And now if you would turn with me to 1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4. We will read through the first 11 verses of that chapter. We will be looking particularly at the verses 7 through 11 for our consideration this morning. Follow with me then as we hear the word of God. from 1 Peter 4, verse 1. Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind. For he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason, the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. And now our text for this morning. But the end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and watchful in your prayers. Above all things, have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Thus far, the reading of God's most holy word. Hebrews 1.1 says that God has spoken in various times and in various ways, but now the full revelation of his gospel is in Jesus Christ. Now, that does not mean that God has given a different message at different times to different people, but rather that there has been an unfolding a giving starting with Genesis 3.15 of the basic gospel message and adding to that in the context of certain people, particularly in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel. But once Christ has come and has finished His work and has ascended on into heaven, now the fullness of that plan of the gospel of Jesus Christ is before us. is accomplished. It is the complete message from Genesis 3.15 to where Peter is writing. The only message yet remaining is when the Lord returns. Now in that context, it is always important to understand whatever you are about, whatever you are doing, whatever you're involved in, it's important to know where you're at, who you are, and what the context is. The context of where you are as a believer today, just as it was for the believers that Peter is writing to in his day, the context is one of being in the church with everything completed. Obviously, when Peter says, but the end of all things is at hand, he is not saying that, OK, everything is done. You don't have to do anything more. Just go sit and wait for Christ to return. He's coming now. He said that nearly 2,000 years ago there, and it's still the same for us today. Obviously, he is not saying go drop everything, go stand on a hill, whatever people have done in different times, or just tune out from your world today. Everything is done. You can just live as you want to, and then someday you can be with the Lord. we certainly do concentrate a great deal and rejoice in the good news of the gospel of what will be ours someday with the Lord. But let us not look beyond now either. You are here in now, and it's in that context that he says the end of all things is at hand. This message this morning is about Peter addressing the church, Needing to understand that situation. Who are you? Where are you? And then needing to understand what that means. What's called upon you for that? And finally, you're bringing in the glory to God. That's the context then in which Peter says, the end of all this is at hand. We are in that context. Christ has completed his work. We are members in his kingdom. You are identified, in fact, and we will comment more upon that in a few moments, but you are identified here as stewards of the grace of God. That is, it has been given to you. It is yours. You have salvation. So what we are looking at is those who are the recipients of God's grace. Those who know that they have been saved by the blood of Christ. Those who not only know, but most importantly, that Christ has saved them. That is who you are as God's people. All of this then requires that you be ready. There's implications. In the first chapter of this book, Peter admonished with these words. He said, be self-controlled and sober-minded. Be self-controlled and sober-minded for the purpose of being ready to fully grasp the grace of Jesus Christ. There are a number of passages to talk about preparation for the coming of Christ. But again, that does not mean that until he comes, we just basically sort of coast through life or drop everything and go to some special place and wait, nor does it mean that we just Well, we've got lives to live, so we have to do those things. But the only important thing is, someday I'm going to be with the Lord. It means, know that you need to be fully aware of what it means as you live your life, as your purpose is being fulfilled here on earth as Christ's people, what that means for you. That your overall concern of life is not about the pursuit of human passions, but a relationship with Christ. and therefore with your brothers and sisters in the Lord." That's the context. That's the preparation that Peter is addressing when he says, the end of all things is at hand. You see, being self-controlled and sober-minded is to have your mind on Christ. to know who He is, to know what His kingdom is all about, what your place is in His kingdom. Obviously, make sure that you know and believe that He is your Savior. But we're not just always talking about coming to faith. Yes, we call people to faith. We need to consider our faith, make sure it is real. But now what? What does it mean that you are a person of faith? It means you have a task before you. You have a context to work in and to live in. The Christian life, I want to say this very, very carefully, so please. The Christian life is a life of being serious and watchful in your prayers. It is not about struggling to make sure that someday, at the last moment, you make it into heaven. As a believer, that is not the question. Peter says, the end of all things is at hand. It's been taken care of. You belong to Christ. That means you will be with Him in eternity. But the Christian life is what is your place in the kingdom of Christ here on earth now. as you live before him. And so the exhortation is all about how you can be a faithful citizen in the kingdom. The call then is preparing for that, which starts with knowing where you are at. Carry out the concept of preparation one step further. You need to have the resources. If you're going to go to war for somebody, if you're going to be a member of someone's kingdom to establish the glory of the kingdom, you're going to need equipment. You're going to need the wherewithal to do that. How can anyone prepare themselves for this service? Remember the scripture constantly reminds us of our inabilities and of our weaknesses. You need to remember what Paul said, by myself I can do nothing, by the power of Christ I can do all things. If you rely on your own strength for your preparation, if you are going to rely on your own strength and experience and determination how to live your life from Monday through Saturday, you will be not serving Christ in his kingdom. But Christ has not left you without resources. He is the strength by which you can indeed be and do a great deal. He starts by talking about being watchful in your prayers. I think that's an area that we must all take a very sober look at ourselves. I know I do. Constantly remind ourselves, no, we do not The Bible does not call us to be in prayer 24-7. But we do not look to the Word of God. Make it a daily part of our lives to spend time in the Scripture, seriously, every day, by yourself and with your families. to come to know the Word of God, to come to know what Christ has said to you, to come to know what the Scripture says to you daily, and to be praying for that, to help you, guide you through the day, then how will you be prepared? The picture that we have here then, the context, is you need to understand your situation, your place, your faith. It's not about you. It's not about what's in it for me. You don't join the church for that purpose. If you do, you've come to the wrong church. It's not about how I can get to heaven someday, the steps to get there. It is about God. It is about serving Him. You need to know that in your mind, understand that context. And you need to draw upon your daily conversation, walk with God to be faithful to Him. So part of what the end of all things is about is that Christ is in heaven on the throne. You are here as His servant. And we are here to serve Him. Now, understanding then that context, and particularly the resources available to us through the Word of God, that leads, obviously, to action. What are you going to do? How are you going to be a member in the kingdom of Christ? So here's the situation. You belong to Christ. There is always The action, you are to serve Christ. The point is that you need to see where the text points to you to again and again. As I said, it's not about you, it's about the kingdom of Christ. Peter mentions three basic specific things that he calls upon the people that he is writing to, and therefore to you and I today. These are the things we are to pursue and to be engaged in, and they are simply this, loving one another, serving one another, and being stewards of God's grace. Time only permits a very brief walk at each of these, We could spend considerable time on each one of those. But a brief comment on each. The writers of the scripture, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, clearly understood the church is made up of people who are far from perfect. They are a people in the church that do and say things, sometimes even directly to one another, that they ought not to, that are hurtful. There are people in the church who don't do their part. Generally, they are unlovable. In fact, none of us are by nature lovable in the biblical sense of that word. That is exactly why you are to love them. In 1 Corinthians chapter 13, we read, beginning with verse 4, Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. That is not to say that sin is to be covered over and ignored, but it is to say how you relate to one another. We are just rather than concentrate on the little irritations and say, well, that person ignored me. That person didn't talk to me. That person was gossiping about me behind my back, and I heard about it. and I'm not going to talk to them. That's not the love that a Christian has for one another. The principle of love then means that I don't first think about what I want, what costs me the least, but what is best for the kingdom. Now, I might contribute for the good of the people of God, how I might serve them Whether they deserve it is beside the point. They are members in the kingdom of Christ. You are members in the kingdom of Christ. And your purpose in the kingdom of Christ, now in this context, is to demonstrate the grace of God, the love of Christ that is in you, is to be seen by all those with whom you are in contact with, particularly the members. When the church operates that way, indeed a multitude of sins will be covered. Secondly, Peter says, serve. When Jesus taught the parable of the talents, He was not teaching there to the various servants who were given some talents to work with and then called to account see what benefit they would get out of that. The purpose of providing the talents to the servants and to see how they would use them was how it would benefit the master, the owner of the land. You are given talents You are given gifts. He was teaching the principle that when Christ brings you into his kingdom, his purpose for that is that you then are there to make a contribution for his kingdom. Again, it's not about what I can gain in all of this, but how would Christ have me serve others? Now, there's a lot to be said about what that service might look like, but at least trust you're beginning to see the concept that we are here for that very purpose. Now, Peter lists here a number of gifts of grace. Paul in Romans and Corinthians lists a bunch more. all are by the grace of God. But before we get into how these are to be used, understand something very important, the idea of a steward. In the ancient world, when there were a rich farmer, and often the context is that of the farmer, rich landowner, has other things to do or is taking a trip or whatever, and he has a steward, a servant, and he gives his farm, his land, to the steward. Here it is. You run it. You make it pay. You make it work. Jesus says, or Peter tells us here, we are stewards of God's very grace. the manifold grace of God as good stewards, Christ has given it to you. That's what it means in the context, again, that we are in. You are saved, you are going to heaven someday, but in the meantime, you are stewards that you have these gifts. When Peter talks about gifts of hospitality or of teaching or giving generously, not all have the same gifts, but everyone has a gift. It is not just for you, the gifts of grace, yes, ultimately we will gain eternal life and have eternal life, but the gifts of grace that are deposited in the church, the gifts of grace that are given to you individually are given to you for the purpose of others. And that man's been in the kingdom of Christ for the purpose of being used, the servant who took the talents and made them increase. Once again, understanding the context of who you are means that the notion of what is in it for me, and if I don't get my way, I'm going to be mad, is foreign to the context of the church that Peter is speaking about. Very quickly, the three concepts that we mentioned, love, Hospitality and service. You've heard a lot about hospitality lately. It's something we need to hear a lot about. It's something that's so fundamentally basic and important in who we are as God's people. But let me just say this one thing. Take yourself, if you would. Think of yourself for a moment as a visitor who has come to church for the first time, would you feel like you were really welcomed by what you saw as you walked in, by how you were greeted, by how people spoke to you? Would you feel like you were welcomed? Again, that's an understanding the context of where you're at. The end of all things being at hand and that Christ has ascended so that he has sent gifts to you. You have, in some fashion or another, it means different things to different people at different times and can be carried out in different ways. But all of us, as stewards of the grace of God, have the gift of hospitality. Now, just to make sure, Peter spells it out very clearly in the end. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. Speak the Word of God. That means you need to know what the Word of God is. You need to be in the Scriptures daily. If anyone ministers, let him minister, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies. Use the gifts of grace that God has given unto you. That in all things, God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Again, The end of all things is at hand. Christ has done his task. God the Father has sent his son. You and I have sinned and rebelled against God. God sent his son. Christ has done his task. It is accomplished. You are now born again in Christ. You are following the direction of the second Adam, not the first Adam. You are members in his kingdom. This is what that means. Speak the words of God unto the glory of God. Minister to one another unto the glory of God. Live your life. It really puts everything into context. If you are persecuted for the faith, and by the way, I haven't gotten to that point yet, but let me remind you that Peter is writing to a group of Christians, and he is going to be telling them they will, in their life here on earth, experience great persecution. If you are laughed at by your friends or neighbors because you go to church on Sunday and don't live in debauchery as they do, it's okay. It's for God's glory. And if God asks of you to give of yourself, of your talents, it might even be as simple as praying for someone or to actually support the church, to give of oneself, to sacrificially give of oneself, what's more important than the building up of the church? It might be, therefore, in the best position to reach those outside. What more? What more can we be concerned about? What more can we be passionate about? What more can we be looking for and use the gifts of God to fill those seats with people who have never been in the church before? That's serving in the context because all things are in His hands. Where better can your time, energy, all of your resources and gifts go than for the glory of God? Certainly not for your glory. That does not mean that you don't seriously live your life and faithfully take care of your children. You do. We all have the daily activities of life before us, but we do so always in the context of putting to work, as God has put us before us, stewards of his grace. Let me be very, very clear. God does not need me. God does not need you. We don't add to his glory. You are not going to do anything that as a result of your doing will add one iota to the kingdom of God. We can take credit for nothing. But God has, by his grace, made you a steward of that grace that he might use you to build his kingdom. We have not really even begun to scratch the surface of all of the implications and all of the applications that could be made and how you are to love one another, to serve one another, to carry out the stewardship of the grace of God. But the principle is very simple. Yet most miss it completely. Many look at these things as a means to get more jewels in their crown. Look what I've done. The Lord should be happy with me if I do anything. It's man's glory and arrogance. But equally sinful is it to say, That is all by grace. God does it all. He's done it in Christ. After all, the end of all things is here, so I'm just going to be a couch potato and do nothing. Peter seeks to address a number of times the reality of facing persecution. Some ways we face what we face today. We think things are bad in our world. That's nothing. But in reality, here now, you need to understand how you have been challenged with this. What does God ask of you to do in service to him? And how does that put all in its place? It's not about you. It's about God. The challenge from Peter, step out of your comfort zone practice the reality of being a steward of Christ. Let us pray. Our God and Father, what a joy and what a privilege that you would make us stewards, that you would supply us with grace, that we might be used of you in your kingdom to serve. to speak to our neighbor, to help our neighbor, to put our arms around people who are hurting, to forgive those who have sinned against us. Help us in these things, Lord, and help us to grow as a church and as a people of God who know the comfort of salvation in Jesus Christ. whose prayer we now join together in praying. Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debts. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,