How many of us have heard it said from some one near to us, “If you love me, you will love me as I am.” It is the nature of true love to love what is unlovely and even the unlovable. As we read our bibles we find that the word for this deep love is agape. Romans 5:8 “But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” This means that God’s love is able to find us. He loves me just as I am. Real loves us not leave us just as we are but changes us so we can become what we are meant to be.
The world-famous author, Rudyard Kipling received a rejection letter after applying for a job with a newspaper, it said, ’Sorry Mr. Kipling, but you just don’t know how to use the English Language.’ After a lifetime of defeats, at 62, Winston Churchill became one of Britain’s greatest Prime Ministers. Einstein’s schoolteachers described him as, mentally slow, unsociable and adrift in his foolish dreams. By age 46, Beethoven was completely deaf, yet he wrote some of his greatest symphonies without hearing a note. Life is about overcoming! You conquer one mountain, and then before you know it you’re faced with the next; a bigger one. Remember Peter, who denied Jesus in a moment of weakness, and Jonah who ran from the call of God because he was afraid? We can all mess up or want to give up. In every story of victory there are chapters of defeat. But by God’s grace you can overcome! That’s why the Bible says: ’The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.’ Hudson Taylor, an amazing missionary said, ’Many Christians estimate difficulty in the light of their own resources, thus they attempt very little and they always fail. The real giants have all been weak people who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and His presence to be with them.’ Bottom line: God has got your back; don’t worry about failing, worry about what you’re going to tell God if you don’t even try! Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." MT 6:34. After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
God’s love takes us in our unlovely state and restores us to what we were made to be.
2 Pt 1:1-9
We need to add to our faith Godliness
This comes from 1 Pt 1:16. The work to add on godliness means to become holy, pure and Christ like. It might seem as we look at this that the work of conversion from being a child of the devil to being a child of God was simple in what we are looking into today. When we come to Christ in repentance and receive His forgives for our sins he makes us a new person with new desires and way of living. Godliness is something that we have to add on to our faith in which we are live like Christ all the time. God can save a person from sin in an instant but to be godly is a work that continues and we can not be idle in working at that. As you remember last week we talked about perseverance which means to stand your ground and hold on to what you have. This comes in the middle of the add on list because it will take this to complete the rest of the list. James 1:4 “Endure until your testing is over. Then you will be mature and complete, and you won’t need anything.” The question we ask is how mature are you in your faith?
Godliness is going to come in two messages and the first one is In your heart set apart the Lord Jesus as Lord of your life. The second message is to set your eyes upon the Christ as Lord. We will cover the first part this morning and the other next Sunday the Lord willing.
Godliness is Christ likeness. We read in 1:3 that we have everything we need for life and godliness. Godliness is a description of an innermost quality that is set totally upon God, for His kingdom and for His purposes. It simply means all of life is God-centered. We look at 1 PT 3:15-16 to help us understand this better. “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.”
You are to set your heart apart that Christ is Lord of all. When godliness shows up in our thinking our talk or our deeds it has to come with what we do with Jesus. What we might say “is Jesus at your table or is He outside knocking on the door?” “Are you telling Him what is happening or are you listening for Him to let us know what really is?” It needs to be Jesus in your heart set apart and all else of life comes from that. We need to say who Jesus is and what is His desires is to be the standard we go by. So we put aside our feelings, our background, and our prejudices and put in their place Jesus and His kingdom. In Your heart set apart Jesus Christ as Lord.
You are to have a change in your conduct. We are to live in such a way that it causes others to be inquiring to ask why we are the way we are. One place in the Bible it says we are peculiar people. This means people look and cannot figure out why we are different and it causes them to ask questions wanting to know. The reason for that difference is found in one word HOPE. People of God live in hope and offer hope. Where we find situations of fear, disappointment, despair, worry and darkness we bring HOPE. While there are others around who are in a panic or complaining or protesting the godly offer hope. 1:21, “Your hope and faith are in God.” Without God there is no HOPE. It is the characteristic of godliness that fills us with hope that causes others to ask questions. We are always to be prepared to give an answer to those who ask.
I ran across some objections thanks to a preacher named Paul Fritz to following Christ that people ask That a hope only in Christ can answer:
1. One might say I am doing the best I can and I’m sincere. I’m basically a good person. I am not that bad a person. Even if you could do far better than you are doing now you still can’t do well enough because you don’t please God by being good but by accepting Jesus. Sincerity is not the way to heaven. What if you are sincerely wrong? Are you are saying that because you are sincere, you are good enough on your own to stand before God. Let me ask “How long have you been doing your best? Has it worked so far? Has it given you eternal life?” "How good is good enough?" and "Are you good enough to go to Heaven?" Let us look as what the Bible says. PS 14:1, 3 “Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; no one does good! “But no, all have turned away from God; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not even one!” 53:1 “Only fools say in their hearts, There is no God. They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; no one does good! RM 3:12 All have turned away from God; all have gone wrong. No one does good, not even one." The Bible says that all have sinned God does not require someone to be pretty good; He requires that all of sin be forgiven. The Bible states that our good works are filthy rags before God. It isn’t saying that we might not try to be good, it is saying that whatever good we do, it is not good enough. It also says that there is none who does good. The standard God seeks is perfection. We cannot please God on our own. That is why Jesus died on behalf of sinners. If you want to be good enough, then you must let God see you through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. That is the only goodness that counts to God.
2. One might say "I am unconvinced." Are you honestly looking for answers? Then you need to be willing to talk about Jesus, the Bible and salvation. Have you taken the time to read the Bible? There are those who say I do not read the Bible because I do not understand it when they should be saying I do not understand the Bible because I do not read it. What is it that keeps you from a saving knowledge of Jesus? Mark Twain wrote, “It is not the parts of the Bible that I do not understand that bothers me, it is the parts that I do understand.” I am still learning from the Bible and have read it through at least 47 times.
3. Some may say "I tried Christianity once." What does one man that they tried? If you became a Christian through repentance did God forgive you? Some think that if they are baptized or join a church that makes them a Christian. One person said they have always been a Christian because they were born in a Christian’s home. I would ask did you become a Christian by going to church or by asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins. The latter makes you a Christian, the former doesn’t.
4. One’s excuse may be "I knew some Christians and they treated me wrong." Maybe they didn’t know they wronged you. Was it something really bad or was it just a mistake? Have you gone to them and spoken to them about it? Maybe if you were to forgive them you would begin to understand the forgiveness God has for you. We all need to be forgiven, don’t you agree? RM 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: ECC. 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sins not. 1 KG 8:46 1CHR 6:36 for there is no man that sins not.” Here we find that we all fail in our holy living but I say to you forgiveness is the key.
5. One might say "I’ll take my chances." Why would you want to take a chance on something as important as where you are going to spend eternity? In a moment you can trust Christ for your salvation. Without Him there will be an eternity of pain and regret. Would you take a chance with a loaded gun? What about running a red light? Why would you take a chance on something that is far more important than these? Don’t take a chance on something that will effect your eternity. Jesus said He was the only way to God. He forgave sins, walked on water, calmed a storm with a command, raised people from the dead, and rose from the dead Himself. No one else in all of history has done that. If He can do all that don’t you think you should listen to Him.
6. One might say "I am too old or too young." I have two children who decided to follow Christ before they had not entered school. You are never too old to trust in Jesus as your Savior. As long as you are alive you can call on Him to forgive you of your sins. He is as close as the call of your heart. RM 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.
7. Have you heard someone say I don’t believe God who would send people to HELL? Hell was originally created for Satan and his angels. In the future it will contain those who join Satan in rejecting God. If you reject God’s provision for the forgiveness of your sins then you will join the Devil who rejected God from the beginning. No one really wants that. The Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. God saves people who deserve to go to hell and we all deserve that. God that has the power to send people to hell also died for them. If we reject what God has provided for what is God left to do? Jesus spoke often of hell and warned us so we would not go there. Sin is wrong because it is against God. What should God do to those who oppose Him and do evil? Some would say God is all loving. He would never send me to Hell. The Bible doesn’t say he is ’all loving’; it says that God is love. The Bible says that He’s is just, holy and righteous. When people say that God is all-loving, they are implying that God is so loving that He wouldn’t send people to Hell. They break the Second of the Ten Commandments by saying that? They are making a god to suit their self. A god who would never send anyone to Hell. That would be a god you feel comfortable with. That god would not require anything of you. Did you know that the God of the Bible, the God you have to face on the Day of Judgment, commands you to be perfect? He is perfect, and He will judge you with a perfect Law that demands perfection.
8. Why do some believe, I do not believe in another LIFE? Eternity is a long time to be wrong, especially about Jesus. God has warned us in the Bible that it is appointed for men to die once, then judgment. After death you will be judged. Do you want to face eternity without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ accounted to you? God hates sin and you have sinned. God will punish sinners if they reject Jesus. However, He loves you. That is why He sent His Son to die for sins. You will not have another life to make the decision. Eternity is a long time to be wrong, especially about Jesus. It is in this life we have to make the decision.
9. An excuse that is given is I don’t want to give up what I like doing. If you were to become a Christian and God were to live in your heart and you looked back upon your life now, would you say to yourself, "I did a lot of things I wish I hadn’t done."? Will you let your pleasures get in the way of salvation? Is your life of sin worth an eternity of pain? Jesus said, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
10. Everyone wants to have tolerance today and say Don’t judge me! We do read in the Bible, ’Judge not lest ye be judged." This verse is not directed at Christians judging others but it is Jesus is telling His disciples not to judge one another, something the Bible condemns. I have learned in many years of telling God’s word that it is His word that judges. Chuck Colson said: "True tolerance is not a total lack of judgment. It’s knowing what should be tolerated, and refusing to tolerate that which shouldn’t."
11. many want to know How can you say that Jesus it the only way to God? The Bible says, neither is there salvation in any other. There is no other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Even if other faiths are sincere, what would happen if I sincerely believed that I was on a plane flying to Hawaii, but in truth I was heading for Japan? You see someone can be sincerely wrong. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ. There is one mediator between man of God, the Man Christ Jesus. Here’s the big difference between Christianity and other religions. Jesus said, ’The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.’ No religion can forgive sin only Jesus because of the Cross. The Bible also says, Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved. No one else died for our sins or even claim to have.
12. Some would say Seeing is believing, if I can’t see God, why should I believe in Him? So if you can’t see something, you don’t believe it exists? Have you ever seen your brain? We believe in many things that we can’t see. Have you ever seen the wind? Have you seen history? We see the effects of the wind, but the wind is invisible. We have records of history, but it is by faith we believe that certain historical events happened. We turn on a light switch and seethe results of electricity. Faith is believing that God exists and that He is rewarder of those who seek Him.
15. So If God is perfect, why did He make an imperfect creation? The Bible tells us that the Genesis creation was good. There was no sin and therefore no suffering or death. Why then did God give Adam and Eve the means to sin, knowing full well that they would sin and bring death and pain to the human race? He wanted a creature that could choose to love Him. A father cannot make his children love him. They choose to love him because they have a free will.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive You as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
