“Until the End”
1 Peter 4:7-11
Pastor John Bright
1 Peter 4 “7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” 9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” NKJV
Most of us live our lives as if time goes on forever. Actually, our lives and the whole of creation come with an “expiration date.” I would not suggest that any of us should start to worry about the “end of all things” because only God knows the time. What I will suggest is that we be mindful of the days we have and how we live as Followers of Jesus Christ.
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Do you remember the story of Chicken Little? She gets hit on the head by an acorn and jumps to the conclusion that the sky is falling. That is what she continues to tell everyone she meets: “The sky is falling! Chicken Little and her companions became so focused on conveying their message of impending disaster that they failed to recognize the risks associated with placing trust in Foxy Loxy. It is a tragic end for Chicken Little, but the sky did not fall. I believe there is a valuable lesson in this European folk tale that people who spread conspiracy theories online should heed.
Peter believed the same thing we believe now. We are called to live differently, not out of fear, but out of faithful expectation. The world may be filled with uncertainties, yet our hope is anchored in Christ, who holds the future. It’s less about predicting an exact moment and more about being faithful stewards of the time and opportunities we have been given.
Peter believed the same thing that Jesus’ Followers have believed for 2,000 years. Peter believed the words of Jesus: John 14:2-3 “2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Jesus also told a parable that points to a time of future judgement for everyone: Mathew 24:42-44 “42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
The question for us is not “When will this happen?” No, the real question is “How do we live in light of Jesus coming back?” Peter is offering an answer to this question.
We should pray v. 7
“7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.”
I know that everyone here prays. I would never accuse anyone of NEVER praying. We say our prayers before we eat and before we sleep. These often take the form of prayers we learned during childhood. Now, there’s nothing wrong with these prayers we repeat. We repeat the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday. Peter is encouraging us to bring our full minds to our prayers.
In Ephesians 6, Paul concludes his description of the Full Armor of God with a direction on how to pray: Ephesians 6:18 “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” Notice the call to be “watchful” and to pray with “all perseverance.” This is Paul’s direction in Colossians 4:2: “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” Again, this does not sound like advice to repeat a prayer and keep going. This sounds like an encouragement to grow and develop in the Discipline of Prayer.
We refer to many of the practices that aid in our ongoing sanctification as Spiritual Disciplines. These include prayer, Bible reading/study, tithing/generosity, fasting, silence, and worship. This is not a complete list. All Spiritual Disciplines have the same goal – increasing your intimacy with God. The Bible calls it abiding in Christ: John 15:4 “4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
As I have told you before, most of us were never taught to pray, and we have no idea that different ways/forms of prayer have been passed down for us to use. I have a book of Spiritual Disciplines that has instructions for over a dozen prayer forms. Just come see me to try some out. There is an excellent book on prayer by Richard Foster, “Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home”. Here is his list of prayer forms:
• Moving inward: Seeking the transformation we need. This includes the prayer of the forsaken, examen, the prayer of tears, and formation prayer.
• Moving upward: Seeking the intimacy we need. It covers the prayer of adoration, prayer of rest, sacramental prayer, unceasing prayer, and contemplative prayer.
• Moving outward: Seeking the ministry we need. Prayers include intercession, petitions, healing prayer, and the prayer of suffering.
In the past, I have shared some of the prayer forms that help me, like breath prayers. All of those forms were discovered as I studied and tried new ways to pray. I would commend this practice to each of you, no matter how long you have been a Jesus’ Follower.
We should love each other v. 8
“8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
So far, Peter has written about the vital need for love in each chapter:
1 Peter 1:22 “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.”
1 Peter 2:17 “Love the brotherhood.”
1 Peter 3:8-9 “8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”
This kind of love for all the folks in other pews is not OPTIONAL if we are going to thrive in the End Times. When the pressure builds in the culture and our Gospel of Grace is rejected by most folks, we will need each other more and more. The unity of deep love for our brothers and sisters in Christ is our best defense when times get tough.
Last week, I had to deal with a couple of the phrases Peter used. I put them in the category of phrases that are easily misinterpreted. Now we get to another one: “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
Here’s some info from GotQuestions.org: “Proverbs 10:12 says, “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” In what way does love cover sin? To “cover” sin is to forgive it, and forgiveness is associated with love. The best example of a love that covers sin is Jesus’ sacrificial death on our behalf. Jesus’ prayer from the cross.” (full article in your bulletin)
When we walk in love as a congregation, we MUST be quick to forgive one another. I believe that is one sign of holiness. Holiness starts on the inside. It is a change in the heart of a person. Most of us like to look at ourselves as basically a good guy or gal who added Jesus so we can go to heaven. Actually, we all came into this broken world as broken people. We were sinners – Romans 3:23. Old saying: we are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners. I am studying a great book on holiness by David C. Long: “The Quest for Holiness: From Shallow Belief to Mature Believer.” Listen to this description of the change in a human heart: “If sin is properly termed a heart curved in on itself, repentance is a turning toward God, which turns the most basic direction of a person’s life from being inward upon self to being refocused upon God and others.”
Imagine a congregation where nobody wants to take offense or desires to get even. Imagine a congregation where the first thought of each member is forgiveness for the small things and the big things that may happen. Is that hard to imagine? Peter wanted that for Jesus’ Followers in the Early Church. I want that for us!
We should practice hospitality v. 9
“9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.”
Hospitality would necessarily flow out of their love for each other. In the Gospels, Jesus and the Apostles relied on the hospitality of others for places to stay and for meals. I don’t believe we struggle with hospitality, but what about the grumbling?
It’s easy to feel “put upon” or “taken advantage of” – especially when certain folks are asking all the time for help and never offering any in return. One of the things I have discovered over the years while serving churches with a food pantry, you have to be willing to be taken advantage of if you are going to help folks.
There is no avoiding it. Hospitality and helping those in need lead us into our next topic.
We should share our spiritual gifts v. 10-11
“10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
In 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul includes “helps” as one of the Spiritual Gifts within the church. In that teaching from 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14, he explains the need for all the Spiritual Gifts to be guided by love. So, it makes sense for Peter to place loving each other before the encouragement to share their Spiritual Gifts with one another.
Spiritual Gifts were documented in Class Meetings within the Wesleyan tradition. It was there that members shared their lives – the successes and the struggles. They would search the Scriptures for answers, and they would pray for each other. Those prayers included listening for a Word from the Lord.
I don’t have time for an in-depth teaching on Spiritual Gifts, but we should acknowledge the need for these in our congregation, especially in our Small Groups and House Churches. It is the means by which God allows our love for one another to be manifest as we minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ. God can work through every Jesus’ Follower, but we have to keep the purpose in mind:
• Spiritual Gifts are shared to help, to minister to others, so the focus is on the receiver of the gift.
• Spiritual Gifts are shared to bring glory to God, the source of the gift.
When the time is growing short for Christ to return, we have to take a hard look at our local congregation. We are the Bride of Christ, and we need to be ready for the unexpected return of the Bridegroom. Amen.
Homework:
• Look up all the Bible verses on your teaching sheet. How many Prayer Forms do you practice? Are you interested in learning a new way to pray?
• Loving our brothers and sisters in Christ comes with a cost. Are you willing to be the first to forgive and offer peace to one who offended you?
• Next week: 1 Peter 5:1-5 “Humility in Serving”
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Sermon: “Until the End”
1 Peter 4:7-11
Teaching sheet for 8/31/25
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TEACHING SHEET
Do you remember the story of Chicken Little? Peter believed that Jesus was coming back because that’s what He told them. John 14:2-3, Mathew 24:42-44 The question for us is not “When will this happen?” No, the real question is “How do we live in light of Jesus coming back?” Peter is offering an answer to this question.
We should pray v. 7
Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 4:2: “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” This sounds like an encouragement to grow and develop in the Discipline of Prayer.
All Spiritual Disciplines have the same goal – increasing your intimacy with God. The Bible calls it abiding in Christ: John 15:4
Richard Foster, “Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home”. Here is his list of prayer forms:
• Moving inward: Seeking the transformation we need. This includes the prayer of the forsaken, examen, the prayer of tears, and formation prayer.
• Moving upward: Seeking the intimacy we need. It covers the prayer of adoration, prayer of rest, sacramental prayer, unceasing prayer, and contemplative prayer.
• Moving outward: Seeking the ministry we need. Prayers include intercession, petitions, healing prayer, and the prayer of suffering.
We should love each other v. 8
1 Peter 1:22, 1 Peter 2:17, 1 Peter 3:8-9
This kind of love for all the folks in other pews is not OPTIONAL if we are going to thrive in the End Times. When the pressure builds in the culture and our Gospel of Grace is rejected by most folks, we will need each other more and more.
Here’s some info from GotQuestions.org: “Proverbs 10:12 says, “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” In what way does love cover sin? To “cover” sin is to forgive it, and forgiveness is associated with love. The best example of a love that covers sin is Jesus’ sacrificial death on our behalf. Jesus’ prayer from the cross.”
David C. Long: “The Quest for Holiness: From Shallow Belief to Mature Believer.” Listen to this description of the change in a human heart: “If sin is properly termed a heart curved in on itself, repentance is a turning toward God, which turns the most basic direction of a person’s life from being inward upon self to being refocused upon God and others.”
We should practice hospitality v. 9
It’s easy to feel “put upon” or “taken advantage of” – especially when certain folks are asking all the time for help and never offering any in return.
We should share our spiritual gifts v. 10-11
In 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul includes “helps” as one of the Spiritual Gifts within the church. In that teaching from 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14, he explains the need for all the Spiritual Gifts to be guided by love.
God can work through every Jesus’ Follower, but we have to keep the purpose in mind:
• Spiritual Gifts are shared to help, to minister to others, so the focus is on the re-ceiver of the gift.
• Spiritual Gifts are shared to bring glory to God, the source of the gift.
Homework:
• Look up all the Bible verses on your teaching sheet. How many Prayer Forms do you practice? Are you interested in learning a new way to pray?
• Loving our brothers and sisters in Christ comes with a cost. Are you willing to be the first to forgive and offer peace to one who offended you?
• Next week: 1 Peter 5:1-5 “Humility in Serving”
