For those of us who have come to know His transforming power, who have been filled with His Spirit and have ongoing fellowship with Him it is not difficult to believe that God created this world and that will accomplish all He said He will do. I have a firm grip on this, it is truly embedded in my heart and I will not ever let it go. Could it truly be said that your priority in this life is the kingdom of God and His righteousness? 7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 1 Peter 4:8. His will ultimately be accomplished. * Indicated Required Field See our Privacy Policy. . He has just been quoting Old Testament words which speak of "the Lord" as "gracious," and he goes on, "to whom coming, as unto a living Stone." The more active we are in prayer, the more we acknowledge and recognize that without Jesus we can do nothing. Cancel. When you are living for the express purpose of advancing God's kingdom that will be what you talk about, what you spend your time pursuing and what you spend your money on. That's not the kind of relationship you have with your spouse and the relationship you have with God should be the most intimate relationship you have. 6 For in Scripture it says: If we truly believed it, the evidence of that belief would be that we would pray more. Living stones. We are called to be disciplined in our lives, intentional, living with the determination which says you are going to live for Christ. Go ahead and admit it. . He is the Vine, and we are the branches. NIV: New International Version . We need to understand this if we are going to believe the right things and live in consonance with those beliefs. The best defense is a strong offense. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. And yet, over and over we see this admonition to abstain from sin and to be different from the rest of the world. This is what the scripture says in Luke 18:7-8 where after the parable of the unrighteous judge Jesus says, "Now, shall not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 1 Peter 4:8 The charity about which St. Peter and St. Paul wrote is love; that love for each other, perfect, honest, intense (that is the word that brings out the true meaning of the original), which is the outcome of true and perfect love for God. While we are told that God will hear and answer our prayers, we really don't believe it. Browse Sermons on 1 Peter 2:4-8. Close. If you believe it, if you honestly hold it as truth, what difference should it make in how you view reality? The reality is that as long as we live in this fleshly body, we are going to have to struggle with temptation. Sermon A Survival Kit for Tough Times. Be ye sober-minded therefore, and be ye sober unto prayers.". Look at verse seven . The depth of your relationship with God will always be defined by your prayer life. The more prayer the deeper the relationship, the less prayer the more shallow the relationship. Yes, we all have friends with whom we can go weeks, or even months, without talking and you've heard people say about such friends, "They're such a good friend that we don't have to talk all the time. In other words, since He has not yet returned, and so much time has passed since He promised to return, we have a tendency to think He is not coming, at least not any time soon. Are you aware that God will hold you accountable for what you know? (Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.) Instead of living in order to fulfill our petty desires and lusts, we live with a higher purpose -- to live the rest of our earthly lives... for the will of God." Series: I Peter. . And (we pray!) For all practical purposes, they are living for the same temporal goals which define their lost neighbors. Talking to Jesus throughout the course of your everyday life in everything you do. Our Christian brothers and sisters around the world are undergoing intense persecution. This speaks to intentionality, to living on purpose, proactively not reactively. Peter's counsel is this, "Don't go through life in a spiritual stupor, as though you were drunk. We'd love to hear from you. Christian Challenge Sermon Ix: As The End Approaches Series Contributed by Charles Cunningham on Jul 15, 2020 | 789 views. Assess everything in your life through the lens of this truth: Jesus could come at any moment. This is not my word. In the name of toleration, many are seeking to silence Christians from preaching the unique claims of Christ. Allow me to suggest three things to do in response to this message: 1. Preached Sunday, April 7, 2013 from 1 Peter 2:4-8 Theme: We are to be built together upon Jesus Christ into a holy temple unto God. We have here incidentally a plain proof that to Peter, Jesus Christ was Divine. 4 Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God— 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. There is no question but that we are seeing the world change before our very eyes, and yet, as Peter will tell us in this powerful verse: God is still on His throne. Whenever we get together we seem to pick up wherever we left off.". God is on His throne, so whatever may happen to you here on earth, remember that it is not outside of God's control and someday He will make all things right. If you go to 1st Thessalonians 4 you find Paul instructing the Thessalonican Christians about the second coming. . ." In Romans 8:17, we are co-heirs with Christ. All of creation points, not only to the existence of God, but to His creative power and majesty. Introduction. 1 Peter 2:4, 5 (to "built up").. . Scripture: 1 Peter 4:9. I'm talking about a prayer life which defines your every move. You cannot be in an intimate relationship with someone when you fail to communicate with them. We who live for eternity, who have been adopted into the family of God by the blood of Jesus, we who know the Sovereign One who holds the world in His hands, we can live with hope because we know that this world and it's passions are passing away, but the one who does the will of God abides forever. We’re on a mission to change that. He is the Head of the body, the church. The word, "but," or "now" followed by Peter's assertion that the end of all things is at hand, points back to verse 5 which assures us of the judgment to come. 1 Peter 4:8, ESV: "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." It is rendered "sound judgment," in the New American Standard. This will put you at odds with the rest of the world. Peter has just told them, in the first part of this chapter, that those who live according to the will of God, no longer live for the fulfillment of the desires of the flesh. With their lives on the line because of their faith and having withstood so much for the sake of the gospel, Peter wants these Christians to recognize that the world is moving, not according to the vacillations of human rulers and their governments, but according to the eternal timetable of a sovereign God. 1 Peter - Everyman's NT Commentary - Verse by Verse Comments; G CAMPBELL MORGAN. . Peter is going to remind us of our identity in this section of scripture. He wants to render you ineffective for the kingdom of God here on earth. . Far too many people who call themselves Christians live as though they are not. Dennis Rokser . How to Be More Hospitable 1 Peter 4:9. all that God is for you in Christ explodes with faith, and joy, and love. Or simply put, he wants them to recognize that Jesus could return at any moment. 1 Peter 4:8 Context. ... 1 Peter 4:7 1 Peter 4:9. Prayer is the greatest resource available to every Christian and yet remains the most neglected discipline of the Christian life. The clear testimony of the New Testament is that the early church expected Jesus to return at any moment. For those who have repented of their sins and believe in Jesus. - powered by SermonAudio 1 Peter 4:8 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] 1 Peter 4:8, NIV: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." He says, "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints . Free shipping on books, Bibles, gifts, VBS and Church Supplies of $50 or more. Instead of living life unaware, like one who is drunk or ignorant of the reality of what is going on around them, we are to live disciplined lives and purposeful lives. And this naturally leads into the very next thing that he says in this verse . What are some of the privileges or honors that believers have as worshipers of God? Peter was a man who had a fervent love of his Lord, and the elderly apostle encourages us to let love be a dominant theme in all our lives. But there is a third reason he writes that the end of all things is at hand . 1 Peter 4:8, KJV: "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." . And He is … He serves as a trustee at Criswell College, and regularly contributes to Open Windows, a monthly LifeWay devotional publication. The other is the word "watchful," or "alert." 1 Peter 4:8 Devotional; MONERGISM. For whose agenda are you living? For Christians. That's always a good question to ask of a sermon, so what. We have a tendency to view our world in physical terms rather than in spiritual terms and we have made the mistake of separating the two. This is no time to give up; this is no time to be slothful or indulgent in the ways of the gentiles, as he has already said, they wasted too much of their lives before coming to Christ in this type of living. We should believe that Jesus will return because God says so, even if we cannot yet see it. But since the first generation of Christians passed off the scene, there has been a growing skepticism in the minds of many as to whether or not Jesus really will return. "As a result," Peter says, "he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God" (4:2). So what? There are many reasons for this but I would suggest four. When we take God at His word, specifically with respect to prayer, we live with the awareness that it is the spiritual realm where ultimate reality exists, this world is a shadow of the world to come and the power to change this world lies in the other. In order to give you the best understanding of this text possible, I want to read it to you form several different versions of scripture. Peter wrote this to encourage distraught believers. ", A literal rendering from the Greek would sound something like this, "Now of all things the end has drawn near. Let me explain. But if you are going to live above the fray of sin and temptation of this natural world, you are going to need supernatural power. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. What he wants to convey is that with the coming and completed work of the Messiah, namely His death, burial and resurrection, God had ushered in a new time period or as some like to say, a dispensation, which simply means a specific period of time. Paul said that Love was the greatest virtue (1 Co. 13:13; Ro 13:8). All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. ◄ 1 Peter 4:8 ► Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Usually I want to take a complete paragraph for each sermon, for in the original language, the paragraph was the only punctuation mark, in that it contained a complete thought. In our own country, there are those who would classify our preaching against sexual perversion as hate speech and if they have their way, prosecute us for merely reading certain passages of scripture. Learn more about us, listen to sermons, get service times, directions, contact information and more. I'm not talking about prayer that works like coffee breaks, where you set aside fifteen minutes three times a day. All three apostles agree that love is the supreme qualification of character for the Christian. Select an option and chat directly with a member of our support team. This passage, like our text this morning, was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God as a word of insight, both to those early Christians and to every generation of Christians since, telling them not to be foolish and think that just because it hasn't happen that it won't happen. unmute. Interestingly enough, if you are focused on doing the right things with your life, you'll naturally avoid doing many of the wrong things. Peter also knew the amazing grace and perfect peace that comes when sins are covered. Peter's has a three-fold purpose in writing verse seven. Your trusted source of Christian resources since 1891. As I read through this morning's text this last week, it struck me how extremely relevant this text is to the world in which we live. We like to think that we can do things on our own and are inclined to ask God for help only when it appears things are beyond our control. Bible Language English. The Bible instructs believers to examine themselves, but does it tell us to what extent or how often we should question our salvation? Please see below for details. So when he says that the end of all things is at hand, in essence he is saying that Jesus could return at any moment. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1 Peter 4:8 has transformed my life and my marriage. All faithful believers of all ages have looked forward to that day. KJ21. Scripture: 1 Peter 4:8. 1 Peter 4:8 Love Covering Sins; 1 Peter 4:11 The Motive of Our Lives; 1 Peter 4:12-14 Not So Strange; 1 Peter 4:1 Our Daily Homily; 1 Peter 4:13-16 Our Daily Homily; J R MILLER. Our problem lies elsewhere. He is author of, Romans 11:33–36 : From Him, Through Him, To Him. Jesus is in fact coming again; it's just that no one knows when. 1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply,love covers over a multitude of sins. It speaks to both what we are intentional about doing and what we are intentional about avoiding. Scriptures: 1 Peter 4:7. You watch his pen “draw out” meaning. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. Understanding this word, "near," or "at hand," is key to properly understanding everything Peter is saying with respect to the times. What is it that I am supposed to do in response to this sermon? When Jesus returns the sequence of events foretold in scripture will unfold and everything prophesied will come to fruition. Are you living for His return? Listen to what the apostle says in 2nd Peter 3:2-10a. 1 Peter 2:4-8. John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. Change Language {{#items}} {{local_title}} KJV "But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. God is on His throne, He has set His plan in motion from the beginning of time and in His time, when He wills, it will come to pass. Like verse 1, verse 7 begins with a conjunction, or a connecting word, which not only marks a new thought but ties this new thought to the one in the previous paragraph. One is the word translated "sober," by the King James Version. Sermons on 1 Peter 4:8. . 1 Peter 4:8 NIV. Let's call her Bonnie, but there are many people who could fit her description. How often do we fail to pray because we are walking in the flesh and not in the Spirit? 4 As you come to him, the living Stone —rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house [] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. If we really understood how helpless we are and how powerful prayer is, we would not attempt anything without first going to the throne of God. He is the Bread of life which we eat. In other words . Live intentionally for Christ and deliberately avoid falling into sin and temptation." God's has set the gears in motion and at some point, fixed in the mind of the Father alone, Jesus will return and all that has been foretold will come to pass. Which brings me to the second reason people are skeptical about the return of Christ, and this is the reason many Christians, while professing to believe that Christ will return, in truth do not live as though that is truly their belief. 1 Peter 4 Sermons in Mp3; JAMES MOFFATT. The word "therefore," again, ties this instruction about the second coming of Christ directly to the way we are supposed to comport ourselves in the meantime, between when He ascended and when He returns. Learn more about us, listen to sermons, get service times, directions, contact information and more. They will be caught off guard when He arrives. We come this morning to the end of our series on I Peter. Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Peter 4:8 Feb 2, 2016 The main difficulty with this passage is that it is another text which has been utterly mangled by those who seem to … This is the word of the Lord. Of course the answer is, "as many as necessary." To ensure you receive the best experience on Lifeway.com, we use cookies to process information about your visit. If we believe that Jesus could return at any moment; If we believe the testimony of scripture which tells us Jesus will return when people least expect Him to then that belief should drastically impact the way we live in the meantime. . 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. Christians in communist countries like China and North Korea are persecuted in unspeakable ways for their faith and in Muslim countries, converting to Christianity is often a capital offense. . You look at a Bible text on the screen. Want to get in touch? Temptation is a part of the life of every believer. This will not only put you at odds with the rest of the world, but sadly enough, it will put you at odds with many who call themselves Christians. Repent and believe in the gospel." True, they have a moral code which is better than that of the world around them, and yet, while there is a certain morality about them, it could not be said that they are living their lives to expand the Kingdom of God. But the clock started ticking when Jesus ascended and now it could happen any day. 1 Peter 4:1-8 Healthy Choices. You know 2020 | 789 views can just as easily destroy it and,. One another long as we live in the New Testament is that as as... 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