Morning, brothers and sisters. I’d like for us to turn to a strange Scripture. We haven’t looked at this one lately, but it’s in 2 Peter 3. Our Bibles will be earmarked there pretty soon.
Let us read 2 Peter 3:10-12, through the first part of verse 12:
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar;
the elements will be destroyed with intense heat;
and the earth and its works will be burned up.Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.
And looking at this little phrase in particular: What sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? Let’s have another word of prayer.
Lord, we are rejoicing with anticipation, and we thank You for how You have just refreshed our hearts in many ways and shown us in a new way, Lord, of Your soon return. Lord, as we continue before You, as we were at Your table, we know that You have made every provision for this life by Your completed work.
Lord, You have made every provision for this morning, for speaking and hearing. By faith, we enter into that, Lord, that we could be a people who really hear Your voice in this hour that we are living in; and not only be hearers of Your word, but, by Your grace and the enabling of Your Spirit, be doers of Your word. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
We are very thankful for the opportunity last week to gather in Farmville at the conference and hear the wonderful exhortations, the wonderful encouragement, and the wonderful word of God. In many ways, we felt like those disciples at the end of the Gospel of Luke: as we were walking along and heard those words, our hearts were being warmed.
For some, perhaps it was the first time they had really heard of the soon return of our Lord. Or perhaps, as many of us can relate with Roger, we have known about it, but the Lord made it very fresh and increased the great anticipation within our hearts of His soon return.
How precious it was to hear, from His perspective, the prospect, the purpose, the imminence, and the battle over His return, as well as the great recovery work that He is doing in these last days. We want Him to return to relieve us of pain and the misery of the days we are living in. Praise God, that will be one result of it, but that is not the main reason. The main reason is His heart for that bride to be made ready.
After a conference like this, I found myself asking, “How do I respond? How do I respond to this?” In many ways, our brothers encouraged us to respond and touched on various aspects of that response. I think this verse in 2 Peter summarizes much of what they encouraged us in this phrase: What sort of people are we to be in holy conduct and godliness?
The Lord’s burden is related to our character and our walk: our holy conduct, our walk before God and man; and godliness, the very character of God being formed within us. That is what He is looking for. He is looking for His character formed within a people.
Yes, He wants us to know about His return. He wants us to have knowledge of events that will take place. But what is it that will really be hastening His return? What is the word really after? He is after a people who reflect His life, a people through whom He can live out His life, a people in whom His character can be formed.
Peter shared this that it would hasten the coming of our Lord. This is what we are after in this hour: that our lives could be used in a small way to hasten that coming.
As we think about these words, holy conduct and godliness, what are we saying? Holy conduct, or holiness, comes from the same root word as sanctification: to sanctify, to be made saints. It means to be set apart.
But it does not stop there, because being set apart is only the negative side—it is leaving something. We are not only set apart from the world, from sin, and from flesh; we are set apart unto God. We are brought into all that He has, and we are set apart with purpose.
He is working a great purpose. He has called a people; He has called us unto Himself. He wants us to be those with the Spirit of holiness and holy conduct in our lives. How can we do that? We cannot—but praise God, we have the Holy One living within us.
As we say no to ourselves, that holy life can be made manifest, and His life is seen through His people in this hour. That is what He is looking for: His life seen through His people, a living and walking testimony.
Godliness comes from this word, “to be like God.” It does not mean to be God, but His character is within us in such a way that His life—the character of God—is reflected within His people. As we consecrate ourselves unto Him and present ourselves daily unto Him, He does this transforming and conforming work.
But we are reminded, very tragically, in 2 Timothy 3, that one characteristic of the last days will be an outward form of godliness, with very little inward life and reality. Our Lord always comes back to this matter of the heart. He is looking for an inward life of reality, a heart with Him—not an outward performance of godliness, but an inward life.
You know, holiness and godliness can seem very ethereal to us. What does this really mean? Being the old accountant, I like to see things. What does this look like? What does a people of holy conduct and godliness look like?
I would like for us to look this morning at the condition of those living at our Lord’s first coming. If we look back at the people waiting for and hastening the coming of our Lord in His first coming, we see, in flesh and blood, those who lived lives of holy conduct and godliness and hastened His first coming.
There are many lessons from them that we can learn in a practical way to help us live in this hour. So let us turn back to Luke 1 and 2.
We are not going to focus so much on the events in Luke 1 and 2, but more on the people in these two chapters. At our Lord’s first coming, there was a small remnant—a few who were living lives of holiness and godliness.
At our Lord’s second coming, He is looking for that corporate vessel. Just as He had those ones, that remnant, to usher in His first coming, at His second coming there will be that remnant. He is looking for that corporate vessel to usher in His second coming.
Outwardly, everything was flourishing at His first coming. The temple had been rebuilt, though it is interesting that it was called Herod’s temple, not the Lord’s temple. There was much outward activity: the Pharisees, the scribes, and the sacrificial system. Everything was going on.
To use a phrase Dana used at the conference, during this time there was a lot of beauty, but there was no glory. The Lord is looking for glory.
There are many parallels to the days we are living in today. Throughout Christendom, there is much activity. Throughout Christianity, we see much going on in the name of the Lord—much happening, much activity, much beauty. But is the glory of the Lord there? Is His heart satisfied there? There may be much knowledge about Him, but little knowing of Him.
At His first coming, we see ones holding to a form of godliness. They were obeying laws and carrying on the sacrificial system, but there was very little inner reality. In spirit and reality, there was a degenerated priesthood. Instead of serving the Lord, they were serving their own interests.
But praise God, even though there were four hundred years between Malachi and the Gospel of Luke—the four hundred silent years, because there is no record of God speaking—He was still working. He was preparing a people.
Those who had an ear to hear could hear the voice of the Lord, and they responded. They were hidden ones, ones who had learned the Lord in their hearts. To the world, they were small and insignificant, hardly noticed. But to God, they were His chosen ones, those to whom He would reveal His beloved Son.
We see Zacharias and Elizabeth; Joseph and Mary; shepherds out in the field watching flocks; Simeon and Anna; and many unnamed ones looking for the consolation of Israel. They had their hearts upon His interests. They were not looking for their own consolation. Their hearts were set upon having His heart satisfied.
These ones shared many characteristics. Each one was faithful in daily life, and each one was faithful right where he or she was. Elizabeth and Mary were in their homes, doing the dishes, preparing meals, doing laundry, and taking care of things. Zacharias, Simeon, and Anna were in the temple. The shepherds were in a field watching sheep.
The Lord looked upon them and saw them being faithful. Faithfulness, brothers and sisters, is not so much the place where you are, but what God has put in your hands. God is calling each one of us to be faithful right where we are.
So often we find ourselves at work, behind a desk, on a project, on a construction site, or at home doing laundry or dishes, and we say, “Oh, if I can just finish this, then I can be about God’s work.” Oh, sisters, that is God’s work—being faithful right where we are with what He has put in our hands at that moment.
We unconsciously divide our lives into religious service and secular service. It is one life He has called us to live. These ones were living one life, faithful where they were with what God had put in their hands.
Through their daily faithfulness, each one had a hidden life with Him. Through that hidden life, the Lord trained them and worked within their hearts, creating a yearning not for their own desires but for His desire—a yearning for the coming of the Messiah.
God did not randomly look around and say, “Oh, there is a Mary; there is an Elizabeth.” No. These ones had a history with Him. They knew Him; they knew His words. They were constrained by the love of the Lord, and it governed their lives.
There was a devotion within them, a setting aside of their own interests. They were living lives of holy conduct and godliness—perhaps not seen by men, but seen by God. God took notice of their faithfulness in the small and mundane things.
They did not have easy lives. They went through suffering and trials, but they were still faithful. This is the heart of one who is hastening the coming of the Lord.
Let us look at Zacharias and Elizabeth in Luke 1. We will read selective verses and touch on only a few aspects of their lives.
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah;
and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.—Luke 1:5-7
Elizabeth and Zacharias came from the priestly family of Aaron. It is a marvelous testimony that the Lord takes time to record how He looked upon them. In the midst of all the decay and degeneration of that time, He saw two who were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
There was a long life of faithfulness unto Him, of knowing the Lord. We can tell later from their prayers that they knew the word of God. When they responded in prayer, they were quoting many of the Psalms and the prophets back to the Lord. The word of God was living in their hearts.
This dear couple was wholly devoted to the Lord. They were not distracted by the things of this world or the worldly system. They were set apart with one purpose: living unto Him. They were not distracted by the cares of life, the dissipation of things, or the seeking of security upon this earth.
We can tell from the chapter that their home had a testimony. Mary came to Elizabeth in a spirit of hospitality, and Elizabeth received her. Their neighbors cared for Elizabeth and rejoiced when they heard that she was with child. Their faithfulness brought forth a testimony in which others could enter into their joy.
But she did not always have an easy life. In her advanced years, she was still barren. In the Old Testament, children were viewed as a blessing from God. Thus, this dear couple went through many years of misunderstanding. According to the prevailing understanding, if one pleased God, God would bless that one with a child and answer prayer.
Yet God said they were righteous and blameless, while it appeared that their prayers were unanswered and that the word of God was not holding true for them. When Elizabeth learned she would bear John the Baptist, she said that the Lord had taken away her disgrace among men.
There were likely murmurings: “Outwardly they look righteous. Why do they have no children? Maybe there is some hidden sin.” She had to live with misunderstanding before men—not before God. Her disgrace was taken away before men, but it had never existed before God.
In spite of that, Elizabeth and Zacharias continued faithfully serving the Lord. Brothers and sisters, one of the greatest tests we face in this hour is the test of being misunderstood. It may come from the world, but perhaps more often from our brothers and sisters.
We must not allow misunderstanding to become a stumbling block or permit ourselves to become offended with the Lord. Even though it appeared their prayers were not being answered and the word of God was not holding true for them, did it impact their service to God? No. They continued serving the Lord faithfully because they knew Him.
One day, the angel came and spoke to Zacharias while he was serving in the temple. Yet after the angel spoke, Zacharias continued serving. Luke 1:23 says that when the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home. He did not elevate himself or think, “Now I am exempt from service. I am special.” He continued doing what the Lord had for him.
Even under the discipline of the Lord, he continued. When Zacharias asked how they could have a child, the Lord saw unbelief and said, “I will give you a sign: you will not speak until the child is born.” But even after being rebuked by the angel, it did not impact his service. He continued faithfully fulfilling what he was called to do.
So often, when we are corrected, we pout. Somebody corrects us, or the Lord disciplines us, and we pack up our bags, take our little football, and go home. We sit down until someone comes along with enough sympathy to satisfy our pity meter. Zacharias did not do that. He just kept going.
Brothers and sisters, we are not here for a pity party. We are here for the Lord to touch us. Praise God for the training, discipline, and chastisement of a Father—for our good, for our discipline, and for our training. We do not become pouty; we rise up and keep going on.
God answered the prayers of Zacharias and Elizabeth far beyond anything they could have imagined. They became the parents of the one chosen to prepare the way of the Lord. God did above and beyond what they could ask or think.
We see this often in Scripture: Hannah and Samuel, Sarah and Isaac, Elizabeth and John. At times, when it appears that God is not answering prayers, He is preparing to use us far beyond our own personal interests—for His glory.
The heart of one hastening the coming of the Lord is willing to be misunderstood, unwilling to become offended, and determined to continue serving the Lord in spite of obstacles.
Let us look at Mary in Luke 1:26-29.
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, named Nazareth,
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming in, he said to her, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be.
Mary was of the house of David, likely a young girl, perhaps about fifteen years old. Again, the Lord was not simply looking for anybody. This was not a haphazard choice. He wanted the right vessel.
He saw Mary: one who loved Him, one who had a relationship with Him. He knew Mary, and Mary knew Him. How do we know this? In Luke 1:46-55, Mary’s marvelous prayer, her song of worship and praise, is filled with Scripture—Psalms and the word of God being poured out from her heart back to the Lord.
God chose this young, insignificant one who had a hidden life with Him. She was not living in Jerusalem or even in Judea, but in Galilee, a second-class area. She was from Nazareth. “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Yet there she was.
She was not even in the temple. She was at home, about her daily activities—perhaps laundry, preparing food, whatever she was doing. The angel came in, and the Lord met her.
Mary was not caught up in the fashions or mold of this world. She was caught, captured, and constrained by the love of her God. She was not following all the trends and fashions of her age. She probably did not know the names and birth dates of the Jonas Brothers of her time.
See, if you smiled, you knew who they were. Some of the older ones are still sitting there saying, “Who were the Jonas Brothers?” Jerry, we show our age. It is okay if you do not know them.
But sometimes we can know so much about the things of the world, and they influence us. We follow this trend and that trend. Mary was not caught up by the fashion of the world or the mold of the world; she was caught up by the Lord.
The angel said, “Hail, favored one. The Lord is with you.” The angel did not worship Mary or pray to Mary; he simply addressed her as a favored one. Mary was astonished because, in her own eyes, she was nothing.
There was a genuine spirit of humility within Mary. “Who am I that the angel of God would appear to me and say that I am going to have this Son of the Most High?” But the Lord looks at the heart. He is not looking at outward greatness.
Outwardly, she was simple; inwardly, there was a nobility within her. Inwardly, there was a residence for the King to be born. There was character there, and God saw that character. Mary was not chosen by chance.
Mary and Zacharias both asked how these things could happen. Zacharias asked, “How can this happen? We are old.” Mary asked, “How can this happen? I am a virgin.” What was the difference? It was a matter of the heart.
Zacharias asked in unbelief. Mary was asking a real question. She believed the Lord was able; she was not questioning His ability.
When the Lord explained how it would happen, Mary gave one of the most precious responses:
Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word.
—Luke 1:38
“Be it done to me according to Your word.” She yielded herself totally to the will of God, willing to give up everything for Him. According to the law, an unwed woman with child could be stoned. She was willing to yield Joseph; she was willing to yield her life. She did not know what was before her, but she knew Who was before her.
Brothers and sisters, we often find ourselves not knowing what is before us. But praise God, we know Who is before us.
Mary did not allow the shame of reputation to overwhelm her. Later, in John 8, Jesus was accused of being born in fornication. Those rumors continued. Yet she despised that shame. In many ways, she was like Moses in Hebrews 11, who considered the reproach of Christ greater than the treasures of Egypt.
This is the heart of one who hastens the coming of the Lord. Do we consider the reproaches of Christ greater than the treasures of this world? These are ones who live lives of holiness and godliness.
Mary did not fully know what the future held. She did not fully understand or comprehend everything. Yet we see a repeated phrase in her life: she pondered things in her heart.
But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be.
—Luke 1:29
But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
—Luke 2:19
And His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
—Luke 2:51
Many times we hear things and do not understand them. How do we handle that? Mary saw things and heard things that she did not fully understand, but she kept pondering them in her heart. She kept them in her heart so that the Holy Spirit could work within her and bring them to life.
She did not say, “Oh, that speaker is too hard. I cannot understand that. Forget it. I am going to tune out.” No. She heard the word and said, “Lord, I do not understand it, but I am entrusting it back to You. Guard it.”
“Lord, You have entrusted me with this word, this precious treasure of the word of God. I want to continue to ponder it in my heart and allow You, at the right time, to bring it forth into reality.”
As Mary went through her life, she saw the fulfillment of things that had been spoken early in her life. Brothers and sisters, as we grow in the Lord, all of us encounter things we do not understand. We have a tendency to say, “That is too hard for me. I will let one of the brainier ones handle that,” and push it aside.
No. Let us hold it before the Lord. He has spoken it to us and allowed us to hear those words, that He might breathe upon them with His breath of life. At the right time, they will come forth into fullness. This is the heart of one who is used in looking for and hastening the coming of the Lord.
For Joseph, let us turn to Matthew 1. Matthew 1:19 says:
And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly.
Joseph was a righteous man. Just imagine the situation. Mary comes to her fiancé and says, “Joseph, guess what? I am pregnant. I am going to have a child. Isn’t it great?” Joseph is thinking, “Well, it is not mine.”
She explains that an angel of God came to her and that the Holy Spirit will come upon her. Joseph may have thought, “Maybe she has lost it. Maybe we just need to put her away quietly.” But Joseph was a righteous man. He knew Mary, did not want to put her to shame, and had a heart of compassion.
One of the miracles in Joseph’s life is that he went to sleep that night. But God spoke to him in his sleep and confirmed what Mary had said. Then we read:
And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife.
—Matthew 1:24
One phrase marks Joseph’s life: immediate obedience. God spoke it; Joseph did it. He had the dream, rose from sleep, and took Mary as his wife. God said it; he did it.
We see this again in Matthew 2. When the child was in danger, the angel came to Joseph and told him to flee to Egypt. He arose, took the child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt. The angel said, “Flee,” and they fled. There was immediate obedience—no pausing.
Later, while they were in Egypt, the angel said they could return, and they went back. Brothers and sisters, in the days we are living in, one who has a heart for hastening the coming of the Lord has a spirit of immediate obedience.
How often does a brother or sister come upon our hearts? How often do we think of someone and say, “Maybe I will see them Wednesday. Maybe I will see them Sunday”? Perhaps the Lord is bringing that person to our hearts so that we will call them at that moment and say, “How are you doing? You have been on my heart.”
We love to rationalize, and rationalization always puts things off until tomorrow. “Tomorrow I can do this. Tomorrow I can do that.” But when Joseph heard the voice of God, he obeyed immediately.
We have heard testimonies from Lance about those days before everything took place in Germany, Poland, and among the Jews. Those who responded in immediate obedience fled for their lives and got out. Ones who hesitated did not.
The Lord tells us that if we are on the housetop, we should not go back down into the house—flee. There is enough evidence in Scripture that, in these days, we need to be those who respond to the voice of God when He speaks, because there may not be a tomorrow.
Let us return to Luke and look at the shepherds. They are often overlooked, but we will touch on them briefly. They were in the region of Bethlehem, and tradition says they may have been tending flocks used in temple sacrifices. We do not know this from the word of God, but it makes for a good story and fits in nicely.
If they were tending lambs and sheep that would be used in sacrifice, then the Lord revealed to them the true Lamb of God. One marvelous thing about these dear ones—and it is true of all those in Luke 1 and 2—is that they did not allow their work or occupation to distract them from hearing, seeing, and obeying the voice of God.
So often we can be busy doing something, and God speaks, but we do not hear or do not obey. Praise God, these shepherds were faithful right where they were.
After the angels revealed what would occur, the shepherds displayed immediate obedience:
And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”
And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
—Luke 2:15-16
After seeing Him, they made known the statement that had been told them about this Child. Then the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen.
They did not allow their place of work to distract them from hearing and responding. In immediate obedience, they went to see Joseph, Mary, and the baby.
These dear shepherds were a marvelous gospel band—the first gospel band. On the way, they were sharing the gospel; afterward, they were sharing the gospel. You could not shut them up about all they had seen and heard.
This shows us that those with a heart for the hastening and coming of the Lord will also have a heart for the gospel: that none would perish, but that all would come in.
The next person we encounter is Simeon in Luke 2:25. Joseph and Mary were taking the baby to the temple for dedication.
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
—Luke 2:25
Simeon was another one testified of as righteous and devout. What was he occupied with? Looking for the consolation of Israel, not occupied with his own self-interest. Here again was one with a hidden life, a life with the Lord.
He had learned that nothing upon this earth could satisfy. He had such a life with the Lord that the Lord could tell him, “You are not going to die until you see the Messiah.”
Now, if someone said that to us today, we might set up a huge ministry and a website: “Look what God has spoken to me! Let me tell you everything God has spoken to me!” But God knew Simeon. He knew their relationship, and He knew Simeon would handle it rightly.
The marvelous testimony of Simeon’s relationship with the Lord was that he was in the temple that day. A young couple came in with a baby. Many young couples would have come in to offer sacrifices for their children. But when Joseph and Mary walked in with that Child, something within Simeon recognized the life of the Lord despite the outward form.
He said, in effect, “That is the divine life. That is the One.” Simeon recognized life. He took that baby in his arms, blessed God, prayed for that Child, and prayed for Mary. He had such a relationship with the Lord that he recognized life.
Then he said, “Now I can depart. I have seen the Lord.” Once he saw the Lord, he was ready to go. We do not know how long he lived after that, or much about his earlier life. But we see in Simeon one who was trained to recognize life.
Many will come in His name, saying, “Here is Christ,” or, “There He is.” Do we recognize the life of the Lord? Even when the name of Christ is used outwardly, do we sense when something is not of the Lord? Do we know that life?
Praise God, we still have the time and opportunity to learn of Him as Simeon learned.
Finally, we come to dear Anna in Luke 2:36-38.
And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years, having lived with a husband seven years after her marriage,
and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four.
She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.
And at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
This dear one was serving day and night with prayers and fastings in the temple. In Anna, we see a life of devotion. She was so devoted to the Lord that she had undistracted service. She had been constrained by the love of Christ.
We can look at Anna and say, “Well, she was an old widow. We can understand why she devoted herself to prayer and fasting.” But when did she start? She started as a young widow, after her husband died.
She surely had to overcome loneliness, but praise God, she overcame it; it did not overcome her. She overcame the loneliness of widowhood and allowed the Lord to come in and touch her. When her husband died, what became her priority? The Lord and His house—not her own welfare.
She was looking for the redemption and consolation of Israel and Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, many things were happening outwardly in the temple that were of no value: many sacrifices, much hypocrisy, much outward show. She was grieved, but she persisted in serving the Lord.
She knew in her heart that her labor was not in vain. She did not allow the actions of others, especially the religious leaders, to hinder her service.
So often, we cop out. We say, “I am not going to serve. Look at all that is going on around me.” No. Anna was faithful with what the Lord entrusted into her hands. In spite of hypocrisy and degeneration, she continued faithful in her ministry to the Lord, not distracted by others.
She probably received little outward encouragement. The priests may have ridiculed her: “Oh, here comes Anna again. Who does she think she is? We are the priests. We are the Sadducees. We are the Pharisees.” But it did not impact her service. She continued faithful in spite of the actions of others.
She also continued speaking to others. She sought out and found others looking for the consolation and redemption of Israel. As we seek the coming of the Lord, the Lord will bring across our paths others who are looking for the redemption of Israel.
In Anna, we see one with a heart for hastening the coming of the Lord.
We began with the Scripture: What sort of people ought we to be in holy conduct and godliness? At our Lord’s first coming, we see this little faithful remnant. They had met the Lord and were faithful unto Him. They were small, insignificant, despised, and unnoticed by much of the world and much of the religious world. But God noticed, and He used them.
As we look for our Lord’s soon return, He is again looking for that vessel—that corporate vessel—those faithful ones who will be together with Him, standing for His interests and allowing His very character and nature to be formed within them to hasten His return.
May we learn lessons from these dear ones who were present at the first coming. May we give the Holy Spirit freedom within our lives to work within us, prepare us, and allow us to be used to hasten our Lord’s soon return. Let us pray.
Lord, so often when we think of Your return, preparing for Your return, and hastening it, our eyes reflect back upon ourselves. We get discouraged and say, “There is no way.”
Lord, may we come back to the verse with which we opened this morning. May we look up, for our salvation draws nigh. Lord, may we keep our eyes upon You day by day. May we keep looking up unto You and allow You to lead us, allowing You to do that work of conforming, transforming, and preparing us for Your soon return.
Lord, we pray for Your return and for Your bride to be made ready. In the time while You delay, we also pray that many would come to know You. As we see a lost world and Your return drawing near, may many come to know You.
May many within the church also wake up to the hour that we are living in, that we could be a prepared people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.