A Portrait of Christ: The Quest for Authentic Transformation
Did I tell you I have a son and daughter?
It’s amazing how rapidly they are changing – as they move along the continuum from infancy to adulthood
Physical, emotional, and intellectual growth is natural –
It’s to be expected in every healthy, growing child
This growth principle equally applies to our Spiritual development
When we receive Christ as our savior, Spiritual growth should naturally result - moving us along the continuum from spiritual infancy to spirituality maturity
But – like physical growth – there are things that can stunt our spiritual growth
I imagine we all know people who have received Christ as their savior, but for some reason, have never really progressed in spiritual maturity
The Apostle Paul says:
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified
1 Thess 4:3
Sanctification means, to be cleansed or purified
There are three stages to God’s purification process
Initial Sanctification, Ongoing Sanctification, and Ultimate or Final Sanctification
Stage 1: Initial Sanctification
Initial sanctification occurs the instant we invite Christ into our heart and receive his forgiveness
As Christ’s blood completely removes all sin from our lives – and makes us perfect in God’s eyes
It is a gift we receive from God – and is thoroughly God’s doing
Stage 2: Ongoing Sanctification
The second stage of purification is called ongoing sanctification
This is the ongoing process that moves us from spiritual infancy to maturity
Stage 3: Final Sanctification
The third stage of Sanctification is called ultimate – or final sanctification
It requires us to completely shed our human sinful nature – which means we won’t experience this final stage until we get to Heaven
Like initial sanctification, final sanctification is completely dependent upon God
Each are Gifts God instantaneously gives us – think of them as housewarming gifts
Initial sanctification occurs when Christ enters our Heart
Final Sanctification occurs when we enter Heaven
It’s the second Stage – Ongoing sanctification – that God gives us the responsibility for developing
So our concern needs to be with stage two
The Apostle Paul refers to this send stage as “working out our salvation”
We don’t work for our salvation – it’s a free gift we receive through Christ
But once we receive Christ – and are declared Holy through initial sanctification – we get to spend the rest of our lives working out what God has worked into us
Through the act of initial Sanctification, we receive Christ’s Name –
Through the process of ongoing Sanctification, we grow up to resemble Him
But herein lies the problem
How do we know where we are in this process?
How do we evaluate our progress?
Did I tell you I was once a model?
Actually My Wife, Linda and I, both were
It was during the first summer after Linda and I began dating, in 1975,
She joined me and my family on a vacation to Disneyland
While we were there – Linda and I had a chance to be models
That was the beginning – and end – of my modeling career
We weren’t the kind of models you probably have in mind
There was certainly no runway
And we didn’t have to change clothes
We just sat in a chair
While this lady drew our portrait in chalk
I must admit – she did a good job – we still have that portrait packed away somewhere
One of the problems you and I face –when we talk about ongoing sanctification – is trying to understand what
it looks like in our lives
How are we supposed to measure or evaluate where we are on the continuum of this purification process
Has God given us a model to look at that will help us access where we are and where we hope to go
The Bible says yes, Christ is our model
In the bible, God gives us a portrait of Christ –
And says, keep your eyes on my Son, because he’s the model I’m using as the pattern for your life
Paul uses the phrase - conformed into the likeness of his Christ – to describe this process
Conformed is the Greek word – Summorphos
Summorphos is found only twice in the New Testament – and is a word coined by the Apostle Paul by combining two Greek words
Sum, which means, beside, or alongside
Morphos, which means, to change
Summorphos means: To change alongside
I wonder if Paul had a yoke in mind – when we created this word
Specifically, Jesus yoke
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites us to come alongside him and put on his yoke
During Jesus’ time on earth, yokes were common instruments used in farming and agriculture
They acted like harnesses – connecting two animals together at the their necks
A farmer would put a yoke around the neck of a young ox – and put the other side of the yoke around an experienced ox – in order to train the younger ox
Jesus uses the yoke to illustrate Christian discipleship
When we take his yoke upon ourselves, we are intentionally submitting ourselves to his lordship and tutelage –
He is the master, we become his students
He determines our paths, because He’s the one controlling the yoke
In the process – we become more like our master
We are literally - changed alongside Him
Having said this, it remains a bit ethereal –
How do we quantify or measure our progress?
What criteria do we have to help us evaluate our progress?
How do we know if we are in fact becoming more like Christ?
What does this portrait of Christ God has given us in his word actually look like?
In 2 Peter, the Apostle Peter lists 7 traits that produce authentic Transformation
These are seven trademarks or character traits of Christ
Picture a puzzle with Christ’s picture on the box
You open the box, and find seven pieces
Virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, Godliness, Brotherly kindness, and love
Seven Character traits the Holy Spirit produced in Christ’s life – and wants to develop in us
Remember, the same Spirit that lives in us, lived in Christ
Beginning in two weeks – I’m going to take some time and have us look at these seven signs or authentic transformation Peter gives us
But today, I want us to look at four promises that surround these seven signs
Our text is 2 Peter 1:1-10
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:1-11
In his book, "All the Promises of the Bible", Herbert Lockyer says that there are 7487 promises in the bible that God makes to mankind
Let’s look at four we find in this passage
Promise #1: Everything we Need
Verse 3 says:
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness
The next time you visit a bookstore – check out their “Success” section
There are literally thousands of books that deal with the subject of success
I probably have twenty in my library
In the past few years – there has been an interesting trend developing in the field of success literature
Today, More and more authors – both Christian and secular - are understanding the importance of incorporating biblical principles as tools for success
Peter obviously would have thought this was a wise move
He says God has given us everything we need for life and godliness
If you have your bibles open - underline everything
What is the avenue through which God gives us everything we need for life and godliness?
…through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Verse 3b
Peter says our knowledge of God is the key to The Key to life and godliness
In verse 4, he says: He has given us his very great and precious promises…
Peter calls the promises we have in God’s word - very great and precious
God’s promises are Great - because of their source.
God’s promise are precious - because of their
significance.
Their value is beyond calculation!
In the second half of verse 4, we find another wonderful promise
Promise #2: Authentic Transformation
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
2 Peter 1:4 NIV
While you are in the bookstore, check out the self-help section
Or check it out online
Like the success literature, there have literally been thousands of articles and books written on the subject of inner healing
You can find everything from the importance of proper breathing techniques to the role of dream analysis in inner healing
Some of these books are wonderful, and some are wacky
I firmly believe in the importance of Christian counseling
In fact, we have three wonderful Christian counselors who attend our church – and two to them share an office here
There are many other practicing counselors in our community – but what makes these three people unique is their commitment to Christ and their belief that God’s word is the ultimate source of health and wholeness
On the other hand, I have serious reservations about many of the practices used by non-Christian counselors
Although Peter lived some 2000 years ago – he lived in a society that – much I like ours - was filled with theories that proposed cures for mans brokenness apart from God
But Peter doesn’t allow their theories to dissuade him from his conviction that our knowledge of God – founding his word – is our ultimate source for inner healing
He understood that the root of inner brokenness is sin
Our sin, as well as the sins others have perpetrated against us
And that the key to inner healing is learning to follow God’s Spirit and quit obeying the thirst produced by our human nature
In Romans, the Apostle Paul says:
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God.
It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
Rom 8:5-8
Add to Your Faith
In verse 5, Peter says, for this reason, make every effort to add to your faith…and list these seven character traits
Our Motivation: “For This Reason … Add to Your Faith”
For this Reason?
What is the reason?
The promise is the reason
The promise that we have everything we need for life and godliness
The promise that God’s Spirit will empower and lead us
And help us overcome the rule of our human nature
Add to your faith
As I said earlier, God gives each of us the responsibility to engage in this process of ongoing sanctification
But there is a prerequisite -
Faith
These qualities are something we add to our faith
They don’t save us – our faith in Christ is what saves us
But once we are saved, intentionally pursuing the development of these seven qualities in our lives will help produce authentic transformation
Promise #3: We Will Not Fail
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:8
Here again, we have a promise that is qualified by our actions
In Increasing Measure
Notice the words – in increasing measure
Obviously, evaluation, diligence and intentionality are assumed here
It takes careful introspection to recognize if I progressively becoming more loving, more self controlled, more patient
It also requires diligence and intentional effort on our part
These seven signs of authentic transformation will not happen through osmosis or default
Notice what Verse 9 says:
But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
If we are neglecting to add these seven qualities to our faith
Peter says it’s a sure sign that we’ve forgotten what we’ve been saved from – and what we’ve been saved for
And finally, in verse 10 says:
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.
Peter says, let you lives confirm that God made the right choice when he chose you and called you to be his sons and daughters
Learn to live like God’s kids should live!
And in verse 11, we find our fourth and final promise in this section
Promise #4: You will never Fall
For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This word fall means to trip or stumble
Peter knew something about taking a fall
He’s the one who made bold promises concerning his allegiance to Christ - and then denied know Christ when put to the test
Perhaps this is why he places virtue, which means Moral excellence, courage or valor – at the top of his list of qualities we need to add to our faith
It was precisely his lack of courage – that caused him to betray Christ
When Peter speaks of falling, he’s referring backsliding - Falling away from God
And his promise is that if we diligently pursue seeing these seven characteristics of Christ developed in our lives – we can be certain we will never turn away from God
Here’s the bottom line:
Our faith is validated through our actions
Becoming a child of God should produce radical change in our thinking and our actions
If it doesn’t – something is wrong
Something is missing
The story is told of a group of women that met for Bible study.
While studying in the book of Malachi, chapter three, they came across verse three which says:
"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled the women and they wondered how this statement applied to the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out more about the process of refining silver, and to get back to the group at their next Bible
study.
The following week, the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him while at work.
She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest, beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith work, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.
He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire, where the flames were the hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot, then she thought again about the
verse, that "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the entire time the silver was being refined.
The man answered yes, that not only did he have to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on it the entire time it was in the fire.
If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the
silversmith, "But how do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that’s easy - when I see my image in it."
These seven traits Peter that make up Peter’s list - help form a portrait of Christ
He is the embodiment of these traits
As we intentionally pursue and cultivate them in our lives - God will use them produce authentic transformation
And in the process, we will enter into a deeper level of the abundant life Jesus promised us
Closing prayer
