NCLDC Youth Convention - Survivor 1

Sermon 1: Survival Essentials

Know the Survival Essentials

If you really want to get involved in the life that God has given you, you have
to learn to see the big picture.

2 Peter 3:8-15
Well, we're already almost a month into the new year and few months from the
elections. We already have survived 6 days after the doomsday prediction that
world will end Dec 21, 2012. With the 21 typhoons cuing in line to hit the country
and the national elections, Philippine history is about to be rewritten again. As we
welcome 2013, I can't help but wonder what might be the experiences we will go
through in the next 12 months. Will it really be good, will we be strong? Some are
also predicting a massive election cheating and fraud. When theres a power
failure, they will say, the government is preparing the election fraud. Those are
some of the worst predictions. Of course, a number of reliable experts say we have
nothing to worry about. Who's right? There's no telling...yet. I do know this, however
that in this year someoneeither the pessimists or the optimistswill look silly. I
know something else: No matter what happens, our lives must go on and go about
our business, regardless of any cheating or problems that may occur.
It's a lot of fun to watch sci-fi movies filmed in the fifties even in the eighties
depicting life in the 21st century, because their predictions on how life would be
today haven't even come close. For example, they seemed to think that eventually
we would all dress the samethat everyone would wear a silver jump suit and a
pair of go-go boots. They also seemed to think we would have sliding doors in every
home and moving sidewalks through out the city. The only place you see those
today are in airports. And speaking of airports, they also predicted there would be
flying cars, yet I would imagine everyone got here today through ground
transportation. And even though video conferencing is now in its infancy, we're still
a long way from being able to call anyone and everyone on the phone and look at
them as we speak.
Even though life today is nothing like the sci-fi movies envisioned, you can't deny
that the pace of life is changing faster than ever before. And it's not just in the area
of technologyfamilies are changing, values are changing, society is changing, our
idea of what is moral and immoral is changing, etc. The question is: in the midst of
all this change, how does a person prepare for life in the current millennium? What
will it take for you to THRIVE in this modern technological age?
For the next four weeks, we are going to ask that question again and again, and
look at what the Bible has to say about it. Specifically, we're going to examine four

Survivor Series Year 1

12.26-28.2012

J. Balbuena

NCLDC Youth Convention - Survivor 2

Sermon 1: Survival Essentials
strategies for to prepare for life in the new era. Today we're going to talk about
"Learning to See the Big Picture".
A college professor once told his students that he used to listen to a tiny 150-watt
radio in West Texas. It had a listening range of maybe 25 miles, yet, every morning
one of the local preachers began his radio show by bellowing into the microphone:
"Hello world!" We tend to think the world consists of nothing but our little circle, and
the relatively few years we spend here are all that matters. There is a bigger picture
to life on this planet; living effectively your life now requires that we learn to see it.
Imagine two people watch the movie Titanicone in a movie theatre on a big
screen; the other on a black and white portable TV. Of the two, which one do you
think will get the most out of it? Which one will be more involved? Which one will be
most affected by the story, the sets, the special effects? The answer is obvious. It's
the same way in life. If you really want to get involved in the life that God has given
you, you have to learn to see the big picture. 2 Peter 3 shows us how to do that.
Here are three things we can do that will help us develop a perspective on life that
will propel us into victory in these trying times. First of all, we must learn to...
1.

Think In Terms Of Eternity.

We tend to think in terms of NOWwe see the mundane details of our life as
urgent...as "do or die". This kind of thinking is counter-productive, and creates
unnecessary stress. Most of our problems are not a matter of life and death, and
there's no point in blowing them out of proportion. Dean Smith, the former

"If you make every

game a matter of life and death, you'll be dead a lot."
basketball coach at University of North Carolina once said,

In order to keep things in perspective, we should condition ourselves to ask the

following question: Will this make a difference in 25 or 50 years? For
most of the things we allow ourselves to get stressed about, the answer would be
"no". In 25 or 50 years will it matter if the waiter messes up our order? In 25 or 50
years will it matter if I don't make this sale? Will it matter what kind of car I drive?
Will it matter if someone is rude to me? Will it matter if Manny Pacqauio have a
losing season? Will these things matter in 25 or 50 years?
On the other hand, if you share Christ's love with someone, will that matter in 25 or
50 years? If you take time to disciple a new believer...or encourage someone...or
give financially to a worthwhile cause...will that make a difference in 25 or 50 years?
The answer is obvious. While there are many things we do that have no eternal
significance, there are other areas of our lives where we have the opportunity to
make a contribution that will last forever. As we go about our daily business, we
need to get in the habit of thinking in terms of eternity. Peter said,

Survivor Series Year 1

12.26-28.2012

J. Balbuena

NCLDC Youth Convention - Survivor 3

Sermon 1: Survival Essentials

(v. 8) 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.
A thousand years are like a day. These words remind us that there is a Big Picture to
all of this. The few years we are here on earth, the small circle in which we live,
these are only a tiny part of all that isand we must remember not to overplay our
own importance.
Pastor Steve May, shared his experience saying: Years ago I received a fund-raising
letter from an obscure evangelist in which he said something along the lines of,
"Since the days of the Reformation, God has chosen a man to speak to each
generation. In the 16th Century it was Martin Luther. In the 17th it was John Calvin.
In the 18th century it was John Wesley. In the 19th Century it was Charles Spurgeon.
In this century, it is me." Now, I don't want to sound cynical. Time will tell whether
or not he was right. However, I think he may have been overplaying his own
importance in the grand scheme of things.
Learning to see the Big Picture involves learning to think in terms of eternity. We
must remind ourselves that we are not the center of the universe; the world, the
team, the church, or the job does not revolve around you or me. We must also
remind ourselves that there is more to life than just money, possessions, and
materialistic pursuits. There is an eternal aspect of life that cannot be ignored.
Secondly, learning to see the big picture requires that we learn to...
2.

Live In The Moment.

Peter said 1,000 years are like a day, but it is just as important to realize that he
said,

(v. 8) With the Lord a day is like a thousand years.

When Peter says a day is like a thousand years he is saying that every minute
every secondof every day is crucial and must be lived to the fullest. I'm not
contradicting what I just said;

we must think of life in terms of eternity,

but that doesn't mean we "become so heavenly minded that
we're no earthly good." Every day is packed with eternal significance. Here is
the crucial distinction: We must learn to live IN the moment, but not
FOR the moment.
Do you see the difference?

Survivor Series Year 1

12.26-28.2012

J. Balbuena

NCLDC Youth Convention - Survivor 4

Sermon 1: Survival Essentials

Living
o
Living
o

for the moment can be summarized by the statement:

Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die. (1 Corinthians 15:32)
in the moment can be summarized by Paul's statement:
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)

In verses 10-13 Peter tells us how the world will end. He says there will be fire, the
heavens will be laid bare, the earth will be destroyed. Let me quickly interject that
we don't know when this will happen. It could be tomorrow, it could be in a million
yearsthere's no way of knowing. However, Peter says,

(v. 11) Since everything will be destroyed in this way,

what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live
holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of
God...
He goes on to say,

(v. 14) So then, dear friends, since you are looking

forward to this, make every effort to be found
spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
What's Peter saying? He's saying "live in the moment, not for the moment; live
every day like it counts."
I don't get to watch sports on TV as much as I would like, so I have to depend on
ESPN to bring me up to date with what is happening. Each night they show the
highlights of the most important games of the day. Of course, the problem with
game highlights is that they give the impression that one or two plays in the game
were the deciding factor. That's not always the case. For example, in the 1993 NCAA
Tournament, when Michigan was playing North Carolina, the game was very close.
With 11 seconds left in the game, Michigan's Chris Webber made an unfortunate
mistake. His team was behind by his two points and he tried to call a time-out.
Except, his team was out of time-outs. Instead he was called for a technical foul and
North Carolina got a free throw. North Carolina ended up winning the game. Of
course, the media made a big deal about the blunder, and many of the fans blamed
Chris Webber for losing the game. Of course, this isn't fair. For one thing, Chris
Webber was the leading rebounder and the second leading scorer throughout the
tournament; he played very well. Even though his mistake in the final seconds was
highly visible, the fact is throughout the game there were a number of lost
opportunities by the Wolverinesmissed free throw shots, ineffective defense,
poorly executed plays, and on and on. These all add up. Broadcasters and sports

fans may be focus on one bad play, but coaches don't. Coaches realize that
in order to win a game, every play matters.

Survivor Series Year 1

12.26-28.2012

J. Balbuena

NCLDC Youth Convention - Survivor 5

Sermon 1: Survival Essentials

It's the same way in life. Every day matters. Every moment of every day
matters. If you want to learn to see the big picture, you have to recognize
the value of each momentand live it to the fullest.
Randy Stonehill wrote a song called "Celebrate This Heartbeat." The chorus says,

I'm going to celebrate this heartbeat

Cos it just might be my last
Every day is a gift from the Lord on high
And they all go by so fast.
As we face life in this modern times, we need to learn to live in the moment, not for

"Every day is a gift from

Godand I will live like it matters for all eternity, because it
does."
the moment. We must have the attitude that says,

Thirdly, learning to see the big pictures require that we learn to...
3.

Prepare For The Best.

Most of us are pretty good at preparing for the worst. We buy insurance for our
health, for our cars, for our home; we lock the doors; we install alarms; we have
smoke detectors and radar detectors and computer virus detectors; we back up our
hard drives; we fill our basement with bottled water and canned food; we put away
money for a rainy day; we buy cars with airbags and seatbelts and grab the longest
warranty possible; we meet the man or woman of our dreams and then draft a prenuptial agreement in case the dream becomes a nightmare; sometimes we even
carry an umbrella when the sun is shining "just in case".
Most of us know how to prepare for the worst, and of course, many of these things
are necessary. However, if this all you to do to prepare for the future, you're missing
the big picture. We must also step out in faith and prepare for the best.
This is what Peter is telling us to do. Negative thinking people often miss the point
of this passage. They focus on the fire and destruction Peter mentions, but that's
not really his point. His point is...

(v. 13) But in keeping with his promise, we are looking

forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home
of righteousness.
True, Peter says, someday there will be an end to the world as we know it. And at
that time there will be a new beginning. We will live forever in heaven in the

Survivor Series Year 1

12.26-28.2012

J. Balbuena

NCLDC Youth Convention - Survivor 6

Sermon 1: Survival Essentials
presence of Jesus. We will experience eternal life, eternal joy, eternal peace. Prepare
for it!
Peter is talking specifically about the afterlife, but it applies to our day-to-day life as
well. In verse 9 he says that God is not slow in keeping his promiseshe will keep
them all.

Our job is to be ready when it happens.

Let me ask you ask a question. If God blessed you beyond your

wildest dreams right now, would you be ready for it? If he begins to
bless your business, are you ready to handle the increase? If you're single and he
brings the man or woman of your dreams into your life, are you prepared for the
responsibility of such a relationship? If God decides to increase your ministry, are
you prepared to do it? If you want to experience God's best, you have to prepare to
receive God's best.
Have you ever seen an Academy Award nominee be so completely nonplussed by
being announced as the winner that they stand at the podium babbling
incoherently? Instead of saying with finesse, "I would like to thank all of the people
who made this night possible," they end up saying something like, "uh..........." on
national TV. This happened to Sally Fields when she won her second Oscar for Places
In the Heart. She didn't expect to win, because she had never been accepted in the
industry as a serious actress. After all, she was The Flying Nun...she was in Smokey
and the Bandit. She's no Meryl Streep. So, when she accepted her award she had no
idea what to say. Instead she stammered, "You like me...you really, really like me!"
She has been lampooned for that acceptance speech ever since, but it was all she
could think of to say. Clearly, she didn't expect to win, and she hadn't prepared for
the best.

This is the way many of us approach life.

We read in the Bible how God

wants to bless our lives, give us peace, prosperity, happiness, fulfillment, and so
many other wonderful things, but we live as if we don't really expect it to happen. If
you want to thrive in this decdae, if you want to experience God's best in your life
you have to prepare for it.
Here's another example: Twenty years ago two men with political aspirations were
facing the prospect of going to Vietnam. Dan Quayle (whose political ideas I
frequently agree with) pulled strings to get out of goingand his avoidance has
been an obstacle in his political career ever since. Al Gore, on the other hand,
(whose political ideas are quite different than mine) decided not to use his father's
influence to stay out. Instead he served a full tour of duty overseas, because he
believed it was his responsibility as an American citizen. He was preparing himself,
even then, for the possibility of someday being a world leader. He even gave up
violin lessons as a young child because, as his mother told him, "World leaders don't
play the violin." He prepared himself to be in the position that he is in right now.

Survivor Series Year 1

12.26-28.2012

J. Balbuena

NCLDC Youth Convention - Survivor 7

Sermon 1: Survival Essentials
Whether or not he becomes President, it can be said that he has the political career
he has because he prepared himself for the best.

Learning to see the big picture means that we accept in faith that
God has great things in store for usin this life and in the life to
come. And it means that we prepare ourselves for the good things he wants to
give.
CONCLUSION
Regardless of what negative people say, the Bible plainly teaches that our future is
bright. As the saying goes, we may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know
who holds tomorrow. We can face the year, decade and even the century with
optimism, because God will be with us every step of the way. Even when we face
setbacks and challenges, he is with us. And ultimately, we will be in his presence
forever and ever. Until that day, we must keep our eyes on the big picturethinking
of life in terms of eternity, living in the moment and not for the moment, and
always, in faith, preparing to receive God's best.

Survivor Series Year 1

12.26-28.2012

J. Balbuena