Closing Thought: Church, we keep ourselves in the love of God because God is keeping us by His power. And as we contend for the faith, we do so knowing that one day He will present us before His glory with great joy.

Closing Thought:Peter's final command is simple but profound: do not drift, grow. The Christian life is sustained not by spiritual autopilot but by continual dependence on Christ through His Word. Stability comes from being anchored in truth, and maturity comes from knowing Jesus more deeply. As we wait for the coming Day, we must guard our hearts from error and pursue growth in grace. In all of this, the goal remains the same: to bring glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ both now and to the day of eternity.

The Day is certain, and when it comes you will be found. The decisive question will not be how impressive your life appeared, but whether you are found in Christ; clothed in His righteousness, at peace through His blood, and living in a way that reflects that union. The patience of God you are experiencing right now is mercy, giving space for repentance and faith and fueling our mission of reconciliation. So be diligent: rest in Christ alone, fight sin earnestly, pursue peace sincerely, and live in light of the coming Day. When that Day comes, how will you be found? May you be found spotless in the Spotless Lamb and at peace before God.

Because this present world is passing away, do not give your heart to it as though it were permanent. Christ has already borne the judgement that was coming for you, and He has secured a kingdom that cannot be shaken. You are not waiting for wrath, you are waiting for renewal. So live as citizens of the world to come. Let the certainty of His return loosen your grip on what is temporary, steady your soul in a restless age, and stir you to holiness. The King is coming, and He is preparing you for a world in which righteousness dwells.

We are living in the silence of God's patience. The Lord who stands outside of time has fixed a day for Jesus's return into time. It is appointed; settled; immovable. Christ is reigning now, and He is not waiting on world events or human progress. He is gathering every one of His sheep. Not one will be missing--not one overlooked. When the very last elect sinner is brought to repentance, when the final heart is broking and the final name written in the Lamb's Book of Life believes, that will be it. God's patience will have accomplished its purpose. Then suddenly and decisively, the Day of the Lord will come. The heavens will roar; the fire will fall; the silence will end. Do not mistake delay for safety. The only reason judgment has not already come is because mercy is still at work. But when mercy has gathered the last of Christ's own, patience will give way to glory and judgment, at once. Therefore, be sure you are in Christ, because when the last sheep comes home, the door will be shut.

Closing Thought: The Lord knows. He knows how to rescue the righteous, and He knows how to judge false teachers whose end is destruction. Therefore we must be alert and discerning, recognizing false teachers by their fruit, rejecting their false teaching, and avoiding their influence rather than following them into eternal ruin. And because we trust that God will save His people, we will give careful attention to the Word of God, the Scriptures, the Bible, the faith once delivered to all the saints.

Closing Thought: There is nothing new under the sun. False prophets and false teachers have always been among God's people from the false prophets of the Old Testament, to the Pharisees in Jesus' day, to the Judaizers of the first century, to false teachers today. Their end is destruction. We must know the truth, lest we follow their lies straight to hell.

This message was presented during the 2026 annual End Abortion Iowa conference. While the law can restrain it cannot raise the dead. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can do both.

Closing Thought: The majesty of Christ, once revealed and confirmed by eyewitnesses, is now permanently secured for us, beloved, in the Spirit-inspired Scriptures, which point us to Him and comfort us until His return in power and great glory.