How to handle yourself at the end of the world, 1 Peter 4:7-11

“7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 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.” - 1 Peter 4:7–11 (ESV)

“The end of all things is at hand” is in reference to the verses 4-6 in the paragraph above… 1 Peter 4:4–6 (ESV), “4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.”

God brings dead men to life through the power of the Gospel

This is the point Peter is making… everyone will give an account for the life they have lived… and those who are saved have been granted life through the Spirit, not through their actions. Which is why we preach the gospel to anyone… No one is saved by their works, everyone is saved by the grace and mercy of God, and the works of Christ are counted in their place, and the death of Christ is counted as their death for sin.

So, Peter brings the end into view as he calls Christians to live for the Lord, which is why the sermon is titled “How to handle yourself at the end of the world” because Peter writes to tell Christians how to live as he says with the end of all things at hand, or as some translations say, “near”

“The end of all things is at hand”

What does this mean, it means that the New Testament plainly teaches that we are living in the last days.

The NT plainly teaches that we are living in the last days.

Matthew 24:36–44 (ESV)

36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

A couple of years ago when we went through the book of Matthew, in our 64 sermon in that series I preached on this passage from Matthew 24… and I wish I had time to go back through it, but in the sake of time, I need to point out that these verses in Matthew are not a prophecy, they are a parable… and as a parable they are describing what something will be like… they are illustrative. And the point of the parable is that we would understand the nature of the kingdom and the manner in which Christ will return. The reason that is important is because it is supposed to change the way we live in the present. As Jesus said, “Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.” And this is what Peter is emphasizing in our passage today… we are to live like the end is coming because we are living when the “end of all things is near.”

No one knows the day or the hour of the end, but we know that we are living in the time before that day and hour.

Jesus inaugurated the last days with his ministry, death, and resurrection.

Listen to what it says in a number of passages concerning this truth…

1 Corinthians 10:11 (ESV)

11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

Paul says those who received his letter, along with himself, are those on whom the end of ages has come.

Hebrews 10:23–25 (ESV)

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

The writer of Hebrews tells us to encourage one another all the more as you see the Day drawing near… and the day drawing near is the final day, the end, the day of judgement.

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 (ESV)

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Paul reiterates the teaching of Jesus and tells the Thessalonians that the day of Judgment is coming, but that when that day comes we as Christians will not receive wrath, instead we will receive he outcome of our salvation.

1 John 2:18 (ESV)

18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.

John, the author of the book of Revelation says definitively that we are living in the last hour… he wrote this after the resurrection of Jesus, he wrote this to people living at the same time as the ones Peter has written to. And, in each place God says that we are in the time before the final day and hour…

The nearness of the end is a motivating factor for Christians.

You can see it in the passages I just read through, and you can see it in the passage we are looking at today. But, before we examine how God wants us to live as the end draws near… I’d like to look first at How not to act when you know the end is near.

How not to act when you know that the end is near

Out of your mind and self-reliant

(Fine line between being prepared and being on a reality tv show)

Selfishly unforgiving Selfishly resentful Selfishly showing-off

To help make these a little more clear I thought I would describe them more Jeff Foxworthy style… (Like you might be a redneck if…)

You might be out of your mind and selfishly out of control if…

You are focused in what you deserve and what you can do You talk about your personal accomplishments more than the needs or deeds of others. You can’t admit your own sins without bringing up the sins of others, or you can’t let go of what others have done You serve under your own strength and bring attention to yourself rather than to God.

How to act when you know that the end is near

Like an ordinary Christian (Stable and dependent in prayer)

Martin Luther is credited with saying, “If I believed the world were to end tomorrow, I would plant a tree today.” But, it’s a quote that scholars argue that he didn’t say it… and many say he wouldn’t say it because it’s not Christ-centered.

But, the call on the Christian life is to live for Christ and be centered on Christ in all that we do. In fact you could say that Peter calls us to live the ordinary Christian life in these verses today. So, when faced with the end of the world… we should live the ordinary Christian life, because the ordinary Christian life is the only Christian life discussed in the Bible. There’s no such think as an extraordinary Christian life… There is one call, one faith, one hope, one love, one baptism, and one way Christians are called to live.

Jesus is our normal.

The problem is that we have allowed something other than Biblical Christianity to take the place of normal in the kingdom of God.

Sincerely and purposefully love for the good of others and the glory of God.

This means we love for the sake of the one being loved… and it’s this kind of love that can endure the sin of others.

Proverbs 10:12 (ESV), “12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.”

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (ESV)

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

It would be contrary to the Bible to say that sin doesn’t matter… we have many instances where we are called to confront and rebuke one another in our sin… but we are never to do it without love. In fact, God makes it clear in the Bible that real love will confront and rebuke one another… But, He also makes it clear that the same love that rebukes, is a love that will endure as well. The only time we have separation of relationship in the Bible is the result of hard hearts and a refusal to repent of sin. Things change in the relationship when one of us says I think its ok to keep doing what God says is sin…

Peter is making sure we practice the proverb and carry out the teaching and application of the gospel. Love endures the sins of others, and not just what we see. Love endures the sin of others when they happen to us.

This is why I would say that we are love for the good of others… its hard to love people who sin against you and hurt you. But, you do it for their good and for the glory of God.

It’s a selfless love that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13, and it’s an others focused love that Peter calls to as the end draws near.

Show sacrificial hospitality for the sake of the mission

Hospitality isn’t just being a good host… in fact, hospitality in the NT is the willingness to be inconvenienced for the sake of the gospel and the mission of the church. It’s why the NT says that pastors and elders must have this characteristic.

It can be a hard thing to balance at times, but Christian life is to be marked by a hospitality that borders on being inconvenienced or without begrudging. But, the context of the hospitality is the mission of the church… This is hospitality that shares the gospel, supports the gospel, and works for the furthering of the gospel at personal expense of time, home, and resources.

Be a good steward with your service for the sake of God’s glory in the lives of others.

How do you know what your spiritual gift(s) are? There is no test or formula that can tell you what the Lord has given you… but there are some things to consider that when combined often reveal or confirm how God has gifted you for ministry in the church.

First, there are really two categories of gifts, and we see that here in 1 Peter.

Gifts of speaking and gifts of serving

As you consider your gifting, you are looking for God’s gifting in your life regarding ministry in speaking the Word and/or serving others in response to the Word.

Both categories of gifts are done with dependence on the Lord and learning to rely on His power.

Second, when it comes to spiritual gifts, there is a union of desire and confirmation. In the NT we see the church praying over and confirming the callings and gifting of those in their midst. And, in the church today we serve one another when we confirm the Lord’s work in our gifts and callings.

Spiritual gifts are speaking and serving, they are given by God and accompanied with a desire to do them, and they are affirmed by the church and confirmed by fruit in the lives of others.

Spiritual gifts are not for you… they are for the good of others. So, we don’t look for how satisfied we are in our minds and hearts through our gifting, but we look instead at how the Lord has worked in the lives of others through our gifts.

The combination of desire, affirmation, and confirmation helps us to discern how the Lord has gifted us… and when it comes to discerning our spiritual gifts it means that there are some things we aren’t spiritually gifted to do. (This doesn’t mean it’s not a talent…) And, we need to look for more than desire… and we also need to consider that our desire can grow as we exercise the gift, especially as we rely on the Lord.

So, when it comes to gifts we must look most at the reason and the outcome… the goal of our gifts is Jesus Christ.

When it comes to how to act when you know the end is near…

When you know the end is near, follow Jesus

Or, Handle yourself in a manner that is worthy of the name of Jesus Christ.

Jesus loves, all the way to the cross

Jesus sacrificed and endured for the sake of those who would believe

Jesus glorified the Father in all that He did

Make the extraordinary the new ordinary, and live like Jesus is coming back, because He is!

Using speaking gifts to minister to others means that the one speaking endeavors to speak God’s words.416 How easy it is to think that we can assist others with our own wisdom, but those who are entrusted with the ministry of speaking should be careful to speak God’s words, to be faithful to the gospel

416 I understand λόγια θεοῦ to be the direct object here (so Beare, First Peter, 160; Selwyn, First Peter, 219; Goppelt, I Peter, 302; Achtemeier, 1 Peter, 298–99).

Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 215.

Similarly, those who minister and serve others must not rely on their own strength. They must minister “with the strength God provides,” relying on his power to carry out their tasks. Presumably they rely on his power through prayer. When those who speak utter God’s words rather than their own and those who serve do so in God’s strength rather than their own, God through Jesus Christ receives the glory. God receives the glory because he is the one who has provided the wisdom and strength for ministry. The provider is always the one who is praised. If human beings are the source of wisdom and strength for ministry, they deserve to be complimented. But if understanding and energy come from the Lord, he gets the glory as the one who empowers his people. We should note that God receives the glory “through Jesus Christ,” for the glory that redounds to God comes through the gospel the Petrine readers received (1:3, 10–12, 18–19; 2:21–25; 3:18).

Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 215–216.