“In every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.”
Now, may it be true of you, dear friends who love the Lord and before Him seek that which is good and right and true, that whatever you do may be done for Him with all your heart. Halfhearted people are poor servants, and we should not be poor servants of our Lord and Savior. It is a happy sight to witness a child serving his mother with all his heart, doing his very best for love's sake. The Lord of all is pleased with such service rendered to Him.
This Generation
David served his own generation by the will of God. (Acts 13:3636For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: (Acts 13:36).) As David served his generation by the will of God, so you and I are called upon to serve our generation by the will of God. There are certain things, however, which are characteristic of this generation in which we live, this very day in which our lot is cast. These things are peculiar to this generation and they should have a marked effect on how we conduct ourselves, as brought before us in 2 Peter 3. What a privilege it is for those of us who belong to Christ to serve our generation according to the will of God. But what is so very special about our generation? There is one thing very special about it and that is that you and I have been privileged to be here to serve our generation according to the will of God, on the very brink of the Lord's return, and on the very brink of the time when this world is to be judged in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained.
You will notice how in 2 Peter 3:3, 43Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (2 Peter 3:3‑4) it says. "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming?" Just recently one of the vice-presidents of the company where I work sent a memorandum over to me, and this memorandum had to do with something that he never expected to see-an event that he thought would never take place in the company. He put a comment on the side of the letter, "This is just like the second corning of the Messiah." When I read that, beloved, I could not help but think of that which we have right here: "In the last days scoffers... saying, Where is the promise of His coming?”
This world likes to think that it is going to be able to go on in its own way without any intervention from God at all, that the Lord is going to allow it to go on (as we read in Matt. 24:3838For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, (Matthew 24:38). "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage") completely heedless of the Lord's claims. In 2 Peter 3:55For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: (2 Peter 3:5) we read, "For this they willingly arc ignorant of,” They want to be ignorant, to go on their own way and leave God's claims out entirely. This is a picture of our generation. We are living in the very day of scoffers saying, "Where is the promise of His coming?" Your neighbors and friends, your schoolmates and the people you work with, do they want God to intervene? No, they do not! They want the world to be allowed to go on its own way. They arc willingly ignorant they do not want to know what God has in store for this world.
God has told us clearly in His Word what is ahead for the world so that each one of us can understand.
God has seen fit to outline His plans to those of us who belong to Christ, so that we do know. Our neighbors and those with whom we work. have all their plans, hopes and aspirations centered down here. But you and I know, according to God's own Word, that this is all going to disappear: this whole scene around us is going to be burned up. We know it because God has told us in His Word. "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:5-75For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:5‑7). The question now is how do we conduct ourselves while we wait for the Lord to take us to glory? How do we conduct ourselves, knowing what is ahead for this poor world? We look for the coming of the Lord Jesus, but the scene around us has no such hope. Those with whom we come in contact day by day have no such hope. They refuse to accept the lesson that God has already recorded about the days of Noah. There was a scene where people were living as if God did not exist. They were conducting themselves without any reference to God at all. God said the flood would come, yet they went on their own way just the same. But the flood did come, according to the word of God.
In this day God has again faithfully warned through His Word that judgment is coming for this world. "He will judge the world in righteousness." Acts 17:3131Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31). All this fair scene around us is going to be utterly destroyed. Yet those around us whom we know, the ones that we meet day by day, those very ones are heedless of God's faithful warning in love to their souls. They refuse to accept the solemn truth we have in this chapter, that this scene is all going to pass away. It is true, the scoffers are here; there are those around us who mock and say, "Where is the promise of His coming?" and are heedless of the precious truth that God "is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." It is in this atmosphere that you and I are called upon to serve our generation according to the will of God.
Notice it says in 2 Peter 3:1010But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10). "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” This is God's solemn declaration. This will come to pass! When considering how we are to speak and to conduct ourselves in this generation with those who are around us, let us remember that this is the truth of God. The Lord Jesus has waited 2,000 years and while that promised judgment has not yet fallen on the world, we have the solemn, authoritative statement of the Word of God that the day of the Lord will come. That day will bring judgment to this poor benighted world, and usher in all the storm of judgment that is going to fall upon this world. God would have you and me know this truth. Believe it and accept it, because God says so. It is the truth of God and will come to pass according to His promise.
“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2 Peter 3:11-1311Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2 Peter 3:11‑13). Do your friends at school, the ones with whom you work, your neighbors and friends, and my neighbors and friends know that we are looking for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness? Satan, the enemy of our souls, is so successful in getting our hearts, ambitions and hopes all centered in something that is going to be dissolved—something that is going to disappear! We get our eyes off Christ and become so occupied with things down here, especially when we are young. We see right from the time children start to school, how everything that the world tells them serves to get their thoughts, hearts, hopes and ambitions centered down here. God says it is all going to be dissolved, to be removed. "We ... look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." Is this what you and I are looking for? Or are we looking for something down here like a better house or a better job? This is one of the snares of the Devil if there ever was or one. We look for a better job to be able to make a little more money and have a few more of the luxuries of life, without stopping to weigh how much those luxuries cost in the enjoyment of the Lord and in devotion to Him.
“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless." 2 Peter 3:1414Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. (2 Peter 3:14). Here we have that which speaks to us of our own personal walk. "That we might be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless." We have already been reminded that, in view of what is coming upon this scene, we should be characterized by holy conversation and godliness. And now, since we look for new heavens and a new earth, since we own by our confession that we do not belong to this earth at all, that we belong to Glory and are waiting and longing for the Lord's return, and since we have nothing to be attached to down here because it is all going to be dissolved, may others see in our own personal lives that we are walking to please the Lord. Let us get before the Lord about our own pathway, individually, that we may he "found of Him in peace. without spot, and blameless." J. Brereton