YouTube video sermon

1 Peter 4:7-11

Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to 1 Peter 4. Peter is writing to a church that has been scattered into various places in the Roman Empire because of their faith. As a result of their beliefs, as a result of their views, as a result of their values, the early church was being persecuted and had fled to other cities to find refuge. And Peter is writing to these first Christians and offering them hope in the midst of their exile. In fact, Peter calls them aliens and strangers, and he continues to use this language that reminds them that because of their decision to follow Jesus they ARE different from everyone else (or, at least, they should be).

So, Peter writes this letter as a message of hope, a message of encouragement, especially in the face of persecution. It’s like the coach’s halftime speech: spurring the team onward, calling for endurance, reminding the other coaches that we’re all in this thing together. The end goal for them, as it is for us, is to be faithful and obedient to who God has called them to be in Christ Jesus, and to show and share the love of Jesus (making disciples) until He calls them home or He returns – and we’ll talk about that in just a moment.

I’ll be reading from 1 Peter 4, beginning in verse 7 and continuing through verse 11:

7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies – in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

“Again, our Father, we look to You as the Author of all truth. We bow before the depth of the riches of Your knowledge and of Your grace, being overwhelmed by the love that You have poured out to us. Even as we have experienced that love, we pray that we may be vessels and conduits to communicate that love to each other. For we ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Just a moment ago, I said that the goal for Peter’s audience is the same as it is for us – to be faithful and obedient to who God has called us to be in Christ Jesus, and to show and share the love of Jesus (making disciples) until He calls us home or until He returns. Now, the reason that I said that is because of this little phrase at the beginning of verse 7, “The end of all things is at hand…”

Today’s sermon is titled “In Light of the End.” We won’t be able to appreciate today’s message and properly understand and apply the things that Peter has to say to us if we don’t understand what he means by, “the end of all things is at hand.” (By the way, you’re going to get part 2 next week. I just couldn’t get it all in this week).

The End of All Things

Classically speaking, there have been three ways this verse has been interpreted and understood. The first is that Peter is saying the end of the world is near, and with the end of the world is the end of all things (as we know it). The second possibility is to understand Peter talking about the end of all things Jewish. Indeed, we know, as a result of human history, that Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D., and perhaps that’s what Peter has in mind. Perhaps Peter is saying that the end of everything Jewish is at hand: the end of worshipping in the temple, the end of Jerusalem (at least as they understood it) and thus the end of all things was at hand. The third possibility is that Peter is speaking individually – that he’s acknowledging the fact that at any moment those receiving and hearing the content of this letter could die. And the same is true for you and me.

While each of those interpretations is possible (they all have their pros/cons), I believe the last one is the best. I think Peter is saying, “Listen up, folks. It’s possible that we could die at any moment; therefore, let’s not waste the time that we have. Let’s seize the day. Let’s make the most of every opportunity to live for Jesus.”

See, if you only understand this as talking about the end of the world, then we’re tempted, because of the amount of time that’s already passed to just brush off these verses. “It’s been 2,000+ years since Jesus was here. Yeah, yeah, I know He’s coming back, but I ain’t in no hurry to get on with these things. There are other things I want to do.” See how that understanding can influence our reception of Peter’s message. And if we only understand it as being the end of the Jewish age, then again, we won’t appreciate these verses as having anything to say to us. “It meant something to them, but that time has come and gone. It doesn’t mean what it used to.” That’s the position of liberal theology – it meant something then, but it doesn’t mean anything today, and IF there is any meaning today, then it’s detached from the meaning of the original author.

No, I believe the first thing we need to be reminded of today is that at any moment you or I could pass from this life to the next. I don’t want to sound morbid or come across as fearmongering, but from time to time we need to regain and appreciation for the brevity of life. Seriously, any one of us could die of an aneurism or massive heart attack, right now. When we leave and head home, none of us is guaranteed that we won’t be involved in a fatal auto accident. With the ever-increasing cases of gun violence, there’s no way to know that we won’t be killed at Wal-Mart or school or our places of business this week.

See, when we stop and truly think about how much control we actually have over our lives, then Peter’s words in these verses are so much more valuable and meaningful to us. All of a sudden, we’re no longer looking through the lens of time to an apostle we never knew and a people we never met. All of a sudden, we’re not reading a story that sounds like that novel on the bedside table that begins with the words: “Once upon a time…” No, God, through the pen of the apostle Peter, is talking to us right here and right now. It’s real. It’s relevant.

In Light of the End: Pray Seriously

Verse 7 concludes by saying, “therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.” So why did I list this point as “pray seriously,” rather than “be self-controlled and sober-minded?” Because serious prayer is ultimately what Peter is calling for. The ESV uses terms like “self-controlled” and “sober-minded,” but some of your Bibles use the phrases “be alert,” or “sound judgment,” or “earnest,” or “clear-minded,” or “disciplined.” The Greek words that Peter uses speak of having a God-controlled perspective and living in God-defined balance, for the purpose of our praying.

So much of our day-to-day thinking and mental engagement is wasted on mindless things. All of us are engaged to some degree with social media and/or the internet. Maybe it’s Facebook. Maybe it’s Twitter. Maybe it’s Tik Tok, or Snapchat. Maybe it’s just plain old texting or e-mailing with friends, or just scrolling through the news feed on your cellphone or computer. If we were completely honest, a lot of it is junk. No wonder, when we bow our heads in prayer and we seek to talk to Almighty God we can’t seem to make any headway.

The apostle Paul would say, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” In light of the fact that the end could come at any moment, our prayers need to be serious and should have a God-controlled and God-defining perspective to them. And the reason that Peter draws their attention to this is because Satan will use anything and everything, he can to distract us from doing it.

Every time I go to pray, Satan begins to throw things into my mind: “You need to be doing this, you need to be doing that. Did you hear that? Somebody just came in. You need to go check on it.” Satan will fight you tooth and nail to distract you from praying. Do you know why? Because once that prayer leaves your heart and your mind and your lips, there’s not one cotton-picking thing he can do about it. In light of the end: pray seriously

In Light of the End: Love Wholly

Verse 8 says, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” Let me begin by dispensing with one understanding of this verse. This verse does not – in any way, shape, fashion, or form – suggest that we can somehow atone for our sin, or make provision for our sins, or cover up our sin by loving others. That is a form of works-based salvation, and the Bible rejects any form of merit that we might perform. There’s only one atonement for sin (past, present, and future) and that’s the blood of Jesus Christ.

Well, then, what is this verse talking about and why does Peter place such an emphasis on it by saying “above all” do this? This verse is talking about what every family knows, intuitively, and we’re the family of God. It’s talking about bearing with one another. It’s talking about putting up with one another. It’s talking about loving someone in spite of those little foibles and weaknesses that they have.

Now, we need to be careful here. Peter isn’t excusing sin. We aren’t saying that since we’re not perfect and everybody sins, then we just sweep it under the rug as if it never happened. No. There are some sins that are serious and significant enough that we simply cannot cover them up. For example, I don’t know of a Christian denomination that isn’t wrestling with sex abuse scandals of one nature or another. And in many of those cases, churches attempted to cover up the sin(s) of others by not reporting and investigating and calling attention to the situation. That’s not what this verse is calling for. It’s also not calling for us to overlook and ignore lifestyles and behaviors that are obviously opposed to the Bible.

Rather, what Peter is saying that we choose not to take offense at every little thing. Some sins are not worth confronting. Personal slights. Snide or ignorant remarks. Minor annoyances. All of those things can be easily forgiven for the sake of love.

Ok, but that doesn’t answer the question of why Peter places such an emphasis upon it. Remember, we’re thinking about this in light of the fact that the end is near. I believe he prioritizes it because of two reasons: 1.) Jesus ultimately covered our sin by the greatest act of love known to mankind – His death on the cross, and Peter wants us to practice this kind of love and forgiveness as a testimony to the gospel, and 2.) while there are many things that can kill a church, none is more bitter and hurtful and putrid that legalism – spending all our time seeing who can catch the other in more failures and sins. When we love wholly, we’re more prone to overlook minor offenses, tolerate provocations, and forgive sin.

As we prepare to gather at the Lord’s Table, let me conclude with this story. Way back in history class, you might have a slight recollection of a man named Charlemagne, or Charles the Great. He was King of the Franks (from 768), King of the Lombards (from 774) and was crowned as the first Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day (December 25) in 800 A.D. All of modern Europe is a result of what Charlemagne did in his quest for power and expansion. Charlemagne also met the Saracens (that’s the medieval name for Muslims) at the river in Vienna and turned them back to the east. If he hadn’t, we might be worshipping in a mosque, today.

There’s a story that’s told about a portrait of Charlemagne. He had recently fought at the Battle of Vienna, and as a result of that battle he received a rather nasty cut on his face. Well, apparently, he was supposed to sit for a royal portrait soon, thereafter, and people were afraid that the artist would capture the cut and diminish the king’s image. The painter was a strong supporter of Charlemagne and recognized the concern. So, he had Charlemagne pose with his sword held up, so that it would cover the wound.

That’s what Jesus wants us to do with each other. We’re called to love each other so much that our flaws are hidden by the love of Christ. That actually happened at the cross of Calvary. We were covered in sin and shame. We were wounded by the world and our sin. According to the prophet Isaiah, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away” (Isaiah 64:6, NIV). But God, in His great love for us, covered that sin, covered that shame, covered that rebellion in the blood of His Son. And now, for those that have confessed their sin and repented of their rebellion and cast themselves upon the mercy of Christ Jesus, are seen by God in light of His amazing grace.

“Father, give us that kind of love – a love that simply refuses to be petty, that is quick to cover weaknesses, failures, shortcomings, even sins of our brothers and sister. As You have covered us so graciously with the righteousness of Christ, let us extend that same mercy to those around us. And now, O Lord, as we come to Your Table, we ask that the reality of this love be made manifest to us, as we meet with You. For we ask it in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.”