1 Peter Study #11

“Living in Light of the Master’s Return”

1 Peter 4:7-11

Study #11 in 1 Peter Series

INTRODUCTION:

Some people work better when they are under a deadline. They need that added pressure to get them up and going and motivated to accomplish their goal. Just having a doomsday date marked on the calendar is the extra push that they need. I’m one of those people, or at least I used to be. In college I was just way too busy with working two jobs, dating, going to classes, etc. Writing assignments and final projects had a way of sneaking up on me. But seeing the due date marked on the calendar with flames and arrows around it helped to motivate me to make time to get the work done, to quit procrastinating and get down to business.  

TRANSITION:

In our text for this study Peter reminds us that the time is short, that Jesus could come back any day now, and we don’t want to be caught napping or goofing around. As Christians we have been commissioned by God to carry out certain responsibilities, to fulfill certain missions. We have been given our orders, but no timeline has been given, no deadline spelled out. For some of us that takes away the sense of urgency to stay busy doing the will of our Father. But Peter reminds us that the Master will indeed return. In fact, it might even be today, or tomorrow. We don’t know for sure, but he urges us to get back to work and quit lollygagging around.

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 7: The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.  

• “The end of all things is near” – Peter and the rest of the 1^st century Christians believed that the end of the world was near and that Jesus would soon return to take them home to be with Him and to judge the wicked. This was especially true of those who were experiencing persecution for their faith and their testimony. They kept questioning, “When, O Lord, will You appear and free us from our suffering?” But here we are, 2 millennia later, and Jesus has still not returned. This has caused some people to doubt the promises Jesus made and the veracity of the Scriptures. Peter himself will address this issue in 2 Peter 3:9. Listen to his explanation: “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” The apostle Paul weighed in on this question as well, in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”  
• “…therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.” – None of us knows when Jesus when will return or when the world will end. We just know, by faith, that these events will occur in God’s own perfect time. Throughout the centuries believers have been encouraged to live every day as if this might be THE DAY, their last day on earth. Peter says, “therefore, be of sound judgment.” That means, “keep your head about you and don’t run off half-cocked and act stupidly, thinking that Jesus is going to show up any minute.” We are enjoined in Scripture to live wisely, soberly, redeeming the time, making every minute count for the Kingdom, and buying up every opportunity to share the Gospel. But we should not be like those early Adventists who sold their houses and properties and went out to the fields in their white robes to await His appearing. No, we are to keep busy, going about our work, being faithful every day with the intention that if He should come today, He will find us working in His harvest field, doing what He has told us to do.
• “…be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.” – The knowledge that Jesus could return today should drive us not to frenzy or fear but to increased serious, watchful prayer, preparing our hearts and minds for the return of Jesus Christ. But this also means carefully watching ourselves and keeping an eye on the world around us, constantly measuring our readiness for Christ’s return.  

Verse 8: Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

• “Above all…” – Peter’s words here remind me of what Paul wrote in Colossians 3:12-14. In that context Paul is urging the Colossian believers to “put off” the old sinful works of the flesh and to “put on the new self” since they are new creations in Christ. Then he come to verses 12-14, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. ¹⁴ Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” These words, “beyond all things” means over the top of all the other layers, the way we put on an overcoat as the last piece of clothing, tying the whole ensemble together, being the most visible garment because it is the one on the outside. Paul lists a bunch of beautiful Christian virtues that should identify each one of us. Each one is like a layer of clothing. But then he says, “Above all these, beyond these, over the top of all these” put on love which unifies the whole outfit.
• Here in 1 Peter 4:8 our friend Peter is saying the same thing, “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another.” In other words, make love the priority in dealing with people, especially those in the Family of God. And “keep fervent” means to stay intent, earnestly, persistently, not giving up. Peter uses the Greek word ἐκτενής (ektenēs), which literally means “stretched out.” Some people are hard to love, so it stretches us. We really have to work at it. Sometimes it stretches us almost to the snapping point. We reach out thinking we’ve reached about as far as we can go. But Peter comes along and says, “Stretch a little farther, love a little more. Come on, you can do it.”  
• “…because love covers a multitude of sins.” – Indeed, this is true. When we love someone, we can overlook many of their little character flaws, foibles, and idiosyncrasies. Married people must learn this if they want to have a long happy marriage. Otherwise, they will pick each other apart like fighting cocks. The same holds true in the Body of Christ. We are all imperfect people, beloved of God, and in the process of being made perfect. But that process will only reach completion when we walk through Heaven’s gate. Meanwhile, we must learn to love one another, warts and all, and to forgive one another’s imperfections. In a loving church fellowship, many small offences, and even some big ones can be overlooked or forgiven and forgotten. But if there is a lack of love, every action and every word can end up being misunderstood and causing division in the Body.

Verse 9: Be hospitable to one another without complaint. 

• “Be hospitable to one another” – The Greek word for hospitable is φιλόξενος (philóxenos), which literally means “loving guests or strangers.” If you love guests and are fond of having visitors into your home and serving them, then you just might have the spiritual gift of hospitality, which is absolutely wonderful. But how about those of us who don’t have that particular spiritual gift? We sweat bullets at the thought of people dropping by without advance notice, for fear that they’ll catch us at a bad time when our house is a mess. Here Peter makes this a command, an order. Whether or not we have the gift we are commanded to practice hospitality toward one another.
• “…without complaint.” – Moreover, we are to practice hospitality without moaning and groaning about it. Peter says, “Stop you bellyaching! Just do it!” Even if your home is plain and simple, and maybe even a little messy, if it’s filled with love and the presence of the Lord Jesus it can be a refuge from which to minister to other people. And if we are really being honest, our discomfort at the thought of someone seeing our home in its “natural state” is really just an issue of pride. We worry about what people will think of us if they see our things in a mess. That’s our pride showing and we need to confess it to God and repent of it.

Verse 10: As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

• “As each one has received a special gift,” – This letter was written to Christians, so the “each one” must be understood to mean “each believer.” Peter is not applying this to humanity in general. Non-believers do not receive spiritual gifts from God.
• “…has received a special gift,” – This passage goes hand and hand with Paul’s teaching about spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14. According to God’s Word every true Christian has received at conversion at least one spiritual gift or special enabling, graciously given by God through the Holy Spirit, to enable us to serve God and to edify and bless others in the Body of Christ, the church. Some have tried to take all the various N.T. passages that teach about spiritual gifts and compile a master list of all the possible options. Then they hold classes and seminars with surveys and questionnaires to try and figure out exactly which gift a person might have. I don’t find that helpful. I believe we discover our gift(s) through serving in the Body and observing what gives us joy and results in fruitfulness and blessing.
• “…employ it is serving one another” – To “employ it” means to “use it.” Like muscles that need exercise lest they atrophy, spiritual gifts need to be put to work for them to fully develop and grow strong. And Peter is specific in saying, “use them to serve others.” The spiritual gifts are not little treasures that we can hoard and hide away, just taking them out once in a while to admire them. They are not like Gollum’s “my precious.” No! They are to be used primarily to bless and help and serve others in church.   
• “…as good stewards” – Stewards are trusted servants that have been put in charge of the safety and wise investment of their Master’s wealth and possessions. The main qualifications for a steward are honesty, wisdom, selflessness, diligence, and faithfulness. In the context, Peter says that we should demonstrate these qualities in our service toward members of the Body of Christ.   
• “…of the manifold grace of God.” – This phrase describes what we are stewarding. God has graciously given us gifts to pass on to others. We are to be conduits through which the grace of God can pass on its way to others. Unfortunately, more often than not we see ourselves as reservoirs or storage tanks where the grace just accumulates, blessing no one but ourselves. In describing the grace of God Peter employs the adjective ποικίλος (poikílos), which means “many colored, variegated.” It’s the word that describes the flashing colors that can be seen from the facets of a diamond as it reflects the light. The grace of God comes in endless variety, but it is all beautiful and awesome to see and experience. You and I are to be stewards of this grace, looking for ways to share it with others that they might be blessed and that the church might be edified.

Verse 11: Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.  

• “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God;” – Continuing with this topic of spiritual gifts, Peter gets into some specifics. Spiritual gifts seem to fall into two categories: (1) speaking gifts, and (2) serving gifts. Into the first category we might put gifts like preaching, teaching, exhortation, prophecy, and evangelism. The serving gifts are things like hospitality, administration, mercy, helps, giving, faith, discernment, etc. One is not better than the other, they are just different. All the gifts have the same goals: to glorify God, to bless and strengthen believers, and to build up the church. Here Peter urges those with speaking gifts to always remember that they are to be speaking God’s eternal truths, not their own thoughts and ideas. It is an awesome weight of responsibility to be a preacher of God’s Word and to stand behind a pulpit to declare, “Thus saith the Lord.”
• “…whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies;” – Likewise, those with serving gifts must recognize that they must serve in the Lord’s strength, and not their own. God will supply the strength to do the work that He has called us to perform, but we must learn to rely on Him and to do it in the “power of His might.” If we try to serve in our own strength the results will be anemic and fleeting. When we rely on Him the results will last and continue to bear fruit.   
• “…so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,” – Here Peter lays out the goal for all the gifts; namely, that whether we speak or serve we do it all to the glory of God. In this Peter is in perfect agreement with Paul words in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”    
• “…to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” – Peter gets carried away with the awesomeness of this thought, that we have the privilege to serve the King of kings and Lord of lords. That kind of servitude is not drudgery, is not tiresome, and is not demeaning. It is an honor of the highest order. This thought leads him to offer up a paean of praise to the Father and the Son.

CONCLUSION:

If you were told by your doctor that you only have one week to live, maybe less, how would that information change your schedule over the next few days? Would you do anything differently? Is there something you would stop doing? Are there things you would definitely do as priorities? Would you change your diet? Are there letters you would write, or phone calls you would make? Are there people you would thank? Are there financial loose ends that you would tie up?

In these verses Peter is urging us to begin living as though our days were numbered, as though we were really in the Last Days, because in fact, we might just be. None of us knows when Jesus will return. It could easily be today. He urges us to use every opportunity to love others and to serve them while we still have a chance. Believing that the time is short he encourages us to look for ways to show kindness and to minister to others in the Body through kind words and loving deeds, using our speaking gifts and our serving gifts to benefit our brothers and sisters in Christ.

So, I ask you again, if you knew that Jesus was going to return a week from Friday would that fact change your schedule, your calendar, your agenda, your priorities, and your to-do list?

To be honest there are things I have put off, sins I have not confessed, people I have not spoken with, issues I have skirted around, and forgiveness I have not asked for, always procrastinating, thinking I still have plenty of time. Now friends, if you’ll excuse me, there are some things I need to go deal with.