Living Like There Is No Tomorrow
1 Peter 4:7-11
William Miller came to Christ in the mid-19th century, a period of great revival in the churches of the NE USA. It was a time when, much the same as today, there was a keen interest in the prophecies of the Bible, especially concerning the return of Christ. Right after his conversion, Miller immersed himself in the book of Daniel, and after 14 years of study, he announced Jesus Christ would return to earth sometime in 1843 or 1844. He eventually nailed down the date to October 22, 1844.
On the morning of October 22, 1844 thousands of people gathered on mountaintops and in churches. Others were in graveyards, planning to ascend in reunion with their departed loved ones. Philadelphia society ladies clustered together outside town to avoid entering God’s kingdom amid the common crowd. When the day passed uneventfully, many Christians grew disillusioned. The unsaved became cynical. The event became known as “The Great Disappointment”, while some of Miller’s followers evolved into the Seventh Day Adventist movement.”*
I wonder if you’ve ever found Bible prophecy to be a little disappointing. It’s not that you don’t believe Christ will return, but it can get confusing tying to make sense of all the conflicting theories about the rapture, the tribulation, and the millennium. I have seen charts depicting dragons and goats and angels and temples, depicting the same events in different ways, each claiming to be the only true one. You don’t want to get caught up in another “Great Disappointment.”
I believe the best way to approach Bible prophecy is to start with the right question, which is not “how can I figure out what God is going to do?” but instead, “Lord, since I believe You will return how should I live right now?”
The apostle Peter wrote his first epistle to a church that was suffering intense persecution, to people who were tempted to give up their hope. They didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, so in 1 Peter 4:7-11 Peter teaches them how to live as if Jesus would come back today—to live as if there is no tomorrow. His words here give us 3 ways for us to live like there’s no tomorrow:
I. LIVE EXPECTANTLY (v. 7a) …the end of all things is at hand…
At first glance it seems Peter is as mistaken as William Miller was. The end of all things… obviously refers to the end of the world as we know it. No more tomorrows: Jesus is soon coming back to fulfill
Revelation 11:15 …“The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
All true Christians believe this will happen, but the Bible does not tell us when it will happen. But Peter specifically states this cataclysmic event is …at hand… = near in time or place. Since Peter wrote these words almost 2000 years ago, and obviously Christ has not returned. was Peter mistaken? No. Like all of the apostles, Peter had heard Jesus tell them no one could predict the hour or day of His coming. Yet throughout the NT, Jesus’ return is consistently said to be “at hand.”
Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
James 5:8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
The idea behind all of these verses is not that Christ’s coming is immediate but that His coming is imminent. It could happen at any time. Peter is emphasizing that we should all live expectantly because though we don’t know when, Jesus may come at any moment.
Matthew 24:44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
We ought to be looking for Jesus to return at any moment the way a wife waits for her husband to come home from a long journey, or a child waits for her dad to come from home. Christians are praying and desiring that their Savior will come and rescue us from evil and make this world right. We ought to be waiting with joy for Jesus to arrive!
If there’s any reason why we ought to be excited about Biblical prophecy it ought to be this: Jesus could come at any moment. Yet for some of us, that might not be such a thrill.
If Jesus came back tonight, how would you feel? Would you wish you had more time to get ready? Would you wish you had done more to please Him? Will you be afraid that you might miss something you wanted on this side of heaven?
Peter warns us to live expectantly, because the time of His return is near. Nobody knows how near, but one day, someone who believes that will discover that His coming is nearer than they realize! Are you living expectantly?
It wasn’t exactly what the boss expected when he asked his employees to put suggestions in a box as to how the business could be improved. “When I come in each morning, I like to see everyone in his or her place and started on the day’s work. Anyone have any suggestions?” The next day he found only one suggestion in the box. It read, “Wear squeaky shoes.”
Live expectantly, Peter says, and you’ll live like there’s no tomorrow.
At the same time, living expectantly does not mean living recklessly. Peter says we should not only live expectantly, but also
II. LIVE RESPONSIBLY (v. 7b-11a)
Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would
still plant my little apple tree and pay my debts. —Martin Luther
In an effort to live expectantly, some Christians make the mistake of forsaking their duty to God and others because Jesus is coming soon. Like the misguided followers of William Miller, some have given up their jobs, left their families, and many other strange things. Peter agrees with Luther in saying that the return of Christ ought to make us more faithful in our duties to God and man. Specifically, he tells us 4 duties we should continue:
a. Keep your head. (v. 7a) The word serious= not swept away by emotions or passions.
Peter already warned his readers about the persecution that is coming. It would be easy to give in to fear of the future. Don’t panic Peter says. Don’t become either a fanatic or a doomsayer. Keep your perspective balanced. Don’t become obsessed with what will happen, but keep your mind fixed on faithfully following Jesus whatever happens. Don’t lose your head or your faith, no matter what happens!
b. Keep praying. (v. 7b) Kings and rulers can do many things to hinder Christians from
serving God, but they cannot prevent our prayers. Peter commands those who expect Christ’s return to focus on keeping the lines of communication open with the Lord. Don’t let what may nor may not happen distract you from praying for God’s will to be done, or for souls to be saved. Never let the headlines discourage you from trusting God to do His will in your life. Stay in touch with the Lord through prayer!
c. Keep loving.(v. 8-9) Like the rest of the NT Scriptures, Peter stresses the priority of love.
The word fervent= “stretched out” and up to full capacity. The term describes a horse at full gallop or “the taut muscle of strenuous and sustained effort, as of an athlete.”1 The idea is to put all your effort into loving your brothers and sisters in the Lord. During times of stress, relationships can strain to the breaking point. Peter’s readers probably discovered when the pressure of persecution is on, you are tempted to take out your frustrations on others. It’s easier to focus on the weaknesses and faults of others. Peter says make the effort to love and …cover a multitude of sins…= overlook the sins and faults of others. (Prov. 10:12).
This love also includes the idea of being hospitable= showing love to strangers and travelers by giving them a place to stay. Hospitality was an important part of ancient society, and typically meant feeding and housing guests for 2-3 days with no expectation of payment. This was especially important during times of persecution, since many believers were put out of their homes, and often had to go into hiding to avoid arrest. There were also traveling teachers, such as Paul and Peter, who often depended on church members to give them lodging during their many journeys.
Peter says show this welcoming love without grumbling. Be willing to share what you have with those in need. The modern application of this principle could be seen in being a good neighbor, and sharing your home and resources with other believers who are in need.
By focusing on loving one another, Peter says you are mirroring the commands of Jesus as you wait for His return:
John 13:34-35 34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Work to maintain a loving relationship with God’s people!
d. Keep serving.(v. 10-11a) One of the most common themes of the parables of Jesus that
speak of His return is stewardship. A steward is a person who is given the responsibility to use his Master’s resources for his Master’s purposes. Using this image, God is the Master, and you and I are His stewards. The gifts God gives you are not yours, but belong to Him.
He has given each one of us gifts= derived from the same root as “grace”, basically denotes something that has been bestowed freely and graciously.= It is not to be restricted to miraculous gifts; included is any “natural endowment or possession which is sanctified in the Christian by the Spirit.”16 These gifts are manifestations of the “multi-colored” grace of God, meaning that God’s gifts are full of variety.
The gifts He gives us are not to be used to build us up, but to serve others. His purpose is not that you should use your gifts to please yourself or hide, but to help and bless other people. Peter divides these gifts into two categories: speaking gifts and serving gifts.
The speaking gifts include those who …speak…the oracles of God…This would primarily refer to preaching and teaching, but could also include any kind of speech which conveys God’s truth, such as witnessing, or praying. When God gives you this “gift of gab”, the Bible says here we must be sure that what we are saying lines up with God’s Word. The only authority a preacher or teacher has comes from the fact that they are speaking the truth of God’s Word. Our own opinions and ideas have no authority; only His Word does.
The serving gifts would be anything done with the abilities God provides to help someone else. This could be anything from playing a piano or singing, keeping financial records for a church or Sunday school, mopping floors, or cooking a meal. Anything that you do to serve others can be service done for God.
As you wait for Christ to return, keep using what God gave you to help and bless others
What can you do until Jesus comes back?
You can keep your head and keep praying.
You can love others with your attitude and actions.
You can serve God by using what He has given you to help and bless others.
Jesus has given us plenty to do. He does not want us idly sitting around, complaining about how we wish He would hurry and get here. He wants us about our Father’s business, until it is time to go home. What are you doing for God as you wait for Jesus to come back?
The time was the 19th of May, 1780. The place was Hartford, Connecticut. The day has gone down in New England history as a terrible foretaste of Judgment Day. For at noon the skies turned from blue to gray and by mid-afternoon had blackened over so densely that, in that religious age, men fell on their knees and begged a final blessing before the end came. The Connecticut House of Representatives was in session. And as some men fell down and others clamored for an immediate adjournment, the Speaker of the House, one Colonel Davenport, came to his feet. He silenced them and said these words: “The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish, therefore, that candles may be brought.” -
III. LIVE FOR HIS GLORY (v. 11b)
Many Christians long for the Rapture, not because of their intense love for the Lord, but because it symbolizes an escape from the distress of our age. - Erwin W. Lutzer
Our goal must be His glory. The reason why you and I should long for Jesus’ return is not just to get us out of this wicked world; our goal should be to see God glorified. Our aim in life should not be for God to exalt us, but that everyone everywhere exalt Him. Our purpose in life is not to see our will done, but His will done on earth as it is in Heaven.
It is popular to concentrate on the return of Christ in terms of the benefits we will receive. Many of us look forward to not having to suffer, or die, or sin. We like to think about how we will finally find the happiness that we never had in this life. Thank the Lord all of these things are true, but the only reason they are true is because Jesus will be glorified. We may do many things in heaven, but the one thing everything we do there will have in common with what we can do here is we will find our joy in giving our Lord glory!
One day a new convert asked his minister, “Pastor, you know this new eternal life I have--well, I’ve been thinking about it. What are we going to do all day long for eternity?"
"We’ll praise the Lord," I said.
"Forever--for ten million years!--we’re going to stand around and praise the Lord?"
"Well, yes," I said, although heaven was beginning to sound like cable television.
"For millions and millions of years?" he said. "Couldn’t we just stop now and then and mess around a while?" -
When we’ve been there ten thousand years/ Bright shining as the sun/ we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise/ Than when we first begun.
That’s what it’s all about---giving glory to our wonderful Lord. It’s why the universe was created. It’s why you were created. It’s why God have you your talents, and your possessions and your body and your breath—all to show off His glory. His return will be to display His glory in us and through us. You might not believe it now, but the greatest joy you will ever experience will one day be when you fall down before His throne and give Him glory.
In the middle of WWII, during the fight to control the Pacific Ocean, on March 11, 1942, a sixty-two-year-old Army officer, with his family, secretly slipped away from the Philippines and in a minor miracle made their way down to Australia. Before General Douglas MacArthur left the islands, he declared “I will return.” Two-and-a-half years later, October 20, 1944, he stood again on the soil of the Philippines and announced on the radio, “This is the voice of freedom. People of the Philippines, I have returned.”
The Bible tells us that almost 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ died on the Cross, rose from the grave, and ascended into heaven right before the eyes of His faithful followers. He made a promise then: I will return.
One day all of us who are long for His return will hear the voice of freedom shout from heaven, and He will touch down again on planet earth, and He will announce to the world, “I have returned.”
Until that day, let us live expectantly—let us live responsibly—and let us live for His glory—let us live like there is no tomorrow, because one day, there will be no tomorrow—only eternity to enjoy His presence and love forever.
Living like there’s no tomorrow means living expectantly, living responsibly, and living to glorify the Lord. Nobody can be sure about every detail of what will happen when Jesus comes back, but Peter makes it clear what we should be doing while we wait. Live like there’s no tomorrow, because one day, you will be right.
