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Introduction
Living In View Of Eternity ()
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There’s a hymn that we sing, “Jesus may come today”, Are we living with a view of eternity?
Are we living as though Christ could come today?
Having a proper view of eternity will drastically affect how we live and also prepare us to suffer.
There’s a hymn that we sing, “Jesus may come today”, Are we living with a view of eternity?
Are we living as though Christ could come today?
Having a proper view of eternity will drastically affect how we live and also prepare us to suffer.
In fact, Peter in this text is encouraging these saints to be prepared to suffer by focusing on the nearness of “the end of all things.”
Look at what he said in
He calls these believers to have the attitude of Christ in being willing to suffer.
Like any good soldier, Christ was prepared to give his life and Christians should have this attitude as well.
In addition, Peter says in that having a proper eschatology, a view of the end times, would also help these believers with being prepared to suffer.
We can have no doubt, that one of the things that made Christ willing to suffer was a proper view of eternity.
Christ always lived with the thought of the end in mind.
In fact, throughout the gospels Christ sought to prepare Peter and the rest of the disciples for sufferings that were coming through developing this view.
Look at what he said:
How could these disciples keep their hearts from discouragement and giving up, even though they knew their master was about to die?
They needed to have a view of heaven and Christ’s second coming.
Christ went to build a place for them, and he is coming again.
This would help keep their hearts from being troubled during the coming suffering.
It is the same for us.
One of the secrets to being able to suffer in a world where we are pilgrims is to live in view of the imminent return of Christ.
When Peter says, “the end is near”, he was essentially saying there is nothing keeping Christ back from returning at any moment.
This was the early church’s blessed hope that helped enable them to endure the sufferings they were experiencing in the world.
Christ could return at any time.
Even though it has been 2000 years since this was written, it is still as true for us today as it was then.
In fact, it is truer because we are closer to Christ’s coming.
When Christ resurrected, we entered into the final stage of world history.
It is a stage called the “last days.”
Look at what the writer of Hebrews said:
Similarly, Peter, when describing what was happening at Pentecost, declared that we were in the last days by citing a passage from Joel.
Look at what he said:
Now with all this said, we must be aware that living with an unhealthy view of the end times can often push people to extremes.
We saw in 2 Thessalonians that some people had stopped working, as they anxiously waited for the return of Christ (3:11).
A wrong view of the end times brought laziness.
In the servant who thought that the master was delaying his coming began to beat the other servants, live in waste, and get drunk.
A lack of concern for the end times can at times encourage sin.
Others can become Others can become overly consumed with charting and trying to figure out the exact dates.
We may see something of this with the Apostles in .
Listen to what the Apostles said to Jesus about the coming kingdom and his reply:
Essentially, we can discern from these extremes that having a wrong view of the end times will negatively affect how we live.
However, listen to some of the benefits of living with a proper view of the end times.
Listen to what the Apostle John says:
Those who have a proper view of Christ’s imminent return will naturally start to prepare.
They will start to purify themselves in preparation of his coming.
This view will deliver believers from the strongholds of sin.
With that said, God has wisely chosen to not reveal the exact date.
If he did, some would become lackadaisical and others anxious as they waited for the return.
The difficult task for the believer is to at all times prepare for the future and at the sametime be prepared for Christ to come today.
To focus on one over the other is to become unbalanced.
We must seek this balance in our daily lives.
In this context, where the believers were being mocked, ridiculed and burned at the stake, he comforts them with “the end of all things is near.”
Christ is coming soon.
The consummation of human history, where God will judge both the righteous and the unrighteous, where God will correct all things, and usher in a rule of righteousness, is near.
This should comfort believers and enable them to persevere through difficult times.
As we study this text, we must ask ourselves these questions:
Are we living in view of eternity?
What does a person look like who is living with this view?
How can I better live this way, in order to be pleasing to my coming Lord?
In this text, we will see characteristics of Christians living in view of eternity.
Let this encourage our hearts to live the same and to prepare for coming tribulation.
How Do We Live With Eternity In View According Scriptures?
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1.
In View of Eternity, Have a Focused Prayer Life
How Can We Have A Balanced Mindset In View Of Eternity?
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1.
In View of Eternity, Have a Focused Prayer Life
In View of Eternity, Have a Focused Prayer Life
What virtues are needed in order to be focused in prayer and how do we develop them?
Peter says that in view of eternity, Christians must have a focused prayer life.
He talks about the virtues necessary to do this, a clear mind and being self-controlled.
(i) A Biblical World View
The word translated clear mind literally means to be in one’s right mind.1 Of course, the primary way the Christian does this is by having a biblical worldview.
A mind that is full of Scripture is the only way that one can be in their right mind, and this is especially true in the context of suffering, where most people do not have the right mind.
We see a person in his right mind, even as he is suffering, with Christ on the cross.
While he was dripping with blood and about to die, he prayed two Psalms “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me” () and “Into your hands I commit my spirit” ().
Even in suffering Christ was in his right mind instead of having what might be common: a mind of anxiety, fear, anger, hopelessness, or even worldliness.
This same mind would be necessary for Christians in this context who were suffering.
They needed a right mind that was led by the Word of God and prompted into prayer.
(ii) Self-Controlled
The second virtue needed to have a focused prayer life in these last days is to be self-controlled.
The word “self-controlled” can be translated “sober” which means to be free of intoxicants, which can refer to both spiritual and physical intoxicants.
Christians can become intoxicated with materialism, idolatry and worldly pursuits in order to pacify themselves during trials, and therefore, not have soberness in viewing the events happening around them.
Trials also tend to be a catalyst in drawing people into addictions to alcohol, cigarettes and any other drug, instead of dependence solely on God.
None of these actions or attitudes are appropriate responses to trials.
The Christian must have a sober mind that is “awake” and “alert” so it can properly interpret the events happening and be drawn into intercession.
The Christian must have a right mind which is full of the Word.
He must be alert--not given to intoxicants whether physical or spiritual.
He must be alert to the attack of the devil, things that are happening in society, the needs of others, and he must be self-controlled.
All these things are necessary in order to be focused in prayer.
Focused-prayer is the only type of prayer appropriate in these last hours.
Lord helpus to have a right mind and be sober so we can pray in order that your will may bedone on the earth.
2. In View of Eternity, We Must Love Other Believers Deeply
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
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What does it mean to love each other deeply?
When people go through suffering it is very common for it to cause discord.
If a husband has a bad day at work, it often affects his relationship with his wife and kids.
When people are stressed, it often brings up harsh feelings and emotions, sometimes towards people we love the most.
No doubt, this was happening in these scattered congregations.
In we may see an implication that this suffering was causing rebellion amongst some of the youth in the church towards the elders.
This is why Peter has to tell them to be subject to them.
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