Our Prayers, Our Passions & Our Praise
The position is that the end of all things is at hand. The miserable destruction of the nation foretold by our Saviour is now very near; consequently, the time of their persecution and our sufferings is but very short. The world itself will not continue very long. The eternal fire will put an end to it; and all things must be swallowed up in an endless eternity. But Peter admonishes us to give ourselves to prayer, give ourselves to holy passions and give ourselves to the praise of His Glory. Just preceding our text, in verse 3, he says: "For the time past may suffice to have wrought the desire of the Gentiles, and to have walked in lasciviousness, lusts, winebibbings, revellings, carousings, and abominable idolatries." Later on in chapter 5 he brings in the same warning in clearer phrase, exhorting Christians to be sober and watchful for, "Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
Our Prayers
Be you therefore self-controlled and sober-minded, v. 7. Be serious in your behavior and watchful with your prayers! Do not suffer yourselves to be caught with your former sins and temptations, watch unto prayer. For the sake of our prayers… we must watch over our own ways and our own walk and do so sober in mind. Whatever we say in regard to sobriety, we must also say relative to that other virtue — temperance (self-control). They are mutually related, but temperance respects not only eating and drinking, but is opposed to all immoderation in outward life — in clothing, ornament, and so on; to whatever is superfluous, or excessive; to any extravagant attempt to be greater and better than others.
ILLS: My youngest son is home for the weekend and he wanted to grill and all I had at the house was chicken so we went meat shopping. I said do you want to get some chops? No I’m not in the mood for chops. Do you want to get some ribs? No I don’t want to wait for ribs to get tender. If you want something quick lets get some sausage. So, because I’m a Texan, I head over to the smoked sausage, the andouille sausage, garlic - jalapeno sausage and he says Dad don’t you remember that the Chicago sausage is the Polish Sausage! I have not had a polish in 20 years and we brought it home and lit the fire and coals began to smoke and we grilled whatever meat we had in house but the star on the grill was that juicy polish sausage. He said I think it ready Dad! So I said I chop some onions and get some relish and he said nope Dad just bring the buns. So we stood by the grill, father and son, eating a polish, with the smoke in our eyes and sun on our back. And he went for another… so I went for another! And I realized in the moment that I finished the second that I had exhibited a lack of self-control! I let the nostalgia of the moment cloud my judgement that I had not eaten a polish is 20 years and now I had just consumed two. Oh, I paid the price for a lack of self-control!
Our Passions
And above all things have fervent love among yourselves, v. 8. Christians ought to love one another, which implies an affection to their persons, a desire of their welfare, and a hearty endeavor to promote it. This earnest affection is said to in priority above all things. Paul teaches that love is greater than faith or hope, 1 Corinthians 13:13 But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love. Peter is specific! Have love among yourselves. He does not say for pagans, for idolaters, or for apostates, but among yourselves. Let brotherly love continue, Hebrew 13:1. It is not enough for Christians not to bear malice, nor to be disrespectful to one another, they must intensely and fervently love each other.
It is true love that covers a multitude of sins. It inclines people to forgive and forget offences against themselves, to cover and conceal the sins of others, rather than aggravate them and spread them abroad. It teaches us to love those who are weak, and who have been guilty of many evil things before their conversion; and it prepares for mercy at the hand of God, who hath promised to forgive those that forgive others, Matthew 6:14. Jesus taught that when we pray that we should ask the Father to, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." Where hearts are inflamed with animosity toward one another, prayer has ceased; it is extinguished. He who prays the Lord's Prayer while indulging wrath, envy and hatred, censures his own lips; he condemns his own prayer when he seeks forgiveness from God but does not think of forgiving his neighbor.
This statement to cover "a multitude of sins," he introduces from the Proverbs of Solomon (10:12). Solomon contrasts the two opposing principles of envious hatred and love and shows the effect of each. "Hatred," he says, "stirs up strifes; but love covereth all transgressions." Paul, having in mind Solomon's saying about love, amplifies the statement with various expressions, in 1 Corinthians 13. Among other things he says there (verses 5-8): "Love seeks not its own, Love is not provoked, Love taketh not account of evil; Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but Love rejoices with the truth; Love bears all things, Love believes all things, Love hopes all things, Love endures all things. Love never fails!" Behold, this “covering sins with love” is a virtue peculiar to Christians. The world does not possess that virtue. Such love is impossible to it. However precious the world's love may be it is subject to delusion, vanity and hypocrisy. Show hospitality, v. 9. it must be done in an easy, kind, gracious manner, without grumbling at the expense or trouble. Christians ought not only to be charitable, but hospitable, one to another. Whatever a Christian does by way of charity or of hospitality, he ought to do it cheerfully, and without grudging. Freely you have received, freely give.
Our Praise
Use your gift to serve… to the Glory of God v. 10. The rule is that whatever gift, ordinary or extraordinary, whatever power, ability, or capacity of doing good is given to us, we should serve with the same one to another, accounting ourselves stewards of the manifold grace or the various gifts of God. Whatever ability we have of doing good we must own it to be the gift of God and ascribe it to his grace. Whatever gifts we have received, we ought to look upon them as received for the use one of another. The apostle exemplifies his direction about gifts in two areas—speaking and serving:
If any man speak, he must do it as the oracles of God. What Christians speak it must be with the seriousness and reverence that bring Glory to God.
If any man serve, taking care of the poor or by charitable gifts and contributions, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth. He who has received plenty and ability from God ought to serve plentifully, and according to his ability. That God in all things, in all your gifts, ministrations, and services, may be glorified, - (Matthew 5:16), that others may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven! To whom, Jesus Christ, be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. God is not glorified by anything we do if we do not offer it to him through Jesus Christ. God in all things must be glorified through Jesus Christ, who is the only way to the Father. Here is named the motive for all effort in the Christian community. Power and glory belong only to God. He himself calls his Church, and rules, sanctifies and preserves it through his Word and his Spirit. Therefore, in return for the goodness bestowed upon us, we ought to thank and praise God, directing all our efforts to the recognition and glory of his name.
[Note: The commentary is from Matthew Henry and a highly edited sermon from Martin Luther (I removed any references to Germany or any remarks about Muslims of Turkey or regarding the Pope and Catholicism) volume VII:303-328 of The Sermons of Martin Luther †]
