Consider

• The greater your expectations of heaven, the better your life on earth will be (moral compass, priorities, value system).
• Why? Because expectations affect behavior.
• Philippians 3:3-11
• If you want to live a life on earth the way it ought to be lived, you must live with eternity in mind.
• If my view of this life is big, and my view of eternal life is much smaller, it will absolutely be reflected in my priorities.

II Peter 3:1-4

• II Peter 3:1-2 – Learn to live in the light of God’s word.
• Their expectation of their future was based on data in their mind – “For ever since our fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
• Based on my past, I determine probability for the future.
• They did not really know about the past. (Time lapse)
• If I can get God and eternal judgment out of my mind, then I can live any way I want to live. It frees me up – no worries.
• Make this life so important I can’t see eternity.

II Peter 3:5-6

• By this analysis, things have always been just like they are now.
• Imagine how Noah was mocked.
  • He was building a boat on dry land for 120 years.
  • People had possibly never seen rain (Genesis 2:5-6; 7:11).
  • Noah preached for 120 years that people had to get on his boat or die.
  • Noah’s short sermon – it’s gonna rain a lot!
• What made Noah act this way? (Genesis 6:8-9; I Peter 3:18-22)
  • Matthew 24:36-42

II Peter 3:7-9

• II Peter 3:7 – Do you believe the world will someday be completely destroyed by fire (if you live that long)?
• How much do you believe it?
• II Peter 3:8 – Humans live a linear life – God does not.
• We live in yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
• We cannot measure God’s thoughts and actions by our watch or calendar.
• God wants us to learn to see time and events as he sees them.

II Peter 3:10-13

• II Peter 3:10 – The uncreation.
• II Peter 3:11-12 – Does this fact affect how you live? See this life?

Conclusion

• II Peter 3:14 – “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation;”
• Philippians 3:12-21

Introduction

• Luke 10:17-20
• Revelation 3:5

The book of life

• Mentioned 6 times in the New Testament.
• Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8
• Mentioned 5 times in the Old Testament.

Matthew 10:34-36

• Jesus was in the people separating business.
• The sword indicated war or conflict.
• Luke 12:51-53
• Jesus separated people physically during the ministry on earth, and He will ultimately separate people eternally.

Matthew 25:31-46

• The final throne scene.
• Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people (Matthew 25:34).
• Hell is a prepared place for an unprepared people (Matthew 25:41).
• The final separation accomplished by Jesus (Matthew 25:46).

Luke 13:22-30

• Strive to enter the narrow door – indicates multiple paths/separation.
• Door closes eventually – final separation.
• Proximity does not equal intimacy! (Luke 13:26)

Luke 16:19-31

• Lazarus had memory after death.
• Torment begins immediately after death.

Revelation 19l 6:9-11

• The final battle of good and evil on earth.

Revelation 20:11-15

• The final throne scene.
• The book of life – dead were judged.

Revelation 21:1-8; 22:1-5

• The beauty and splendor of heaven

Consider

• In order to visibly see yourself saved, you must be able to visibly see yourself as eternally lost!!!
• There are no:
  • Weekend passes
  • No visits to see if I like it
  • No exit signs
  • No ability to change anything

My motivation

• To be eternally removed from all evil.
• To see/meet the great men and women of the Bible.
• To again see the godliest people that ever walked this earth.
• To meet the Lord and to spend eternity with Him (I John 3:2-3; I Thessalonians 4:17).

Most important question

• Matthew 7:21-23
• Revelation 3:5 – “Will erase his name from the book of life.”
• Is my name written in the book?
• Can you picture yourself listening for your name?

The parable analyzed

• Distribution of talents to the servants (Matthew 25:14-15)
• A talent was about 6000 denarii.
• A denarii was a day’s wage.
• Two doubled their talents and one hid his.
• The two that doubled their talents were happy to see the master.
• The one who hid his talent began making excuses immediately.
• The Lord’s response – “wicked and lazy” (Luke 16:19-31)
• Matthew 13:12; Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18; 19:26

Godly one talent Christians

Andrew – Peter’s brother

• John 1:29-42
• John 1:41-42 – Andrew brings his brother to Jesus.
• Andrew is mentioned 14 times. Peter is mentioned 176 times.
• John 6:5-9 – Andrew brought the boy with the lunch to Jesus.
• Matthew 19:13; Mark 10:13; Luke 18:15 – The apostles rebuked people for bringing children to Jesus.
• John 12:20-22 – Philip seeks advice from Andrew.
• Peter had constant issues with Gentiles, so he probably was not the logical person for Philip to ask.
• Andrew and Philip brought these people to Jesus.
• He brought his brother, the young boy, and the Greeks.
• That was Andrew’s talent, and he used it well.

More stories – Dorcas

• Acts 9:36-43
• The widows used one of their talents to persuade Peter when he got to Dorcas’ house (Acts 9:41 – the widows were listed separately from the saints).

More stories – Lydia

• Acts 16:11-15 – Lydia was at a prayer service on the Sabbath.
• She heard the gospel and responded.
• She helped to convert her entire household.
• She urged Paul, and prevailed upon him to stay with her family for some time.

The parable applied

• Main points – we must find and use all that we have.
• If we do not, we:
  • Lose that ability in this life
  • And are judged for it in the next life
• Diligence is rewarded, neglect is punished!
• Is it possible that you once had a God given talent that you never used, and God took it away?

Introduction

• Malachi 4:4-5

Luke 3 – John’s message

• Luke 3:1-15 – 15th year of Tiberius Caesar (14-37 AD)
• Luke 3:2-3 – John preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4).
• John was about to disrupt the Jewish culture in Judea like had never been seen in centuries.
• It is a tremendous mistake to tell people you won’t have to do much to become a Christian.
• You will have to change everything about how you think and see the world around you (continuous).
• How much of my time/talent/money do I give to God?
• Rather, how much of God’s stuff should I keep?

You must disrupt your comfort zone

Following Jesus will totally disrupt your view of personal accountability.

• These people were clearly and powerfully told that their old Jewish life was of little value in their new walk with Jesus (like many good people today).
• Luke 18:9-14 – The Pharisees and tax collector.
• The gospel will completely blow up your view of a “good person.”
• I Peter 4:12-19 – Judgment will begin with us.
• Ezekiel 18:4, 30-32 – I am the way I am because of how I was raised. “I will judge each man according to his works.”
• It doesn’t matter who your parents were.
• It doesn’t matter how you were mistreated or wronged in your life.
• Stop blaming your current mistakes on past events.

Righteousness works from the inside out, not outside in.

• Following Jesus cannot be just a religious ritual, or an old habit. You cannot defeat the devil with that alone (Luke 18:14).

Stop thinking that going to church occasionally will get you to heaven. That is outward, not inward.

• Galatians 2:20; 5:24 – Conversion to Christ is called being crucified.
• II Corinthians 4:16-5:24 – “The love of Christ controls us.”
• Romans 7:9-8:18 – Only following Jesus Christ can disrupt my life in a way that has value to Jesus Christ.
• Romans 8:31-39 – The end.

Judas and Peter

Repentance

• II Peter 3:9
• God doesn’t compare sins. Romans 6:20-23; Galatians 3:10
• John 21:15-19
• Judas and Peter go in separate directions in how they grieved and faced their mistakes.
  • Matthew 27:5 – Judas took matters into his own hands.
  • John 21:15-19 – Peter is restored.
• I Corinthians 6:9
• I John 1:5-2:2
• James 5:19-20