RECAP – Deut 1:26-36
• We saw in Moses’ personal experience as well as the Israelites encounter with God in the wilderness, that UNBELIEF angers God.
• It is not for a lack of EVIDENCES or ASSURANCES from God. God has spoken and God has performed, but the people chose to doubt Him.
In Rom 10:21 the Lord says of Israel, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people." Put into the positive, we have these:
• Cultivate a READINESS to obey (obey first, in spite of…) and cultivate a WILLINGNESS to trust (give Him the benefit of the doubt).
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Today, I want to share with you our VISION for the next 5 years.
Before that, I just want us to THINK ETERNAL. That’s the title of my sermon today.
• THINK ETERNAL. This is not something we are good at. We don’t usually think so far. In fact, I’ve difficulty sometimes, just thinking about what to do for the next few months.
• Maybe some of you already find it hard planning ahead, week by week. So we procrastinate, we let things just drift, we leave everything status quo.
• I’m guilty of that myself. We need people to push us. Parents. Teachers. Financial planners, urging us to by their plans and start saving up for our retirement, or for our children’s education.
We just don’t see so far, but we need to. That’s our destiny in Christ.
• If this world is not our home, then we need to think eternal.
• Let’s read 2 Peter 3:8-13.
A few things are sure:
(1) the day of the Lord will come and surprise many – Second Coming of Christ
(2) this world will end and it will be destroyed by fire – Judgement Day
(3) we can look forward to a new heaven and new earth – Our Destiny
We are to “look forward” to these because they will come! Are we prepared?
We’ve set our vision for the next 5 years to be EVERYONE A DISCIPLE AND A DISCIPLE-MAKER
We know that this is the command of Jesus in Matt 28:19-20 “Therefore go and MAKE disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and TEACHING them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
We are all called to BE disciples and commanded to go MAKE disciples.
• Come to think of it, this is MORE than just a command.
• It is the only thing that makes sense. It is the purpose that gives meaning to life.
God is restoring us to His original image by calling us to follow Christ, and telling us to bring the rest of the world onto this same path.
• Any other endeavours, apart from this, are inconsequential.
2 Pet 3:7. 10 “7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”
A day is coming when everything will be destroyed by fire. History will end.
• It is not ‘may come’ but WILL COME. God has ordained this day to come. Life on earth will end.
• We can be so overwhelmed by the present circumstances to see it coming. We can be too caught up by the temporary to see the eternal.
We conducted two funerals recently. I looked back at my record and realised that I’ve conducted over 80 funerals (based on what I have on record).
• I come to appreciate what Solomon says in Eccl 7:2 “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.”
• It is better to go to the house of mourning because there, we are reminded of the destiny of every man – our destiny, our departure from this place!
This is the perspective we need! Heaven is our destiny! So in the meantime…
2 Pet 3:11-12 “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.”
• Let the reality of heaven determines the CHARACTER of our present life! Character matters. Character counts.
• Our goal is to be like Christ, and by the grace of God and the help of the Holy Spirit we shall be. That’s our pre-occupation today!
1 Cor 3:12-15 “If any man builds on this foundation [Jesus Christ] using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
• Everything else that is not eternal will be burned up! This world has been damaged by sin and will be consumed by fire, God says.
• There will be some things that will survive the fire. And you will be rewarded for these.
So beginning next year we want to take this growth journey together.
• Starting from GROWING IN CHRIST (covering the most basic truths about this new life we have in Christ) and learning from the Word of God what it means to be His disciples.
• We are opening ourselves to His Word and allowing Him to change us, more and more, into the likeness of His Son.
We want everyone to grow through GROWING IN CHRIST (even if you are a seasoned Christian), so that you can get acquainted with the fundamental truths again (good stuff is worth revisiting, it anchors faith)…
• And then in future, we will be able to share what we’ve learnt with someone else. It is both a learning journey and an equipping journey at the same time.
• Our calling is not just be a disciple (and go to heaven ourselves) but ultimately a disciple-maker (bringing others along).
• We are not fully disciples until we disciple someone else. We want to let the love of God we’ve received, flow out from us and touch someone else’s life.
Let the reality of heaven determines the CONDUCT of our present life!
EVERYONE A DISCIPLE AND A DISCIPLE-MAKER
It is not just a command; it is the only right way to live.
• Our MISSION is to draw people into discipleship and equip them as disciple-makers for Christ.
• Everyone is a disciple of Christ. Everyone can become a disciple-maker for Christ.
If you do not know Christ, let me say this – you need Him.
• We are created to know God and be connected to Him. Jesus Christ made that possible, when He died for our sin, on our behalf.
• Put your trust in Jesus and you’ll be reconciled with God.
• This world is not our home. We need to leave this place one day, and return to our eternal home in heaven.
What will last for eternity? Not my car, my house, my Master degree, and not this church.
• What will last for eternity, according to the Scriptures, is the help we give to the needy, the dollar donated to feed the hungry, the cup of cold water given to the thirsty, the prayer we made for the hurting, the giving to missions and every effort spent in reaching the lost.
• You can’t earn that in heaven. You can only earn that now while you are here on earth.
Think for a moment. Are any of your works gold, silver, and costly stones? Are they wood, hay, or straw?
• Many today think and act as if what we do in this present life has no bearing on eternity. Does what you do today have a bearing on eternity?
Our choices and actions in this life have a bearing on the world to come.
• When we view today in light of the long tomorrow, the little choices become tremendously important.
• We read it in 1 Cor 3 about the rewards. The Lord said in Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”
• Those rewards mentioned are determined by your actions today. Some things we do in this life will have eternal importance.
So let us commit to this discipleship journey, to remind ourselves of that which is important.
• We want to invest, not in things, but in lives. We want to invest in the eternal, and not the temporary.
• We want to make sure our works are gold, silver and costly stones that will survive the fire.
Next week I will share on WHAT DO WE HOPE TO SEE at the end of this journey.
• What kind of disciples are we becoming? What will the end-product looks like?
