Staying on Target... (9)

Living with eternity in mind...

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been paying attention to the move of God that started in a Chapel service at Asbury University/Seminary in Kentucky.

To hear stories of a young man that had given his life to Christ in the last couple of years, and to see how fired uo he was about what God was doing and how he had experienced a powerful encounter with God.

There was another interview that really caught my attention. It was probably a man that was in his later seventies. He had been ra student when a revival took place in Asbury in 1970.

As they were interviewing him, it wasn’t hard to see how moved he was that God was doing a work in the seminary again.

He talked about the powerful move of God in 1970, and he hadn’t even attended one of the services yet, but he had a real longing to experience the presence of God like he had in his twenties.

A question was asked that really caught my attention. “How did that impact your ministry in the years to come?”

Here’s the response:

“Just unfortunately… the carnal flesh forgets. I immediately became an associate pastor in a large church in Memphis…just somehow the forgetfulness of the flesh.”

He went on to say, “I didn’t stay on my knees like I should have, thanking God for what He did here and allowed me to be a part of…and I got further and further away from that...”

“So that’s one of the reasons I’m here is to return to that sense of God’s presence and glory and call...”

When we experience a move of the Holy Spirit in our lives, it’s true that we can’t stay up on the mountain, but I believe that we need to remember how God has impacted us, and we need to keep on being filled with the Spirit so that we won’t become ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This morning, my desire is that each of us would leave here with a greater desire to live with eternity in mind.

Let’s read,

2 Peter 3:11–18 NLT

Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction. You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.

How do we stay on target?

As we bring this series to a close, I want us to focus our attention on what really matters. It doesn’t take much to distract us. It could be a crisis, maybe our car breaks down, a job offer, it could even be an opportunity of a lifetime, and the list can go on and on.

Not every distraction is a bad thing in and of itself, but if it takes our primary focus off of God, then it’s wrong.

You’ve maybe heard the slogan,

There’s no place like home...

Maybe you’ve been somewhere on holidays, travelled on a missions trip, been away to a conference, and you get home to your own bed, and there’s just something about your pillow, your mattress, or you duvet...

I’m sure that we all have our favourite chairs, cups that we like to drink our coffee in, and silverware. When Donna and I got married, the Bay was the store that we registered with. We got plates, glasses, cups, and silverware. The silverware might be fancy, but I prefer the old silverware. It’s cheaper and plainer , but it doesn’t fall off the plate. It’s weighted better.

But

Where’s home?

Maybe you’ve heard sayings:

Home is where your heart is...

If that’s the case,

Where is our hearts?

Matthew 6:21 NLT

Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

When Lot. Abraham’s nephew, and his family were running away from the cities of

Sodom and Gomorrah, his wife turned back to look. It must have been hard to run from God’s wrath, maybe it was her house, or the clothes that she was leaving. It could have been the food that was in the house, but her desire was still there.

Who or what has our heart?

Philippians 3:18–21 NIV

For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Are we living for the present? Do we have our eyes fixed on earthly goals, or are we living with eternity in mind?

It’s too late to start living with eternity in mind if we wait until we enter eternity.

Jesus said,

John 14:1–3 ESV

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

This earth is not our home. We are just here passing through.

We haven’t seen heaven, and yet we believe in Heaven. We haven’t seen Jesus but one day, we will see Him face to face. We walk by faith, and not by sight.

Because of all that is going to happen,

What kind of lives should we be living?

2 Peter 3:11–13 NLT

Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

We can put our hope in this life, but it is like a morning fog that passes by so quickly.

We can put our hope in our possessions, but too soon they will be gone. Sometimes heirlooms last from generation to generation, but the white picket fence needs to be repainted, the car gets scratched up or rusty, the furniture wears out from being used. The dishes break and even money can lose its value.

In view of Peter’s prophesy that everything will be destroyed, what kind of holy and godly lives should we be living?

2 Peter 3:14 NIV

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

House for sale

When we were renting Pastor Kevin & Rachelle’s house, often we’d get a call, is it okay to show the house tomorrow at 6:00pm.

This gave us 24 hours to make sure that the house was ready to be presented for potential owners. If the garbage was left in the garbage can, if clothes were laying on the floor, if the dishes were on the counter, this would have reflected really poorly on us.

If Jesus came back

What would you want him to find you doing?

Peter instructs us to

Make every effort

to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with Him.

How is this possible? How can I be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with God? Let’s see what the Scripture says,

1. The righteous will live by faith

Romans 1:17 NIV

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Faith is being certain of what we hope for.

2. Jesus took our place...

He was made sin

We can’t earn righteous standing in God’s sight based on our own merits. Our righteousness is like filthy rags, but here’s our hope

2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

3. We have peace with God

Romans 5:1–5 NIV

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Because of what God the Father has done through Jesus, we have gained all of this: we are made spotless, blameless, and have peace with God. Does this give us the right to live however we want to?

Romans 6:1–2 NIV

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

In verse 15, Peter wants us to

Remember our Lord’s patience...

2 Peter 3:15 NLT

And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—

There are two things that we can do if we want to speed up the Lord’s return.

We can pray

that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world, the promise is that the end will come.

Secondly,

We can share the gospel...

There will come a time when the last person that will be saved before God says it’s time, will be saved. Then the rapture of the church will take place. Let’s bring everyone we can to Christ. Even though we don’t know when, let’s be doing what God calls us to do.

The question may be raised, “What about believers in the Tribulation?”

Yes people will be saved in the Great Tribulation, but anyone who takes the mark can’t be saved.

Peter warns Christians to

Be on your guard...

We don’t need to listen to every internet preacher. There is so much information on the web, so many books that have been written, so many podcasts that we can follow, we really need discernment.

We don’t need to learn a bunch of new doctrines that come from twisting the Bible. Paul told Timothy that the day would come when people would not put up with sound doctrine.

We have an enemy roaming around looking for someone to devour.

We shouldn’t follow every wind of teaching. We need to test all things.

Ephesians 4:11–16 NIV

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Peter closes his book with these words

2 Peter 3:18 NIV

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Grace

can mean

Jon Courson’s Application Commentary Grow in Grace

unmerited favor, undeserved kindness, unearned blessing. Grace is God giving to us not because of what we do, but in spite of what we’ve done.

I believe that God’s grace is represented in us by the Holy Spirit working in us to make us who He wants us to be so that we can accomplish what He calls us to do. (Froese)

and

the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Ephesians 3:16–19 NIV

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

May Christ be glorified, exalted, lifted up, and magnified. For He is worthy of all praise and honour.

Let’s pray!