RECAP – 2 Pet 3:8-13
• Peter reminded the people of the impending return of Christ and the end of this world by fire.
• We are to THINK ETERNAL and invest in things that cannot be burned up, because what we do today has a bearing for the world to come.
• The fact that HEAVEN is coming will mean that we need to build our CHARACTER and watch our CONDUCT, in preparation for eternity.
Our vision for the coming years will be to make EVERYONE a DISCIPLE AND a DISCIPLE-MAKER. We want to be like Christ and influence others to be like Christ.
• We want to invest in that which counts for eternity; the gold, silver and costly stones that would withstand the fire in the last days.
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Let’s go on and read the concluding words of Peter – 2 Peter 3:14-17.
If we know that this world will end, and heaven is where we belong, then Peter says in verse 14: “Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.”
• 3:18 “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” One has to do with the EXPERIENCE and the other the UNDERSTANDING of Him.
• Again, it’s CHARACTER. Watch what you are BECOMING.
• Peter says Paul emphasizes this same concern in his writings. Character matters. Character counts.
We want to take on the ROADMAP OF DISCIPLESHIP because we want to be intentional and deliberate in our desire to grow. We want to be systematic in our learning.
• Anything left to chance is half the battle gone, if not entirely. If you do not commit to anything, nothing will change. I excel in what I commit to.
• We want to take this journey and encourage one another to stay on track and onboard until the end.
3:14 “Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.”
• So what are we to BECOME? What does it looks like at the end? By these - his
(1) belief, (2) conduct, (3) values, (4) priorities, and (5) his relationships.
(1) BELIEF – what are you believing in?
Right believing is very important. The first church has always been fighting against false prophets and teachers. Right believing changes your life. Wrong believing destroys it.
• We need to get back to the Word of God. Jesus often starts with “I tell you the truth…” He says, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) The Bible is the bedrock of our belief.
• We want to know WHAT we believe in, and WHY we believe in WHAT we are believe in.
• We are starting with GIC Growing in Christ – basic, fundamental truth of our faith in Christ.
• It is important because our world is getting pluralistic, where everything is subjective and there is no absolute truth.
• We want to study it systematically next few years because God’s Word is the truth.
(2) CONDUCT – who do you look like?
I’ve already emphasized this a few times in the last few weeks.
• You are created to be like Christ, that’s the original image of God when we are first created. God is restoring us back.
• 2 Cor 3:18 “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is doing that work in our lives.
• We cannot reproduce the character of Christ on our own strength. No New Year’s resolutions, no amount of will-power, or our best intentions can do the job.
• But the Holy Spirit can, if we allow Him. We will allow Him and cooperate with Him. He can change the way we think, and move us in the right way.
(3) VALUES – what are important?
A disciple lives differently. Read the Sermon on the Mount – Matt 5-7.
• World - take revenge. Jesus - turn the other cheek and let God avenge.
• World - take as much as you can. Jesus - it is more blessed to give than to receive.
• World - fight your enemy. Jesus - Love your enemy. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who persecute you.
• World - treat others they way they treat you, an eye for an eye. Jesus - treat others the way you would like to be treated. Extend mercy. Forgive, without limits.
• World - rule over others, exercise your authority. Jesus - whoever wants to become great must be a servant.
• World - teaches us to live by sight and feel. The Lord says live by faith.
(4) PRIORITIES – what you spend your time on?
If we know Jesus Christ, then some things must take precedence in life, because not everything is equal.
You will know your life's priorities by looking at what you spend time doing.
• Look at the things you do on an average week. You will probably see a pattern.
• For me, every Wed night is my family dinner time. I guard that. If you want to meet me on Wed night, I will cancel that appointment. I guard that which is important.
• Guard that which is important - your Sunday time, your time with God each day.
Frankly, most of us never think about what we spend our time doing. We get up, we go to work, and we come home at the end of the day, relax a bit and then go to sleep. We go through the motions never really thinking about what we do or why we do it. We get onto this ‘auto-pilot’ mode and let life drifts. We need to pause and take stock.
(5) RELATIONSHIPS – who are you influencing?
Look at Jesus. He made an impact in people’s lives. His influence was phenomenal.
• He spent time with people - his 12 disciples, his followers, the tax-collectors and ‘sinners’; with the poor and the sick.
• Life change cannot take place in isolation. When we say we love God, John says, we will LOVE people (cf. 1 John 4:20-21).
A disciple of Christ will touch lives. A disciple of Christ will become a disciple-maker. He ‘reproduces’ himself in someone else life!
• A disciple makes disciples after themselves. We cannot be a disciple in isolation.
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This is what we are to BECOME. I’ve just painted you a PICTURE of WHO we are in Christ.
Spiritual growth is not automatic. It takes an intentional commitment.
• Change takes place because we are willing to learn – to unlearn the old ways, learn the new, and keep on re-learning them again and again.
• It takes time. It is a process. But it starts with a DECISION. If is a right direction, then we need to DECIDE to want to be a disciple of Christ.
Can I not make a decision? By not making a decision, that’s a decision.
• Why DECIDE in your heart? We want to be INTENTIONAL.
• When you express it, chances are you meet it, because God will help you achieve it.
Look at the disciples. I don’t think the fishermen then fully understood what they were getting themselves into, except that Jesus called and they believe He is the Messiah.
• They know it is the RIGHT thing to do. But at some point, Peter, James and John needs to drop their fishing nets. Matthew needs to leave his tax-collecting booth.
• At some point, you and I need to make a commitment. You need to DECIDE to become a disciple. You need to DECIDE to be serious with God.
Nothing shapes your life more than the commitments you choose to make. A commitment can develop you or destroy you, but either way, it will define you.
WHAT MAKES A GREAT CHURCH? The all-too-common measure of greatness of a church is the number of people gathered for worship.
• But looking into the Scriptures, we have no statistics about the various churches. Getting the numbers is not biblical, actually.
• Jesus had great crowds following Him but they had a different agenda. Peter said in 2 Pet 2:1 that there were many false prophets and false teachers among them.
• What we have are descriptions of the spiritual conditions of the churches – unity, strife, conflicts, false teachings, etc.
The question to ask is not how many people gathers but what are these people like?
• What kind of a husband or a wife they are? What kind of families do they have? Are they honest in business? Do they know the Bible? Do they love one another? Are they constant strife among them?
• The people that gather will be the barometer of the health of the church. The world wants church growth; God wants to see church health.
• Church growth is God’s prerogative. Paul planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow (cf. 1 Cor 3:6).
Let us seek to be good disciples of Christ, living a life just like Christ, in and out of the church. Let our lives be a blessing and an impact in someone else’s life.
