Grace Means…Preparation

 

1 Peter 4:7-11

The end of all things is at hand, so:

1. Pray
2. Love
3. Serve

1 Peter 4:7 (NKJV) But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

With this verse, Peter begins the close of his letter.

From the opening words of his letter through 1 Peter 4:6, Peter tells about the very great (tremendous) grace of God that blesses us and enriches every aspect of our lives.

Believers are aliens and strangers. We are pilgrims of the dispersion, spread throughout the nations of the earth. As foreigners, this world is not our home, and we suffer under a hostile system. However, we are blessed beyond measure by the grace of God. 

We are sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ, partakers in His great salvation. We have an inheritance in heaven that will not age, spoil, or change. The power of God keeps us for our residence with Him.

Now, as he begins to bring his letter to a close, Peter gives urgent instructions.

Because “the end of all things is at hand,” Peter calls on us to be serious and watchful. Given the end of all things, he tells us to pray, love, and serve.

What does Peter mean by “the end of all things is at hand.”

Many in the first century Church looked for Jesus to return in their lifetime. In 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, Paul, by the Holy Spirit, gives us information so that we know what to look for that will signal the return of Christ. Some false teachers were saying that Christ had already returned.

2 Thessalonians 2:7–8 (NKJV) ⁷For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. ⁸And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

To reassure them that Christ had not yet returned, 2 Thessalonians 2 tells us that the “man of lawlessness” must be revealed first. And, the “man of lawlessness” cannot be revealed until “He who restrains” is removed. 

There is still confusion over what we mean by “the return of Christ.” Do we mean the end of all things or the beginning of the end?  Before the end of all things, where fire burns everything, Jesus will reign on this earth for one thousand years. And before He establishes this kingdom, the tribulation and salvation of all Israel will take place. 

1 Thessalonians 4:17 (NKJV) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 tells us that those who have died as believers and those who are alive will be “caught up” to meet Jesus in the air. This event is the removal of the restrainer, and it signals the beginning of the Tribulation. After the Tribulation, Jesus will return to the earth and sit on the throne of David for one thousand years. 

After these one thousand years, this world and all it contains will burn, and God will establish a new heaven and a new earth.

The prophecies of the Old and New Testaments clearly teach these events. However, throughout history, the untaught and mistaken have been pointing to natural disasters, plagues (pandemics), and wars saying, “Jesus is about to return, and everything is going to burn!”  They seem to think that the scorpions and judgments of the book of Revelation are about to be unleashed.

We must be clear! Tribulation and persecution are not the signals we are looking for. Natural disasters, fires, earthquakes, and tidal waves are not indications that the end has come. These events have been happening throughout history and will continue to occur.

Peter did not expect the immediate destruction of the world in his lifetime. Look at what he says in 2 Peter 3. He says:

2 Peter 3:3–4 (NKJV) ³knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, ⁴and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

He also says:

2 Peter 3:8–9 (NKJV) ⁸But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Put these two statements together, and, among many other things, it becomes clear that Peter is expecting some delay. He says that scoffers will come in the last days and that the Lord is delaying because of His patience.

Given these facts, we must assume that Peter’s reference to the end of all things being near does not mean the “immediate” destruction of the world.

However, Christ’s ascension to heaven started the countdown to the end. We are waiting for Him to return. Since we do not know the time of His return, we must assume it is going to be soon.

Even though during Peter’s time He did not expect the end to be immediate, we can learn some things from his statement, “the end of all things is at hand.” 

Three aspects of “nearness” stand out. 

First, the time is near for each of us. We have a limited time, and we do not know how long we have.

Second, all material things are temporary at best.

Third, we will all be judged.

Put these three together, and we realize that, for any of us, the end can come without a moment's notice, and then we will face judgment. No matter how short or long a time we have until the end when we get there, the time will seem to have passed in a moment. Whether we have two days or two thousand years, the end of all things is at hand. Not one of us has a lot of time. The end could be today. We cannot afford to think that things are going to continue as they always have.

The devil works hard to get us to think in terms of “ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” This thought is the foundation of the theory of evolution. We must not think we have time and forget to be serious and watchful. 

This world must stop thinking we have plenty of time. We don’t.

Peter reminds us of the shortness of time and says, “be serious and watchful.”

The words used mean “safe-minded and sober.” “Safe-minded” is the Greek equivalent of “being of sound mind.” “Safe-minded” expresses the idea of thinking clearly, as in, it is not “safe” to be delusional. The word sober means just what it sounds like. Sober means “not drunk.” 

Proverbs says it best.

Proverbs 23:29–32 (NKJV) ²⁹Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? ³⁰Those who linger long at the wine, Those who go in search of mixed wine. ³¹Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it swirls around smoothly; ³²At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper.

The shortness of our time demands that we be serious and sober. We cannot overstate the importance of our minds. Peter talks several times throughout his letters of using our minds. In 1 Peter 1:13, he says:

1 Peter 1:13 (NKJV) Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober…

And, in 1 Peter 5:8, he says:

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

The Apostle Paul, in his letters, also speaks of the importance of our minds, telling us to put on the helmet of salvation. We are in a spiritual battle, which Peter emphasizes when he tells us to be serious and watchful. 

We must take care to notice the purpose of our sound thinking and sobriety. 1 Peter 4:7 ends with the words that should be translated with “for the purpose of prayer.” The best translation of this verse is the NASB which says:

1 Peter 4:7 (NASB) The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

Prayer is essential. To be a child of God is to pray. There is no such thing as a Christian who does not pray. Even being angry enough to try to give God the silent treatment is a form of prayer for the child of God. (Consider Jonah who threw a fit before the Lord.) 

The reason for our serious soberness is prayer. The first and most important thing for us to do in view of the end of all things is to pray. This is not the only place that we are told to pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says:

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NKJV) Pray without ceasing.

When Jesus taught us, He said:

John 16:24 (NKJV) Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Jesus did not put limits on what we are to pray for or about. But James 4:3 does tell us what will keep us from getting what we pray for.

James 4:3 (NKJV) You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Praying for our pleasure is never the goal. Praying to know the mind of God and see the will of God accomplished is a good place to start. Praying for God to deliver us from evil is also a good idea. But, what is evil?  What we call evil may be something that God intends for our good. Death is evil, but it is also a move into a much better place for the believer.

We must keep our thinking sound and our judgment sober in order to pray with wisdom and insight. Events are happening faster than anyone can track, and the world needs our prayers. 

Because of the end of all things, we are to pray, and above all things, fervently love each other.

1 Peter 4:8–9 (NKJV) And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” ⁹Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

Peter gives three essential things we must do in preparation for the end of all things. We must pray, we must love, and we must serve.

We do not have a long list of rules. The commands of the Lord are simple. First, we are to love God. (Prayer) And, second, we are to love our neighbor. Moses commanded love for God and others. Jesus repeated Moses’ commands, and the Apostles emphasized the importance of love.

What more can we say about love than has already been said?

1 John 4:8 (NKJV) He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

When the end comes, what will become of all our possessions?

When the end comes, what will become of people?

If we invest our short time in possessions, our time will be wasted. However, there is no waste of time invested in people. If we are to prepare for the end, we must love people.

Finally, we show our love for God and people by serving. But notice, it is not just any service. Consider what Peter says.

1 Peter 4:10–11 (NKJV) As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. ¹¹If 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.

In grace, God gives each believer a gift. This gift is for the building up of the Body of Christ.

The devil works to get us to think that we have nothing to contribute. He tells us that we are untalented; he tells us that our efforts and minor mistakes are embarrassing. He points to others and says, “See how much better they are!” Please don’t listen to him. Think about how much you appreciate the things others do. Do you think that we will not be blessed in the same way by you?

The key to this is to serve in the ability which God provides. 

You know what you enjoy doing. Is there any way that can be used to build up the Body of Christ?

Do you enjoy hunting? Could you take a younger believer under your wing and teach him to follow Christ while teaching him to hunt? 

Do you enjoy interior decorating? Could you find a way to make the church building look better? (Be careful; criticism is not helpful. Gracious, loving action is needed.)

Even small things like picking up the trash you see in the parking lot can make a difference.

What Peter is saying can be summarized like this. Everything is coming to an end. We need to apply our heads, our hearts, and our hands to be ready. God’s grace has given us our heads, hearts, and hands so that we can prepare.