For our text this morning, we turn again to 1 Peter chapter 4, 1 Peter 4, the verses 7 through 11, serving as the text for this morning. And in connection with that, we turn to Matthew 24, Matthew 24, reading the first 14 verses where our Lord Jesus Christ is talking about the signs of the end of the age. Matthew 24, beginning at verse 1. Jesus left the temple and was walking away when His disciples came up to Him to call His attention to its buildings. Do you see all these things? He asked. I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another. Every one will be thrown down. As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, The disciples came to him privately. Tell us, they said, when will this happen and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? Jesus answered, watch out that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name claiming I am the Christ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places, and these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. But he who stands firm to the end will be saved, and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 1 Peter 4, beginning at verse 7. The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. Shall we bow together in prayer? Father, we do give You thanksgiving and praise for Your Word. Your Word, which You have graciously and lovingly given to Your people, to Your church in this day. We thank You for the privilege to read it, to hear it preached. Yet we know, Father, that Your Word will not affect us apart from the power and the work of Your Holy Spirit. We pray indeed, Heavenly Father, that You would open our ears and our hearts to hear and to receive Your Word, that Your blessing would be upon it, upon us as hearers, upon Him who brings it. And may You receive indeed, as we have read, all the praise and the honor and the glory for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Beloved in Christ the Lord, if you knew without a doubt that Jesus Christ was coming back tomorrow, let's say about this time, what would you do? How would you live out the last 24 hours of your life here on this earth? Would you change anything? Would you do anything differently than yesterday, than last week? Or maybe even last year. Do you need to change anything? Wouldn't it be great if we could all say, no, I wouldn't change a thing. Because if we think that we need to change our lifestyle for the next 24 hours because Christ is coming back tomorrow, then that means that we are not living the way we should be living today as Christians. Now we know, of course, that in every generation of believers since the first coming of Christ, Some have tried to pinpoint the date of our Lord's return. Even in the last couple of decades, some very popular books have been written, attempting to give the year, the month, the day even. And many people, of course, have been lured into believing what these authors really were only guessing at. And they ended up doing strange things like selling all of their belongings right before that day. They ignored the word of our Lord that no one knows the day or the hour, but only the Father. And instead, they took sides with those who have tried to prove our Lord Jesus Christ wrong. Now, the Bible teaches us much about eschatology. Boys and girls, that means the doctrine or the study of the last things. The things that are to come last. The last days. And indeed, beloved, we are called to look forward to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, but not in order to try and pinpoint that exact time, or even in the vicinity of that time, but in order to motivate us toward proper living. Peter says the end of all things is near. We are living in the last days. Days which believers have been living in ever since Christ's first coming. And that means that our lives, the entirety of our lives, every day of our lives, is lived in these last days. Of course, to us who are bound by the limits of time, 2,000 years hardly seems like the last days, but there's no contradiction here. Since the creation of the world, there have been a number of great redemptive events in God's history of revelation. The flood, the covenant with Abraham, the birth, the death, the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, mention a few, and there's only one great event left to take place. Christ's return to judge the living and the dead. But until Christ comes again, believers of all ages between His first coming and His second coming, as we live from day to day, we live life a certain way in anticipation and expectation of His return. Our, what we might call, normal, the believer's life as usual is no longer the empty way of life from which Peter says in chapter 1, verse 18, we were redeemed. Indeed, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. There is no greater news than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That empty way of life is no longer our life as usual. But instead, God's people live, as Peter says in the previous section that we considered a couple of weeks ago, God's people live for the will of God. And God's will includes that believers suffer for Jesus' sake, for doing what is good and right. In fact, in the first six verses of chapter 4, Christ's coming in judgment, we might say, is an incentive for believers to suffer for Christ at the hands of those outside of the church. And now in the text before us, that same judgment is to motivate believers to live a certain way with fellow believers in the church. Not to secure salvation. By no means. Because that has already been secured for us. Those who have been blessed by God's grace with a knowledge and assurance of that living hope in Christ Jesus are called to live for God's glory in the last days. And the Christian's life in the last days is a life that is prepared by fervent prayer, highlighted by heartfelt love, and characterized by selfless service as Peter teaches. All of these things which give glory to God. As we know, Peter is talking about an alternative lifestyle for privileged pilgrims, those who are not at home here, those who are just passing through, for those who have been called out of darkness into His wonderful light. As we said a moment ago, life for the church and believers is no longer that empty way of life which characterizes the life of unbelievers. And we are called to live for the praise and the glory of God, as Peter says in verse 11. This is to be our lifestyle day by day. And this way of life, then, is prepared by fervent prayer. Verse 7 again, The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. And notice what living for God's glory begins with. It begins with our relationship with God. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has merited for us, He has merited for us that living hope and that guaranteed inheritance, He has opened the way for us into God's presence. Even today in this life. God has blessed us, beloved, with a gift of prayer. That means by which we come to His throne of grace, which was closed off tight to us before. And we gain His audience. Boys and girls, what I mean is He hears us. He listens to His people. And God speaks to us through His Word by the power of His Holy Spirit and we are called to respond in prayer. Indeed, we respond through singing and through the giving of our gifts in our worship. We respond through a life of gratitude, as Eric was encouraged to do this morning. But see, all of that flows then as well, is prepared by fervent prayer. We confess that our God is a God of providence. And we define providence in answer 27 of Lord's Day 10, Providence is the almighty and ever-present power of God by which He upholds as with His hand heaven and earth and all creatures and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty, all things in fact come to us not by chance but from His fatherly hand. And beloved, prayer is one of the means we might even say the chief means by which God provides for us. In Lord's Day 45, question and answer 16, we confess why Christians need to pray. Because prayer is the most important part. The older version of the catechism says, the chief part of the thankfulness God requires of us. And also because God gives His grace and Holy Spirit only to those who pray continually and groan inwardly, asking God for these gifts and thanking Him for them. Do you see that then? Through prayer, we do two principal things. We give praise to God and thank Him for who He is and what He has done. And then He says, through prayer, He says, ask me. Ask me. We make our needs and our requests known to Him. And Paul says with regard to prayer, to do this without ceasing. And God Himself attaches this promise to faithful prayer in Psalm 50, verse 15, Call upon Me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor Me. Beloved, what a comfort this is for believers in these last days, when the end of all things is near. Through this, God gives strength to His people as we suffer grief in all kinds of trials, as Peter says in chapter 1, verse 6, and as God's people suffer for doing good for Jesus' sake as Peter has been preaching. This is to be for our comfort as well as we see the signs of the end times our Lord spoke of in Matthew 24. In addition to this, Luke 21, verses 34-36 tells us, Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. Yet the prayers of believers are not to be empty and meaningless, but fervent and meaningful. Empty prayer lends itself to an empty way of life. Empty and meaningless prayer brings one's relationship with Christ into question. Jesus said, watch and pray. Peter says again, therefore be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Other translations say, be self-controlled and sober, or be serious and watchful. And you see, beloved, this is in contrast to what Peter says pagans choose to do in verse 3. Living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry. We said a couple of weeks ago that Peter describes pagan life in terms of alcohol abuse and social obscenity and indecency. And the key here is that they are not clear-headed. They are ignorant of reality. They stumble around and they are easy targets for trouble. But God's people are to be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. We are to fight against distractions and we are to fight to be unaffected by the cares of this world that might hinder fervent prayer. We all know what happens with a lack of sleep. Our body and our mind is not fit for work. And in the same way, the vain cares and the pleasures of this world intoxicate one's heart and mind and make that one spiritually drowsy. Brothers and sisters, we are called to watch ourselves as we continue to struggle with sin every day. And we must watch out for the world as it seeks to entangle us in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And we praise God that through His Holy Spirit, We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. And as the Holy Spirit gives us clear minds and self-control to pray, then in turn, through prayer, He continues to give us clear minds and self-control. Yet, beloved, we must confess that often our prayer lives are not what they should be. In fact, for most of us, our prayer lives are rather pathetic. We offer up popcorn prayers throughout the day when we realize, you know, I went headlong into this day, into the busyness of the day, and never once considered God. I've not yet bowed in prayer. We offer up those popcorn prayers when we face little emergencies. Oh, here's another one. There goes a prayer. Often our prayers only center around ourselves and we forget about the greatness of Him who promises to hear a faithful prayer, but that's not what Jesus taught us. He said, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Often our prayers, beloved, are more out of duty, I guess I better get this done, than out of delight. I get to spend time with God in prayer. Indeed, the blessing of prayer is that we can pray to God anytime and anywhere, even driving down the freeway even when those little emergencies rise up I'm not saying those popcorn prayers are wrong but that must never replace going into a quiet room alone with God and pouring out your heart to Him in praise for who He is and what He has done in humble submission to Him seeking His leading for your life day by day, moment by moment but also confidently laying your needs and your burdens and those of others before Him. Of course, this is not meant to be a sermon on prayer, but what a blessed gift God has given to His people by which He keeps us in close communion with Him and by which we demonstrate our love for Him above all. And as He blesses our relationship with Him through prayer, He also then blesses our love for our neighbor. The believers living for God's glory in the last days is also highlighted by heartfelt love. Verse 8 says, Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins. Now, we need to point out here that Peter is talking about life in the communion of the saints in this passage. He's talking about believers demonstrating love for believers and showing hospitality to other believers. He's not talking here in this passage about the believer's relationship to unbelievers. The Lord willing, tonight we will consider more of that situation, that sort of a situation as we consider the parable of what we call the Good Samaritan. But unfortunately, sometimes Christians need to be reminded to love one another. Sometimes we are way more tolerant of the world than we are of each other. We hold grudges against one another. We are not always willing to forgive one another. And the saddest and the most dangerous part about it is that we carry it into the worship of God. And we actually think that we can worship God righteously when we are harboring in our hearts an unrighteous anger against a brother or sister in Christ. But Peter reminds us of our debt of love for one another, a debt flowing from God's love first poured out upon us. Again, he says, above all, love each other deeply. In other words, other than love for God above all, he's not canceling out the greatest commandment. But next, before everything else, this is most important, love for each other. And he's talking about an intense and an earnest love. It is an act of love that goes out of its way for one another. It's the kind of love, beloved, for one another that amazes the world as they see it demonstrated. They just shake their heads. The only response they can give is, Wow! Unfortunately, often those outside the church comment on how much fighting they witness going on in the church. And their reaction then is it's just filled with a bunch of hypocrites. Why would I want to be a part of that? Peter says love covers over a multitude of sins. That comes, if it sounds familiar, it comes from Proverbs 10, verse 12. In 1 Peter, in chapter 1, verse 22, Peter also said love one another deeply from the heart as an expression, a demonstration of one's faith. And now he is saying that godly, heartfelt love is a forgiving love. That love is the kind that Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 13, that is patient, kind, does not envy, boast, and is not proud. It is not rude, self-seeking, easily angered, does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. It never fails. And there's another important element of love that I left out of that. Peter says, it keeps no record of wrongs. One commentator says, Courtesy without love is a cold thing. Generosity without love is a harsh thing. You see, without love, we are nothing more than resounding gongs and clanging cymbals. In other words, noisy, hard on the ears, and without effect. But there is a beautiful word picture here with regard to this love that covers over a multitude of sins, and that is of a suspension bridge, like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. That bridge is suspended out over a body of water. It spans that body of water connecting two pieces of land. And Dr. Nelson Klosterman in his Bible study again on 1 Peter says of this, stronger than the world's longest suspension bridge, Christian love spans a river of sins when forgiveness is exercised to restore fellowship. you see beloved the old life of sin is characterized as chapter 2 1 says all malice and all deceit hypocrisy envy and slander of every kind that old life seeks to take advantage of another to hurt another to abuse another and to seek one's own advantage by taking advantage of another but when the christian truly loves his fellow christians he will not publish his failings to the world instead he will reach out he will span out he will seek to protect and to build up and to encourage and to help his brother in christ of course this doesn't mean that we tolerate sin this doesn't mean that we let one go on living in sin without saying something to them that we let it go on unchecked, it does mean that we seek the eternal welfare of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Do you see how practical this is? Just imagine how much gossip is eliminated when we love each other. And this love then leads to service. Living for God's glory in the last days is characterized by selfless service. Verses 9 through 11. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. Now maybe you've noticed, maybe you've noticed a beautiful order here in this text. As we enjoy that beautiful, sweet communion with God in prayer, His blessing includes our love poured out upon each other. And that love then is not only demonstrated in forgiving one another, but also by serving one another. And notice that Peter talks about serving with both our homes and our hearts by using our God-given gifts on behalf of one another. Now, Peter isn't just saying, offer hospitality, end of the story. But he includes how it is to be carried out, without grumbling, without complaining. Then, in that day, as today, some might have taken advantage of another's hospitality, whether on purpose or not. Some might have overstayed their welcome, or not expressed appreciation for what had been offered or simply expecting a certain level of treatment. We used to joke a little bit in our family, in our house, that when you get overnight guests, you put a fish on the counter. And when that fish begins to smell, then it's time for both the fish and the guests to go. But now Peter isn't just talking about showing hospitality with a simple meal or a dessert. Indeed, it's certainly included. But unlike today where when you travel, beloved, you can take your pick of hotels and motels and bed and breakfast. There are chains all over the place. In that day, there was not a good network of decent hotels for ordinary people. There were inns and there were hotels to be sure, but they weren't necessarily safe places to be and every little town didn't have one. In those days and even long before that time, unexpected travelers were no surprise and they were welcomed in. Lot took in the heavenly visitors. The Shunammite and her husband built a special room just for Elisha for whenever he happened to be traveling through. In that terrible judge's story about the Levite and his concubine, the old man from Gibeah insisted that the Levites stay in his house. Abraham's servant, when he went to find a wife for Isaac, he found hospitality with Rebekah's family. As well, in the early New Testament church, that church opened their homes for congregational meetings and for worship. As well, believers welcomed traveling preachers like Peter and John and Paul into their homes. Again, Peter is talking about showing hospitality to brothers and sisters in the faith, but not necessarily to friends who don't need it. Indeed, we are called to enjoy fellowship with each other in the communion of saints. But Peter is talking about a little further out here. He's talking especially about Christian strangers we come in contact with and may even have various needs. Beloved, hospitality can be exasperating under certain circumstances. Yet we are called to fight the desire to grumble and to complain. And instead to give to each other as the Lord has first given to us. Remember, we struggle with sin each and every day and we must confess our sin and ask for forgiveness each and every day. And our Lord gladly takes us into His bosom each and every day. He never tires of us. We must pray daily that He would give to us open hearts and homes and willing hands each and every day. That's the blessing of the family of God, isn't it? Anywhere we go throughout this world, wherever we find the family of God, there we should always find a safe place to be. And that should even be true in our homes here in Escondido and the surrounding area. We're familiar with the saying, there's no place like home. May those who find our homes always feel at home among believers. And believers also selflessly serve each other with God's gracious gifts. Now, everyone is called to hospitality. Every believer is called to hospitality. In the same token, every believer is given gifts, a gift or gifts, in some way, in some measure, but not the same gifts. And all of the gifts and the talents that we enjoy and employ are undeserved gifts from God's gracious hand. When Peter says faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms, he's talking about being a steward of something that belongs to someone else. And the idea is that of a household slave who had been given a position of responsibility. And he would manage the owner's property and household, and he would be responsible for distributing to the members of the household the wages and the food which had been entrusted to his care. God graciously gives gifts, entrusts to His people gifts in various forms, in various number, in various measure. Peter is not necessarily talking about official function in the church, but the general life, the day-to-day life of the church when each of us has the occasion and the opportunity to give mutual encouragement and strength. And he basically sums up the various forms of gifts under two headings. Word and deed. Speaking and charity. Verse 11, If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides. Even as lay members of the church, some have the gift and are given the opportunity to teach and instruct one-on-one, as well as to encourage and admonish with their words. And Peter is not saying that those words are infallible. But whenever we speak of God or teach of Him or give encouragement from His Word, we must take great care to be faithful to what God says. We are not to distort His truth, but to speak His truth in love. And of course, this is true of preachers and teachers in an official capacity, but also of all believers, in casual conversation. And for those who serve with their hearts and their hands, it is God who gives strength, physical, mental, spiritual, whatever strength we need. He provides the words to say and the strength to serve. And the bottom line, beloved, is that each believer in the church has received gifts to equip him or her to do his or her part in the building up of the body of Christ. And that is to be our goal. to be used of God for the well-being and the edification of the others in the church. And Peter makes it clear that this is not for the purpose of drawing attention to ourselves, but to God, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. Living for God's glory in these last days also has an evangelistic quality to it. Jesus says, Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Beloved, God gives us strength throughout our lives. Lives which we live in these last days. He gives strength through fellowship with Him through prayer and fellowship with co-believers through service. You see, our living hope, which Peter introduced us to in the beginning, is not just future, but something that we enjoy today in communion with God and each other for the sake of Jesus Christ, who through His righteous life and saving sacrifice made us to be a people belonging to God. Living for God's glory in these last days is only possible with the Holy Spirit living in you and in me. The Christian's life of gratitude is glorious in this life. It truly is glorious in this life and it looks forward to the glory of the life to come. What a precious gift from God's gracious hand. May we see it as just that. That living hope, that inheritance which is guaranteed is a precious gift from God's hand. Not something that you and I can earn. It's not something that we can purchase. But a precious gift for all those who repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As simple as that. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That's the Gospel. There's no greater news. And Jesus Christ is coming again. And therefore, beloved, if our Lord returns tomorrow, may He find us living to the glory of God. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, we pray that You would work, continue to work in our hearts in such a way that You would remove all selfishness and desire for self and to seek our own way and our own glory. Give us selfless hearts that desire to glorify You as a thankful response to Your selfless act of giving Your only begotten Son for us. We pray too, Father, that our desire would be for the church, for the people of God. That we would live this life in a way that is indeed pleasing to You and for the edification of our brothers and sisters in Christ. And as we hope to see tonight as well, that we live in such a way that we might be used of You to bring others to the faith. Father, may all of this be for Your glory. May the songs that we sing the prayers that we offer the gifts that we give indeed our entire lives glorify your most holy name in the name of Jesus Christ we pray these things Amen