Until The End Series

“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.”