So have you ever performed a random act of kindness? Just, you know, one of those random nice things for somebody that wasn't planned. Forgive me if I've shared this story before. I don't know if I have, but when I was in college, my friend Lopez and I, we went to the Huddle house on Highway 1 23 and easily one Sunday night. I think it was about 9:00 at night and and we went, and I think our whole meal probably cost about $10. I don't I don't think it was much more than that. And I don't remember all the details. We had a very young waitress, and I don't remember all the details. But I remember that after we paid the bill between the two of us, we had a $10 bill left, and for some reason, we decided not to ask her to break it. We decided to put a little Thurston Howell the third, and we decided just to leave that on the table for our tip. I mean, our tip was probably more than our meal, So we got out to the car and we got in, and we just happened to look back and we saw our young waitress walk over and she picked up that $10 bill. She held it over her head like it was an Olympic gold medal. She was showing it off to the other girls down the thing, and we just looked at each other and smiled and said, man, all right, now, here's the thing. I'm a pretty good sinner and I do a lot of things wrong, but But I do remember that night. It was nice for that one little act of random kindness to happen in the Huddle house, and we were glad we were part of it. Have you ever had a random act of kindness that you performed? You know who else performed a random act of kindness? The dad and the Volkswagen commercyal from a few years ago? I remember this one. His kid dressed up like Darth Vader, remember? And he's walking around the house and he's trying to use the force on everything you know. He's trying to use the force on the on the door of the washing machine and and on the cat and on a baby doll and and everything else and it just didn't work. And then Dad got home, pulls up in the driveway, and the little boy goes outside and he stands in front of that Volkswagen and he's doing his little hands. Oh, come on, Come on. And his dad pulls out his key fob and hits the automatic crank, you know, and the car cranks up And the little boy you know, he thought before it finally worked, you know that he did it. It was this amazing classic moment. Now, wouldn't it be great if everything in life could be like that? Wouldn't it be great if you could perform random acts of kindness on yourself all the time? Wouldn't that be fantastic? Or maybe put another way, wouldn't it be nice if you could just wave your hand, hold your hands out in front of you and everything automatically turns the way you want it to? We're finishing up our series, I think, on doors. This week we'll be looking at this concept of doors that we continue week after week, some of the most defining doors that we walk through in life and today our messages. Automatic doors were looking at automatic doors. We're going to ask Peter to help us again. Second Peter, Chapter one verses 10 through 11. Now Peter is not going to tell us how to wave our hands and magically make things happen. But Peter is going to give us something that can automatically bring us hope no matter what we're facing in life. So let's see what he has to say. 2nd Peter, Chapter one, Verse 10. For as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble. And if we're looking for something automatic in life, stumbling is there, right? I mean, we automatically stumble in life. We stumble over our pets in the kitchen. We stumble over Legos in the den. We stumble over words on Valentine's Day. We we stumble over truth at church. We stumble over the headlines in the news. We even stumble over imaginary things on the sidewalk all the time, right? You know, you trip, you fall, you look back, there's nothing there and we stumble all the time. We're always stumbling, but how about this? Peter says There's a way that we can never stumble again. When the world does that mean Well, it doesn't mean that you will never scrape your knee again or stub your toe. No, it means something completely different. It means that you don't have to stumble into eternity. Now, if we're honest, we we don't want to talk about it. We really don't want to hear about it. But But the reality is there is coming a moment, a time later or sooner, that we will breathe our last breath on this earth. And when we begin to think about that, sometimes it does rattle us because whether you believe in God or whether you do not believe in God, all of us have this thing inside of us. This this part of us this, this truth that is in our hearts and in our minds. And we can't shake it regardless of what we believe about religion and the world and God and that inside truth. It tells us that there is something that is going to happen when we die. And that inner truth it says to us we're either going to fall into misery. We're going to fall into joy. We're either going to experience desperation and destruction, or we're going to experience delight. We're either going to be ruined or we're going to be rejoicing. We're either going to become lost forever or we're going to become endlessly found. Endlessly found. Charles Spurgeon became the pastor at New Park Street Chapel in London when he was 20 years old. Couple of years later, the church was growing so much, so many people were coming to the sermons that they had to expand. People were waiting in line to get into church like they wait in line at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas. If you've never seen it, Google it, it's fantastic. You'll see the pictures. They were waiting in line to get in, and then once they got in, they packed out everywhere they could, even sitting in the window sills. Now I know. Yeah, that's that's how it is here, too. I got it. I know everybody you know, waiting out in line to come here the sermons and sitting in the windows. But but this is how it was. So they did some expansion, and three years later, on Christmas Day, Spurgeon was preaching a sermon to the Christmas crowd that day and and his sermon was was very unique because he was trying to give them a very different kind of Christmas challenge. And in that Sermon, Christmas Day, 1859, what he said was, he said, Can you imagine waking up this morning? And there was a notice in the newspaper, and the notice said that a relative of yours had left a fortune in his estate to a family member, but the family member was not named. And you're reading that and you're going, Hey, you know what? That that you know. Yeah, that could be me. I mean, I think he might have left that to me, and Spurgeon said, But imagine that day that you had family over for Christmas dinner and everybody was coming over and and everybody was seated at the table. He said, You might excuse yourself from the table to keep trying to hear the news about whether you're the person that's actually going to inherit this fortune. You might walk away from the table because you would, in a sense, be on pins and needles trying to find out. Is it me? You've read the notification, but But is it me? Is it me? Is it me? In fact, you might be thinking, boy, I would really enjoy my Christmas dinner more if I knew that the fortune was going to be mine. And then Spurgeon said this. Now there is a proclamation gone forth today, and it is a true one, too, that Jesus Christ has come into the world to save sinners. The question with you is whether he has saved you and whether you have an interest in him. And then he said this. I beseech you, Give no sleep to your eyes and no slumber to your eyelids until you have read your title Clear to the mansions in the skies. What man shall your eternal destiny be a matter of uncertainty to you? What is heaven or hell involved in this matter? And you will rest until you know which of these shall be your ever lasting portion. There's a Christmas message, right? Is your eternal destiny a matter of uncertainty to you? Or is it a matter of certainty? Look, there are a lot of things in this world that I don't understand. There's a lot of things in this world that I don't have an answer to. There's a lot of things in this world that I wish were different But you know what? I don't control the universe and I don't control gas prices. But I can tell you there is one thing that I know with certainty. My eternal portion will be in heaven, not in hell. And I can say that with certainty because I'm a pretty nice guy because I'm a pastor because I'm a Southern Baptist because I'm an American, right? That's that's why I'm certainty. I'm certain of heaven, right? No, not at all. I'm certain because Jesus Christ loved Tao and gave himself up for Tao. I'm certain because of Jesus, I'm certain because I have put my complete trust not in a false religion. I've put my complete trust in a person the person of Jesus Christ, the same person who was born in Bethlehem, the same person who was a carpenter in Nazareth. The same person who was crucified, killed, executed outside of Jerusalem. The same person that was buried in a tomb that was owned by a man named Joseph of Arimathea. The same person Jesus that was raised from the dead by the power of God. The same person, the same Jesus that in his risen state appeared to hundreds of people and 40 days later was visibly seen ascending into heaven. I am believing in and relying on and trusting in and clinging to, not a false religion, not even a religion. I'm clinging to a person, and that person is Jesus Christ. My certainty is because of Jesus. I have been saved. I am being saved, and one day I will gloriously be saved. My certainty is not in what I do. My certainty is what Jesus has done because of Jesus. I will automatically not stumble into eternity. This is the promise of the Gospel. I can answer a lot of questions in this world, but I can answer the one that matters the most. I am certain I will not stumble into eternity because of Jesus. 163 years ago, Charles Spurgeon looked out at that Christmas crowd, and he pressed them with that same question that mattered the most. He went on to say this that day, get the up and read the records, search and look and try and test thyself to see whether it be so or not, For if it be so, why should not we know it If the sun is given to me, why should I not be sure of it? If the child is born to me, why should I not know it for a certainty that I may even now live in the enjoyment of my privilege a privilege the value of which I shall never know to the full till I arrive in glory? Get the up, Do not stumble. Read the records. Be sure the only way you can be sure that you will not stumble into eternity is because of Jesus. Because of the birth and the life and the death and the resurrection and the ascension and the guaranteed promise. Return of Jesus. That's how we know we won't stumble. But there's another way we can know that we won't stumble an additional way. That's what makes Peter's words so fascinating. Here, listen to him again in verse 10. For as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble. Well, practice. What things? What's he talking about? Well, a few sentences back. He gave a list of these things and verses. five through 7. We we see that list. We're just going to walk through the list of these things just just real quick just to get a glimpse of them Starting back in Verse five, Peter says. The things are moral excellence. The sense of virtue and goodness we're not perfect will never be perfect. But generally speaking, moral excellence means that the conduct of our lives looks kind of like we're connected with Jesus. You know that the the general life that we live is is close enough connected to Jesus instead of the farthest end of the spectrum. So Peter says, practice moral excellence in your life. Second, he says, knowledge that basically means just daily engaging with God's truth, engaging with the truth we find in the Bible enjoying that truth and applying that truth, Peter says, practice that knowledge. Then he says that we should practice self control. Self control is kind of like this. It means that our thoughts and our attitudes and our actions are not controlled by the things of the world. They're not controlled by the treasures and the pleasures of the world. Rather, our thoughts and our attitudes and our actions are controlled by a single motto. And that motto is this. Jesus Christ is our greatest treasure, Peters has practiced that practice self control being controlled by the treasure of Jesus. Then, he says, we should practice perseverance or patience. It just simply means that we don't quit church and we don't quit our faith. And we don't quit religion when things get tough or when things are not the way we want them to be. It means that when things are tough, when things are not the way we want them to be, we worship Jesus all the more. We are faithful to Jesus. All the more we sing, all the more we pray all the more. We read the Bible all the more we serve all the more Peter says, Practice that type of perseverance in your faith. Next, he says, we practice godliness. This simply means that our attitude is devoted to God into God's way. When we start looking at what our primary attitude is going to be in life, we're going to do all that we can to have an attitude that's devoted to God and devoted to God's ways and God's truth, Peter says. Practice that godliness. Then, he says, brotherly kindness. This is kind of like a mutual affection. The picture here is that we are kind most specifically to other believers, that we are uniquely kind to other Christians, But we're also compassionately kind to people who are not Christians, Peter says. We need to practice this sense of kindness to others and the last thing on his list, he says. We should practice love. We should show some measure of Christ like Love and Christ like love would be some type of sacrifice or service that marks the love of Jesus, that we would show some measure of Christ like love. Here's here's the kicker to anyone and everyone, anywhere and everywhere. That would be the habit of our life, that we would show some measure of Christ like love to anyone and everyone. Now you know, somebody might say, Well, I'm not showing any Christ like love to a terrorist. What if God has called you to be the way for the terrorists to be saved? It's going to begin with Christ like love, and we said, Well, I could never do that. Well, most of us could never do lots of things, you know. But the reality is because of the power of Christ in us. There's a lot of things we can do, but we can't practice it right. You may not face having to share the gospel with a terrorist today, But you know what? You might share the gospel with your spouse or your kids or people that you work with. And it may not be that you have to share the Gospel in some ABC form. It may just be that the way that you're going to share the gospel in someone's life today is through Christ like love through service and sacrifice, Peter says. Practice that. Let that be what people see in your life, he says. These are the things these are the things he's talking about. These are the things that will help you not stumble into eternity. This list is a reflection of what happens when our hearts are defined by not stumbling. And these things are things that should be seen more and more in our life as we grow in age and as we grow in our faith. In other words, we're not perfect. None of us are. But generally speaking, these things should be seen more today than last Sunday and next Sunday, more than than than today. These are things that should not be seen less in our life. They should be seen more in our life. So the question for all of us are these things. Your things Is this moral excellence? This knowledge, this self control, this perseverance, this godliness, brotherly kindness, this love. Are these things your things? Are they part of who you are? Have you read the records? Have you considered the certainty of your eternal destiny? Are these the things that mark your life? If they aren't, they can be. You can repent. You can turn to Jesus and you can follow. Jesus, Are you following Jesus? Are these things seen in your life again? We're not perfect. But is there an ongoing change in your life that you are seeing the things of Jesus? His attitudes, his actions, his affections and those things are seen in your life? Not perfectly, but somewhere. Are you following Jesus To the point that the things of Jesus are becoming a part of your life? You know, my kids, they couldn't walk when they were born, but they can walk now. What about when you were born again? Till now? Are you walking are you following? Jesus is is it happened? I've been a Christian for 39 years. If these things that that Peter has listed out here, if those things are not part of my life more today than they were 39 years ago, I may not be a Christian. In fact, it's it's highly possible I could still be a pastor. I can still put on a really good Christian show. But if these things these basic things that a reflection of the person of Jesus are not seen in my life more 40 years later than they were at the beginning, then I'm probably not saved. We're not perfect, but are we growing now? Let me be clear. We're not talking about work salvation. Okay, We're not talking about working your way into heaven. Oh, I just got this checklist of things and I won't stumble. That's not what we're talking about. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. But if all of those alone's have happened to you, if you've been saved through all of those alone's, then there is an inside change of heart that will be seen on the outside to some degree to some measure somewhere on some time. The picture often shares his marriage. If two people get married and no one ever sees them together, ever. I mean, not at Christmas or Easter, not on Friday night date night, not in the yard doing yard work. I mean, nobody ever sees them together ever. At the very least, that's a strange marriage. Or if BMW says that they are a car maker yet no cars ever come off the end of the assembly line. It would be strange for them to call themselves a car maker. And likewise if the affections of Jesus, if the actions of Jesus, if the attitudes of Jesus are never seen in the life of someone who professes to be a Christian, at the very least, that person should have a reasonable question in their mind are they live in an uncertain life and heading toward an uncertain eternity, Peter says. These things, our reflection that you're not stumbling. I came across an interesting litmus test of this. It said that if you're confident in your salvation, you will care very little what happens to you in this world. But if you're not confident of your salvation. Then you will be desperately grasping at everything the world has to offer, hoping that these things will help you feel better about life. And if you don't get them, then you might get angry, arbiter, or feel like you've been cheated or worried or stressed or fearful or a number of other things. In other words, if you're not confident in your salvation, you might live in Fomo. You might live in that fear of missing out the fear that that you're not going to get something. So for the good of your soul, this is a beautiful promise from Peter. We should take heart to these things. We should make these things the practice of our life, not as a trick to try to get into heaven, but it's evidence that we are already in. They reflect that were already in because we've already received Christ. Peter gave us one more stunning motivation for this. Listen to Verse 11. From this way, the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. This is beautiful assurance of salvation with Jesus is the most valuable thing you can own. Just let's just go through your list in your mind. What do you own? What are some things you want? And maybe it's not even things you you purchase money for. Maybe it's just things that are part of your life. Family friends, Um, but maybe there's, you know, cars, houses or land or whatever you have assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ is the most valuable thing any person can own. And if that assurance is there, then there is a certainty of eternal destiny. In other words, if you are certain of your eternal destiny, that means that immediately you have an automatic door to hope for every single thing that you face automatic door right they open on their own. To have a certainty of your eternal destiny is to always have an automatic door in every moment of life. No matter what you're facing an automatic door that gives you hope. I know it sounds a little pie in the sky. It does, you know, just in language. I got an automatic door of hope, but it's true, the reality of what it means that Jesus came to earth. Jesus was crucified and resurrected that Jesus is returning again. The promise of knowing Jesus, the certainty of not stumbling into eternity. It is an automatic door of hope. No matter what we face in life, what does it look like in real life? Katherine Butler is a wife and mom from Massachusetts. She also is a medical doctor. She received her medical degree from Columbia University. She went on to do her training and surgery and critical care at Massachusetts General Hospital. When she finished her training, she stayed there, became on staff and then a number of years later, and the unique providence of God, God called her to turn her scalpel over and go home and be a homeschool mom. I was reading something recently that she wrote about going to visit a friend in the hospital, and this is what she wrote about those automatic doors at the hospital. We know those right. Sometimes they're the ER. Sometimes they're in outpatient surgery. Sometimes they're in the cancer center. But we know those automatic doors at the hospital. We we've all seen This is what Catherine says fear, praise upon the minds and hearts of all who walk through those sliding automatic doors of a hospital. Some of us careen in on stretchers, fearing for our lives. As clinicians flock around us, others struggle to quiet our pounding hearts as we await a surgery or a biopsy result. Still more wring our hands and waiting rooms, where we fear the loss of a life interwoven with our own. Whatever the circumstances, illness can stir up fears we never knew we harbored, and yet we have hope, even in the hospital. Why why could we have hope in the hospital? This is what she says. God remains sovereign over all the needles and all the pathology reports, and all the bad prognosis is and all the statistics, his love and his faithfulness are ever lasting, unchanging and wholly independent of the conditions listed in our medical charts. This is from a believing doctor who spent a lot of time in the trauma unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. A lot of time in the ICU working with families, and she says, God remains sovereign over everything on our medical chart. But let's be honest in that moment, we don't believe it. We don't in the moment of fear at the hospital in the moment of fear at the doctor, we somehow in our minds we say, Well, God has messed up. It's not my time yet. I shouldn't have this. I've been taking the vitamins. I've been taking the medicine. This shouldn't be happening. And we begin to say it is not well with my soul because that's how we feel, but in God kind that he doesn't run the universe based on my feelings or your feelings. Isn't it kind that God runs the universe on the fact that he is holy, holy, holy, and that he is faithful in love and that his love is un changing? This is who he is. This is what he does. And so because the faithfulness of God is unchanging because the love of God is unchanging, that means his faithfulness and his love are automatic. They're automatic. There's no prognosis. There's no medical chart that can change the faithfulness and the love of God. They are automatic and the greatest display of faithfulness. The greatest display of love that God has ever shown the world is by sending Jesus by sending Jesus to rescue us from the curse of sin from the guilt of sin and from the shame of sin to be found in Christ means that the curse has been removed. And so, dear friend, if the curse has truly been removed from your soul, then that means do you have a certainty about your eternal destiny and that certainty is an automatic door of hope. No matter what you are facing in life, why here's why. Because no matter what we feel, no matter what we face, no matter what's happening in the moment, if we are in Christ because of Christ, the things that Peter mention will be there. And those things are this reminder that because of Jesus we will never stumble. This isn't preacher language. This isn't fancy sermon language. If you are in Christ, no matter what happens this week, no matter what the president says, no matter what the gas prices say, no matter what the headlines say, no matter what happens at the doctor, no matter what happens with your spouse or your kids, or whether your car break down, whether you get a great tip or you don't get a tip at all. If you are in Christ, you will never stumble. Christian If you are in Christ, you will never stumble. It is what? Because of him. So practice. These things practice these things as a reminder of what we have in Jesus and as a reminder that no matter how we stumble here, we will not stumble into eternity.