Living in Light of the End

Good morning, church. Our sermon text is 1 Peter chapter 4, verses 7 through 11.

1 Peter 4:7–11

Let me ask you to turn there with me. As usual, the text will be on the screen,

but let me encourage you to have the text open in front of you while we consider this passage

together. If you want to do that in the Pew Bible, it's page 955. 1 Peter chapter 4, verses 7 through 11.

1 Peter 4:7–11

All right, let me read for us. The Apostle Peter writes this,

Let's pray together.

Father, through your Son, Jesus Christ, you commissioned the apostles to teach in your name,

and by your Holy Spirit, you inspired them to do the same.

And so we realize, having read Peter's words, we have read your words, Father.

Grant us the grace now to receive these words and to live these words. And may the words of my mouth

and the meditation of all our hearts be pleasing in your sight, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

So, the end is near. That is how Peter begins this paragraph before us. The end of all things is

at hand. Now, maybe, I don't know about you, maybe you don't think a lot about the end of all things.

Maybe for you, that just sounds like something for religious fanatics or sidewalk preachers,

you know, the kind who self-publish books with titles like 77 Reasons the World Will End in 1977

or things like that, you know. The end is near.

But maybe for you, maybe for you on the other hand, the idea of the end being at hand

is not so easily dismissed. You look around the world and you see ongoing proliferation of atomic

weapons. We look around the world, we see ongoing degradation of the environment.

And maybe the end of the world isn't something you can just write off so easily.

Or maybe for you, the end is near doesn't bring to mind sort of global crises, but personal crises.

Old age? Or serious illness? The end of all things is at hand.

Now, no matter how much you think about such things, I wonder if you've considered that what

you really believe, what you really believe about the end of all things has a pretty profound impact

on how you live. Every year, it seems like there's another pop song written about how the world's all

going to end anyway, so we might as well enjoy whatever life we have left.

You know, whether it's going 2.47 seconds on a bull named Fu Manchu or however that song went.

Do you remember that one? You know? We're gonna dance until the world ends.

I don't think people would want to see me dancing until the world ends. That would be kind of embarrassing.

But you know, this trope kind of in popular music, it goes all the way back to the first century.

Even earlier, let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. If we're all going to be annihilated anyway,

if it all comes to nothing, maybe by a nuclear crisis or just the crisis of old age,

why not just live to please ourselves and have fun?

But as we find out pretty quickly, such a life doesn't end up being very satisfying.

In other words, if we have an utterly empty view of how things end,

we will inevitably have an empty view of what it means to live.

And whether we like it or not, we all live with some end in mind.

What's yours?

And if I can be so bold to ask, how's it working for you?

What Christianity offered to the ancient world and continues to offer to our world

is a better ending.

And because of that, a better way of living.

Because while Christians do care deeply about things like global peace and global warming,

our view of the end is not simply annihilation.

Rather, for Christianity, the end is God.

Who will bring judgment, justice, and the wonder of a new creation.

When Peter says,

the end of all things is at hand,

he means that in the story of God's redemptive plan,

the only chapter left is the return of our creator and king,

who will judge evil, defeat death, and make all things new.

Peter's saying,

we're living in the last chapter of God's great story.

That chapter might be long or short,

but it's the last one.

The end is at hand.

I like how Karen Jobes puts it in her commentary on 1 Peter.

She says,

Peter is saying that because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

his readers are living in the last stage of God's redemptive plan,

and the goal of that plan is being realized.

Earlier in this book,

Peter has called this our living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

This is what the psalmists used to sing about.

Like we heard in Psalm 96 earlier in the service,

The psalmist says,

This past Friday was Earth Day, you know.

So don't be afraid to go plant a tree, Christian,

because one day that tree is going to sing for joy at the return of its creator.

And when people ask you why you care for the environment,

you can just tell them that you're getting the choir ready for the conductor when he comes back.

Now, maybe you're not sure about the Christian view of the end of all things.

Maybe it seems more than a little implausible.

But why don't we take a look at the life,

at the sort of life it produces,

and then maybe you'll at least see how beautiful it is

and consider it for yourself.

And for those of us who are Christians,

Peter's showing us here the life that our hope should be producing now.

So let's take a look.

Peter says,

The end of all things is at hand.

Therefore, in other words,

here's how you should live in light of this glorious end that we have in Christ.

And what Peter says here, we can state very simply,

and then we'll spend some time unpacking it.

In essence, Peter says,

You're living in the last chapter.

So first, verse 7, pray.

And second, verses 8 through 11, love.

Let's look first at verse 7.

The end of all things is at hand.

Therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

In other words, living in the last chapter of God's great story moves us

from distraction and dissipation to divine communion.

It moves us from preoccupation and perplexity to prayer.

How often do we find ourselves riddled with a hundred distractions these days?

Whether it's the kind of constant news feed on our phones

or the ping of another text

or the mindless scrolling through social media.

And you know, we're constantly distracting and preoccupying ourselves.

Why?

Why are we so prone to distraction and preoccupation?

I think because so often we're looking for something, anything,

to just sort of dull the gaping boredom or even nihilism

that just yawns under the surface of our lives.

If you think that life ends in nothing,

that this beautiful world ends in nothing,

then really everything is just a distraction, isn't it?

A number of years ago, Alan de Botton wrote an excellent book

called The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work.

But at the end, he simply says,

okay, so what's the real purpose of work?

If the universe just ends in a tidal wave of oblivion,

then isn't the most meaningful work

just a distraction from the inevitable?

He concludes his book by saying,

let death find us as we are building up

our matchstick protests against its waves.

Of course, that sounds a little heroic at first, doesn't it?

But actually, it's deeply and profoundly unsatisfying.

Because, friend, life isn't simply a series of distractions

until death washes everything away.

Life is a series of pregnant moments

ordained by your loving and just creator

to be lived in fellowship with him

and his purpose of redemption.

Therefore, Peter says, be self-controlled and sober-minded.

Don't live a life of endless distraction.

Rather, live a life of prayer

that is of communion with the God

whose story is about to come to its thrilling close.

Because Jesus has risen from the dead

and the last chapter is upon us.

Now, what does this life of prayer,

of communion with God, look like?

Well, as we read the pages of Scripture,

we see that there are many well-marked paths

paths that God himself has marked for us

and which saints for generations have walked.

There's the path of adoration,

delighting in the godness of God,

praising him and enjoying him.

There's the path of confession,

unburdening our souls to God,

naming and releasing our failures and sins

into his merciful love.

There's a path of thanksgiving,

gratitude for all God's gifts,

supremely the gift of God's own son

and the gift of the cross.

There's a path of lament,

expressing our negative emotions to God,

sadness, anger, fear,

letting him be God in the midst of our loss and trials.

There's the path of petition,

asking God for our needs,

for ourselves, for others,

entrusting our desires and needs to him to provide.

Imagine a life walked in these paths

and not the endless distractions of our digital age.

Isn't deep down that the kind of life that you want?

With a deep center in the holy God

who made you in all things?

The God who's coming to judge and to heal?

How can you begin to walk these paths of prayer,

of communion with God?

Let me suggest maybe a simple practice

if you're getting started.

Simple practice.

For 15 or 20 minutes,

find a quiet place

and turn off your phone.

You know it has an off button, right?

Your iPhone.

It's that little thing on the side.

You can push it,

but you got to hold it in

because Apple's smart

and they don't want you to turn off your phone.

You got to hold it in

and then your phone turns off.

That's possible actually to turn it off.

Then, take a physical Bible

because remember,

you've turned off your phone.

So you take a physical Bible

and just read one psalm

or one paragraph in the Gospels slowly.

Read the same passage once or twice slowly.

This isn't the time to do your annual Bible reading plan.

If you do one,

you can do that another time in the day.

This is time to commune with God.

And as you read slowly,

listen, ask with an open heart to the Lord.

Where is God in this text

inviting you to walk the path of adoration

or confession or thanksgiving

or petition or perhaps even lament?

What path is the Lord opening up before you

and beckoning you to come walk?

Maybe you read the story of the disciples

struggling at the oars,

trying to cross the Sea of Galilee in a storm,

and how Jesus comes to them on the water

and says,

it's I, don't be afraid.

And then you realize

that you are afraid.

You've been pulling at the oars of your life

and the water's still choppy

and you're afraid.

You don't think you'll make it to the other side.

So you pray a prayer that's something like a lament.

I don't know where all this anxiety and fear is coming from,

but I'm giving it to you, God.

And then you read the passage again

and you listen to the sovereign Lord

as he says,

it's I.

Don't be afraid.

So you pray a pair of petition.

Jesus, fill me with your peace and presence.

And suddenly,

it becomes a path of adoration.

Lord, you are sovereign.

I see you standing on the waves.

You are in control.

Nothing surprises you.

I know you'll see me safely to the other side.

And as you read

and as you pray,

if you find that you've prayed all the things

that God in this 15, 20 minutes

is inviting you to pray,

then simply be still before him

and enjoy his presence.

Be self-controlled.

And sober-minded

for the sake of your prayers.

You're living in the last chapter, friends.

Don't let distractions rule your life.

Begin communing now

with the God who's coming soon.

But Peter doesn't stop there.

He speaks not just of prayer,

but of love.

Look at verse 8.

Above all,

keep loving one another earnestly

since love covers a multitude of sins.

You're living in the last chapter,

so love one another earnestly.

Why?

Because love covers a multitude of sins.

Peter's quoting from the book of Proverbs there.

In Proverbs chapter 10, verse 12,

Proverbs 10:12

we read,

Hatred stirs up dissension,

but love covers all wrongs.

So this idea of love covering wrongs,

or in Peter's paraphrase,

a multitude of sins,

is the opposite of stirring up dissension.

In other words,

love doesn't repay evil for evil.

It breaks these cycles of petty retaliation.

It breaks the cycle of assuming the worst in someone else.

And Peter knew that we would need that.

Peter knew that living life as the church would be hard.

Why?

Because Christians are sinners.

Christian marriage would be hard.

Christian parenting would be hard.

It would be delightful,

and it would be joyful.

And being in the church would be delightful,

it would be joyful,

but it would at the same time be hard.

Why?

Because we're all still battling our sinful desires.

What's the antidote?

Peter says it's the love

that covers a multitude of sins.

But where does that come from?

It doesn't come from our old nature.

It comes from the new nature

that we've received in the gospel.

Do you remember earlier in this letter,

Peter wrote in chapter 1,

verses 22 and 23,

he says,

Love one another earnestly.

The same command.

Why?

Because you've been born again

through the living and abiding word of God.

And what is this word?

Friends, it's a message

that the God who made all things

took on human nature

in the person of Jesus

to live the life that we should have lived

and to die the death that we deserve to die

so that in love

he might cover over all our sins.

God did not repay us

the wrath and judgment

that our sins deserved.

Instead,

he absorbed that cost

into himself on the cross.

Amazing love.

How can it be

that thou, my God,

shalt die for me?

And three days later,

God raised Jesus from the dead

so that all who receive

the risen Christ by faith

might be given a new heart

and a new nature.

We're born again,

Peter says,

and in this new nature,

we're able to turn to others

and forgive

because we've been forgiven.

It covers a multitude of sins.

So this is what love doesn't do.

It doesn't pay back in kind.

It covers a multitude of sins.

But what about what love does do?

And in the rest of our text,

Peter gives us kind of two pictures

of love in action.

We're living in the last chapter

of God's story.

Above all,

we must love.

And here,

Peter says,

is what love looks like.

First,

it looks like hospitality.

Verse 9,

show hospitality to one another

without grumbling.

Once we were filled

with sort of hostility

and animosity

towards one another,

but in light of the hope

that we have

that's broken in upon us,

our hostility

is traded for hospitality.

Don't you see,

if this life

is all that you have,

if this life

is all that we have,

then of course,

we're all just scrambling

for a scarcity of resources

and the scarcity of time

being the most poignant of all.

And if that's true,

why would I even open my home

to another?

Why exercise hospitality

when it's so costly

and time-consuming?

But if this chapter

of God's story

is about to give way

to justice,

healing,

and the new creation,

if that's what

we're looking forward to,

then our homes

opened in hospitality

become a signpost

of the coming kingdom.

Hospitality would have been critical

to the life of the church

in the first century

since most churches

in the first century

met in believers' homes.

Hospitality made

church gatherings possible.

So remember that,

small group hosts,

the next time

your small group

gathers in your home.

You are practicing

one of the most ancient

and vital

of Christian practices.

As you open your home

to fellow believers

for the purpose of prayer

and Bible study,

you stand

in a long line

of saints

who have blessed

and supported

the people of God

all the way back

to the time

of the apostles.

Be encouraged.

But of course,

hospitality isn't just

for hosting formal gatherings.

A local church

is meant to be

a fabric

of relationships

where there is welcome

and support

and care,

where we welcome

one another

as Christ

has welcomed us.

You know,

in the first century,

many Christians

were losing their friends

and being ostracized

by their families

because of their

allegiance to Christ.

So the practice

of hospitality

didn't just sort of

meet those needs

of belonging

and relationship,

but it was a sign

that in Christ

there's now

a new family,

a new belonging,

a new place

to be welcomed

and loved.

Of course,

you don't need

to own a home

or own a big apartment

to practice hospitality.

Hospitality literally

just means love

of the stranger.

So the next time

you're headed out

for lunch or dinner,

you can just invite

someone from church

that you don't know well.

Welcome them

to come along.

That's showing hospitality.

That's the first way

to love that Peter

mentions,

hospitality.

The second way

we see in verses 10 and 11.

Look at that with me.

He says,

as each has received a gift,

use it to serve one another

as good stewards

of God's very grace.

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.

So if love moves us

from hostility

to hospitality,

Peter's saying

it also moves us

from selfishness

to service.

Everyone in the family

of God

has received a gift,

Peter says.

When the Holy Spirit

causes us to be born again

into this new family,

into this new body,

the church,

He makes sure

that we have

a vital role to play.

In other words,

no one is an appendix

in the body of Christ,

right?

There are no useless organs

in the church.

The appendix

is that little thing

that's supposedly

we don't have any use for,

right?

That's supposed to be funny.

You're supposed to laugh

at that.

Never mind.

I'll go back to the drawing board

with that illustration.

Okay.

What do we do

with these gifts

that we've been given?

Do we hoard them

or do we share them?

Peter uses this great metaphor

of a steward.

You know,

a steward in the ancient world

was put in charge

of a household

to make sure

that all the resources

were distributed properly

and everyone got

what they needed.

But the steward

wasn't the owner

of the household.

They were responsible

for what belonged

to another.

They were put

in this position

to care for what

belonged for another.

Friends,

if you are in Christ,

you have gifts to share.

But these gifts

ultimately belong

to another,

to your generous Lord

who gave them to you

and you are called

to steward them

for his sake.

Some of you maybe

have particular gifts,

as Peter says,

in speaking.

You can teach,

you can instruct,

you can counsel,

you can offer wisdom

or discernment.

Don't hoard these gifts.

The church needs them.

Speak as one

who speaks the oracles

of God,

Peter says.

That is,

do it with the boldness

and the humility

that comes from realizing

whose word it is

we're teaching.

because we teach

and instruct from God's word,

we can do so

with boldness

because it's God's word,

not ours.

But at the same time,

we do so with humility

because, again,

it's not our own.

Some of you have

particular gifts in serving.

You can organize

and administrate

love and care,

identify needs,

design solutions.

Do so,

Peter says,

with the strength

that God supplies.

Just as our speaking

ultimately derives

from God's word,

so our serving

ultimately derives

from God's strength.

That's why we're stewards,

right?

Because it's God's word

and God's strength

at work through us

by God's spirit.

Now, of course,

the best way

to figure out

what your gifts are

is to actually

start serving.

give something a try.

Ask to help lead

a Bible study group

in small group.

Join a ministry team

and give it a try.

If you don't know

where to start,

ask an elder

or ask a deacon.

We'd love to help you

find your particular gifts.

We're stewards,

Peter says,

of God's varied grace.

There's a beautiful

diversity of gifts

in God's body,

a varied grace

that when each part

finds its place

as a body,

we sort of shine

like the splendor

of a stained glass window

where every piece

sort of contributes

to the beauty

of the whole.

We're not meant

to hoard our gifts

but to share them.

That's why we sort of

crafted our membership vows

to say simply

but profoundly

that we're committing

to give and receive

gifts of love

and service.

We're living

in God's last chapter.

Life's about more

than just stockpiling

comforts for ourselves.

It's about giving

and receiving

these gifts

that God has poured

out on us

in these last days.

That is,

these days between

Christ's resurrection

and His return.

So this is how

we're meant to live then.

Because the end

of all things

is at hand.

We're to move

from distraction

to communion

and from hostility

to hospitality

and from selfishness

to generous service.

And when we live

like that,

who gets the credit?

Who gets the glory?

Not us,

Peter says,

but Jesus.

He ends by saying

we do all this

in order that

in everything

God may be glorified

through Jesus Christ.

To Him belong glory

and dominion

forever and ever.

Amen.

If it is God's future

that changes our lives

so dramatically,

then surely

it is God's name

that gets all the credit

and all the attention.

And when you think about it,

isn't that the last

great gift to us

of this living hope

that we have?

Being liberated

from having to live

for ourselves

so that we can live

for something greater,

something greater

and more lasting

than we had ever dreamed.

Our own little story

is a part

of a much grander drama,

a much more

magnificent tale.

Isn't that ultimately

what your heart

longs for?

A place

in a greater plot line.

And here it is.

Peter says,

the end of all things

is at hand.

Come step into this story.

Christ is risen,

the kingdom is on the move,

and the last chapter

is speeding

to the conclusion.

Christ will return

in glory

to judge

and to save

and to make all things new.

You can keep living

for your...

Flooding into history

and covers the earth

like the waters

cover the sea.

Join your story

to His.

Live for someone greater.

live for His glory.

And then watch

as your distraction

becomes communion

and as your hostility

gives way to hospitality

and as your selfishness

becomes generous service.

To Him belong glory

and dominion

forever and ever.

Amen.

Let's pray.

Our Father in heaven,

as we sung

before considering

Your Word,

we pray again

that You would

take our life,

take our lives,

and let them

be consecrated to You.

Take our moments

and our days,

take our speaking

and our giving,

take our hands

and our feet,

and use them

for Your praise.

We ask this

in Jesus' name.

Amen.