What Manner of Person Ought I to Be?

Jesus Needs to be on My Mind

Introduction

Jesus is coming again. And the Apostle Peter declares in 2 Peter 3:12 look for that day. You and I as Christians ought to be looking for Christ’s return. It is a reality; Jesus is coming again. Don’t live your life thinking that all things will continue like they have all your life. When Jesus breaks back into history again, things are going to change.

So, in light of this sure and certain event, Peter asked the question in same chapter, verse 11, “what manner of persons ought you to be?”

And he spends that entire chapter describing for us four things each Christian should possess if we are truly living like Christ is coming back.

Unfortunately, you and I probably can count on our fingers all the Christians that we know that are not living holy lives; they are living like the world. They are giving no thought that today might be the day. They are not prepared to meet their Maker.

And so, my hope, in this series, is that God will push us to examine ourselves to see if you ready if indeed Christ did come today.

Let’s begin with our first characteristics that prepared Christian have that are ready. They have a mindfulness toward spiritual things as they go about their life. Mindfulness means that as you go about your life, as you go about your day, that you are aware of something. For the Christian that thing that you are aware of is that Christ is coming again. So, let us see how that should shape our life, how it should shape our day. Let’s begin with our Scripture.

Scripture

2 Peter 3:1–7 NKJV

1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Point #1

The key to keeping your mind pure is to remember that today may be the day that Jesus returns.

2 Peter 3:1 NKJV

1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),

Guys, you know as well as I do if you all are expecting company to come for the day or a couple of days, your wife has gone through the house cleaning it top to bottom before they arrive. And then she will give you this order- DON’T MESS IT UP.

Well, if we can train our minds to think everyday that today maybe the day that Christ returns then we could keep our minds pure. We would keep our minds clean.

It is when we are not thinking that Christ might come today that Satan has his best shot at polluting our mind. It is when we are not thinking that Christ might come today that our mind can trick us into thinking it is OK although the Scripture prohibits it. It is when we are not thinking that Christ might come today that this world can seep into our minds things that are not pleasing to God.

If we did indeed know that Christ is coming today, there would be a whole lot of Christians cleaning up their lives. Let me give you some examples:

According to an article for Mission Frontier November -December 2020 edition, Barna Research, the Christian Research firm, found that 68% of church-going men and over 50% of pastors view porn on a regular basis. Of young Christian adults 18-24 years old, 76% actively search for porn.

If those people knew that Christ is coming today, I would imagine that there would be a whole lot of cleaning up in their lives going on.

Pastoral Care Inc. published a report in 2022 that indicated that 45 % of all Christian are addicted to gambling of some sort.

If those people knew that Christ is coming today, I would imagine that there would be a whole lot of cleaning of going on in their lives.

Pew Research in a 2019 survey says that thirty three percent of Christians say that sex in an unmarried relationship where there is some type of commitment to each other is always acceptable.

If those people knew that Christ is coming today, I would imagine that there would be a whole lot of cleaning going on in their lives.

Do you know what all this tells me, Christians are living like Christ is never returning again? Don’t deceive yourself- He is coming back.

We need a change- I have got to believe that Christ might come today. Today is the day that I will see Christ.

Point #2

Mindful Christians think Biblically. They run everything through a Biblical filter first before acting on something.

2 Peter 3:2 NKJV

2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,

Maybe you are not a Bible scholar. But each one of us in this room knows enough about Jesus and His Word to filter our lives through what we do know.

But I must caution you, just like the Apostle Peter, cautioned his readers that there are scoffers who will try to get you to drop that filter.

Now scoffer means someone who mocks the Word of God. They might outright deny the Word of God like an atheist, or they might be someone who perverts the Word of God just like Peter described as those that say life will go on like it does now and always did and Christ is not coming back.

I think it is a far statement to say that the scoffers that I have run into more often than not know their stuff than Christians know the Word of God.

And so I challenge you and myself that we need to know the Word of God just as well so that we will see their scoffing for what it is and keep our filter up.

That is why Paul tell us in

2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV

15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

And Peter’s warning is that these filter stealing scoffers will be found in the last day. Well, the last days is the time after Jesus’ Ascension to His Second Coming. If Peter was concerned about these scoffers in his day, how much more should we be concerned because I believe that we are in the last of the last days?

Mindful Christian keep their live pure by thinking Christ may return today. Mindful Christian think Biblically keeping that filter always up. And thirdly,

Point #3

Mindful Christians don’t willingly forget something that they know about Christ and His Word so that they might do what they want rather than what God wants.

2 Peter 3:5–7 NKJV

5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Peter says that these scoffers willfully forgot. Peter is implying that these scoffers knew this truth about the world but that willfully forgot it conveniently so that they can satisfy their lust. Peter said in verse 4 that they were “walking in their own lust”.

I think Christians do the same think. There are times that we know what Jesus desires of us and what His Word says to us and we willing forget so that we can do what we desire rather than God desires. Maybe that is the reason so many Christian men are addicted to pornography. Maybe that is the reason that gambling is such a big problem among Christians. Maybe that is the reason so many Christian live outside the binds of holy matrimony.

Many Christian are bite by willing forgetfulness. And for a Christian that is a dangerous thing to happen because it may take you down a road that you don’t want to travel.

The mindful Christian does not allow his mind to be taken captive by willful forgetfulness.

Conclusion

I need to be mindful:

To live every day as if today is the day that Christ is coming back.

To keep up my filter based upon what I know about Jesus and His Word.

That I can not allow my mind to be overtaken by willing forgetfulness.