2 Peter 3:8-13

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.  Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!  But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

The return of Christ should have massive implications on our lives.  God tells us about His plans for the future as a means of impacting our lives.  We can easily become absorbed in the circumstances of our lives and it is hard for us to imagine that there will be massive changes to our current reality in the future.  It is easy for us to forget the return of Christ and all the changes this will usher into the reality of the world.  The return of Christ should impact our lives and the lives of those around us in three ways.  

SALVATION: God’s timing is rarely the way we would expect it to be.  Being eternal, His perspective on time is far different than ours.  When one-thousand years and one day seem similar, we know that our perceptions about time will be different.  God’s patience can be misinterpreted as indifference, but that is a terrible mistake.  Instead, God’s patience should be understood as graciousness.  He has the right to immediately judge and condemn every person on the planet.  His love and mercy are amazing gifts that demonstrate His desire for all men to be saved.  His delight would be to see all men repent of their sins and turn to Christ in faith that we might all be rescued from sin.   God has determined a time when He will judge everyone.  Once that day arrives it will be too late.  The reality of Christ’s return should motivate people to be saved.

TRANSFORMATION: Holiness is the second response that the coming of Christ should motivate.  It makes no sense to invest our lives in the accumulation of things that are destined for destruction.  The possessions we have should never take priority over the holiness we strive to attain.  The world as we know it and everything on it will be judged and will be destroyed by fire.  This future intervention into the affairs of this world could happen at any time or it could not happen for several thousand more years.  We simply do not know.  Remember that in God’s economy it is only a difference a few days.  The return of Christ to judge should motivate us to be more like Christ in our thoughts, actions, and motives.

ANTICIPATION: Since the return of Christ is certain, we should live with and eager expectation concerning His coming.  Peter tells us we should be waiting for and hastening the coming of Christ.  Waiting does not mean to just “sit around” like we have nothing to do.  It means that we are living with an anticipation of His return.  We have a longing to be like Him and a longing to be with Him.  The idea is to be standing on our tip toes straining to see if He is here yet.  Hastening does not mean that we have control over speeding up the return of Christ.  That day has been determined by the Lord.  I believe it means that we should be dedicated and determined about advancing the mission of Christ on the earth.  If the return of Christ is associated with the accomplishment of the mission of the Father; our efforts to make disciples in all nations will contribute to the approximation of that glorious day when sin shall cease and we will be like Jesus.  

APPLICATION: Don’t become discouraged or begin to doubt the return of Christ because of the amount of time that has passed.  Spread the message of salvation through faith in Christ and warn others of the impending judgment.  Be conformed to the image of Christ while we await the return of Christ.  Fight off discouragement in this sin fallen world with the hope of Christ’s return and helping advance the Gospel to the nations.