Living Prepared Series

INTRODUCTION

• SLIDE #1

• Have you ever found yourself totally unprepared for a meeting or some event?

• Have you have those dreams of having something come up that you were responsible for yet you were unprepared. That is scary to think about isn’t it?

• I still have reoccurring dreams of getting to the end of a semester at College and still not having term papers done, or being prepared for finals. (In truth that never happened).

• I wake up for a few moments in a panic over not having those assignments ready.

• This leads to what we need to consider this morning. This issue of living prepared, living prepared to see the Lord at any moment.

• We are not promised tomorrow so today we need to live life prepared! Let us turn to 1 Peter 4:7-11 together. Let us begin with verse 7.

• SLIDE #2

• 1 Peter 4:7(ESV) 7The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

• SLIDE #3

• Let’s begin with understanding that…

SERMON

Living prepared means you must be…

I. Prepared to pray.

• Peter is letting us know that the end of all things is at hand; this should give us a sense of urgency when it comes to living prepared.

• This verse gives the justification for all that has been started before.

• We are given attitudes and areas of service that we need to develop in our lives as we get near the “END”

• The word “END” can mean “goal” or “end”. If “GOAL” is the intent we know that every since the beginning, God has been moving history toward the goal of eternity.

• If we look at the word to mean “END” then it implies the final judgment is closer now than when Jesus was here. Both fit the context.

• Part of living prepared is having a vibrant prayer life. But having that kind of prayer life requires is to be prepared, and looking at verse seven we see a couple of things we need to do in order to be prepared to pray.

• Here are three of the ways we can be prepared to pray.

• SLIDE #4

1. Our life is to be one of self-control.

• We are told that we are to exercise self-control. This means that we think before we act, we think before we take a particular course of action. We are called to be aware of the eternal consequences of our actions or lack of action.

• When we are facing tough times or trying to help those who are facing tough times, we must make sure we do not lose our head and do something rash or encourage another person to do something they will regret.

• We have to understand what to say no to and why we need to say no, but we also need to know what to say yes to also and why we need to say yes!

• SLIDE #5

2. We are to be sober-minded.

• Secondly we are told to keep a sober spirit. This means we are to keep ourselves from allowing anything to dull our mind or our spirit.

• When a person consumes even a small amount of alcohol, it impairs their judgment and reflexes.

• We are not to allow anything that will cause of to be spiritually impaired.

• When we allow the world to take over our lives, we are not very focused on God.

• We cannot allow things to take our focus off of God.

• Verse 7 tells us to be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

• Next…

• SLIDE #6

3. We must realize the urgency of prayer.

• The word for “prayer” is plural in the original telling us we are to offer up multiple prayers. We never stop with our prayers.

• We need to know that the end is at hand and we need to be lifting up prayers constantly so that we can help others know Jesus, so we can help others grow in Jesus.

• Jesus could return at any moment or we could depart from this world at any moment also.

• SLIDE #7

• Matthew 24:36(ESV) 36“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,£ but the Father only.

• Since we do not when Jesus is when we see a brother in Christ who is in the midst of a deep struggle, we need to be there for them.

• WE should pray fervently for them

• Let us turn to verse 8

• SLIDE #8

• 1 Peter 4:8(ESV) 8Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.