“Eternity: What Awaits After Death”
Sermon
# 8
“Living In the Light of Eternity”
2 Peter 3:11-14
A pastor visited an older man. The Pastor
said, “At your age you should be thinking about the hereafter.” The older man replied, “Oh, I do all the time. No matter where I am - in the
living room, upstairs, in the kitchen, or down in the basement - I ask myself ‘What
am I here after?’”
Christian author Phillip Yancey wrote, “Although [most] of us believe in an afterlife, no one much talks
about it. Christians believe we will spend eternity in a splendid place called heaven . .
. isn’t it a little bizarre that we simply ignore heaven acting as if it doesn’t
matter?” Does heaven
matter?
For the last six weeks we
have been engaged in a study of Eternity, generally and of Heaven, specifically. What difference does is make now
that we know more about Heaven and God’s future plan for us? How should we live now in the light
of what we know about the future? Hopefully you know more about what awaits after
death than you did before the series. And with new truth always comes new
responsibility.
What we need to realize is that, what you think
about Heaven determines what think about the present. C.S. Lewis said, “It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other
world that they have become so ineffective in this one.”
But it is easy to get so
swamped with things here on earth, as we get squeezed by our jobs, the finances are tight,
and our relationships are going sour. When those kinds of things are happening it is not
easy to mediate on the glories of heaven.
In
2 Peter 3:11-14 Peter addresses this very concern, “Therefore,
since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct
and godliness. (12) looking for and hastening the coming
of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the
elements will melt with fervent heat? (13) Nevertheless we,
according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which
righteous-ness dwells. (14) “Therefore, beloved, looking
forward to these things be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot
and blameless.”
The word “manner” means what kind or sort of
person am I suppose to be. The word “ought” carries
the idea of necessity. But as we all understand there is often a vast difference between what we are and what we should be.
Joseph M. Stowell, Pastor of the Moody Church
in Chicago wrote, “When we begin to believe the reality of
the other side, we start behaving differently on this side. This is what drove the
disciples out into their world – they had seen firsthand the reality of the other
side.” [Joseph M.
Stowell.
The word translated “ought” (dei)
refers to obligation including the idea of owing a debt to someone. The question is, “Do you sense an obligation to live with an
eternal perspective?” Peter is saying, "If
you don't, you should" The Living Bible conveys the idea: "And
so since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives we should be
living!" “How astoundingly excellent you ought to be!” Heaven is our
real home and we need to live accordingly.
What kind of people ought we to be then?
We're not living for this world; we're aliens, strangers, and foreigners. We as Christians
are not a part of this world system, we are commanded not to love the world, neither the
things that are in the world. It's not our place. We are pilgrims. We belong to a heavenly
place. We look for a city whose builder and maker is God, a city not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens.
What kind of people ought
we to be, at what level of excellence ought we to live? Since I am headed for eternal
glory, since I am going to be a citizen of God's eternal Kingdom, since I am going to be
delivered from the day of the Lord to enter into the eternal day of God, I should be
living in expectation of that.
Three things About How We Ought to Live.
First, We Are
To Live With Devotion (v. 11b)
“… in holy conduct and
godliness.”
Peter says that an eternal perspective will
change the way we behave in two very practical ways, “holy
conduct” and “godliness.”
John
McArthur compares holiness and godliness this way, "Holy conduct refers to
action, godliness refers to attitude. Holy conduct refers to the way I live my life,
godliness refers to the spirit of reverence within me by which I live my life. Holy
conduct refers to that which rules my behavior, and godliness refers to that which rules
my heart. And so he is saying what kind of person ought you to be in heart and in
behavior, in motive and in action, in attitude and in duty.” [John
MacArthur. “Living In Anticipation of Christ’s Return” (2 Peter
3:11-13) Part I. www.biblebb.com/files/MAC61-26]
The first result of an eternal perspective is
it will result in “Purity.” John wrote (1 John
3:3) “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself,
just as He is pure.”
Randy Alcorn in his
marvelous book on Heaven says, “If my wedding date is on the
calendar and I’m thinking of the person I’m going to marry, I shouldn’t be
an easy target for seduction.
Likewise, when I’ve
meditated on Heaven, sin is not terribly unappealing. It’s when my mind drifts from
Heaven that sin seems attractive. Thinking of Heaven leads inevitably to pursuing
holiness. Our high tolerance for sin testifies of our failure to prepare for Heaven.
Heaven should affect our
activities and ambitions, our recreation and friendships, and the way we spend our money
and time. If I believe I’ll spend eternity in a world of unending beauty and
adventure, will I be content to spend all my evening staring at game shows, sitcoms and
ball games? Even if I keep my eyes off of impurities, how much time will I want to invest
in what does not matter?”
[Randy Alcorn. “Heaven.”
(Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale, 2004) p.455]
The second thing Peter says will be a result of
a eternal perspective is - "godliness"-
the Greek word (eusebeia) which means literally
“to worship well” describes a person whose life is devoted to pleasing God lived
out even as an act of worship (and not just on Sunday).
If we really believe what Peter has just
written, it will be reflected in the way we live, and the way we live gets down to our
personal choices: What I will do with my time and my money. Because I realize, that of
course, none of these things are mine but His and that we are just acting as stewards who
will one day be held accountable in regard to how we handled the Master's riches!) Jesus
said in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.”
If you want a heart for General Motors, then
buy stock in it. If you want a heart for your
house or car or boat, just invest your time and money in them. If you want a heart for
God, then put your treasures where God is at work. Want
a heart for missions, then begin putting your treasure in missions, start giving to
missions through Faith Promise.
We are not only
to live with Devotion but ….
Secondly, We
Are To Live with Expectancy.
“looking for and hastening the coming of the day
of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements
will melt with fervent heat? (13) Nevertheless we, according to
His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness
dwells.(14) “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to
these things…”
Peter used the phrase “looking for” three times in these three verses. This
verb translated “looking for” or “looking
forward” carries the idea of expectancy, of waiting with alertness, of being
ready. The first is found in verse twelve where we read, “looking
for …the coming of God.” And then in verse thirteen “looking for new heavens and a new earth.” Then he uses
it again verse fourteen, “looking forward to these
things.” The word translated “looking”
(prosdokao) is in the present tense indicating that this is one's habit or
lifestyle. Are you continually
living with an eternal perspective? If you do, it will radically impact what
you are living for!
The idea is to wait for, to
look for, to expect, to anticipate. It describes the attitude saints should have as
anticipating, waiting with watchfulness, being in expectation.
The coming of Christ and the doctrine of Heaven
provide some of the strongest motivation for living the Christian life that you will ever
find. What you believe about the
future determines how you live today. The future is like an anchor that has
been cast ahead of us and is pulling us into the future.
Dr. J. Vernon McGee who has a way of putting
things so simply says, "Today we see a lot of careless,
slipshod living, but also a great emphasis on prophecy. I hear people say, “Oh,
I’m waiting for the Lord to come!” Brother, my question is not whether you are
looking for the Lord to come, but how are you living down here? How you live down here
determines whether or not you are really looking for the Lord to come."
Not
only should we Live with Expectancy but…
Third, We Are To Live with Diligence. (v. 14b)
“….be diligent to be
found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.”
What one is "looking"
for should have a direct relationship to what one is "living" for.
The writer of Hebrews ( 6:11-12) uses
the noun form to similarly urge his readers onward in their Christian walk, "And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as
to realize the full assurance of hope until the end that you may not be sluggish, but
imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."
The second half of verse
fourteen refers to two things; first we are to be “without
spot” or “spotless”- this refers to our character – what we really are on the
inside – there is no hidden blotch. And secondly, we are to be “blameless” – this refers to your reputation and how you relate to other
people – that people know that you truly are what you claim to be! These two terms speak of both character and
reputation. They speak of both what we are in reality and what people think we are.
Peter says the result will
be “be found by Him in peace.” I think what he is
saying is...I want you to be at total peace, living without fear. If you were told that
the Lord was taking you home in the next twenty-four hours, either through His coming or
your death, You can be at ease, because you know where you are headed.
Conclusion
“Imagine
someone takes you to a party. You see a few friends there, enjoy a couple of good
conversations, a little laughter, and some decent appetizers. The party’s all right,
but you keep hoping it will get better. Give it another hour, and maybe it will. Suddenly
your friend says, ‘I need to take you home.’
What Now? You’re
disappointed – nobody wants to leave a party early – but you leave, and your
friend drops you off at your house. As you approach the door, you’re feeling all
alone and sorry for
yourself. As you open the door and reach for the light switch, you sense someone’s
there. You’re heart’s in your throat. You flip on the light.
Surprise!! Your house is
full of smiling people, familiar faces. It’s a party – for you. You smell your favorites –
barbecued ribs and pecan pie right out of the oven. The tables are full. It’s a
feast. You recognize the guests, people you have not seen for a long time. Then, one by
one, the people you most enjoyed at the other party show up at your house, grinning. This
turns out to be the real party. You
realize that if you’d stayed longer at the other party, as you wanted, you wouldn’t
be at the real party – you’d
be away from it.
Christian’s faced with
a terminal illness or imminent death, often feel they’re leaving the party before it
is over. They have to go home early. They’re disappointed, thinking of all they’ll
miss when they leave. But the truth is, the real party is underway at home –
precisely where they’re going. They’re not the one’s missing the party;
those of us left behind are.” [Randy Alcorn.
p.441]
The ultimate question still is: “Where
will you be one minute after you die?”Jesus said there are two roads in life. He
said, "Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide
and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How
narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it”
(Matt. 7:13-14). The broad road leads to judgment, destruction, and hell. On that road
people seem to be having a wonderful time. It’s a party atmosphere. But there is
emptiness, loneliness, and insecurity.
The narrow road, on the other hand, leads to
Heaven. Traveling on that road is difficult because it goes against the grain of society,
the tide of all pleasures and the sins of this world. On this road there is fun and
laughter too. But there is a sense of destiny, a distinction of hope, an assurance of
something better to follow this earthly existence. Our motto is “The best is yet
to come.”
Which road are you on? What will be your final destination? I will end this series with the same question that I asked to begin it, “Where will you be one minute after you die?”