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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. Last week, I mentioned that I had to cut this sermon in to two parts. And you’ll notice that the title of today’s sermon is really rather creative. Just slap a “part 2” on there and you’re good to go. Well, that’s what I did last week. But, in reality, as I was finishing today’s sermon and working over things again, it occurred to me that a better title would’ve been “Vital Signs.”

Medical people talk about our vital signs. We have several medical doctors and nurses in our congregation – for that I’m grateful – and I’m sure that they could rattle these off without any difficulty, but I think you’re supposed to be breathing (that would be helpful), and there should be a pulse there somewhere (that’s good too), that your eyes have some movement to them is a good thing. But whatever those vital signs are, in the same manner there are vital signs to show that the Body of Christ is alive. And those vital signs, according to 1 Peter 4 are: prayer, love, hospitality, service/ministry, praise/worship. We covered the first two last time, and I hope to cover the last three today. But before we do, let’s read these verses together:

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.

“Gracious God, we pray that in the silence and the stillness of this hour that it may be Your voice alone, which we hear. You recognize the needs of our hearts – varied as they are – and, therefore; You are the only One who can apply the Scriptures to our lives, just exactly as they require. So, together, in speaking and in hearing, we look to You, the Author and Finisher of our faith, to speak Your Word into our lives. For it’s in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.”

The last time we were together I explained to you that this little phrase in verse 7, “The end of all things is at hand…” had several possible interpretations. And I offered the three classic interpretations to you, and I said that I believe the best is to understand Peter as giving a warning to his audience (and by extension, you and me) that each of them could indeed die at any moment. We have to remember that this letter is being written to Christians that have been scattered throughout the Roman Empire – mostly as a result of religious persecution. So, that warning would have been rather real for them. And while our context is different today, the possibility of our death is always at hand.

So, that’s all I’m going to say about that. If you want to hear more about the classical interpretations of verse 7, then you can catch that on our website or YouTube Channel. However, I wanted to remind us of my understanding of verse 7 and the way that we’re operating, because we won’t appreciate the commandments and encouragement that Peter offers in the rest of the verses if we don’t realize that at any moment our lives could end.

Last week, we noticed that in light of the end we need to pray seriously. We can’t allow the trivial communication and conversation and dialogue of our day – our texts, our tweets, our posts – to hinder us from serious prayer. And also, in light of the end we need to love one another wholly. I also clarified for us that “loving one another earnestly, since it covers a multitude of sins” does not mean that we can redeem ourselves or make atonement for our sins by being nice and loving other people. That’s what the world teaches. That’s not what the Bible teaches and it’s not what this verse is teaching. We’re saved, we’re redeemed, we’re cleansed from our sin only by the blood of Jesus Christ. So, this verse doesn’t say we can cover our sin by loving others. No, what this verse is encouraging us to do is be more concerned about loving one another, and, in so doing, letting petty grievances and wrongs go.

And it also doesn’t mean that we just sweep sin under the carpet – that we close a blind eye to sin. It doesn’t mean “love one another earnestly, since love closes its eyes to murder, or adultery, or abuse, or…” (fill in the blank). This verse doesn’t say that. This verse doesn’t say that we no longer preach against certain attitudes and behaviors and lifestyles. We still call sin what it is – sin. In fact, just a few verses earlier (v. 3) and a few verses later (v. 15), Peter does just that. He calls out certain sins and lifestyles. So, this verse is encouraging us to focus on loving one another as wholeheartedly as possible, and when we do that, we find that we’re more prone to let go of little sins and minor offenses.

The third thing that Peter says (and our first point today) is that…

In Light of the End: Welcome Cheerfully

Verse 9 says, “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” “Hey, pastor, I noticed that you didn’t label this point: show hospitality. What gives?” Well, the reason is because our understanding of the word hospitality is that everybody in the Bible study wants to have a covered-dish dinner, but they can’t find anywhere to do it, so you finally say “Ok, we’ll do it at my house.” Then somebody says, “Oh, they have the gift of hospitality.” It’s a little more than that.

The Greek word that Peter uses is philoxenos (philos – a friend or someone dearly loved [i.e. beloved] and xenos – foreigner, stranger, alien, guest). So, one could translate this term as “befriend strangers” or “love foreigners.” And yes, I believe that we should be willing to open our homes to aliens and strangers, but that’s not the immediate application.

Incidentally, also remember who Peter’s audience is. It’s the church. It’s individual Christians in local community with one another. So, when he says, for example (v. 8), “Keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sin” he’s not primarily telling us to do that with the outside world. Now, don’t misunderstand me. Certainly, we’re called to show and share the love of Jesus with those outside the church, but that’s not Peter’s primary audience. His primary audience was the church, and so verse 8 is specifically directed to Christians loving other Christians. Now, obviously, that should overflow to the outside world, so the application isn’t limited to the church, but that’s certainly where it starts.

And since that’s the context, it seems strange to me that we would automatically change our course here and have Peter saying (v. 9) “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling” and think that this is primarily to folks outside the church. And yet, that’s what I think we do because of the way that we use the word “hospitality.” Again, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t be welcoming to people outside the church or open our homes to non-believers. We should. I’m simply drawing our attention to the fact that Peter is writing to Christians, and so the first point of application should be that we welcome one another cheerfully as we gather in this place. If there’s anywhere we should do this, then it’s at church.

The first-century Church didn’t have nice sanctuaries like we do. In fact, many of you know this, the first-century Church met in people’s homes (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2). So, it’s only natural that they would hear this and make application among themselves. Think about it. One of the very first things that people look for in a church is whether or not they feel welcomed. Sure, we might be looking for “good” sermons, or sound doctrine, or active ministry, but before any of that gets considered, people are already making their decisions based on their sense of a warm welcome. That’s why one of the most important ministries of this church is something that all of us can do – lift our heads up from our telephones, look somebody in the eye, and introduce ourselves. Make people feel welcome. Show hospitality.

Another application would be the natural reading of this text – open our homes to one another and to complete strangers. Granted, with the availability of modern hotels, motels, Airbnb’s, and such, we aren’t called upon as much as previous generations to do this. But I remember (and I’m sure that most of you do too), it used to be that people in the church were called upon to open their homes for visiting missionaries or other vocational ministers. For most of us that might mean simply offering our homes for various groups within the church, or even outside the church.

Now, I know it’s a radical thought, but it’s possible that God is preparing the heart of someone here today to reach out and connect with some Ukrainian refugees, or Afghan refugees, or Hispanic immigrants, or international students, or kids in the foster care system. No, I’m not suggesting that you must do this, and if you don’t then you’re being disobedient and therefore sinning against God. I recognize that there are legitimate security and safety concerns today. But, as I was preparing today’s sermon, I couldn’t help but think about Hebrews 13:2, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares,” and whether or not some of us have passed up such a blessing.

And just in case you’re sitting there “hemming and hawing” (internally, of course) about the preacher suggesting something as silly as opening up our homes or offering to take someone to lunch, notice that we’re supposed to welcome people cheerfully – actually the text says to do this “without grumbling.”

The Greek word is goggusmos. It’s an onomatope. You remember what that is, right? It’s a word that sounds like what it means. According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, it’s a term “meant to imitate the cooing of doves.” I’ve always been conflicted about whether or not to share all of these Greek words with you. After all, most of us have difficulty with English, much less adding Greek to the mix. But I definitely like the word goggusmos, and I figured that you might try using it in two months, at your next Thanksgiving Day meal. “Hey, would you men stop all the goggusmos!”

In light of the fact that the end is near – either our end, or the end of all the world – we need to welcome people into our church and our homes cheerfully for the purpose of sharing the gospel, for the purpose of glorifying God.

The next vital sign, the next thing that Peter says we ought to do in light of the end is…

In Light of the End: Serve Selflessly

Verse 10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” Then, in verse 11, Peter offers two examples of what he means: namely, speaking and serving. Now, the first thing that I must say is this – if you claim Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you have a spiritual gift that was given to you by the Holy Spirit. It’s not a matter of “Do I have a gift?” You have a gift. You may not have tons of gifts. You may not have all the gifts that you thought you should have, but you have gifts. The question is: “Are you using your gift for God’s glory?”

You say, “I don’t know how to use my gift for God’s glory.” Well, Peter says one way that you can use your gift for God’s glory is to serve others – not ourselves. One pastor put it this way, “The gifts of the Spirit are not given as toys to be played with, and not as banners to be waved, but as tools to be used.” When we serve other people, rather than ourselves, we’re using our gift for God’s glory.

If there was ever a person that deserved to be served, then it was Jesus. But that’s not what he says, is it? “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45; Matthew 20:28). Of all the people in the world that could have served Himself, it was Jesus. But He came not to be served, but to serve. Don’t you think that glorified God? You bet your bottom dollar. So, whatever gift(s) you have, use them to serve others and you’ll glorify God.

Notice the last part of verse 10, “as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” Some of your translations might say, “manifold grace” or “multi-faceted grace.” The Greek word means “many-colored.” It’s the word from which we get our English word variegated. Those of you that are gardeners and enjoy working in the yard, you know there are all kinds of variegated plants and flowers. And God has a tremendous ability of putting all kinds of colors – in this case, gifts – together for the purpose of displaying His glory.

Just by way of information, if you’re curious to make a note in your Bible on this verse, you can write down Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4. In each of those chapters, you’ll find lists of variegated gifts: preaching, teaching, serving, encouraging, healing, helping, administering, giving generously, etc. The only way that Mountain Hill Community Church will be anything of significance for the glory of God is if each of us here uses our variegated gifts to serve others.

There’s a ministry of Jesus that no one but you can do as a mom, as a single person, as a dad, as a student, as a businessperson, as a wise person, as an intelligent person, as a creative person. Whatever it might be, come to grips with it and realize that you’re only a steward of it, and you should be using it for God’s glory by serving others. So, serving others with the strength that God provides, for the purpose that God intends, leading to the glory that God deserves.

In Light of the End: Glorify God Endlessly

Peter says when you pray seriously, when you love wholly, when you welcome cheerfully, when you serve selflessly, then look at the end of verse 11, “…in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” There’s supposed to be a flow through effect. So, if you were warmly welcomed at the door, then the flow through should lead you into spiritual worship. When you pray seriously it should flow through into words of praise. When you love wholly… When we’re loving rightly… When we’re doing this loving earnestly thing and we find that we’re letting go of minor offenses and our relationships with one another are being greased with the oil of His grace, then there’s a flow through effect where God – because of Jesus’ work in our lives – receives glory.

Some of you may recognize the name Harry Emerson Fosdick. He was a very influential minister of the late 19th and early 20th centuries – first as a Presbyterian pastor, later as a Baptist pastor, and finally as the senior pastor of the newly-erected non-denominational Riverside Church in Manhattan (a church built by friend and former church member, John D. Rockefeller, Jr.). He rose to fame, if you want to call it that, during the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy that split the Presbyterian denomination in the 1920’s. But in addition to serving as pastor, he also wrote a number of hymns and one of those was God of Grace and God of Glory, in which he writes this verse:

Lo, the hosts of evil round us
scorn the Christ, assail His ways.
From the fears that long have bound us
free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
for the living of these days,
for the living of these days.

May we . . . understanding that the end of all things is at hand, pray seriously, love wholly, welcome cheerfully, serve selflessly, and glorify God endlessly in the living of these days.

“Father, You are so majestic that we don’t even begin to comprehend the depths and riches of that majesty. Everything that we experience in this world has a quality of existence that passes away, that undergoes mutations, that changes from moment to moment. We have nothing to refer to the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But, O Lord, Your eternal glory is what sustains us and assures us of the life to come – a life in Your presence that will not end. So, in light of that eventual end, may we pray seriously, love wholly, welcome cheerfully, serve selflessly and glorify You endlessly. For we offer this prayer in the name of You Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.”