The End is Near

Text:  1 Peter 4:7-11

If you thought that Jesus was coming back VERY soon, what would you do?  There have been some interesting approaches to this type of question.

A.  Prior to January 1, 2000 people bought stocks of water, batteries, and other supplies to get ready for Y2K.  Some people refused to fly in airplanes.

B.     In 1997 the Heaven’s Gate cult committed suicide in readiness for the spacecraft they thought was hiding behind the Hale-Bopp Comet.

C.     The Branch Davidian cult in Waco, Texas thought it getting prepared for something God was going to do.

Peter's "therefore" asked the readers to stop what they were doing and think about the implications of the coming of Messiah, the end of all things is near, v.7.

I liked the bumper sticker I saw not too long ago.  It said, “Jesus is coming soon.  Look busy.”  This section of 1 Peter has that sort of tone to it.  Look busy; Jesus is coming.

Clearly, Peter's audience believed that the coming of Jesus was imminent.  It was a common first century understanding.  The people at Thessalonica were even, in some cases, quitting their jobs to wait for Jesus' coming.

But that is not the sort of strategy that Peter recommends.  He says, rather, to live MORE like a follower of Jesus, perhaps even ignoring whatever stresses the present life brings.  Live MORE in the present, taking up their responsibilities to the world and to one another.

During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy often closed his speeches with the story of Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives.

A.     One day in 1789, the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand.

B.     Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, “The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought.”

The sermon today asks “What does living in a prepared way mean?”

Therefore is an important word in this text.  Peter said, “The end is near, THEREFORE.”

A.     He might have said, “You have cancer.”

B.     Or “You have to go to Iraq.”

C.     Or “China has declared war on the U.S.”

D.     “Therefore.”  Which means “here are the implications of catastrophe.”

E.      Therefore calls for us to look beyond the stresses of the moment.  Unlike the thief that uses crisis as an opportunity to act badly, Peter said, “Use the crisis to behave more like your claims.”

F.      Peter gave these “exiles” three broad categories of instruction regarding how they should live in the midst of crisis.

First, give attention to your personal life.  Peter expressed this in two ways.

A.     He told them, first of all, to be “serious.”  This word means moderate.  It means to not be drunk and out of control.  What does this mean?

1.      Clearly there is a connection to anything that confuses or muddles the mind.  It could be drugs or food or sex or work.

2.      Serious also means to live in moderation or to be restrained in one’s conduct.  It implies a kind of self-control.

3.      Serious does not mean long-faced, but rather mature and responsible.

4.      My mind goes to the riots in E. Los Angeles.  Or the destruction after a soccer match.

B.     Peter said they should “discipline” themselves.  If “being sober” means to avoid conduct that enslaves the self, this “discipline” is a reference to the thinking we use which orients our lives.

1.      So it means to think in a sane manner.  How many people do you know that habitually make bad decisions?  Who think first about self-gratification rather than the implications of a decision?

2.      Luke described the healed demoniac as a man who was “clothed and in his right mind,” Luke 8:35.  No longer possessed by demons.  No longer self-destructive.

C.     Peter said that sobriety and discipline are needed in order to be able to give focus to our prayers.  How can you pray if you are distracted by the world?

Second, give attention to other people in your life.  Peter describes this as “constant love for one another.”

A.         Peter used the word “agape” not “phileo” or some other word.  This is a uniquely Christian word.  The word existed at the time of Christ, but it was rarely used.  Jesus adopted it for his own use, implying a decisional form of love. 

1.      The force of the word used here is that we will “keep on loving” one another.

2.      His statement that “love covers a multitude of sins” is his way of saying that a loving person overlooks the sins of another person.  This is reminiscent of Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 13:6, namely that “love keeps no score of wrongs.”

3.      I was talking to a friend last night, who jokingly said, “I hold grudges for a long time.”  The idea of agape is that of releasing grudges, not holding them.  Overlooking people’s shortcomings.  “Love covers a multitude of sins.”

4.      Loving one another also implies making a place for each other in our homes.  Peter called this idea “hospitality.”  The word actually means “love of strangers” but it also implies a kind of attention for people who are outside our circles.

Third, give attention to speaking for God.  I think this raises the image of a person who thinks about the implications of being a representative or spokesman for God.  What if you thought about the impact of your words and actions on what other people thought about God?

A.         Peter said that we should think of  ourselves as “stewards” of God’s manifold grace.  “Steward” means someone who is in charge of running a household.  You are a steward in God’s household.  (This would have been good news to these “exiles” who felt disenfranchised.

B.         Peter said that as stewards we should use the resources that God has given us.

1.      We use the “gift” that He has given us for service.  What is yours?

2.      We use the words He supplies us.

3.      We use the strength he gives us.

4.      “I can’t” should not be part of our vocabulary.  God has gifted us with what we need to do his work.

The object of our work is to glorify God.  So when people look at the outcome of our lives, they should be reminded of God.  The three important components of this are 1) personal preparation and discipline, 2) loving one another, and 3) using the equipment that God has given us for doing his work.  May God be praised.