“Ready or Not, Here I Come” (Part 2)--Recovering the Hidden “Y” throughout the Holidays

A Sermon By Jim Hammond from 2 Peter 3:8-14

Part of the “Make Every Effort” 2 Peter Series

Because you Can’t Just Sit There

Several years ago, I heard the story of Larry Walters, a 33-year-old man who decided he wanted to see his neighborhood from a new perspective. He went down to the local army surplus store one morning and bought forty-five used weather balloons. That afternoon he strapped himself into a lawn chair, to which several of his friends tied the now helium-filled balloons. He took along a six-pack of beer, a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, and a BB gun, figuring he could shoot the balloons one at a time when he was ready to land.

Walters, who assumed the balloons would lift him about 100 feet in the air, was caught off guard when the chair soared more than 11,000 feet into the sky--smack into the middle of the air traffic pattern at Los Angeles International Airport. Too frightened to shoot any of the balloons, he stayed airborne for more than two hours, forcing the airport to shut down its runways for much of the afternoon, causing long delays in flights from across the country.

Soon after he was safely grounded and cited by the police, reporters asked him three questions:

"Were you scared?"

"Yes."

"Would you do it again?"

"No."

"Why did you do it?"

"Because," he said, "you can't just sit there." [1]

America’s Response

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack our nation expressed the attitude of “You can’t just sit there” as is seen by a few symbolic examples:

·       7,000 FBI agents and support personnel were assigned to the investigation into the terrorist attacks—the largest FBI investigation ever.

·       5,131 Air Force National Guard members and reservists were called to active duty.

·       The Tribute to Heroes telethon brought in 300,000 pledges during its first 15 minutes, making pop superstar Madonna's mark of 16,000 tickets sold in 15 minutes look paltry in comparison.

·       The stock value of UAL Corp., the parent company of United Airlines, dropped by 43 percent the first trading day after the tragedy. Shares of handgun maker Sturm, Ruger & Co., rose by 11 percent the same day.[2]

Certain events do require a response.  God doesn’t want us to just sit there.  God does want a response but not just any old response.  Christmas is one of those events that requires a response.  Are we just sitting here doing nothing?  The Promised second coming of Christ also demands a response.  Just what kind of response is God looking for? 

Last week we talked about how the seeking God says, Ready Or Not Here I come.  He wants us to be ready.  Some were ready for Christ’s coming and some were not at the first coming of Christ.  It will be the same when he returns. 

A Child Can Learn This Lesson

After church, where she had been taught about the Second Coming, a little girl was quizzing her mother.

"Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?"

"Yes."

"Could he come this week?"

"Yes."

"Today?"

"Yes."

"Could he come in the next hour?"

"Yes."

"In a few minutes?"

"Yes, dear."

"Mommy, would you comb my hair?"[3]

I.      At Christmas God Gave A Gift

A.  The Gift was Jesus Christ (God/Holiness) wrapped in Human Flesh

The Hidden “Y” in “Holiday” is in the Word Holy.  Holiday came from the words Holy and Day.  Christmas Celebrates the Coming of The Holy ONE.  The coming of Jesus made it possible for us to be Holy.  The question for you today is this:  how buried is the concept of HOLY during your holidays?

As we read 2 Peter 3:8-14, look for the response that Christ’s coming requires. 

2 Peter 3:8-14

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

14So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

Focus:  We cannot humanly achieve holiness, but now because of God’s Christmas gift we can receive it.

B.  Receiving God’s Gift of Holiness Is Like Birth

Be Sure to use Baby Logic to answer Verse 11

The question in verse 11 is this:  What kind of people ought you to be?

Can’t learn how to Run, till you learn how to walk, can’t learn how to walk until you learn how to crawl, can’t even crawl till you are born, or speaking about Holiness, born again.  Some people are busy trying to learn how to walk and crawl the Christian life on their own.  It doesn’t work this way.  That’s why everything begins with what Peter Calls Repentance.  Christ’s Coming (Christmas) Requires a Response, not just any response, but a particular kind of response.   Repentance Is the Appropriate Response to Christ

1. God’s Life In you starts with a Spiritual Conception (1-2)

2. Which Leads to a Re-Birth (9)

“Repentance” (9) summarizes the re-birth

How to Repent:

• REPENTANCE is voluntarily SURRENDERING to God’s Will.  You can only do this by faith trusting in Jesus as your Savior to make life better when you give your life, or whatever it is you are repenting over, up to him

If you don’t want to repent (over a particular sin) but you know you should, you need to spend more time with God and his Word so that you will want to repent.  What Peter says in 3:1-2 is wise; a return to wholesome thinking will increase your desire to repent.

• REPENTANCE MEANS STOP, TURN, AND CHANGE.  You will not be able to make this change stick on your own, but you must be willing to.  You won’t have perfect performance, but God does want your whole heart, a complete or “perfect” commitment.  Are you willing to Stop, turn, and change?  If you are not, this Christianity thing won’t take.  You will say to me, it just didn’t work for me.  The reason it didn’t work is that your heart was too hard to receive the word and let it take root.
• REPENTANCE MEANS A WILLINGNESS TO PUT OFF THE OLD AND PUT ON THE NEW
• REPENTANCE MEANS TO "START" AND "OBEY"
• If you are Repentant, Peter says, You need to be Baptized (Acts 2:38)

Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

• BAPTISM IS A COVENANT CEREMONY THAT IDENTIFIES YOU WITH CHRIST’S DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION.  It is a picture demonstrating God’s Gift and Commitment to You, and a picture demonstrating YOUR COMMITMENT TO HIM AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD.  Baptism is a covenant ceremony demonstrating a union with Christ that you voluntarily choose to enter into.
• HAVE YOU TRULY REPENTED?

C.  Once The Gift is Received, What Does Holiness Look Like?

11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 14So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

1.  It looks like a Changed Outlook

Forward Looking (12, 13, 14)

Home of righteousness (13),

This Christmas let’s be longing for this home, the home of righteousness.  As Jesus put it, “hunger and thirst for righteousness”.  Verse 13 gives new meaning to the phrase, “I’ll be home for Christmas”. 

Looking forward has a very practical effect on us now.  It results in godly lives in light of his coming.  What would you like to be doing when Christ returns?  That’s how we should be living each day.

2.  It looks like Changed Behavior: 

Holy, godly lives (11), like a member of the home of righteousness (13), making every effort to be found blameless, spotless, at peace with God in Christ (14),

Grisham Learns How To Live

Before his novels The Firm, Pelican Brief, and The Client catapulted John Grisham to the status of "commercial supernova"--as Newsweek called him--he was an unknown, small-town lawyer. Today, with all the notoriety, Grisham makes a concerted effort to focus on things that have lasting meaning, including his faith in God. Grisham remembers, as a young law student, the remarkable advice of a friend:

[Grisham said,] “One of my best friends in college died when he was 25, just a few years after we graduated from Mississippi State University. I was in law school, and he called me one day and wanted to get together. So we had lunch, and he told me he had cancer. I couldn't believe it.”

"What do you do when you realize you are about to die?" I asked.

"It's real simple," [Grisham’s sick friend replied]…,"You get things right with God, and you spend as much time with those you love as you can. Then you settle up with everybody else."

Finally he said, "You know, really, you ought to live every day like you have only a few more days to live."

[Reflecting on this, Grisham said,] “I haven't forgotten those words”.[4]

3.  It looks like Work! (14)

(even though it’s a gift!)

14So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

Verse 8, and the entire context of 2 Peter teaches us that Our Convictions Will Be Tested by Time and Trial 

II.  God’s Gift Calls for An Urgent Response

God’s Gift of Grace requires a response.  God Still does not want anyone to perish (9)

9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

On March 26, 2000, Seattle's famed Kingdome—home of the Seattle Seahawks, Mariners, and at times, the Super Sonics—was destroyed. Maryland-based Controlled Demolition Incorporated was hired to do the job of imploding the 25,000-ton structure that had marked Seattle's skyline for two dozen years.

Remarkable about the event was the extreme measures taken to ensure no one was hurt. CDI had experience with over 7,000 demolitions and knew how to protect people. Engineers checked and rechecked the structure. The authorities evacuated several blocks around the Kingdome. Safety measures were in place to allow the countdown to stop at any time if there was concern about safety. All workers were individually accounted for by radio before the explosives were detonated. A large public address system was used to announce the final countdown.

In short, CDI took every reasonable measure and more to warn people of the impending danger.

The Bible teaches of a final judgment and destruction for this sinful world. Like the engineers who blew up the Kingdome, our heavenly Father has spared no expense to make sure everybody can "get out" safely. He warns us through our consciences, through the prophets, through the Word of God, through the Holy Spirit, through the Church, and through his Son. [5]

Our Lord’s patience means salvation for more people, but his patience does not mean there is no urgency.

10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

The Lord’s coming will be as a surprise.  But for Christians we are told to be ready for the surprise.  Live like he could come today, but plan to live faithfully for a lifetime.  When you live like this, you are prepared for anything.  Here’s a practical truth: you may meet the Lord any given day.

THE FIRE OF ROME Was A VIVID Memory

Fire is often used as a symbol of God's judgment in the Bible. And for good reason. The ancient world understood fire as a terrible destructive force. One of the greatest fires in the ancient world occurred in Rome in A.D. 64. The Roman historian Tacitus, who left us the best account of the fire, says it began at the east end of the Circus Maximus: "Amid the shops containing inflammable wares, the conflagration both broke out and instantly became so fierce and so rapid from the wind that it seized in its grasp the entire length of the Circus."

Soon the whole broad valley between the Palatine and Aventine Hills was a sea of fire, checked only by the Tiber River. Then the flames licked up the hillsides, climbing the buildings and temples that crowned them, far outstripping efforts of fire brigades to stop them.

Tacitus noted, "The wailings of terror-stricken women, the feebleness of age, the helpless inexperience of childhood, the crowds who sought to save themselves or others, dragging out the infirm or waiting for them, and by their hurry in the one case, by their delay in the other, aggravating the confusion." Many people were overrun by the flames; some so despaired of loss of home and loved ones, they simply let the fire sweep over them even though they had a way of escape.

After five or six days, the fire sputtered out when it came to the foot of the Esquiline hill, where the buildings had been razed so that the fire met nothing but open land and sky. But before the city could relax, the fire returned for another three days, now consuming the more spacious districts of the city, though this time with less loss of life.

Ten of Rome's 14 districts were destroyed: three were leveled to the ground; seven, says Tacitus, "were left only a few shattered, half-burnt relics of houses." Historian R. F. Newbold estimates that at least 10,000 to 12,000 tenement buildings were destroyed, plus several hundred private homes, leaving more than 200,000 people homeless.

"It would not be easy to enter into a computation of the private mansions, the blocks of tenements, and of the temples which were lost," wrote Tacitus. He specifically mentions the altar and shrine to Hercules, the Temple of Jupiter, and "various beauties of Greek art … [and] the ancient and genuine historical monuments of men of genius." He concluded poignantly, "Old men will remember many things which could not be replaced."[6]

We Are Saved Because He Cared

A wildfire erupted on September 1, 2002, in the Angeles National Forest—a park in the San Gabriel Mountains of California. Sigrid Hopson, age 60, was alone in her home with her three dogs when she noticed walls of blazing fire roaring toward her house. She called for help. Two deputies, Paul Archambault and John Rose (who both knew Hopson), drove their Ford Expedition through walls of flames to save her. Dodging rockslides on remote mountain roads, they had to stop about 200 meters from the home because the fire was too fierce. Just as Rose ran to the house a gunshot rang out. When he got closer, he saw Hopson holding a gun to her head and a dead dog lying at her feet. The woman was about to shoot herself to avoid being burned to death.

The deputy yelled, "Don't shoot! It's Rose."

He ordered Hopson to drop the gun, but she said she had to shoot the dogs. Meanwhile walls of flames were roaring toward the vehicle and her house. Rose grabbed the gun, got her in the vehicle, and they drove away. The vehicle drove down the narrow pass, through walls of flaming chaparral. On the way, two tires melted, but they kept driving. The engine seized because of the excessive heat, and the vehicle stopped. But they were below the fire line and were able to walk out to safety. [7]

We are saved because God cared enough to send his Son to take the heat for us.  Those of you, who know you are already saved, know this because someone cared enough to show you how to receive God’s Christmas gift to the world.

Christmas (Christ’s coming) requires a response.  Christ’s second coming also require a response.  Urgency demands that we take a risk.  How will you restore the “Y” in Holiday, this season? 

“You better not shout, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m telling you why, Santa Claus is coming to town.”  Does something strike you as counterfeit here?  What will you do to emphasize what is true this season?

Will you respond today?  Let’s not let Holiness be missing from our Holidays.

Personal Point of Application: 

·        What effort do you need to make to be spotless, blameless, and at peace with God (14)

·        It may look like work but it isn’t work so much as a grateful response.