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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
December 27, 2015
How to Live & Thrive in a Mad World
Selected Scriptures
It’s a Mad World
This is that time of year when news media like to look back at the major stories that occurred during the previous twelve months. There are the normal reports common to any year about business, politics, sports, entertainment and natural disasters, but the major stories that dominated 2015 leads to a conclusion that the world has gone mad. Mad in both the sense of anger and in the sense of mentally disturbed.
Mad in the sense of anger is part of war, and though the numbers of those killed in war between nations and civil war within a nation are much lower than the massive conflicts of the twentieth century, there has been no end of smaller conflicts around the globe in the twenty-first century and 2015 has been no exception. Tens of thousands have died in the civil war in Syria and the conflict multiple nations have with Islamic State. This has also caused the largest mass migration of people into and through Europe since the end of World War II which in turn has resulted in strong reactions against the immigrants in some areas. It is not just the fear of economic costs and losses, but also of having radical Islamists hidden among them.
There is also open warfare in much of northern and sub-Saharan Africa as well as in Yemen, Ukraine and Afghanistan to name a few. There are even more nations that have internal armed conflict with factions within them that are strong enough to wreak havoc, but not strong enough to hold territory and set up an alternative government. That takes in a lot of Central and South America, more of Africa and central Asia. Then there are belligerent nations such as North Korea and Iran which make a lot of threats and cause problems for other nations. The world at large is not a safe place.
Mad in the sense of anger but also with a sense of mental derangement is seen in the targeting of unsuspecting civilians in places far removed from battlefields. There is an evil logic to terrorism because it does allow small groups to exert influence and control of others far beyond their actual size, but there is also a mental insanity and moral madness to strapping explosives to your body and then blowing yourself up in order to kill and maim your enemy. It is contrary to basic human nature of self-preservation to plan suicide as a purposeful part of the mission against an enemy. What the nation of Israel has suffered for decades at the hands of Palestinian terrorists is now occurring around the world at the hands of Islamic terrorists.
The year started with an attack in Paris which began at a newspaper and spread to target Jewish shopkeepers killing a total of seventeen. In March, Muslim militants killed 22 at the Bardo National Museum in Tunisa. Two days later, Islamic State suicide bombers killed more than 140 in mosques in Yemen, which is quite a contradiction to the claim of Muslims being brothers with one another. In April, gunmen from al-Shabaab targeting Christians stormed Garissa University in Kenya and murdered about 150. In May, Islamic State claimed responsibility for attacks on a bus in Karachi, Pakistan that killed 43. June brought another attack in Tunisia that murdered 38 tourists. In October, Islamic State carried out twin bombings in Ankara, Turkey that killed 102, and an affiliate of Islamic State claimed responsibility for downing a Russian airliner over Egypt killing all 224 aboard. Things escalated in November with Islamic terrorists killing 40 other Muslims in Lebannon in two suicide bombing attacks, then another 130 murdered in Paris in coordinated attacks in which the attackers blew themselves up after they were done shooting, then 22 were murdered at the Raddison Blu hotel in Barnako, Mali. December brought about an attack by an American Muslim man and his Pakistani wife that swore allegiance to Islamic State – they murdered 14 of his co-workers at a holiday party.
The ties to Islamic inspired terrorism were so strong in this last mentioned murder spree than even governmental and media political correctness could not deny it, but there were many other exhibitions of hatred and insanity within the U.S. In twenty separate shooting incidents on High Schools and College Campuses, nineteen people were killed and forty-one injured. So much for the safety of gun free school zones.
But madness is also seen in the rising racial tensions fomented by race baiters who turn tragic deaths in police actions into protests against the police themselves. This in turn has directly led to the injury and murder of police officers and has paralyzed police activity in those areas which in turn have allowed murder and violent crime rates to soar. The racial insanity on college campuses has increased to the point in which students who act very uncivilly themselves protest their emotional safe zones are violated if someone says something they did not want to hear. These children in adult bodies can’t handle an honest disagreement and the adults that are supposed to be in charge don’t have enough fortitude to tell them to grow up. Instead, professors and administrators are fired. Behind much of this are socialist and racist groups that fund and foment the protests, the worst of the bunch may be a group known as Black Lives Matter. I cannot state it more plainly than this. If all lives do not matter, then no lives matter regardless of how much melanin is in your skin.
As bad as all of this is, the most insane action of 2015 was the U.S. Supreme Court perverse decision to force every State to recognize marriage between two people of the same sex. A man can be a wife and a woman can be a husband, or as seems to be more of the case, those designations are eliminated in favor of the generic “spouse.” Following this has been the governmental push of transgender “rights” over the constitutional and civil rights of everyone else. The ludicrous nature of this is clearly seen in the case of Township High School District 211 in Illinois which is threatened to lose its $5 million in Federal Government funding unless a student who is genetically and anatomically a male is accommodated fully including unrestricted access to the girls locker room regardless of the privacy concerns of the girls in the locker room.
I could continue in this vein for quite sometime, but I think even with this brief review of the year it is clear that we live in a world and a society that has gone mad. The warning in Isaiah 5:20 needs to be taken to heart – Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! That is the world we now live in.
The Mad World to Come
The current state of affairs is depressing. Any hope for the near future is more depressing because world political leaders, who too often seem mad themselves, present themselves as the hope for world peace and tranquility. The insanity of believing that such leaders can find solutions to man’s problems is probably best seen in the proclamations that came out of the Paris Climate Summit this month. Among the many things claimed or suggested was that Islamic terrorism has arisen because of droughts caused by climate change, and hence, the greatest threat to the world at present was the emission of too much carbon dioxide. Aside from the fact that actual observations of the climate do not support their assertions, does anyone seriously believe that reducing man’s so called “carbon footprint” will result or even contribute to Islamic State laying down their weapons, Syria becoming a unified and peaceful nation, all the refugees being able to go home, North Korea giving its people freedom, or race baiters and racists living together in harmony? Even if the world’s political leaders had the power and ability to bring about world peace, they lack the knowledge, plan and integrity to bring it about.
What can you expect in the near future? While a thoughtful prospectus for a company can be the basis for a good business plan based on well reasoned expectations, the speculative musings of pundits, psychics and kooks that appear in the pulp magazines in racks at the checkout counter this time of year are only worthwhile as silly entertainment and lining the bottom of bird cages. Tragically, there are people who believe such nonsense.
The only way to know the future is to find out from someone that can actually control what will come to pass, and the only person that can do that is God Himself who declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). In the Scriptures, God has declared what can be expected in the future. While He has not given us the dates these things will happen, He has given us enough information so that we can both discern the signs of the times and outline the general sequencing of events that He declares will take place in the future. For the rest of this morning I want to briefly look at a few of the key Scripture passages that reveal the mad world to come, then how to live and thrive in such a world because God has also given us hope that transcends this world and looks forward to the fulfillment of His promises for a new world to come.
Let’s begin with 1 Timothy 4:1-5. 1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.
I do not believe there is any question that we are living in these “latter days” in which there are those who profess to be Christians that pay attention to deceitful spirits and teaching which comes from demons. The evidence is in their practices which contradict what God has said. This passage specifically points out the false piety of those who forbid marriage and require food restrictions. The Roman Catholic Church has done that for centuries, but now there are many cults and theological ideas which advocate similar things. One of the latest is often known as the “Hebrew Roots Movement” who advocate that Christians adhere to the Mosiac dietary laws.
Next go to 2 Peter 3:3–7, 3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
It is tragic enough that over the last 150 years that the field of science as traded its quest for knowledge through observation and repeatable testing for the philosophical demands of evolution, but more tragic is how much of the professing church has traded in the Scriptures for those same philosophical demands. In denying the historical reality of the worldwide flood during the days of Noah, they deny the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible. Many of these supposed Christians now also deny God’s future judgment and condemnation of the wicked.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 gives further revelation of what will occur within the professing church. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
I find it tragic but understandable that people want to have affirmed what they want to believe, so it does not surprise me of the rise of false teachers and especially those promoting the health, wealth and prosperity gospel to a materialistic and hedonistic society. However, there are three things that bother me greatly about this. First, supposedly “Christian” media such as TBN broadcast false teachers such as such as Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Copeland, and T.D. Jakes to name a few. Second, that those who follow their teachings call themselves Christians which brings shame to the name of Christ. Third, that genuine Christians are confused by such teachings which hinder them from living for the glory of Jesus Christ as they should.
In 2 Timothy 3:1–9, Paul gives a quite specific description of what people will be like. 1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
As a sign of the times, this description fits a significant portion of current Western Civilization that is rapidly growing in every class of society. We can expect it will get much worse in the coming generations due to the now dominate child rearing practices that feed a child’s natural sinful foolishness. A two year old that does not throw temper tantrums is now an anomaly. A child that has what used be considered basic manners is viewed as exceptional. Those of you who have children must commit yourself to raising them to be exceptional anomalies in society.
In Matthew 24:3–14, Jesus also revealed that it will get worse before He returns to put things into proper order. 3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
In view of these Biblical revelations, I am shocked that even in groups that were at one time solidly dispensational, there is a sharp rise in those holding to amillennial and postmillennial theology. Both of these positions in eschatology – teaching about what will occur in the end times – requires an improvement in man and society in the future without the physical presence of Jesus to rule. Yet, as we have seen this morning in even this very brief review, the Bible is clear that it will get much worse until Jesus physically comes to set up His kingdom.
Living in a Mad World
If your hope is in man, then you should be thoroughly depressed about the present state of the world and even more depressed about any hope for the near future. Yet, the beliefs of a Christian are to enable him to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4) and in everything give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:16). How is the Christian to live in such a mad world that we can expect to get worse in the years to come? How is a believer to answer in practical ways the question posed in Psalm 11:3, If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do? Let me point out some basic truths that will enable you to live in this present world, and then some additional truths that will enable you to thrive in it.
First, you must make sure you have the right perspective about the purpose of life. If you are caught up in pursing the things of the world, then the things of the world will grip your heart and you will be caught up in the madness with the world. Jesus warned about this in Matthew 6:19–21, 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The apostle John was also direct on this issue in 1 John 2:15-17, 15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
Second, you must learn the open secret of contentment. Paul said in Philippians 4:11–13, 11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. He added in 1 Timothy 6:6–12, 6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Paul learned to be content and told others how to become content by pursuing godliness. Paul viewed himself as being crucified with Christ and no longer living, but Christ living in him (Galatians 2:20). Because of that, he was able to follow his own advice in Colossians 3:1–17 and set his mind on the things above and not on the things that are in earth. That is why he was able to consider his earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed and all the actions that arise out of them including anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech and lying. That is why he was able to instead put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bear with others and forgive them just as the Lord had forgiven him. The more you let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, the better able you will be to live with the peace of Christ ruling your heart, extend love to others, and help them do the same.
Third, the ability to live in a mad world eventually boils down to learning to trust God in the midst of the madness. Habakkuk learned this. He was appalled that God was going to use the wicked Babylonians to punish Judah for her many evils. At the end of his prophecy he expressed his hope in God while facing the knowledge that his nation was going to be justly destroyed by an unjust people. After describing the destruction to come, he says in Habakkuk 3:16–19, 16 I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us. 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.
Thriving in a Mad World
We live in a mad world, but we who are Christians are to do more than just endure it. We are to thrive in the midst of madness. I do not mean thrive in the sense of material prosperity, but rather thrive in the sense of growing and developing vigorously in fulfilling the purpose of your existence. Learning to be content and trust of God in the midst of the madness is the starting point because you must get past the self-centered view that life is about you and gaining the pleasure, glory and power you desire. But once you get past that and start to live for God’s glory, then life can take on its proper eternal purpose and you can thrive in all circumstances.
I have already suggested this in my summary of Colossians 3 that Paul was able to set aside his old self and put on the new self and live a radically different kind of life because he yielded himself to Christ being his all in all. Life was now about Christ living in and through him. Paul admonished other believers to be the same way for the same reason.
Going back to 2 Timothy 4, Paul gave Timothy a charge to keep in view of the prediction that even professing Christians would turn away from the faith. 1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. In other words, Paul wanted Timothy to personally thrive by being faithful in proclaiming Christ and how to walk with the Lord even though most people would turn away from him and that message.
A similar theme is given to all Christians in Peter’s epistles because he was seeking to prepare them for persecution and the coming Day of the Lord. What Peter taught then has direct application in the present to help us live and thrive while living in a mad world. Peter wanted them to be able to “greatly rejoice” even though they would be “distressed by various trials” (1 Pt. 1:6) and that the proof of their faith, though tested by fire, would result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pt. 1:7).
Their primary quest was to be holy for God is holy (1 Pt. 1:16) with their conduct of life to reflect that they were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ (1 Pt. 1:17-18) and born again through the living and abiding word of God (1 Pt. 1:23). They were to be living stones, choice and precious to God though rejected by men, that He would use to build a spiritual house for a holy priesthood that would proclaim the excellencies of Christ (1 Pt. 2:4-5, 9-10). They were to consider themselves to be aliens and strangers and so live in a radically different manner of life among the very people from which they were born even when they would be slandered for it (1 Pt. 2:11-12). When persecuted, they were to follow the example of Christ when He was reviled, persecuted and crucified (1 Pt. 2:21-24). Even in their domestic life, the reality of Christ in their lives was to have a radical effect on the way they behaved at work (1 Pt. 2:18-20) and society (1 Pt. 3:8-12), and in carrying out their roles as a wife or husband (1 Pt. 3:1-8). When suffering for the sake of righteousness, they were to consider themselves blessed and sanctify Christ as Lord in their hearts by giving a gentle and respectful defense to everyone that asked they about their hope in God (1 Pt. 3:15-16; 4:12-14).
In Second Peter, the apostle encourages Christians to press on in living godly lives because believers have a solid foundation in the Scriptures which came as men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God and not by any act of human will. Truth would enable them to withstand the false teachers that would come and the mockers that would deny even the overwhelming evidence of God’s existence and judgment in the past which lie all around them. At present, God is longsuffering with such people as He gives time for repentance, but the day of His future judgment will come which Peter summarizes with a description of the complete destruction of the current heavens and earth and the coming of new heavens and a new earth. Peter then poses this admonition in 2 Peter 3:14-15, “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.”
Conclusions
The same encouragements and admonitions still belong to every person who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. We have a solid hope fixed in the present in the love of God proven in Jesus Christ who died to redeem sinners and enabled us to be forgiven and adopted into God’s family. We have a solid hope in the future firmly fixed in God’s promises to bring about judgment of the wicked and blessings on the righteous and proven when Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
Though we live in a mad world and we can only expect it to get worse in the near future, the hope that belongs to a Christian transcends any circumstance he may suffer in this life. It is a hope that can enable you to not only live content and at peace in the present world, but also to thrive in it as you live for the glory of God by both striving to live in a godly manner and serve the Lord however He desires while we patiently wait for His return.
To summarize 1 John 3:1-3, the Christian sees the great love of the Father because by His grace, he has become a child of God. While the believer does not know what he will be, he knows that he shall become like Christ when the Lord returns. Because the redeemed have this hope, they will strive to purify themselves just as He is pure.
Do you have this hope? Is your life changing because of this hope? If not, then it is time to get right with God by repenting of your sins, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, and embracing His promises. Talk with myself or any of our church leaders after the service.
Sermon Notes: How to Live & Thrive in a Mad World
Selected Scriptures
It’s a Mad World
Mad in the sense of ______________is part of war, and tens of thousands died in war in 2015
Mad in the sense of anger and mental _________________is seen in suicide terrorist attacks
Mad in the sense of mentally _______________is seen in the rising racial tensions fomented by race baiters
Mad in the sense of ______is seen in the SCOTUS Obergefell decision and the push of transgender “rights”
We live in a society in which the warning of _________________applies
The Mad World to Come
Do not expect _______________leaders to bring about peace or solve any other international problems
We can only know the future according to what ___________has chosen to reveal about it to us
1 Timothy 4:1-5 – we are in the “_____________” in which professing Christians do follow deceitful spirits
2 Peter 3:3–7 – philosophy posing as science is tragic; the professing church _______the Scriptures is worse
2 Timothy 4:3-4 – It is not surprising so many turn to false teachers who ______their ears, but it is upsetting
2 Timothy 3:1–9 – a description of a significant __________of western civilization – and it is growing worse
Matthew 24:3–14 – Amillennialists & postmillennialists are increasing despite the ___________of the world
Living in a Mad World
Christians are to rejoice in the Lord always and give thanks in everything even when living in a _____world
1) Have the right perspective about the _______________of life
Matthew 6:19–21
1 John 2:15-17
2) Learn the secret of being __________________
Philippians 4:11–13
1 Timothy 6:6–12
Colossians 3
3) Learn to __________________in the midst of the madness – Habakkuk 3
Thriving in a Mad World
Christians are to thrive – grow and develop vigorously in fulfilling the ______________of their existence
Paul was able to thrive because he ________to set aside his old self and put on the new self to live for Christ
Timothy was to faithfully continue his ministry even when people ____________from him and his message
Peter taught Christians to greatly rejoice and bring praise to God even when _____________by various trials
1 Peter: When the primary quest is to be _________and used by God, then even persecution can be endured
2 Peter: Our foundation in the Scriptures is _____________, so we can endure false teachers and mockers
God is longsuffering, but His judgment will come along with new heavens and a new earth – we have _____
Conclusions
Our hope is fixed in the present because of the ______of God proven in Jesus Christ – redeemed & forgiven
Our hope is fixed in the future because Jesus ______from the dead proving His claims and promises are true
The hope of a Christian enables him to both live and ____________in the midst of a mad world
1 John 3:1-3 – Everyone whose hope is in Christ ______________himself just as He is pure
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do the following: 1) Count how many times “mad” is mentioned. 2) Discuss with your parents how to live in peace in the present with a hope for the future in the midst of a mad world.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. In what ways have you seen anger displayed in the world in 2015? In what ways have you seen mental degeneration displayed in the world in 2015? Who are some of the people upon whom the woes of Isaiah 5:20 apply? Can there be any hope that world leaders can resolve the major issues of our time? Why or why not? How can you know what will occur in the future? Look up each the following passages and explain what they reveal about what should be expected in the future: 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Peter 3:3–7; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 Timothy 3:1–9; Matthew 24:3–14. What can the righteous do even if the foundations are destroyed (Psalm 11:3)? What do the following passages teach about the purpose of life and a proper Christian view of the world: Matthew 6:19–21; 1 John 2:15-17? What do the following passages teach about contentment and how learning to live in that state: Philippians 4:11–13; 1 Timothy 6:6–12; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:1–17? What does the book of Habakkuk (especially the 3rd chapter) teach about trusting God even in the day of distress? What does it mean to thrive? What does Colossians 3 teach about how a Christian can thrive in a mad world? What charge did Paul give to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4 even though people would reject him and his message? What does the epistle of 1 Peter teach about being able to greatly rejoice and bring praise, glory and honor to Christ even when distressed by various trials? How should Christians react even when persecuted? What will enable them to respond in that manner? How does Second Peter encourage Christians to press on to live godly lives even when facing false teachers and mockers? What does 2 Peter 3 say will happen in the last days? What hope does the Christian have that will be realized at that time? What effect should that hope have on the life of a Christian in the present time? What is the basis of a Christian’s hope in the present? What is the basis of a Christian’s hope in the future? What shall we become like when Jesus returns?
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