This Is the Time to Glorify God

Good morning, Oh bless you. What an honor to be here,

to preach the world anywhere. It's an honor always, but

this is special because this is my church. And uh,

I'm so thankful. God is so wonderful, so generous. Several

years ago I was praying for a church leaders who

could who could mentor me and give me some feedback

to improve in my preaching and my ministry. And uh

and then God me, God, bring me here and and

and I'm about to preach in English, so that so

if you if you're asking God, uh, we prepare so. Uh.

It's so wonderful for God. And this is so helpful

for me to so uh, let's go to the world.

In Oneepeter four seven through eleven, I'm going to read

here Worf. God says this, the end of all things

is at hand. Therefore, be self controlled and sober minded

for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving

one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has

received a gift, use it to serve one another. Has

good stores of God's buried 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. That's

the world of God. When God saved me, I was

so broken. I was in a darkness place, very sad.

And then Christ came to my life, and I experienced

a piece of joy that I never thought, but follow

it by that it was persecution and suffering. And I

can say to this day that the peace and joy

that of being in Christ has always been greater than

my sufferings. Now at this time I will say that

I'm leaving has Pastor Josh Bridge a few weeks ago

on the pleasant providence of God. So many things I

can I can share with you. There's no time God

is good. But whether we are going through a time

of persecution of suffering, or whether we are in a

pleasant time of God's providence, we need to remember this

that our purpose in life is to glorify God through

our life in Jesus Christ. Here in First Peter, we

see that Peter is writing to this Christians, these churches

that they were in persecution and suffering, and his writing

to encourage them and to exhortain too. There were maybe

lost in their position in society, their jobs, their friends,

even suffering rejection from their families, and they were about

to experience the great persecution. So Peter's writes to encourage

these believers. He speaks to them of how they should

live and suffering according to the indentity in Christ, a

life center on Christ, his life, his death, his resurrection, resurrection,

and in the expectation of his return. All of this

is in order to glorify God. What I want to

argue this morning through our texts is this that this

is the time that we have to glorify God through

Jesus Christ, in everything, but especially in this text, in

all relationships. And this is time because there's an urgency,

there's an opportunity, and there's a capacity. So let's see

through our text the urgency. In verse seven, we read

this the end of all things is at Hence therefore,

so we see Peter here, he's talking about the end

of all things. Ice is coming. Christ is coming, So

what do we need to do? It's an exhortation. I

was thinking, Uh, this is my first preaching here, and

after three years of preaching. I mean, I wasn't preaching

for three years, and I'm gonna preason exhortation. That's great, right,

But this is our text. I'm not the one who's

exhorting you, is the Lord. But I wanted to encourage

you too, I mean through the texts. So anyway, we

have this text, and this is not the only occasion

with Peter's talked about the second coming of Christ. We

can read in first Peter one five says a salvation

ready to be revealed in the last time. In Uh

five ten we read this who has called you to

his eternal glory in Christ talking about the second coming

of Christ? And then he said that we he will resolve,

confirmt strain, and establish you. And there's an another verse

that Peters is using to show us that Christ is coming, says,

but the day of the Lord will come. Now he's

not saying when, we don't know when, right, but he

is saying he will come. For sure, he will come.

And then he said this in verse eleven, since all

these things are thus to be dis all, what sort

of people all you to be? In lives of holiness

and godliness, and our text is the same thing. It's

an exhortation. There's an urgency to live for the glory

of God, to leave a life of godliness. In Holiness

chapter four, we see, for example, that he call us

to leave this life that we left. We don't know

when God is going to call us, but he said

live your life doing the will of God. That's first

spirit for two. So there's an urgency to leave for

the glory of God. Christ is coming. Peters Turtles tells

us it's at hen in Mexico City. I don't know

if you you guys know, Mexico City one of the

biggest cities in the world. Twenty two millions I think

right now. People. So it's common to see people in

the streets to selling tamales and you can hear it

from from the from your apartment. They with those screens

tamales tamales, and they have this speaker very similar to

a heartquake alarm. So when I went to make we

went to Mexico Cities years ago. We rented an Rbnb

apartment in the fourteenth floor a building in the downtown.

And while we were already asleep about one am, the

hairquake alarm began to sound, and at first I thought, man,

that was too that's too late to sort amalice right,

But it was not a malice. So I realized me

and my wife took her daughters. There was no time

to go down. So we stood on a frame door

and we just waved there and start the buildings started

moving and everything was started moving moving there. I was like,

this is it, and I was I wasn't afraid of that. Really,

I was saying, I'm going with the lore, We're going

with the lor But I was this profound feeling of disappointment.

I was thinking, I thought I had more time. I

thought I had more time to live a life and

holiness God to glorify you. And that's it. I was glad,

I'm going, I'm with the Lord. But at the same time,

I'm like, I'm a little sav and thanks God he

gave me an opportunity again, I'm here right, So, but

he also reminds me the urgency of living a life

to glorify Him. And that's what I want to do

today through this text, the urgency to live a life

like that. How are you living today? How's your life?

Can you see the urgency. Well, God gives us the

opportunity to the opportunity. Let's let's read we see him

verse seven. There's an opportunity through our relationships. And he's

talking about praying, says, be self control and sober minded

for the sake of your prayers, for the sake of

your prayers. So this is a relation, a vertical relation.

How is a relation with God? Because prayer, that that's

what is what is what it is all about. Right,

It's an intimate relation with our God. It's not just

to go with God and just asking for things because

he is all powerful. No is to be in the

presence of God because we need it, because we satisfy

in Him. So this is the opportunity self control. It

means to be alert, vigilant, to be a a discipline life,

with a career mind about what to ask for and

to the importance and need of an intimate relation with

God in the meditation of his world and the prayer.

I know it says prayer. But prayer and the world

of God is always together. The meditation of the world

and the prayer is always had to be together. How

do we know how to ask? Through the scriptures? So

it's a relation with God. And what a great opportunity

we have right now. Listen this text rus for fifteen sixteen.

For we do not have a high priest who has

unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in

every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

And then says this, let us, then, with confidence, draw

near to the throne of Grace, that we may receive

mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

That's the opportunity we have a relation with God. We

are praying. We are praying right now for a church planting,

small group individually. And I think God has given us

a clear mind for that. I think we have been

a prudent so re minded about it. And now we

see how God has responded, and God is glorified him

through that. John Piper says, God is most glorify in

us when we are most satisfied in Him. So this

is the opportunity to have a relation with God. This

is the time and to be satisfying Him in order

to glorify him. But there's another opportunity to the relation,

the horizontal relation with one another. Verse eight, talking about love,

it says earnestly in their love for one another. This

text speaks of having a sincere, deep, constant, and intentional love.

And then Peter is using an expression that we also

see in Proverbs ten twelve. It says this hatred tears

up strife. The law covers all offenses. We could have

another sermon on that, maybe Josh wi appreciator. But let

me explain a little bit about this. What I think

Peter is saying here, hate spreads more scene and intensifies it.

It's like if when well, don't do it, but if

you hit a harness nest, what you know what's going

to happen? Right? I know, beloves does the opposite. It

keeps the scenes committed from being in their fullest expression,

not those it's allowed allowed it to spread. It's like

a vaccine that it keeps the disease from getting worse

and spreading. That's what love is doing. This kind of love,

Supiterit is not talking about superficial love, but a love,

a deeper love, a love that is not only seen

when we are partying, when we have a good time

with people that is like us, people that the like

things that I like and don't don't get me wrong,

that's that's okay, that's great. But he's talking about this

love that even when we have differences, even when we're

not like each other, I mean we're not the same, right,

and even and especially when we have conflicts, it's not allowed.

I have conflicts, I don't like you anymore, goodbye. No,

this love, it will resolve the conflict through the gospel.

Because love, that's what it's doing. It covers multitude of things.

And and don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that

we don't have to explore or to help brother. There

are in sinful ways match to eighteen right, But we talk,

we talk about this love and and even on that cases,

we had to address this with love, show hospitality one another.

That's the other opportunity in our relations. It means to

be ready, willing to receive brothers and sisters in your

home and treat them in the best possible way. Some people,

maybe they're thinking, well, two thousand years ago, that, yeah,

that was I mean essential. There was no hotels like

right now r vmbs and I don't know what else

we have, but there was not like that, and especially

there was persecution and suffering people lost home probably, but

doesn't mean that today is not applicable even in another countries.

That's what is happening right now, but right now in

our context, that's so essential as a Christians. So we

it's the text says, without grumbling, without complaining. Maybe your

complaints are real, but we go back to love right.

Love will cover a multitude of sins. So that's why

Peter says, above all, love each other earnestly. And then

we hear this to serve, I mean, so serve one another.

And if you are a believer, you have a gift

or more from God. God is saying too, that you

had to stur that gift. You're the manager of that gift.

That means that you had to develop the gift, to

supervise it, evaluate it, and improve it. Why because, as

you know, because of others. To serve others better. The

one who speaks, and this is not an exhaustive list

of gifts, right, but the one who speaks says that

we could say preaching, evangelize and counseling, teaching, exhortation and more.

The imperative of this is to speak according to the

oracles of God, according to the world of God if

you speak, if you have that gift, and even if

you don't have that gift, you had to talk to

the Word of God one another. We see it from

the Old Testament to the New Testament. The false teacher,

the false prophet, and the false teacher there were leading

the people away from the God, from the from the world,

the world of God. So we had to watch our

words when we speak, especially when we are exercising this

gift from the Holy Spirit. And let me emphasize what

a blessing we have in this church about accountability, sharing

each other, praying each other. Mark Devor says about discipleship,

Christian discipleship isn't just about displaying your strength. It's about

displaying your weaknesses too. That's what we're doing in the

accountability time. So we have to be careful to talk

to speak to each other the world of God because

sometimes sometimes they share things so difficult and we're we're

just like Colnate, right, I mean, it's okay, it's okay, yes,

but let's go into the war of God and talk

to each other the wars of God. Be ready the

one who serves service, giving mercy, decernments administration. Peter remind

us that we must always exercise these gifts of service

in the strength of God. It is not only to

recognize that it is God who's giving us these gifts

that will lived and the work, but it is also

to remember all the time that is in total dependence

on Him. Because apart from Christ we can do. We

can do three things right, nothing nothing another we can't

do anything. It's true Christ. Thanks God for Crossway. We

can see that so many brothers and sisters serving each

other on every Sunday. Even from the outside, we see

the welcoming team, children's team, the coffee team. I mean,

I don't want to miss someone, but it's so many

good servants of God. Praise God for this church. But

let's always remember that we do all this in the

strength of God. I remember three years ago the first

Sunday we came to Crossway. At the end of the service,

the last thing her was you are Love. I was thinking,

what a nice way to end the service, you are love.

Much better to say it, George dismiss. But I knew

this from that day. I knew this is not a cliche.

The smiles when they opened the door, the people you know,

and so so much love there. The coffee. Coffee is good. Listen,

I didn't I didn't like coffee before Crossway, so so

so great. So we we show the love of God

through all these little things. Maybe they're not leader. We

serve one another another, and so thankful for this church.

We can say truly we have been very love. I

could say so many things about Crossway for the glory

of God. But listen, look at me. I'm here preaching

in English and about the prison in Spanish. Indeed, we

are love, we are love. So we see these texts

praise God reflected in Crossway. But brothers, sisters, don't forget.

Everything is for the glory of God. Everything is by

His strength. And let's do this. Let's keep doing it

until the end the urgency. Remember, PRIs is coming. So

he gives so many opportunities, but especially he giving the

capacity to do it, the capacity to do it. Verse eleven.

It says in order that in everything God may be

glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion

forever and ever. Amen, He's the capacity to glorify Him

in our relationships through Jesus Christ. So obviously this is

not a list from Peter for us to trying to

earn God's favor. And if we do it like that,

the list we're going to do is glorify, glorifying God.

Romance five six. I love this verse. He says, for

a while we were still weak, at the right time,

die Christ died for the ungothly. This wark week I

like in in the original Greek, is this war astens

and what it means also, it means that we now capacity,

not just weak, we now capacity. Without Christ, we don't

have capacity to glorify him. But if we have Christ,

we do we have that. Perhaps here there's someone doesn't

know Christ, maybe knows the gospel for years that he's

not there a believer. So I share this with you.

Come to Christ. If you realize that you are without capacity.

Maybe you've been trying, but now you know I need Christ.

Come to Christ. Mark one, p. Fifteen says the time

is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God it's at ten.

Repent and believe in the gospel today. This is your opportunity.

There's an urgency. But God not only give us the

individual capacity to live to glorify Him, but he has

also giving us the church. That's a community where together

we can glorify Him. Just think about these commendments to

one another. How are we going to do this if

it's not in the context of a community, a Christian community,

the church? Do we create the church? Do we create

this church? Crossway? They just did that. No, it's a

gift from God to us to live a life too

mature to make disciples. Everything for the glory of God.

That's that's what we have on the walls and praise God.

That's what we're doing. Let's keep doing it. But don't

don't get it for for granted. That's the word. Don't

don't think, oh, we have it, Praise God, we have it.

The rich won't offer I don't know if that's correct

pronunciation as a pastor and great war. When the second

ward he said this, we easily forget that life among

Christians Christians is a gift of the Kingdom of God

that can be taken away from us at any moment,

and that in an instant, too, we can be abandoned

to complete loneliness. Therefore, whoever has been granted to experience

this extraordinary grace of community life, let him praise God

with all his heart. Let him kneel down, thank him

and confess that it is grace. It's only grace, crossway,

your only grace. It is a gift from God to

the Church. The only reason we have the capacity to

have a relationship with God in prayer is because Christ

is our highest priests. The only reason we can love

one another in such a way that we cover a

multitude of sins is because Christ has covered the totality

of our sins forever. The only reason we can serve

one another is because Christ came to serve us and

humble himself to death on the croust. The only reason

you and I can glorify God is through Jesus Christ,

dying on the cross for our sins, rising again in

the third Day, and he continues to work in your life,

in my life until today. So to him be glorified

the glory and dominion forever and ever, as he says

the text. So we've been talking through the text about

glorifying God through our lives through Jesus Christ in our relationship.

God creates everything for his glory. That's the ultimate purpose

for his glory. So everything we do it is for

his glory. But there is an urgency there's an urgency

to that as we see. But God, oh, also he's

providing opportunities through the Church, through our relation with Him

and with the Church. And He also has given you

the capacity to do it. So what do we need

to do glorifying God in the history of redemption? And

I will finish with that. I'm going to invite the

band to come here the history of redemption? Has Christ

already come, died and resurrected? Yes? Has Christ already established

his church? Yes? So what is next? Christ is coming?

Chapter four says to judge the living and the death.

He's coming. So it's the same like two thousand years

ago we read this and seven the end of all

things is at hand, the same thing we can say today.

We don't know when He's coming. It could be tomorrow.

So let me ask you this, how would you live

if you knew Christ was coming tomorrow? How will you

live today? How about Christ is coming in two weeks,

in five years, ten years? Only that we don't know

when God is gonna call us to his presence, how

are we going to live the rest of the life

that we have? How are we gonna live in the meantime?

The God will return a life of holiness, a life

to glorify Him. We have everything to do it. We're

doing it. Thanks God for that this church. Thanks God

that I said, I said too many times, right, but

praise God. But let's keep doing it. And if you're

not doing it, don't let it happen to you. Like

when I was in that earthquake and I said, I

thought I had more time. God is giving you the opportunity.

God has given you the capacity to do it. This

is time to glorify God through Jesus Christ in your relationships.

So let's do it. Church. Please stand up, Let's prayle

worship God together. Praise Him for this church, Praise Him

for the opportunities. Praise him because he gives us the capacity.

He gives us everything we need to glorify His name,

and in doing that we will be satisfied. Father in Heaven.

We praise you. We leave for that. You are so wonderful.

You give us everything to praise you. You give us the upperpportunities,

the capacity in Jesus Christ. Help us to remember that

there is an urgency in this happens. To remember to

glorify your name every day until you come in Jesus Christ.

We praised, Amen,