Why Am I Here?
You're welcome and Welcome to our third message in 1st Peter 2. They were going to finish up chapter one. Then just give you a couple of words of review for messages 1 and 2 in message number to one which was verses 1 and 2. We learned our identity. Remember we were talking about identity politics and how and identity politics. We let one thing identify us and control all other things and I was saying for up surprisingly. That's a good thing. As long as you pick the right identity skin color is too small economic status is too small that is not our identity are identity is the we are elect Exiles. We talked about both of those words and the Deep significance of them week one week to last week. we're talking about some of the Ramification some of the consequences of that because we are elect Exiles. We have a Living Hope And you know what? The Living Hope is the Living Hope that Jesus is the Jesus Christ resurrected in bodily form and lives forever. And we're next were next because he rose from the dead we can hope to raise rise of the dead and we're going to be just like him. We have a Living Hope and imperishable inheritance everything about the world we live in is perishable. It will fade. It will go away. But our inheritance is quite different. It is imperishable. Today we want to ask the question. So why am I here? No, I don't mean so why am I here as in why do I exist? What's the purpose of life? I mean, why are we here? I mean if if we have a Living Hope of being resurrected if we have an imperishable inheritance, and if that is superior to what we're experiencing in every way more intimacy with God more health and vigor. Why don't we go now? Why doesn't God just translate us to heaven now? Why are we here?
Friends the Bible answers that question we're here because our Earthly life. This is important. Listen our Earthly life. Is the only opportunity we have to participate in God's Redemption plan.
When we get to heaven, we will have no interaction with unbelievers. We will have no opportunity to demonstrate to a skeptical world how we're supposed to live. The Reason God doesn't take us to heaven right now is because we have a mission and our mission is to live in such a way that people will look at us and say that's how life is supposed to be lived. Life was designed to be live like that guy's living it. So today's messages on how is life designed to be live and we see four important points. Now. We have a shorter time today and a bigger passage. So we don't have time to go through in our conventional phrase by phrase. But I think I can show you the four main points of this passage and how we can apply it to our lives. How was life designed to be lived? It was designed to be lived with the right focus and we see that in verse 13. therefore notice this word therefore
Therefore means as a consequence of everything. We just rip it written hate that you guys pick up the fact that were elect Exiles. Did you guys pick up the fact that we have a Living Hope in and imperishable heritance? Yeah. Well because all that's true therefore. I'm about to say something that slows as a natural cut. I'm not talkin to not elect not exiled. I'm talking to you. I'm not talking to people that don't have a living. Hope I'm not talking to you because you are who you are there for? We're preparing our minds for action and being sober minded. We have a mission to accomplish there is stuff to get be getting done. And the first thing we need to do to get that stuff done, which is really surprising. This is not the way we think at all is to set our hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. May I say life was designed to be lived by thinking about where we're going. Our heritage in heaven should be top-of-mind all the time. Meditating meditating on the grace that is going to be brought to us. When Christ comes back when we do this when we are hopefully looking at the Revelation that is going to come to us. What happens is we start to prepare our minds for action and we become sober minded this flows as a consequence when we set our hope fully on the grace that will be brought. Do you do that? Do we do that? Do you think about what is going to happen when Christ return and he evaluates your life and rewards you and it brings you into heaven because when we live with that focus when we live with that future focus, our minds are prepared for action in the present. We become sober minded in the present because we're thinking about the future. And by the way, let me just point out these words set your hope. This is a choice. This is a choice God doesn't command us to do things that we can't do set your hope means that we get to choose where we set our hope and it is not in extinguishing your mortgage. It is not in the next raised. It is not in covid finally being over our hope is on the grace that we will see when Jesus returns. We should be thinking constantly about that day and knowing that we are God's children now, but what we will be has not yet appeared. Everything we can imagine is not good enough. But we know when he appears we shall be like him. We will get new bodies. We will be perfect moral copies of Jesus Christ. We will be free from the evil from the Fallen nature that is tugging at our hearts even now. And we will see him as he is. We see through a cloud Darkly now, we will see him with our own eyes as he really is by the way this changes our perspective on life entirely.
You know, this does not change the situations that were in but it does change how we see these situations and perspective is so important. Can I show you this this is a painting? This was painted in 1533. I think it's called the ambassadors look at it. Do you notice anything?
Do you know what is this right here? What is that? Call Bob blocher. I'm not sure what that is. That's because you're not looking at it from the right perspective the artist designed this painting to only be able to tell the message to the painting on what the Bloch is. If you come along here's the painting if to come along the side and you have to look right down there and then you'll see what that blotches is. A matter of fact, let's do that right now.
The painting is not changing. The perspective with which we're looking at the painting is changing.
Do you see what it is?
This is the message of the painting the artist that painted this picture have a life model. You know what it's like model was remember you will die. That was his wife bought at remember don't think this is going on forever. Remember you will die. So he put that symbolist all in there in a way that you could only see it from one perspective. By the way, that's the message this morning. Remember you will die. But the image is not a skull. It's a crown. We are going to die when when look at life from the right perspective from the right Focus Everything Changes.
And by the way, this has a direct influence on how we behave when we set our hope fully on the grace that's going to come. This is what we're thinking about. This is our inner life.
But you know what inner life always flows into outer.
walk
because when we said our heart fully on the grace, when were preoccupied with what is going to come we live holy in all our conduct. The inner Life by the way, this is a Axiom of Life inner life. Always always always flows to Outer walk people that live the secret lives and I'm all these eventually it's going to come out because you cannot stop the progression in her life will always demonstrate into outer walk. But when when it are in her life, when our imaginings when our thoughts are focused on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Then we it affects our older walk. We become Holy by the way notice that I skipped over verse 14. There's another choice in here. If you don't allow God to transform you into someone wholly then something else begins to happen. We are conformed kids watch your sermon notes. If we are not transformed then we will be conformed. And by the way, these words are very different transformed Romans 12:1 and to do not be conformed but be transformed the Greek word transformed is metamorphoo. Can you guess what English word we get metamorph Route 4 from metamorphoo metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is not a caterpillar becoming a bigger caterpillar. It's not even a caterpillar growing two more legs. It's a caterpillar becoming a butterfly something completely different conformed is not transformed conformed needs to be pushed into a mole. Every human heart will either be transformed into hole in image of Holiness or conformed to the passions of our former ignorance. I'm by the way, these passions are different with everybody you guys hear your passions are super materialistic. You're constantly thinking about a bigger house. Now you guys hear your passions are very sensual. You're always talking about the physical world. You guys hear you're all men Pleasers you're constantly thinking about becoming more popular and what you need to do to sell out to the crowd more yet. We all have different aspects of sin circulating in our hearts. But if we do not allow God to transform us, we will be conformed you to yours you to use your to yours me to mine and you know what that always results in. It always results in sin. This is the picture of society before God brought the flood. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of the heart were only evil. Continually. This is what happens if we will not allow our hearts to be transformed. They will be conformed to evil not everybody has a different flavor of evil some aspects of evil do not do not really attract me some really attract me you may be different the point is if it if we're not transformed we will be conformed.
Successful Earthly life results in the right Focus, but not only that the right fear. 417 and if you call on him as father who judges impartially according to each one's Deeds conduct yourselves with fear. This is the fear of the Lord. This is not some parabolas paralyzing fear that we're just scared little bunny shaking. This is the fear of God's discipline. This is the awareness. The God is constantly watching and evaluating everything. We do sink and see say Did an impartial judge is actually watching hearing evaluating everything we do think and say this is the fear of God's discipline. This is a fear of God Scott fatherly displeasure. and it invites us to see we see our heavenly father is The provider of a savior. Yes, that's absolutely true. But he is also our judge and when he judges he judges impartially. He judges our work as it really is this is described in the Bible. There is a day coming where God the Father will judge our work. It's described here. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him him being the father. Why because we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ. What's going to happen at the judgement seat of Christ? Each one will receive what is due for what he has done in the body whether for good or for evil.
Prince we need to live in the light of the right fear knowing that God is evaluating everything. We do say and think here and that there will be a day where he impartially accurately. judges our work How is he going to do that? He's going to do that on the basis of what we got. We will be judged on the basis of what we've received Luke 12:48 too much as who is to whom much is given much as expected. What if we've been given what we've been delivered out of feudal ways and perishable things feudal ways mean.
The root word here means meaningless. We were living a meaningless life that added up to nothing. We've been delivered from that. We've been delivered if we are not any longer living a futile meaningless life that won't add up to anything. We've also been delivered from perishable things perishable doesn't mean meaningless perishable means temporary.
We were living a life where everything we accomplished was temporary and they would be wiped out eventually. We've been delivered from all that and we have been delivered to the precious blood of Christ. Not meaningless. Not temporary.
Friends think of it when the father says to us. I delivered you out of feudal ways. I delivered you from pressure from perishable things. I delivered you with the precious blood of Jesus. Can you tell me what you did with that?
That day will come. And life lived now knowing that that's coming provides us with a healthy and appropriate fear. Because they successful Earthly life has the right Focus. has the right fear and that's the right frame life is designed to be lived with the right frame, you know, the frame can affect a lot of different things. Sometimes you can't tell one thing from another unless the frame is right. What is this a picture of
Take a guess in your own mind. What is that a picture of very hard to stay because I provided you with the wrong frame. Here's the right frame. Oh, I know exactly what it is. What's that a picture of
what is that? Very hard to tell because I put the wrong frame around this picture. That's what it is.
What's that?
Very hard to tell very hard to tell you can look at that for a long time and you guitar strings threads. I don't know. I don't know what that is. It's easy to tell when you have the right frame. It's the pages of a book. What's this?
What is that? Very hard to tell it's very hard to make heads or tails out of this because it has the wrong frame. Here's exactly the same picture with the right frame. It's a match you were looking at the flame. Life is hard to make sense of when you're looking at it with the wrong frame. You can't make heads or tails out of it with you come to all sorts of wrong conclusions when you come at life from the wrong frame. What's the right frame? The right frame is revealed here. This is talking about Christ. You don't priced was manifest in these last times. That's when he came to Earth, you know, we're entering the Christmas season and we are going to celebrate the manifestation of Christ being born. We didn't know he's going to be born. We didn't always going to be brought to surprise. It was a surprise to Joseph. It was a surprise to Mary. It was a surprise for the wise man. It was a surprise to everybody because it was only manifest in the last time but you know what it was for Nolan before the foundation of the world. What is being manifest is already born three planned? It looks surprising to us. But it is not surprising to God. This is not only the pattern for Jesus death. This is the pattern for history. As we see each day of our life unfold become manifest, you can be sure that it was for known before the foundation of the world feels a lot different when you think you're in this random little Universe fanfic.
We are given to a spirit of fear. By the way, you guys might have serious car accidents today and you guys might already have cancer. You just don't Maybe. When you're just living in this random Universe you live in fear of what might happen. Next. We are not living in a random Universe. This is the right frame to understand the world end. Is that the history of being manifest? Yes. It is being revealed at approximately 24 hours everyday. Approximately once every 30 days we find out another 30 days of the plan, but that's just from our point of view as it's being manifest history was actually for known before the foundation of the world. God is in control everything feels different Everything feels different when you realized we are in the middle of the master plan. This is not some crazy roulette wheel. We are not Bob's of quarks of pieces of cork bobbing on a angry ocean. We are part of a beautiful plan.
A successful Earthly life has the right Focus the right fear the right focus on the glory that will be ours the reward that will be ours the right fear of knowing that God is constantly evaluating and and will bring an account the right frame of knowing we're not living in a random Universe. We are living in a perfectly ordered Universe. We are executing a plan that was developed and designed by a god that is completely wise completely powerful and completely loving and not only that but a life lived on Earth to attract people to the Savior has the right fruit. And what is that fruit? Sincere brotherly love this key word here sincere is the opposite of hypocrisy.
You don't have pieocracy in ancient days you had actors and they would have masks in their masks masks are not those kind of mess. They would have mass and they would have one that's a happy face and they would put it up and say their lines and then the characters that they put up another mask, but they're real face was always behind the mask. You never knew what they were really feeling. That's where the word hypocrisy comes from our sincere love when we live with the right Focus the right fear the right frame it produces the right fruit and the right fruit. That is so wrapped up. The people people want to belong People know they're Sinners. They know they're weird, but they want someone who knows how weird they are and love them. Anyway, that's us. That's awesome. That's why we're here. That's why we haven't been transported to Heaven we've got work to do and by the way in 3 trillion years, you will be a wise in 3 trillion years you will be alive but this is your only little 70-year segment to get this work done. This train will never come by again.
When the locusts eat this it will never be restored. This is our only opportunity. Did you notice inverse?
Just give me a second here in verse 17. We're talking about the fear his conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your Exile throughout the time of your Exile. We our we are elect exiled. That's our identity. We are elect Exiles but only one of those words as permanent. We will always be elected, but we will not always be exiled. This is the only time in our existence that we will be exiled in the enemy's land and this is the time this is the time to live. With the right Focus the right fear the right frame and produced this right fruit of sincere brotherly. Love.
How do you stay focused on these great things. I'm convinced on I want my life. And by the way times are running out. I want my life to be lived in such a way that it partners with God's Redemptive work in the only time in history that I can partner with his Redemptive work in this way. How do I do it? It's interesting that the passage ends. with the statement of scripture That it is not like black grass not like flowers. It remains forever. He's quoting here from Isaiah 40 vs 6 and 8 and I would just say the way we keep our life oriented on this fourfold path is to have strong daily doses of scripture. I just wanted to end by reminding you of something that we talked quite a while ago. This was a four-week series, which I'm about to put into less than 4 minutes, but we read the scripture because it is scan. The Bible is scan scan. The Bible is sufficient. The Bible is sufficient. The Bible itself says everything we need for life and godliness is in the Bible. Everything now is everything we need for figuring out how to livestream is that in the Bible know you're going to need another book for that is everything in the Bible for investment strategies for your rrsp know you're going to have to talk to somebody about that. But if you're is life and godliness everything you need is in the Scriptures. It is sufficient. Not only is it sufficient. It is clear. I'm not saying there aren't mysterious parts of the Bible. I'm not saying that there are parts of the Bible that we might disagree on but the major messages are clear. They've always been clear. Everything we need to know to be saved is exceedingly clear. The Bible is sufficient. It is clear. It is authoritative. We don't get the Bible's opinion. When the Bible speaks the discussion is over. The Bible is our final Authority. It doesn't share its opinion. It solves the issue. It doesn't give him something to think about it establishes. The truth. The Bible is sufficient clear authoritative and necessary. We cannot we cannot. maintain this life without the scriptures we would never come to these conclusions the things the Bible says, you know, why every single religion in the world says the basic problem is education you need to do these things and I perform these rituals and know these facts, you know, why every religion says that that's what we want to hear.
One would write a book that says you're the problem. your sinful your heart is deceitfully wicked. Don't trust it. Let me tell you how to get saved. You can't let me tell you what the way out is. There isn't one. Let me tell you what you can do. There is nothing. But there's a God who has done everything for you. No one would write a book like that. The Bible is necessary because in our fallen State we will never come to the right conclusion. The Bible is sufficient clear authority of necessary. The Bible is scanned. And so I would just conclude this morning by saying we are here on Earth. Anyways, we haven't been taken to Heaven here. We are at 1201 Ravenscroft Road on October 11th at 10:45. We're here anyway. So why do we do what we're supposed to do? Why don't we just work on the mission and live lies with the right Focus? the right seer the right Spirit frame the right fruit as God continues to work through Us in work that can only be done, right? now the night is coming. The season is ending. the time for harvesting is now