One Focus Living
2 Peter 3: 8 – 9
Introduction
Perhaps
you have read about this in the news…Today is “Pulpit Freedom Sunday.” Approximately 1,400 pastors all across the
United States have chosen to break the law today and preach political sermons.
According
to a law passed in 1954, pastors cannot endorse political candidates. If a pastor endorses a political candidate,
his church can lose their tax-exempt status.
An
organization called The Alliance Defending Freedom is behind Pulpit Freedom
Sunday. They started this in 2008. They encourage pastors to preach political
messages, record those messages, and mail them to the IRS. They hope that the IRS will file a lawsuit
against one of those pastors / churches.
If so, The Alliance Defending Freedom has over 2,000 lawyers across the
nation ready to take on the church’s case for free.
So
far, this is expected to be the biggest Pulpit Freedom Sunday. In 2008, 33 pastors preached political
messages. The number grew in 2011 to over 500 pastors, and they expect 1,400
pastors to participate today.[1]
Some
of the pastors who are participating in Pulpit Freedom Sunday are part of a
contemporary movement which proposes that the idea of separation of church and
state is a myth. Perhaps they think
there is not enough religion in American politics or not enough politics in
American churches.
I
am not participating in Pulpit Freedom Sunday for one basic reason. I do not believe Jesus has called us to
accomplish his mission through political means.
In fact, there was even a time in Jesus’ ministry when the crowds wanted
Jesus to run for president.
(Technically, they tried to make him their earthly king.) It was immediately following the miracle in
which Jesus fed the 5,000 with the fish and the loaves. The people tried to make Jesus their earthly
ruler, and Jesus refused.
Since
Jesus refused to allow himself to become their king, I believe Jesus is
teaching us that we cannot accomplish his mission through politics.
I
will not endorse a presidential candidate for this election, because I believe
there is only one person who can change the world. There is only one person who can redeem
sinful humanity and recreate the world into the world God intends it to
be. Jesus of Nazareth, the only begotten
Son of God, who died on the cross, rose again and is returning to earth one day,
is the only person who can change the world.
I
believe that Christian citizens should be good citizens. I believe we should exercise our right and
freedom to vote in the presidential election.
I also believe we should vote according to Christian values—at least as
far as our choices allow. But, we are
not called to change the world through politics. We are called to change the world by showing
the world who Jesus is…and by demonstrating the love of Jesus in every
relationship of life.
Last
Sunday I announced the beginning of a new initiative in our church—One Focus. In some ways, this will be a new initiative
for our church. In other ways, there is
nothing new about One Focus. One Focus
is as old as the Gospel itself…As old as John 3: 16.
John 3: 16
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
According
to John 3: 16, God loved the world so much that he sent his only Son, Jesus. Jesus
demonstrated the love of God in everything Jesus did in his earthly life. Jesus reached out to religious people and to
irreligious people. Jesus met the needs
of poor people and wealthy people. Jesus
taught the Kingdom of God to both men and women. And, Jesus spent time with people who were
considered unclean and unreachable by the Jewish religion.
Then,
at the end of Jesus’ earthly life, Jesus sent us to continue his mission to
change the world. Our mission is to do
the same thing Jesus modeled for us. We
are to demonstrate the love of God to all kinds of people. We are not to discriminate against male or
female, wealthy or poor, or even religious or irreligious.
Of
course, if we accept the fact that Jesus sent us to continue the mission he
started, we might question how long that mission applies. Did Jesus set an expiration date for his
mission to reach the world? Not
according to 2 Peter 3: 8 – 9!
2 Peter 3: 8 – 9.
8 "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
When
we talk about the Gospel, we usually focus on the events surrounding the first
Easter. Jesus Christ voluntarily went to
the cross to die a sacrificial death.
Then, Jesus rose from the grave on the third day.
Jesus’
death on the cross was the final sacrifice which fulfilled the entire
sacrificial system of the Old Testament.
In the Old Testament, God gave his people a way to make atonement for
their sins. For some sins, they offered
a dove as a sacrifice. For other sins,
they offered a sheep, a goat or even a bull.
Jesus’ voluntary sacrifice took the place of all those other
sacrifices. We no longer offer doves,
sheep, goats or bulls, because Jesus has offered his own life as the final
sacrifice for our sins.
Jesus’
resurrection demonstrates that God is doing something new. Again, it is the fulfillment of the teachings
of the Old Testament. In the Old
Testament, we read that God will bring about a resurrection for all of the
righteous. All who are faithful and righteous
in God’s eyes will be raised to live eternally in the presence of God. The resurrection of Jesus was not the end of
God’s work. It is the beginning, because
it promises us a resurrection just like Jesus’ resurrection.
In
other words, the resurrection of Jesus points toward the future. It points toward a day when all who are
faithful and righteous in God’s eyes will experience resurrection to live
eternally in the presence of God. That
day will be the day when Jesus returns to earth.
When
we read 2 Peter 3: 8 – 9, we can make some logical assumptions about why Peter
wrote these words. More than likely,
Peter was addressing questions (or even doubts) about the Second Coming of
Jesus. Some people might have thought it
had been too long since Jesus ascended into Heaven. Perhaps they were beginning to doubt that
Jesus would ever return.
Peter
offers a reassuring answer to their questions and doubts. It may seem like it has been a long time to
us, but it doesn’t seem long to God. In
fact, Peter quotes from Psalm 90: 4 by saying a thousand years is like a day to
the eternal God. Also, Peter tells us
what we think seems like a delay in the coming of Jesus is actually an
expression of God’s Love and Grace.
Because God loves the WORLD, God is giving the WORLD an opportunity to
hear the Gospel and to repent.
When
we read John 3: 16 and 2 Peter 3: 8 – 9, we read about the universal Love of
God. God did not just love the Jews, the
disciples or the Baptists. God loved the
WORLD. God did not just love certain
people from every nation. God loved all
the people of all the nations.
Therefore, God sent his Son, Jesus, as the way of salvation for all
people. There is only one plan of
salvation—faith in Jesus as the crucified and risen Son of God. This plan of salvation is for all nations and
is offered to all the world.
How
does God expect the world to hear about his plan of salvation?
Matthew 28: 16 – 20.
16 "Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”"
This
is what we call the Great Commission. It
contains Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples before Jesus ascended into
Heaven. Jesus commissioned his disciples
to continue the work he had begun.
I
find it significant that Jesus specifically told his disciples to go to all
nations. Earlier in the Gospel of
Matthew, Jesus sent his disciples to the nation of Israel and specifically told
them not to witness to either the Samaritans or the Gentiles. Now that the crucifixion and resurrection
have already taken place, the disciples’ mission changed. Jesus sent them out to all the people of all
the nations. This includes us in two
ways. First, Jesus sent the disciples to
share the Gospel with people like us. Second,
Jesus sends us with the same mission he gave his disciples…to continue the work
Jesus began.
You
have heard me preach from the Great Commission several times over the past six
years. And, you probably remember what I
have said about the grammar. Jesus’
instructions to his disciples contain one main verb—make disciples. That one verb is modified by three participles—going,
baptizing and teaching.
Let’s
think about that first participle, “going.”
Jesus
never entertained the possibility that his disciples would stay where they were
on that mountain. None of his disciples
lived on that mountain. None of his
disciples worked on that mountain. None
of his disciples went to school on that mountain. They had to leave the mountain at some point…to
go home, to go to work, to go to school.
We could say the same thing about church this morning. None of you are going to stay at the church
today. At some point you are going to
leave…to go home, to go to work, to go to school.
As You Go Lifestyle
Jesus didn’t have to tell his disciples to go. He knew they would be going somewhere. Therefore, Jesus’ Great Commission to his disciples and to us could be read, “As you go (or wherever you go) make disciples of all nations…” As a result, Jesus has called us to live the “As You Go” lifestyle.
This
is what we are asking you to do in One Focus. We are asking you to do what Jesus commanded his disciples to do. As you go (and wherever you go), demonstrate
the Love of God.
Pray… Ask God to show you someone who needs Jesus
in their life. Someone who either is not
a Christian or is not affiliated with any church in our community. Once God reveals that person to you, pray for
them every day. Pray that God would
allow you to see them more frequently.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will begin to convict and convince them. Convict them of their sins and convince them
of their need for Jesus in their life.
Open your eyes… The human brain is really good at filtering
out unnecessary information. This
protects us from being overwhelmed and sometimes keeps us from being distracted. One example of this is the way we typically
tune out TV commercials until we are shopping for something—like a car. Then, it seems like every commercial has
something to do with cars. The truth is
we will always see what we are looking for.
If we look for sins in others to be judgmental, we will see them. If we look for good characteristics of other
people, we will see it in them. The same
thing is true about One Focus. If you
begin to pray that God will show you someone who needs Jesus, you will begin to
notice people you already know. In
fact, I think your One Focus should be someone you already know and already
have a relationship with. Someone from
your work, your school, your neighborhood, the parents of your children’s
friends… I don’t think you should be
fake or try to manipulate someone by pretending to be their friend. Open your eyes to the people already in your
life.
Be a friend… It has been said that the Gospel is supposed
to be demonstrated more than it is to be preached. And, the best way to demonstrate the Gospel
is to be a true friend to someone. A
true friend is someone who accepts us the way we are, takes the time to listen,
and is a source of encouragement. Think
about the kind of people you like to spend time with. Do you prefer to be with someone who is
judgmental and condescending toward you?
Or, do you prefer to be with someone who loves you just the way you
are? Do you prefer to spend time with
someone who only talks about themselves?
Or, do you like to spend time with someone who will listen to your
thoughts and concerns? Do you prefer to
spend time with someone who is always criticizing other people? Or, do you prefer to spend time with someone
who is an encourager? The simplest way
for you to be involved in One Focus is to be a true friend to one person…accept
them, listen to them, be an encourager.
Love… Another thing true friends do for each other
is to put their love into action. Sure,
we can talk about love as an emotion or something you feel toward another
person. But, true love always acts by meeting
the needs of other people. True love
does not seek to fulfill selfish desires.
True love places a priority on other people and their needs. We demonstrate our feelings by acting on our
feelings. Loving others is more than
liking them. It is finding a way to meet
their needs. Paying for lunch…Taking
food when someone is in the hospital… Giving a ride to someone whose car is in
the shop…Writing a letter of encouragement or sending a text message to someone
having a bad day…
Talk about Jesus… If you are willing to demonstrate your love
for someone by meeting their needs, don’t be surprised when they give you an
opportunity to talk about Jesus. They
may ask you, “Why are you doing this for me?”
A good answer is, “I am a Christian, and Jesus taught us to love others
as we love ourselves.”
If
you serve as an encourager for someone going through a very difficult time in
life, don’t be surprised when they give you an opportunity to talk about
Jesus. Someone may ask you, “How are you
able to make it through difficult times in your life?” A good answer is, “I am a Christian, and
Jesus has promised to be with me always and to give me eternal life far better
than anything we could ever experience in this life.”
Conclusion
On
Sunday, October 21, we will give you an opportunity to commit to be a part of
One Focus. We are not asking you to go knock on doors and witness to strangers. We are not asking you to become confrontational by asking everyone you know, “Are you going to Hell?” We are not asking you to take a Bible and a bullhorn to preach “The end is near” on the street corner. We are asking you to live the "As You Go" lifestyle to make disciples wherever you go.
We want you to find one
person in your life who (as far as you know) is not a Christian or is not
affiliated with any church. We want you
to pray for that person and to be a friend to them. We want you to demonstrate the love of Jesus
to them by serving their needs. Then, we
want you to invite them to come to church.
Our staff will plan specific events to present the Gospel to your
friends. If you will invite them to
church, we will give them opportunities to hear and respond to the Gospel.
One
Focus will only be successful if two things happen. First, we need you to commit to be a part of
One Focus. There are people in your life
no one else can reach. Second, we must
pray for God to work in the lives of other people. We can present the Gospel and plant the seeds…But,
God is the only One who can save.
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