Exile Will End
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If you have your Bibles with you, please open them to 1 Pet 4:7.
And as you open your Bibles, I have two brief announcements.
Sky Zone
Next Friday- Friday August 27th,
Jump time is from 7-8pm - be there by 6:40.
$14 per student
$3 for socks if they don’t have them
That’s the fun announcement, now for the lame one… This is one of my least favorite times of the year as a Youth Pastor because
HS graduates’ last week at YG will next Wednesday
That’s all I have for announcements,
tonight we near the end of our time in 1 Peter.
This letter has two main themes that I hope you will remember when we are done with our study of 1 Peter.
God’s people have been elected by God
God’s people are exiles who have been rejected by the world
Tonight, as we near the end of this letter, Peter tells us good news. Tonight we will hear that our exile will end.
Let’s hear how Peter says it, and as we do let’s stand together for the reading of God’s Word.
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.
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
Let’s pray
The end of an era has a funny way of sneaking up on us.
Take for example… how is it that the summer already close to being over? - our youth group summer kick off felt like yesterday, and now we are nearing the end of the summer all together
one more example of the end of an era sneaking up on us is that of the graduates leaving youth group… the end of your time as a student has certainly snuck up on me. And my guess is it has snuck up on you as well…
Upcoming Juniors and Seniors - know that the end of your time in YG is coming soon.
Those of you who are younger even still, know that the end of your time in YG is just around the corner.
The end of an era has a funny way of sneaking up on us. - so keep this in mind, so that you aren’t caught off guard when that end comes…
But when I talk about the end of an era, understand that this applies to far more than just the end of the summer or the end of one’s time in YG. - more importantly we need to recognize that the end of our time in exile is near.
Peter says it this way,
1 Peter 4:7 (ESV)
7 The end of all things is at hand;
What does he mean by “the end of all things is at hand”
if something is at hand… it is near to you
My phone is at hand
Understand, if the end of all things is at hand, this means that the end is near.
Now, how is the end of all things near for you and for me
I’m nearing the end of my 20s - I’m hardly thinking about the end of my life
I’m thinking about the cool fall weather that I’m ready to start enjoying
I’m thinking about the upcoming season of football
I’m thinking about putting in new floors and cabinets in my home
I’m thinking about watching my kids grow up as Lydia is really close to crawling
I’m not thinking about the end of everything… i’m really just thinking about the end of the summer.
But Peter wants us to be away and watchful in our life… because there is more that is ending than just the day… and the summer.
The end of all things is at hand…
But Peter wrote this 2,000 years ago… and the end hasn’t come yet. So was Peter wrong?
Well not necessarily.
Here’s what I want you all to see, then I’ll explain it further.
1. Your exile will end when you least expect it.
1. Your exile will end when you least expect it.
Your exile - that is your time on earth that is full of suffering - your time on earth will end when you least expect it, because the end is at hand…
Now we might not think the end is near, because Jesus hasn’t been on the earth for 2,000 years. But understand what the scriptures tell us about the last days.
Peter preached on the day of pentecost from the prophet Joel… Peter preached that which was preached before him in the days of the prophet Joel,
17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
Now, what was the day of pentecost do you know?
The Spirit of God was poured out onto the people of God - this was a demonstration that Peter and the apostles were living in the last days… and for 2,000 years the church has endured through the last days…
So understand, we are living in the last days today… this doesn’t necessarily mean that Jesus will return next week, next month, or next year… but it does mean that he will return… and if it were his timing, he could very well return as soon as this minute before my sermon ends… so understand, the end is at hand… and your time of exile here in the world can end at any moment. This is why Jesus said
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
So don’t misunderstand Peter here or me as to saying that Jesus is going to return tomorrow… Peter isn’t saying that Jesus return will happen in the next week… nor am I trying to predict when Jesus will return…
Peter is simply saying that Jesus could come at any moment… for the end is at hand.
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.
Understand the illustration that Jesus gives us...
So when Peter says, the end of all things is at hand… he is en effect saying the same thing Jesus is saying… you must be ready, because Jesus is coming at an hour that you do not expect.
And for those who are in exile, this is good news! Jesus will return! With this in mind, Peter continues,
7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.
Be self controlled and sober minded
control your actions - don’t give way to the passions of the flesh, but instead be putting the your sinful desires to flesh
and control your thinking - sin isn’t just in what we do, but it exists in our minds as well… through lust, bitterness and hatred, through pride, and things like these… so be sure you are thinking rightly about yourself and your life… why?
For the sake of your prayers - the way we live our life directly affects our relationship with God
But it’s not just our sins that affect our relationship with God… but even our relationships with one another are so linked to our relationship to God that we know that loving God and loving one another are like two sides of the same coin… So peter says,
8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
It’s not that our love for one another cleanses us of our sin… only Jesus does this
But if we truly love one another, we will do our best to be reconciled and forgive one another despite the sins that we do against one another.
Paul says it in a similar way,
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.
And again,
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all offenses.
This is what happens when the gospel grips the heart of God’s people… we love in a way that looks past the sins of others. For this is what Christ did for us, for while we were still sinners, Christ died for you and for me so that we might be reconciled to God
So we are to love one another in the remainder of our time in exile… If we simply keep our body under control, but are without love for one another, then we are still guilty of sin that is rooted deep in our hearts.
So Peter says, Keep loving one another earnestly…
and then he goes on to tell us how to do so
9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
show hospitality - that is share your life with each other… open up your homes, share your food, and share your money with those who are in need… and do so without grumbling… this is what love looks like.
But Peter still isn’t done with telling us what such love looks like!
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.
Okay we understand that we as a church are like a body with multiple parts correct?
so God made the eye for what purpose?
And God made the hands for what purpose?
And the mouth?
(elaborate from the text)
The source of all these gifts are from God
And the result of it this body… that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ
2. Since the end is near, use your life to glorify God.
2. Since the end is near, use your life to glorify God.
Peter is telling us, that your exile has a purpose… he has been telling us this through most of the letter, but in case you have forgotten, your time in exile is a time to make much of God!
So put sin to death - and in so doing God is glorified
Love one another - and when you do, God is glorified
And serve one another in the way that God has gifted you - because when you do, God is glorified
But God has more for us than just killing sin, loving and serving one another.
Peter tells us,
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
At this point in our study through 1 Peter, I hope you all know that you will suffer. You are exiles after all. And as such, you will be hated by the world. So don’t be surprised when life gets hard. And don’t suppose God has left you either. Instead Peter tells us,
13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Rejoicing in suffering is foreign to the rest of the world. Because when the world suffers, they only experience loss. But for the Christian, we can suffer because our suffering should be a reminder that we will receive a reward when the glory of God is revealed in the last day.
3. The righteous can rejoice in suffering today, because in the end they will receive their rewarded.
3. The righteous can rejoice in suffering today, because in the end they will receive their rewarded.
Peter said, if you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed…
This is a rather shocking statement… this means you have found favor, or happiness… so to suffer for Jesus means you have recieved favor. If we just suffered we could hardly call that being blessed. But when we suffer on account of Christ, we are blessed, Peter says, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Know, that if you suffer on account of Christ, those who hate you actually hate the aroma of Christ in you. This is why when Paul was killing Christians, Jesus said, Paul who was formerly called Saul,
4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
Just as loving God and loving one another are inseparable from one another… so to, persecuting Christians is so closely linked to to persecuting Christ that Paul was said to have been persecuting the risen Christ himself.
So when Peter says,
14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Know that you are in fact blessed, for you have the Spirit of God in you. And so we can rejoice in our suffering, because the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead will surely raise us as well.
But we must note that not all who suffer in fact suffer for righteousness sake. Peter adds.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.
If you get pulled over for breaking the law… you are not being persecuted
If you go to jail for theft… you are not being persecuted
If you are sentenced to death for murder, you are not being martyred.
So don’t be glad if you are suffering because of your sin, but instead weep, mourn and repent so that you can be forgiven.
But those who suffer as Christians have no need to be sad.
16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.
When the Christian suffers for righteousness, God is glorified yet again.
So let us recognize what God is doing. Peter tells us
17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
If Christians suffer in this life as a means of God purifying and discipline in order to prepare us for glory, then how bad will it be for those who do not love God? While Peter doesn’t answer the question, the implied answer throughout the rest of the Scriptures is abundantly clear… those who are not love God will be punished in the eternal torments of hell.
So Peter sums it up
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
Understand, the end is near. And have a good and faithful God who we can entrust ourselves to in this life.
Take heart, the end of exile is near. So do not grow weary of doing good, but know that God will reward you those who are faithful on the last day.
So let’s ask the Lord for grace to sustain us