You can listen to all NPBC sermons at https://www.npbc.org.au/podcasts/media
NORTH PINE BAPTIST CHURCH
Sunday 31st August 2025
1 Peter 4:7-19
“Right Conduct: Judgement Is Coming”
I have attended many funerals, and I have also been the celebrant at many funerals.
An interesting dynamic that happens at funerals is that the people attending the funeral usually want to be told the person who has died has gone to heaven. They want this to be the case even when the ones who have died were real ratbags and mongrels when they were alive.
At one funeral the widow had picked 2 Corinthians 12:7 as the verse for the message. 2 Corinthians 12:7 is not a verse that commonly gets requested at funerals so I will put the text up on the screen.
In order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
The man being buried had been in church for decades, he had been an elder, and there was a testimony that he was a follower of Jesus.
But he was also not a very nice person.
Which explains how we end up with a widow asking the preacher to focus on 2 Corinthians 12:7.
Which the preach did.
The preacher also reminded everyone attending the funeral the words that Jesus spoke to Paul only 2 verses later.
9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
(2 Corinthians 12:7)
It was the grace of Jesus that made it possible to have the hope that, even this man
… who his widow thought was a thorn in the flesh, and a messenger of Satan, and a tormenter.
… even for this man Jesus was a Saviour full of grace.
The significance of this hope reveals itself in all manner of situations.
Today, as we continue working our way through Peter’s letter, we are going to consider the significance of this hope as it relates to the eternal destiny of those who do not know Jesus.
We read these verses last week.
3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
1 Peter 4:3-5
There is a judgement. There is a reckoning. We will have to give an account before God.
This life is not the be all … and then end all.
This life as we know it will end … but there is more to come in the after-life.
A few verses later Peter leaves us with no doubts about this reality that everyone faces.
1 Peter 4:7
7 The end of all things is near.
The end will come. The accounting … the judgement … will take place. As a result of the judgement every person will be experiencing one of two outcomes. One of those after-life outcomes is described in Revelation 20:11-15
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
It is common to describe the place where unredeemed people go after they die as hell.
Hell is a destination, but it is not the final destination.
The precise description of the ultimate destination is the lake of fire.
15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
They are thrown into the Lake of Fire along with death and Hades.
Hades is what we would call “hell”.
Hades is the place where Satan is the highest authority.
After the judgement Hades also gets through into the lake of fire – along with death.
The lake of fire is the final destination for the unredeemed. It is a real place that comes with real consequences which are to be feared.
The lake of fire is a place where people will want to forget about God.
The reason they want to forget is because, all too late, they realise that God was right all along.
There is no praise … no worship …and no honour given to God.
Instead, there are pangs of conscience, anguish, despair, weeping and gnashing of teeth.
It will not be a place of celebration but a place where people eternally say, “What if”.
“What if I had listened to my mother when she told me about Jesus?”
“What would have happened I had just had faith?”
“How different it would have been if only I had respected the fact that my child became a believer instead of constantly mocking her”.
The lake of fire is the destination for those who say in this life they want to forget about God and have nothing to do with Him. As soon as they get there all these people will realise they have gotten exactly what they wanted ... and it will be their eternal regret.
The lake of fire is a place where people are imprisoned.
A prison for those who have rejected God.
A prison from which we cannot escape.
And that would be bad enough, except it is also a prison where people are placed together with the devil and his angels. Revelation 20:10 says,
And the devil, who deceived (the nations), was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
The lake of fire is a prison where, for the rest of eternity, the eternally unredeemed are prison inmates with Satan and all of his followers.
The one who thought he could out-manoeuvre God and rule creation.
The ones who followed Satan on the promise that they would have victory.
All of these are in the lake of fire eternally with all those who rejected Jesus. That would have to be the most gruesome togetherness imaginable.
The lake of fire is a place where God’s grace is not shown.
The lake of fire is a destination which takes people away from the Lord and away from His grace. God is everywhere, but He is silent to those who are in that place.
We don’t want to picture this destination as if it is some sort of correctional school or a reforming facility. It is not like they have to endure endless sermons, or endless lessons on what they did wrong.
While they are alive on earth those who are in the lake of fire had spent their life telling God to keep silent. And so, in the lake of fire, that is what happens. God honours their choice and keeps silent, for the rest of eternity.
No compassion.
No patience.
No grace.
No more second chances.
Just condemnation.
An eternity of hopelessness and regret.
The lake of fire is the final destination for the unredeemed. It is a real place that comes with real consequences which are to be feared.
When that end arrives there will be people who will hear the judgement.
Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:41).
You are being thrown into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:50).
You are to be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might. (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
Your name is not in the book of life. (Revelation 20:15)
We who live as the redeemed know that this is the outcome.
We have been saved by Jesus so that means we will avoid this outcome.
As those who are saved, and who will avoid the lake of fire, our lives will be hurt, and grieved, and broken by the unredeemed we are in contact with every day.
That widow at that grave side is not the only woman who has a thorn in the flesh husband.
We all have stories, some of them being horrific stories, of hurt and brokenness that has come as the hands of those who call themselves “Christians”.
We all also have experienced the suffering that comes to us because we stand for the name of Jesus.
… the pain of unjust suffering because we are conscious of God.
… suffering for what is right.
… participating in the sufferings of Christ.
While that is all true. It is also true that
… we would not wish it,
… or hope it,
… or curse it
upon our worst enemy that they would be those who are condemned to the lake of fire.
That isn’t just our attitude because we are so abhorred by the consequences of what it means to be in the lake of fire. Not wanting to condemn people to the lake of fire is God’s attitude.
2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
It is this attitude of God which is the very foundation of the person and work of Jesus.
John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
As we are soberly reminded about the reality of the lake of fire.
And as we also see the heart of our Triune God exemplified in Jesus.
Peter gives us a calling.
Let’s bring up again the key text which Peter keeps applying. It’s 1 Peter 2:12
12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
We are called by Jesus to live a good life which causes pagans
… the ones who will accuse us of being wrong.
… the ones who will make us suffer for the sake of Jesus.
… the ones who tempt us to just fit in and then get all abusive when we don’t join them in their reckless and wild living.
we are called to “live good” among these pagans
… with the prayer.
… and the hope.
… and the ministry focus
that these same pagans by seeing our good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
“Living good” requires believers to live in a way that contributes towards people not being condemned to an eternity in the lake of fire.
How does Peter want us to fulfil this call?
Let’s keep reading from 1 Peter 4:7 onwards.
7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 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.
Peter doesn’t talk about preaching – even though that will be necessary.
Peter doesn’t talk about witnessing or sharing our faith – which again will be necessary.
Peter doesn’t say anything about identifying sinners, or pointing people to the work of Jesus, or calling people to repentance – which will also be necessary.
When it comes to the reality of the lake of fire, and
Our “living good” contribution towards people not being condemned to an eternity in the lake of fire requires us to outdo the pagans in our everyday life.
Peter gives us four examples of how to outdo the pagans in our everyday life.
By being those who make sure that we have a disciplined and focussed prayer life.
Being self-controlled. In our right minds and alert. Temperate and discreet.
Being of sober minds. Clear minded as opposed to a mind which is distracted and cloudy.
Both of these words relate to living a disciplined life. Having such a life so that we can … pray. Living this way because we know that spiritual transformation requires prayer.
Not distracted and on the run prayer.
Not Santa-clause here is my wish-list prayer. But prayer which is alert, unclouded, disciplined.
The sort of prayer which is necessary to bring the pagans out of darkness and into the light of Jesus.
We should easily be able to outdo the pagans here – shouldn’t we.
What else are we called to do?
We need to be outdoing the pagans in our everyday life by showing a deep love that covers a multitude of sins.
The image that Peter is using is a love that is stretched out tight – going to the furthest extent.
Not just any love. But the agape Jesus has made all the sacrifices type love. Deep love is the sacrificial love of Jesus stretched out tight. We need this love because we live in a world that – despite all its sin – does have many examples of love in action. If we can’t outdo the love the world is producing, why would the pagans bother to look beyond our life to Jesus?
A love that equals that of the pagans – and then goes deeper.
What else are we called to do? Authentic Hospitality.
We are not limiting here to “having people over for dinner”. Rather Peter is talking about opening our homes, and our lives, for the purpose of authentic Christian fellowship.
Being willing to this with those we like – that’s the easy part – even pagans can do that. So, we are looking for a hospitality that is more.
Being willing to this with those we don’t like, or in the absence of warm feelings, or when relationships are strained. That is where we start to outdo the pagans.
Having a hospitality that authentically reflects that fact that, despite anything else, we are one in Jesus.
Outdoing the pagans in hospitality.
What else are we called to do? Being other centred and not self-centred.
God has given all of us a spiritual gift. God has given all of us capacity, and skill. God has given all of us resources. Peter is saying take all of that which God has given you.
If we speak … speak the words of God.
If we serve … draw from the strength that comes from God.
In all we do, it is for God’s glory, God’s agenda. God’s purposes.
For … others.
We often decry our world as being selfish and self-centred – and it is. But there are also many examples of people who are very other centred, and generous. We follow the servant examples of Jesus to enable us to outdo the pagans. Because, if we can’t, why would the pagans look at our lives and then glorify God.
Serving in a way which makes a contribution towards people not being condemned to an eternity in the lake of fire.
I regularly get asked, how can I be an effective witness for Jesus?
These same people will say, “I find it hard to share my faith. And I am not confident in speaking about the Bible. I find myself being a bit fearful, and a bit hesitant. How can I be an effective witness for Jesus?”
Well, here is something we can all do to be effective witnesses for Jesus.
Stop for a moment and look at all of those people who are currently unredeemed.
All those people …
… some of whom are close friends.
… some of whom are even family.
… all those people going to spend eternity in the lake of fire.
For all those people, that time is near.
Think about what that means … and let that thought drive you to working on, and having a focus, and being a disciple of Jesus who outdoes the pagans
… in disciplined prayer.
… in deep love.
… in authentic hospitality.
… in being other centred.
“Living good” in this way, and you will be contributing towards people not being condemned to an eternity in the lake of fire.
Prayer
