the promised land, he has to purchase a place to bury her. What an interesting thing, relating to all these died in faith without receiving the promises, but having seen them and welcomed them from a distance. Then go to 1 Chronicles 29, and we will come down to, this is that great section where David spoke, verses 14 and 15, where David mentions a similar thing. He says, this is at the giving that was going to be used in the temple that Solomon, his son, would build. But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? for all things come from you and from your hand we have given you. And then he says this, for we are sojourners before you and tenants, not the owners, as all our fathers were looking all the way back. And even though now David is there in Jerusalem and so forth, he still says, we're still looking for these other things. As all our fathers were, our days on earth are like a shadow. That's another thing we'll look at as far as our days on earth or the time of our stay on earth. And there is no hope. In other words, apart from God's provision, there is no hope. Okay, and there's certainly in the context no hope of giving anything to God like they're doing here in this passage. 1 Peter 1, verses 3 and 4. Notice, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope In other words, resurrection and the future in that resurrection body to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled notice and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. Our citizenship is in heaven. We're protected by the power of God through faith, for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. And then Hebrews chapter 10, and there in Hebrews 10 verses 34 and 35, same chapter, says, for you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property. knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what was promised. We're still waiting, for yet in a very little while He who is coming will come and will not delay." Okay, so again, our whole focus is supposed to be on heaven and where our Lord is, where we're seated in the heavenly places with him, and where the eternal things that are unseen are going on. Then Ephesians chapter two, verses four through seven. Here we have that verse I mentioned. But God, this is after we, this whole section on our spiritual deadness, and you're dead in your trespasses and sins, and the terrible way we walked as unbelievers. And then it says this, But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you've been saved, and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, This is where he sees us now, our positional truth in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we're in him, and in him, he's seated at the right hand of the Father, and we are seated in him at the right hand of the Father. And the promise is so that in the ages to come, future, off of where we are now, so that in the ages to come, he might show the surpassing riches of His grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you've been saved through faith, that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not as a result of works that no one should boast." The next thing that I want to take note of is not only that we're transients because this isn't our home and our citizenship is in heaven where our home is, because that's where Jesus Christ is, and the place where He has gone to prepare a place for us. But the next thing that we have to deal with, according to Scripture, is that our time here is short. It is so short. It goes by so quickly. And in no time, you're grown up. And I can remember as a child thinking how long the days were and how it took forever for them to pass. And I remember a kid a little older than I who was in school by then, and I wasn't in school yet, so I had to be under five. I remember he came up to me and I was talking about how there was nothing to do or whatever it was. I couldn't find something to do. And he said, you enjoy this time because pretty soon you'll have plenty to do. Basically, it's going to be a lot to do that you're not really going to enjoy. So enjoy the time you have now to either do nothing or do what you would like to do. But anyway, let's go to Psalm 39, verse four. What a great prayer. Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days. Let me know how transient I am. Behold, you have made my days as hand breaths and my lifetime as nothing in your sight. Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Surely everyone walks around as a phantom. Surely they make an uproar for nothing. He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them. And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you." Wonderful. Psalm of David. there. And then Psalm 90, we have the words of Moses and his wonderful prayer. In Psalm 90, down to verse 9, he says to the Lord, for all our days have declined in your fury. We have finished our years like a sigh. As for the days of our life, they contain 70 years, or if due to strength, 80 years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for notice, for soon it is gone and we fly away. Who understands the power of your anger and your fury according to the fear that is due you? So teach us to number our days. They are not an unlimited number of days. From the day we were born, we were ticking away on the ultimate number. It wasn't an infinite number. God knew exactly what that number was as to how many days. And we don't know how many days and we don't know whether our life is going to be short. You think of John the Baptist, it says, I believe it's in Acts, and as John was completing his race or his course, and that demonstrates that the Lord has different lengths races for us. So when John was done, he was arrested and beheaded by Herod, and he had completed his course or his race. So some of us are sprinters, some of us are mid-distance, some of us are marathon runners, but only the Lord knows that, okay? So, in Psalm 90, verse 12, Moses says, So teach us to number our days, that we may present to you a heart of wisdom. Okay, and you think about that. We can't take our money with us, we can't take our things with us, can't take our house with us, can't even take our clothes with us. We can take something, though, and that is a heart of wisdom, a heart that knows the Word of God and how to apply it in everyday life, that we should take, by God's grace, huge amounts of wisdom with us, and that should be our objective to do that. That would be a wonderful thing. You can hear the sadness in Jacob's voice as he stands before Pharaoh. Joseph had introduced him to Pharaoh in Genesis 47, and we'll start in verse 7. Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob, How many years have you lived? So Jacob said to Pharaoh, the days of my sojourning are 130. And then he says this, few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they obtained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning. Jacob's father, Isaac, lived to be 180, I believe. Then let's go to Job chapter eight. all these great passages that speak about the brevity of life. Job chapter 8, and here we have Bildad, who says a lot of things that are amiss, but he certainly got this part right, at least the second part of this. He says, For we are only of yesterday and know nothing, because our days on earth are as a shadow. Okay. In other words, quickly passing and then gone. Okay. Then Psalm 144, verse 4. Man is like a mere breath, a puff of air coming out of your mouth when you exhale. His days are like a passing shadow. And that David's question preceding that, oh Lord, what is man that you take knowledge of him or the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a mere breath. His days are like a passing shadow. Let's see, the next one we have to look at is Psalm 102. Lots of this in the Psalms. Psalm 102, verse 11. Again, shadow in view here. You think of how quickly a shadow is created in the morning, runs through the day, and then is gone. My days are like a lengthened shadow, and I wither away like grass. But you, O Lord, abide forever in your name to all generations." Psalm 39, verse 5. This is really, again, very similar to Moses. Behold, you have made my days as hen breasts. And my lifetime as nothing in your sight, surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Psalm 103, verses 15 and 16. As for man, his days are like grass, as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, and its place acknowledges it no longer. But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children, to those who keep His covenant and remember His precepts, to do them." Then James chapter 4, verses 13 and 14. And here we read, come now you who say today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that. But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin." Back to 1 Peter chapter 1 and the passage that we left to look at some of these things. 1 Peter 1.17, if you address us, Father, the one who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth. knowing that you are not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. So here, the Holy Spirit, through Peter, takes us beyond these thoughts of the brevity of life, the fact that this is not our home, heaven is our home, and we look at Why should we be conducting ourselves in fear during the time of our stay on earth? It's not fear of condemnation, but it's a fear that we might displease our Lord, and it's a fear that recognizes the awesome, infinite cost for our salvation, for our freedom, for our redemption, for our ability to use the little bit of time that we have for purposes far greater than ourselves. And, of course, that purpose and purposes are wrapped up in Jesus Christ and who He is and pleasing Him and fulfilling why He created us, why He saved us, what the good works are that He has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 2 Corinthians 5, verses 18 through 21. Here again, we look at what should we be doing with this time? So let's read here, 2 Corinthians 5, 18, Now, all these things, the new things that have come, all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Namely, notice, gave us. What is it supposed to do with time here? Certainly not going to be doing this in heaven. but here on earth, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. He's given us the gospel so people can be reconciled to God. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us, We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 16. We looked at this in an earlier study where it simply says, I'll read verse 15, "'Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, redeeming the time, buying it up for profit, making the most of your time because the days are evil.'" You think about how evil doesn't take a rest, and evil doesn't take a break. Evil is constantly moving and expanding and developing new ways to do more evil. As the scripture says, for things will go from bad to worse in the end times. And then Colossians chapter 4, verse 5. Again, we have this idea, conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders. making the most of the opportunity. We need to make the most of our time that Jesus Christ bought us, redeemed us, so that we might make the most of the time and not waste it. And so it says, conduct yourself through wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. not allowing the opportunity to slip away. Go to Titus 2.11. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope, looking for our Lord's return, and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds." These things, Paul says to Titus, these things, speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you. And so we're here for just a short time. We're here as tenants, ambassadors, truly citizens of heaven. Right now, the Lord is preparing a place for us so that we, when he comes, we can be with him. Not only all of those things, but we've been redeemed with an incredible price, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is the next thing in view as we go on in that same chapter. what wonderful things God has done for us, and how thankful we should be, and how redeeming of the time we should also be. So let's close in prayer. Father, we thank you for your word, privilege of knowing and studying these things, and we ask your blessing on each one. And Father, that as your word goes forth in so many places that would not return unto you void, people would be saved, people would be strengthened, regardless of who's doing the teaching or the preaching or conveying of the gospel, Father, that you'd call a huge number of those sheep that were given to Christ, Father, that you'd call a huge number of them to faith in you and faith in your Son, we ask in Jesus' name, amen.