WEBVTT 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:13.320 Hello, and welcome to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:14.839 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:16.199 We're startup church. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.460 We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:32.299 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:37.100 --> 00:00:40.439 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:43.909 --> 00:00:44.509 All right. 00:00:44.590 --> 00:00:45.049 Now we're ready. 00:00:45.250 --> 00:00:45.770 Good morning. 00:00:45.969 --> 00:00:46.350 Good morning. 00:00:46.869 --> 00:00:51.200 It's so awesome to be here in July. 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:58.840 I tell you what, I know that July is always a happy time for me for multiple reasons. 00:00:59.659 --> 00:01:02.960 For one, we're starting to get closer and closer to the end of the year. 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:08.719 And as somebody that works outside, I count down those days. 00:01:11.060 --> 00:01:15.319 And also it means the start of football. 00:01:18.519 --> 00:01:30.939 Go Pat, go! The NFL, I reported to a training camp and it's been 15 years for me since I last reported to a football camp. 00:01:30.939 --> 00:01:32.719 But I did it for nine years. 00:01:32.939 --> 00:01:36.900 And so I apologize that during this time of year, I apologize to my wife. 00:01:37.459 --> 00:01:40.939 During this time of year, I'm a little bit more jacked up than normal. 00:01:41.900 --> 00:01:49.219 It's just ingrained in my being that right about now I got to be ready to put on the pads and start playing some football. 00:01:49.459 --> 00:01:51.040 And it just hasn't gone away. 00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:54.299 I'm very excited for the Lions this year. 00:01:54.299 --> 00:02:01.299 There's so many things that are being talked about for the Lions. 00:02:01.459 --> 00:02:04.459 I'm a new convert to the Lions. 00:02:07.539 --> 00:03:07.419 Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! in 2nd Peter, so a quick recap as to where we're kind of at, 2nd Peter is a letter written by Peter towards the end of his life, right before he was about to die, and so anytime somebody takes the time before they're going to die to write something down, it means it's important, right? 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:19.539 It's absolutely important to us because it's in the Bible, amen, but Peter wrote this at the end of his life, and so what he had to say in here was important. 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:43.560 Now oftentimes, 2nd Peter kind of gets lost in the wash towards the end of the Bible, and you probably don't spend a lot of time in there, but there's a lot of great stuff in there, and it's very important, and it's been great to spend time over the last month, along with the church in this study, and especially in deeper study over the last couple of weeks preparing for this lesson. 00:03:44.539 --> 00:04:29.920 The things that he's talking about, and have been talking about in there, there's some false ideas that are circulating from within the church, and these false ideas are around that, and he described that, that there is no second coming, that Jesus is not going to return, and the way that that manifested itself, and it showed up in there, there's a softness on sin and repentance, and it absolutely points to that there is a need to have that understanding that Jesus is going to return, and in the process to act in response to that. 00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:40.519 I really like what Jaron did last week with the lesson, and he called us to take the Bible and point it to ourselves. 00:04:40.620 --> 00:04:46.459 Yes, absolutely, you want to take the Bible, and you want to understand the context of what's going on, right? 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:51.160 You want to read it as its whole story, where its place is in the entire Bible. 00:04:51.540 --> 00:05:09.560 We always want to read the Bible as an entire story, and we want the Bible to make sense as a whole story, as we read it, but then ultimately, as we are mature and thinking of what we're reading, we need to point to ourselves and be a leader to ourselves and our sinful nature and how to fight it. 00:05:09.819 --> 00:05:58.899 It's really cool that this is exactly what Peter does at the end of 2 Peter, he's talking about all these things that are going on, and he finishes off with what we ought to do, and so Peter does the same thing that Jaron did last week, and I'm going to read all of 2 Peter today, and we're going to pull out different parts as we go, and before we start in 2 Peter 3, verse 1, I'm going to say a little prayer. 00:06:00.519 --> 00:06:18.439 Father in heaven, God, holy is your name, and we are so grateful for your word, so grateful for how it guides us in Christian life, how it is a mirror for us to show us our sinful nature, God, and it shows us how to fight it, how to go closer to God. 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:31.779 Help us to have soft hearts here today as we read your word, God, guide me with your spirit as I bring forth this lesson, God, and help us to go closer to you today through your word, and please give me a prayer. 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:37.680 All right, 2 Peter 3, verse 1. 00:06:43.930 --> 00:06:48.029 It says, Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. 00:06:48.290 --> 00:06:52.689 I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to pull some thinking. 00:06:53.589 --> 00:07:03.870 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. 00:07:04.569 --> 00:07:15.470 Now, what this is essentially saying is that the Bible wants us to know the Bible and wants us to live a righteous and pure life. 00:07:15.870 --> 00:07:26.470 As we're going about it, as we're reading, as things get complicated when you're reading, as things get complicated in your life, this is always good to start with and to remember. 00:07:26.610 --> 00:07:30.990 This is the ultimate goal, and this is what Peter is reminding us of here. 00:07:31.870 --> 00:07:43.310 As we continue in verse 3, it says, Above all, you must understand that in the last days, stalkers will come stalking and following their own evil desires. 00:07:43.850 --> 00:07:46.649 They will say, Where is this coming you promised? 00:07:47.310 --> 00:07:52.889 Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. 00:07:53.509 --> 00:08:01.389 But they deliberately forget that long ago, by God's word, the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 00:08:01.990 --> 00:08:06.569 By these waters, also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 00:08:07.129 --> 00:08:15.449 By the same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction on God. 00:08:16.129 --> 00:08:23.449 But do not forget this one thing here, friends, that the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 00:08:23.970 --> 00:08:28.829 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. 00:08:29.449 --> 00:08:35.370 Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 00:08:36.090 --> 00:08:38.029 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. 00:08:38.509 --> 00:08:45.750 The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 00:08:46.409 --> 00:08:50.789 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? 00:08:51.269 --> 00:08:57.129 You ought to live holy and godly lives, as you look forward to the day of God, and speak his coming. 00:08:57.950 --> 00:09:02.730 That day will bring about the destruction of heavens by fire, and the elements will be bound to the earth. 00:09:03.190 --> 00:09:10.669 But in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth for righteousness for us all to experience. 00:09:13.070 --> 00:09:13.730 All right, Spencer. 00:09:15.529 --> 00:09:20.210 How can you comment on the last days and when Jesus is coming? 00:09:22.230 --> 00:09:38.330 This scripture, along with some other scriptures, can oftentimes be used to create some sort of mathematical equation and kind of get it lost in the clouds and focusing on when exactly is Jesus coming. 00:09:38.990 --> 00:09:43.090 But I'm here to tell you today that that is not what this is meant for. 00:09:43.429 --> 00:09:44.870 It's pretty simple, right? 00:09:44.929 --> 00:09:50.070 The Bible is meant to be simple for us, not meant for us to make it more complicated than it is. 00:09:50.370 --> 00:09:59.830 And the last days, what the last days mean, are the time between when Jesus first came and when he is going to come. 00:09:59.990 --> 00:10:02.929 So yes, we are in the last days. 00:10:03.070 --> 00:10:08.509 And yes, today we are closer than we were yesterday to Jesus coming. 00:10:08.830 --> 00:10:10.490 And that's all that we know, right? 00:10:10.610 --> 00:10:11.610 That's all that matters. 00:10:11.789 --> 00:10:15.090 He is going to come at some point. 00:10:15.490 --> 00:10:26.230 And when it's talking about a thousand years or like a day and a day is like a thousand years, all that that's giving us to say and understand is that God is outside of man's time. 00:10:26.590 --> 00:10:30.669 God is outside of our man-made created time frame. 00:10:31.190 --> 00:10:33.110 He exists outside of that. 00:10:33.210 --> 00:10:34.289 And that's what that's telling us. 00:10:34.549 --> 00:10:38.990 And then it also is telling us that when it happens, it's going to be noticeable. 00:10:39.950 --> 00:10:43.809 It's not going to be something that we have to kind of, oh, is it now? 00:10:44.049 --> 00:10:45.289 Is this a sign? 00:10:45.389 --> 00:10:45.970 Is this a sign? 00:10:46.049 --> 00:10:46.509 Is that a sign? 00:10:46.590 --> 00:10:48.570 It's like, no, it's going to be obvious. 00:10:48.809 --> 00:10:49.690 It's going to be noticeable. 00:10:50.110 --> 00:10:51.509 It's going to happen quickly. 00:10:53.509 --> 00:11:10.190 And so the Bible, it tells us here and in other places, one place specifically I'd like to turn to when things get complicated is Deuteronomy 29.29. It says the secret things, essentially the secret things belong to God. 00:11:10.889 --> 00:11:14.129 And it tells us that we are not supposed to know exactly. 00:11:14.250 --> 00:11:15.190 That's not what's important. 00:11:15.850 --> 00:11:23.730 And let's continue on to read and find out what's more important things than knowing exactly when Jesus is coming. 00:11:24.769 --> 00:11:27.610 I want to read again verse 5 through 7. 00:11:27.610 --> 00:11:28.509 All right, it's my turn. 00:11:38.379 --> 00:11:42.139 For this very reason, verse 5 says, make every effort to ask your... 00:11:42.139 --> 00:11:42.620 Oh, excuse me. 00:11:43.240 --> 00:11:43.700 Wrong one. 00:11:44.279 --> 00:11:44.600 Sorry. 00:11:46.919 --> 00:11:54.659 But they deliberately forget that long ago, by God's word, the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 00:11:55.059 --> 00:11:59.220 By these waters also the world of that time was daily to be destroyed. 00:11:59.539 --> 00:12:06.820 By the same word, the present heavens and earth are required to be kept for the day of judgment and destruction of our God. 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:20.299 What this is saying literally is reiterating that, yes, God created the earth, there was a judgment in the form of Noah, and there is going to be another judgment. 00:12:23.139 --> 00:12:30.740 Now, it's important to know that this judgment that Peter is talking about here, Jesus spoke about in every single one of the Gospels. 00:12:31.419 --> 00:12:35.639 Paul spoke about this in every single one of his writings as well. 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:39.120 This is not the only place that it is talked about in the Bible. 00:12:42.299 --> 00:12:55.879 Every time that I read this, and in fact, even before preparing for this study, and it still happened when I was preparing this lesson as well, in verse 9, it really plugs on my heart in a very specific way. 00:12:56.460 --> 00:12:58.779 And I want to share that with you all today. 00:12:58.779 --> 00:13:04.720 Verse 9 says, The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. 00:13:05.059 --> 00:13:10.740 Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:18.539 Every time I read this, I think of the people that are close to me in my life that I have consistently interacted with that I've lost. 00:13:19.539 --> 00:13:36.820 And it really is heavy on my heart, and more recently, I've really kind of felt bad, and I haven't been as consistent in planting seeds on their hearts, continuing to share the Gospel, and more specifically, I haven't been really preparing for that. 00:13:37.240 --> 00:13:45.179 Now, that is something that really interfered to my heart, the consistency of reaching out to somebody that is close to you. 00:13:45.220 --> 00:13:51.659 Because it happened to both myself and Maya, my wife, that's the way that we ended up coming out to church. 00:13:51.899 --> 00:14:00.399 That wasn't just one singular time that we were reached out to, and that we just had that interesting coming to Jesus moment, like, oh yeah, I'll be there. 00:14:00.659 --> 00:14:16.440 Like, there was multiple times that Darren invited me out to church, and I just, you know, pushed him off and did it, and he continued to invite me out, plant seeds, show his wife, and I know, and I was talking to him back there, that I'm still missing Claire, or me. 00:14:16.500 --> 00:14:18.379 The same thing happened to my wife. 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:29.159 She was reached out to multiple times over many months, and then eventually started to come around, and then, slowly but surely, came to Jesus. 00:14:29.700 --> 00:14:46.360 And so, my question for all of us here today, and our reflection this week is, where have you been at recently, and how has it been going with you continuing to reach out to those that are close to you and lost, and how has your career been going? 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:47.399 That's a great question. 00:14:52.419 --> 00:15:07.399 Now, these spoffers that Peter is talking about here throughout 2nd Peter, I wonder how do they show up today, and how do these ideas show up in our lives? 00:15:08.220 --> 00:15:15.500 Don't necessarily see it as there's people that are shoving at the rooftops, that there is no second coming. 00:15:16.220 --> 00:15:17.860 It shows up a little bit differently. 00:15:19.299 --> 00:15:44.940 As you see it play out, and his focus on repentance, and the way that their lives look, like pigs returning to wallowing in the mud, and just the focus on a lack of repentance, it shows up that they doubt God's judgment, and they have a lessening stance on God's judgment. 00:15:45.179 --> 00:15:50.440 And then, ultimately, that means a softer stance on sin, and the need for repentance. 00:15:50.860 --> 00:15:51.879 Yeah, it's a good point, actually. 00:15:53.340 --> 00:16:00.179 And this is a tough question to ask, but I've been asking myself this all week long, so I've got to bring you all with me here. 00:16:02.399 --> 00:16:04.500 Where have you been soft on your own sin? 00:16:06.700 --> 00:16:07.840 And that's important. 00:16:08.440 --> 00:16:11.879 It's important to be constant in repentance. 00:16:12.019 --> 00:16:14.100 It's not just a one-time deal, right? 00:16:14.200 --> 00:16:16.620 As verse 9 says, he wants everyone to come to repentance. 00:16:17.320 --> 00:16:22.059 In Luke 5.32, Jesus says, I came to call sinners to repentance. 00:16:22.740 --> 00:16:36.840 In both Gospels, Luke and Matthew, the same exact chapter in verse 3, 8, it says, So we need to continue to ask ourselves this question. 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:38.200 It is not easy. 00:16:38.419 --> 00:16:38.960 It's hard. 00:16:39.460 --> 00:16:48.919 It is really tough to continue to reflect on ourselves, and try to find ways to dig into and keep with repentance. 00:16:49.320 --> 00:17:07.318 Now, I don't know if everybody knew that house church this week, or all house churches' challenge ended up being the same, but I think a great way to help with this is, the challenge that we had this week at our house church was to liberate somebody else to tell you somewhere in which you are falling short. 00:17:08.660 --> 00:17:13.578 And that's a great part of this process, that we should be in each other's lives. 00:17:14.059 --> 00:17:26.078 Yes, we should be loving on each other, and a part of that love is liberating each other to call each other out, so to say, and leaving open, making open those conversations to help each other to grow. 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:26.380 Amen? 00:17:26.380 --> 00:17:26.880 Amen. 00:17:32.130 --> 00:17:34.150 Now, verse 13 is really cool. 00:17:35.109 --> 00:17:38.309 That's right before it hits the call to action. 00:17:39.269 --> 00:17:44.029 The final four or five lines are a call to action. 00:17:44.670 --> 00:17:52.809 And verse 13, it is reminding us of the promise of heaven, right before the final call to action. 00:17:53.730 --> 00:17:55.069 I'm going to read it again. 00:18:03.349 --> 00:18:11.450 It says, And yes, we are to be aware that there is a judgment, right? 00:18:11.609 --> 00:18:14.089 We are to be aware of that, absolutely. 00:18:14.730 --> 00:18:22.150 But at the same time, we are to be aware of, and live in response to, the promise of heaven. 00:18:22.910 --> 00:18:29.910 God's mercy and His grace and heaven wouldn't be as sweet if we didn't know of His righteous judgment. 00:18:30.650 --> 00:18:30.809 Right? 00:18:31.509 --> 00:18:39.950 September and October are really awesome in Michigan because of June, excuse me, because of January and July, right? 00:18:40.289 --> 00:18:43.829 If you don't have that contrast, it's not as great, right? 00:18:43.930 --> 00:18:51.190 So we need to be able to hold both those things in our mind at the same time and live in response to them at the same time. 00:18:51.190 --> 00:18:56.970 If you live with one and not the other, there becomes issues, right? 00:18:57.049 --> 00:19:05.190 If you're just focusing on fear and judgment, that loses steam, that runs out, and the message grows tired on a lot of people. 00:19:05.349 --> 00:19:21.410 If you're only focusing on flowers and butterflies and good things and, you know, let's just sing worship songs and put on Jesus and sing nice things to each other, well then you're going to miss out on growing closer to Jesus through the repentance of Jesus and growing closer to sin, right? 00:19:21.650 --> 00:19:24.769 So we need both of those together, all of the time. 00:19:26.809 --> 00:19:29.589 Let's continue in chapter, excuse me, verse 44. 00:19:29.890 --> 00:19:30.650 Right, that's it. 00:19:32.549 --> 00:19:44.569 So then, dear friends, since you're looking forward to this, make every effort, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, in that peace with Him. 00:19:44.569 --> 00:19:49.309 Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation. 00:19:49.950 --> 00:19:59.650 Just as our dear brother Paul also wrote in with the wisdom that God gave him, he writes the same way in all his letters, speaking to them of these matters. 00:20:00.210 --> 00:20:09.190 His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort as they do the other scriptures to their own destruction. 00:20:10.250 --> 00:20:20.269 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the air of the lawless and falter in your spiritual position. 00:20:20.650 --> 00:20:24.210 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 00:20:24.630 --> 00:20:27.549 To Him be glory both now and forever. 00:20:28.150 --> 00:20:28.490 Amen. 00:20:28.789 --> 00:20:29.009 Amen. 00:20:29.869 --> 00:20:33.089 Now what I see in there is I see work, right? 00:20:33.230 --> 00:20:34.950 Making every effort is work. 00:20:35.089 --> 00:20:36.869 It is work to fight our sin. 00:20:36.869 --> 00:20:40.250 It is work to be selfless, right? 00:20:40.390 --> 00:20:41.890 It is work to serve. 00:20:42.230 --> 00:20:46.549 It is work to make extra time to read your Bible and to pray. 00:20:47.210 --> 00:20:56.250 But as all of us here know, and all of us that are older know more, that in this life the things that you look for are the most worth it. 00:20:56.490 --> 00:20:56.670 Yeah. 00:20:57.410 --> 00:21:07.369 As the teams are reporting the football camp and the NFL, and at the beginning of September they're going to have their final roster of 53 men that make every roster. 00:21:08.549 --> 00:21:09.589 It takes a lot. 00:21:09.690 --> 00:21:16.609 Once you make that 53-man roster, it takes a lot for you to end up being cut from the team after you've made that initial 53. 00:21:17.190 --> 00:21:17.369 Right? 00:21:17.390 --> 00:21:18.210 So you're on the team. 00:21:18.289 --> 00:21:19.150 You're in the NFL. 00:21:19.329 --> 00:21:24.029 You are an NFL football player when you make the 53-man roster. 00:21:24.170 --> 00:21:25.769 That is awesome, right? 00:21:26.529 --> 00:21:33.029 But there is a lot of those men that make those 53-man rosters that don't put in the work. 00:21:33.029 --> 00:21:35.329 They don't put in the work during the preseason. 00:21:35.710 --> 00:21:38.390 Before they report to camp, they don't put in the work during camp. 00:21:38.470 --> 00:21:39.849 They don't take care of their bodies. 00:21:40.390 --> 00:21:40.509 Right? 00:21:40.750 --> 00:21:42.930 And then they end up not having success. 00:21:43.230 --> 00:21:45.430 They end up being on teams that aren't successful. 00:21:45.849 --> 00:21:59.990 The ones that put in that extra work, that do get extra points every day, look at the extra weights, that deny them going out a little bit later and eating the right food and not drinking as much alcohol so their bodies aren't prepared. 00:22:00.430 --> 00:22:01.250 They have success. 00:22:01.309 --> 00:22:02.109 They win championships. 00:22:02.109 --> 00:22:03.009 They get bonuses. 00:22:03.549 --> 00:22:06.289 They get glory by winning the Super Bowl. 00:22:06.890 --> 00:22:12.589 Every single one of those guys that have gone through that are going to tell you that it's worth the work. 00:22:12.710 --> 00:22:15.890 Now the ones that fail, but they're still NFL football players. 00:22:16.410 --> 00:22:16.509 Right? 00:22:17.009 --> 00:22:18.730 They're still there. 00:22:18.809 --> 00:22:20.609 They simply say that they're NFL football players. 00:22:20.730 --> 00:22:24.529 But they miss out on that opportunity for all that much more. 00:22:24.869 --> 00:22:25.009 Yeah. 00:22:25.190 --> 00:22:28.369 And the same is true for us in the Christian life. 00:22:28.369 --> 00:22:28.630 Right? 00:22:28.630 --> 00:22:32.130 You can still be called a Christian and live your life in heaven. 00:22:32.509 --> 00:22:32.730 Right? 00:22:33.109 --> 00:22:38.190 And you're going to miss out on a lot of fruit and a lot of blessings. 00:22:38.390 --> 00:22:38.569 Yeah. 00:22:38.769 --> 00:22:47.670 And a lot of extra peace and just really feeling a closeness to God right here and right now if you don't put in that work. 00:22:47.950 --> 00:22:48.269 Yeah. 00:22:48.269 --> 00:22:50.109 So the work is worth it. 00:22:50.690 --> 00:22:50.930 Yeah. 00:22:53.809 --> 00:22:56.549 When he talks about Paul, it's really cool. 00:22:56.549 --> 00:23:09.789 This is the canon scripture writers pointing kind of back on themselves in real time and establishing the New Testament canon as we live it out with them. 00:23:09.930 --> 00:23:11.769 And that's a really cool thing. 00:23:11.829 --> 00:23:13.609 It's really cool to kind of think about. 00:23:14.009 --> 00:23:19.829 And you know like Peter and Paul and the other apostles and how did it all work out? 00:23:20.309 --> 00:23:22.170 They were working together. 00:23:22.170 --> 00:23:31.150 These letters that Paul wrote were already being circulated and were known among the churches and Peter is pointing back to them. 00:23:31.250 --> 00:23:31.849 It's really cool. 00:23:33.029 --> 00:23:35.029 What are some of the things that Paul said? 00:23:35.349 --> 00:23:36.390 Just a couple of highlights. 00:23:36.509 --> 00:23:42.609 In Romans 2.4 he said, God's kindness is intended to lead you to repent. 00:23:42.890 --> 00:23:43.069 Wow. 00:23:43.289 --> 00:23:43.549 Sound familiar? 00:23:44.289 --> 00:23:48.509 In Philippians 2.12, work out your salvation with fear and tremble. 00:23:48.650 --> 00:23:48.890 Yeah. 00:23:49.529 --> 00:23:50.069 Consistent. 00:23:50.069 --> 00:23:54.970 In Romans 6.1, shall we go on singing so that grace may increase? 00:23:55.250 --> 00:23:56.130 By no means. 00:23:56.789 --> 00:23:58.329 These guys are on the same page. 00:23:58.730 --> 00:24:06.970 The Holy Spirit was connecting them and they were already putting these things down at that time and we get to learn from them now. 00:24:07.549 --> 00:24:14.329 It's really cool that it's not just in this isolated place that we see these ideas play out in the Bible. 00:24:15.970 --> 00:24:18.490 It's consistent in the Bible. 00:24:18.690 --> 00:24:20.809 As we stay in the Bible, we will see it. 00:24:21.089 --> 00:24:24.470 And in our critical minds that we have as human beings, we need that. 00:24:24.490 --> 00:24:25.410 We need that repetition. 00:24:25.950 --> 00:24:29.710 We need that consistency and that constant of the message. 00:24:31.450 --> 00:24:43.289 What he ends with here in his final line is a reiteration of what he began with in Chapter 1. 00:24:45.390 --> 00:24:50.809 These graces that he's talking about is just essentially gifts from God. 00:24:51.630 --> 00:24:56.630 And as I read from Chapter 1 again, it will all make sense. 00:24:57.009 --> 00:25:04.390 I think reading from Chapter 1 really kind of brings it out a little bit more than this final line. 00:25:04.650 --> 00:25:07.670 The Bible always points back to itself, which is really cool. 00:25:07.670 --> 00:25:34.970 So in 2 Peter 1, 5-9, it says, For this very reason make every effort to add to your faith goodness and to goodness knowledge, and to knowledge self-control, and to self-control perseverance, and to perseverance godliness, and to godliness mutual affection, and to mutual affection love. 00:25:34.970 --> 00:25:44.410 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:25:45.509 --> 00:25:52.230 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed in their past sin. 00:25:54.849 --> 00:26:00.390 So, in conclusion, Jesus is coming back to know your Bible. 00:26:00.390 --> 00:26:06.509 So, repent, be saved, and put in effort into your Christian life. 00:26:06.950 --> 00:26:09.009 And let's prepare ourselves for communion. 00:26:12.990 --> 00:26:25.509 Father in Heaven, thank you so much for doing this sacrifice on the cross that allows us to live this Christian life that we can work with God. 00:26:25.509 --> 00:26:32.950 And we're not working at it all the time, but you have given us everything that we need to be successful. 00:26:33.690 --> 00:26:44.009 Help us to realize how we can better use all that you have given us to have success for our faith and our family. 00:26:44.230 --> 00:26:45.390 God, we love you so much. 00:26:48.230 --> 00:26:48.789 Amen. 00:26:51.690 --> 00:26:59.430 Take a moment to take your communion, and if you'd like that, I'll finish up with God with another drink. 00:27:00.089 --> 00:27:28.130 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:27:28.390 --> 00:27:31.789 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:27:31.789 --> 00:27:39.430 Please go to kalamazoo.church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. 00:27:39.569 --> 00:27:42.029 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.