Being Good Stewards of God's Gifts (1 Pe 4:1-11)

Announcements

Don’t forget, we do have a church cookout right after this service—we’d love to have every stay after and enjoy some delicious food and fellowship with us. And before I forget, thank you to those who were here early today to help set up canopies and tables outdoors. I greatly appreciate the help. I’ll give more details about the cookout at the end of the service.

On July 3rd (next week), we’ll have a quarterly business meeting right after worship. All our business meetings are open to the public so even if you aren’t a member, you are welcome to stay and see what all is going on. If you are a member, please plan on being here for that service.

We have a number of outreach events going on in the next month or two and we could definitely use help in all these events. If you’re willing to help, there’s a sign-up sheet at the front of the room.

Let me remind you to continue worshiping the Lord through your giving—to help you give, we have three ways for you to do so: (1) in-person giving can be done at the offering box at the front of the room—checks should be written to Grace & Peace and if you’d like a receipt for your cash gifts, please place it in an envelope with your name on it; if you’d prefer to give with a debit, credit, or ACH transfer, you can do so either by (2) texting the number 84321 with your $[amount] or by (3) visiting us online at www.gapb.church and selecting Giving in the menu bar. Everything that you give goes to the building up of our local church and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Prayer of Repentance and Adoration

Call to Worship (Ps 54)

Our Call to Worship follows chronologically after Psalm 52 in which David was betrayed by Doeg the Edomite. The betrayal itself wasn’t really a surprise to David, but now he finds himself in a situation in which he is being rejected by his own men. And though, he is presently being pursued by Saul and chased by ungodly and wicked men, he expresses great confidence in God’s ability to save him. Please stand and read with me Psalm 54—I’ll read the odd-numbered verses; please join me in reading the even-numbered verses.

Psalm 54 ESV

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?” 1 O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might. 2 O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves. Selah 4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. 5 He will return the evil to my enemies; in your faithfulness put an end to them. 6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. 7 For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

Congregational Singing

And Can it Be? (180)

At the Cross (284)

By Faith (361)

Scripture Reading

Our Scripture Reading this morning is Matthew 25:14-30, which is a parable taught by Jesus concerning servants who were given a certain amount of money by their master before he left to travel. It is a parable concerning faithfulness and stewardship, which I think you can tell parallels our message for this morning quite easily. Tara, can you read Matthew 25:14-30 for us?

Matthew 25:14–30 ESV

14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Sermon

Introduction

If you have your Bible with you, please turn it to 1 Peter 4:1-11.

If you’ve been with us over the past few weeks, you know that we’re in a series concerning spiritual gifts and that series continues today. And I’m sure you’ve probably noticed that much of this series, though we’ve been looking at various different passages over the weeks has focused primarily on serving regardless of if you know what your gifts are. In addition, I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’ve intentionally not emphasized the different gifts nor have I really bothered to spend a lot of time defining what the different gifts are and I hope that you understand the reasons for this—that there are probably other spiritual gifts not listed in Scripture and to focus intently at the ones that are mentioned in Scripture would be to give the impression that there are no other gifts.

I hope that through this series, thus far, you’ve noticed that the primary emphasis in Scripture concerning the spiritual gifts is that of use—use your spiritual gifts for the glory of God and for the common good of the local church. At the very least, start serving so that God through the local church reveals to you what your spiritual gifts are and so that God through the local church helps you to develop your spiritual gifts.

Our passage for this morning continues in the same line of thinking—that you are to use your gifts to “serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” However, the primary difference is that Peter emphasizes doing this regardless of what sort of situation you’re in. In the case of the Christians in 1 Peter, they’re in some sort of severe persecution that has caused them to be scattered—1 Peter 1:1, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” Peter writes to these Christians to not just give them comfort in the midst of persecution that has caused them to be dispersed or scattered through Asia-minor, but to encourage them and exhort them to continue living like genuine Christians are supposed to live.

He reminds them of the living hope that they have in Jesus and their call to be holy. He reminds them of how the household should be Christ-focused and Gospel-minded and he repeatedly reminds them that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection wasn’t for them to continue living like unbelievers, but rather to live like genuine believers.

He reminds them of all these different truths before getting to ch. 4, which focuses in on the issue of suffering and how Christians ought to think and what they should do despite suffering.

Keep this in mind as we read 1 Peter 4:1-11.

1 Peter 4:1–11 ESV

1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. 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.

As we study this passage together, we’re going to break it into two parts. The first part, vv. 1-6, A Christlike Attitude and the second part, vv. 7-11, Christlike Service. Both parts actually work together in ch. 4 along with vv. 12-19, which speaks of a Christlike Faith to essentially teach the Christians that were being persecuted at that moment, how they should think and act in light of the persecution that they’re facing. For them, it was an exhortation to think like Jesus thinks about sin, the Gospel, and life in general; and it was a command to use what God has gifted you with for God’s glory. For us, 2,000 years later, it does the same—it exhorts us to think like Jesus and to use the gifts that God has given us for His glory.

Prayer for Illumination

A Christlike Attitude (1-6)

Our text starts with Peter connecting this passage with the previous passage. In v. 1, the “since therefore” clues us into this connection.

Just prior to this point, Peter speaks of the suffering that Jesus experienced on the cross. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous of the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” And he uses the suffering of Jesus as almost a launching point in v. 1 of ch. 4.

Since Jesus suffered in the flesh, “arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.”

We really have to pause here for a minute and just think through this verse because if we were to misunderstand this verse, it would give us the impression that if we suffered in the flesh, we wouldn’t sin at all.

But that calls into question all the various parts of Scripture written to believers that were struggling and suffering in the flesh and why the authors of those texts still taught them to seek holiness, reject sin, and pursue the fruits of the Spirit.

For instance, in 1 Peter 2 (just before our passage) Peter, who is writing to believers that are suffering in the flesh, tells them to “put away all malice and deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” Or in other words, he’s writing to people who are being persecuted physically and he’s still telling them to stop sinning—so 1 Peter 4:1 can’t mean that they absolutely won’t sin if they suffered physically.

Rather, we really have to focus on the phrase, “arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.”

Peter here, is focusing on suffering and he’s telling them that they need to change the way that they think about something, in particular.

Many commentators assume that he’s talking about suffering itself, but I’m going to argue that he’s actually talking about life itself and he’s utilizing the idea of suffering as a catalyst for the way of thinking that he’s telling them to adopt.

The idea at hand then is that when there’s suffering, there’s a fundamental change of mind; and it’s that fundamental change of mind that Peter wants all Christians to adopt because it results in a desire to stop sinning. This concept is expounded on in v. 2, “For whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.”

Did you catch what the fundamental change of mind is? Peter is calling the believers scattered abroad, to live for the rest of their lives no longer for human passion but rather for God, in the will of God.

It’s that fundamental change of mind that results not in a believer never struggling with the temptation to sin, but rather it results in the believer not wanting to continue in sin.

And what Peter is stating in v. 1 isn’t that believers who suffer aren’t capable of sinning, it’s that they no longer want to keep sinning because their focus isn’t on earthly things and their own passion, but rather in accomplishing the will of God.

Or in other words, when genuine believers experience genuine persecution, they lose their desire to keep sinning because their focus shifts to eternal issues.

And Peter is saying that all believers, regardless of if they’re suffering, ought to have this same state of mind—all believers should cease wanting to sin. It sounds like a given, but there are reasons for the Bible’s repeated statement concerning the rejection of sin and the putting on of righteousness.

The mindset that needs to change is that of no longer thinking just of our temporal lives and our earthly enjoyment, but rather thinking of eternity as our primary focus. It’s this change of mind that ends our desire to continue in sin.

Peter then continues by expounding on the issue at hand. What does he mean that those who suffer no longer live for human passions but the will of God? He compares how the unbelieving Gentiles live with how believers are to live in vv. 3-5, “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”

Peter makes a blunt statement concerning the things that Gentiles want to do—he says that “the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do.” Or if we were to use a more modern vernacular, we would say that our time to partake in the sins that unbelievers partake in was in the past—as a believer, it is no longer acceptable to continue in sin. What sins are in mind for Peter?

He lists them:

Living in sensuality, which is essentially the idea of living in sexual sin.

Passions, which refers primarily to lustful desire.

Drunkenness

Orgies

Drinking parties

And lawless idolatry

Note that this isn’t a comprehensive list of sins, these are just the sins that are on Peter’s mind at that moment and unsurprisingly, they’re sins that supersede any one culture or one time period.

And they happen to be sins that people indulge in the more they continue in their sinful desire. Sins that believers should not partake in and he emphasizes their lack of indulgence in v. 4.

Peter says that the unbelievers are surprised at their lack of desire to sin. “With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you.”

He uses some vivid imagery to describe the sorts of sins that the unbelieving Gentiles are partaking in—he calls them a “flood of debauchery.”

In the modern definition of debauchery, we understand this to mean an extreme indulgence in bodily pleasure, which can include pleasure in alcohol, drugs, and inappropriate sexual relationships.

In the more archaic definition of the word, Merriam-Webster says that debauchery is “seduction from virtue,” which is just as vivid as Peter’s initial statement concerning debauchery.

It is the sinful behavior of the unbelieving Gentiles that Peter calls “seduction from virtue” or the partaking of extreme indulgence.

Regardless of which definition you choose to focus on, the meaning is the same—the Gentiles are partaking in these sinful behaviors and they’re surprised that the Christians aren’t partaking in the same.

But they’re not just surprised, they use their lack of desire for sin as a reason to malign or attack them—to speak evil against them and be spitefully critical against them.

Or in other words, the sins that unbelieving Gentiles partake in ought not be a part of a believer’s life and unbelieving Gentiles should be surprised at the lack of sin in believers and they should malign believers for the manner of living that believers live.

But despite their behavior against believers and despite the way that they treat believers, Peter says in vv. 5-6, “But they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.” Regardless of how unbelievers respond to believers choosing to live without indulging in sin the reality is that they, just like believers, are accountable to the judge. And this judge is ready to judge all, which is why the gospel is proclaimed. That those who were dead in sin would repent and live in the spirit.

So, Peter has spent the first portion of this text explaining that those who genuinely believe ought to stop thinking the same way that unbelievers do when it comes to sin. In fact, those who have experienced actual persecution have already stopped thinking that continuing in sin is a viable idea. No, the very fact that you have been saved by Jesus Christ should compel you to live differently and reject sinful appetites and desires. Christians are to live contrary to those who don’t believe and they ought to develop a Christlike attitude concerning suffering, sin, and life in general.

He continues in vv. 7-11 by speaking about a fundamental change of behavior that ought to happen as a result of genuine belief in Jesus. He predicates this on the coming end times. Let’s re-read vv. 7-11.

Christlike Service (7-11)

1 Peter 4:7–11 ESV

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.

This section of the text builds on the fact that they are to think differently by expressing a way their changed thinking influences what they do (particularly within the local church).

He builds on the foundation of changed thinking and he predicates what he’s about to say on the fact that “the end of all things is at hand.”

Which is a statement that has held much weight even since the early days of the church—Christians have always been astutely aware of the imminence of Jesus’ return.

This is a right state of mind, especially concerning Scripture’s repeated admonitions to remember that Jesus will return “like a thief in the night” (1 Thess 5:2) through the clouds (Acts 1:11; Rev 1:7). It will be quick and it will be sudden.

Because of the quick and sudden nature of the return of Jesus Christ, there is perpetually a state of readiness that is to be expected.

Because of the sudden nature of the return of Jesus Christ, there are certain actions that Christians ought to take—you might assume that these actions would be extraordinary, but really they’re not extraordinary. Peter’s exhortation here is for them to continue doing the things that they were already supposed to do.

Martin Luther was once asked what he would do if the end came that day. He replied that he would plant a tree and pay his taxes—or put another way, he lived every day in light of the end, so he would do whatever the regularly appointed task was for that day.

Peter gives a series of things that ought be done by Christians in light of the truth that the end is near. Let me list them for you and then I’ll give a few comments about them:

He tells them to be self-controlled and sober-minded

The Bible speaks regularly of the need of being self-controlled—of being able to control yourself when life itself seems out-of-control or you don’t get your way. We’re told in Proverbs 25:28 “28 Like a city that is broken into and without walls So is a person who has no self-control over his spirit.” Paul tells Timothy that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Not to mention that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit according to Galatians 5:22-23.

Just as frequently, the Bible speaks of being sober-minded—or of being clear-headed or serious in thought. It literally means to not allow ourselves to be captivated by any type of influence that would lead us away from sound judgment. Peter will later on tell them to be sober-minded and watchful because their “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion.” Being sober-minded is closely tied to the idea of being steadfast because those who are steadfast on their faith tend to think clearly about everything else.

What might be unexpected is that Peter says that they are to be self-controlled and sober-minded “for the sake of [their] prayers.” There’s an additional reason for their self-control and sober-mindedness and v. 7 says it’s for their prayers, which might cause us to question how exactly these issues affect our prayer. And they affect prayer in two ways:

When we aren’t self-controlled or sober-minded, our prayers are all over the place. It’s difficult for us to pray seriously if we can’t think straight. So self-control and sober-mindedness help in that aspect.

But in addition, to be self-controlled and sober-minded requires us to be steadfast in our faith. Without that steadfastness, it’s rather difficult to be self-controlled and sober-minded because we’re like the man who built his house on sand. Thus our prayers are just as unstable. James 1:6-8 “6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

He exhorts them to love one another earnestly—which shouldn’t be surprising because Jesus Himself says that the two greatest commands are to love God and love others. Earnestly just implies that loving others is something that you strive to do. And in Peter’s statement in v. 8 loving earnestly is required because love covers a multitude of sin. Now notice, this is speaking from a humanly standpoint, he isn’t talking about atonement, but rather when believers love each other well, sins done against each other are often overlooked. That doesn’t mean that a person shouldn’t be held responsible or accountable for their behavior, but it means that genuine love has a tendency to forgive sin.

He reminds them to show hospitality to one another—hospitality is very much the idea of welcoming people into your home (of providing shelter, food, and even a good night’s rest) without seeking renumeration for such. Of course, there are limits to this, don’t think that this idea of hospitality is a never-ending system—The early church fathers had a limit to how long someone could stay and their thinking was that if anyone abused the hospitality system, then they weren’t to be accepted within the body. But if they aren’t abusing the system of hospitality then hospitality should be given without grumbling—without complaint.

Lastly, and we’re going to spend more time here because it is the point of this message, he tells them all to use their gifts to serve one another.

In light of the truth that the end of all things is at hand, they are to use all their gifts to serve each other, which sounds an awful lot like our passages in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12-14, doesn’t it?

Peter says in v. 10 that “as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” There are a few details that we need to unpack in v. 10:

First, we see that every believer receives at least one gift—and we know from 1 Corinthians 12 that each gift is given by the Holy Spirit for the common good of the church. We know from 1 Corinthians 14 and Romans 12 that every gift is utilized to build up the body of Jesus Christ, which is why the believers in 1 Peter are told to use them to serve one another.

Second, from the word steward, we can see that using our spiritual gifts aren’t optional and we don’t have ownership over our gifts. Steward in our modern-day usage of the word implies something a little different than what Scripture means.

A steward in our modern usage of the word typically refers to someone who might look after passengers on a ship or a train, or in the case of a large public event (sometimes), the supervisor for the event is called a steward.

Occasionally, we use the word steward in the same sense as the Bible’s use of the word. The one time that we use the word steward in the same sense that the Bible means for it to be used is when we speak of someone with a large house or estate hiring or employing someone to manage their property.

In this sense, what the Bible tells us in v. 10 is that God loans us these gifts for the purpose of building up His church. We are simply employed in managing the gift that has been given us. It is our role or our duty to use these gifts for His church and for His glory.

The idea that Peter is stating then is that to be a good steward of God’s grace, which in this instance refers to our spiritual gifts, we must use them.

But we have to use them in a specific way:

To be a good steward of God’s grace received by us as spiritual gifts, we need to use these gifts well—to the best of our ability and for the glory of God. V. 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.”

Note that Peter realizes that there are more gifts than speaking and serving, he’s using general categories to speak of all the spiritual gifts together rather than separating them. All the spiritual gifts fall into the categories of speaking and serving.

You might be wondering where I get the idea that the spiritual gifts are to be utilized to the best of our ability, so let me explain that: when Peter says “whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God” and when he says “whoever serves by the strength that God supplies,” he’s not saying that they’re actually speaking God’s Words (unless they’re reading directly from Scripture) and he isn’t saying that when people serve they actually have God’s strength.

What he’s saying is that those who speak need to speak with the seriousness of purpose which one would use if they were speaking God’s Word—that even when they aren’t speaking God’s Word directly, they take seriously everything they say, as if they were speaking God’s Words.

And what he’s saying is that those who serve need to serve with the seriousness of purpose which one would use if they had the strength of God—that even though they may not have God’s strength, they take seriously everything they do to serve as if they had God’s strength.

The point isn’t that those who use speaking gifts are literally saying God’s Word (unless they’re reading Scripture directly) or that those who serve literally have God’s strength to serve, but rather, Peter is emphasizing the seriousness of utilizing these gifts to the best of their abilities.

But note, that in making the assertion that to be good stewards, they have to use these gifts to the best of their abilities, he makes it clear that doing so is not to puff themselves up or get people to admire them—it’s all for God’s glory, “in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Perhaps an illustration would help drive home this point—if you were a cobbler by trade (a person that makes shoes; not a sweet dessert) and every day you went down to your shop to make more shoes, clearly, you would have to be skilled enough to make decent shoes. Otherwise, people would stop coming to your shop.

And perhaps you hear the Gospel, you repent of your sins, and you believe in Jesus. The very next day, you go back to your shop and keep making shoes, but you think to yourself, how can I make these shoes to the glory of God?

Some Christians would say that you should carve little crosses into the leather or imprint a Bible verse on the sole of the shoe.

But do you think God gets more glory from someone who carves little crosses and imprints Bible verses or from someone who does their very best and makes the best shoe they possibly can?

Does God get more glory when someone claims to be a believer but offers shoddy workmanship or when someone doesn’t necessarily need to say that he’s a Christian, but the unbeliever can see the difference in their workmanship?

Does God get glory from someone who claims to be gifted, but does shoddy work and never tries to improve? Or does He get more glory from someone who claims to be gifted, but realizes he can still improve and seeks to learn and grow?

It is not good stewardship to have a gift given by God for the purpose of building up the church and then:

Either not use it or not use it enough

Or to not seek to grow the gift in such a way that all God’s people can benefit from it.

Good stewardship of God’s spiritual gifts loaned to us require that we seek to use them, use them frequently, and continue to grow them in such a way that we benefit God’s people better. We are to use God’s gifts to the best of our ability for His glory and His glory alone—that’s what makes us a good steward of His gifts. But to get to this point, where we’re willing to use our gifts well and for His glory, there is a fundamental change of mind that needs to occur, which leads us this morning to our application.

Application

A Christlike Attitude (1-6)—in vv. 1-6, we see this call from Peter based on the suffering of Jesus in the flesh, to put on a different sort of thinking or a different attitude concerning sin, and really concerning life in general. He uses the example of suffering to show that those who have suffered in the flesh don’t typically have a concern about sin because they’re more concerned about eternity. The primary mindset then is that we really need to develop within us an eternal perspective—we need to be primarily focused on eternity and not only on the temporal, which is where our application starts as well:

Our tendency in life is to focus on the temporal—we are hyper-focused on this world and what’s happening now.

You can see it just in the way we live our lives:

When children are young, we focus on them enjoying their childhood.

When children become teenagers, the focus is then on them doing well in their education so that they can go on to have a good job.

When those young adults graduate and they enter into the workforce (whether that’s through a trade or another field) the idea is to enjoy life until they have children.

When they have children, the focus then is on making this life good for their children. And the cycle continues and continues.

For most people, it isn’t until or unless life becomes absolutely horrendous that they turn their focus on eternity and start seeking knowledge about God.

As people who claim to believe, your focus has already shifted towards things of eternity and Peter assures us that it’s proper to continue focusing on eternity.

So, ask yourself about your day-to-day life. As you go about your day and you live your life, what is your primary focus?

Are you living with only temporal concerns taking up your time and effort? Or are you living in light of the truth that you will spend eternity somewhere?

Developing a Christlike attitude is a practice of reorienting your thinking so that this momentary life isn’t all that you think of.

Rather, your focus is primarily on eternity.

And because your focus is primarily on eternity, the sins that unbelievers partake in are no longer enticing to you and the lifestyle that once seemed worthwhile is no longer worth the pursuit.

But if you find yourself in a part of your life where you’re more interested in the sins of unbelievers and you’re not interested in eternity whatsoever, then ask yourself why.

More than likely, either you don’t actually believe in Jesus or you don’t take your faith seriously enough to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

You are to arm yourselves with the same way of thinking—put off the old and put on the new.

Let me encourage you to consider where you’re at spiritually—are you more concerned with earthly matters or are you living your life focused on eternity?

If it’s the former, let me exhort you to repent and change your worldview.

If it’s the latter, let me encourage you to continue in the pursuit of living for eternity.

Make eternity your priority.

Christlike Service (7-11)—in vv.7-11, Peter then shows us a way that our change of focus or change of mind concerning eternal and temporal issues manifests itself within the local church and the first way that he shows us this change manifesting within the local church is through interpersonal relationships and through the use of spiritual gifts. And there’s one way in particular that I want us to apply this last section.

He calls them to be self-controlled, sober-minded, loving, and hospitable. All attributes that we are to strive for as well. We also are to be self-controlled, sober-minded, loving, and hospitable.

And truthfully, keeping these attributes in mind and striving to live in this way would eliminate a lot of interpersonal conflict both at home and within the local church.

Bickering, backbiting, irrational arguments, and infighting really wouldn’t be an issue of Christians sought to simply be self-controlled, sober-minded, loving, and hospitable.

Just being consistently focused on these attributes would make a significant difference in your life and the life of the local church, but that isn’t the primary application that I want us to focus on this morning (though it is an application that we ought to apply).

Instead, I want us to focus on the last part of the text in which he calls us all to be good stewards of God’s grace.

Throughout this series, I’m sure that you’ve taken time to reflect on your own spiritual giftedness. I’ve been intentional not to focus too much on the gifts themselves, but rather I’ve chosen to focus more on where the gifts come from, how we get them, and what they’re for.

I’ve been firm that the only way that you can determine what your spiritual gifts are is not through spiritual gift quizzes online, but rather coming into the local church and serving in whatever way that’s needed.

Or in other words, since the beginning of this series, my focus has been on convincing you to be good stewards of what God has given you and for you to seek to figure out what your gifts are, to develop them, and to use them for the growth of the local church.

Which brings me to the question that I want us to think on—are you a good steward of the gifts God has given you? Or are you wasting them?

Are you serving to the best of your ability? Are you speaking to the best of your ability?

Or are you flippant in your service to your King? Are you lackadaisical concerning your use of spiritual gifts for the local church and for the glory of God?

Your spiritual gifts were given to you by God through the Holy Spirit for the common good of the local church. Are you taking them seriously? Are you being a good steward for God’s glory?

Or do you need to repent and seek to learn your gifts through serving the church? Do you need to repent and start developing your gifts? Do you need to repent and begin glorifying God through the use of your gifts?

Be a good steward of your spiritual gifts—use them well for God’s glory.

1 Peter 4:1-11 teaches us that there is a need for us to change the way we think. (1) We need to think with an eternal perspective—one of the ways that our change of mind is manifested in life is by how we interact with other believers in the local church. We are to be self-controlled, sober-minded, loving, and hospitable; and (2) we are to use our spiritual gifts as good stewards for God’s glory.

Pastoral Prayer

Congregational Singing

I Will Glory in My Redeemer (196)