The apostle Paul in this section begins his in-depth, prolonged teaching on the sanctification of the believer and personal holiness. He does so by showing us that God has made us brand new people with new desires and ambitions. He shows us that sanctification is to a great extent believing and acting on the truth of who we are in Christ.
Teaching Notes:
Living In Light Of Eternity
1 Peter 4:7-11
Intro: Peter begins this section by stating, “The end of all things is near.” The phrase means, “The end of all things has drawn near and is ready to break in upon us!” Of course, the obvious problem is that Peter wrote these words nearly 2,000 years ago. Was he mistaken? If the New Testament writings are inspired by God, these words of Peter are true. How then are we to understand his statement? To be honest, I’m not sure. I’ll give you the 3 possible options and you can decide which one you think is the best interpretation.
- 1. The end of the Old Covenant Religious System is near: Peter was writing this epistle about 65 A.D. In just 5 short years, the Romans under Titus would kill more than a million Jews in the city of Jerusalem, destroy their temple, and put an end to the Levitical sacrificial system. The Jewish religious sacrificial system was near. The problem with this view is the context. 1 Peter 4:5-6 speak of the Final Judgment, and everlasting life, not a temporal judgment upon the Jewish Nation.
- 2. The end of our lives is near: This would seem to fit the context of the letter, and the immediate context of this text. The letter was written to persecuted, suffering saints to encourage them to remain faithful to the Lord, even unto death. The immediately preceding context in 1 Peter 4:5-6 speaks of the Final Judgment and living in the spirit. When Peter wrote “the end of all things is near”, he may have been speaking of the end of all things related to our physical earthly lives. Because these saints may face martyrdom for their faith, and death is uncertain and possibly imminent, this is how they must live.
- 3. The 2nd Coming of Christ and Final Judgment Is Near: This seems to be most natural, plain interpretation, but how can it possible be what Peter meant, seeing that it has been nearly 2,000 years since he wrote it? Peter may have been saying, “Christ may return at any time; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.” In the NT, we frequently read that Jesus’ first coming introduced the Last Days: Acts 2:15-17; 1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 1:1; 9:26; 1 Peter 1:20. In addition, the apostles were instructed to always be ready for Christ’s return. No dates were given to them for His return. In Mt.24:42-44 Jesus taught them, “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” So, because Peter was living in the Last Days, and because he was told to be ready always for Christ’s return, he could truthfully say, “The end of all things is near.” Of course Peter didn’t know how near they were, but they were near. And they are nearer to us than they were to Peter.
Now, whatever Peter may have meant, the point is that he was stirring them up to holy living. What follows is 5 exhortations to holy living: Think clearly, Pray alertly, Love fervently, Practice hospitality cheerfully, and Serve faithfully.
- 1. Think Clearly: “sound judgment and sober spirit.” Sound judgment: Mk.5:15 uses this Greek word and translates it “right mind.” It means to think sanely, correctly, rightly. It is the opposite of having a clouded or distorted judgment. It means that your thinking is not regulated by the values of the world. The world tells us, “You have to live for #1; make sure you get a big piece of the pie; you won’t be happy without this; you need this to be satisfied; live for now, not later.” The world promotes instant gratification, and self-centeredness. It gets our eyes off of eternity and fixes them on the temporal. If we follow the ways of the world we become like the little boy who fixates on a 5 cent toy lying in the gutter, rather than on a $100 bill lying right beside it. Don’t go down that road! That end of all things is at hand. Our eternal destiny is about to be sealed; our character fixed forever. When you die, if you have been mesmerized by the devil’s trinkets and haven’t sought the things that really matter, it’s too late!
Application: The only sane way to think in light of the fact that Christ could return at any time, or we could die at any time, is to get our priorities in order. That is having sound judgment. Are you living in a way right now that you would be pleased with if Christ should return or you should die today? Or would you think you had been a fool to give so much time and energy to your work, TV, hobbies, amassing possessions, and making your life more comfortable. What priorities should we have, knowing the end of all things is near? Sharing the gospel, pursuing holiness, loving and serving others, using your spiritual gift, developing a godly family. Time is short – think clearly!
2. Pray Alertly: Sober spirit: The word “sober” of course means “not drunk”, or a person who is alert and in control of his faculties. Peter, then, is saying something like, “be of a disciplined, self-controlled spirit for the purpose of prayer.” The KJV says “watch unto prayer.” In other words, be alert and watchful for the purpose of prayer. A drunk man is not alert. He’s under another influence, and so is not in control of himself. Paul links “sober” with being alert in 1 Thess. 5:4-7. So, to be of a sober spirit is to be of a self-controlled and disciplined and watchful and alert spirit for the purpose of prayer. This is not the only place in the New Testament where we are taught to be alert unto prayer. Col.4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” Mt. 26:41 “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation.” Keeping alert in prayer implies intensity of thought, fervency of devotion, and affections of the heart. We are not to pray in a cold, routine, formal manner, but with a burning heart of love and devotion to Jesus!
Application: Are you alert in prayer? Do you have a secret prayer life at all? Do you strive to hold communion with God which is worthy of His majesty? Don’t settle for a half-hearted, perfunctory prayer life. The end of all things is at hand. One of the most important things you can do is give yourself to prayer! Prayer is the best way to prepare yourself for eternity! You don’t want to be ushered into the presence of a God whom you barely know! If you have trouble keeping alert in prayer, try going for prayer walks.
3. Love Fervently: Above all: above all things in order of importance. Your duty to God is prayer. Your duty to man is love. This is the most important thing for us to strive for in our Christian lives – LOVE! Love is the fulfillment of the law. Paul says in Col.3:14 “Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Keep fervent: this word means “stretched out.” It is the picture of a horse at full gallop, or an athlete’s strained muscles as he runs at full speed toward the goal. Our love is to be energetic and intense. Christian love is not an easy, sentimental, mush emotion. It demands everything a man has. We must love the unlovely, in spite of insult and injury, even when that love is not returned. Peter assumes that love exists between the brethren, but insists that it be kept HOT! Love will be displayed in practical service to the brethren. 1 John 3:17-18 says, “Little children, let us not love in word or tongue, but in deed and truth.” Love covers a multitude of sins: Love will cover and hide a multitude of the sins of our brethren. If we really love someone, we will be willing to forgive their faults and failures. We won’t gossip or publish to someone else their faults. Instead we will hide them, cover them, overlook them. And this is not just a few sins here or there, but a multitude of them! Jesus taught us to forgive 70 x 7 sins in a single day! In Genesis 9:20-27, we have a story of Noah becoming drunk and uncovering himself. His son Ham saw it, and went and told his brothers. But the 2 brothers, Shem and Japheth wouldn’t even look at their farther, but took a garment, and walked backwards and covered up their father. When Noah awoke, he cursed Ham’s son, Canaan, while the other 2 sons received blessings.
Application: We have plenty of opportunities to love one another, because there will be plenty of times when others hurt and fail us. We must forgive them, and overlook their faults. We must continue to love them, while refusing to talk to others about their sins. Gossip and slander are sins! Let’s be like Shem and Japheth. Let’s be busy covering up faults instead of exposing them to others.
4. Practice Hospitality Cheerfully: This answers the question, “How can I love fervently?” Show hospitality and use your gifts to serve one another! Hospitality: “love of strangers”; giving food and lodging. There was much need in the early church because of persecution. Public inns were notoriously immoral and filthy. Thus, traveling evangelists needed to depend on the hospitality of believers to open their homes. Peter lodged with Simon the tanner in Acts 10:6; Paul lodged with Mnason of Cyprus (Acts 21:16). Also, the Church met in each other’s homes for the first 200-300 years. Hospitality is not an insignificant peripheral duty. Let’s examine these NT texts:
Mt.25:31-40; Rom.12:13; 1 Tim.3:2; Titus 1:8; 1Tim.5:10; Heb.13:2.
1) Any kindness shown to a child of God is considered as being shown to Jesus Christi (Mt.25:40). 2) No matter how small the kindness, it will be rewarded handsomely (Mt.10:42)
3) We must remember to show kindness without any thought of repayment (Luke 14:12).
Without Complaint: Peter knows human nature. He realizes sometimes people will take advantage of us, overstay their welcome, and be ungrateful. We will feel like they are using us. This could become costly, burdensome, and irritating. 2 Cor. 9:7 says God loves a cheerful giver. We must give hospitality cheerfully. Only then will our guests feel welcome.
Application: We have opportunities to love strangers constantly here at Stone Bridge. We are starting to have visitors. When they first come, they will feel strange and out of place. They desperately need someone to befriend them, welcome them cheerfully, take time to get to know them and be hospitable toward them. Invite someone you don’t know over to dinner! Also, have you ever surrendered your home to Christ? Tell the Lord He can use it for whatever He wants. It is amazing what the Lord can do when we surrender our homes for His glory!
5. Serve Faithfully:
- 1) The Universality Of Gifts: as “each one” has received a special gift. “Special gift” is the Greek word charisma. It means a “grace gift.” These are not natural endowments like the ability to play music or type quickly. These are special capacities for service that are graciously bestowed by God on His people. This is not the privilege of a select few, but of all. John Calvin: “There are none so poor in the Church of Christ who may not impart to us something of value.”
- 2) The Purpose Of Gifts: “employ it in serving one another.” Employ means “put it to work.” Raymond Carlson: “Spiritual gifts are not toys with which to play; they are tools of the Spirit with which to do the Lord’s work effectively.” We aren’t meant to be Terminals of God’s gifts, but Channels through whom blessing can flow to others. Recently many of us took the Spiritual Gifts Test to try to determine what our gifts might be. Well, if you know, give yourself to serving others in your own particular way.
- 3) The Responsibility Of Gifts: “as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” A steward is a servant who managed the possessions of his master when he was away on a trip. When the Master returned, the steward had to give an account. Our spiritual gifts are a sacred trust from God for which we will have to give an account. Are you like the servants who used the Master’s money to make more money for him, or like the servant who buried the money in the ground? 1 Cor. 4:2 – are you a trustworthy steward?
- 4) The Diversity Of Gifts: the word “manifold” means “mani-colored.” The word speaks of great diversity. There are many different gifts, ministries and effects. God loves diversity! We see this in His creation. It’s also seen in us. Look at how different we all are. We all have different temperaments, likes, dislikes, and motivations. I love it! This makes church exciting!
- 5) The Kinds Of Gifts: Speaking and Serving gifts. Speaking gifts: There is one qualification. We must speak only the utterances of God. That is, we must be absolutely sure what we say is in harmony with God’s Word! If we are not, we should tell those we are speaking to. A pastor has authority in his teaching, ONLY insofar as it lines up with God’s Word! It is a travesty for a so-called man of God to get up, read a passage of Scripture, and then never refer to it again while he spins stories, jokes and anecdotes for the next 20 or 30 minutes! God must weep over this! He wants to speak to His children, and the ministers aren’t letting Him! If I ever start doing that, please come and rebuke me! I mean it! J.I. Packer: “The true idea of preaching is that the preacher should become a mouthpiece for His text, opening it up and applying it as a word of God to his hearers, talking only in order that the text may speak for itself and be heard, making each point from his text in such a manner that the hearers may discern the voice of God.” People don’t need our opinions or ideas! They need the Word of God! Serving Gifts: There is one qualification for these gifts. We must serve “in the Spirit” or in other words, in the strength which God supplies. Don’t try to serve God in your own energy. You’ll get burnt out. Receive His strength through communion with Him. Allow His life to flow through you and this will be your joy!
- 6) The Goal Of All: The glory of God! 1Cor.10:31. This is the chief end of man. This should be the passion of our life! Always ask this question – will this glorify God? If it won’t, don’t do it! All things: from the greatest to the most mundane. Preaching must not be done to display the preacher, but to bring men face to face with God. Service must not be rendered to bring glory to the servant, but to the Master. Through Jesus Christ: the One who has purchased and given these gifts to us. It is through Him alone that our praises and service can be acceptable to God (Heb.13:15,21). To whom belongs the glory: glory refers to the outshining of all His perfections. He deserves all worship, honor, exaltation. Only He is worthy of eternal glory! Dominion: sovereign rule over all things. This belongs to God because He made all things. Forever and ever: eternity is seen as a series of ages flowing on endlessly. Amen: so let it be. I agree. I believe. You will be eternally glorified in your Sovereign Majesty!
Conclusion: The end of all things is at hand. Think clearly! Pray alertly! Love fervently! Practice hospitality cheerfully! Serve faithfully! Why? So God will be glorified eternally!
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