The end of all things may be near, but behold, our God is seated on the throne. It's not too often as a preacher I get a title like that right out of the text to introduce a message. We do have handouts and they're on the back if you haven't picked one up yet. Peter's opening statement, the end of all things, may be conjuring up all sorts of emotions and images even in our minds right now. In our day, Hollywood has sought to entertain us by depicting over and over the world literally ending. But Peter is going to offer hope that Hollywood certainly cannot. One famous and early apocalyptic movie I remember as a child, I wasn't around when it was first made, but I saw the repeat, When the Worlds Collide. There's a movie poster right there. But it just put in this vision, the end of the world is near. New world that they fly off in a spaceship to. There have been too many world-ending movies to mention here, but Hollywood is not alone in crying out, the end of all things is near. Politicians, religious figures have been doing this for a long time. I just have a spattering of quotes. 1520s, Martin Luther, we just sang one of his songs. We have reached the time of the white horse of the apocalypse. This world will not last any longer than another 100 years. and was not quite as near as it is. 1704, Isaac Newton. The times, times, and halftime, that's a reference to Daniel, do not end before 2060. It may end later, but I see no reason for it to end sooner. 1843, 1844, William Miller, known as the Great Disappointment. I am fully convinced that sometime between March 21st of 1843 and March 21st, 1844, Christ will come. 1914, Charles Taze Russell, Jehovah Witness founder, the time is at hand, the battle of the great day of God Almighty is near. How about some other ones? 1940, Alistair Crowley, he's an occultist, not someone that we would normally talk about, but he said, the end of the world is coming and the great beast will rise. He was actually looking forward to that. Artist Bob Dylan, a hard rains are gonna fall. That was a reference to a cold war with nuclear anxieties. 1973, the children of God called David Berg, the United States will be destroyed by nuclear war before 1985. That didn't happen, did it? 1980, many of you have read Hal Lindsey's book. The 1980s could very well be the last decade of history as we know it. Even Ronald Reagan in the 80s said, we may be the generation that sees Armageddon. Just a couple more. Heaven's Gate, you might remember that when the comet came through. Our mission is to leave this planet for it's about to be recycled. And such, you know, quotes like this from people who have followers doesn't end well for many. Jerry Falwell, I believe Christ will return in my lifetime. We are very near the end of the world. And of course, I could not resist to include 2006 Al Gore, We only have 10 years left to save the planet from irreversible damage due to global warming. While not explicitly claiming the end is near, that statement carried apocalyptic undertones. We've had some notable world-changing events. We've had several world wars, two nuclear bombs, Y2K, and yet we are still here. The end is near, but it's not here. Some have commercialized and preyed upon fears of an uncertain world. I couldn't resist showing you this slide. One company sells the DEFCON Bunkers Premium Bunker. This is our standard DEF-1 underground bomb shelter, 8 by 16 by 20. Just a few pitches or facts about this. Made of stainless steel, it comes standard with water filtration, blast valves, a full bathroom, bullet resistant doors, a 45 degree entrance, and many other standard features. Our bunkers come with many standard amenities that other companies consider upgrades, making DEF CON 1 standard underground bunkers top of the line. However, this is not a sales pitch to go underground. I couldn't find the price on it. I really wanted to know. But this morning, Peter will prepare us for the end of all things. But unlike Hollywood or an end of a civilization bunker salesman, Peter is going to guide us not to panic or run for the escape exit, but to live with a confident purpose and faith knowing the end is near. So this morning, let us consider three essential principles for living in the here and now with a God-glorifying purpose, knowing the end of all things is near. Three principles for living for the glory of God are here as follows. Principle number one, it requires the right attitude and the right actions. Principle number two is an insist we love and show hospitality. Principle number three entails serving as good stewards of God's gifts. So if you would, please open up your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter four, and we're picking up at verse seven. Now you probably noticed in the last few weeks I'm trying to reduce the number of verses, therefore reducing the length of the sermon. It's not working. It's going to be a little bit longer. I have word count that stares at me in the face every time I go into this. So if you would bear with me, but I promise this will be very engaging. There's some really neat things in here that Peter's going to reveal. All right. So principle number one is because the end is near, it requires the right attitudes and right actions. Peter writes, the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound judgment. and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer." Peter's opening statement is not in any way a cry of panic. It's a call to purpose, not doom, but direction. The end for Peter and us, for us the Lord's church and the bride, is a completion and conclusion. The verb is near means to come closer or draw near. In the original language, Peter is saying the end has already begun. So there's a period of time before the ending finally comes. This is like a battery draining its power over time. You're using up the remaining charge, but then there's that moment, right? There is no charge. That's when the end comes. The end that Peter has in mind is the end of the church age, leading into the tribulation with the culmination of Christ's return and reign and we with him. Peter is speaking to the church, not to the law. So, with Peter's focus on the return of Christ, this is not like Chicken Little crying, the sky is falling, and everyone begins to panic. But rather, it's about our Lord's return is near, and how you and I are to sensibly live in light of that. James provides insights, kind of fascinating, different ways that each author in the Bible talks about the end. You too be patient, strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near." These two commands from James describe patience as self-control and long-suffering in very difficult circumstances, and placing your trust firmly in the Lord. Paul spoke in the same manner about the end. Listen to this from Romans 13 11 do this knowing the time that is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep for now salvation is nearer to us than we believed there is a tendency for some to disengage isn't there to pull back to withdraw as if asleep and Paul says now more than ever that's 2,000 years ago it is time to wake up and engage now you might be wondering when did the end begin If we're not in the end and it's nearing, when does the beginning of the end begin? As soon as Christ came, complete his cross work, and ascended, that's when the end began. These are described as the last days in scripture. Now that you understand Peter's statement, the end of all things is near, It changes your whole perspective, doesn't it? It's not that the end is tomorrow. It could be, but there's still much more to happen. So we're not a people to be in fear, but instead we're a people of hope. As time passes, each generation should be more hopeful because Jesus is all the more near. This expectation and hope should transform our thinking, our actions. And so Peter commands us, right there in the text, with two commands, be of sound judgment and be sober. The underlying Greek word for sound judgment is to be sensible, clear-minded. That's the opposite of someone in panic. And the word, in other contexts, means sane. It's not by accident Peter begins with the mind, because that's where it all begins, right? It's not by accident, like I said, the mind is a gateway to everything else. Look around us. Everywhere we look, fear is injected. In the news, on the radio, our economy, movies, TV streaming, our health, the next pandemic, it's even injected into our weather alerts. Though last time, I will admit, I didn't see any. fear language, you know. But if we're not careful, we may allow ourselves to be swept away in a tsunami of fearful thoughts and emotions. What could be? What might be? What may be? And in doing so, we become paralyzed, crippled, dysfunctional believers, hindering and not helping in the work of the kingdom. Don't forget, Peter is writing to persecuted, dispersed, despairing, suffering believers who frankly have tangible reasons to be fearful of physical harm, jail, and even death. And yet Peter says to them, be clear minded and don't let your emotions and anything else cloud your sober judgment. It's really kind of a shocking statement, isn't it? So how are you doing in your thought life? Do you get anxious? Do you start to dwell and focus and magnify those fears that each of us have? Are you filtering those fears? Are you filtering your plans? Are you filtering your decisions through the wisdom of God's word? Are you grounding yourself in the unchanging truth of scripture? I remember as an unbeliever, and I've shared many stories, my life was a mess. and then getting saved, coming to the word of God, and going, this is truth. They lied. People have lied to me. This is truth. God cannot lie. And boy, that brought peace and comfort. Do you seek biblical wisdom from others to gain a godly perspective? That can happen. It's amazing how you can be in a conflict and then someone from the outside comes in and they just kind of like see everything plain as day, you know, because they don't have all that emotions and everything else in it. They're on the outside looking in and they can be a little more impartial because let's be honest, we can get very partial. Are you following through and being diligent in your faith? Are you making the changes necessary in your life to thrive? Peter's second command to be of silver spirit is very much tied to the first, but it's different. It's just one word in the Greek, and it literally means self-controlled. It's not by accident that the thinking is tied to the doing. The opposite of someone who is not self-controlled is unrestrained, not balanced, almost acting as if they're under the influence of an intoxicating substance. It's interesting because God is calling us, hey, be sober and be self-controlled. The end is near. There's reasons to be fearful, but you, believer. do this. Peter's not also describing some cold, intellectual, emotionless, unfeeling, callous individual, isolated and uncaring in the world. That is not the picture here. It is a warm, thoughtful, emotionally balanced, loving individual who's both empathetic and sympathetic, but here's the key, clear thinking and responds biblically to the events of the day grounded that God is sovereign no matter what happens. It's interesting because Peter repeats himself. And back in, you might remember when we were in 1 Peter 1.13, this is what he says. That's the same thing. As the end is near, be of sound judgment and sober in spirit. Paul describes the same concept this way, Philippians 4.5, let your gentle spirit be known to all men, the Lord is near. So there's this element of even gentleness. The author of Hebrew recognizes the importance of fellowship in these last days, Hebrews 10.25, not forsaking our own assembly together as in the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near. We need each other in these challenging times. Peter paints the picture of a mature believer. Are we here always? No. Do we struggle? Almost always. That's why we need each other for fellowship. We must always guard our hearts from being overwhelmed. We don't ignore reality, right? This isn't a disconnect from truth. We don't run from reality. Still, we persevere through reality, fixed upon how do I obey Christ in this moment, demonstrating our trust in his sovereign rule and reign, no matter what the circumstances are in our life. This doesn't mean it's easy. As you're going to discover, we're going to need some strength and help along the way. It's not easy. In the flesh, it's impossible. But if we choose to yield to God and His word, choosing to obey rather than disobey, we will find help by the Spirit and we will have certain victory. Peter gives us this overarching purpose for the sound judgment and the sober spirit. Prayer. Kind of interesting, right? The end of all things is near. Be a sober judgment, sound spirit, right? Or a sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Peer does not describe some panic prayer or wishful thinking prayer. This prayer is tethered. It's flowing from sound judgment, from self-control. Prayer of this type is the exact opposite. of James' doubting, double-minded man in James. Let me just read that as to remind us. But he must ask in faith, without any doubting. For the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. See, that's no self-control. That's not faith, that's doubt. We must face whatever we encounter, Lord, with sound judgment and a sober, self-controlled spirit, bringing everything before the Lord in prayer. Let me ask you, can you think of someone in the Bible who experienced the end of all things, so to speak, but had sound judgment, self-control, and prayed? Now, this is a audience participation moment. Anyone want to volunteer? Joe? OK. Turn this off. Can you hit the, yeah, there we go. I'm not sure it turned off now. Job is one. What's another one? David. Daniel. Stephen. Jesus. Yeah. Noah. How about Noah? Literally the end of all things is near. All of those are good answers. And the reason that all of them are good is because each one had different endings for them. And that's how it can sometimes be. We have our own individual endings. And of course, there are some pretty major events like the flood. But I do like Daniel, especially when you think about him in particular, so much is written on him. And so I'm just going to hit that example. But think about this. Daniel 6, that law to only pray a certain prayer to a certain false god was changed. He remains sober in judgment and he prays. He's arrested and he remains sober in spirit with self-control. We don't see any text in there how he fought it. He just went with them. He's tossed into the very den of lines to be mauled and eaten and he prays. There are so many opportunities, so many reasons and circumstances for Daniel to just lose it. But Daniel's 80 plus years old, and knowing his own life is nearing the end, he provides us with an example of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Daniel teaches us how to live when, in this case, his end was very near. And let's not forget though, he saw the very end of all things, and lived through the fall of his own nation, the changing of several kings as Babylon was reigning, then he saw Babylon fall, and he ends up serving under the conquering nation, the Medo-Persians. I can't think of anyone whose tomorrow was filled with so much national uncertainty. But I also know Daniel was certain who God is on the throne. And that's who he prayed to and trusted. I think we could summarize this with the words of Eliphaz, one of Job's friends. Now, I will admit this question that Eliphaz, so-called friend of Job, I think he asked this a little sarcastically or rhetorically, but it does reflect Job's attitude. He says this in Job 4.6, is not your fear of God your confidence? and the integrity of your ways, your hope." You see that wonderful balance, confidence, integrity, this obedience. We are to be like Job, who has sound judgment and fears God, which is another way of saying faith in God and reverence to God. Our actions are to express a sober spirit with self-control, which is reflected by the integrity of our actions. And all of this is how we stay grounded in reality. Faith, confidence, integrity, obedience, all reflect our hope and love in the sovereign, soon-to-return God and Savior. You can't have hope and all these things unless you have truth and you have a sovereign God on the throne and you are trusting literally in Him. Now let's move to verses eight and nine to explore principle number two. which insists we love and show hospitality. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. Peter does not use a command here. keep fervent in your love. Instead, it's a verb with a constant, continuing action, a challenge to not only love, but increase in love to one another. He fronts this by saying, above all, which means this is the idea to lead with love. Let it be in the front or above. Let it be first or foremost, in the foremost position. Let it permeate through all your sound judgments and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Now, why does Peter place such emphasis on love? Because we're living in the last days. We can become hardened in the last days. And listen to what Paul says. This is him writing again 2,000 years ago, but this is a picture of today's headlines. 2 Timothy 3, 1 through 5, but realize this, that in the last days, difficult times will come. Men will be lovers of self, lovers of money. And I could go and read, you know, let's just read again. Boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters are good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding a form of godliness, although they denied its power. Avoid such of these. That's today. And that can make you hardened. That can make you like, don't wanna deal with it. But our Lord and Savior, Jesus, succinctly summarized the last days this way. And I think this is the insight that we need to guard against, Matthew 24, 12. Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. So Christ, through Peter, gives us the antidote. We can't do this. We have to say, no, while everyone else's love is growing cold out there, we're going to warm up that love. We're going to stoke the fire, and we're going to love others. It makes sense, doesn't it? What does someone need more than anything? Love. Look around at what's going on in the world and in our own nation. Although there is still kindness and compassion, there's also war, gangs, and crime. There is a reason we lock our doors, purchase guns, and use wisdom in where we go and when we go. Our Lord who loved his enemies, and we were once enemies, and died for those who were hostile toward him, we were hostile toward him, he gave us the example to follow. As I've shared before, if we are not the salt and light, unbelievers can't taste and see. the goodness of the Lord. Peter explains the need for love. This is interesting. Love covers a multitude of sins. Now let's be honest, Peter's day was difficult for believers, and it's still difficult for us in different ways for us. And since Peter is speaking to believers in the church, he's acknowledging indirectly that there's sin in the church. Otherwise, why do you need to cover a multitude of sins? The word for cover literally means to keep secret. But what does he mean? Should we be hiding sin in the church? Ignoring sin? Should we all just suffer under it, thinking there's nothing we can do about it? Let me be clear. Absolutely not. That is not Peter's point. Let me call upon the Apostle Paul who defines love in that familiar passage read at most weddings, 1 Corinthians 13, 4 through 8, which by the way is sandwiched between the gifts and serving passages. So right in the middle between serving the gifts is the love chapter. Love is patient, love is kind, is not jealous, love does not brag, it is not arrogant, it does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, it's not provoked, it doesn't take into account wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with truth. bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But if there's gifts of prophecies, they will be done away. If there are tongues, they will cease. If there's knowledge, it'll be done away. See, love will face the sin. Love will work through the process of repentance through change. I think Proverbs is helpful for clarification on this, that we don't just hide it. Proverbs 20, 13, he who conceals his transgressions will not prosper. but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. So hiding sin or not confronting sin has consequences physically, mentally. As King David wrote about in Psalm 32, you know, remember my bones ached. I mean, he suffered hiding his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the sin of murdering Uriah, her husband. So the idea of love covering a multitude of sins is about addressing sin privately. And when there's genuine repentance, following up with forgiveness so relationships can be restored. That's the idea. This is the purpose of church restoration, also known as church discipline. Paul the Apostle dealt with sin regularly in the church and often, and I should note that it's critically important to discern what sin is, what's a personal preference, and what's an issue of conscience while maintaining a balance between the weaker and the stronger believers. I want to share a message at some future time digging deeper into these issues, so you can pray for me on when that time would be. However, I think the best example and expression of truth is shown by our Lord and Savior. 2 Corinthians 5.21. How does God cover The multitude of sins, 2 Corinthians 5.21, He, God the Father, made Him Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him, Jesus. How does God deal with sin? He sent His Son as a sacrifice for our sin, thus dealing with sin, and it was costly. Christ died for sin, was buried. Your sin was nailed to the cross, and upon genuine faith and repentance, Your certificate of debt was taken out of the way and Christ forgave you. It wasn't swept under the rug, it was addressed. That's what it means for love to cover a multitude of sins. This is the bearing of one another through the process of repentance. And here's the key, following the actual change from true repentance to true reconciliation, we don't hold that sin against that person or bring up that sin again. Just as God has removed our sins from the East and West, when we get to that judgment seat of Christ, he's not gonna bring up your sin. That's been dealt with. Now, he's gonna bring up your stewardship and he's gonna reward you for what you were faithful in and what you weren't, but you're not gonna have to face your sin the judgment seat. Just as, like I said, God has removed it from East to West, so we rebuild, when possible, broken relationships from sin. This one-way love covers the multitude of sins. Does that make sense? However, if there is no genuine repentance, we still forgive them before the Lord, standing ready you know, to repair the relationship. However, that earthly relationship can't be fully restored until there's acknowledgement and repentance. This is the other way that love covers a multitude of sins. We don't hold it against them, even when the relationship is not repaired. And is that easy? No, you can't do it apart from the spirit of God. Now, let's continue to verse 9, which at first blush, I think is a pretty surprising shift by Peter. The word hospitable is to describe caring for strangers. Hebrews 13.2, which is a fascinating passage, affirms this truth, which reads, Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers. For by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Lot would be an example of that. Everyone in the church, from leaders to congregation, is called to serve in this manner. This may look different from house to house, congregation to congregation, and culture to culture. Even though the end of all things is near, we should not be so hunkered down, so fearful to turn inward, that we neglect to be hospitable to one another. Do you see the difference? Surprisingly, Peter applies this to the church, to you and I, who are not strangers, but a family. As you can see in the text, Peter exhorts, do this without complaint. That is one of the easiest things to do as a believer. Complain! It's also the easiest thing to do as an unbeliever. The complaint in the original language describes this whispering, a grumbling talk in private. Now let me be just candid here. There's nothing wrong with you know, sharing your feelings, trying to steer your rudder back. There's sometimes a need to share. Look at the Psalms. There is tons of expressions of David expressing his frustrations. That's appropriate. It's when it starts to turn into slander and gossip. Well, now we've turned a corner that's sinful. In other words, guard your heart. Ensure you are loving others as you serve them sacrificially. Let's remember that to put yourself in the shoes of back then at Peter's day, right? There's all these cultural differences because Rome was a mixture of people, different preferences, different political alliances, different spiritual background, probably different personal hygienes. It wasn't like they all had Mitchum. to roll on deodorant back then. Other differences may make serving others awkward and difficult, especially if the guest maybe is lacking social skills or is uneducated or difficult to understand, not self-aware, maybe even taking advantage of the situation. You can imagine. It makes hospitality a little difficult, doesn't it? These were some of the challenges in our church, and I think there are some of those challenges today. We're not all the same. We're not all from the same background. We don't like the same things. That's OK. Celebrate the differences. However, Peter is following a pattern. And I believe there's a connection between love and hospitality. Like the previous example, there's a thinking and doing component, an inward view and an outward expression. Loving others begins from within. and loving others should outflow without. We see this in the Gospels. Remember Jesus? He got invited to so many meals. It's pretty cool. Think about it. You know, I'm going to have Jesus over dinner tonight. They had no idea. Some did. But Romans 12, 13 mentions practicing hospitality after a long list of expressions of how we are to be devoted to one another in brotherly love. The church was to help a widow. if she had the reputation for showing hospitality to strangers. I'm thankful at Good News Bible Church that all of you do this in one form or another, whether here at church, in our potlucks, or at home. It's a wonderful thing to see. Regarding strangers, please use discernment. Don't just pick anyone off the road and take them in. Remember that even taking someone out to a meal in a public place is a form of hospitality too. All right, so let's move to our final principle, principle number three, and that is which entails serving as good stewards of God's gifts. 1 Peter 4.10 and most of 11. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks is to do so who is speaking the utterance of God, and whoever serves is to do as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies. As you study through Paul's letters and now Peter's letters, and for that matter, any passage regarding the gifts, we continue to see this theme of service in the church. It's unavoidable. The body simply can't function without gifted believers using and serving with their gifts. Just as a body needs every muscle and joint to work in harmony and to move through life, the church is no different. It thrives when believers contribute their God-given gifts. And that can be time, talents, treasures, etc. We just can't check out. If we choose not to serve, we will never experience the fruits of our labors, like the farmer's first harvest. And although many passages speak of the gifts, this passage is the last time the New Testament mentions gifts. So we're looking at AD 64, roughly, when Peter wrote this, before his martyrdom. Peter confirms that every true believer receives a gift. A gift is minimally one gift, but it may be multiple gifts, and it can be in different proportions. Now, in the back of the handout, if you flip it over, I have listed the spiritual gifts from the Fundamentals of the Faith workbook that we're working our way through. I thought that might be helpful. You have the temporary gifts and you have the permanent gifts. Now, Peter's next point is significant. Employ it in serving with one another. That word employ actually means help. serve, to care for, to minister. It's actually the verb form of deacon. And the gift may have come to you, but God intends for you to use the gift for someone else. It's not just for you, it's for others. In our culture, right, we receive gifts for our personal pleasure. It's for me, and it's only for me. I will admit, when I was a young boy, my mom and dad don't, my dad's not alive, my mom would tell the story. It was a Christmas I just didn't want to share with my brothers or sisters. I'm not kidding you. And I told my parents, I'm not sharing. They said, well, we're not going to give you any presents. And I held out to the day before Christmas. And I found later, my mom's like, man, we really thought you were going to go all the way through Christmas. I was a pretty stubborn, rebellious, selfish, prideful, arrogant little boy. But they had a plan, and they had some gifts on the side waiting. They were able to get something, and I end up sharing, so I learned my lesson. But that's what can happen. Hopefully, you don't get in that position, but this gift that God gives us is intended for others, for the church, to someone who has a need. And Peter adds this idea, good stewards of the manifold of grace. In other words, you are manager. You're administrating the use and deployment of this gift and one day there will be a judgment of that stewardship at the Judgmency of Christ. For me, I have to teach. I have to preach. It doesn't matter where, it doesn't matter when, but if I stop teaching and preaching, I'm in sin. Can you look at your own life and your own gifts and ask yourself, what is the gift I have? And am I using it? Am I deploying it? And if I don't do this, do you see yourself in sin? That's how you have to look at it. The beauty is, is if you start serving, you're not in sin, you're being faithful and it'll change, you know, so don't make it legalistic, but that's the idea. Um, you're managing, you're administrating, you're discerning when and where the appropriate time and use and how to do that. So you don't burn out as well. It's a, it's a deployment. And one day, like I said, we'll be before the Lord. And this manifold of grace is another way of saying diverse, a wide spectrum. You could say that no two people are gifted the same, and no two people express the giftedness the same. This is how I picture it. It's like a picture of a forest with wild flowers and trees and a whole ecosystem, diverse life, and no part of that forest is identical. No two flowers, no two trees, no area is identical, just as no two churches are identical. Every church is different. Every believer is gifted differently. But in a forest, it all works synergistically, right? We're all working and coordinating. And as a result, we can come to the forest and we can enjoy the beauty of God. Well, if you come to the church, we should enjoy the beauty of one serving another. It is something to behold, God's creation. and it is something to hold a church that is serving one another. There's an article from MacArthur's church, and it's titled something like 8,000 Servants, you know, because in the 80s, it was a very vibrant serving church, and everyone had a part to play, even such a big church as that one was. So what does this gifted serving look like? We have some glimpses in many passages in scriptures. Consider Joseph. I think that's a great example of him being a faithful steward in where in everything to Potiphar, and ultimately all was entrusted to him. Faithful little, faithful much is a great principle. You don't start off with. You may be fully equipped, but you're not fully functioning just yet, right? There's some learning and some process involved. A steward is not lazy, but is hardworking. One passage with huge implication for stewardship is Luke 12. I want to read this. It goes on to say, who then is the faithful and sensible steward whom his master will put in charge of his servants to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds doing so when he comes. then I will say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, my master will be a long time in coming, the end is not near, and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that slave will come on a day when he doesn't expect him, and at that hour, he does not know, will come and cut him into pieces in the same place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will will receive many lashes. But the one who did not know it and committed deeds worthy of a flogging will receive but few. For everyone has been given much, much will be required. And to whom they have entrusted much of him they will ask all the more." And each of you have got to explore that and figure that out. And we're here to help you do that. We also have the parable of the talents, Matthew 25, 14, revealing our accountability to the Lord and how we steward our gifts. Proverbs speaks of this. Listen to this one, just a few verses, Proverbs 24, 30. I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense. Behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles. Its surface was covered with nettles and its stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I reflected upon it and looked and received instruction, a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, then your poverty will come on like a robber and your need like an armed man. What a picture. The author of Hebrews offers a valuable insight to remind us that the Lord is just and we are to be diligent. Hebrews 6.10, for God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you've shown toward his name. That's the hard attitude, right? in the actual activity, in having ministered and is still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to receive the full assurance of hope until the end." You get that picture again. So that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. In summary, we excel with excellence. As I've been sharing, I've been going through the autobiography of Elon Musk. I'm somewhere in chapter 18, 19 now. But his philosophy is nothing's impossible, just go do it. Because when you do the impossible, even if you fall short, you've accomplished more than if you set to do nothing at all. It can be a little stressful working for him from what I'm reading. Just so you know, I'm not planning on leading the church with Musk philosophy, just in case you're wondering. It's a helpful perspective, though, to remember that all that we have is truly not on our own. It is the Lord's. We forget that sometimes. We're mere stewards entrusted by the Lord. Psalm 24, 1, the earth is the Lord's and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it. You, me, everything. Romans 14.7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself. For if we live, we live for the Lord. If we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. Paul summarizes another key aspect. 1 Corinthians 4 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. That's the key when it comes to serving one another, because each of us is our own steward before the Lord. There's a personal responsibility to the Lord to serve proactively. If you see a need, go and meet it. You don't need authority to do it. Use wisdom and discernment. But there may be times when it's appropriate to get counsel or permission, and that's wise too. Serving others can require more administration and planning, particularly if the need can't be met by one individual. And the need may be ongoing. These are bigger decisions and requires thoughtfulness. And this requires a greater degree of wisdom and coordination with prayer and counsel. We also must guard against being deceived. All of us have probably encountered someone trying to take advantage of our good intentions. I remember one week coming out of seminary, I probably shared this story, this guy pulls up in a car and he says, hey, I'm a painter, I'm out of work, I need a little extra money for gas. Here's 10 bucks. I happen to be serving at another church a month later, same guy, same car, same line. And I say, hey, I know you. You came by this church and asked the same thing. You could see the look of panic on his face and he drove off. So we have to have some personal discernment. This is why personal responsibility is so important. We also need to have limitations in place because resources are limited. For example, the early church did not take care of all widows, but specific widows who were qualified. 1st Timothy 5.9. Another example is if a man chose not to work, he was not provided with food. 2nd Thessalonians 3.10, for even with you, we used to give you this order. If anyone's not willing to work, then he's not to eat either. And we hear that some of you among you are leading undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. So they're trying to avoid work to do their own thing. That's a big difference. Now such persons we command and exhort. Now this is assuming a person can work. Now such a person we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in a quiet fashion, eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. The picture in the Bible is that each of us are managing our house well enough that we have just a little bit of excess. And that little bit of excess is there when needs arise. That's the idea. Versus stewarding the house just for ourselves. However, being a good steward is more than just serving. It's serving well and serving wisely. There's a lot more that can be said, and we can discuss gifts more in the future, and we will. So Peter wraps up this section on serving by categorizing the gifts into two categories, speaking and serving. Now, keep in mind, this is around 64 AD. This is much later, if not much after many of the charismatic miracles and speaking gifts have ended. All that is left is speaking and serving, which, interestingly, is how we operate today. in the church. The key phrase, utterances of God, means the saints of God. It is another word for scriptures. In fact, sometimes it is literally translated the oracles of God. This word would cover everything from proclaiming the word in the pulpit, let's say, teaching, preaching, to evangelizing. It has nothing to do with new revelation, but it is the communication of what has already been revealed in the Bible. And the word speak is always connected with human speech, a known language, and its content is always scriptures. Now, if you're wondering, could it possibly include speaking in tongues of another language, I'm going to show you it's not based on 1 Corinthians 14, 3-4, a key verse. Listen to this. But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification, exhortation, and consolation. One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself. You see the difference? If you're tongue, you're doing it for yourself, but one who prophesies edifies the church. So Peter's talking about gifts in the context of serving others, not serving self. The second category is serving. It's the same word as employing. This kind of serving is wide, it's varied. It really is just helping others who need assistance or are unable to help themselves, which can range from a meal, spending time, a phone call, et cetera. Peter makes sure that we understand this can be difficult work. This is never easy and it's never convenient. It is always a sacrifice. I think if you start with that expectation, that will make it a little bit easier. He uses this word strength to combine the ideas of capability and power. In other words, God's going to provide you everything necessary to accomplish the task at hand, both the ability and the energy to accomplish the task. And I'm telling you, I'm sure many of you have experienced this. You know what it's like to do a secular job and you get tired, but you know when you're doing something for the Lord, it's like, wow, where'd all this energy come from? You know, I mean, I'm bivocational, and I rely on this every week. This was probably the busiest week I had, and I'm looking at this, I'm going, how in the world did I get 6,100 words? You know, it's like, where does this come from? But I'm convinced that if you're faithfully loving the Lord, serving the Lord for the sake of others, he will supply everything necessary to complete the task. Now, that doesn't mean you don't have sacrifice along the way, get up early, stay up late, those kind of things, but you will manage it. one way or the other. And again, use wisdom. Don't burn yourself out. There's only so much caffeine you should have in a day. Let me tell you, there's limits. I know this personally. But there's no excuse, is there? Not to serve with your giftedness. Paul adds another additional insight. Philippians 4.13, you know this. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Now this word strengthen emphasizes how God fortifies us from within. in order to continue to service others in him. So God's helping us on the outside with the physical stuff, he's helping us on the inside. And Paul, is he not an amazing servant? It really is shocking what that man accomplished through the Lord, but did he not truly sacrifice in every way all the time? Even refuse to get married and stay single so that he would have more time to serve. And I'm not pointing that on any single people right now. That's between you and the Lord. Now, I hope you can see that God has given us everything to make a difference in the church and in the world for the sake of the gospel. Ministry is impossible without the Lord at the center of it. And it's impossible to do ministry without engaging others. And it's impossible without consistent commitment by faithful believers. Peter has placed a challenge before us. How are you employing your gifts? How and who are you speaking and serving? We've arrived at our final portion. Told you a little bit longer, but this is very quick. The final portion of our text, which reveals the overarching purpose of what these three principles are for, that God may be glorified. the rest of verse 11, so then all things God may be glorified through Christ Jesus, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever, amen. This is such an important truth and reminder. God is the one who's at the center of all the serving. He is the one who gets the praise. He is the one who we look for our needs to be met. However, we can fall into two and maybe more traps, but I can think of two right offhand. First one is we feel underappreciated when we serve. We feel undervalued. We can feel that no one knows and no one cares. This can happen when we're not acknowledged or what we do is something most people don't know and don't see. Or we may be challenged. We may even be critiqued in the way we serve. But remember, God knows. He always sees and will faithfully and abundantly reward you for all your faithfulness later. If we look at Hebrews 11, the hall of faith, many in this life, in their life, did not get any earthly acknowledgement, even says the world was not even worthy for them. But they remained at their post, they faithfully served, they waited for the praise that truly matters in the end, and that's the Lord's praise. Trap number two is we can get prideful. We can over-inflate our importance and value and start to think we are something when we are not. We want to be first by excluding all others. We may actually hinder others. I've seen this in Christian ministry. Jealousy and envy. John the Apostle wrote to confront theotrophies who, as John put it, loves to be first among them and doesn't accept what John the Apostle says. Who are you, theotrophies? Peter knows about these kind of traps because, let's be honest, Peter has fallen into those traps. Remember, he was part of the argument, who's really going to be first among the disciples? Or how about this, claiming, I'll never betray you. They all will, but Lord, I will not. Or being confronted by Paul for his hypocrisy toward the Gentiles, acting one way versus another. Peter has learned some hard lessons. He's gained some real wisdom from the Lord and from the providential experiences. And in order for the churches he's writing to, to serve each other and the Lord, we must, and they must, avoid seeking to exalt themselves. Instead, it's about exalting God. This is what Peter means when he says, so that in all things, God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion, which means power forever and ever. Let us consider this question. Who are you exalting in your life? Yourself or the Lord? Peter's short doxology, this little mini praise statement, is our doxology too. When we serve, we must never forget and draw upon God who supplies the strength, supplies the opportunities. He makes the fruit. You can water, you can plant, but he's got to cause the growth. He makes the results. And since he's done it all, our thoughts, our actions are to point to God. And hopefully in that process, others will look at you and see God in you and through you. And now they'll be pointed to the Lord. That's how you can avoid pride. Let God get all the credit. It's nice to have an encouraging word, and we should do that on occasion, but just don't let that go to your head. Philippians 2.12, so then my beloved, just as you've always obeyed, I love the balance here with Paul, not as in my presence only, I don't have to be here to see it, but how much more in my absence? No one need to tell them what to do. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it's God who's at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. There's the balance. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent children of God, above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ, there is that near, I will have reason to glory, because I didn't run in vain nor toil in vain." In closing, the end is near. And it may seem in your personal circumstances and trials, the end is even more near. But instead of giving fear a foothold that cripples, live by faith that strengthens. Instead of fleeing your responsibilities, be resolute with real purposeful change and contribution to the church and to the world around you. And instead of falling short, choose to flourish and thrive in the hope of Christ's return. So the principles in review, well, the end is near, and it requires us to have the right attitude and the right actions. It insists we love and show hospitality. It also entails serving as good steward of God's gifts, all for the glory of God. May these principles help you live in the present, knowing the end of all things is near, and never losing sight of our God-glorifying purpose. And may each of you fulfill God's will and purpose in your life. by the strength that he supplies you through Christ our Lord for the glory of God. May we move from survival to significance. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I'm humbled by this passage and challenged by its text. It's never easy to examine yourself. It's never easy because we so quickly can find every area where we fall short. All of us here desire to be better, to do more, and yet the flesh circumstances sometimes get in the way. But we don't want to use excuses, Lord. We want to honor you. You have given us so much, the least we can do. is love you back in serving those that you have put in our lives. Help us to do this, Father, in a way that's genuine, authentic. Let us, as Mike has shared so many times, let us be a family, and let us enjoy the fruits that come from serving one another. In Christ's name we pray, amen. Well, thanks for letting me indulge you a little bit longer than normal. We will continue in 1 Peter verses 12 and following. May you be blessed this week in the Lord.