Looking: Backward; Inward; Forward

As the year draws to a close, the message calls believers to reflect on the sacred rhythm of looking backward, inward, and forward—honoring the past through faithful remembrance of foundational truths, examining the heart for the presence and growth of Christlike character, and pressing forward with purpose toward spiritual fruitfulness and eternal hope. Rooted in 2 Peter 1, the sermon emphasises that true faith is not static but active, requiring diligent cultivation of virtues such as virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity, which together confirm one's calling and election. The preacher warns against spiritual complacency, rejecting the notion of passive security, and instead calls for a life marked by continual growth, service, and love, grounded in the promise of an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ. This reflection, shaped by the passing of faithful elders and the brevity of life, is both a solemn challenge and a joyful invitation to live with intention, rooted in God's grace and aimed at eternal glory.