Christian Suffering Part 4.

Opening:

It is a beautiful thing to open the Word of God on the Lord’s Day.

Introduction of the Passage:

This morning we are continuing on in Peter’s discourse on Christian suffering. We will be in 1 Peter 4:7-11. Peter is encouraging the church in the midst of persecution. Peter has reminded the church of various theological truths that comfort us and commanded the church to avoid certain sins. But in this passage, Peter is telling us what we ought to do. It is not a list of things not to do, but a list of things we ought to do.

In the midst of persecution and suffering, we ought to love one another well. So with this in mind, I would ask that you stand with me for the reading of God’s Word.

Reading of the Passage:

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.”

The Word of God, let’s pray.

Prayer:

Our gracious Heavenly Father. We commit this time in your Word to you. We ask that you would open our hearts and minds to hear and obey your Word. May we draw ever nearer to you through this time and may it be a time of worship in hearing from you. We ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Need:

As we have seen, Peter is dealing a lot with the question of how are Christians to handle hardships. And this is a very important question for all Christians. The struggle of life is a constant. But more so, we know what it means to be disliked for our faith. Our culture is one that despises true Christianity. So what are we to do? What should we do in the midst of an age where the truth of God’s Word is labeled as “hate speech?”

Text Idea:

Well, that is what Peter has been dealing with. And here in this text he says that the end is at hand, therefore we ought to love one another for the glory of God.

Sermon Idea:

This is a beautiful text. In the midst of suffering and struggle, Christian love for one another brings immense glory to God.

Transition:

But there are still many questions contained within this passage. So let’s answer them. Peter opens in a rather confusing way. He says that the end of all things is at hand.

The End of All Things Is At Hand.

1 Peter 4:7 “7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.”

Explanation:

Now this has been the subject of much debate throughout church history, but more-so in recent times. Many have used passages like this to attempt to discredit the Bible. They will say things along the lines of “You can’t trust the Bible. The biblical authors thought Jesus would return in their lifetime.”

There are numerous passages where Christ and the disciples predict the “end” as being a near event. And with this there are roughly three views.

Three Views:

What is Peter speaking of? There are three options that do fit the context fairly well. Peter could be speaking of:

1. The end of time.

2. The end of the Jewish age.

3. The end of the lives of those he wrote this letter to.

So let’s very briefly look at these.

1. Peter could be talking about the end of time and consummation of the Kingdom.

It is possible that Peter is speaking of the end of all things when Christ returns. However, there are several reasons to think he isn’t. The biggest reason to question this interpretation is that there is a clear reference to time. Peter clearly is saying that whatever event he is speaking of is happening soon for him and for the Christians he is writing to. Now there is some flexibility to the term “at hand,” but to fit two thousand plus years is stretching that term to the point of abuse.

Peter is calling these first century Christians to be self controlled and pray because some drastic event is going to happen to them. So this is why I gravitate toward the other two options.

2. Peter could be speaking of the end of Jewish age.

This is closely tied to Jesus’ Olivet Discourse contained in Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, and Luke 21. The skeptics will look at this and say, “see, Jesus and the Apostles said all this would happen in one generation but it didn’t.” Now, we don’t have time today to get into how all of what Christ said in those passages is true, but we do have to touch on it.

I believe these events were fulfilled. They were fulfilled in 70 A.D. when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. This was the single most important extricable event that happened in church history. Christ prophesied that His judgement would fall, Jerusalem would be surrounded, and many other horrific things would happen within one generation. And roughly forty years later, it happened 70 A.D.

Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Romans. It was a horrific event that I do not even wish to describe in detail it is so awful. But it marked several important things. First, historically, the Christians of the first century believed it to be the direct fulfilment of Jesus’ words. They believed this so strongly that when Rome approached Jerusalem to destroy it, they fled to the mountains in obedience to Christ’s commands in these passages, thereby saving themselves.

Second, it marked the end of the Jewish connection to Christianity. Christianity was seen as an offshoot of Judaism. But this was the end of the sacrificial system marking a clear end of an age. The Old Covenant system truly ended then. And it clearly fits what Peter is saying here.

Peter could easily be speaking of this coming day and warning the first century Christians to be on the lookout. For them, this would come in roughly ten to fifteen years. And the word “end” could easily be translated as “the goal” or “the purpose” of all things. This would fit well with what Peter has been telling these first century Christians. It also would help explain other confusing passages like John claiming the antichrist had already come and how John was a fellow member of the great tribulation with the first century Christians. (1 John 2:18. Revelation 1:9.)

But the third option also fits well.

3. Peter could also be speaking of the the end of the lives of those he wrote this letter to.

We know that the Christians Peter is writing to are about to face this horrific time around 70 A.D. where Christians will be slaughtered in mass. Many of them will die. So Peter could easily be speaking to them of their own end. Many will die. So they ought to be ready. They ought to be sober minded and self controlled. They ought to be in prayer. Why? Because they are about to face horrific trials and many will die.

Argumentation:

Now I tend to favor the second view. But regardless, we know several things. No one knows when Christ will return. It could be anytime. So we must be ready. He could return today or three thousand years from now. We do not know. The next eschatological event in human history is Christ’s return to judge the living and the dead. Christ’s return is to be expected at any time.

And we also know that we will face various trials and difficulties. So we ought to obey Peter’s commands. Now we do not have prophesy that Rome will surround us and massacre us like the first century Christians had, but we know we will face trial and pain and eventually death. So we must have the same mind. Be sober minded and self controlled.

Be Sober Minded and Self-Controlled.

This is a common command for Peter and for Scripture as a whole. And we ought to obey it. We are to be sober minded. As I stated last week, Christians are to be deep and clear thinkers. We are called to have a clarity of mind. We ought not be drunkards. But the command is not dealing specifically with drunkeness. It means to be clear and stable. We ought not be people who are pulled to and fro by whims and emotions. We ought not to be unstable people in our thinking. We are to be ruled by nothing but Christ.

There are many Christians who are not drunkards but who are ruled by their feelings. They ignore what God has said and instead trust what they feel. And we have to be cautious of this. Often when confronted with things, we respond, “well, I feel this or that.” A Christian ought to be sober minded and say, “God has said this or that.” We are to be clear thinkers who rule their mind. We are not to be given to lust or dullness.

We are also to be self-controlled. We are to rule over our desires and bodies. Christians are to control themselves. This means we are not lazy and slobs, it means we are spiritually disciplined. We obey God’s commands and we spiritually train. We are to be strong in the faith. We are to grow up in the faith. We are not to be ruled by our passions. We are ruled by Christ and His Word. Christians are to be in control of themselves. We are not to be the child in the toy isle screaming and flailing around. Christians naturally seek discipline in their spiritual and physical lives.

We are also to be in prayer.

Be in Prayer.

Now I want to note that Peter commands the church to be self controlled and sober minded for the sake of their prayers. What does that mean? Well, it hearkens back to Peter’s commands to husbands. There is a reality where we cannot expect God to hear our prayers if we are willfully walking in sin. God does not honor sin.

But there is more to it. We are to be self controlled and sober minded so as to pray. We are to be clear and disciplined in our prayer. And honestly, prayer is often one thing Christians struggle to be disciplined in. We pray when we feel like it. But sadly, many of us lack the consistent, disciplined times of prayer we so desperately need. As the state of our culture worsens, we must spend more and more time in prayer. Corporate and private prayer. We are to be a people defined by prayer. Pray by yourself. Pray as a family. Pray as a church.

To aid in this, we are going to begin having evenings of prayer. Starting on Sunday evening, March 3rd we will be having corporate times of prayer. Once a month at a minimum, we will be gathering to pray. Our culture here in America is in open rebellion against God. What are we going to do? Will we just complain about it, or will we go to the one who is on the throne? Will we be fussy and complain while never doing anything? Or will we be people who bow before the Lord and bring our needs to Christ? Christ is King. We are to pray to Him. So we are going to spend specific time in prayer as a church.

Transition:

But Peter continues. And here we get into the meat of this passage. He commands, above all, love one another.

Above All, Love One Another.

1 Peter 4:8–11“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...”

Explanation:

And at this point we recall all the time Peter spent with Christ. Remember how Christ restored Peter after the resurrection. Sitting by the fire and asking Peter “do you love me?” and Peter responding three times, “yes, Lord. I love you.” Then Christ telling Peter to feed His sheep. One must know that this is ever present in Peter’s mind. “I must feed Christ’s sheep.” So what does Peter feed Christ’s sheep?

Peter here is calling back a direct teaching from Christ. In John 13:35 Jesus said, “35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” We must love one another. There is a true and deep love for one another that we must have. Yes we are to love the lost. But we are to have an even deeper love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. But sadly, many Christians lack this. There is a distaste for the church. But let me make one thing clear. You cannot love Christ and hate the church. You cannot love Christ and not love His church. A Christian will and indeed must love the church.

I love how R.C. Sproul put it. He said, “He who loves God cannot love God and hate his brother. We manifest our love for God by a fervent love for each other.” And that is what Peter is calling us to. Above all, love one another. This is Peter’s chief command. Above all else I have told you, love one another.

How do Christians suffer well? By loving each other. And Peter gives a reason. Love covers a multitude of sins.

Love Covers a Multitude of Sins.

Peter is quoting Proverbs 10:12 “12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” Hate breeds more hate. But love covers all offense. And this brings back Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7“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.”

I love how one commentator put this. He says, “Nothing will destroy a church faster than pettiness, people picking at each other over trivial things.” R.C. Sproul. Do you want to destroy a church. Gossip and nitpick everything. You will destroy a church in mere months.

But true love and care does not do this. Love is not easily offended. Love bears with one another. Think of marriage and family. How healthy would a marriage be if you constantly brought up every little thing that bugged you. Wives, how discouraged and broken would your husbands be if you constantly nitpicked every detail of their lives? They would be destroyed along with your marriage. But you do not do this because, in love, you bear with your husbands flaws. And husbands, in love, you do the exact same thing for your wives.

Now, obviously sin must be dealt with. And for serious sins, Christ Himself gave us a pattern of dealing with it. But what Peter is saying is that we ought to love one another enough to not be grumblers or complainers. Serious sin is handled by the church through church discipline. But small offences are to be passed over in love.

We do not nitpick the color of someone’s tie. We do not grumble and complain when someone is annoying. We do not break fellowship when someone sings off key. We do not gossip when some sister in Christ is weeping during the service. We bear with one another in all things because we love each other.

But Peter begins to show what love looks like. His first description of what Christian love looks like is to show hospitality without grumbling.

Show Hospitality Without Grumbling.

Now we know we are to show hospitality to all people. The Old Testament is filled with commands to show hospitality to the sojourner or exile. We are to be kind and compassionate to the lost. The author of Hebrews even says in Hebrews 13:2“2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” So yes, we are to show hospitality to strangers. But Peter is speaking of showing hospitality to one another.

We are to have a deep rooted and practical love for one another. You are to love the people in this room. You are to have a deep love that meets needs for the people in this room.

And let me just say, I commend you in this. Now obviously we all know that we need to grow in this. There is always room to grow. But as your pastor, let me just say that I honestly have seen the fruit of this in this church. You love one another well. I know, without a doubt that if I had a flat tire, I could call any of you for help. I know that you call each other. When a tractor breaks down it is common to see two or three members of this church around the tractor working on it.

So let me encourage you in this. Keep going! Stay strong in this gift God has given. Continue to show practical love to each other! And continue to do this without grumbling. I believe you are doing this. But keep going. Continue on in growing in showing care and love for one another. Visit the sick and elderly. Send cards just to say you care. Invite one another over for meals and fellowship. Keep going. You are doing well. Do not stop!

And this leads into one of the most wonderful truths. Peter here affirms that all Christians have a gifting.

All Christians Have a Gifting.

I grew up in a very charismatic church that actively taught that God only gave spiritual gifts to some Christians. They taught that the Holy Spirit was not within all Christians. The filling of the Holy Spirit was a secondary event that gave only certain Christians gifts. Now let me tell you that this is a lie. It is not just a lie. It is blatant heresy.

The Bible clearly teaches that all Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and that all Christians are divinely empowered and gifted to love one another, and glorify God. That is what Peter is teaching here. And this means that you have a gift. If you are here, and you are a Christian, God has gifted you in a unique way to bless your fellow believers and glorify God. You have been given a gifting or giftings by God for this reason.

Now, everyone wants to know the answer to the question, “what is my gift?” And I cannot tell you exactly. Paul says, 1 Corinthians 12:4“4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;” The gifts are varied. No two are really the same. Now we see in several places lists of spiritual gifts. Gifts like encouragement, teaching, hospitality, administration, and whatnot. But these are not exhaustive.

And some of the gifts have ceased. Paul explicitly tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:8“8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” So some of the more supernatural gifts have faded away. But this does not take away from the fact that every Christian still has a gift. And every Christian ought to use that gift in obedience to God.

So how do you know what your gift is? Well, let me give some pastoral wisdom. Picture if you will, a diagram. In it are three categories. There is your talent. Your passion. And confirmation from others; or how others have seen God use you. Where all three of these meet, that is likely where your gifting is.

Talent. Passion. Confirmation from others.

You have your personal talent. What are you good at? Maybe ask some friends. Then you have your passion. What has God given you a desire to do? What is on your heart? Pray, search the Scriptures. What excites you? Then ask others. How has God used you? What have your brothers and sisters in Christ noticed in you. That is where your gifting is.

But I must warn you. All of these must be in obedience to God’s Word. You are not allowed to disobey God to use a gifting. We can be mistaken in identifying our gifts, but rest assured. God will never give you a gift in disobedience to His Word.

But Peter gives us two categories of gifting. First, He says to speak the Word of God.

Speak the Word of God.

1 Peter 4:10–11“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;”

So the first category of gifting from God is that of speaking. Paul lists encouragement as a gift of the Spirit. This is a gifting of speaking. Some people just have an amazing ability to encourage others. But Peter gives guidance. When you speak, do not give your own words. Speak the “oracles of God.” Now what does that mean? The phrase “Oracles of God” is a common way that Scripture uses to speak of the Bible. In Romans 3, Paul says that the Jews are blessed because they were entrusted with the “oracles of God.” Paul is saying that they were given the Old Testament. The Word of God.

So when you speak, do not give your own thoughts or opinions. Share Scripture. Speak the Word. And obviously to do this, you must know the Word. Be soaked in the Word so that you can share the Word.

And this includes me as a pastor. God has gifted and called me to preach the Word. I am not permitted by God to go outside of the Word. I am not to stand here and preach from my own thoughts or someone else’s thoughts. I am to be centered on the Word.

But Peter also gives the second category. There is the gifting of speaking. But there is also the gifting of serving. Those who serve others serve in the strength of God.

Serve in the Strength of God.

When we do good works, when we help one another, we are not to simply muster up the strength ourselves. We are to rely fully on God. It is not in our strength but in the strength God supplies.

In short, it looks like this. Remember all that God has done for you. And now, go do likewise. If we serve and show hospitality to others in our own strength, we will grumble and complain. But if it is motivated by and fueled by the love of God, we will be able to serve with right hearts. We will serve better, longer, and with more love then we ever could in our own strength.

And anyone who is a parent knows this. When you are changing your child’s diaper, or bandaging a wound, you see it is motivated by your love for that child. You are not doing it in your own strength. You are doing it in the love of a parent. Now how much stronger is the love of God? How much stronger is the love we have for one another that is supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit? It is infinitely more. It is unsearchable. So serve in the strength of God.

Transition:

But Peter closes this passage with one of the most beautiful doxologies in Scripture. Why do we do this? Why do we love one another? Why are Christians to love other Christians with such a deep love? Thus: to Glorify God and know the Lordship of Christ.

Glorify God and Know the Lordship of Christ.

1 Peter 4:11 “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.”

Explanation:

What more could I add? Why do we do this? Why do we love one another? We do it because it glorifies God. If you recall last Sunday I quoted from the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

Question 1. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

This is why God created us. We are to glorify God. And in this there is true joy. Recall Saint Augustine’s Words. “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

True joy is found in glorifying God. And this joy of loving one another is found in the fact that when we love each other, we are bringing the God we love glory and honor. When we show love to one another, we are saying in no unclear terms, “To God be glory!” When we stop to change a tire for someone in this church, or babysit their kids, or go visit an elderly member, we are joining in the heavenly choir saying “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty!” What further motivation could we need?

Well, Peter gives us one more. Not only do we glorify God, but we declare the Kingship of Christ. Peter reminds us of the fact that Christ is ruling and reigning right now. Now some Christians attempt to say that Jesus is not reigning over all now. They say His reign is a future event. But that idea is foreign to Scripture. Peter says that all glory and dominion belong to Him. He has it now. He is seated at the right hand of authority NOW and FOREVERMORE. He is King, Now. He is Lord, NOW. He has all authority in heaven and on earth. And when we love one another, we are honoring our King. When we show acts of kindness and love to our brothers and sisters we are declaring the rule of Christ.

Do you want to grow the kingdom of God? Love one another. Show kindness. Eat together, laugh together, love one another. Do you want to glorify God and honor the King? Then love one another.

Conclusion:

To sum up this passage I would just say this. Christ is King. Because of this, dedicate yourself to prayer and love for one another to the glory of God.

Visualization:

When the saints gather for prayer and showing one another love, God is glorified and evil trembles. Do you want to fight back against this wicked culture? Do want to wage war on evil in our day? Then spend time in prayer and fellowship. Nothing trembles the gates of hell more than when the people of God are dedicated to prayer, love for one another, and the Kingship of Christ.

Reiteration:

Evil trembles when the saints laugh together in love for the glory of God. So how do Christians suffer well? We pray. We love one another. We use our gifts to love and serve one another. And we do all to the glory of God and Christ our King.

Appeal:

So hail to the King of kings and Lord of lords. We declare His greatness by the love we show each other. Let us go forth from here eager to outdo one another in acts of love and kindness. Let’s pray.

Closing Prayer:

Offering:

Offertory Prayer:

Benediction:

1 Corinthians 13:1–7“1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 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.” 1 Corinthians 13:13“13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”