read or hear about someone who has destroyed their credibility
and it's no one's fault but their own.
Jesse Smollett.
He's the poster child of someone doing that right now.
But what he's done is not something new.
People have been doing that, well-known people,
obscure people.
People have been doing that since the Garden of Eden.
You can think of individuals well-known or in your family
or among your friends who did some things
that it appears they destroyed their credibility.
It happens to Christians.
In fact, one of the most well-known Christian leaders of all time,
Simon Peter, the leader of Jesus' disciples,
he almost destroyed his credibility.
Most of you in here, you know the story.
He appeared to have just blown it all when, right after Jesus was arrested,
Peter was asked not once, not twice, but three times,
do you know him or you are one of his?
And all three times, Peter said, no.
I don't even know the man.
Now, that's well-known among Christians.
But do you remember what happened before Peter did that?
Before Jesus was arrested,
Jesus prayed this for Peter.
Look at it.
It's in Luke 22.
Jesus said, I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.
And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.
By God's grace,
Peter did not destroy his faith or his credibility.
After he denied Jesus,
the scripture tells us he went out and he was broken.
He truly repented.
He came back as a strong Christian, Christian leader,
and pillar of the early church.
He did exactly what Jesus prayed he would do.
He strengthened his brothers.
He did that to the very end of his life,
as recorded in his last letter, 2 Peter.
If you would, turn there with me this morning.
2 Peter, chapter 3,
the last letter that this disciple,
who appeared to have messed up his life,
destroyed his credibility,
but he came back.
This is not the focus of the message this morning,
but I want you to know this.
If you have royally messed up some things in your life,
maybe you've done some things just within your family
or to a certain friend
or where you work
or where you did work.
You've done some things that
it appears you have lost your credibility.
I want you to not give up.
By the grace of God,
if Peter could come back from what he did,
you can come back as well.
Sometimes it takes time.
Sometimes it requires God working in some other people's lives
to forgive you
and to show you grace.
But God can work in all kinds of situations,
and he does,
to rescue us when we blow it,
as in a case like Peter.
2 Peter, chapter 3,
beginning in verse 13.
We're going to continue to look at
how God expects us,
commands us,
to live in this world
until we see Jesus face to face.
Now that day is going to come
for every single one of us in here.
One day we're going to see Jesus face to face.
It'll be the day that we die.
You know, we looked at that
a few weeks ago.
We did a series,
what happens after we die,
what happens after Christians die.
And we looked at
from several different passages of Scripture,
when we close our eyes in death
in this world,
we're going to open them again immediately
in the presence of Jesus.
So one day,
we're all going to be face to face with Jesus.
Either right after we die,
or we could be alive when He returns to this world.
And we'll see Him when He comes back.
But the point that Peter is going to make
in this passage is,
it matters how we live until that day.
God holds us accountable
for how we live our lives
day in and day out in this world.
Let's read it.
2 Peter chapter 3,
beginning in verse 13.
But according to His promise,
we are waiting for new heavens
and a new earth
in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved,
since you are waiting for these things,
be diligent to be found by Him
without spot or blemish
and at peace.
And count the patience of the 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,
which the ignorant and unstable
twist to their own destruction,
as they do the other scriptures.
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 and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now
and to the day of eternity.
Amen.
God cares how we live right now.
Here's what we looked at last week.
Get serious about your character.
As we live life in this world,
right up till the day we die
or Jesus comes,
God wants us to be serious
about who we are
in terms of our character.
Look at verse 14.
He says,
Be diligent to be found by Him
without spot or blemish
and at peace.
That was what we looked at last week
in a lot of detail.
So let's just hit some highlights here.
God calls each one of us
to develop and demonstrate
Christian character in two ways.
A lot of ways really,
but two in this passage.
Number one,
live a pure life.
That's what He's talking about
when He says,
without spot or blemish.
Purity matters to God.
And as I said last week,
some people look at that
and they just automatically think
about sexual purity
and it certainly matters to God.
But God cares about
how we live in every realm of our lives.
God cares about us
being morally pure
in our own minds
and what we think
when nobody else knows.
He cares about us
being morally pure
in our speech.
The way we talk to people
and about people.
And obviously,
God cares about
our moral purity
and just the way we live.
That includes
our private lives
when nobody else is around,
nobody else sees,
as well as our public life.
A lot of you know
a well-known concept
or definition of character.
Character is defined
by how we are
when no one's looking
just as much
as when
everyone is looking.
God wants us to live
pure lives.
It matters.
God also wants us
to live a peaceful life.
Look at that word,
not just spotless
and blameless,
but at peace.
It's important
that we live
at peace
with God
and other people.
But the point here
seems to be
the character quality
of peace.
And peace is
the character quality.
We've done a study
on Wednesday nights
on the fruit of the Spirit
not too long ago.
Paul lists
in Galatians chapter 5
a list of character qualities
that he calls
the fruit of the Spirit
and one of them
is peace.
Now,
one of the best ways
for us to develop
such peace
is to truly
trust God
that He is both
wise
and sovereign.
That means
we need to learn
to trust God
that He's wise.
He always knows
what's best,
what's right
for us.
And because
He's sovereign,
He always has
the ability,
the power
to bring it about
when He wants to
and in the way
He wants to.
If we'll learn
to trust God
like this
instead of worrying,
peace will be
the result.
I want you to look
at what Paul says
in Philippians chapter 4
along this line.
He says,
Do not be anxious
about anything,
but in every situation
by prayer
and petition
with thanksgiving
present your requests
to God.
and the peace
of God
which transcends
all understanding
will guard your hearts
and your minds
in Christ Jesus.
We can develop
this character
quality
of peace,
of wellness,
rightness
when we learn
to trust God,
take things to Him
in prayer
instead of worrying
about it
because He has
the power
and the ability
to actually
do things
that will work out
in the way
that's best for us.
Trust Him.
Now,
we also saw last week
that God calls us
to put forth
our best effort
to develop such character.
Look at the first words again.
Be diligent
to be found by Him
without spot
or blemishing
at peace.
God's actually
commanding us
to try hard
to live like
the Christian
that He has
already made us.
This doesn't mean
try hard
to make yourself
right with God.
I emphasized
that last week.
We are saved
by God's grace,
His undeserved favor
through faith
in Jesus
and what He's done
not what we've done.
When God saves us
He puts His Spirit
in us.
The Holy Spirit
works in us
from the time
we're saved.
He works in us
throughout our lives
and He's the one
who gives us
desires
to please God.
You know,
sometimes when you
think right
and you know
you think better
than other people,
you have better desires
than a lot of people
maybe that
you work with,
some of your classmates.
Don't pat yourself
on the back.
If you're a Christian
that's the Spirit of God
working in you,
giving you
those kind of desires
and He'll not only
give you those desires
but Scripture tells us
He will work in us
to enable us
to act on them,
to do them.
Again,
from last week,
Philippians 2.13,
for it is God
who works in you
both to will
and to work
for His good pleasure.
Peter's telling us
here in verse 14,
in effect,
put forth your best effort
to cooperate
with the Holy Spirit
so that you can be
pure
and peaceful,
a pure and peaceful
Christian.
Now,
let's move on.
The next way
to get ready
to meet Jesus
face to face
whenever that will be
is this,
make the most
of God's patience.
Have you ever thought
about how patient
God is
and why?
Well,
let's look at it.
This is going to be
in verses 15
and the first part
of verse 16.
He says,
and count the patience
of our Lord
as salvation.
God's giving us
time to be saved.
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 of his letters
when he speaks
in them about
these matters.
Peter is describing
God as being patient
and that's his way
of explaining
why Jesus
has not come back
into this world.
We'll look at it
later on next week.
Peter is combating
false teachers.
People in the church,
people who came
into the church
and caused all kinds
of problems
because they were
teaching things
that were wrong,
that were leading
people astray.
And one of the things
they were teaching
is this.
These New Testament
leaders like Peter,
Paul,
they've been saying
for years
that Jesus was
coming back.
Well, he hasn't.
And the reason he hasn't
is he's not going to.
And so Peter's responding,
they don't know
what they're talking about.
The reason that Jesus
has not returned
to this world yet
is because God
is being patient
with people,
giving them time
to be saved.
I want you to look
back at verse 9.
We didn't read it,
but we're in 2 Peter
chapter 3,
verse 9.
It's going to be
on the screen.
Peter explains this
in more detail.
The Lord is not slow
to fulfill His promise,
as some count slowness,
but is patient
toward you,
not wishing that
any should perish,
but that all
should reach repentance.
Now think about
what He's saying.
People are saying,
Lord's never coming back.
It's been this long,
He never will.
But Peter is saying,
no.
The reason that Jesus
has not yet returned
is because God
is patiently
waiting,
working in people's lives,
giving them time
to repent.
And Peter points out
that Paul
taught the same thing
in His letters.
Now,
we don't know
which letters.
It could have been,
for example,
Romans.
Here's why I say that.
Paul emphasized
not only God's patience,
but also His kindness
in this statement.
Look at it.
He says,
do you presume
on the riches
of His kindness
and forbearance
and patience,
not knowing
that God's kindness
is meant to lead you
to repentance?
Now,
I want us to just
pause here
for a few minutes
and think about
that God is patient.
He's patient with us.
He's patient with people
who do not believe.
God's patience
reveals His love,
His mercy,
and His grace.
I don't know
what everyone's concept
of God is.
Some people have
a warped view
that God's in heaven
looking down on us,
waiting for us
to get out of line
so He can inflict
some kind of pain
or punishment on us.
That couldn't be
further from the truth.
These passages
that I'm reading
from Romans,
here from 2 Peter,
God's patience
reveals that He's
a God of love,
of mercy,
of grace.
God does not
want to destroy people.
He wants to save people.
Peter's telling us.
But when Jesus
returns to this world,
the truth is
the time for salvation
will be over.
At the time of death,
our time of salvation
will be over.
Whatever a person's
spiritual condition is,
at the moment
they see Jesus,
whether it be through
death or His return,
at the moment
they see Jesus,
at the moment
we see Jesus,
our eternal destiny
is determined.
It is fixed.
It is permanent.
As we saw a few weeks
ago in another study,
that means
it'll either be
joy in heaven
or torment
in hell.
That's the reality.
The fact that Jesus
has not yet come back
to this world
is because God
is being patient
with people.
Right now,
God is waiting
for more and more people
to repent of their sin
and trust Jesus
as their Lord and Savior.
I'm going to touch on this
a little bit later on,
but right now,
if you have family members
and friends
who are not Christians,
you need to take this
and make it personal.
God is being patient,
waiting on
your loved one,
your friend.
And it may be
that God is
patiently waiting
for you
to share the gospel
with that person.
And through
your witness,
God's going to draw
them to faith in Jesus.
Don't discount
that reality,
that possibility.
Now,
if you're not
a Christian,
what Peter is saying,
what Paul is saying,
this means that God
is patiently waiting
for you right now.
Also,
if you are a Christian
and you're living
in rebellion
against God,
if you're a Christian
and you know
just as well
as you're sitting there,
I'm not right with God
and I know why
and I'm just not willing
to do anything about it.
I want you to know
the fact that you are
alive and here
and hear that
and understand that,
that is God being patient.
Because you are
presuming upon
His grace
and mercy
and love
by still being
rebellious.
So,
think about
as we move on here,
this applies
to both Christians
and unbelievers.
God is being patient,
but Paul says,
God's also being kind.
Look at it again.
God's kindness
is meant
to lead you
to repentance.
Let's think about
how God
shows us
patience
and kindness
or patient kindness.
Think about
how He does this
in your life
if you're not a Christian.
But also
in your life
if you are a Christian
and especially
if
you just won't
listen to God.
You won't
obey Him
right now.
Maybe God's
kindness toward you
is in the form of
you have good health.
Your family
life
is great.
You've got
good friends
who love you,
care for you.
Maybe God's
patience
and kindness
with you
is seen
in your
athletic ability,
your musical talents.
Maybe God's
patience
and kindness
toward you
is seen
in just
the good ways
God
has just
blessed you.
But if you're
away from Him
as a Christian
or as an unbeliever,
He's intended,
He wants you
to see
these good things
as signs
of His
kindness
and patience,
He wants you
to come to Him.
Let that goodness
bring you
to Him.
Maybe God
is
showing His
patient kindness
by preventing
you from
reaping
the
sinful
seeds
you have
sown.
the
scripture
talks about
something
that a lot
of people
refer to
as the
law of the
harvest.
We reap
what we
sow.
But maybe
you can think
right now,
I've sown
some pretty
bad seeds
and nothing's
happened.
That's God
being patient.
That's God's
kindness.
But don't
presume that
just because
the crop
hasn't come
in yet
that it
won't ever.
We reap
what we
sow.
That's a
biblical
principle.
And I
want to
encourage you
before you
have to
haul in
that
harvest,
listen to
the Lord
and obey
Him.
Confess
that sin.
put your
trust in
Christ.
Don't
presume upon
God's
patience.
It could
be that
God's
showing you
His
patient
kindness
by helping
your family
and friends
to not
give up on
you even
though you've
given them
reason to
do that.
It may
be that
right now
your
spouse
or your
children
or your
parents
they have
every reason
in the world
just to
let you
go
because of
the way
you've
mistreated
them,
dishonored
them.
It may
be that
you've lost
some
credibility
or maybe
all credibility
in their
eyes but
by the
grace of
God they
are being
patient
with you
and waiting
for you
to wake
up.
Waiting
for you to
get right
with God
and then get
right with
them.
maybe God's
kindness
is in the
form of
allowing you
to have
some kind
of serious
problem
to wake
you up
spiritually
before it's
too late.
I have a
Christian friend
who was living
in rebellion
against God
at one point
and God
put them
in the
hospital
with a
sudden
physical
problem
and as
it turned
out
that was
an act
of God's
kindness
because that
interruption
that hospital
stay
disrupted
the plan
to carry
out some
sinful
behaviors
and when
all was
said and
done
they did
not act
on
those
sinful
plans
they had
made.
God's
kindness
intervened
but through
the hospital.
I have
another
Christian
friend
who
rebelled
against
God
and did
not repent
until he
had lost
everything
his wife
his job
and his
reputation.
He finally
woke up
truly repented
came back
to God
but he
never got
his wife
or his
job
or his
reputation
back.
He did
lose
much
in that
process.
If you're
not a
Christian
the fact
that you
are alive
and hearing
this message
is an
expression
of God's
patience
and kindness
that also
applies to
you if you
are a
willfully
disobedient
Christian.
But the
day will
come
God's
patience
will end.
God is
truly loving
but he
is also
holy.
God
loves us
but he
cannot allow
our sin
to go
unpunished.
The good
news of the
Bible is
that God
provided a
way to
express both
his love
and his
holy justice.
He did
that by
sending Jesus
into this
world to
take the
punishment for
our sins.
God
was dying
on the
cross.
He took
our sins
upon himself
and he
experienced
God's
wrath.
He
experienced
the punishment
that we
deserved.
Jesus
suffered what
we could
consider the
torment of
hell as he
died on the
cross.
The pain,
the torment
of being
separated from
God.
That's why he
cried out as
he hung on
the cross,
my God,
why have you
forsaken me?
God had
turned away
from him
as he was
our sin
bearer
taking our
punishment.
But there on
the cross as
he did that,
he paid the
penalty for our
sins in full,
which means
when he cried
out at the
end,
before he
died,
it is
finished.
It means
everything
necessary for
us to be
right with
God has
been done.
The penalty
for our sin
has been
paid.
Jesus died
and was
buried,
but God
raised him
from the
dead,
and when he
raised him
from the
dead,
that shows
us that
God has
accepted
Jesus'
sacrifice
for us.
By raising
Jesus from
the dead,
God is
saying,
Jesus has
defeated sin
and death
and the
devil.
He's won
that victory
for us.
This is the
gospel.
This is the
good news of
God's gracious
salvation through
faith in
Jesus.
But this
gospel requires
our response.
It's not
enough just to
believe these
facts.
We've got to
respond to what
Christ has done
for us.
We've got to
repent of our
sin, change
our mind about
it, own up to
it, turn from
it.
We've got to
put our
personal trust,
faith, confidence
in Jesus as my
Savior.
and commit
my life to
Him as my
Lord.
Here's what I
want to ask
you.
Have you made
this kind of
commitment?
Have you made
this kind of
response to the
gospel?
Everyone in here,
have you made
this kind of
response?
If not,
will you do it
now?
Will you cry out
to God,
confessing your
sin, turning
from it, putting
your faith in
Jesus, calling
upon Him to
save you?
If you'll do
that right now,
the Scripture
says, whoever
will call upon
the name of
the Lord will
be saved.
But I know
that the
overwhelming
majority of
people in
this room, you
would say, I've
done that.
I've done that a
long time ago.
Well, here's what
I want us to
understand.
If we are
Christians, there
will be evidence
to show that.
I had a real
encouraging
conversation this
past week with
a man, late
30s, early
40s.
He's got a
real demanding
job, wife and
children.
He's got a very
busy life.
But in the
conversation with
this guy, I
found out he is
not only very
active in his
church, but he
is a real student
of the Bible.
And he was
telling me that
he was concerned.
There was no
pride or arrogance.
There was no, you
know, look at me
and putting people
down.
He's talked about
how he was so
concerned that just
around him, among
his family members
and friends, in his
church, there's so
many people who
claim to be
Christians, but
there's absolutely
no evidence in
their lives that
the Lord's ever
changed them or
the Lord has even
reeled them now.
Do you
understand that?
Do you
understand that if
a person is a
Christian, if you're
a Christian, you
will experience the
presence of the
Holy Spirit within
you.
Romans chapter 8
tells us if the
Spirit of God does
not live in us, we're
not Christians.
But Romans 8 also
tells us that if the
Spirit of God lives
within us, he will
so work in us to
give us this sense
notice that God is
our Heavenly Father
and enable us to
truly pray and
call Him Father.
That's the Spirit of
God living within us.
That's in addition to
what we said earlier,
how He gives us the
desire and the
ability to please
God.
But think of this,
if the Holy Spirit's
living within us, when
we fail to please
God, the Spirit will
grieve us, inflict
guilt on us, and
move in us to cause
us to want to
confess our sin to
God and be forgiven
and be restored to a
right relationship with
Him.
That's what the Spirit
of God will do.
If we're Christians,
we, right now, we
should understand the
Spirit's presence and
how He works in our
lives in some ways.
He's real.
If we're Christians,
our family members and
friends will see
evidence that Jesus
has changed my life.
He is changing my life.
People will see, people
will just see the
presence of the Lord,
the power of the Lord,
in some way, not in a
perfect way, but in some
way in your life.
If we're Christians, we
understand, we should
understand that saving
faith is continuing
faith.
And it will be evident
for everyone to see.
You know, when Jesus
talked about things like
this, about how we
should live, He talked
about how a tree should
be known by its fruit.
People should be known
by the kind of
character quality fruit
fruit their lives put
forth.
Paul described such
spiritual fruit in terms
of character qualities
like love and joy and
peace and patience and
kindness and goodness and
faithfulness and gentleness
and self-control.
Paul also talked about in
Colossians 3 that a part of
Christian living involves
killing sin within us,
turning from it,
dying to things like
sexual immorality,
impurity, anger,
slander, obscene talk,
lying.
See, the New Testament is
telling us that being a
Christian involves far more
than just saying, I trust
Jesus.
Far more than just being
baptized, far more than
just coming to church.
A Christian is someone who
is growing by the grace of
God more and more,
developing Christ-like
character.
Paul describes it this way,
for those whom He foreknew,
He also predestined to be
conformed to the image of His
Son.
That's how Paul is
describing Christians.
Those He foreknew, God
predestined them to be
conformed to the image of
His Son.
And God does that through
His Spirit who indwells us.
Hear this clearly.
If your life does not
produce any evidence that
the Bible says a Christian
will show forth, then you
shouldn't consider yourself to
be a Christian.
See, you don't get to define,
I don't get to define what a
Christian is.
Bible does that.
God does that for us.
And when we examine our
lives in light of what the
Scripture says a Christian
is and how a Christian lives,
that's how we have to
evaluate ourselves.
As we think about God being
patient and giving people time
to be saved, do you have
family members and friends who
are not Christians?
God is patiently waiting for them.
God is giving them time to
repent and trust Jesus.
Could it be that God is
patiently waiting for you to be
the one to share the gospel with
them?
The second Sunday of this year,
I preached a message about us
taking on the responsibility to
develop relationships with people
who are not Christians who are
already in our lives.
I passed out a paper that had
concentric circles, people in your
family, your immediate family,
your extended family, classmates,
work associates, neighbors, friends,
all these kind of things.
And I asked you to think about
just a few people who might fit in
that category who's not a
Christian and to pray for them
and develop a relationship with
them and ask God to give you an
opportunity to share the gospel
with them.
Have you done that?
Are you still thinking of them,
praying for them, working with
them, looking for an opportunity to
share the gospel with them?
If you're not, I want to encourage
you to start today.
Consider that God's being patient
with that person that you love and
you want to spend eternity with.
Be thankful that God's being
patient, but get involved.
Ask God how you should be involved.
Share the gospel with them.
All of us need to let it sink in
this morning that while God is
patient with us, his patience is not
unlimited.
Time is running out.
We all need to listen to the Lord
and respond to his patient call.
And we need to do it right now.
We need to do it as the writer to the
Hebrews warns us.
Final thought.
This is from Hebrews chapter 3.
See to it, brothers and sisters,
that none of you has a sinful,
unbelieving heart that turns away
from the living God.
But encourage one another daily as
long as it is called today,
so that none of you may be hardened
by sin's deceitfulness.
We have come to share in Christ,
if indeed we hold our original
conviction firmly to the end.
Let's pray.
Dear God,
show us now how we should respond.
Show us, Father, how we should
demonstrate our gratitude for your
patience and your kindness.
Help us, Father, not to presume upon it.
And help us, Father, not to wait
until it's too late.
In an attitude of prayer,
you just do what God's calling you to do.
I would be happy to pray with you.
But you listen to God and obey Him.