1 Peter 4:7-11

scriptures this morning and you want to follow

along will be towards the end of the New Testament,

1 Peter. The book will be in chapter 4, verses

7 to 11. Just a few verses today, very powerful.

We find in this book, Peter identifies himself

as the author in chapter 1, verse 1, very quickly.

And we would hold that Peter wrote this book

around 64, 65 AD from Rome. And a very important

event happened in 64 AD, and that was that Rome

burned. And as Rome burned, Emperor Nero blamed

Christians who were already despised. As a result,

vicious persecution breaks out against believers,

against Christians in this first century. And

that began to spread throughout the Roman Empire.

As a result, Peter writes this letter to a group

of believers who were already suffering from

escalating persecution for one reason, for their

faith in Jesus Christ. Now these believers of

the first century experienced a wide range of

persecution, from everything as small as insults,

slanderous accusations of wrongdoing, beatings,

social ostracism, sporadic events of violence,

with some ultimately ending in their deaths.

Now this letter, this epistle that we find, is

addressed to Christians scattered across six

Roman provinces in Asia Minor. And the purpose

of this letter was to teach them how to live

victoriously. how to endure, how to stand firm

in the midst of that persecution without two

things, losing hope or becoming bitter. And that

in that, they would trust God and His promises

for their ultimate deliverance. Today, in our

small section of text, chapter 4, verses 7 to

11, we'll find Peter encouraging his readers,

exhorting them to live in a particular way, despite

all that's going on around and even in their

individual lives. This book has a direct application

to us. It is an encouragement. It is also an

exhortation for us today as well. We see three

main divisions in this text. First of all, living

with the Indian mind. Let's read verse 7 together.

But the end of all things is at hand. Therefore,

be serious and watchful in your prayers. So let's

lay some context and qualify this verse. Peter

starts with this phrase, the end of all things

is at hand. And we want to be good students of

God's word here. We want to interpret this passage

correctly. And we would start by saying this,

that the world in which we live in now will not

continue on forever. When this age ends, Christ

will return and creation will then reach its

proper end. Peter speaks of the end as near,

not... primarily in a chronological sense but

in a theological one. Now what is true is we

do not know when the last day is to be revealed

but the Bible warns us to be ready and uses this

exact phrase that it will come like a flood in

the days of Noah and we are encouraged to wait

expectantly. Peter spoke just in chapter 3, one

chapter prior to our text, that as God saved

Noah through the flood, So those who are in Christ

will be saved through his judgments. Now it is

important to recall that Peter wrote these verses

under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit almost

2 ,000 years ago from today in 2026. And we would

rightly affirm that he spoke and recorded in

text correctly that we have been brought into

this final phase of God's plan of redemption

by the resurrection of Christ and the gift. But

Peter uses this choice of words to balance his

exhortations. Because the end is near. In this

sense that because it could happen at any time,

he will encourage his readers to do several things.

First of all, to endure unjust suffering now,

because they will obtain the outcome of their

faith, the salvation of their souls. And he wants

to expound how the local church should live together

in light of this nearness. what he refers to

as the end of all things. Now through this text,

we're going to be called to live our lives together

as a local church body in a way that displays

the character of God to the outside world, some

who are unbelievers. And we must remember that

as believers, we have placed our hope in a glorious

future so that in everything God may be glorified

through Jesus Christ. Look at the second half

of verse 7 specifically. It says, Therefore be

serious and watchful in your prayers. That's

the new King James. The King James would say,

Be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer.

The ESV would say, Therefore be self -controlled

and sober -minded for the sake of your prayers.

I like all three. one does a different thing

and gives us a little different perspective of

what Peter's driving at there. Therefore, because

of, in light of these truths, in light of these

facts, live in a particular way. Let's summarize.

Because we are in this current age theologically,

our life should be serious. It should be self

-controlled. We should be sober -minded. To what

end? Peter would say for the sake of our prayers.

Peter encourages his readers to keep their heads

about them, to be clear -minded, to be mentally

disciplined as this promotes a life of prayer,

which is vital in the life of the believer. Now,

when it comes to talking about the end is near

and things like this, some have not been clear

-minded at all. We have seen in our culture,

most of us in the time we've lived or even just

prior to our lives, things that happened in the

60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, early 2000s, some have been

obsessed with setting dates. I don't generally

give humor when I preach, but the day my wife

and I were to be married in 2011, the Mayan calendar

had said the world was going to come to an end,

as if the day wasn't stressful enough, you know?

And here we are, 15 years later, and we're still

here. Some find labeling every conflict that

goes on in the world as some sort of sign, trying

to just seek signs out of all the worldly events.

Some withdraw from society and focus very much

so inward. and lose that outward focus of ministry.

Peter is clear here. We're not to set dates,

but we are to be ready. We're not to withdraw,

but we are to proclaim God's goodness. And we're

not to panic, but we are to pray. Daniel Doriani

would say this in his commentary, that this is

no generic prayer. This is not something robotic.

It's not something methodical. But this is prayer

that calls upon and submits to God in light of

the reality seen all around us. If we were to

look for just a moment and consider how Jesus

prayed when he knew his end was near, Luke 22,

Luke 22:41

verse 41 and 42, Jesus, and he was withdrawn

from them about a stone's throw, and he knelt

down and prayed, saying, Father, if it is your

will, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless,

not my will, but yours be done. That is specific

prayer. That is powerful prayer. That is not

do my will prayer. In fact, it is the opposite.

Jesus said, Lord, I would have it this way, but

your will be done. Through prayer, we learn to

express our anxieties. We learn to express our

emotions. That is healthy to do in prayer. Our

prayers should be hopeful. They should be trusting.

We should pray that God's name would be recognized

as holy. Being believers. Peter's saying the

time is near, theologically speaking. We should

have an awareness or even an acute awareness

of the theological times in which we live, and

it should push us to pray urgently for those

who have not already yet expressed faith in Christ.

Paul would say in the New Testament on the matter

of prayer to be steadfast in prayer, to pray

without ceasing. The prayer is not an elective

activity of the believer, but to be a normative,

active part. of our walk with Christ. We should

pray for the needs that we have in our daily

lives. We should pray for perseverance. As we

pray, we should repent of our sins and we should

thank God for His graciousness to forgive them.

And in prayer, we should seek God's face. That

is genuine prayer. A great example that would

be from the book, The Valley of Vision, Puritan

Prayers, is very simply, if we were to seek God's

face in prayer, the author there says, let me

learn by paradox. Let me find thy light in my

darkness, thy life in my death, thy joy in my

sorrow, thy grace in my sin, thy riches in my

poverty, thy glory in my valley. Notice the contrast

there between thy and my each way. Praying in

this way teaches us to be dependent. It teaches

us to be leaning. It teaches us to be hopeful.

Peter is calling us as believers to live with

eternal perspective, to live with the end in

mind, that this life that we are living now,

while it's wonderful, can be wonderful, this

is not it, that this is not the end of the road.

Many other seemingly important things will be

burned up from our lives and will be labeled,

as Paul would say, as wood, hay, and stubble.

Things that seemed all important now. will one

day be burned up. They will pass away because

they did not matter in the kingdom of God. And

that is a hard truth that each one of us must

deal with and reconcile in our day -to -day lives.

How to balance time, how to balance energy, how

to balance focus. on the things that are eternal,

on the things that do have eternal value and

will last once this temporary world and temporary

life is over and passes away. The second thing

we see in this particular passage, beginning

in verse 8, is loving and serving one another.

Let's read verse 8 together. Peter says, keep

loving one another earnestly since love covers

a multitude of sins. If you're taking notes,

you're going to notice a repetition here in verses

8, 9, and 10 of that phrase, one another. We'll

see it in three different facets. Throughout

1 Peter, if we had time to read the whole book

this morning, we certainly don't, we would notice

that there is a constant emphasis on love characterizing

the local church throughout the entire epistle.

And let's briefly survey Jesus' words on the

topic. John 17, 23, Jesus writing, I am speaking,

I in them and you in me, that they may be made

perfect in one, and that the world may know that

you have sent me and loved them as you have loved

me. John 13, 35, Jesus speaking to his apostles

now, by this all will know that you are my disciples

if you have love for one another. Now we're going

to pause here and consider these words of Jesus

for just a moment. Because there are many things

that could have been qualifiers for someone to

know that one of the apostles was a follower

of Jesus. But the identifying mark that Jesus

calls out here was if they had loved one another.

for another. And we consider these apostles,

they had been with Jesus for at least three years.

They had forsook everything, job, career, and

family to follow him. They had been taught by

Him to preach. They had been doing miracles on

their own under His authority and power. He had

sent them out multiple times to preach and heal

and all these things. They had credentials, if

you will, at this point as being apostles of

Christ, but that wasn't going to be the identifying

mark. It wasn't, could they have named all the

miracles Jesus did? Sure, they were there. They

sold him. It wasn't could they preach, even though

they well could. It wasn't did they love the

Lord, because they certainly did. It wasn't did

they give their lives for him, because all but

John were martyred. The qualifier was love. One

for another would be how someone would know this

is someone who is a true believer of Jesus Christ.

Now Peter is not saying that in light of that

that we don't take sin seriously. He spent a

lot of time in this epistle urging us to display

the holiness of God. But what he is saying is

that when we truly love one another as a local

church body, we will overlook a multitude of

sins. Peter focuses on love within the Christian

community, within the local church, and he encourages

us, and we would certainly echo these sentiments

this morning, that we certainly should not spend

our time looking for faults in others. We shouldn't

spend our time lingering over past flaws and

disappointments and mistakes of others. Why?

We have to ask ourselves a critical question.

What is the church made up of? Who comprises

the church? Sinners. I am one and so are you.

Sinners who have been redeemed by God's grace.

You say, well then why do we forgive? Because

of the great grace and forgiveness that has already

been shown to us through Jesus Christ. Through

his atoning death and through his powerful resurrection.

What's the challenge when that type of love isn't

present? Conflict arises. Our flesh wins out,

it takes over. The unfortunate events of church

splits and dissension and things like this that

occur are the effect of when the grace that Peter

calls for is missing within a local body. Now,

Paul would concur in Ephesians 4 .32, he would

say this, and be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted,

forgiving one another, even as God and Christ

forgave you. Now, while love includes feelings,

In this particular context, it is more than just

feelings. It is a resolve. A resolve to do good

to others, including forgiveness. We are called

not just to love one another, but also to forgive

one another. Take it a step further. To bear

one another's burdens. To pray with and for one

another as a local church body. To stand at the

casket with one another. To stand at the gravesite.

with one another. Church, God will not waste

your pain. He will not waste your tears. Tim

Challies put it this way, the hard providences

in your life are to be used for the encouragement

and strength within the local church. God does

not ask you to sorrow for yourself only, but

it is for the benefit of the local body. Why?

So that unbelievers may see that the church and

those who make it up, those who compose it, are

radically different because they have been transformed

by the amazing, wonderful grace and goodness

of God. And it is that grace that allows us to

love and forgive and support one another because

in our flesh we have the exact opposite. We have

the exact opposite leanings in our natural man.

We once possessed hearts of stone, but because

we've been radically transformed by Christ, we

have hearts of flesh that are then opened. We

understand the grace of God, the love of God,

and only then can we extend that grace, that

forgiveness, that love to one another. Only then

does the Holy Spirit impress upon our hearts

to go and be with one who is sorrowful, to go

to the funeral home, to go to the cemetery. Because

we love our brothers and sisters that much. That

the Lord has impressed upon us that we are together

in this life. Verse 9. Peter would go on to say,

show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Today, if we're going to travel somewhere on

a trip, we book a hotel. We book a place to stay.

In the first century, that was not the case.

Christians depended on one another. Hospitality

was not just a matter of convenience. It was

a vital part of the Christian mission. Missionaries

were going out all over and they needed a place

to stay as they traveled to distant regions to

share the gospel. They depended on other believers

to host them on their journey. But this verse

still has clear implications for us today. We

are still called to hospitality even though the

context has changed. Why? Because hospitality

is a form of the love that Peter wrote about

in one verse prior in verse 8. What is the challenge

in hospitality? We, by nature, are individualists.

We look at our homes, we look at our properties

as ours. They're a place to retreat. We bought

it, we're making payments on it, we own it, whatever

the case might be. But in the same token, we

also acknowledge that all good gifts come from

God, which would include our homes, our pantries,

our budgets, and our time. Peter says we are

to show hospitality, and this can be challenging.

in our modern Western society and culture with

busy schedules, work demands, sports schedules,

other community commitments and things like that.

But Peter also says here a very key part that

is when we show hospitality that we should do

so without grumbling. Now I find it very interesting

that Peter puts that in there under the inspiration

of the Holy Spirit. But that specific charge,

being there to do so without grumbling, reminds

us that hospitality can be burdensome. That it

is work. That it is not easy to just invite someone

over to your home. It isn't always easy to just

even carve out time to meet someone out somewhere

else for a meal. Every person in this church

is in a different stage of life. No two people

are exactly identical. And I'm not sure how it

happens. But if you've raised children, you're

going to be able to know and understand what

I'm about to say. With children, a house can

be clean, and in less than 24 hours, it can look

like a tornado's ripped through there. And I'm

still not sure how that happens, but it is frustrating,

and it can feel defeating that we just worked

so hard, we just cleaned this up, we just had

everything picked up, and now it's a mess again.

But yet we're still called to show hospitality

one to another. It is a joyful thing to host

someone. It is a joyful thing just to take someone

out to dinner, to talk to one another, to do

life together, to open our homes, to open our

properties for the express purpose of kids playing

together, for fellowship, for encouraging one

another, just inviting someone over to swim at

your house and just talk for a little while,

to share a meal on the patio. And I would encourage

you with this. Even though it is a lot of effort,

and as Peter says it can be burdensome, it is

more than worth the effort on the backside. You

will find yourself blessed as you grow closer

to your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ,

and God is ultimately glorified in that act of

hospitality. The last section we see this morning

is in all things God is to be glorified. We'll

read these two verses and hold them together,

verses 10 and verse 11. 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, the oracles of God. Whoever serves as

one who serves by the strength that God supplies

in order that everything God may be glorified

through Jesus Christ. To him being glory and

dominion forever and ever. Amen. Now, if you're

taking notes, we've reached the end of... Peter's

one another's. Verse 8, keep loving one another.

Verse 9, show hospitality to one another. Now

in verse 10, exercise or use our gifts to serve

one another. Peter is speaking to every single

Christian with these two verses. I want to encourage

you with that. This is not a particular group

that Peter is calling out. Every single believer

is encompassed in these two verses. Now there's

several facets that we need to cover. First of

all, we read that each believer, each person

has received a spiritual gifting. Why? The purpose

of the gifting is to serve others. That is the

express purpose. Whatever spiritual gift... you

have received as an individual, we are to use

it to serve others. It is not about us. It is

not giving ourselves a platform. It is not about,

you know, drawing some sort of attention to ourselves.

Any spiritual gift you have been gifted with,

it is to be used to serve others. Hard stop.

As much as God has created us uniquely, God has

also varied his spiritual graces, his giftings,

among us. to enable us to be a multifaceted,

effective local church. Now, I do find this interesting.

What we have generally called spiritual gifts,

if we look in the Greek... In Paul's writings

and in Peter's, we'll find a couple different

words that are used there. And even though in

our English translations it generally comes out

spiritual gifts, most generally in the Greek,

we would render it as the word graces or grace,

spiritual graces. Why? Scripture calls us, calls

our capacities graces because they are more than

abilities. God has given them graciously to us

to then be a means of grace to our brothers and

sisters in Christ. Now, of these graces, there

are two main categories, speaking graces and

service graces. Paul spoke in the local church

as a body with many members in Romans 12. Paul

would say, for as many members, as we have many

members in one body, but all members do not have

the same function. So we, being many, are one

body in Christ and individually members of one

another. Having then gifts differing to the grace

that is given to us, let us use them. So what

are we to do with these giftings, these graces

that we've been given? Well, first, we've been

entrusted with them by Almighty God, which is

heavy, but it's also powerful and encouraging

at the same time. We have to exercise them, not

for ourselves, but use within the local church

for one another. Let's go further. Because each

believer, Peter says, has received a spiritual

gift. The church functions best when every single

member is properly exercising their gift within

the local church. There are many things that

are needed in this church on a weekly and monthly

basis here at Mamre. Some are visible. Some are

almost invisible, but all are needed. All are

essential. There is not a single member of this

church who cannot contribute something with their

spiritual gift, and there is not a single member

of memory not needed by the body. We are better

together, never separate, never in isolation.

All that we do in service to our Lord is noticed

and seen by... Him. God has the record. I don't

need anybody keeping a record. You don't need

anybody keeping a record. God has the record

and all that is done unto His glory will have

a profound positive impact on the congregation.

H .B. Charles Jr. would say this about gathering,

serving the body. He said the local church is

not merely an optional activity but an essential

community where believers are discipled, sharpened,

and sent. Why is it important that we gather

together and serve one another? Because in God's

unique creation of each one of us, he has gifted

us with insights. You have insights that I don't

have, and I'll have some that you don't have.

He has given us unique capabilities. He has given

us unique experiences that then lead us to unique

spiritual service within the local body. Because

of our individual uniqueness, giftings, and graces,

we can each, each and every member of this body,

make an impact and uniqueful contribution to

God's work. These varied graces are given amongst

the congregation to bear fruit within the local

church. What about the speaking gifts, though?

We talked about the service gifts. What about

the speaking gifts? Well, Peter's saying that

there are some that God has chosen to speak.

within the church to speak his word, he said,

not their own. And they have the responsibility

to diligently study, to prepare, to pray, to

rightly divide the word of God, striving to exercise

a good exegesis of scripture, that the content

of the speaking and teaching in the church should

be the living and abiding word of God. Never

opinion, never conjecture, never unbetted sources.

The Apostle Paul referred to that living and

abiding word of God as the whole counsel of God.

To speak God's word on his behalf, to teach a

class or speak from the pulpit is very serious

business because those who do speak will be held

accountable for every single word that is uttered.

Haddon Robinson said this, it's been quoted many

times, there is no greater betrayal of our calling

than putting our words in God's mouth. What I

have to say on the matter doesn't mean anything.

When we speak, we are to speak the words of God.

They are living and they are abiding. Now, while

certain individuals have the primary responsibility

of speaking grace or speaking gifts within the

church, why? The express purpose of a speaking

gift to teach or to preach is that as we do so,

we will equip those who are in the body to serve

one another, to begin to show up for one another

in different seasons of life. That as you take

in good content, that there would be spiritual

maturity, that there would be sanctification

that occurs from the regular right preaching

and teaching of God's Word, and that then you

would then be able to speak words of life. to

one another, to encourage one another, to come

alongside one another, not with your own opinion,

but with the words of God in the big, high moments

of life and in the deep, dark sorrows and hard,

dark seasons of life. Miguel Nunez in his commentary

would say that oracles of God should reverberate

throughout the church so that it builds itself

up in love. As we gather each week on top of

Kitts Hill right here, and we hear from the preached

word, It should spur us into action, not just

in our daily lives, not just in our individual

Christian walk, but also in the lives of those

around us in our local church body. God's intention

for weekly congregational worship was not that

you would just come and consume content and just

learn more about him and consume information,

but that... As you are feeling God's grace as

an individual believer of this local body, it

is proclaimed through preaching and teaching.

You then take that word and then it is reciprocated

back out within the body. Peter continues saying,

whoever serves is to serve by the strength that

God supplies. This is an encouraging line and

I'm thrilled Peter put it in here. Because we

are all broken, fallible humanity. At times,

Serving can be exhausting. We were just talking

about Bible school. It's three days. You know

what? We still have to go to work. We still have

children. We still have schedules. There's still

things going on. It can be hard. And it can be

tiring. And in our own strength, we could not

do it. But thankfully, we do not serve in our

own strength. As much as Almighty God has given

each one of us a spiritual gift, a spiritual

grace, He also provides the strength we need

to serve. He has given us a heart that allows

us to love one another. And when we truly love

one another, when it's not just about me and

my family anymore, we will then serve one another.

As a church body, we need both graces of service

and graces of speaking. Both are essential. Church,

we can only work in one way effectively, and

that is through His strength and for His glory.

You say, what about me? What about the saints

gathered here on Kitts Hill this morning? I would

say first that we must be ever aware that God

has placed us at this specific point in history

in 2026 by His sovereignty. He makes no accidents.

You are here in this last times, theologically

speaking, for specific purposes. And in our flesh,

we tend to tense up when we think about the end

drawing near. We may even retreat. But in the

Spirit, we are encouraged that day by day, there

is a day drawing near when Christ will return

for His church, His bride, where He will judge

the quick and the dead, where He will make all

things right, and so shall we ever be with the

Lord. Those words were given to first century

believers as a great encouragement, and we still

echo them even to this day. But we do take great

encouragement in this, that while we are homesick,

As our citizenship is in heaven, we know that

our exile one day is coming to an end. Our prayer

would be that the Lord keep us walking steadfastly

towards a country that is full of everlasting

delights. That promised land that he has said

would be our eternal home and inheritance as

his children. We are exhorted all through this

text to be several things. First of all, to be

clear -minded, to be aware, to be vigilant, and

to be prayerful. While prayer is a discipline,

and it is that, it is a privilege, and it is

sweet fellowship and communion with Almighty

God. To seek Him in all of His holiness and all

of His richness and all of His beauty. Many saints

before us, as we read the Puritan prayers earlier,

knew and understood the power and fervency of

prayer, its humbling effect. within the heart

and the life of the individual. And we too, Peter

says, should lean heavily into individual prayer,

that it should be steadfast, that it should be

without ceasing. And finally, our aim of one

another. It was so important, Peter mentioned

in verses 8, 9, and 10, to love one another,

to serve one another, to be hospitable to one

another, to exercise our spiritual gifts for

one another. And then in all things, we must

glorify Christ. Miguel Nunez again. We glorify

God by living a normal, ordinary Christian life,

which is the life of a believer who knows the

end is near, who keeps his or her head, who prays

hard, loves well, and welcomes much, and uses

their spiritual gifts for the church. I like

that, don't you? That's in terms we can understand.

Friends, if we live like that, God is glorified.

This isn't some sort of all -star effort. This

is not a check -the -box type activity. Because

we are displaying the fruit of the Spirit and

loving Christ's church. God is glorified in that.

We cannot do any of this by trying harder or

being better. Peter's not telling us to manufacture

holiness by sheer effort. No, he's saying the

same Christ who saves his people also supplies

the grace that transforms them. Because we belong

to him, his Spirit indwells us and enables us

to pray. It's the Spirit that enables us to serve.

It is the Spirit that enables us to love. And

it is His Spirit that enables us to persevere

until the end. God grants graces, gifts to each

believer for the purpose of one another, for

the building up of the body. And every aspect

can only be accomplished through His strength

and for His glory. May God be greatly praised.

And may we show love one for another. For His

sake. Amen. Good word today from Peter. I pray

that we reflect on it. Let us settle on our hearts.

And that it's very good for us. As we transition

now from preaching and we start to set our minds

on the Lord's table, this is a time that we come

to a specific time that we set aside each Lord's

day. And we would attest that the table should

not be separated. from the preaching of God's

Word on this day of Lord's Day of Worship. We've

taken time to observe these sacraments, and we

want to invite you to the table this morning.

Not only as a memorial, but we engage in this

table as a means of grace. We attest that it's

good for us, that it's a renewal of the promises

of God as we hold the bread and we drink of that

cup. By coming to the table, we participate in

an institution that was established by the Lord

Jesus Christ Himself. with his apostles. And

we would invite you to the table with a couple

qualifiers that our Lord gave. That is that you

have expressed faith in Christ, you are a believer,

and you have been marked out, you have been baptized

in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy

Spirit. We'll have the deacons come now, if you

would, and begin to pass out the elements. And

as they begin to come and pass them out, Shelby

is going to come and play for us. We would ask

that you hold those elements, and at the conclusion

of the distribution, we will take them together.