God’s Bucket List for Me - 1 Peter 4:7-11 - October 30, 2011
World Relief Sunday – What’s Your Cause?
Open your Bibles with me this morning, please, to the book of 1 Peter. 1 Peter, chapter 4, beginning with verse 7. We’re going to step away from our series on the Sermon on the Mount for a few weeks. We will return to it, in a little while, but for this morning we have a different focus that we need to be looking at in conjunction with our participation in World Relief Sunday. So, 1 Peter 4: 7, this is what the Word of the Lord says …
“The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so 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 for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:7–11, NIV)
In early 2008 a movie by the name of “The Bucket List,” began to appear in movie theatres around the country. How many of you have seen that movie? For those who have not seen it yet, it starred Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Both of the characters they played were diagnosed with terminal illnesses. The time they had left was short and so what these two men did was to come up with their ‘Bucket List’ – a list of things they wanted to do before they ‘kicked the bucket’ and died. It included things like skydiving, driving race cars, going to see the pyramids and things like that.
It’s an interesting premise for a movie. The truth is we tend to live each day as though the days of our lives will last forever. It’s only when we get that wake-up call and we have a brush with death, or someone near us dies, or we come face to face with our own terminal illness, that we began to see the days of our lives in a different light. And we realize, that the days will not go on forever. Our time is limited. Life can be cut short at any moment. At that time, things that once seemed so important began to lose their appeal, and those things that we tended to take for granted – like God, and family and friends - we develop a new appreciation for them.
Here’s a question for you to consider: What would you put on your Bucket List? If you found out that you only had a year, or a month, or a week left to live, what would you do with that time? How would you live your life? What would you want to accomplish, or do, in the time you had left?
What we choose to do with the time that God has given us is a question worth considering because look at what it says in verse 7 … “The end of all things is near.” In other words: Time is of the Essence. There are a lot things that we can put off until tomorrow and it’s no big deal. And there are a great many more things that aren’t worth us spending our time on them at all. But there are some things in life that are too important to put off even for one day. There are some things that shouldn’t wait for tomorrow, because for you, or for someone close to you, tomorrow might never come.
In the book of Ephesians we are exhorted with these words … “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15–16, NIV) None of us know the day nor the hour when we will be called to stand before the Lord. So it makes sense that we should try to make the most of every moment that is given to us.
Peter goes on to say that because time is of the essence we ought to be “alert and sober minded.” To be “alert” means to be aware. To recognize what’s going on around you. Someone who is alert, is ready to respond at a moments notice.
And then Peter says we are to be “sober minded,” – not sombre – we’re not talking about being morose and sad and without joy – but sober minded. It means to be in control of one’s thoughts and not given to irrational thought. It’s the opposite of mental confusion if you will. When it’s used in the word of God it conveys the idea of acknowledging the reality of God’s revelation. In other words, to be sober minded, is to accept the word of God as being reality, to believe in the truth’s it reveals, and to live it out in your life.
So Peter is telling us, that because time is of the essence, we ought to be alert – aware and ready to respond – and furthermore we ought to be sober minded – taking God’s word to heart, believing it to be true, and putting it into practice in our own lives.
Now why are we to be alert and sober-minded? Peter gives us the reason, doesn’t he? What is it? … That’s right! We are to be alert and sober minded so that we might pray! And right there I know that I’m in danger of losing some of you today. Because for you, prayer is a chore. It’s hard work that you don’t have much interest in because you don’t see much return for your investment of time and energy. You pray and it’s a though your prayers never make it past the ceiling and you’ve grown discouraged or disillusioned with the whole idea of prayer. And so for us to get into the Word of God this morning, and to hear that because time is short we need to be given over to prayer, this is not what you want to be hearing.
But folks, if you get nothing else out of this message this morning, please get this, understand it, and take it to heart: Jesus did not die just so we could run an event called, “Church,” on Sunday mornings. What God has done through Jesus is meant to have a far deeper impact, a far greater influence, than what takes place in this building here. As important as it is for us to gather together and worship with one another, Jesus died and rose again, and He called you to be His, for something more than just that. If the doors of this church are where your faith begins and ends and is solely lived out – you’ve completely missed the heart of God!
See, God has a Bucket List of His own, if you will. Only His Bucket List isn’t filled with things that He wants to do before He dies – because He is God and He has no beginning and no end – His list is filled with things that He wants you to do before you die; for you to live out and experience in your life.
Awhile back I was blessed by a sermon that pastor Dave McFadden preached and in that message he had compiled a list of things that the Scriptures teach us about what we are called to by God. (Dave McFadden, “Being a Good Steward of My Talents,” www.sermoncentral.com) And because it fits so well with what I want you to hear this morning, I’ve taken that list, I’ve adapted it a bit, and I want to share at least a portion of it with you right now. Because when we began to really hear what is being said, we get a glimpse into God’s will for our lives, into His Bucket List for you and me.
#1 is this: You’ve been created for ministry! Ephesians 2:10 - “For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” (Ephesians 2:10, NRSV) Folks, the ministry for which you have been created is intended to be, not something we put on and take off, as we go in and out of the church, it is meant to be a way of life! Christ living in you, is to overflow into everything you do and wherever you happen to be, as you are doing it. You are an ambassador of Jesus everywhere you go; to everyone you meet. You’ve been created for ministry.
#2 – You’ve been saved for ministry! 2 Timothy 1:9 - “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace.” (2 Timothy 1:9, NIV) Not only have you been created for God’s purposes but you have been saved for His own purposes as well. He has saved you that you might minister in His name and to so serve a hurting world.
#3 – You’ve been called to ministry! Ephesians 4:1 – Paul writes, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (Ephesians 4:1, NIV) And Peter expands on that and says your calling is this, “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9, NIV) There is a calling upon your life that you would declare God’s love and His splendour to the world and to accomplish the things to which He has called you.
#4 – You’ve been gifted for ministry! Sometimes people are reluctant to live a life of ministry because they feel they have nothing to offer. But 1 Corinthians 7:7 says this - “each of you has your own gift from God.” (1 Corinthians 7:7, NIV) And the truth is that each one of us is a unique creation. There is no one else just like you. Each one of us has different skills, abilities and passions given in different measure that we may fulfill the calling God has placed upon our lives. Even more so, we are granted spiritual gifts to help us in the ministry that God has given to each one.
#5 – You’ve been authorized for ministry! Matthew 28 - “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18–20, NIV) By what authority do we minister? By that granted to us in Jesus. You’ve been created for it, saved that you might do it, you’ve been equipped for it and you have been given the authority to live it out in whatever places God has called you to.
#6 – You’ve been commanded to minister! Colossians 4:17 - “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.” (Colossians 4:17, NIV) Folks, it takes diligence. It requires faithfulness. It demands surrender. Most of all it requires a complete change in worldview to see and understand God’s calling and purposes on your life that you may be faithful in the work God has set before you.
#7 – You’re accountable for your ministry! Romans 14:12 - “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” (Romans 14:12, NIV) And in the book of 1 Corinthians the apostle Paul gives us these words to think about - “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.” (1 Corinthians 3:10–15, NIV)
You and I will be called to give an account of ourselves before a holy God. This is not to do with salvation – this is to do with the ministry that God entrusted you with. When that day comes, if you have been faithful in what God has asked of you, you will receive a reward. If you were not faithful in your ministry – you will still be saved – but only as one escaping through the flames. In other words you will have nothing to show for the life that God has given you, and the ministry which He placed in your care, and you will have to live with that reality for eternity.
Do you see why we are called to be alert and sober minded so that we might pray?
The things on God’s Bucket List, that are meant for us to do, will not happen by accident, nor will they happen by our own power. They will happen by intentionally living out the Word of God, responding to it as we see the world around us through God’s eyes, and drawing upon His power to help us accomplish that which He has called us to – in these prayer is essential!
Now, all of that just gets us to the end of verse 7! We haven’t even touched the other verses in this passage yet and there is some great stuff in there that we could spend another couple of weeks on. But for our purposes this morning we are going to jump ahead to verses 10 and 11. Look at those verses with me again. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so 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 for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:10–11, NIV)
Psalm 24:1 says this … “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1, NIV) Here is the reality – you and I are just stewards of this world and everything that we have been blessed with is a gift from God - whether it is our family, our health, our resources, our skills, our abilities – in that sense everything is a gift from God – you and I are just stewards of it.
Now the dictionary defines, ‘stewardship,’ as “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” (Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. (Eleventh ed.). Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc.) 1 Peter 4:10 tells us that we are to be faithful stewards of God’s grace as we serve others. So as stewards we are to faithfully, carefully, diligently, manage those things that God has entrusted to us, in order that His purposes would be accomplished, because a steward does not serve himself, but rather his master.
Folks, whatever you do, do it as for the Lord, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. Whatever we do is meant to be bringing glory and praise to God; to be pointing people to Him; revealing His love, His grace, His mercy, His power, His Son – that others may see and know.
World Relief Canada doesn’t have a theme this year as they often do for World Relief Sunday. What they do have is a question for you. The question is this: What’s Your Cause? In other words, understanding that everyone of us – not just the pastors and the Sunday School teachers and the Awana leaders – but everyone of us - has been created, and saved, and called, and equipped to minister – not just in the church but far outside the walls of the church in the places where we do life day to day - how are you going to be a faithful steward of what God has entrusted to you? How and where are you going to be ministering – serving – a world full of pain and hurt and darkness?
And maybe you have no idea. Perhaps you’ve never thought of these things this way before. Maybe you’ve never felt the freedom to rise up and serve God out of the passions, gifts and abilities that He has blessed you with. If that’s the case I want you to take a close look at this video clip we’re about to watch and see if something you see, or hear there, doesn’t resonate with you or inspire you to claim that calling God has on your life. Let’s take a look …
[Watch World Relief Video Clip – What’s Your Cause?]
Luke 12:48 says this … “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48, NIV) Friends we have been blessed with so much compared to a great deal of the rest of the world. We have health, and education. We have wealth and food and shelter. We have clothing to spare – we’ve got so much! But God’s word tells us that we are simply stewards of it – we are to manage it for the glory of God. So what would God have you do with what He has entrusted to you? What’s your cause going to be?
Let’s pray …
Communion Service for October 30, 2011
Greg Laurie tells the story of a woman who had finished shopping and went to get in her car. But when she did, she found four men inside the car. She dropped her shopping bags, drew a handgun, and screamed, “I have a gun, and I know how to use it! Get out of the car.” The men bolted from the car and ran like crazy. The woman was still shaking as she placed her groceries into the car and then got in to drive home. But no matter how she tried, she could not get her key into the ignition. It suddenly dawned on her that was not her car. It looked like hers, but hers was parked four or five spaces away! She took her grocery bags and put them into her own car, and then drove to the police station to report what she had done. The desk sergeant to whom she told the story nearly fell off his chair laughing. He pointed to the other end of the counter, where four men were reporting a carjacking by a wild woman with thick glasses and curly hair, less than five feet tall, and carrying a large handgun. No charges were filed.
You see, she thought it was her car, and she had a right to do what she did to the men who were in it. But the car really belonged to someone else. We think this world belongs to us and we can do what we want with the people in it. But this world and the people in it belong to God. We belong to God, and we have been appointed as managers, as stewards, who have been given great responsibilities until the true Owner returns. It is important to be faithful, not forgetful of these important truths. Remember who you are. Remember whose you are. (Living a Life of Faithfulness by Rodney Buchanan, www.sermoncentral.com)
And part of that remembering takes place on the days when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper when we share the elements of the Communion table – the bread and the cup – with one another. Paul writes that as we do these things we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again. We proclaim - we announce afresh - the truths that Jesus lived, died and rose again by the gracious hand and power and plan of our God.
And as we do so, as we eat of the bread and drink from the cup, we proclaim another truth as well – that Jesus died for you and me – that we stood in need of God’s grace and mercy and that today our lives are in Him. And if they are in Him then they are for Him too. And as the servers come forward at this time I want to invite you to consider what it means that your life, is not just in Him, but it is for Him. And then ask yourself, what needs to be laid at the foot of the cross today, what part of my life needs to brought into humble, willing submission, to the will of God that my life may truly be for Him?
Let’s pray …
Father, we thank you for this time of remembrance. Most of all we thank you for the hope and life we have in Jesus. Father we thank you for the cross – for the forgiveness of sins and peace with You. We thank you for the empty tomb and the risen Lord who will one day return and call His church to Himself. As we eat and drink together this morning may we be reminded of all the blessings we have in Christ and of the love that made it all possible. Amen.
[Servers pass out bread and cups.]
We do this in remembrance of Christ and we do it with grateful hearts for the life we have in Him.
[Eat and Drink.]
Song.
Close with Benediction.
