Live In Light Of The End

1 Peter 4, let's begin reading at verse 7.

Peter writes,

Use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace.

Whoever speaks as one who speaks the 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 be glory and dominion forever and ever.

Amen.

When my brother Jonathan and I were of age,

mom and dad used to leave us at home by ourselves.

Do you remember that point in your life

when your parents finally trusted you to be at home alone

so that they could go away for a couple of nights?

I remember clearly the first time that mom and dad did that.

I can't remember exactly where they went.

Maybe it was a marriage retreat or something like that with the church.

But instead of sending us to stay at someone else's house,

they let us stay at home by ourselves.

And as you can imagine,

what would typically happen is those days would be filled with all kinds of indulgences

that maybe were ordinarily limited or otherwise restricted.

But mom and dad always made their expectations clear.

Their expectations as to how we were to handle ourselves while they were away.

And of course, their expectations about what condition the house should be in upon their return.

And it was funny, in the early parts of those time frames,

Jonathan and I didn't think much about that.

We just enjoyed ourselves.

All the things that you're not typically allowed to do.

Stay up as late as you want.

Eat whatever you want.

Don't clean it up.

Whatever you want to do, that's what we decided to do.

But as it got closer and closer to mom and dad coming back,

we grew more keen to prepare for their arrival.

Sometimes we were staying up late at night not because we wanted to anymore,

but because we'd made such a mess that we really had to kick it into high gear

to make sure that when the judgment came, we would be able to stand.

And you might say that our time at that point stopped being lived for what we wanted to do.

And it started being lived according to what mom and dad's expectations were.

The imminency of their return shaped the way that we behaved.

And that's similar to what Peter's on about in this particular part of chapter 4.

It's indicated by the very first phrase.

If you just want to set your eyes on it again.

He leads with, the end of all things is at hand, therefore,

and he continues on in a number of exhortations.

Now, all of the instructions that Peter gives here in this paragraph,

they're all flowing out of that opening phrase.

That because the end of all things is at hand,

because it's near, because it's here,

there is a particular way that he expects Christians will then live.

We are in the last days.

These days are leading to the return of Christ.

And the return of Christ means the final judgment.

And that reality is to shape the way that we are living now.

Before we jump into the specific exhortations, there's four of them.

We're going to go through two today,

and we'll go through the other two in a couple of weeks.

But before we jump right into those exhortations,

I think it would be good for us just to linger for a moment on this opening indicative,

this opening truth.

The end of all things is at hand.

And I want you to think about the way Peter is bookending this paragraph.

In verse 7, it's the end of all things.

But then in verse 11, it sounds very different than that, doesn't it?

In verse 11, we have this idea of glorifying God forever and ever.

Now, here's the question.

How can there be both an end and a forever?

The Bible speaks of human history in two stages.

We call it a two-stage structure of human history.

There is this age, and there is the age to come.

Now, there are many examples of this in the Scripture.

Let me give you two.

The first one is in Matthew 12, 32, if you want to write that reference down.

Matthew 12, 32.

Jesus says,

Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven.

But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

And then he says,

Either in this age or in the age to come.

In other words, there's not only consequences for this sin now,

there are consequences for this sin in eternity, forever.

Let me give you another one.

Ephesians 1, verse 21.

Ephesians 1:21

Paul writes that God exalted Jesus far above all rule and authority and power and dominion

and above every name that is named.

And he says,

God has done that not only in this age, but also in the one to come.

There's many other places we could go to to point this out.

We have this two-stage structure.

There's this age and there is the next age.

Now, we've just spent some time praying for John Piper and desiring God.

So I want to use one of his resources for you now.

I'm going to borrow this from him.

It's just a helpful visual that I think will help us wrap our minds around this.

It's a series of them.

If you just put the first one up for us there, Ashlyn.

We need to see we have first this age,

and then just above it we've got the age that is to come.

Now, the question is, where does the transition happen?

At what point do we move from this age to the age to come?

That's where the next part of the chart comes in, Ashlyn, if you'll move to the next thing.

That happens when Jesus returns.

That's the official transition according to the Bible,

that right now we're in this age, the age of this world,

but notice that the transition from one to the next happens at the return of Christ,

and the return of Christ brings about the great resurrection.

That is not just the resurrection of believers,

but also the resurrection of unbelievers,

and we all stand in the final judgment.

We stand before the judgment seat of God,

and it's at that time that all of us will answer to God

for the way that we lived our lives.

Those who have trusted Christ, those who have followed him as Lord,

will then enter into his eternal glory.

The age to come for those who are God's people

is the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God.

But those who have not trusted Christ,

who have not followed him,

will enter into eternal judgment and hell.

So the age to come for them is not the glory of Christ,

it is separation from Christ, as Andy prayed just a moment ago.

So the return of Christ when Jesus comes back

is the consummation of the age to come,

or the consummation of the kingdom of God.

Now, there's still another piece of this that we need to understand.

Now, as Peter does here,

the Bible often speaks of the end of all things,

or the last days, or the final days,

or the coming judgment of God.

We see it over and over in the New Testament, right?

But what does it mean?

The end of what, right?

The last days of what?

It's the end of this age.

It's the last days of this age.

Put that one up, Ashlyn, if you don't mind.

All right, so here we are.

And this is where we are now.

So you have this present age.

That's Adam and Eve.

That's creation until Christ's return.

But then we've got the last days, the end, the final days.

That's where we are now.

The New Testament teaches that the end of all things

is not a point in the future,

but it's actually a span of human history

in which we now live.

And it's progressing.

There are things that are going to change and grow

and progress in that time,

and there will be an end of the end.

But when the Bible speaks of the end,

it really is speaking of this span of time.

Now here's another question.

When did this time begin?

Well, it began with Christ's first coming.

So we would say when Christ returns,

you can put the last one up, Ashlyn.

When Christ returns, that's kingdom consummated.

That's the age to come brought to completion.

But when Jesus came the first time,

that's the kingdom inaugurated.

It has come in the person of Jesus Christ.

This is what Jesus preached.

Remember Mark 1.

Jesus is baptized by John.

He goes to the wilderness temptations,

and then he comes back into the region of Galilee.

And what's the message that he's preaching?

He's preaching the kingdom of God is at hand.

It is here.

Remember, repent and believe the good news.

The kingdom has come in the king,

the presence of the king,

in his incarnation,

and then of course in his death,

in his resurrection,

in his ascension.

That's the inauguration of the kingdom.

And what is true is that

while his eternal kingdom

will be consummated when he returns,

it has indeed in some sense already come.

It has begun even now.

Now just look at chapter 1 of 1 Peter.

We've seen he's already pointed this out to us,

hasn't he?

Look at chapter 1 in verse 20.

Jesus was foreknown

before the foundations of the world.

He was chosen by the Father

to be our Redeemer

before he even created the world.

But he was made manifest when?

In the last times

for the sake of you.

Now the last times

in chapter 1 in verse 20

is the same span

as chapter 4 in verse 7,

the end of all things.

It's the same epoch

in which we live now.

And if the king has come

and he has inaugurated his kingdom,

the glory of the age to come

is breaking through

even now.

I want you to think about that.

We often think about the age to come

and we think about the glory of the kingdom.

But the Bible teaches us

that since the king has already come,

it is beginning to break through

into this age even now.

But in what way does it do that?

It breaks through

as God's chosen people,

his church,

whom he has called

and whom he has redeemed

with his precious blood of Christ,

it breaks through

as they live in this age

for the glory of God

that is to be on full display

and fully consummated

in the age to come.

Now I say all of that to say this.

That's what 1 Peter is ultimately about.

1 Peter is about this exile.

It's about living in the last days

and all the problems

that come with the last days

but belonging to the age to come.

Knowing that this age

is not what our life is for.

Knowing that this world

and this kingdom

is not really where we belong.

We belong to a different king

and to a different kingdom

and we are to represent

that king now

in this age.

And this is the context

in which Peter

is issuing the exhortations

of this text.

He's essentially saying,

church, remember,

the end of all things is here.

Jesus is about to return.

Therefore, it is essential

if we bring it together

with the previous paragraph.

It is essential

that you cease living

for human passions.

Stop living for what you want.

Stop living for this life

and begin living for God's will

and God's glory even now.

Just like Jonathan and I

preparing for our parents

to get home,

Jesus expects

that his people

will live in light of the end

even as they now wait.

And how is it that we are to do that?

What should mark us

as Christ people

in this age?

And Peter,

at least at this point,

gives us four things.

We're going to cover the first two.

Here's the first one that he gives.

One thing that should mark us

is sober prayer.

Sober prayer.

Look again at verse seven.

The end of all things is at hand.

Therefore,

be self-controlled

and sober-minded

for the sake

of your prayers.

Now we've seen

throughout this letter

that Peter is seriously concerned

concerned about what we might call

spiritual sobriety.

Spiritual sobriety.

A disciplined

and rightly focused mind

we've seen again and again

is essential

to thriving

in exile,

to living faithfully

as God's people

here in this age.

Now I want you to look at

two places

before we jump back to this one.

Flip back to chapter one,

verse 13.

We saw this word there.

Peter says,

therefore,

preparing your minds for action

and being,

here's the repetition,

and being sober-minded,

set your hope fully

on the grace

that will be brought to you

at the revelation

of Jesus Christ.

In other words,

in chapter one,

Peter says,

you need to be sober-minded

so that

your hope

will be fixed

and set

on the grace

of Jesus Christ

that will be brought

to completion

at his return.

Now we want you to look

at chapter five.

Chapter five

and verse eight.

You probably

have this verse memorized.

Notice what Peter says.

Be sober-minded.

There's the repetition.

Be watchful.

Why?

Because your adversary,

the devil,

prowls around

like a roaring lion

seeking someone

to devour.

Resist him,

Peter says,

firm in your faith,

knowing that

the same kinds

of sufferings

are being experienced

by your brothers

throughout the world.

Now what's that about?

Well, in 1.13,

Peter says,

be sober-minded

so that

your hope

is set

on the grace

of God.

And then in chapter five,

he says,

be sober-minded

so that you will

recognize

the work

of the devil

and you will

be able

to resist him

and to

flee

from the temptation.

Now those instructions

make a lot of sense

in this letter,

don't they?

These Christians

were suffering

and the suffering

they faced

was producing

spiritual anxiety

and sinful temptations

to compromise.

And without self-control

and sober-mindedness,

we learn that we are

in immediate danger,

immediate danger

of abandoning the faith

because we don't have

our minds set on hope

or in immediate danger

of falling

into sinful passions

that wage war

against our souls

because we're not

being sober-minded

in relationship

to our enemy.

But then when we get

to this verse,

self-control

and sober-mindedness

are for something different.

They are for the sake

of your prayers,

for the sake

of your prayers.

In each of these instances,

spiritual sobriety

is not the goal.

It is a means

to a greater goal.

Hope,

holiness,

prayer.

But what does that

actually mean?

How does sober-mindedness,

self-control

affect our prayers?

What does it mean

for the sake of our prayers?

Does that mean that

if we're not

self-controlled

and sober-minded

that God will refuse

to hear our prayers?

I don't think

that's exactly

what Peter means

to say here.

So what is this about?

What exactly

is the link

between these characteristics

in prayer?

And why is it necessary

that we give ourselves

to it

in light of

the fact that

we are at the end

of the age?

Well, it's pretty simple,

I think.

The one who lacks

self-control

will not give themselves

to prayer

in any meaningful way.

Okay.

A disciplined prayer life

takes discipline,

right?

And someone

who lacks

that discipline

and self-control

is not going

to give themselves

to prayer.

But the one

who lacks

sobriety,

if they pray at all,

will not pray

the right way.

And in either case,

genuine communion

with God

is absent

from their lives

and they stumble

through life

like a drunk

who cannot

reasonably function.

And in relationship

to the Christian life

and the suffering

that we're dealing

with in this letter,

we become filled

with

unnecessary anxiety.

What is it

that the hymn says?

Oh, what peace

we often forfeit.

Oh, what needless

pain we bear.

all because

we do not

carry

everything

to God

in prayer?

We begin

to be filled

with doubt

in our sufferings.

We become

overcome

by temptations.

And the primary

antidote

to these things,

the anxieties

and the doubts

and the temptations,

is prayer.

And so

when they say,

well,

we believe

that God

is sovereign,

right?

Well,

what really

is the point

of prayer

if God

is sovereign?

Well,

what if the

point of prayer

is not so much

to change

our circumstances?

What if the

point of prayer

is to fill

our greatest need?

Our need

for Him?

Our need

for God?

What is it

that happens?

I think there's

something supernatural

that takes place

in genuine

communion with God

in this way.

And you'll

understand what

I mean,

I think,

when I say that

and what I don't

mean when I say that.

I don't mean that

prayer is like a

magical incantation

that if you say

the right thing

the right way

the right number

of times

that suddenly

things will just

work out

and God will

finally do

what you're asking

but you just

gotta hit the button

just in the right

sequence to get there.

That's not

how we're to

understand prayer.

No,

I think there is

something supernatural

happening in prayer

in that

when I pray

with whatever

anxieties I have

the anxieties

themselves

and the situations

that are producing

the anxieties

don't change.

What changes?

I change.

The doubts

that I have

and that I'm

wrestling with

as I come to

the Lord

in prayer

the doubts

may not

ultimately go away

but do you know

what changes?

my confidence

in the Lord

my peace

and comfort

in the Lord

changes.

The temptations

that I face

I'm probably

gonna face them

again

but you know

what happens

in prayer?

The Lord

does a work

in me

that gives me

strength

to resist

the devil

and to flee

the temptations.

Prayer

is not so much

about what is

happening around

you

it's about

what God

is doing

in you

and Peter

knows that

and he knows

it's essential

that if we're

gonna thrive

and we're gonna

be faithful

to the Lord

in this time

of exile

and in our

times of suffering

he knows

it's gonna require

that we actually

have a genuine

prayer life

genuine communion

with God

on a regular

basis

because God

is not only

sovereign over

the things

that happen

he's sovereign

over the means

by which

those things

come about

and prayer

indeed is part

of God's

means

he does

hear us

and he does

answer us

according to

his will

and he beckons

us to pray

he commands it

but he also

invites it

and we need

to give ourselves

to that

Peter knows

it

but he knows

we can't do

it

if we're not

self-controlled

and we're

not sober

minded

now I think

the best

example of

this in the

scriptures

is in the

garden of

Gethsemane

just before

Jesus' arrest

what is he

doing

he transforms

the Passover

to the Lord's

Supper

they make their

way to the

Mount of Olives

and they go to

the garden of

Gethsemane

maybe a place

that he

frequented

for prayer

most of the

disciples he

leaves at the

entrance of the

garden he

takes a few

of them with

him a little

further in

and then he

goes a little

further than

that and he

begins to

pray

it's the

greatest moment

of struggle

that Jesus

the man had

in his earthly

ministry and

his earthly

life

it all came

to a head

at this point

and what is it

that he gave

himself to in

those moments

prayer

genuine communion

with the father

but do you know

what he told the

disciples to do

Mark chapter 14

Mark 14:38

verse 38

he tells the

disciples who went

with them into

the garden

he says watch

and pray

stay awake

be alert

keep an eye

out

and pray

why

Jesus says

so that you

will not enter

into temptation

and then he

adds this

the spirit is

willing

I know you

don't want to

be tempted

I know you

don't want to

give into

temptation

but your

flesh is weak

so stay awake

and pray

and then he

models it

he does

this is so

amazing

I want to go

preach that

passage now

it's so amazing

what Jesus

does

he tells the

disciples watch

and pray

and then what

does he do

he goes and

he watches

and prays

it's almost as

if he's saying

do what I

do

that's exactly

what he's

saying

and why is he

saying it

because it was

so necessary

in that moment

well what did

the disciples

do

they went

to sleep

they didn't

do what he

said

they lacked

self-control

in that they

kept falling

asleep

they showed

a lack

of sobriety

as they

could not

see the

urgency

of the

moment

they

couldn't

even see

in Jesus

the urgency

of that

moment

and hear

the urgency

and what

he's

commanding

and they're

not

they're not

sober-minded

they're not

thinking

clearly

and the

result is

that they

did not

pray

and when

the moment

of danger

and temptation

arrived

what did

they do

every one

of them

did the

same thing

they forsook

the Lord

they fell

in temptation

they left

him in his

most vulnerable

moment

and they

ran

why

because they

did not

watch and

pray

and here's

Peter

who was in

that group

who did

not only

forsake

the Lord

he took

it a step

further

and outright

denied

the Lord

now he's

writing to

a group

of Christians

who are

suffering

and the

temptation

is going

to be

it's

dangerous

there's

doubt

now

as a result

of this

the world

seems to

be against

me

I'm losing

my friends

and I'm losing

my job

and I'm

losing all

of these

things in

my life

because of

my faith

and the

temptation

is going

to be

to doubt

and it's

going to be

to be anxious

and it's

going to be

to give

in to the

temptations

and the

sins

and the

human

passions

and he

says

you need

to watch

and pray

Peter

Peter says

the end

is near

hang in

there

just watch

and pray

but do you

pray

we have to

ask that

question

now don't

we

do you

pray

do you

really

pray

not just

to express

gratitude

for your

meal

though you

need to

do that

Jesus

told us

to do

that

but do

you have

time

where you

pour your

heart

out to

God

when you're

tempted

what's

your reaction

typically

it should

be

prayer

do you

see the

urgency

of the

moment

in your

life

and with

your kids

and with

your

grandkids

or are

you're a

bit

spiritually

drunk

and

and you're

a little

more

focused

on this

life

than maybe

on the

age to

come

it'll

show

in the

way we

pray

so Peter

says look

the end

is coming

pray

second

sacrificial

love

first is

sober

prayer

and then

there's

sacrificial

love

and we

get this

in verse

eight

above all

Peter

says keep

loving one

another

earnestly

!

since love

covers

a multitude

of sins

now you'll

notice in

the next

three

exhortations

each one

of them

is a

one another

command

we're told

to love

one another

earnestly

we're told

to show

hospitality

to one

another

and then

we're told

to use

our gifts

from the

Lord

to serve

one another

meaning

they

specifically

concern

how we

are to

live with

and treat

other

Christians

now it's

not that

we shouldn't

do all

of those

things for

non-Christians

we certainly

should

but Peter

is especially

concerned with

how we

live with

one another

and how we

treat one

another

remember in

the context

of this

letter

we represent

God and

his kingdom

not primarily

as individuals

but primarily

as the

church

as his

people

plural

in the

world

and how

we exist

together

is of

immense

importance

in the

New Testament

and Peter

of course

reminds us

that the

most necessary

mark of

our relationships

with other

believers

is earnest

love

he's already

explained it

in chapter

one

and he's

bringing it

up again

here

he said it

in chapter

two as

well

he's bringing

it up

again

here

earnest

love

and Peter's

taking his

cues directly

from Jesus

who said

that the

world will

know that

we are

following

him

specifically

by the

way we

love other

Christians

now it's

amazing that

Jesus said

that and it

must be

true because

Jesus said

it

why then

does it

seem like

the church

of all

places

is so

divided

we're so

against each

other

Jesus says

this earnest

love

that's going

to be the

supreme

mark

that you're

my people

in chapter

one

Peter wrote

that sincere

and earnest

love for other

believers is

the natural

fruit of the

Holy Spirit's

regenerating work

in our lives

which means

that if you

do not have a

trace of love

it's not that

you're perfect in

this but if you

don't have a

trace of love

for other

believers

specifically because

they're other

believers

then you're just

not a Christian

because this is

something that God

does in us

as his people

he begins it

and he

progressively

strengthens it

and perfects it

throughout our

lives we want to

see a trajectory

of this growing

but here Peter

grounds this

pursuit of love

in a very

specific thing

and it's

amazing

he says that

we are to

pursue this

love keep

pursuing it

because it

covers a

multitude of

sins

covers a

multitude of

sins what

does that

mean

well at least

four things

first earnest

love prevents

us from

sinning against

other people

earnest love

prevents us

from sinning

against others

that's why

Jesus said

that the

second most

important

commandment

is to love

your neighbor

as yourself

he said

all of the

law hangs

on those two

commandments

loving God

and loving

other people

because when

you really

love someone

you don't

want to steal

from them

when you

love someone

you don't

want to

abuse them

or cheat

them

or slander

them

or hurt

them

or see

them hurt

because what

you're pursuing

with them

is an

earnest

love

and this is

the kind

of love

that we

are to

pursue

in the

church

a love

that desires

to bless

and not

to harm

so Peter

says love

one another

because it

covers a

multitude

of sins

it's going

to prevent

you from

sinning

against one

another

if you

just love

each other

second

earnest

love

is willing

to let

petty

offenses

go

earnest

love

is willing

to let

petty

offenses

go

now we

have to be

honest here

there are

problems

that arise

in our

relationships

with other

Christians

sometimes

and they

stem

from serious

sins

that have

to be

confronted

if that

wasn't

true

Jesus

and the

apostles

would not

have taught

us about

church

discipline

would they

there are

some things

that can't

just be

let go

they have

to be

dealt

with

and as

we'll see

in just a

moment

that's part

of this

love

but at

this point

I think

it's worth

considering

that most

of the

time

that's

not where

our

offenses

come

from

most

of the

time

our

offenses

stem

from just

being

overly

sensitive

to being

offended

a short

fuse

thin

skin

it's

pride

that keeps

us from

letting

things

go

but

earnest

love

will

cause

us

to

assume

the

best

in

others

to

give

others

the

benefit

of

the

doubt

and

it

will

refuse

to

hold

petty

grudges

against

people

that's

what

love

does

now

if you

want

to

check

me

on

that

go

to

1st

Corinthians

13

Paul

gives

us

a

whole

chapter

on

it

that's

what

he

spells

out

love

knows

how

and when

to let

things

go

for the

sake

of

peace

and

unity

the

truth

is

God

is

too

good

and

life

is

too

short

to

be

offended

by

everyone

and

to

be

offended

by

everything

sometimes

we just

need to

learn

to let

things

go

go

it's

okay

not

everything

has

to

be

addressed

not

every

offense

even

has

to

be

spoken

of

most

of

the

time

you

need

to

let

it

roll

which

brings

us

to

the

third

thing

love

covers

a multitude

of

sins

in that

it

stands

ready

and

willing

to

forgive

others

when

they

do

sin

against

us

ready

and

willing

to

forgive

having

a disposition

of

forgiveness

that

just

quickly

acknowledges

and

lets

it

go

and

you

don't

even

have

to

confront

it

right

that's

part

of

being

a

forgiving

person

a

merciful

person

but

there's

more

to

this

isn't

there

because

sometimes

people

really

do

sin

significantly

against

us

in

a

way

that

it

wouldn't

be

healthy

for

you

or

for

them

to

just

let

it

go

it

!

has

to

be

dealt

with

and

unfortunately

that

happens

all

the

time

in

our

relationships

with

other

believers

what

love

does

is

it

pursues

mercy

and

it

pursues

forgiveness

now

understand

that

in

one

sense

forgiveness

is

transactional

isn't

it

that

though

we

stand

ready

to

forgive

forgiveness

the

transaction

of

forgiveness

isn't

brought

to

completion

until

the

one

who

sins

seeks

!

it

right

just

think

about

the

gospel

Jesus

stands

ready

to

forgive

but

you

only

receive

that

forgiveness

when

you

come

to

him

for

it

and

our

personal

relationships

are the

same

way

aren't

they

it

can't

really

be

brought

to

a

final

conclusion

and put

to

death

until

that

transaction

takes

place

however

there

is

a

part

that

we

have

that

we

must

stand

ready

to

forgive

!

and

Paul

helps

us

with

this

a

lot

of

places

help

it

with

this

Jesus

models

it

supremely

but

Paul

told

the

Ephesians

that

love

produces

the

kind

of

forgiveness

that's

modeled

after

the

forgiveness

that

we

have

received

from

God

which

is

to

say

there's

nothing

as

a

Christian

that

you

can't

forgive

!

Nothing!

Because

there's

nothing

that

Jesus

is

unwilling

to

forgive

and

Paul

says

we

are

to

be

tender

hearted

toward

one

another

forgiving

one

another

even

as

God

for

Christ's

sake

has

forgiven

us

that's

what

it

means

to

love

that's

what

it

means

for

love

to

cover

a

multitude

of

sins

but

there's

a

fourth

one

fourth

love

covers

a

multitude

of

sins

and

that

it

pursues

the

wayward

sinner

to

bring

them

back

to

Christ

James

helps

us

!

in

fact

if

you

just

flip

maybe

one

or

two

pages

over

in

your

Bible