1 Peter 4 Living Now To The End

As Christians, we have read and we are reading the Book. We know that the end is coming, and we get excited too. We get excited about Jesus coming and putting an end to evil, death, Satan, and hell. We get excited about the end of sin and sorrow, cancer, Covid, and all the rest. We get excited about being in the presence of God and experiencing the fullness of life with our God.

But it is not an excitement that looks like chaos or rioting. It does not look like panic or terror. We are not running all over the place, without our senses. On the contrary… these days require men and women to have faith, boldness, conviction, confidence, intellect and heart with clarity of mind…

But: How would you say that your lives look as we live in the last days and as we face the end of days? How are we living through them? And, how should we live through them?

Let me be candid: I believe we are living in the last days? Yes. And we have been living in the last days since Acts 2:17: Peter quotes from the prophecy of Joel and it was being declared in their midst – “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh…” And Peter says, “these are the days.” 1 John 2:18 – It is the last hour…

The people of the New Testament believed they were living in the last days, and in the end of times… and they were living like it. They believed Jesus could come back soon: Romans 13:11 – “Know the time, it is the hour for you to wake up from your sleep, for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost over… the day is near… therefore, live like it...”

But somebody, right now is saying: “Yea, but it is really close now… I mean Israel, Hamas… wars and rumors of wars… and stuff...”

This has been going on throughout two millennia. You have Roman wars, the Crusades; people though the world was going to end with the Bubonic Plague. The Reformation guys thought the Pope was the Antichrist. Napoleon, Hitler, other leaders have been called the Antichrist. It seems like every president we have had, has been accused as being the Antichrist.

End Times Books have been written over and over again, making millions and millions of dollars… claiming everything is going to end on this day or that day… on the year 2000 (Y2K). And even now...

Even now… we pick up the Book of Revelation and a copy of the News Paper or we listen to the News… and we start looking for the signs of the times...

And if we are not careful…

If we are not careful… we will miss out on living for Christ today. If we are not careful… we will fall into apathy and indifference… into a lifestyle that is not fruitful for the Kingdom… and we will do nothing… while people perish.

There are many today who are hindered and are indifferent. There are many whose love is running cold towards sinners and saints… and you are not seeking the Kingdom of God or the business of God… Why?

Because it is possible that your understanding of the end times is leading you there.

How? Well, everything is going to end soon, right? So, whats the point? The world is suppose to get worse before Jesus comes, so, lets help speed things up… let’s not do anything… and keep looking into the east for that crack in the sky...

Listen: Eschatology (everyone say it with me)… the study and understanding of end times and last things… should lead us to being proactive, not deactivated.

Our understanding of end-times should lead us to greater work, not a lesser work.

Our Savior/Commander/Master never said “stop” when you see these things. Jesus said “go.” Jesus said, “Go into all the nations. Keep preaching, keep teaching, keep witnessing, keep encouraging, be salt, be light, be representatives, ambassadors, don’t stop until the trumpet sounds...”

Is there something wrong with our judgement, our reasoning and discernment today… and it is keeping you from living and experiencing the Christian Life as it should be experienced?

Verse 7– Church - Be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Don’t run around crazy without a mind anchored in God’s Word. And don’t live a life which is lazy, a life that only looks into the clouds, waiting for Christ’s return.

Don’t be double minded (unstable) and do not allow your minds to be carried away into empty living. Devote yourselves to prayer and maximize your usefulness in God’s kingdom. Prayer can accomplish much (James 5:16) in you and in the world around you.

Prayer will keep you focused. Prayer will keep you from fainting. Prayer will keep you connected with Jesus, will give you strength, joy, peace, and wings to soar higher in faith. Prayer will keep Christ at the center, and will keep His mission in front of you.

Don’t let the world guide your thoughts and consume you… let God. Kneel before God and find the strength to stand before anything else. Psalm 46:2 - Though the earth gives way and the mountains be moved.. God is our refuge and strength.

Verse 8 -Church -Above all… It is the end… keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Matthew teaches us in Matthew 24:10-12 that the signs of the times will include people falling away and they will betray one another… hate one another. False teachers will come up through the church and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold.

But Jesus says in Revelation 2:4 – Jesus says to the church: “You have abandoned your first love. Repent and do the works you use to do.” He is always calling His people to love. This is what He says to the church: “Repent or I will remove the church. I will remove your influence. Love Me and love one another.”

Don’t let love grow cold. This is the command of Jesus. Jesus never justifies it. He never says just go with the flow of destruction, and cave to the apathetic world around us. No!

Do not get distracted. Your Christianity is not wrapped up in focusing on end times. Your Christianity is not wrapped up in a building or procedures.

Our Christianity is wrapped up in a Person, in His will, His mission, His desire, His Kingdom Coming and His will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

Now: This requires more work and sacrifice that studying 7 headed beasts, horses from heaven, trumpets and bowls of judgement, a great harlot riding a beast, looking like a vampire, great wars being fought, and blood flowing 5-6 foot deep for 180 miles...

It may not be as exciting or as brain stimulating at times… but we are called to live out of an eschatology, a life that produces life, that produces fruit, work, service, love, hope, salvation, and edification… If our study does not lead us there… we are going in the wrong direction!

When a church is not mission minded… it is a dying/dysfunctional church. They will focus on works-righteousness or self-righteousness. They will focus on buildings, color of carpets, policy, and procedures primarily...

And they will not serve/love others as they should. And if a church is not loving God or loving one another… it fails to be a church.

“What’s the Big Deal?” No more light. No more salt. No more godly influence. No more hands and feet of Christ. No more disciples being made. Families die, churches die, community dies, nations die… BIG DEAL!

“Fervent love” is a picture of love being stretched. Get the picture: “We are stretched out… looking down the road, into the blessed future… but we are living out love today, here and now.

“Fervent love,” It is a word used for a runner who is putting out maximum output… to the limit. This love requires the Christian to put another person’s good ahead of their own desires. It is being kind and gracious even when the other person is unkind and ungracious.

This Love will cover a multitude of sins. From Christian to Christian or Christian to non-Christian… we overlook petty offenses committed against us, and we are ready to forgive insults and unkindness. We are hospitable to others and we use our gifting to serve one another

“But… the end is near.” Yes, so make the most of today. Press on until the end. press towards the finish line until you get there!

Love like you don’t have another day. Love as if it matters. Love your family and your church family like the end is near. Because it is. Love your enemies as if the end is near… Because it is… Live and love with the reality that we all will stand before the Judgement Seat… whether by rapture or death...

Be serious and watchful. Make the most of today. If this won’t get our attention, nothing will...

One that day, we will not say: “I wished I spent more time studying the Book of Revelation? I wished I would have spent more time alone, kept to myself, missed more opportunities… I wished I would have prayed less, spent less time with family… I wished I would have done less in order to speed things up more?”

No, I believe that on that day, is it possible that we would have wanted to pray more, love and serve more...

But on that day… it’s too late to do more. It’s too late to serve, too late to forgive, to repent, to give more… Then, it will be the judgement.

For those who have not repented of their sins and trusted in Christ… It will be too late to repent… It will be too late to confess… It will be too late to trust in Christ as Lord and Savior...

The end of all things is at hand. Make the most of today, while you still have it. And live for Christ in such a way that you will have no regrets when you see Him face to face.

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