A wife remarked to her husband after the church service: "Did you see the hat Mrs. Jones was wearing?" "No," said her husband, "I didn’t." "Did you see the new dress Mrs. Smith had on?" she asked. "I’m afraid I didn’t," said her husband. To this his wife replied: "Well a lot of good it does YOU to go to church!"
Let me ask you, "What good is it doing you to come to church?" Perhaps another question is more appropriate, "Why do we, as Christians, come to church?" I mean, really, why put forth the effort to hear God’s Word preached and taught? Why fellowship with other believers? What is the purpose of it all?
The answer is that God calls us to become more like Jesus!
A. It is my eternal destiny.
"My dear friends, we are already God’s children, though what we will be hasn’t yet been seen. But we do know that when Christ returns, we will be like him, because we will see him as he truly is."
- 1 John 3:2 (CEV)
B. Is to be my daily pursuit.
"I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)
Ask for a volunteer from the congregation. Have them stand at the bottom of the platform and take hold of their wrist. Explain that you can help them up to your level by your own effort alone, but that greater success is achieved if they will take hold of your wrist, as well. This is the imagery Paul is using in Philippians 3:12.
Through His sovereign working in my life, God has taken hold of me. Through my daily surrender to His purpose, I take hold of Him!
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son."- Romans 8:28-29 (NASB)
As I daily surrender to God’s purpose of making me like Jesus (called according to His purpose), God is free to sovereignly use the details of my life to teach me how to experience as much of the blessing of my eternal destiny as possible here and now!
The Bible would have us understand that if I will focus on becoming more like Jesus in my daily life; if I will give priority to Christian character development, allowing God to work in my life to change me from the inside out, all the details of my life will fall into place. Let’s notice what Peter has to tell us about making Christian character development a priority. Why should developing Christ-like character be a priority for believers?
1. It will insure that my life is not wasted - v. 8
Some of you may remember the movie "City Slickers." Comedian Billy Crystal plays the part of a bored baby boomer named Mitch, who sells radio advertising time. One the day he visits his son’s school to tell about his work along with other fathers. He suddenly lets loose a deadpan monologue to the bewildered youngsters in the class: "Value this time in your life, kids, because this is the time in your life when you still have your choices. It goes by fast. When you’re a teenager, you think you can do anything and you do. Your twenties are a blur. Thirties you raise your family, you make a little money, and you think to yourself, ‘What happened to my twenties?’ Forties, you grow a little pot belly, you grow another chin. The music starts to get too loud, one of your old girlfriends from high school becomes a grandmother. Fifties, you have a minor surgery -- you’ll call it a procedure, but it’s a surgery. Sixties, you’ll have a major surgery, the music is still loud, but it doesn’t matter because you can’t hear it anyway. Seventies, you and the wife retire to Fort Lauderdale. You start eating dinner at 2:00 in the afternoon, you have lunch around 10:00, breakfast the night before, spend most of your time wandering around malls looking for the ultimate soft yogurt and muttering, ‘How come the kids don’t call? How come the kids don’t call?’ The eighties, you’ll have a major stroke, and you end up babbling with some Jamaican nurse who your wife can’t stand, but who you call mama. Any questions?"
Later in the film, Mitch and his friends go on a cattle drive at a dude ranch, led by a character named Curly, played by Jack Palance. In one scene, Mitch and Curly discuss the meaning of life. Curly raises one finger and tells Mitch that the meaning of life in "one thing."
Mitch asks Curly what that "one thing" is, to which Curly responds, "You have to figure that out for yourself."
Well, the Bible tells us what that one thing is that makes life meaningful. Paul declared what it is in Philippians 3:13, when in speaking of his daily pursuit of becoming more like Christ, he said, "this one thing I do!" Because that was Paul daily commitment through-out his life, he could also say at the end of his life:
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." - 2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV)
You see, if my daily desire is to become more like Christ, that will guide me in every decision, in every choice, in every thought, in every action, and consequently, will insure that, like Paul, my life will not be wasted.
2. It will insure my proper appreciation of salvation - v. 9
Alzheimer’s disease is a terrible thing. That which is most terrible about it is the forgetfulness the victim experiences as the disease progresses. Eventually, the victim of Alzheimer’s disease often forget those closest to them. Often, the tragedy of Alzheimer’s disease is that though a person may be in perfect health physically, they have been devastated mentally, which, of course devastates their loved ones emotionally.
In the movie "The Notebook," a man seeks to fight against the effects of Alzheimer’s disease by daily meeting with his wife to remind her of the story or their love relationship, which is recorded, of course, in "The Notebook." Each day He does this, there is a spark of life, and she is able, if only for an instant, to remember the great love they have for one another.
Peter refers here to a sort of "spiritual" Alzheimer’s disease. The possibility of a Christian losing sight of the great sacrifice that was made for their sake so that their sins might be forgiven. Such forgetfulness is devastating to the forgetful Christian as well as to our loving heavenly Father.
What can prevent spiritual Alzheimer’s? Well, our Savior is committed to meeting with us daily, if we are but willing. He wants us to spend time in "The Notebook" (the Bible) and allow Him to remind us of the love relationship that is our with Him. A love relationship made possible because we have "been cleansed from our past sins." A love relationship which can lead to our daily becoming more like Jesus.
3. It will present a positive witness to others - v. 10a
Who are we to make our calling and election sure to? God? Of course not, He knows all those who belong to Him. To ourselves? No, one who is truly saved has that assurance through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
"We know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us." - 1 John 3:24 (NLT)
"God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children." - Romans 8:16 (The Message)
No, the ones that Peter is referring to here, I believe are those who do not know Christ. When you and I make growing in Christ-likeness a priority, the world will see the "real deal." We will present a positive witness to others.
Joe Aldrich said in his book, Lifestyle Evangelism, that "Christians are to be good news before they share the good news." St Francis of Assisi said "Always preach the Gospel, and when necessary, use words." We will present such a witness if we give priority to Christian character development.
4. It will prevent me from bringing reproach to the name of Christ - v. 10b
In John 19:4, the Bible tells us that though various accusations were brought against Jesus, Pilate declared, "I find no fault in Him." Such is God will for us as well. It is God’s will that through living like Jesus, the world will not only find it impossible to find fault in us, but that they will also find it impossible to find any fault in our Lord, who we represent.
"For it is God’s will and intention that by doing right [your good and honest lives] should silence (muzzle, gag) the ignorant charges and ill-informed criticisms of foolish persons." - 1 Peter 2:15
Unfortunately, the world has been given plenty of ammunition for criticizing our Lord and His church by Christians who have acted in ways that are not Christ-like.
A story is told of a seminary professor who taught the Christian graces of love and forbearance for forty years until he retired. Occupying himself in his retirement years, he poured a new concrete driveway to his house. Finished, he went in to rest and get a glass of ice tea.
Returning later to view his proud achievement, he discovered that the neighborhood kids were putting their footprints all in the wet concrete. The angry professor chased the kids down in a rage and beat the tar out of the ones he could catch.
Hearing the commotion, the professor’s wife rushed into the yard, saw the angry professor thrashing the kids, and began to reprimand him: "What a shame," she said. "For forty years you have taught love, forgiveness and forbearance. Now look at you. You’ve lost your testimony." To which he replied: "That was all in the abstract. This is in the concrete."
Now, that is precisely what causes Christians to ruin their testimony and bring reproach to the name of Christ. When our faith is nothing by abstract, then we will not be living it out in our daily lives, and it will make no difference in the way we think, talk, or act.
But when I make living Christian character development my priority in life, my faith becomes concrete. It will make a difference in how I think, talk, and act; and I will be kept from falling and giving the enemies of my Lord cause to blaspheme.
5. It will guarantee a rich welcome upon entering heaven - v. 11
What is the "rich welcome" to which Peter refers? No doubt it is the welcome Jesus mentioned in the parable of the Talents, found in Matthew 25. To those who had been good stewards of what had been entrusted to them, the Master greeted by saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - Matthew 25:21; 23 (NIV).
Such a welcome awaits all believers who live their lives committed to the priority of developing Christ-like character.
3 Buddies were discussing death and one asked the group: What would you like people to say about you at your funeral?
"He was a great humanitarian, who cared about his community."
"He was a great husband and father, who was an example for many to follow."
"Look, he’s moving!!"
Conclusion: What really matters when we come to the end of life is what God says! Based on how you are living for Christ today, what kind of welcome would you expect to receive? What would the Lord say to you?
What is He saying to you right now?
