Throughout Peter�s letter he has been teaching Christian believers how to live as strangers in this world since we are now citizens of God�s kingdom, heaven. Peter gives God�s wisdom on how we as Christians live in a culture which doesn�t share our values, and is perhaps even opposed to our faith as many were facing in Peter�s day. While we may not have it as bad as those Christians Peter was writing to, his teachings are still helpful for us today living in a country which is increasingly going against the Christian faith. Peter addresses how we deal with those in authority over us, particularly those who aren�t Christian. He addresses sin and how to live a holy life or life set apart for God, and how we share our life giving faith with those who are not open to it? Even though we are not at the end of Peter�s letter for us this is the end (and not just because our baby is due this week), chapter four is the end of Peter�s teaching to Christians as a whole, in the next chapter he gets more specific speaking to leaders and pastors of the church. In this chapter he�s short, sweet and right to the point. I really like Peter because he gets to the bottom line. In the spirit of Peter I�ll try to get to the point quickly.
Peter begins by saying the end of all things is near. In other words Jesus is coming soon. It would be easy for us in 2008 to observe that over 1900 years have passed since Peter wrote these words, and think Peter didn�t know what he was talking about since Jesus hasn�t come back. But I don�t believe it�s about when Jesus comes back but that Jesus is coming back, and every day that passes brings us one day closer to his return. Peter is saying we must live today as though it is our last day because we will soon meet Jesus, our Judge. Peter wrote a few verses earlier in his letter, when Jesus comes he will judge the living and the dead (it�s the same phrase which was adopted in the Apostles Creed). If Jesus were coming today or tomorrow, would I live my life differently? Would I be proud of my actions or ashamed? Remember he�s writing to Christians so he is assuming they are saved, they have received Jesus, but he was concerned that their actions were not consistent with their beliefs. In light of Jesus� return, Peter gives us four areas to focus on.
1. Disciplined Prayer Life
The first area is about us and our relationship with God. �Be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.� Prayer is our primary way of communicating with God, being in relationship with God. For a Christian to go without prayer, spending time in conversation with God, is like going without food or water. God is the source of our strength, He gives us the ability to stand up to adversity, temptation, .
Peter understands what it is to fail in one�s prayer life and experience the consequences. You may remember the moments before Jesus� arrest and crucifixion when he and his disciples were in the Garden of Gethsemane to pray and keep watch. You might also remember what Jesus told them as they entered the Garden. He said, �pray that you will not fall into temptation (Lk. 22:40).� Yet what happened to every single one of the disciples? Did they pray? No, they fell asleep. I�m sure it was late at night, I�m sure that had had a long day preparing for and eating the Passover meal. But when Jesus asked them to pray and keep watch, they didn�t. As a result they fell into temptation; the temptation to sleep, the temptation to save their own skin and flee when Jesus was arrested, the temptation to betray Jesus. Jesus on the other hand, who faced the greatest temptation, to leave behind the cross, and not pay the agonizing price of punishment for all ours sins, was strengthened through prayer. It says in Luke�s gospel that when he prayed, God sent an angel to strengthen him, so he could stand against the temptation of Satan to turn from his destiny.
When Peter says, �be clear minded and self-controlled so you can pray,� he knows what he is talking about. He knows how easy it is to fall into the trap of putting prayer on the back burner and fit it in if we have the time. He knows the temptation to get a few extra zzz�s rather than pray. �Oh what will missing one night, or one morning, or one day of prayer really matter?� But Peter also knew the other side too, he knew it was the fervency of prayer which brought Pentecost when 3000 people were saved in one day. Peter knew it was because of the prayers of the church that God sent an angel to deliver him from prison just before Herod was going to kill him (he had just killed his friend James). The power of the Christian movement has always been God acting as a result of the prayers of his people. God changed the people who were praying, and he changed the people and the situations they prayed for.
Prayer requires us to �Be clear minded� - Think clearly, use good judgment, use common sense. Are we thinking before we are acting? Are your actions consistent with Christ? And be self-controlled or disciplined in our prayer life. Do we make time on a daily basis to spend with God? In the next chapter Peter talks again of self-control. He says, �Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (5:8).� If we are not self-controlled or self-disciplined and do whatever we want whenever we want to do it following our own whims and desires we won�t spend time with God. By failing to spend time with God we aren�t usually doing what he wants us to do, and we aren�t strengthened by God. We become easy pickings for the devil, who like a lion, is prowling around looking for the opportunity to pick us off from the herd. Peter tells us to be intentional about spending time with God in prayer.
2. Genuine Love for Other Christians
The next three areas are about how we relate to each other. Peter says, �Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.� Even though it�s not the first thing Peter mentions, the most important principle to live by is that we love each other deeply. Some of us guys may have a little trouble with the word �deeply,� but the word could also be translated constant, unfailing, or fervent. In other words our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ must be steady and intentional. We love each other as Christ loves us.
We�ve all heard the passage from 1 Cor. 13 on love at weddings, but it wasn�t written about husbands and wives, it was actually written to help Christians understand what it means to love each other.
1 Cor. 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.
Are we loving ALL our brothers and sisters in Christ in this way? Or are we picking and choosing who to love? We must be very careful about how we love one another because our relationship with God is directly impacted by our love for other believers.
NLT 1 John 4:20 If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don�t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen? 21 And God himself has commanded that we must love not only him but our Christian brothers and sisters, too.
When we love others God�s way it covers a multitude of sins. This isn�t referring to love covering our own sins. That somehow we could just love people and they will look past our flaws. He is talking about our love covering someone else�s sins against us. In other words if we truly love and care about our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ we will seek to bring reconciliation and to forgive and therefore �cover� their wrongs against us. �Cover� does not mean we just look past what they did to us and pretend it didn�t happen. It means we intentionally seek to make the relationship right (at least from our side) by forgiving them. We don�t stop loving someone just because they offended us.
Unfortunately, this isn�t how it seems to happen. Instead someone gets upset because someone said this or did such and such to me, and our anger begins to poison our relationship with that person. And pretty soon my attitude toward others goes sour, and then no one can do anything right, and we have a critical spirit. And then we are the ones who are in bondage. If we don�t deal with the issue out of love for the relationship, we mentally check out, then emotionally, and then eventually physically as we leave the relationship and the church behind. Didn�t Paul say, �love is not easily angered, and keeps no records of wrongs, and perseveres, and never fails?� Love doesn�t mean we agree all the time, we may agree to disagree, but we do so in love.
3. Hospitality (tangible expressions of our love)
You might think it is strange Peter puts hospitality in this section, but in the 1st century, hospitality was very important. The early church met from house to house, there were no church buildings. They met for worship, fellowship, eating together, study of Jesus� teachings, giving to those in need. Also there were no hotels or motels for fellow Christians travelling such as missionaries. They relied on the hospitality of fellow Christians. Hospitality was an extension of our love for others including those who are not yet a part of our family. While we may not put hospitality on our top four list, it is still important for us as Christians to make someone feel welcomed and loved, whether it is in our home, or in our church.
[Newcomer connection team]
When was the last time you had other believers over to your house for the purpose of demonstrating your care and concern for them?
4. Using our God given Gifts/Abilities
Lastly, Peter mentions that we have all been given special gifts, abilities, or graces by God for the purpose of serving one another. In Paul�s 1st letter to the Corinthians, he tells us the same thing, every believer has been given a spiritual gift determined by the Holy Spirit which is used to build up and encourage one another. We are managers of these gifts. If we aren�t using our gifts to serve our fellow believers, we are wasting God�s grace. It is like we are a vessel and God is pouring his grace into us (including our special abilities) and we are just letting it leak out onto the ground without using it. We shouldn�t be wasteful of anything God gives us.
Peter mentions two gifts specifically, the gift of speaking God�s word (this isn�t just preaching it could include teaching), he also mentions serving, other gifts or abilities mentioned in the Bible include: giving, wise advice, special words of knowledge, extraordinary faith, power to heal, perform miracles, prophesy, discernment, speaking different languages, leadership, administration, creative talents (music, art, etc.). What your gift is isn�t as important as what you do with it. There are many gifts but we are all called to use our gifts in the church, to help, build up encourage other believers.
What special abilities has God given you, and how are you using them to serve your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?
Conclusion:
Have I disciplined myself to spend time with God on a daily basis in prayer, not because I have to but because I want to? Am I loving ALL my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? Is there someone I need to forgive and �cover� their sin, and reconcile with? Am I demonstrating my love to them in tangible ways such as through hospitality? Am I using my gifts or abilities to serve other Christians or people in the community (everyone has a ministry)?
