Before I move on to the book of Numbers in my weekly sermons, I like to take this week, in between the books, to revisit the theme of discipleship.
• Why do we want to take this discipleship learning journey? Can we do without?
• Why do we do what we are doing today? Is it necessary?
I remember attending a seminar and the speaker asked, “Do you have a goal in life?”
• That really stunned me. It’s a very weighted question and very difficult to answer.
• I prefer that you ask me, “What are your GOALS in life” because that's so much easier - I have many goals; dreams or aspirations, you may call it.
When I’m at school, of course, passing my exams is my goal. Or if you’re short-sighted, just finishing my assignment on time by the end of the week is a goal.
• And then at different stages of life, new goals set in. In your 20s, that’s getting a job you like. In your 30s, saving money to get a HDB flat and settling down. If you are in your 50s, you’ll probably be thinking about your retirement goal.
Of course we have goals. But when someone ask you, “Do you have a goal in life?” That’s a different story.
• And I know where he is getting at. We need to think of an over-arching goal in life, something so fundamental that it runs through our life.
• All these other goals are good but they are sub-goals, temporary goals. It comes and it goes.
• There must be something more encompassing that undergirds my entire life.
If we believe in God, if we believe that He gave up His Son Jesus to redeem us, then we must believe He has a divine purpose for our lives.
• We want to know the one fundamental reason for our existence, because that will explain WHY we are doing WHAT we are doing today.
• Don’t be DRIVEN in life; DRIVE your life. Don’t be distracted by trivial pursuits. Go for that which counts for eternity.
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.
Rom 8:29-30 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Gal 4:19 … until Christ is formed in you.
Conformity to Christ is our goal. LIVE WITH THE RIGHT END IN MIND.
Our goal is not to get to heaven. Going to heaven is definitely a blessing for all who are in Christ.
• But it is a by-product of knowing Christ, not its goal.
• Why do you want to go to heaven for? The thought of this itself is self-serving. It’s self-centred. We are only thinking about our comfort and bliss.
• Everyone wants to go to heaven. Who wouldn’t? The only difference is we don’t agree on the way to get there.
Heaven is surely God’s blessing for us but that’s not the goal of our redemption.
What is? Transformation is.
• God wants to restore us back to His original design – to have an intimate relationship with Him, in holiness and without sin.
• In short, to be like His Son Jesus. That’s our goal. That’s God’s purpose for us!
Both words in these verses - transform and conform - have a common root – form, meaning a pattern or a mould.
• God is changing us constantly and with a PATTERN in mind. The finished product will look like Christ. That’s our target.
A few years back at the Commonwealth Games 4 shooters had the same score and they needed to go for a five-shot shoot-off to determine who gets the bronze medal. The Australian shooter shot all his 5 bullets onto the target next to him, which belongs to the Singaporean shooter. His target was empty and the Singaporean’s target has 10 shots and a score of 49 out of 50. He took the bronze.
What are you aiming at is importance. Live your life with the RIGHT END in mind.
• If you aim at the wrong target, you can fire all the shots you want and find yourself getting nothing at the end.
• Thomas Merton: “People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.”
• It’s a wasted life. You can still end up in heaven, but with a zero on your scoreboard.
Many has this thinking that getting into heaven is the goal and therefore they rest on their laurels and cruise their way home.
• Accepting Christ is to get a one-way ticket to heaven. If you got it, you’ve achieved your goal. Just sit down and relax, and you’ll reach your destination.
• This is unfortunate. They misinterpreted the MEANS as an END.
• GOD’S PURPOSE is for people to come home to Him, through faith in His Son Jesus (getting the ticket), SO THAT they can experience a life change (enter a process of becoming like Christ) and in turn, impact their world for Him.
• It does not stop with getting the ticket but changing our world. We are called to be DISCIPLES and to MAKE DISCIPLES.
Do you know why we are Christians today? Because our predecessors did not miss their targets. We want to do the same.
LET’S PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST. Spiritual growth is not an option.
A friend went to visit his uncle at a farm and saw this big wooden board by the open field. He saw three arrows on it and on closer inspection, found out that they all landed on the bull’s eyes.
“Wow, you are really good with your bow and arrows, huh?”
Uncle: “Well, young man. It all depends on what you do first. I shot the arrows and then draw the circles!”
It all depends on what you do first. When you put first things first, you will always be on target.
God is more interested in what we have become rather than merely what we have accomplished for Him.
• 2 Cor 3:18 says we are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory. It’s a process. It’s gradual. It’s not over-night. It’s not in an instant.
• It will take time. It is imperceptible, but when we grow in our knowledge of Him, we will grow in our likeness of Him. The study of Him changes us.
This is why we are doing what we are doing today. The discipleship course that we have started this year is not just a nice programme.
• We study the Bible because we are aiming for life change.
• We do NOT study to increase our spiritual knowledge (that’s the means), but to become LIKE CHRIST (the end).
We allow for the truth of God to change our hearts. Transformation will not happen in a void.
• 2 Cor 3:18 “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory.” ESV: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord”
• That’s what Moses did and he shines. The more we LOOK AT Him, the brighter we SHINE LIKE Him.
The information we get, when understood and applied, leads to a transformation.
• The more we look at Him, the more we reflect Him.
• You take care of your growth, God will take care of your glow.
• The deeper our roots go, the stronger we become.
Let us encourage one another on this journey.
• We believe in the same God, we walk the same path, we share the same convictions, and we grow together.
• We have a responsibility towards one another. We want to hold one another accountable so that no one falls by the wayside.
Make time to read God’s Word. Think through the questions in your DG book.
• When we make a choice for God, our hearts will begin to change.
• Dallas Willard calls this the renovation of the heart in his book. It is like signing an agreement allowing God to do His renovation work in your heart.
• We are creating space for God to do an inside job. He will make it beautiful.
CONCLUSION
Believe your life can change because this is God’s desire for you.
• To live like Christ is the best way to live life. We can leave a lasting legacy.
Live by design, not by default. Drive your life, don’t let it be driven.
• Don’t let life drift. Take charge and drives it in the direction God wants you to go.
• Life is a gift from God. What we make of it is our gift back to God.
Disciples of Jesus Christ reproduce themselves. Other lives are touched and impacted because ours had been touched and impacted by Christ.
• We become agents of change, because of the change we experience in Christ.
So live with the end in mind, and put first things first.
Max Lucado shares this story in IN THE EYE OF THE STORM, p. 97-98.
Two boats happened to be travelling down the Mississippi River side by side and there were some exchange of words. Challenges were made and they found themselves racing each other.
Competition became vicious as the two boats raced towards the port. One boat began falling behind. Not enough fuel. They were carrying huge cargoes of coal.
As the boat dropped back, a young sailor took some of the ship's cargo and tossed it into the burners. It helps. It burns well and pushes the boat forward.
They ended up winning the race but burned up their cargo. They reached their destination empty and lost everything they were assigned to carry.
They win the race but miss the purpose of their trip.
Know why you are doing what you are doing today.
