Hasten the Day: Living Ready for Christ's Return

Devotional

Day 1: Odysseus’ Trials and the Journey Home

The Christian life mirrors Odysseus’ journey—not merely surviving obstacles but being transformed by them. Trials aren’t roadblocks but refining fires that prepare us for eternity. Just as Odysseus faced challenges to become fit for home, believers are shaped through struggles to become ready for Christ’s return. This process requires surrendering to God’s work, not resisting it. Holiness isn’t self-improvement but divine reshaping. The destination demands a transformed traveler. [32:36]

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

Reflection: What part of your “old self” still resists God’s refining work? How might today’s challenges be preparing you for eternal communion with Christ?

Day 2: The Thief’s Sudden Knock

Eternity hinges on readiness, not schedules. Christ’s return will rupture time like a midnight intruder, exposing what’s hidden and rewarding what’s prepared. This urgency isn’t fearmongering but a love letter—God delays judgment so more may repent. Lives lived for temporary applause will crumble; only what’s built on Christ endures. The clock ticks not toward doom but deliverance. [34:03]

“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.” (2 Peter 3:10, ESV)

Reflection: If Christ returned tonight, what unfinished business would shame you? What evidence of readiness brings you peace?

Day 3: Holy Fire in a Disposable World

God’s judgment isn’t destruction for its own sake—it’s a refiner’s fire purging creation of sin’s contamination. Like gold tested in flames, believers’ works will face divine scrutiny. Wooden religiosity and straw-driven ambitions will ash away. Only Spirit-fueled obedience survives. This truth doesn’t terrify the redeemed; it frees them to invest in eternal currency. [40:16]

“If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved.” (1 Corinthians 3:14–15, ESV)

Reflection: What “good deeds” in your life rely on self-effort rather than the Spirit’s power? What needs to burn so Christ can rebuild?

Day 4: Face to Face in the Unshadowed Place

Present faith walks by dim mirror-glimpses; eternity offers unmediated communion. The separation that haunts even devout believers—the ache of sin’s residue, the fog of indirect revelation—will vanish. Seeing Christ’s scars will rewrite every doubt, every half-hearted prayer. This hope isn’t escapism but the lens that clarifies earthly priorities. [56:36]

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12, ESV)

Reflection: What earthly distraction most clouds your anticipation of Christ’s presence? How might living “face to face” with Him today change your choices?

Day 5: Hastening the Supper of the Lamb

Believers don’t just wait passively—they actively “hasten” Christ’s return through holy urgency. Every repentant sinner, every act of worship, every gospel proclamation pulls eternity’s timeline forward. This isn’t manipulating God but partnering with His patience. The marriage supper isn’t a distant event; it’s a feast being prepared through our obedience. [48:42]

“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!” (2 Peter 3:12, ESV)

Reflection: What specific action today—whether repentance, evangelism, or worship—could “hasten” Christ’s return? How does this urgency shape your view of ordinary moments?

Sermon Summary

Peter takes up the promise of the day of the Lord and presses the big question: if Jesus is coming back, what kind of people should God’s people be? The cry, “God, hurry up,” sounds daring, but it only makes sense if the church is actually ready to go home. The picture of Odysseus going home gives the journey some shape: the trials do not only block the way, they also change a person and make that person ready.

The false teachers said Jesus was not coming soon, and maybe judgment was not coming at all. Peter says that is not true. God is love, yes, and God is patient, yes, but patience is meant to lead sinners to repentance, not to give permission to live however they want. The flood already showed that judgment is real, and the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire.

The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The day is sudden, unexpected, and impossible to control, even though God has already announced it for thousands of years. The heavens will pass away with a roar, the heavenly bodies will be burned up, and everything people trust in will be exposed. God will look at the earth, meaning humanity, and God will judge the works done there.

God’s first question is not simply, “What did you do?” God’s first question is, “Who are you? Do you belong to God or not?” Believing in Jesus means more than knowing that Jesus is God, because demons know that too. Believing means repentance, trusting the cross, and living with Jesus as Lord and Savior. Good works cannot save a person who does not belong to God, because a well behaved sinner is still separated from God.

Peter then turns to believers and asks what sort of people they ought to be. Holy lives and godly lives are not optional extras. Beliefs are the root, and life is the fruit. God’s people cannot produce that fruit by themselves, but God produces fruit as believers stay connected to Christ. The church does not need to fit in; God’s people need to “fit out.”

Waiting for the Lord is not lazy sitting around. Waiting means watching, working, serving, using the gifts God gave, and staying ready like wise virgins with oil. Hastening the day means saying, “Jesus, hurry up,” because nothing could be better than Jesus coming back. His return brings final redemption from suffering, from sin, and from the dim, foggy separation that still remains. Christ will be seen face to face, and the marriage supper of the Lamb will not be imagination anymore. God’s people will eat with Jesus, see the scars that rescued them, and live with him forever.

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Key Takeaways

1. Belonging comes before every work God’s first question reaches deeper than behavior, performance, or religious activity. The decisive issue is whether a person belongs to God through repentance and trust in Christ. Good works cannot climb into heaven, and nice behavior cannot make a rebel into a child. A “well behaved sinner” still needs to become new, not merely nicer. [35:36]
2. Holiness must fit the future Peter’s question, “What sort of people ought you to be?” makes the coming judgment practical right now. God’s people are called to live in a way that matches the future God has promised. Holiness is not image management; it is the visible fruit of belonging to Christ. A life that looks exactly like the world gives the world no reason to see the beauty of repentance. [40:45]
3. Waiting means watching and working Christian waiting is not passive delay or spiritual daydreaming. The wise servant waits by doing the work the Master assigned, caring for the household and using the gifts given. Rest has its place, but buried gifts do not honor the returning King. Faithful waiting keeps oil ready and hands busy. [47:28]
4. Hastening exposes earthly attachments The desire for Christ to hurry up reveals what the heart really loves. If many earthly plans seem better than Jesus returning, then attachment to this world is still too strong. The question is not whether life is a gift, because it is. The question is whether even the best gifts have become more desirable than seeing Christ face to face. [49:37]
5. Communion points to face-to-face joy The Lord’s table looks back to the blood of the covenant and forward to the day Jesus drinks it new in the Father’s kingdom. Communion is not only memory; it is anticipation. The present act still feels partial, but the coming meal will be immediate, visible, and shared with the risen Christ himself. The church tastes now what will one day be enjoyed without fog, distance, or guessing.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:00] - Tell God to Hurry Up
[31:55] - Are You Ready to Go Home?
[32:36] - False Teachers and Delayed Judgment
[34:03] - The Day Comes Like a Thief
[35:36] - Do You Belong to God?
[38:22] - Works, Rewards, and Loss
[40:45] - What Kind of People Should You Be?
[42:34] - Fit Out, Not Fit In
[45:06] - Waiting and Hastening the Day
[49:37] - Why Ask Jesus to Hurry?
[52:08] - Final Redemption from Suffering
[55:41] - Seeing God Face to Face
[59:18] - Living Ready in the Meantime
[66:57] - Communion and Christ’s Return

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

2 Peter 3:10-12
“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!” [34:03]

1 Corinthians 13:12
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” [56:12]

Matthew 25:21
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” [38:44]

John 1:12
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” [36:22]

Observation questions

In 2 Peter 3:10-12, what does Peter say will happen on the day of the Lord, and what kind of lives does he say believers ought to live in light of that?
According to John 1:12, what happens to those who receive Jesus and believe in his name? [36:22]
What two main questions will be exposed on the day of judgment: the question of who a person is, and the question of what that person has done? [35:47]
What pictures are used to describe Christian waiting: wise virgins with oil, servants doing their work, and the hope of seeing Christ face to face? [47:28]

Interpretation questions

Peter says the day of the Lord will come “like a thief.” How does that image shape the way believers should think about readiness, especially when life feels normal and predictable? [34:03]
John 1:12 says believers become children of God by receiving Christ. Why does belonging to God have to come before good works, and why can a “well behaved sinner” still be far from God? [44:17]
Peter asks, “What sort of people ought you to be?” Why is holiness not an optional extra for Christians, but the fitting fruit of a life joined to Christ? [41:39]
Believers are called to wait for and hasten the day of God. What does that reveal about what the heart treasures most, and why might someone hesitate to say, “Jesus, hurry up”? [49:37]

Application questions

If Jesus returned today, would there be eagerness to see him, or a feeling of wanting more time for other plans first? What does that response reveal about present attachments? [51:39]
Belonging to God begins with repentance and trust in Christ. Is there confidence of being a child of God, or has there been more reliance on being decent, helpful, or religious? [36:36]
Holiness is meant to be visible fruit. In what part of life right now would it be easiest to “fit in” with the world rather than “fit out” as someone who belongs to Christ? [42:36]
Waiting for Christ is not passive. What gifts, responsibilities, or opportunities to serve may be getting buried or neglected right now? What would faithful waiting look like this week? [48:16]
People do not only need to become nicer; they need to become new. In conversations with children, friends, neighbors, or other believers, is the focus mostly on behavior, or on repentance and new life in Christ? [44:11]
Christ’s return means final redemption from suffering, sin, and the remaining fog of separation. Which part of that future most strengthens endurance right now: no more suffering, no more sin, or seeing Christ face to face? Why? [52:08]
Communion points forward to eating with Jesus in his kingdom. How could that coming face-to-face joy reshape the way this group encourages one another in ordinary weeks of work, suffering, and waiting? [57:30]

Sermon Clips

59s

#BecomingChildrenOfGod

“``Help people to become children of God. Not just to become better people, nicer. You know, oftentimes we we talk about talk a lot about behavior. Right? Oh, a Christian does this. A Christian doesn't do this. And there's there's a lot on behavior. And it's important, but that's not the first thing. You care for you care for your children, you bring them up, for your neighbors. Later we'll have AIA, VBS, oh, make sure the kids behave. Yeah, there's something to it, but children and people, we don't don't need to become nice. That's not the first thing. People need to become new. Not nice. Nice is an effect, it's a fruit, but you have to change first. Don't just tell people, hey, just behave and then you're okay. No. You're not okay. You're just a well behaved sinner. Okay? If you're separated from god, it means nothing. The works are nothing.”

58s

#LiveHolyLives

“Put your faith into practice. Live a life that's different, not unholy, not ungodly. Don't live like the world. I just need to fit in. No, you don't need to fit in. You need to fit out. Okay? You need to be different. Live a life so people can see that you are dedicated to God. Being God's people means we live like God's people. We need to live holy lives. And it's not just for our sake that we honor God, that's important, but also for the sake of others. For the sake of those who don't believe yet because God is patient. He's waiting. How will they be convinced? How can people say, yeah, I want to follow God? If we live the same way as they do, there's nothing, well, whatever. It's just in their mind. There has to be a difference.”

50s

#BelongToGod

“And then God will come, and the earth and the works on it will be exposed. The earth, meaning you dig in, you see the dirt, and it's not about the dirt. Okay? The earth meaning us, people, humanity, we will be exposed. God will look at us and the works that we have done. God will judge, and then he will praise, or he will condemn accordingly. And, I think he will probably ask two questions, something like this. First, the earth, the people. He will ask us not just what you've done, that comes later. First of all, who are you? Do you belong to God or not? That's the first question. That is the most important question we need to answer for ourselves before he comes back. Do you belong to God?”

52s

#LiveWhatYouBelieve

“You must be a certain kind of people. It's not a command. You need to change because you don't change yourself. Change your heart. God has to change you. So he has to change you because Peter's writing already to the believers. So, you're god's elect, and he says, you need to live like that in lives of godliness, of holiness. You are god's people, so your life should show that. It has to be seen in your life, not just in your beliefs. Beliefs are important. They are the foundation, the root, and life is the fruit. Right? You are a child of God. Let that be seen in your life.”

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