How is life right now?
If you were asked to describe your life right now
and do it in enough detail to fill up one sheet of paper,
what would you say?
What would you talk about your life right now?
Who would you talk about in your life right now?
Well, I would imagine that all of us would describe a mixture
of both positive and negatives
concerning such things as our health,
our feelings,
our relationships with other people,
even our relationship with God.
If we could compile all these papers,
most of what would be written
would describe situations that are less than ideal.
And that's because we live in a less than ideal world.
We live in a fallen world that is far from perfect.
But one day, if you are a Christian,
that's going to change.
We've looked over the past four weeks
at what happens after we die.
Last week we looked
and we saw that one day
the Lord will rescue you
and me if we're Christians
from this broken world.
He's going to take us to a perfect world
where we'll live with Him
and our Heavenly Father
and all other Christians
forever.
We're going to live eternally
in a new heaven
and a new earth.
In that perfect world,
all the beauty that you enjoy
in this world
will be preserved
and even enhanced.
Every Christian relationship
relationship
that has been severed by death,
it'll be restored.
Your relationships
with your Christian family members
who've died,
they'll be refreshed.
They'll be new.
All pain and frustration
and ugliness
will disappear.
All of your deepest
God-honoring desires
will be fulfilled.
God the Father
and our Lord Jesus Christ
will light up
this perfect world
with their glorious presence
and power.
And they'll guarantee
that life will always be perfect
for you and me
because
when we get to heaven,
they will have made us perfect.
And they will have banished
from eternity
all that is not perfect.
You know,
the Bible writers
do their best
to describe for us
what we can look forward to
for all eternity
in heaven.
But words are not really adequate
to describe
what it will be like.
And Paul actually
tells us that.
Look at this
in 1 Corinthians 2.
He says,
No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
and no mind
has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love Him.
God has prepared
the best life possible
for us,
His children.
Jesus' death on the cross
for our sins
makes it possible,
and His resurrection
guarantees it.
If you're trusting in Jesus
as your Lord and Savior
right now,
you have a perfect
eternal home
waiting for you.
And that's what we've been
looking at
over the last four weeks.
Well, today,
we're going to shift focuses.
We're going to think today,
or look today,
how we should live
until then.
As Peter instructs us
in his second letter,
the third chapter.
And I want you
to take your Bible
because we're going
to keep it open there.
2 Peter chapter 3,
beginning in verse 13.
What's happened
in 2 Peter chapter 3,
he's been describing
end times.
And he concludes it
by talking about
the new heaven
and new earth.
But what he's actually doing,
beginning in verse 13
and 14,
and then through the end
of this letter,
he's giving us
some instructions
on how we need
to live now
and in anticipation
of living forever
in this new eternal home.
Read with me.
2 Peter chapter 3,
beginning in verse 13.
But according to his promise,
we're waiting for
a new heaven
and a new earth
in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore,
in light of that,
in light of what he's
been saying,
therefore,
beloved,
he's talking to Christians.
He makes it clear
at the beginning
of the letter
and throughout the letter
in various ways
like this,
he's calling these people
beloved.
Therefore,
beloved,
since you are waiting
for these,
be diligent
to be found
by him
without spot
or blemish
and at peace.
And count the patience
of our Lord
as salvation,
just as our beloved
brother Paul
also wrote to you
according to the wisdom
given him,
as he does
in all his letters
when he speaks
in them
of these matters.
There are some things
in them
that are hard
to understand.
Now,
I want you to think
as you read
the New Testament,
some of Paul's letters,
you run across things,
you scratch your head
and think,
these are hard
to understand.
Well,
Peter even said
the same thing.
So we're in good company,
which the ignorant
and unstable
twist
to their own destruction
as they do
the other scriptures.
That puts Paul's writings
in the New Testament
on a level
with scripture,
the authority
of scripture.
You,
therefore,
beloved,
knowing this beforehand,
take care
that you are not
carried away
with the error
of lawless people
and lose your own stability,
but grow in the grace
and knowledge
of our Lord Jesus,
of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.
To him be the glory
both now
and to the day
of eternity.
Amen.
Peter is telling us
no matter how good
it's going to be one day,
it matters how we live now.
It matters how you
live your life
every day
in every setting.
It matters to God
how we all live.
What we have here
are some instructions
on how to live
in this world
until Jesus comes for us
either at our death
or at his second coming
if we're alive
at that time.
Let's think in terms
of how we should live
until then.
First,
and we're just going to look
at one thing
this morning.
First,
get serious
about your character.
Believe it or not,
in 2019,
character still counts.
It may not
with a lot of people.
It may not
in certain places
of government.
It may not
in certain centers
of the entertainment world,
even in the sports world.
It may not
in a lot of places,
even where you work.
But before God,
among God's people,
in Christian homes
and churches
and businesses,
wherever we are,
God wants us to know
that character counts.
Our character.
Who we are
deep down.
Who we are
when no one else is looking.
Character counts.
And he's telling us here
in no uncertain terms,
get serious
about your character.
Look at verse 14.
Be diligent
to be found by him
without spot
or blemish
and at peace.
Let's define
what I'm talking about
when I say
Christian character
in this verse.
First,
he says to be
without spot
or blemish.
That may be a phrase
that comes
from the Old Testament
sacrificial system
where God told
the people of Israel
they were to bring
an animal
to be sacrificed
that was without spot
or blemish.
They were to bring
their best to God
not what they didn't want.
Bring their best.
Well,
these words,
the idea of being
without spot
or blemish
are really found
throughout the Bible
to describe
the holy character
that God calls
all of his people
to develop
and then to actually
demonstrate
in the way
that we live.
The point here is
purity matters to God.
Purity matters to God.
Now,
most people
when you think about
use the word purity
they automatically think
sexual purity.
That's okay.
Let's look at it
for a moment.
It's not limited to that
but let's think about it
for a moment.
God calls us today
in our culture
to be pure
in what we think
and in how we live
in the sexual realm.
He wants us to be pure
in our thoughts
and in our actions
and it applies
to both the single
and the married.
Here's something
you're not going to see
anywhere today
or you haven't seen
or heard in a long time
but the Bible
tells us
that God wants
every young person
man,
woman,
older person,
man,
woman
who is single
to abstain
from a sexual
relationship
until you get married.
You don't hear
that much today
do you?
And you certainly
don't see it
lived out
in our culture
on the screen
or in real life.
And most people
today think
it doesn't matter.
That's just,
that is so
way back in history
dark age type
mentality.
Tim Tebow
talks about
about things
like that
and he has
a certain
number of people,
certain group
of people
who like him
but a lot
of people
despise him
and make fun
of such
statements
about remaining
sexually pure
until you get
married.
This also applies
to married people,
remaining faithful
to your spouse
no matter what.
Now,
you think,
you just don't
hear a lot
about purity
today.
Does anyone
really care
about sexual
purity enough
to talk about
it,
to emphasize
it today?
Well,
God does.
And it has
not been removed
from his word.
And if God
thinks purity
matters,
we,
his children,
we should
understand that
it really does
matter.
It should matter
to us.
God cares
about more
than sexual
purity,
though.
He cares
about us
being pure
in our speech,
in the things
we talk about,
in the way
we talk to
people.
He cares
about us
being pure
in our
thought life,
in our
attitudes,
as well as
our conduct.
Now,
look back.
God also
wants us
to be at
peace,
it says.
Now,
it's not
clear whether
this is,
he's talking
about peace
with God,
peace with
other people,
or just
having a
sense of
personal
inner peace.
Well,
we know
that the Bible
talks about
in other
places that
we can
have peace
with God
through a
right relationship
with Jesus.
When we
have peace
with God,
we can
experience the
peace of
God in
our lives,
and when
this is
taking place,
it should
spill over
into our
relationships
with other
people.
So,
when he
talks about
we should
be at
peace,
let's just
think in
terms,
in this
context,
he's talking
about the
character
quality of
peace,
that we
experience it
and we
communicate it
in all of
our relationships.
we are
peaceful
people.
We'll look
at it that
way today.
Now,
there's one
phrase that
we skipped
over at the
beginning of
verse 14 that
I want you to
look at now.
Look at it
carefully.
He says,
be diligent
to be found
by him,
that's the
Lord when he
comes back,
without spot
or blemish
and at
peace.
The NIV
translates that
first phrase
be diligent
as make
every effort.
God wants
us to make
every effort.
God wants
us to try
our hardest
to be people
of high
moral character.
That's the way
he wants us
to live.
That's the kind
of character
he wants us
to develop.
And when
the Lord,
when we do
see the Lord,
whether it be
we die or
he comes back,
we won't be
ashamed.
We won't be
embarrassed.
Now,
when he says,
be diligent
to be found
by him
without spot
or blemish,
he talks about
make every effort.
That means
to try your
hardest.
Hopefully,
you know,
and just in
case you don't
want to clarify
here,
this does not
mean that we
have to try
our hardest
to earn
God's favor
or to save
ourselves.
As I said
when I was
reading through
that passage,
Peter's making
it clear that
he's writing
to Christians,
people who
are already
right with
God because
they are
trusting in
Jesus.
He's writing
this letter,
it's addressed
to Christians,
he refers to
them as the
beloved,
they're his
brothers and
sisters in
Christ.
So Peter is
writing to
people who are
already Christians
and he's saying
it matters how
you live.
He's saying
you need to
put forth
every effort
to live this
kind of
pure and
peaceful life
that will
please God,
that will
please the
Lord Jesus
when we see
him,
whenever it
is that we
see him.
Now,
this is a
command for
us to
put forth
the effort,
we can put
it this way,
this is a
command for
us to put
forth the
effort to
live like
the Christian
that we are
through faith
in Jesus.
Paul said
something similar
in his letter
to the
Philippian church.
I want you to
look at it,
it's on the
screen,
Philippians
chapter 2
verses 12
and 13,
look at it,
the first
verse,
therefore,
my beloved,
as you have
always obeyed,
so now,
not only as
in my presence,
but much more
in my absence,
work out
your own
salvation
with fear
and trembling.
Let's stop
there.
Paul is
writing to
Christians,
the church
in the city
of Philippi,
people who
are Christians,
people who
have experienced
salvation.
He's telling
them to
put it into
practice
with that
word,
work out
your salvation.
He's talking
about being
very serious
about it
with fear
and trembling
and then he
goes on to
describe how
that takes
place.
For it is
God who
works in
you both
to will
and to
work for
his good
pleasure.
Let's
think about
what he's
saying there.
When God
saves us,
he puts
his spirit
in us.
Whenever
you became
a Christian,
whenever you
were born
again,
you put
your faith
in Jesus,
you turn
from your
sin,
God put
his spirit
in you.
In Romans
chapter 8,
we're told
that if the
spirit of God
does not
live in us,
we are not
Christians.
very clear.
From the
point that
the Holy
Spirit comes
to live
within us,
he works
in us
to enable
us to
work out
our salvation.
And the
way he does
that,
he gives
us the
desire
and the
ability
to live
a life
that pleases
God.
Let's
sort of
pause here
and evaluate
this.
if you
are a
Christian,
you should
be able
to say,
like this
verse is
saying in
some way,
you should
understand and
be able to
say,
I am a
Christian,
the Spirit
of God
works in
me,
and he
gives me
desires
to live
the kind
of life
that would
please God.
He causes
me to
want to
do the
kinds of
things that
please God
like,
tell the
truth,
love your
spouse.
He puts
desires in
you to
cause you
to know,
I don't
want to
lie.
I don't
want to
be dishonest.
I don't
want to
be a
jerk
husband.
I don't
want to
be a
battle
axe kind
of wife.
The Spirit
of God
causes us
to have
the right
kind of
desires
that would
please God.
And not
only does
He give
us these
kind of
desires,
if we'll
cooperate with
Him,
He will
give us
the ability
to see
what we
need to
do and
put forth
the effort
like that
verse is
talking about
to sometimes
close our
mouths,
sometimes do
the thing
that is
hard to
do,
sometimes
resist the
temptation
that seems
overwhelming.
Now don't
misunderstand this
now.
We talk
about the
Spirit of
God works
in us
to give
us both
the will
and the
work for
His good
pleasure.
The Spirit
of God
lives in
us,
but sometimes
we're not
very sensitive
to His
presence.
And so
sometimes we
don't have
the strongest
desire.
Sometimes we're
just not willing
to put forth
the effort.
That's because
we have a
sinful nature.
We're still
tempted to do
what we want
to do,
to ignore
the Holy
Spirit's
prompting
desires.
But Peter
is telling
us,
in effect
here where
we are,
be diligent.
Put forth
your best
effort to
cooperate with
the Holy
Spirit to
develop Christ-like
character,
specifically to
be pure
and peaceful.
Now,
what God
calls us to
do in our
relationship
with Him
in terms of
put forth
effort,
work at it,
what God
calls us to
do like that
in our
relationship
with Him
is really
no different
from all
our other
relationships.
You think
about it.
If you're
married,
don't you
have to put
forth an
effort
to develop
a close
and intimate
relationship
and maintain
it with your
spouse?
Some of you
have to do
it,
work a lot
harder than
others.
I can tell,
I can see
some punching
going on
right here.
I said that
to be a
smart,
that can be
funny,
but it's
true.
Sometimes
we just
don't want
to do it
because we're
selfish,
because we're
lazy,
because
they don't
deserve it
today,
right?
But if
we're going
to have
the kind
of relationship
that makes
us think,
as we think
about going
home,
we get a
smile on
our face.
We think
about doing
something with
our spouse.
We get
excited about
it.
Hopefully,
you don't
think you
have to earn
your spouse's
love.
Something's
wrong if
you have to
earn their
love.
Something's
wrong if
you are
communicating
to your
spouse that
he or she
has to
earn your
love.
Hopefully,
you're married
to someone,
those of you
who are
married,
and you
know that
they love
you.
There is
no doubt.
Some days
they don't
like you,
but they do
love you.
If you
have a
healthy
marriage,
you want
to demonstrate
your love
by doing
certain
things for
and with
your spouse.
If you
have a
healthy
relationship,
you want
to do
some things
for her.
You want
to do
some things
with him.
You want
to show
that love.
Sometimes
it's just
hard.
Life is
busy for
all of us,
isn't it?
Not enough
hours a day
to do all
the things
we want
to do,
all the
good things
that come
through our
minds.
That's why
we've got
to actually
put forth
effort.
We've got
to work
at doing
what we
know is
important.
We've got
to work
on doing
the things
that we
cannot
neglect.
That applies
not just
to a
relationship
between
husband and
wife.
It applies
to a
relationship
between
parents and
children.
If you've
got children,
you've got
to put
forth the
effort to
develop and
maintain a
close relationship
with them,
to have
those open
channels of
communication.
That kind
of stuff is
tiring,
isn't it?
Sometimes it's
tiring physically
and emotionally.
If you've got
children living
at home,
if you're
going to
maintain or
recapture a
good relationship,
you've got to
spend some time
together.
You've got to
talk.
Not text,
but talk
face to face.
Nothing wrong
with texting.
But you
can't replace
talking and
listening face
to face.
But here's
the thing.
In most
family situations,
whether your
children are
teenagers or
little, you
get up in the
morning, mom
and dad, you
go off to
work, children
go off to
school, you
come back at
the end of
the day,
everybody's
tired.
Maybe you
come home at
the end of
the day, you
go to play
ball, you
have some
kind of other
extracurricular
activity at
school or
somewhere.
And you
come home and
everybody's just
tired.
We don't
want to talk.
We don't
want to have
to engage.
We just
sort of want
to lay back
and unwind and
then go to bed.
And if you do
that day after
day after day,
you all of a
sudden realize
we haven't
spoken.
We haven't
actually talked.
I haven't
actually listened
for two
weeks.
One of my
favorite Bible
teachers is
Matt Chandler.
We've done a
lot of his
studies on
Sunday nights in
our discipleship
classes.
I have been
helped by him
as he's talked
about in several
studies and in the
one we're involved
in right now on
Sunday nights.
how hard it is
some days he'll
tell us to go
into his
children's rooms
at bedtime and
spend time with
them in the way
that he knows he
needs to.
He's tired.
He's worn out.
But he says
because I love
my children, I
want to keep an
open line of
communication.
I want to have a
close relationship
with them.
I want to have
an influence in
their lives.
I go in there
and I lay down
on the bed and I
ask them about
their day and I
listen.
and we talk
and we pray
together.
And when I get
up and I think
back, it's worth
the effort.
It's worth the
putting forth the
effort, the being
diligent like Peter
is talking about
here.
Talking about your
relationship with
your spouse and
children may have
struck a nerve for
some of you right
now.
If I've struck a
nerve, I'm glad
because it's
something we need
to talk about.
We need to think
about here for a
moment.
What kind of
relationship right
now do you have
with your spouse?
What kind of
relationship do you
have with your
children?
What kind of
relationship do you
have with your
parents right now?
could the words
purity and
peaceful apply in
terms of the
words you're
normally speaking to
one another?
The way you talk to
one another?
Well, the way you
talk about one
another.
The words purity and
peaceful apply in
terms of the way you
think about that
person that you live
with.
And then would the
words purity and
peaceful describe the
way you interact?
Right now, this
moment is a good
time for you to
evaluate your
relationship with
your spouse and
your children.
It's a good time for
you to evaluate your
relationship with your
parents, those of you
who are living at home
especially.
We all can agree that
it's God's will for
our relationships to be
healthy.
But Peter is telling
us, as in everything
about living the
Christian life, it
takes diligence.
You've got to put
forth the effort.
You've got to work
to maintain, to
develop, to grow
relationships.
By God's grace, you
can do it, or at
least you can do what
you can do.
But go back to what we
said a while ago about
when God puts His
Spirit in us.
God gives all His
children the desire and
the ability to please
Him.
And being a godly
husband, wife, parent,
child, that pleases
His God.
He talks about that in
His Word.
I want to encourage
you, get serious about
your home relationships
now.
Homes in this country are
not healthy.
A lot of homes, church
homes, are not
healthy.
And a lot of times, it's
because we don't give it
the attention we need to
give it.
And a lot of times, it's
because we don't give it
the attention we should
because it takes work.
It takes effort.
It's hard, and we're just
not willing to do it.
We're too selfish and lazy
to do what needs to be
done to maintain, to
develop, to grow
relationships with the
people that we truly do
love more than anyone
else in the world.
I want to encourage you, get
serious about your home
relationships now.
If there is sin that you
need to confess, because
your speech, your
attitudes are far from
pure and peaceful, you
confess it to God.
Agree with God about it.
Repent of it.
Change your mind about
living this way, talking
this way, acting this way.
Turn from it.
Seek God's forgiveness.
And the scripture says, if
we confess our sins, he is
faithful to forgive us and
to cleanse us of all
unrighteousness.
But after you confess it
to God, confess it to
your spouse.
Confess it to your child.
Confess it to your parents.
My attitude has stunk here
lately.
Things I've said I am so
ashamed of.
The way I've treated you, I
know it is totally wrong.
Be open.
Be honest.
Confess with no
qualifications.
Seek their forgiveness.
Now, if there's changes that
need to be made in the way you
talk to one another, make those
changes.
You've got to start.
You don't wait for the other
person to start.
If you're showing, speaking
disrespectfully to your spouse,
to your parent, to your child,
own it, kill it.
That attitude.
Ask God to help you to learn to
speak the right way, the loving
way, the pure way, the peaceful
way, to think that way, to act
that way.
If there's changes that need to be
made in how you spend your time,
ask God to help you to see what
needs to be done, what changes need
to be made, and make them.
Your family is important.
Those are the most important
relationships in the world, in this
world.
For some reason, as I've worked on
this message this week, and
especially zero in an end this
weekend, I have felt the need to
focus, just to camp out here and
focus on the character we
demonstrate in the home.
I believe God wants that
emphasized this morning, and if
God wants it emphasized, it means
there's people here that need to
hear it, to heed it.
If you're a Christian, the place to
begin working to develop and
demonstrate pure and peaceful
character is in your home.
First of all, it's in your heart,
and then it's in your home.
More than anything else, that's
what your family members need.
They need that more than your
money.
They need that more than your
support, some kind of sport or
extracurricular activity.
Your family needs for you to be the
man, the woman of God, that God
calls you to be and has put his
spirit in you that will enable you
to be, but you've got to work at
it.
You've got to care enough to work
at it.
The question is, will you?
One day, sooner or later, we're all
going to see Jesus face to face.
It will happen immediately after we
die, or if we're alive, he returns.
We'll see him then.
But as you think about the Lord
looking you in the eye, does that
comfort you?
Or does that frighten you?
You know, none of us will ever be
totally without any spot or blemish
as long as we live in this world.
We're fallen sinful people.
God's working in us, but we're still
having to fight the temptations of our
sinful nature and the world around
about us and the devil.
But thankfully, if we are trusting, I
want you to listen to this.
If you are trusting in Jesus right
now, God considers you without spot or
blemish for this reason.
Because you're united to Jesus by faith,
you are cleansed by his blood.
What that means is, when Jesus died on
the cross, he actually paid the penalty
for your sins.
He took your punishment.
He died.
He shed his blood.
His blood cleanses you if you're united
to him by faith.
If you're united to him by faith, you are
clothed in his righteousness, his
rightness.
Think about it this way.
His perfectly spotless and blameless life,
the life he lived in this world, that is
credited to you through faith in him.
So God accepts you as spotless and
blameless because you're united to Jesus.
God declared you to be spotless and
blameless the moment you trusted in Jesus.
But ever since that day, God has called you, been working in you
through his spirit to cause you to want to actually become spotless and
blameless in your character.
So the question now is, think to yourself, am I cooperating with the spirit of God as he gives
me these desires?
Am I cooperating with him and obeying him, putting forth the effort to discipline myself
and develop pure and peaceful character?
Are you confessing your sins when you fail?
As I said, we all do.
And then are you, with God's help, getting up every time you fall and continuing to put forth your best effort
with God's help to develop Christ-like character?
You know, we can be ready to meet Jesus when he returns.
We don't have to be afraid.
We won't be perfect, but by God's grace, we can be found trusting him
and obeying him in seeking to grow and develop pure and peaceful character.
And if we're living like that when he returns, whenever it is, and he looks into our eyes,
it won't be frightening.
It'll be comforting.
And it'll be exciting because we know he's come to take us, to bless us,
and to take us to live with him for all eternity in that perfect place.
But in the meantime, he calls us to put forth the effort to live like his people
at home, at work, at school, wherever you go.
Let's pray together.
Dear God, show us now how we should respond to what you have said about how we live today,
about developing Christian character.
Show us what we need to do that we might leave here today prepared with your help
to work on developing pure and peaceful character.
In an attitude of prayer, you just listen to the Lord and obey him.
Do what he's telling you to do.
I'd be happy to pray with you if you want to right here at the front this moment.
But what's most important is that we all listen to God, obey him, pray for people in your life.
Don't be a distraction.
You just listen to the Lord and do what he's telling you to do.
Pray for others during this next few minutes.