HOLY SERVICE FOR GOD’S GLORY

Introduction

In Matthew 24 we are told that no one knows the day or the hour when Jesus Christ will come again. What Christ does say though is to be ready because it can happen at any moment. So be prepared. Peter is encourage the Believers in Asia to continue the fight in your prayer life to God, and additionally, within the Christian community. Be prepared by being hospitable to one another, and by using the gifts and talents God has given you. Live every moment like Jesus is about to come back. Live in the sweetness of His wonderful Grace. Live for God whether you are going through good times or hard times. Whether you have it easy, or are struggling with life. It doesn’t matter. what matters is that you live for God. The Asian Christians knew how difficult this was to do, as did Peter himself, as do we, ourselves. When it comes to suffering for the sake of Christ, we find it much easier to go along with the world then to fight the good fight, and suffer at the hands of friends, and neighbors, and family. But if deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him, God promises us much more blessings, than all our five senses could ever imagine.

This section of Peter’s first letter follows on by explaining in some way what living for God is. 1 Peter 4:1-6 focus on the outside world, but he now takes us back into the House of God, focusing on our relationship to each other. The previous passage spoke of being equipped with the mind of Christ. Now, we see how living for God right now matters because it gives glory to God through Jesus Christ.

The End is Nigh

1 Peter 4:7, But the end of all things is at hand. At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus said, Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. later, in Matthew 24 we hear that only the Father knows when the world will end. Not the angels, nor Jesus in His incarnation, only God the Father. The Bible tells us no dates, and gives us no charts to help us figure it out. The reason for telling us at all is twofold. Firstly, to give His people hope that there is an end and then a better life. And secondly, to encourage Believers to stay firm in Christ to the end, as Matthew 26 tells us that Jesus is with us always, even to the end of the age. We don’t know either the time, nor the hour, of His Second coming, so there is an immediacy of living in a holy way, a godly way. To endure the hardship, and suffering, in this world is made tolerable because this life isn’t the reward. The final and full reward is still coming.

To understand that the end of the kingdom of the World, and the wickedness of it, is near we can then spend the rest of our time here on earth joyfully living for the next. Living according to the Will of God.

Peter gives us four ways in which we are to live in godliness: Prayer, Love, hospitality, and spiritual gifts. Like all things, we are to live holy lives to the glory of the mighty Triune God, who covenanted to redeem a people for Himself.

Prayer

1 Peter 4:7, therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. Peter encourages his readers to be serious and watchful. Serious and watch should be seen as joined at the hip; they are not to be separated, but understood together. Serious and watchful refer to clear mindedness and self control. Using our minds to entreat God to act in the salvation of His lost people. I find it extremely sad that there are people on the different media, telling Believers to live for present indulgence. God wants you rich, healthy, to have all the world has to offer. These are all lies, perpetuated from the mouth of the ruler of this world. God desires that we first focus our whole being, body, mind, and spirit, on Him, and on His eternal kingdom. Our whole prayer life should flow from God’s love, and mercy, He showed in saving us.

Along with reading our Bible, prayer is the life blood of the Christian life. Without personal, and frequent prayer, your relationship with God suffers. Imagine getting married then only speaking to your marriage partner for only 5 to 10 minutes a day. Or only speaking to your children for a few minutes each week. There would be no love in either the marriage or the parent child relationships. The same goes with God. If you only spend a few minutes each day with God, then how can you expect to know Him and His ways, and to fight the good fight. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians that we should pray without ceasing. That is not to say every minute of every day, but pray throughout your whole day. At every opportunity pray to God.

The prayer God desires, according to our passage, is a thoughtful and contemplative prayer. One commentator, Thomas Schreiner says this, The realization that God is bringing history to a close should provoke believers to depend on him, and this dependence is manifested in prayer, for in prayer believers recognize that any good that occurs in the world is due to God’s grace (Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, NAC, 211.).

Love

1 Peter 4:8, And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Along with prayer, we must strive to demonstrate love within the family of God. Christian love must, first of all be, above all things. Throughout the Bible we read time and time again, that love is one of the primary attributes of God, and it should be one of the primary attributes of each Believer. How do we show that we are new creatures, by loving God with everything we are, and by loving our neighbors as ourselves. 1 John 3:16 says, By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Secondly, love is to be fervent. Just as God, in Christ, constantly pours out His live for us, so too are we to demonstrate the same love for each other. The fervent love of a Believer exerts all he has, straining, to demonstrate the same love God has for us. 1 Corinthians 13 gives us one of the best examples of the kind of love we Christians are to demonstrate in our lives, especially toward fellow Believers. It says, love is not boastful, envious, rude, selfish, etc. Instead, love is kind, rejoices in the truth, bears all things, etc. In 1 John 4:12 John adds this, If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

Thirdly, love covers over a multitude of sins. This is a quote from Proverbs 10:12, which says, Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins. When Christ died on the cross, once for all, He did it to cover over a multitude of sins. David declares in Psalm 103:10, He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as Jesus covers the multitude of our sins, so too are we called to forgive seven times seventy, of those who transgress us.

The people of God are to be known as people of love. When we give godly love priority in our lives, we stop living selfishly, and pridefully. Whatever sin another person has ever done to you is nothing compared to the sin we have committed against God. Therefore when we show fervent love to one another we don’t hold the crime against them, and instead, we cover it over with love. Peter’s point isn’t that we disregard every wicked thing anyone does to us. Rather, He encourages us to be people who easily forgive, who don’t take offense to every little slight against us. Love should flourish in our hearts and be seen in our actions toward each other.

Hospitality

1 Peter 4:9, Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. We live in a time of motels and caravan parks. But in the first century, hospitality to travelling Christians was a necessary part of life. Lodging was expensive, so it necessitated the need for local Christians to provide a place to stay to Christian travelers. We see this in the Gospels where Jesus sends out the 12 disciples, telling them in Matt 10:11, “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.” When Paul first went to Macedonia, Lydia became a Believer and insisted on Paul and his companions staying with her (Acts 16:15). These days, though, we are able to offer hot meals, and on occasion, comfortable beds.

We are to show hospitality toward the family of God, without grumbling. Sometimes when people come to stay, we eventually run out of patience. RC Sproul gives an apt description and explanation, We sometimes tend to feel that guests are like fish: after three days, they begin to smell. There are people who do exploit the hospitality and kindness of those who practice it, but that does not matter. Even if we are exploited, we are not to grumble. We are to open our homes or whatever else we have for those in need (R. C. Sproul, 1-2 Peter, St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary, 159). We get tired of having to entertain people, the begin to take up our time and energy, and so begin to resent having other people around, we grumble. Peter tells us that Christians complaining over serving strangers, within our homes, should not be a part of the Christian character. We are called to show hospitality in love. Joyfully serving the body of Christ with glad hearts. Hebrews tells us of one possible benefit of showing hospitality. Hebrews 12:2 says, Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. By entertaining strangers we may be serving angels. We are called to demonstrate hospitality to those who we personally know and love as members of our local church, but notably to those who are strangers.

Spiritual Gifts

1 Peter 4:10-11a, As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies. Notice first, that Peter doesn’t say, if each one has received, but as each one has received. God gives each, and every, Believer spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are not for the benefit of the one who has them, but for the benefit of the whole. So the whole body of Christ may be built up. If the Lord has gifted you with preaching, or teaching, or hospitality, or visitation, or music, or serving, etc, then you had better use them.

We are called to be good stewards of the manifold grace of God refers to managing our God given gifts for the wider good. Interesting how Peter refers spiritual gifts as manifold grace of God here. It shows us that all gifts are from the one God, and are part of His graciousness toward us. We are not to use our spiritual gifts for our own glory, for example, just between God and ourselves, but as a ministry, a service, to one another. We are not to parade our gifts so people adore and praise us for how good we at this or that. That will develop a prideful and boastful heart, which is the direct opposite of Christ’s example. Gifts that God gives is for the purpose of growing the Church to maturity, to be more like the image of Christ. The local church is made up of a group of Christians, each given one or more gifts to help to serve the wider body. 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.

At the beginning of verse 11 we are given two example categories of gifts; speaking and ministering. Speaking refers to Preaching, and teaching, and is qualified by the oracles of God. Or put another way, preach, or teach, the word of God. Those who have been gifted with preaching and teaching have a greater burden because they have the ability to turn the minds of their congregations either toward God, or away from Him. So although each person must answer to God for their own faithfulness, their is a greater weight placed on the shoulders of the preacher. If we decided that church growth was the most important matter, all we would have to do is change take away the beautiful hymns, close our Bibles, and speak what the world desires. But that would not be beneficial to the Church nor give glory and honor to the Savior. Preachers are to preach the Word of God.

Minister here is the general word for serving. Every gift and ability we have is from the Lord, and so we are exhorted to use them for His church. Ephesians 4:28, Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Ministering is serving others with that which God has given us.

To the Glory of God

We do this...1 Peter 4:11b, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. The first question in the Westminster Smaller Catechism is, what is the chief end of man? Or for a modern version, what is the ultimate reason why people exist? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Christ, who now reigns as the supreme King, is worthy of all our honor and praise and glory, for the rest of our existence in this life, and the life to come.

Amen.