WE WILL BE LIKE CHRIST – PART 3, ETERNITY

1. Previously, God chose people with the purpose of becoming like Christ (Romans 8:29).
2. This process starts on this earth when the Holy Spirit begins working in us (2 Corinthians 3:18).
3. One day (future), this process will be complete. Therefore, today we will learn that WE WILL BE LIKE CHRIST, and how this should motivate us. 1 John 3:2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.

1. 1. We are children of God (John 1:12)
   2. When Christ comes, we don’t know what we will be like.
   3. What we do know is that we will be like Christ.

• If people were originally created to display the image, the glory, and the character of God, and if we were chosen by God to have the goal of being like His Son Jesus who is the image of God, and if one day this goal will be complete on the other side of eternity where we will be with Him forever, shouldn’t we live completely for Him here on earth always looking forward to eternity?
• Why use our life here on earth to please ourselves when we should be looking to please God in everything that we do?
• We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted by these things and get attached to them and lose focus on the eternal purposes.

If he, who once lived to win souls, now lives to win silver and gold, his money shall persih with him; if he, who once was famous for devotion to his Master, becomes his own master, he should be infamous; for I am sure that, even if we do nothing wrong in the eyes of man, it is wrong enough to have declined from whole-hearted service for God. It is this that demos laugh at, and that angels marvel at; – a man of God living like a man of the world! – Oswald Chambers

• The things of this world will pass (1 Corinthians 7:31, 2 Corinthians 4:18).

• In the eschatological future, this world that we live in will not exist anymore.
• 2 Peter 3:10-14 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. 11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. 14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.
• Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
• Knowing that earthly things one day pass away and knowing what our eternal promises are will also encourage us to live a life of faith, obedience, faithfulness, holiness, and to persevere until the end.
• Hebrews 11:8-10
• Let us also live our lives here on earth with eternity in mind.
• Revelation 21:22-27
• What awaits us in eternity should motivate us to live a life like the one Christ lived. A life of: Humility, Service, Love, Endurance, of Mission work, reaching the lost and broken.

• Revelation 20:11-12, 15 11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
• God is the God of compassion, mercy, patience, love, faithfulness, and forgiveness. But He is also God of justice, and there will come a day of final judgment when God will rightfully and justly punish those who never placed their faith in Jesus.

“If Christ is not my substitute, then I still occupy the place of a condemned sinner. If my sins and my guilt are not transferred to Him and He does not take them, then they remain with me. If He did not deal with my sins, then I must deal with them. If He did not bear my penalty, then I must bear it. There is no other possibility. It is either Him or me.” –John MacArthur

• Salvation is a gracious gift of God that we attain only through faith in Christ. There is nothing you can do to earn Salvation.
• Faith in Christ is when you acknowledge your sinfulness and know that you deserve God’s judgment, but believe that Christ was judged and punished in your place and repenting of your sins.
• On the other side of eternity, we will be like Christ, but being like Him does not begin in eternity; it is a journey that begins here on earth when we surrender our lives to Him and live as he did.
• 1 John 4:16-17 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I know that the penalty for my sin is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. I acknowledge that I can’t do anything about my situation. But I know that You came to pay the penalty for my sin. I trust in You alone as the One who died in my place. I repent of my sin and trust in You alone as the only One who can place me in an eternal relationship with the living God. I receive joyfully receive Your gift of GRACE. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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