One for the road. Good morning again. Come on. I was up till 1.30 in the morning. Good morning. Good morning. Okay. Thank you, Tom. Thank you very much. Hey, if my voice cracks today like a junior high school girl, We did some outreach on Friday night. We went to the Quickie Mart. If any of you have ever watched The Simpsons, and if you nod your head, then I'll ask you why. But the 7-Eleven Corporation, sponsoring the new Simpsons movie that just came out, they decorated some of their stores like the Quickie Mart, which is a convenience store in the in the Simpsons TV show and so there were people lined up outside waiting to buy their powdered donuts for twice the normal price because it said something about Krusty or something, I don't know. So we set up shop and did some open-air preaching outside the 7-Eleven and The security guard was befuddled by seeing this strange guy standing on a box on the sidewalk outside of this line of people. And so he comes running over and he says, are you with the Simpsons? Let me assure you, young squire, I am not with the Simpsons. Are you with the 7-Eleven Corporation? Oh, no, no, I don't work for them either. What are you doing? We're preaching. Well, I don't think you can do that here. The 7-Eleven Corporation owns the sidewalk. Oh, did he say that to the wrong guy? Oh, man. And I said, well, go ahead and call corporate. I wasn't expecting anyone from Atlantic Richfield to actually come all the way out to Burbank, California to the Kwik-E-Mart to stop me from preaching. So what the 7-Eleven store did is they brought the line of people inside the store to try to protect them from us, I guess. I don't know. But we ended up handing out several hundred gospel tracts to the people making their way in and out of the store. And then once the line died down, we moved over to the Burbank Town Center, where I got to open and preach over some street musicians. And so I don't have much of a voice left. But I did have a great conversation with three 13-year-old boys, a Roman Catholic, an atheist, and a Hindu. And it's the same gospel, no matter who you're talking to. So anyways, enough about my voice. Open your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 4. Now I know, before you all go, not 1 Peter again. I know that many moons ago, Pastor Ron taught verse by verse through 1 Peter. And it was many moons ago because we've been in Philippians for a little while now. A little while. We started coming to the church in 2002 and I think we were in Philippians then. Which is a good thing. We're digging deep. But Pastor Ron has often said, you know, pastors wouldn't have to repeat sermons if everybody was obeying what the Word of God says. So, since it's been a while since we've been in 1 Peter, I thought we'd spend a little time there this week and next week. We're going to be in 1 Peter chapter 4. You thought I was going to say 1 Peter 1.1 and we were going to go all the way through the book. No. No. We can if you'd like. No. We're going to be in 1 Peter chapter 4. This week we're going to be covering verses 7 through 11, and then next week we'll cover verses 12 through 19. This morning's message is entitled, How Should We Live in Light of the Coming End? Kind of an ominous title, but it shouldn't be, not for us followers of Christ. Richard Baxter, if that name's not familiar to you, he was a great theologian and Puritan preacher in 17th century England. And he said this about his own preaching. He wrote, quote, I preached as never sure to preach again and as a dying man to dying men. And that's that's how I feel this morning and about this week and next week and and I'm not real melodramatic by nature unless you ask my girls. And I'm not trying to be melodramatic by saying this, but so important and so urgent is the call and the passage that we're going to look at this morning that I have been praying that God will allow me to preach this week and next week as if I would never preach again. As if I was a dying man preaching to dying men. Now, for those of you who know me well, what I'm about to say probably won't surprise you. I really don't care if your ears are tickled this morning. I don't. In fact, I pray that they're not. I don't care if you walk away this morning with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Now, do I want you to be encouraged? Absolutely. And as followers of Christ, how can we not be encouraged by digging into the Word of God? We should all come away from God's Word this morning encouraged. But of far greater importance to me this morning is that we come away from our time in God's Word, not only understanding it, but determined to walk in obedience to its commands and its precepts. Otherwise, we are utterly wasting our time and we are playing church. And my confidence in all of you is that none of you want to waste your time and play church this morning. So with that in mind, allow me to further set the tone for our time in God's word this morning by asking the following questions. Are you expecting the Lord to return at any moment? Now, well, I'm glad some of you are saying yes. Now listen to what I said. I didn't say, are you hoping that the Lord would return at any moment? I asked you if you are expecting the Lord to return at any moment. Are you living your life as one who expects to be in heaven soon or as someone who fully expects to live a very long life here on earth? Do you agree with the Apostle Paul when he wrote in 2nd Corinthians 5a, We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. What would you really prefer? to be here or to be in the presence of the Lord? Would a Christ-less heaven matter to you? In other words, if you can be assured of going to heaven without the certainty of Jesus Christ being there, would you still want to go? And if your answer to that question is yes, then the likelihood is that you don't know Christ. And that you are a false convert. What are you doing to prepare for the Lord's imminent return. Are you working hard to receive and enjoy as much out of this life as you possibly can, somehow thinking that you will miss something if you don't? Or are you devoting your time, your energy, and your resources preparing to stand in the presence of God Almighty? And just as important, are you warning and encouraging others to do the same? And when did you last think of these things? Have you ever thought of such things? Well, we're going to this morning. Peter gives us no choice but to consider these things and others as we read and study 1 Peter 4, 7 through 11. Now, your Bible should be open. I'm going to be reading out of the New American Standard Version. I would imagine there are a number of different translations among us this morning. For me, when someone's reading the Word of God to me, if I'm trying to follow along the written text in a different translation, I miss something. I just don't multitask well, I guess. If you're like me, you might just want to listen to what the Word of God says. Otherwise, follow along as I read. I'm going to read all of 1 Peter 4 for context. God's Word. For the time already passed is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lust, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In all this they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you. But they will give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For the gospel has for this purpose been preached, even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God. The end of all things is near. Therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards in a manifold grace of God. 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 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. Beloved, do not be surprised. at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you, but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or troublesome meddler. But if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. And if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right." God's Word. This morning, we're going to try to answer the following question. How should we live in light of the coming end? God's Word, always being profitable, gives us three areas of thought and conduct from which we can answer that all-important question. In the first part of verse 7, we are given a Christian perspective. In the second part of verse 7 through the first part of verse 11, we're made aware of what our Christian duty is. And in the last part of verse 11, we are reminded of our Christian goal. If we live with the right perspective, if we fulfill our Christian duty, if we keep our eyes focused on our ultimate Christian goal, we can live as people who are ready for the coming end. So let's begin by considering the Christian perspective. Peter begins verse 7 with a phrase which at first glance may seem like a rather ominous warning. But to the genuine follower of Christ, we shouldn't see it that way. The Christian should and can read these words with great hope and anticipation. Peter writes, the end of all things is near. Now, understandably, our eyes are probably immediately drawn to the first two words, the end. And these two words are translated from the Greek phrase, totelos. In the words, the end, they imply the completion of history, but even more importantly, they speak about the goal of history. the goal of history. John MacArthur wrote this, quote, having emphasized triumphant suffering through death in verses one through six, Peter here begins to emphasize triumphant suffering through the second coming of Christ, which is the goal of all things. He is calling believers to live obediently and expectantly in the light of Christ's return, end quote. Now the time of Christ's victorious suffering has already been fulfilled through His death and His glorious resurrection on the cross. And the end, the consummation, the triumphant goal of all things is imminent and will be fulfilled through the glorious return of Jesus Christ. That's good news. And to emphasize this point, Peter specifically states that the end is near. That the end is near. The end being near literally means that the end is impending. that the end has already drawn near, that the end is in a position to literally break down a door, to break in. Having served a number of search warrants during my career, I can attest to the fact that some of the most intense moments during the execution of a search warrant are the milliseconds before you ram or kick a door. The law requires that officers provide what's called a knock and notice before we make forcibly entry into a location, before we, if necessary, break down the door. We have to let people know we're coming. I remember the sense of anticipation as my team got suited up and made our way to the location. The end of all the careful preparation was near, and we would quietly make our way to the front door, each of us having our assigned positions in line, each of us having our specific areas of responsibility. There was no turning back now. The time had drawn near. We were in position, and making entry into the location was imminent. We would pound on the door. Sheriff's Department search warrant, momentary pause, bam, the door would go down. Oh, I had so much fun doing that. I'd invite you all to try it, but there are certain legal requirements involved. You actually have to wear a gun and a badge to be able to do things like that, but it was fun. Now, what I just shared with you was, granted, just a brief snapshot of a search warrant from the perspective of a deputy sheriff standing outside the door. Let me assure you that the perspective is quite different for those inside the house. And the perspective of the Christian, in light of the reality of Christ's imminent return, should be like that of a person inside a house who, looking out the window, sees a half a dozen deputy sheriffs clad in Kevlar entry gear rushing toward the door. We shouldn't stand there peeking out the window going, I wonder if they're coming in. No, we should expect the entry to be imminent. Now, whether you see those same deputy sheriffs through the eyes of a guilty criminal or an innocent person is something we will discuss in a little while. But the Christian's perspective, in light of what Peter writes, the end of all things is near, should be this. The return of Jesus Christ is so near, we should not wonder if and when he will return. We should live with the reasonable anticipation and excitement that today is the day. That's how we should live. We should live as people who are ready for His return and we should live as people who are deeply concerned that others are ready for His return. Now such a faith-filled biblical hope will not bring us to the point of making faulty and sinful predictions about His return the way false prophets and religions like Jehovah's Witnesses have done over the years. Instead, we will live as people who are on the alert. And this is what Jesus said, Mark 13, 35-37, Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, at cock crowing, or in the morning, lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you, I say to all, be on the alert. So how should we live in light of the coming end? We should live as people who expect the Lord's return to happen at any moment. And for the purpose of mutual accountability, let me ask you this. If you are living with the perspective that the end of all things is near, if you are living with the perspective that the Lord could return at any moment, then with whom have you shared the law and the gospel in the last 24 hours? In the last week? The last month? The last year? Ever? Something to think about, isn't it? Now, this is a drum I bang a lot, and some of you may be tired of it, but I'm over it already, so you're just gonna have to deal with it again. Should we make friends with unbelievers? Come on, should we make friends with unbelievers? Absolutely. Should we try to develop relationships with our unbelieving friends, family members, co-workers, strangers on the street? Yes. Okay. And that's true, and I agree. But if we're living as people who are expecting the Lord to return at any moment, why do some of us operate under the belief that we should wait two or three years to develop a relationship to have the right to tell someone about the gospel if we're expecting the Lord to return today? Think about it. If we're expecting, if we're living as Christians should live, expecting the Lord to return at any moment, why do we find peace and solace in sitting back on our haunches and waiting months and years to get up the courage to tell somebody about Jesus Christ? Are we thinking about them? Or are we just thinking about us? Okay, selfish. Yeah, maybe so. But there's a conflict there. If we say that we're expecting the Lord to return at any moment, then our heart's desire should be to share with people at every moment. And we should care so much about the people we're trying to establish relationship with, and the people that we just see milling about and walking up and down the street. We should love and care for them so much, believing that Christ is going to return at any moment, that we are warning and encouraging them to obey the gospel and repent and believe the gospel right now. Not years from now, not if we're expecting the Lord to return today. Something to think about. Now, having given sound instruction regarding what the Christian's perspective should be in light of the coming end, Peter jumps into presenting a quick-fire list of commandments every Christian must obey in order to meet the demands of the Christian's duty. Every Christian must be of sound judgment. Every Christian must be of sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Every Christian must keep fervent in his or her love for other genuine followers of Jesus Christ and be hospitable to his or her brothers and sisters in Christ. Every Christian must employ the spiritual gift or gifts which they have graciously received from the Holy Spirit for the purpose of serving their Christian brethren and for bringing honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, in light of Christ's imminent return, every Christian must be controlled by sound judgment. And this phrase, be of sound judgment, literally means to be in one's right mind, to exercise self-control, to have a reasonable estimation of oneself, and to curb one's own passions. Now, here are a couple of passages that speak directly to sound judgment. Write these down. It's Romans 12, 1-3. Romans 12, 1-3. And Ephesians 4, 21-24. Ephesians 4, 21-24. Romans 12, 1-3 tells us this, I urge you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me, I say to every man among you, not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith." And then in Ephesians 4, 21 to 24, If indeed you have heard him and have been taught in him, just as truth is in Jesus, that in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth. It is our God-given duty in these last days to be of sound judgment in all things. I. Howard Marshall wrote that being of sound judgment, quote, carries the idea of maintaining a sense of proportion and keeping one's head despite the dangers and fears of the time. fear and worry stimulated by persecution can easily lead to hasty and ill-conceived judgments. Now, am I the only one in this place of worship who has made a quick decision when I was scared or worried or upset and found out later that, oh, that was a mistake? Anybody? Yeah? Yeah. Sometimes we can Strike out and make a hasty decision because we see the circumstances around us. We weigh all the pros and the cons. We determine that we are going to do what we want to do and what we think is best at the moment. We don't spend any time in prayer. We don't seek counsel or we ignore the counsel we receive because it's not what we want to hear. And then we strike out and then a year later we come back, I can't believe I did that. Yeah, because we weren't operating with sound judgment. Now, being of sound judgment means that we are serious in our thinking. It doesn't mean that we walk around brooding, or sulking, or worrying, or like the little schlep-walk character in the old Flintstone cartoons, the little black-clothed little troll that walked around with a black cloud hovering over their head. Am I the only one that remembers that guy? Oh, good, there's a couple of you my age. Okay. He was a funny character. But anyways, to be serious in our thinking doesn't have that picture. Rather, it means that we do not allow our fallible emotions to determine our actions. It means that we do not allow our fallible perceptions of our circumstances to determine our level of obedience. We live and operate by faith and not by sight. We press on and obey the Word of God even if we don't understand every jot and tittle, every verse. We press on and follow Christ even if the outcome is uncertain. We operate with sound judgment. The second command Peter gives us for the purpose of fulfilling our Christian duty is to be of sober spirit. Peter is commanding his readers and us to exercise self-control in every area of their lives and to remain alert. Now, I spent a good deal of my patrol career hunting and arresting drunk drivers. I loved to arrest drunk drivers. They were murderers waiting for someone to murder, as far as I was concerned. And having pulled over a suspected drunk driver and having begun the field sobriety test, it didn't take me very long to determine that the person standing in front of me was not very alert. They could not follow simple instructions. They couldn't complete simple tasks. They couldn't multitask. They exhibited short-term memory loss, and that was usually a convenient memory loss. How many beers did you have? Oh, I can't remember, Deputy. They were drunk. And because of their intoxication, they lacked the basic necessities to safely operate a motor vehicle. They were not alert. Their ability to pay attention to what was going on around them was impaired. They were a danger to themselves and to others. Likewise, the Christian who is not alert, who because of fear and worry and sinful behavior, lacks the ability to see what is going on around them in both a spiritual and physical sense. Their powers of observation are lacking, and as a result, they do not have the right spiritual perspective, particularly as it pertains to the coming end of all things. They are not alert. They are not alert. And God, through His Word, graciously gives us the reason why we must remain of sound judgment and of sober spirit. The reason is so that we can have unhindered communion with God and so that we can petition our Heavenly Father on behalf of others and ourselves through the power of prayer. Christians, though, are often too drunk to enjoy any meaningful time in prayer with their Heavenly Father. No, I'm not talking about being drunk on strong drink or on drugs. Christians are often too drunk with worry and fear to enjoy wonderful time with prayer in the Lord. I've experienced that in my life. Something else I noticed about drunk drivers and drunks in general is that they are very boisterous. They're noisy people. They talk very loud, and they never stop talking. They continually have something to say, and nothing short of a tightly fitting muzzle is going to keep them from telling you how they feel, what they think, and what they want from you. And when I had a drunk in the backseat of my car, I could not get to the station quick enough to unload that person, get them booked, and go out and look for the next one. Christians who are drunk with worry and fear do the same thing. We do. If they pray, if they pray, they spend most of their time with a very loud spiritual voice telling God how they feel, what they think, and what they want from Him. And when they don't receive an instantaneous positive response, then they talk even louder, adding whining and sniveling to their expressed feelings, thoughts, and desires. And it's not uncommon for people to email me or call me in what can best be described as a state of spiritual panic. God's not answering my prayers. God isn't listening. I'm done praying. It doesn't work. That's what people tell me. The first thing I say to them is that answered prayer comes first and foremost as a result of being in a right relationship with God. That is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ. One must, by the power and leading of the Holy Spirit, humbly come before the Lord in repentance, a genuine desire to turn away from their sinfulness and submit to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Unless one is born again, he or she will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven, nor will they have communion and communication with the King of Heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you do not have a right relationship with Jesus Christ, you have no prayer life. Oh, you can pray, but you're praying to yourself because nobody is listening. I talked to a lot of people on the streets. The majority of unbelievers I talked to on the streets professed to be Christians. They prayed a prayer, they walked an aisle, they go to church. But standing there talking to them, what's coming out of their mouth what they say they believe, how they're acting, how they balk at the Word of God. It's obvious that the person standing in front of me is not a follower of Jesus Christ. But they say, oh, no, no, no, no, no, I have a relationship with God because I pray every day. Really? So I'll pose this scenario to them and it might apply to someone here this morning. I'll ask the person, do you have a good relationship with your mom or your dad? And I always ask mom or dad, because I never know. I'm talking to a stranger. And if they say, oh yeah, I have a good relationship with my dad. I love my dad. Okay, great. Let's say you came home late one night. Your dad was sitting up waiting for you. And you walk in the door and you say, dad, I need to have a conversation with you. Have a seat. And you tell your dad to sit down. Your dad being a patient man, he sits down. Don't get any ideas, young ladies. It's tough being in the front row. So, Dad sits down and you, the person I'm talking to, and maybe I'm talking to someone here, you say, Dad, first of all, I want to tell you that I love you. I love you, Dad. But I want you to have nothing to do with my life. You stay at arm's length or farther away from me. You're not the boss of me. I'm my own person. I will do what I want to do. I don't have to obey your commands. I'm not under your roof. anymore. You stay at arm's length. But if I need something, I'm going to call. If I want something, I'm going to call. And you better pick up the phone, Dad. And you better give me what I want. And if you don't give me what I want, well, I'm going to be even more angry with you than I am right now. And we're going to even be farther apart. It'll be your fault. So you stay out of my life. You answer when I call. And by the way, Dad, I love you. Yeah, that's what I'll say to them. And they will have this perplexed look on their face, but there will also be another look on their face. They know where this is going. And I'll say to them, look, you don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ. You're keeping God at arm's length. You're not obeying His commands, but yet you expect Him to answer your prayers. If you had that kind of conversation with your dad, do you think your dad would believe that you love him? No. Do you think your dad's actually obligated to pick up the phone? No. And the same is true with you if you do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. You might be praying, but you're praying to yourself. And when I receive these kinds of emails or phone calls or I'm having these conversations and I've determined to the best that I can what kind of person is standing in front of me, is this a follower of Jesus Christ who is struggling in sin and in disobedience or is this a false convert or an unbeliever, someone who doesn't know Christ. And once I've made that determination, if I'm talking to a Christian, the next thing I tell them to do is to be quiet. The psalmist wrote, Psalm 4610, cease striving and know that I am God. The phrase cease striving can also be translated from the Hebrew as let go or relax. And Paul wrote in Philippians 4, 6 and 7, be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your request be made known to God and the peace of God, which will surpass all comprehension will guard your hearts. in your minds in Christ Jesus. If we are in a constant state of panic or worry, if we do not possess and exercise sound judgment, if we are not functioning with a sober spirit, then our prayer life will be in shambles. It will be chaos. It will be a noisy thing. We might pray often, but our prayer life will be so noisy and so me-oriented that we make it impossible to hear from the Lord. As he ministers to our hearts and he speaks to our consciences and encourages us through his word, Peter is not suggesting that one cannot pray without sound judgment or a sober spirit. What he is saying is that without these important character traits, our prayers will be ineffective, noisy, and futile exercises. So now having squared away his reader's thinking regarding their own hearts and minds, he shifts the focus to how believers should behave around one another. And he begins by stressing the most important characteristic of biblical fellowship. Peter writes, above all, keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins. And Peter and Paul are in total agreement Paul wrote this 1st Corinthians 13 verses 1 to 2 and verse 13 write that down 1st Corinthians 13 verses 1 to 2 and verse 13 if I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but do not have love I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal if I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge and I if I have all faith so it's remove mountains but do not have love I am nothing But now, faith, hope, love, abide these three, but the greatest of these is love. Paul also wrote in Philippians 2, 2, make my joy complete, being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit and ten on one purpose. And then in Colossians 3, 14, he wrote, beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. We, as genuine followers of Jesus Christ, are to love each other fervently. And what Peter has in mind here is an athlete or a racehorse straining with every muscle to make it to the finish line. Our love for each other must be this intense, this committed. Remember what Jesus said, John 15, 13, greater love is no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. And the Greek word translated as love in John 15, 13 is the same Greek word we find here in 1 Peter 4, 8. It's the word agape. We've all heard that word. It is the kind of love that is sacrificial and completely other-oriented. Meaning, to love in this way is to continually have the greater good of the one you love in mind. That's what agape kind of love means. And when I put this kind of love together with the idea of fervency, stretching and straining to reach love's full potential and effectiveness, I cannot help but to think of Jesus Christ hanging on the cross. I cannot help but to see Him straining to take every breath. I cannot help but to see every muscle in his body stretching to the point of failure as he took upon himself the wrath of God each of us rightly deserves as the just punishment for our sins against God. So great, so fervent, so perfect was his love that he bore the weight, the shame, and the punishment for the sins of those who repent of their sin and by faith receive him as their Lord and Savior. Above all else, Peter tells us, above all else we must keep fervent in our sacrificial love for one another. We must exhibit the reality of justified and sanctified hearts that have been changed and renewed through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. We must stop wounding each other by hurling hearts of stone at each other. We must love each other the way Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. And why should we love this way? We should love this way because such a love as this covers a multitude of sins. And while the idea of love covering a multitude of sins includes the express forgiveness we extend to those who have wronged us, it goes much deeper than that. It goes much deeper than someone telling us they're sorry and us saying, that's okay, I forgive you. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, that love does not take into account a wrong suffered. In making the ongoing preparations for the imminent return of Christ, we must love one another with a Christ-like love that does not keep a detailed account of the times and circumstances surrounding the instances in which a brother or sister in Christ has wronged us. Our love for each other must be so genuine, so deep, so sacrificial, that it literally hides, totally hides, completely obscures the sin of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Now, it's not to say that we overlook the sins of our spiritual brothers and sisters. We must continue to participate in mutual accountability and discipline those in the church who refuse to turn from their sin and glorify Christ in their lives. We have to do that. The Bible commands us to do that. But a love that covers a multitude of sins is a love that quickly forgives. It's a love that exacts discipline when necessary and at the same time does not look negatively or judgmentally upon our brothers and sisters in Christ once forgiveness has been given and received and once discipline has taken place. The purpose of all of this, the goal of all of this is the restoration of fellowship and the spiritual and relational healing of our brothers and sisters in Christ. That's the goal. We must also be hospitable without complaints. We are all likely familiar with Jesus' commands to give water to the thirsty, to feed the hungry, to minister to the infirm, to visit prisoners, but hospitality goes well beyond these acts of kindness. Hospitality extends to the condition and attitude of our heart when we engage in hospitality. If you invite someone over to your home for a meal and fellowship, yet you complain to your family about how the house looks, or how little time you have to prepare, or how tired you are from a long day of work, or how you can't wait for the evening to be over before the evening begins, guess what? You're not practicing hospitality. If you do all that grumbling and disputing, and then you put a plastic smile on your face when the doorbell rings, you are not being hospitable. Why? You have marred your act of kindness and service with a sinful heart. that fails to follow Paul's admonishment to do all things without grumbling or disputing. If we are truly expecting the Lord to return at any moment, if we are truly preparing for the coming end of all things, then we will practice biblical hospitality with friends and strangers alike. We will. If we're not doing that, maybe we're not expecting the Lord to return in any moment. Finally, in exercising our Christian duty, in preparation for the Lord's imminent return, we must employ the spiritual gifts He has given us for His glory. Peter wrote, as each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. The Apostle Paul likewise wrote to the church in Corinth, to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. One and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. And if you're curious as to what the Bible considers a spiritual gift, there are two primary lists given in the New Testament. And I encourage you to read these passages today. We won't have time to unpack them today unless you brought a lunch. No? Okay. So write these down, Romans 12, 3-8, Romans 12, 3-8, and 1 Corinthians 12, 4-11. Romans 12, 3-8, 1 Corinthians 12, 4-11. Now I think there's a lot of confusion within the body of Christ, and I won't spend much time on this commentary, but I think sometimes we confuse talents and gifts. The Bible's pretty specific as to what a spiritual gift is. But I think sometimes we like to call our talents gifts because somewhere inside it allows us to avoid looking at these passages of Scripture and exercising the spiritual gift God has given us. You might have a talent for playing baseball. It's not a spiritual gift. It is a talent and every good thing given is from our Heavenly Father. And if you're talented at playing baseball, you should thank God for that talent. But that would not be the same as a spiritual gift, as he's listed here in the scriptures. So, as you read those passages, one, you should be praying, asking God. If you're not sure, if you don't know what your spiritual gift in this is, you should be asking God, through the power of His Holy Spirit, to help you to come to see what your spiritual gift is. Go to other followers of Jesus Christ, who you respect and whose counsel you look to, and ask them to help you to discern that as well. But let's make sure that what we're calling spiritual gifts is what God's Word calls a spiritual gift. Now, in 1 Peter 4.10, Peter divides these gifts into two general categories, gifts of speech and gifts of service. And our duty as followers of Jesus Christ is to put the spiritual gift He has given us to use for His divine purpose and glory. Everyone in this place of worship who truly knows Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior has received at least one if not more spiritual gifts for his service and again these gifts have been given for his service not for self-indulgence Not so that we can make a little more money Not so that we can look better to the brethren not so that people will pat us on the back But so that we can bring him honor and glory Our duty is to employ our gifts to bring Him honor and glory and to bring Him pleasure. And as is the case in our love and hospitality toward and for others, the exercise of our spiritual gifts must be likewise other-minded, not self-centered. And we have to be good stewards of those spiritual gifts He has given us. What does that mean? We've got to use them. If you know the Lord has gifted you in some way, And you're sitting on that gift and you're not using it, you're sitting against God. Because you're being a poor steward with the gift He has given you. Now having explained to us what our perspective should be and what our duty is in light of Christ's imminent return, Peter reminds his readers and us of the Christian goal. The second half of verse 11 reads this way, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. We don't need to spend a lot of time on this. If you've been listening, We've been talking about this throughout our time in God's Word this morning. Why should we have a right perspective in light of Christ's imminent return in the end of all things? Why should we perform our Christian duty in light of Christ's imminent return in the end of all things? Why? The reason is so that God will be glorified in every aspect of our lives through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote this, 1 Corinthians 10.31, Whether then you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. The Christian goal is not a simpler, easier, happier life. The Christian goal is not experiencing their best life now. The Christian goal is not discovering their purpose in this life. God has already given us our purpose in His Word. Our purpose, our reason for existence is to bring God glory. John Piper rightly said this when he wrote, God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. Listen to those words. John Piper did not say, God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied by Him. When God's doing what we think He ought to do for us. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. When the totality of our contentment does not come from the things of this world, but comes from being in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And waiting expectantly for Him to return at any moment. To be with Him in glory forever and ever and ever. Whether it is eating, drinking, speaking, or serving, our goal must be to bring God glory. In everything we do, in everything we say, in everything we think, our goal must be to bring God glory. And if this standard sounds too rigid to you, If this standard sounds unpalatable to you, if this standard sounds oppressive to you, if this standard sounds, well, less than fun for you, if this standard sounds boring to you, then I must lovingly tell you that you should examine yourself to see if you are even in the faith. Because if this doesn't sound good to you, the likelihood is you're playing church, and you don't know Christ. The goal of our lives should bring It should be to bring God glory. And if the goal in any area of your life is anything less than to bring God glory, then you must repent, confess your sins to him, seek his forgiveness, and ask him to bring correction and direction in that area of your life. In your perspective about the coming end, glorify God. In your sound judgment, glorify God. In your sober spirit, glorify God. In your prayer life, Glorify God in your fervent love for one another. Glorify God in your hospitality toward others. Glorify God in your exercise of your spiritual gifts, whether they are gifts of speech or gifts of service. Glorify God. All glory and dominion belongs to God. All glory and dominion belongs to Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Therefore, in every part of your life, in every aspect of your life, glorify God. Glorified God. Now earlier in the message, and for some of you it might seem like a very long time ago, I gave you a glimpse of what it's like to execute a search warrant. I asked you to consider what your reaction would be if you were inside the house and you saw me and a few of my closest friends, fully clad in entry gear, approaching the front door of your house. We're all smiling, by the way. You may not be. I hear someone say, oh don't worry, it's just Tony. Boy, I'm glad that never happened. Would you look forward to our entry into the house as if you were an innocent person looking forward to leaving the house? Or would you tremble with fear because you know that this is not a social call, and you are going to jail for a very long time? The Bible says, there is only one lawgiver and judge, and that's not me. There is only one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and to destroy. Jesus likewise said, do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. The question I have for maybe some of you here today is which person are you in the house? Which person are you in the house? Are you looking forward to the imminent return of Christ or like the criminal who sees a group of determined and hungry deputy sheriffs rushing toward the door? Do you fear that incredible moment in time? Even worse, are you like the criminal we so often encountered during an early morning search warrant, sound asleep? having no idea we were about to break down the door. Oh, let me tell you the expression on a young man's face when I tiptoed into their bedroom at six o'clock in the morning and grabbed them by the shoulders and drug them out of their comfy bed, thrusted them onto the floor at gunpoint. Guaranteed they had a deer in the headlight look on their face. They were not at all expecting me to come. Now, if you're not sure which person you are. Let me help you come to terms with the implications of these eternally important questions. The Bible says and in as much as is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment. So Christ also having been offered once to bear the sins of many will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin to those who eagerly await him. The Bible also says Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a man, Jesus, whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." God is going to judge every person according to His law, the Ten Commandments. And how do you think He will do on that great and terrible day? A day that is coming sooner than you think. A day that is coming at a time you do not know. Let's take a look at a few. Ever told a lie? Ever stolen anything? Doesn't matter what the value is. And if you're saying, no, I never stole anything, but you admit to being a liar, now I'm wondering whether or not I should believe you because you admitted to being a liar. Have you ever taken God's name in vain? use his name to express disgust, excitement, use it as a filthy cuss word, a punchline or a joke, or do you casually sit before movies where God's name is taken in vain every day and you don't walk out because you'd rather be entertained? And it doesn't matter to you that others are using the name of God in vain in your presence. If you answered yes to these questions, then, like me, you are a lying, thieving blasphemer at heart. And if you're thinking that all those things are behind you, that the sins that come to mind happened a long time ago, know this. Time does not forgive sin. Somebody who's guilty of murder is guilty of murder even if they haven't been caught yet. They're still guilty. Guilt does not pass away over time. You remain guilty until you are either judged or acquitted. And when you die and stand before Almighty God, and you will die because 10 out of 10 people die, This is how He's going to see you. He will not see you according to how you judge yourself. He will not grade you on a curve. He will not rate you according to how you look in front of someone you deem to be less worthy than you. He will see you in the unapproachable light of His perfect, holy, and righteous standard. He will see you as someone who has broken His law and sinned against Him, and He will judge you accordingly. The Bible rightly says that the wages of sin is death. The Bible also says, or do you not know, that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. The Bible rightly says, but for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, Their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Jesus Christ's return is imminent. And before this day draws to an end, your life here on earth may unexpectedly draw to an end. And that is not a scare tactic. It is reality. It's reality. None of us are promised tomorrow. None of us are promised the next minute. None of us are promised the next breath. That's why the Bible says, behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, today is the day of salvation. And if when you stand before Almighty God, all he sees in you is someone who is guilty of breaking his law, he will sentence you accordingly and justly, and you will spend eternity in hell. And I don't want that for anyone. And there's good news. There is good news. God is good. And because He is good, He will judge sin with His own perfect righteousness. Not according to our self-righteousness. Yes, God is good. So good that not only will He judge rightly, but He has also provided the only escape from His just wrath to come. And what He chose to provide was nothing less than Himself. Himself. Only God can satisfy the requirements of God's law. And His law requires the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins. It will either be His or yours. So, God came down in the person of Jesus Christ, fully God, fully man, without sin. He died a horrible bloody death on the cross to take upon himself the just punishment each of us deserve for breaking his law. And three days later, he rose from the dead and he is alive today and he's coming back at any moment. So what's required of you? You must be born again. Jesus said, unless a man is born again, he will not see the kingdom of God. Your only hope is to repent, to turn from your sins, and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior. Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me. Cry out to Him. Ask for His forgiveness for the countless times you have fallen short of His glory and sinned against Him. Tell Him with His help that you want to turn away from your sinfulness. that you want to turn away from doing that which is displeasing to Him. Ask Him to save you from the just penalty of your sins and to give you a new heart with new desires. If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, new things have come. Ask Him to be your Lord and your Savior. And the promise is that if you do this, and you will only do this if you are born again, being drawn to the Father by the Holy Spirit because we are saved by grace through faith, entirely separate from our works and our own perceived goodness. If you do this when you die and you stand before Him, instead of receiving what you deserve for breaking His law, which is eternity in hell, you'll receive what you do not deserve, which is grace and mercy and everlasting life. And my hope and my prayer is that every person here this morning would leave here ready for the imminent return of Jesus Christ. We need to leave here with the right perspective about his imminent return. We need to leave here committed to fulfill our Christian duty for the glory of God and to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. And we need to leave here with the right goal. to bring God glory in every aspect of our life. If you're here today and you are a follower of Jesus Christ and you are not living this way, repent. And commit yourself to following the Lord Jesus Christ in every area of your life. Live as though you were going to meet Him in the clouds in a moment. Not three or four years from now. Not 40 or 50 years from now. Not someday with some fainting hope. Live as people who expect him to return at any moment. And stop putting off till tomorrow, sharing the gospel with those who are bound for hell today. Please. Now maybe many of you are doing that. I don't have to see it for you to be doing it. You know whether or not you're doing it. What I do know is that there are two or three men in this church who join me on Friday night or Saturday morning. Those are the only people I see. Many of you took an evangelism class in February. What are you doing? Who are you sharing the gospel with? Are you? If you are, praise God. If you're not, why? What are you waiting for? Christ is returning at any moment. Your family members may die at any moment. Your friends may die at any moment. The stranger you otherwise wouldn't care about on the street, the homeless guy on the street, could die at any moment. Christ could return at any moment. We're not responsible for anyone's salvation. We can neither condemn or save anybody. But we are called to be obedient followers of Jesus Christ and He commands us to go and to preach the gospel. Because He's coming back at any moment. Father, I thank You for Your Word. I thank You that it is pure truth. I thank You, Lord, that You allow us as followers of Christ to understand Your Word. To understand Your heart and Your mind, if even in a limited way, for who of us has known the mind of the Lord or offered You any counsel Who of us has first given to you that you owe us anything, but you loved us so much that you gave us your word to teach us about who you are, who we are in you and how we should live. Father, let us not be the insolent child that comes home late at night and says, Dad, I love you. Stay away from me. Dad, I love you, but I'm not going to obey what you command. Dad, I love you, but I'm only going to call on you when I want something from you. Help us not to be that insolent, disobedient child. Help us to be the child of God that longs to sit on our Father's lap, to lay our head on our Father's chest, to say, Daddy, teach me. Daddy, I want to obey because I want to please you because I love you, Dad. Help us to be obedient children who have a right perspective about your imminent return, who are doing what we can to fulfill our Christian duty for your glory and for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Help us, Father, to be people who expect you to return at any moment, and that our goal would be to glorify you in every aspect of our lives. Otherwise, Father, we're just simply wasting our time. And we're being poor stewards of the life that you have given us by your grace. And Father, if there is anyone here in this place of worship, Father, who who does not know you as Lord and Savior, who has come to that realization today because your spirit has pricked their hearts, Father, draw them to yourself. Father, I pray that they would be born again and and the fruit of that would be that they would repent of their sin and put their trust in you and you alone for their salvation. And that they could truly be counted among your people. And that you would hear their prayers. Lord, we do love you and we worship you in song. We worship you in prayer. We worship you in the study of your word. We worship you in our fellowship with one another. We love you. And we ask for your forgiveness when we have sinned against you and fallen short of your glory. Bring us all to repentance. and a deeper understanding of who you are and who we should be in you. And may it all be for your glory, in Jesus' name, Amen.