Intro

• A popular plot device in fiction (from comics to sci-fi novels to movies) is “how would people react if they knew that the end of the world was near and inevitable?”
  • Some people cower in despair just waiting for the end to come
  • Some practically bury their head in the sand and deny what is about to occur
  • Some decide to “live it up” and do things they wouldn’t normally do because they feel that there will be no consequences (“Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die!”)

• The apostle Peter, writing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, opens this paragraph of his letter with a pronouncement that the end is near
  • He follows this with instruction on how we should live in light of this
  • …and it isn’t about despair, denial, or self-indulgence

• (7a) Before we look at those instructions, what is meant by “the end of all things is at hand”?
  • After all, it’s been almost 2,000 years since he wrote this, and the universe is still here
  • The New Testament writers consistently speak of us as living in the last days
    • We are living during the final phase of God’s plan of redemption: The Savior has come and died for the sins of the world and risen again in glorious victory
    • Salvation is given to all who respond in faith as God draws them to himself
    • At any time, God could kick off that final whirlwind of prophesied events: holy judgments, worldwide gospel proclamation, salvation of many, the final purging of evil, destruction of this universe, and establishment of his eternal kingdom
  • i.e. This world is living on borrowed time: how do we make the best use of that time?

 (7) Be Self-Controlled

• In contrast to those who would see the end of the world as a chance to go wild, Peter urges alertness and self-control
  • An overindulgent “eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die” philosophy only makes sense if this present life and broken universe is all that there is
    • Our living hope says otherwise
    • We live in this broken, often hostile, world knowing that a glorious eternity is coming because of the relationship we have with God in Jesus Christ
  • If we live according to momentary sinful desires and/or the pressure of this world to conform to its way of thinking, we hinder our relationship with God right now
    • As he has done previously, Peter ties holy living to effective prayer
    • If we embrace sin as part of our lifestyle, our prayers go unheard (Psalm 66:18)
    • If we are caught up with trying to fit into society we can drift away from prayerful dependence on God’s will as we try to carve out our own place of acceptance, success, leisure, or power (James 4:2b-4)

• The words used to describe how we are supposed to live in light of the temporary nature of this world emphasize both alertness and restraint
  • We must be alert and discerning to not adopt or endorse sinful patterns of thinking and behavior…this is a huge temptation in the arena of politics across the political spectrum
    • “I agree with some of what this candidate/party stands for and think it’s important, so I indiscriminately embrace and defend everything about them”
    • Murder is defended as a “right to choose”
    • Perversion and sexual immorality are proudly celebrated as “diversity”
    • Insults and mockery of people made in God’s image are applauded as “telling it like it is”
    • Callousness and contempt toward the plight of the poor, the strangers, and the “least of these” is defended as “teaching personal responsibility”
    • Turning a blind eye and deaf ear to mistreatment and dehumanization of those who don’t share my faith, skin color, or nation of origin is passed off as “preserving our culture”
    • Any sin indulged in by “my guys” is justified because “your guys” did something worse… “my guy” is the only hope this country has
    • Be alert! Be sober-minded! Do not let your engagement with politics become idolatry or hypocrisy that harm your testimony and your walk with the Lord!
  • Not only do we keep alert against assimilating society’s sins, but we restrain ourselves from indulging in activities and attitudes that we know to be sinful
    • Even if it feels good and natural (the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked)
    • Even if it is politically expedient
    • Because we value our ongoing relationship with our Lord more highly than we value temporary pleasure or temporal power
  • Galatians 5:16-17 – We know that there is an ongoing struggle between our flesh and our Spirit-empowered new self
    • We are on the alert and must deliberately choose to be guided by the Spirit
    • We must not just let ourselves go with flow; we want to do what is pleasing to our God and valuable for eternity

(8-9) Love One Another

(8) Being led by the Spirit is also about demonstrating the fruit he produces, and the greatest of these is love

• John 13:35 – This is the characteristic by which others can recognize us as his followers

• 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – Biblical love is about willingly putting another person’s good ahead of our own and treating them how we would like to be treated
  • Wrapped up in this is a spirit of grace and forgiveness: does not keep a record of wrongs
  • True, earnest love relinquishes my right
    • to hold a grudge
    • to tell others about how you have wronged me 
    • to use your past sins as a bargaining chip 
    • to make you pay for what you’ve done
• James 5:19-20, Proverbs 10:12 – If I am in a position to gently try to help someone fallen into sin it is done with the goal of restoration and putting it behind them rather than shaming or settling scores
  • Note: this is not about sweeping serious harmful criminal behavior under the rug… we’re talking about everyday offenses between people
  • Earnest love means we are willing to let the offense die with us rather than allowing the sin to fester by keeping the resentment or conflict alive

(9) Love includes willingly using our resources to help our brothers and sisters

• With hospitality we think especially of opening our home to others
  • This would have been very important in the early church when there were no official church buildings & travelers often relied on staying with friends or family
  • While we have a church building and hotels, spending time together outside of regular church services continues to be an important part of fellowship and community
  • We appreciate people who open their homes to community groups and Bible studies or events like church picnic, youth group outings, or a Christmas party
  • It can be good to invite someone over for a meal just to get to know them better…we are supposed to be a community, not just a social club that meets once or twice per week

• We can broaden this to using not just our home but any of our resources (money, possessions) to help others
  • Everything that we have ultimately comes from God and belongs to him
  • How are we using the things he has temporarily entrusted to us?
    • Remember, the end is near…all your possessions are temporary…use them in light of the eternal glory that is coming
    • Jesus told more than one parable about using the things that we have right now for the glory of God & he promised rewards for those who serve faithfully (Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 16:1-8, Luke 19:11-27)

• This should be done willingly, not a result of arm-twisting or fear of what others might think if we don’t…it’s between us & God as a means of showing our love for him, and his love to others
  • cf. 2 Corinthians 9:7 where Paul gives instructions on collecting for the poor
  • There will be times where it takes wisdom to decide the best way to help someone
    • E.g. in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 Paul warns against supporting a lazy person who makes no effort to work (doing so encourages them in their sinful laziness)
    • Luke 6:30-31 – The overarching principle in Scripture is not a spirit that fears to be taken advantage of, but a willingness to help those in need
    • We must be prudent, but we must not allow a suspicious nature or a sense of moral superiority to become a constant excuse to avoid helping people in need

(10-11) Use Your Gifts

• (10) In addition to our possessions, we have been given gifts and talents for glorifying God
  • We glorify God through these gifts by serving one another
  • These gifts and talents can take a wide variety of forms
    • Romans 12:3-5 – Paul uses the analogy of a body made up of many parts that function in a variety of ways and urges people to function as God has gifted
    • 1 Corinthians 12:11 – All of these spiritual gifts come from the Holy Spirit who deliberately chooses what to give each person

• (11) Peter broadly divides the gifts into speaking and serving
  • You can find detailed lists in Ephesians 4:11, Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28
    • Those lists also include revelatory/sign gifts that eventually tapered off after all the apostles died and the Bible was complete and widely available
    • We looked at spiritual gifts in some detail about a year ago in Sunday school. If you would like a copy of the handout from that class, let me know.
  • Speaking gifts would include things like preaching/teaching, exhortation/counseling, evangelism
    • Basically: explaining what God’s Word means and how it applies to life
    • The admonition: if you serve in a speaking/teaching capacity, make sure that what you are saying accurately reflects the Words of God Himself
      • It must not be merely our own opinions & hobby horses with an occasional verse pulled out of context and slapped on as “proof”
      • It must not be motivational speaker style fluff that makes you feel energized and good about yourself but has little biblical content
      • It must accurately explain and apply the principles of God’s Word
      • Those of us with teaching roles must prayerfully seek to “rightly handle the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15)
  • Serving would include things like organization/administration, helping those in need, generous financial giving, visiting the afflicted, facility maintenance, etc.
    • Many serving roles are less public/noticeable than speaking roles but no less important for that…you don’t usually notice the function of your internal organs but you’re in big trouble if one stops working correctly!
    • Admonition: serve with all the strength that God has given you!
      • Use the expression of grace that was personally given to you by the Holy Spirit
      • Take advantage of opportunities to serve your brothers and sisters with the grace and love of God.

• How do I discover what my gifts are?
  • Try a variety of ministries
    • What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? Do you feel particularly burdened for a ministry that you just heard about?
    • Go outside your comfort zone…it might be something you never expected (teenage me never would have expected to stand up in front of people and teach every week)
  • Seek advice from mature Christians who know you well

• Focus on the area(s) where you are gifted and work whole-heartedly at it
  • Make it a high priority in your life (it’s not the first thing cut from your schedule)
  • Don’t use giftedness as an excuse to blow off helping in other areas where there is a genuine need and you have the time and ability to help

• As we serve together and serve one another, functioning as the body of Christ, it brings glory to God
  • We have the opportunity to show the world what the true love of God looks like
  • Even though non-retaliatory, self-sacrificing love might put us at a “disadvantage” in the power games of this world…
    • …we know that we belong to the One who ultimately has all glory and power
    • …we have the living hope that when this world ends, we have a share in his glorious eternal kingdom

Applications: how to live in light of “the end is near”

• Be self-controlled
  • Be on the alert against adopting sinful values, speech, & behavior
  • Resist giving in to sinful desires
• Love one another
  • Show grace and forgiveness
    • If you are holding a grudge against someone, take care of that today
    • Speak to them if it is something you need to talk over
    • Ask forgiveness if you are in the wrong
    • Let the offense die with you and never be brought up again
  • Use your home & possessions for fellowship and helping others
    • Invite someone over for dinner
    • Don’t be so suspicious that you never help anyone in need

• Use your gifts to serve God and others
  • Volunteer for Wednesday night ministries (talk to Karen Mitchell or Adam Rogers)
  • Financially support the Peru trip (talk to Paul Ask or anyone going on the trip)
  • Help set up/tear down/serve food/etc. for upcoming community events (talk to Pr. Tim)
  • Be ready to jump in and help wherever you see an opportunity…