Friday, January 14, 2011

Partnering for Growth - Preached at GGC, January 2, 2011

Partnering For Growth
2 Peter 1:1 – 11


Introduction:

“Partner”. It is a word that we are all familiar with. According to the dictionary, a partner is a person who takes part in an undertaking with another or others. The word is often used in business. We have a kind of business ownership called a partnership where two or more people contribute their assets and skills and are willing to share risks and profits. Some of the great business partnerships include William Procter and James Gamble (consumer products), Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield (Ice Cream), Bill Hewlett and David Packard (personal computers and printers), just to name a few. People who are in the legal or accounting profession often form partnerships such as Sycip, Gorres and Velayo (SGV – Accounting firm) or the Chan Robles Law firm. Sometimes, two separate corporations will enter into a partnership agreement in order to enhance both businesses. A good case in point is Apple computers' partnership with Intel Corporation.

The word “partner” is also used when referring to groups or people working together for a common cause. For example, when Evangelical churches in a certain community work together for a common cause, that is called a partnership. When the United Nations work with countries for causes such as poverty alleviation, that is called a partnership. When an aid agency like World Vision invites you to become a child sponsor and you agree to it, it becomes a partnership. When you help build a house for a poor family with Habitat for Humanity, you are considered a partner of that family as well as with Habitat.

What the word “partner” strongly implies is that when two or more people come together for a common cause or goal, they are bound to achieve much more than when they go about it alone. Sometimes, without a partner or a strategic alliance, nothing much can be achieved.

In the spiritual realm, partnership is very important to ensure spiritual growth. If you want to grow spiritually, you cannot do it alone. Jesus has already said it in John 15:5, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” Every true believer and follower of Jesus Christ should desire spiritual growth, and growth comes not solely on our own effort but it comes by partnering, by cooperating with the Triune God, as well as with other believers. Our focus however for this morning will be on partnering with God.

This morning, we will be examining 2 Peter 1:1 – 11. This passage contains so much content that I do not think I can cover everything; however, we will look closely at the partnership between God and us. What does God bring into the relationship that will help us to grow spiritually? What do we bring into the relationship that shows we are serious about spiritual growth?

Let's get right into our study of 2 Peter 1:1 – 11, and my prayer is that, after the message, we will all have a clearer understanding of the dynamics of our partnership with God in spiritual growth, and that we will strive to grow spiritually because that is what God wants for us, and what would be a better time to make a commitment to grow spiritually than now, the very first Sunday of 2011?

As mentioned, the partnership for spiritual growth involves God and each believer. In today's passage, we find that God has already done his share to help us grow spiritually. What exactly did God do? If you look at verses 1 to 4, you will find a particular word that appears five times. It is the preposition “through”. As I looked into the use of this preposition, I find that there are three things that God has given us that enables us to grow spiritually.

God's Work:

(1) Through His Righteousness . . .

In verse 1, we read that we have received a precious faith through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. What this simply means is that we have received the precious gift of salvation, and it was God himself who enabled us to have the faith to receive the gift of salvation. This is consistent with Paul's writing in Ephesians 2:8, 9 where he wrote, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” We received this salvation through His righteousness, meaning, he gives all believers an equally privileged faith. No believer receives more privilege than others; in God's plan, we are all equally privileged with the gift of salvation.

You may be wondering, what does salvation have to do with spiritual growth? Well, it has EVERYTHING to do with spiritual growth! Without salvation, we would all be spiritually dead. Dead people don't need to grow. They just decompose! If we are not regenerated or made alive by the Lord Jesus through His work of salvation, no amount of effort on our part to become better or closer to God will matter because, in God's eyes, we are dead. This is the problem with many people today; they are trying to become better Christians by attending worship service every Sunday, by giving their offerings, by joining every known activity of the church, in the hope that God will find their good works acceptable and that they will be allowed to enter into heaven. Now, I am not saying that these things are unimportant, but we need to be reminded that these things will not give us salvation. Unless we be born again, no amount of effort to do good will yield anything positive. You can't grow if you're dead. Therefore, it is very important that we be saved through Jesus Christ.

If you have already been born again, having experienced the forgiveness of your sins and the newness of life in Christ Jesus, then you have the potential to grow spiritually. It is because you are now alive in Jesus Christ.

(2) Through Our Knowledge of Him . . .

In verse 2, Peter shows us the second aspect of God's work in helping us to grow spiritually. Here, it involves our knowledge of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. What exactly is this knowledge? Peter here is looking at a balance of both information knowledge and personal knowledge. Information knowledge is where we objectively know about God through the Word of God, by understanding Bible passages, reading good books that explains the Bible, and by being well taught. However, information knowledge is of no use to anyone if he does not have a personal knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Personal knowledge is that aspect where we don't just know about a person but we truly know him, we have a relationship with him. I can tell you a whole lot about Jesus Christ based on what I've read, but such information is of no use if I do not have a personal relationship with him. Peter is telling us that our knowledge of him should be both information and personal. We must know the Word of God, but we must also know the Author himself through a relationship.

Now, because the readers do have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and they do have understanding of Scripture, then they stand to receive the following from the Lord: Grace, peace and everything needed for life and godliness. What exactly did Peter mean when he mentioned grace here? Grace is a word most often associated with salvation, and that is correct, but that is not the whole picture here. Grace is also manifested by the giving of spiritual gifts which we are to exercise. Grace is the sustaining power that God gives when we go through trials, in order that we can bear them. Through our knowledge of Jesus Christ, God bestows grace abundantly to each of us.

Peace also came about because of our knowledge of Jesus Christ. As a result of our faith in Christ, our sins have been forgiven, and we are no longer enemies of God but instead, we have become his beloved children. We have peace with God and will continue to have peace with Him. We also have the peace of God wherein we can trust God for everything and not worry.

Our knowledge of Christ also becomes the key for God to use his divine power to give us everything we need for life and godliness. Many believers feel that being a disciple of Jesus Christ is difficult, and honestly, it is. Consider the list of virtues from verses 5 to 7; these are difficult to live out. However, the Lord Jesus who calls us to follow Him is the same Lord who equips us thoroughly in order that we can follow Him faithfully. He not only gives but he gives generously to all who belong to Him.

Because we know him, we have God's grace, peace and everything we need for life and godliness. What we need to do is to believe and to confidently ask for his help in our time of need.

(3) Through His Glory and Goodness . . .

Finally, God, through His glory and goodness, gave us his great and precious promises which would enable us to participate in the divine nature and to escape the corruption of the world. That sure sounded long and we probably got lost as to what Peter actually meant. Let's break Peter's statement down so that its easier to understand. First of all, Peter said that it was through God's glory and goodness that we received his great and precious promises. What this simply means is that God revealed his splendor and goodness to us through the work of salvation. That splendor shone brightest when Jesus conquered the grave. His goodness is best seen in how he called unworthy people like you and I to become his children.

Now, what were the promises that he gave us that are great and precious? I believe Peter had in mind the great promise of Christ's return to earth and the promise of deliverance from wrath. We find these ideas in chapter 2. Because Jesus is coming soon to bring us to be with him, we will surely be partakers of the divine nature when we are changed to our glorious bodies. Because Jesus is going to deliver us from wrath, we will surely experience the final escape from the corruption of the world. These promises may seem to be for the future, but they should affect the way we live now. Right now, Jesus has already enabled us to participate somewhat in the divine nature as we are now called children of God and we are now seated with Christ in the heavens. Because we belong to Jesus Christ, we are not condemned people but we have already escaped the wrath of God and will surely escape the final wrath when God judges the world. These should give us confidence in how we live as followers of Jesus Christ.

So, we see God at work. Through His righteousness, we have salvation which makes us alive in Christ and it becomes possible for us to grow spiritually. Through our knowledge of Him, we have grace, peace and everything needed for life and godliness. We do not lack anything at all in order to live a pleasing life for the Lord. Finally, through God's glory and goodness, we have the promise of his second coming as well as the promise of deliverance from wrath, which means we will surely be partakers of the divine nature and we will someday escape completely from this corrupt world. God has truly done so much for us!

However, what I've just presented is God's part in bringing spiritual growth to us. If the apostle Peter had ended here, it would seem as if we need not do anything after trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior. But that is not the case here. Every believer has his responsibility in growing spiritually. Now, let us look at what we need to do to grow.

Our Work:

According to Peter, what we must do is we must make every effort to add essential Christian virtues to our faith. Faith is our starting point; this is where we came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ; however, we do not end with faith. We are told to build upon that faith, to add to it.

The word “add” in the Greek actually means “to make a rich or lavish provision”. It means that one must make great effort to improve one's spiritual life. It implies zeal and seriousness. You want your spiritual life to grow? Then you have to be committed, you have to serious.

I mentioned that we are to add essential Christian virtues to our faith. We do not have time to look at each of them, but if you look carefully at the list, you will see that spiritual growth is not necessarily determined by how busy you are in ministry or how often you are in church; instead, spiritual growth is best seen in the development of your character. Doing ministry is easy; developing virtue is hard, yet it is virtue that Peter tells us to develop with great zeal and seriousness, ministry is the outflow of the development of these virtues. We learn of these virtues from the Scriptures, thus studying the Bible is important. However, it is equally important that we apply what we know about the virtues in our everyday relationships, in everyday life. Example, how do we show brotherly kindness? We know we're supposed to do it, but who in our life needs it the most right now? How can I show that brotherly kindness to him? Or, let's take self-control. We know the Scriptures teach us about self-control, but we must also look at where we can apply it; what are those areas in my life where I truly need self-control? As we try to build up our faith by adding on these virtues, you will also realize that you need God's help. Thus, not only will you study the Word but you will also express your dependence on God by praying to Him for help. Example, one of the virtues is love. You know that you're supposed to love your enemies, but it is difficult to do. What should you do then? You pray and ask for God's help.

What are the results of enhancing one's faith? Peter mentions three things. First, we will make ourselves effective and productive. It means our lives will cause a positive impact in others. It means God can and will use us mightily for his work. It means God will trust us with bigger responsibilities. Why? It is because we are developing in our Christian character. Second, we will make sure our calling and election. What this simply means is that, as we progress in our spiritual growth, we become more assured of the salvation that we have received at the very start of the our Christian life. Finally, there will be a rich welcome into God's kingdom. When we are growing in our walk with God, it translates to effective and faithful service, which then yields great reward and commendation from Jesus himself, when he welcomes us and says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Conclusion:

This morning, we've learned that every believer should make it their aim to grow spiritually. Thankfully, the call to spiritual growth is not something we do on our own; instead, God supplies with everything we need so that we can grow. What we must do is to play our part, by constantly adding to our faith the Christian virtues.

As we start 2011, I would like to issue this challenge to all of us: Let's grow spiritually. Let us not be content being a Sunday Christian. Instead, let us strive to become like Jesus Christ, by growing in character and virtue, exercising these in our relationships and in ministry.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Level Up - Preached at GGC, Dec. 26, 2010

Level Up
A Yearend Message
Romans 13:11 – 14


Introduction:

I am sure many of the younger generation here understands the meaning of the phrase “level up”. It is a phrase that is often used in video games when a player is allowed to go to the next level because he has met certain requirements in the previous level that he played in. The phrase is also used to describe real-life experiences where one moves up to a higher job or one gains prestige and achievements that sets them on a figurative pedestal, as someone others will look up to. Though many here may not exactly like to use this phrase, nevertheless, you have personally experienced moving on to a higher level, whether its getting that job promotion or that raise in your salary. In reality, many among us want to move on to a higher level of achievement or status because it may mean more perks, benefits as well as sense of fulfillment. Not many would prefer the status quo unless you are the type who shuns or avoids bigger responsibilities and more difficult tasks.

As we are about to end 2010 in a few more days, you will probably become a bit more reflective about all the things that has happened to you as well as how well you've fared against your own expectations and goals. We want to be able to say that we have really leveled up when it comes to our personal achievements, our business goals, our grades, just to name a few. What I wonder though is whether we are leveling up when it comes to our walk with the Lord.

So often, the last thing in our life that levels up is actually our walk with the Lord. We spend so much energy making our businesses more profitable, our school grades much higher, and our career paths more colorful, that we forget that which is important – how is my relationship with the one whom I call and acknowledge as my Lord and my God?

This morning, I would like to challenge us all to level up in the area of our walk with God, because if we think about it, what is really going to matter most in this life and the next? There will come a time when you will no longer be in school, you can no longer engage in business and you'll have to retire because of your age; but your relationship with the Lord goes on forever. From the day you trusted the Lord Jesus to be your Savior and Lord, you began a relationship that goes beyond this life. However, this relationship, like all other relationships, need to be cherished. The relationship needs to be growing.

So, how exactly do we level up in our relationship or walk with God? We will examine a familiar passage found in Romans 13:11 – 14. Here, the apostle Paul gives us three things we need to do if we want to level up in our walk with God. Let's spend the rest of our time checking out these three points, and my prayer is that the Lord will help us, not only to know about these three points, but to able to apply these four points in our lives, in order that we will grow and mature in our faith, that we will move from our current level to the next, higher level. To help us remember all the three points, they are all phrases that end with the word “up”.

Context of the Passage:

Now, before we examine the main points of today's message, let me just briefly talk with you about the context of the passage. In the preceding passage (vv. 8 - 10), the apostle Paul wrote about love. Here, he exhorted the believers to love one another and their neighbors. At the start of verse 11, Paul wrote “and do this, understanding the present time.” Here, Paul was referring to love. In effect, he was telling the believers, that in light of Christ's second coming, they were to show love to one another even more than before. But he also makes a transition from love to the issue of spiritual maturity and growth, again in light of the second coming of Jesus. What this should mean for us is that, because Jesus is coming again soon, we must be careful with the way we live our lives, by striving to mature spiritually and by loving one another.

We are going to deal primarily with the aspect of spiritual maturity and growth. So, let's look at the three points that we can derive from this passage.

I. WAKE UP!

The first “up” that Paul mentioned was for the Roman Christians to “wake up” from their slumber. What exactly were they to wake up from? We do not see an explicit answer but I strongly believe that Paul was referring to the problem of apathy among believers.

Apathy, as described by the dictionary, is the lack of interest, concern or enthusiasm. It is a problem that seems to plague the individual believers as well as entire churches during the time of the New Testament. If you look at the book of Revelation, you find that a couple of churches mentioned by Jesus were guilty of apathy. Consider the Laodicean church which was neither hot nor cold, meaning they were not enthusiastic in loving and serving the Lord. The church in Sardis was described by Jesus as being a dead church. Such descriptions point to the fact that apathy is not something new but it has plagued churches in the past.

But what are the signs that a believer is apathetic? The first sign I see is the believers' unwillingness to be involved in ministry and in witness. Every member of the body of Christ plays a vital part in making the body function fully. Unfortunately, many do not want to function. They just want to come to church, sit back and relax and do nothing. They possess spiritual gifts but they have no intention of using it to serve the Lord and the church. I must admit, I admire many of our elderly sisters who can no longer come to church to worship. Do you know why? It is because many of them spend the time to pray for the church and for the pastors. Although they cannot be present physically, at least they are still doing ministry by praying. At least these sisters aren't apathetic; at least they care for the church. But what about us? We who are strong and young enough to still climb the stairs? Do we truly care for the Lord's church by being an active part of it?

A second sign of apathy in a believer is his failure to maintain a relationship with the Lord through prayer and the Word. They always say they don't have time for it. They're always in a hurry. Yet, when they go on a vacation and have all the time in the world, they're still not spending time with the Lord. It is because they don't think its important. The only thing that is important for them is that they're going to heaven and that God blesses them. The relationship isn't important for them, only the blessing is.

Another sign of apathy is the “I don't care” attitude when he sees others sinning. He does not feel any sadness or grief when he sees people sinning against the Lord. It is probably because his sense of morality has already been affected by the world and he thinks that there's nothing wrong in what another person may be doing. He may also be apathetic because he has the wrong notion that what people do is always their own business, even when they are already committing something wrong against the Lord and against other people.

These are the signs of apathy and they have no place in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. This is why Paul called on the believers in Rome as well as for all the readers of this epistle to wake up! Don't fall asleep when it comes to your walk with God. Make sure you are progressing forward; make sure you are continually building your intimacy with God by praying and reading his Word. Never become callous when you see yourself or others sinning and condone it, but instead, be moved and grieved just as God is grieved when we sin against him.

II. CLEAN UP!

The second “up” we find in the passage can be characterized by the phrase, “clean up”. We probably heard that phrase quite a few times, when we're being told to clean up our mess or to clean up our rooms. I used this phrase to emphasize the point that, if we really want to level up in our walk with God, we better clean up our act, namely we must deal with sin decisively in our lives.

In verse 12, we read that we are to set aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. The deeds of darkness is another way of saying “sin”. The passage also compared the deeds of darkness to the night time. Why? It is because people generally but not exclusively commit wrongdoings in the cover of the night. We normally do not want people to find out about the wrong things we are doing. Also, the use of darkness as an analogy for sin is because of the contrast between darkness and light. Light is generally used to describe Jesus Christ and his followers. It is also used to describe the Word of God. Therefore, darkness, being the opposite of light, describes Satan and sin.

Now, what were the sins mentioned by Paul here? We have sins of intemperance or the sin of excessive consumption of alcohol, sins of sexual misconduct, and then the sins of contention and quarreling. This list is not meant to be exhaustive or complete, but it is a fair sampling of what the deeds of darkness are.

When we became Christians, there is the promise that our sins have and will be forgiven; however, there is no promise that we become sinless. As long as we are in the world, we have to deal with sin and temptation. The good news is that we can be victorious over sin through the power and leading of the Holy Spirit. What it will require though is for us to make the resolution that we will no longer allow sin to dominate us.

We can start cleaning up by confessing our sins to God and claiming the forgiveness made available by the Lord Jesus Christ. Then we must make up our minds, proclaiming that we will no longer allow ourselves to become slaves to sin but we will now allow God to renew us. Again, it all boils down to spending time praying and reading the Word of God. By spending time with God, we are weaning ourselves away from the grip and power of sin and allowing our thoughts to be renewed and our subsequent actions to be judged by the Word.

We can also start cleaning up by removing those things that cause us to fall into sin. There is usually a vehicle that brings temptation to our doorstep. Is it the internet? Do you visit websites that you're not supposed to be looking at? Maybe its time you install an internet filter and ask a friend to do the password, so that when you are tempted to visit those sites, at least you will be blocked. Is it the TV programs or movies that you watch? Are they affecting how you think or are they taking up too much of your time? It's time you put a limit on how much TV or movie you watch. Better yet, get rid of the TV from your room. Is there a place that you frequent that is a source of temptation, like a bar where you end up getting drunk or some venue where your eyes keep on wandering, looking at scantily dressed women or men with huge muscles? It's time you go to somewhere else where there is clean fun. Why not take up a productive hobby or sport? Cleaning up means giving up the things that will become vehicles of temptation. Are you willing to give these up and become clean? Cleaning up also means focusing your mind on the right things, as commanded by Paul in Philippians 4:8.

Do you want to level up in your walk with God? Then it's time that you clean up. Don't allow sin to take a foothold in your life. Instead, confess your sins to God, start doing the things that will renew your mind (reading the Word, praying), and remove the things that will cause you to fall very easily into sin and replace them with things that will make you more productive and fruitful. Start focusing your mind on the right things.

III. Spruce Up

The last “up” we can find in the passage is characterized by the phrase, “spruce up”. Now, this term is often used when we refer to putting decorations on the Christmas tree. A Christmas tree without the Christmas balls and lights looks drab and boring. However, a tree that has trimmings, the star on top and the lights is surely a beautiful sight to behold.

I believe the same is true for us in terms of our outward appearance. We generally want to look good. That is why, aside from nice clothes, we accessorize. Women put on make-up. We spruce up ourselves in order to look more attractive.

In Romans 13:14, we are told to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. According to a Bible scholar, clothing ourselves with the Lord Jesus actually meant the deliberate and conscious acceptance of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is a decision that is done not just once, when we were converted, but is a lifelong process. Submission to Jesus Christ is an ongoing decision that we all need to make every day.

Now, what is the relation between everyday submission to Jesus Christ and to our becoming attractive? Well, our submission to Jesus Christ in every area of our lives can become something attractive because will see us being consistent in both our walk and our talk. They will not find contradictions between what we say and what we do. Also, a surrendered life can become attractive because people will see more of the Lord Jesus Christ through us. In 2 Corinthians 2:14 – 15, Christians are described as being fragrant aroma who exudes the fragrance of Jesus Christ. However, the fragrance comes when we are in total submission and obedience to Jesus Christ. If we are not submissive to the rule of Jesus Christ, then it will show in our behavior and in our speech. People will take notice and will be turned off by the Christianity that we profess to believe in.

It takes total commitment and obedience on our part to become a fragrant aroma that will bring glory and pleasure to God; but when we willingly do these things, we are sprucing our lives to become so attractive that people will be drawn to Jesus Christ, through our witness and our deeds.

Conclusion:

Level up! That is the challenge for all of us as we face 2011. Let us not grow contented with where we are now spiritually, but let us exert every effort to grow in our relationship with God. Let us wake up from our apathy and begin to care about our relationship with God. Let us clean up our act through repentance and a firm resolution to live a holy life. Finally, let us spruce up our lives by putting on the Lord Jesus Christ – submitting to his lordship every day and every moment.

In closing, I would like for us to silently pray for a minute or two. Why not make a commitment right now to the Lord, that you want to grow in your relationship with Him? Why not surrender to His lordship right now and give Him full control of your life? Why not ask for the Lord's cleansing and forgiveness and for Him to give you a fresh start?