Friendship Boosts Church Attendance

Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known
1 Peter 3:13-22

Have you ever wondered why Jesus has not returned after 2000 years? Peter tells us in his second letter. And that is why, in the light of God’s patience, the Lord’s return is delayed.

“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. ⁹The 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 ¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” (2 Peter 3:8-10)

I was in Brighton recently and saw a thought-provoking slogan on a polo shirt in the shop window. It said “Look busy, Jesus is coming.” Somehow, I don’t think ‘looking busy’ is going to convince Jesus. Peter says it with more integrity:

“Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹²as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” (2 Peter 3:11-12)

We have the amazing privilege of living in the last days - the period of history between the resurrection and the return of Jesus, and if you want signs of the return of Jesus, I don’t believe we have to look too far, with increasing chaos in the world of nature, as much in human depravity. Are you looking forward to the return of Jesus?

If Peter could describe the church in Jerusalem in Acts 2 as living in “the last days”, how much more we some two thousand years later. So let me repeat the question Peter asks, “what kind of people ought you to be?” The answer comes in the next verse and is put in terms of holiness and godliness. Why? Two reasons:

So that when Jesus returns we will have become more and more like him. That’s what it means to know him.
So that other people will have come to know him too.

That is why a few verses later Peter could say, “”Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience, means salvation.” (2 Peter 3:15) He has delayed his return to enable us to help more people to be saved. The problem is many Christians have lost the plot.

Win Arn conducted a survey of members of nearly a thousand churches recently. They were asked one question. “What is the purpose of your church?” 89% said, "The church's purpose is to take care of my family's needs and my needs." Rick Warren observes, “For many, the role of the pastor [it seems] is simply to keep the sheep who are already in the pen happy and not lose too many of them. Only 11% said “The purpose of the church is to win the world for Christ.” Then the pastors of the same churches were asked why the church exists. Amazingly, the results were the exact opposite. Of the pastors surveyed, 90% said the purpose of the church is to win the world and 10% said it was to care for the need of its members.

Is it any wonder why we have conflict, confusion and stagnation in many churches today?”[1] One of my goals this year is to ensure we increasingly experience collective synergy when it comes to our purpose for being here at Christ Church.
So let me test you. What is our purpose statement?

“To know Jesus and make Jesus known.” Our purpose statement is not very original. Peter combines these two priorities in his first letter:

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

And this is what I want to dwell on for a little while this morning: (emphasize every word of sentence)

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

Are you prepared? Do you have hope? Are you looking forward to the Lord’s return? Can you give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have?

The simplest test of whether we understand something is whether we can explain it to someone else. So that’s what I am going to do this morning and that’s what I want you to be able to do this afternoon. My aim is that each one of us not only knows Jesus but are able to make Jesus known.

Please turn to the leaflet in your Christ Church news, entitled ‘The Four Spiritual Laws.’ (This tool has been used to share the good news of Jesus with over 1.5 billion people world wide).

I’m going to share it with you, so that you can share it with someone else. Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so are there spiritual laws which govern your relationship with God.[2]

God LOVES you and offers a wonderful PLAN for your life.

God's Love
"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" (John 3:16 NIV).

God's Plan
[Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10).

Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life? Because...

[LAW TWO]

People are SINFUL and SEPARATED from God. Therefore, they cannot know and experience God's love and plan for their lives.

People are Sinful
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Men and women were created to have fellowship with God; but, because of their stubborn self-will, they chose to go their own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken.

This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

[LAW 2 DIAGRAM] People are Separated
"The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23).

This diagram illustrates that God is holy and man is sinful. A great gulf separates the two. The arrows illustrate that man is continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through his own efforts,
such as a good life, philosophy, or religion - but he inevitably fails.

The third law explains the only way to bridge this gulf...

[LAW THREE]

Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for our sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life.

He Died in Our Place
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

[LAW 3 DIAGRAM] He Rose From the Dead
"Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).

He Is the Only Way to God
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6).

This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

It is not enough just to know these three laws...

[LAW FOUR]

We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.

We Must Receive Christ
"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12)

We Receive Christ Through Faith
"By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20).

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

The following explains how you can receive Christ:

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer
God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Saviour and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, I invite you to pray this prayer right now, and Christ will come into your life, as He promised. If you prayed to receive Jesus Christ, tell someone after the service and tell James or me.
And put Thursday the 13^th October in your diary and come to our Christianity Explored evening and find out more about what it means to be a Christ follower.

If you didn’t pray that prayer, maybe because you don’t feel ready, make it a priority to come on Thursday 13^th October to the first of our CE evenings. Deciding whether to receive Jesus Christ into your life, as your Lord and Saviour, is the most important decision you will ever make in life. And if you consider yourself a Christian already, are you prepared? ”always prepared?” “Always prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect?” (1 Peter 3:15). I encourage you to fold the 4 Spiritual Laws leaflet and put it in your wallet or purse so that you are always prepared. Better still, I encourage you to memorise the four laws, the sub-points and bible references. You’ll be amazed that as you share them, you will remember them, and become more confident.