SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). Praying (vs 7)
(2). Loving (vs 8)
(3). Welcoming (vs 9)
(4). Serving (vs 10-11a)
(5). Glorifying (vs 11b)
SERMON BODY:
Ill;
• A Church leader asked some of his members a question;
• If you knew that it would be the end of the world in seven-days’ time,
• What would you do?
• One man replied;
• “I would go out into my community and share the Gospel to whoever would listen.”
• Another Church member replied;
• “I would withdraw from the bank all of my savings & throw a big party for my family & friends”
• One man surprised the Church Leader with his answer, he said:
• “I would go and live with my mother-in-law at her house for the week.”
• The Church Leader was puzzled by this answer and so he asked:
• “Why your mother-in-law’s home?”
• The man replied;
• “Because that will make it the longest week of my life!”
• TRANSITION: verse 7 in our passage for tonight reads:
• N.I.V: “The end of all things is near.”
• C.E.V: “Everything will soon come to an end.”
• The Message: “Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up”.
• Peter was convinced that our earthly struggles will not last forever.
• He (like many New Testament writers) expected Jesus to return back to earth in their lifetime!
• The fact he did not return does not invalidate his promise;
• Just check out Peter’s second letter and chapter 3 to see that.
No matter what interpretation we have concerning the second coming:
• There are at least three main theories relating to how Jesus will come again.
• You will probably be glad to know that we are not going to look into them now!
Quote: Tony Campolo.
“I have no idea when Jesus is coming back.
I’m on the Welcoming Committee, not the Planning Committee”
• We might not know when;
• But we can be sure he is coming!
• And how we live and serve today;
• Will determine how we are judged and rewarded then!
• Peter actually gives some instructions in these next few verses;
• To keep these Christians (and us) in balance as far as the Lord’s return was concerned:
Quote:
“Casual Christians always become casualties.”
• These verses call us to action,
• Similar, to a commanding officer instructing a soldier,
“To keep our task in front of us no matter what challenges we face. If necessary, we are to die, but by all means we are to accomplish the will of God.
(1). Praying (vs 7):
“The end of all things is near.
Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.”
Peter and his readers lived under two stressful realities:
• Christ could return at any moment;
• And life could be short.
• A Christian's life could be snuffed out in an instant;
• At the whim of a fickle dictator like Nero.
In light of this, one might expect Peter to act hurried, rushed and be in a frenzy:
• But he is the complete opposite and tells his readers to be the same:
• Think clearly, be cool and don’t be filled with anxiety.
• e.g. Some of his readers;
• Would have been tempted to be pre-occupied with Christ’s coming.
• e.g. Others like the Thessalonians,
• May have been tempted to stop everything and wait for Christ’s return.
• e.g. Still others may have simply panicked,
• Assuming there situation and circumstances were out of control;
But instead of panic or extreme reactions:
• Peter says “Be cool and don’t be filled with anxiety”.
• Don’t panic, face life realistically; realise God is in control.
• Be wary of the world, but not worried.
• Be remorseful through sufferings, but not resigned.
• In persecutions, persevere.
• In trials, triumph.
• When pressed, pray,
• Because as Christians we know who is ultimately in control.
Ill:
• A Fortune-teller, gazing into crystal ball,
• Said to her client who was a frog:
• “You are going to meet a beautiful young woman.
• From the moment she sets eyes on you she will have an insatiable desire to know all about you.
• She will be compelled to get close to you;
• You’ll fascinate her.”
• Frog asked her: “Where am I? At a singles club?”
• The Fortune-teller replied: “No, in a biology class.”
• TRANSITION: I am glad to say that well we do not depend of fortune-tellers or luck:
• We trust in God.
• So, Peter says; “Be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray”
• So, you can draw close to God and so that he can draw near to you.
Ill:
• Peter sure has matured since we met him in the gospels;
• In the gospels he would panic so easily, his judgement was so often wrong.
• But he has now learned to trust and pray!
• e.g. Think back to that night in the Garden of Gethsemane.
• Jesus prayed while Peter and the others fell asleep (despite his request to them).
• When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus;
• Peter did two things.
• He panicked and was extreme in his reaction;
• Trying to fight Roman soldiers with a fisherman’s sword.
• Jesus however had been praying:
• He was calm and in control.
• Prayer was what allowed Jesus to submit;
• And the lack of it was what made Peter resist.
• Peter has matured since we met him in the gospels;
• And he has now learned to trust and pray!
• TRANSITION: We need to be in a spirit of prayer
• God's will need to become all important to us.
• If we are not diligent, we like the disciples will fall asleep.
• Peter was well-reminded of how easy it is to fall into a lull of lethargy.
• The time we are about to give up on praying is the very time we need to pray the most!
(2). Loving (vs 8):
• Peter's second command encourages believers to focus on love:
• “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
• The Greek reads "keep love constant," or be "strained" in your love.
• We are to commit ourselves to God's people
Ill:
• When a sprinter approaches the winning tape;
• They deliberately lean forward every muscles taunt as they strain to win a race.
• Those who do the long jump leap into the air;
• And throw their feet forward as they stretch every muscle in their body.
• The same is true for the high jump and the pole vault.
• Athletes stretch to the uttermost to reach the limit.
• TRANSITION: Peter takes this picture and applies it not to athletics but to love;
• He tells us to ‘stretch every muscle’ in order to show love.
Notice: How the verse begins:
• N.I.V: “Above all”
• N.L.T: “Most important of all”
• Never forget that LOVE not the fish;
• Is the real badge that every Christian needs to display in this world!
• Then Peter pays his readers a compliment:
• N.A.S.B: “Keep fervent”. N.L.T: “Continue to show deep love for each other”
• He implies that they were already doing this;
• And he encourages them by saying; “Keep it up!”
(3). Welcoming (vs 9):
• Sometimes ‘love’ is too general a word;
• So Peter gives us an opportunity to tangibly demonstrate it.
• N.I.V: “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling”.
• A.S.B: “Be hospitable to one another without complaint”.
Ill:
• The term ‘hospitable’ comes from combining two Greek words;
• Meaning "love" and "stranger."
• You know doubt noticed that the word ‘hospital’ is in the word hospitality?
• Because hospitals take care of you, that's what hospitality is.
• Hospitality literally means "Showing love to strangers."
• Hospitality takes time, effort, and money,
• And often it requires an invasion of privacy.
• Quote: “Hospitality is when you make someone feel at home when you wish they were at home”
Note: In New Testament times hospitality was an important thing:
• Both the Old and New Testaments commend and encourage it.
• Hospitality is a virtue, a good quality to embrace;
THREE REASONS WHY IT WAS NEED:
(a).
• When somebody embraced the Christian faith,
• They were often persecuted;
• They could find themselves ostracised, as well as losing their jobs;
• They could be thrown out by their families and have no home.
• Christians in particular would need places to stay;
• Where they could be assisted and encouraged.
(b).
• Because inns were often centres of immorality;
• Christians who needed to travel large distances need shelter .
(c).
• It is an ideal place for evangelism; both now & then.
• ill: Jesus used homes and meals for evangelism and teaching.
Quote:
• Great English preacher John Henry Jowett
• In his commentaries on First peter writes:
“There is love whose measure is that of an umbrella.
There is love whose inclusiveness is that of a great marquee.
And there is love whose comprehension is that of the immeasurable sky.
The aim of the New Testament is the conversion of the umbrella into a tent and the merging of the tent into the glorious canopy of the all-enfolding heavens…….
Push back the walls of family love until they include the neighbour;
Again push back the walls until they include the stranger,
Again back the walls until they comprehend the foe”.
Question: When did you last entertain somebody who was once your foe?
Question: How hospitable are you?
Question: Do you make room in your life to be interrupted?
Question: Do you allow people to be drawn by the magnet of your love?
Ill:
• As Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure,
• He left them with this powerful statement:
• John chapter 13 verse 35 (N.L.T.):
• "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples"
(4). Serving (vs 10-11a):
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 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,”
Ill:
• In World War II, a French village had a statue of Jesus in their town square.
• When the bombing came, the statue was damaged, and pieces were broken off.
• They stored the pieces, and after the war they began to rebuild the statue.
• It had cracks now, but they appreciated it even more.
• What upset the villagers was to their dismay,
• The only pieces they couldn’t find were the hands of Jesus.
• That troubled them because the hands had the nail prints and that was significant to them.
• They thought they would have to take the statue down,
• Until one person placed a gold plaque at the bottom of the statue that read,
“He has no hands but ours.”
He has no hands but ours
He has no hands but ours.
He has no eyes but ours.
He has no lips but ours.
He has no feet but ours.
We are the body of Christ in the world.”
• This is a reference to a poem by St. Teresa of Avila that begins:
• "Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours."
• TRANSITION: We are all called to serve;
• The apostle Peter summarises spiritual gifts into two kinds of categories:
• Gifts of speaking (Greek ‘laleo’);
• And gifts of serving (‘diakoneo’).
• There's nothing especially memorable about the Greek words;
• They are used very, very commonly.
But notice, it's the manner in which we exercise these gifts from God that is remarkable.
• Speaking ... as one speaking the very words of God.
• Serving ... with the strength God provides.
• In both cases, while God provides the substance,
• But we must provide the willingness to be available and obedient.
So, two groupings or categories:
• Speaking ... as one speaking the very words of God.
• When we speak, we should not be voicing our own opinions and philosophies about life.
• We should be speaking ‘the words of God’.
• When what we say is based on the scriptures;
• We will be forever relevant & we will never lack for a message!
• Serving… And when we serve, we shouldn’t be doing so in our own strength;
• But “With all the strength and energy that God supplies.”
• When we serve this way; service is a pleasure and not a burden;
• And God gets the glory for what we do!
Remember:
• When we (every single one of us) employ our gifts;
• Both spiritual and natural.
• Others benefit, others are encouraged, others gain fresh hope,
• And interestingly…so do we!
(5). glorifying (vs 11b):
“If anyone serves, he should do it 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.”
N.L.B:
“Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen.”
• Ultimately our actions will lead to one goal;
• That the world may see Christ in us and glorify him.
.
Ill:
• When I read that doxology (vs 11b), my mind went to the Sermon on the Mount;
• The words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 5 verse 16:
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
• Did you notice that the word “your” is used three times in this verse?
• “Your light … Your good deeds … Your Father in heaven”.
• When you let your light shine before men,
• When we practically help other people, ‘in Jesus name’;
• Those we help will glorify your Father in heaven.
• What begins on earth ends in heaven.
Peter concludes this section by reminding us that:
• God is the one who deserves glory and dominion (or power) forever and ever.
• He will receive it.
• But we can play a part in bringing glory to God.
• We can participate in the very purpose for which the universe was created.
Ill:
• The great composer Johann Sebastian Bach said, always headed his compositions “J.J.”
• The letters stood for “Jesus Juva” which means “Jesus Help Me.”
• He ended them “S.D.G.” the letters stood for “Soli Dei Gratia”
• Which means “to God alone be the praise.”
• That would suggest to me that Bach was a man;
• Who wanted to glorify God - that was his priority.
• And of course, it is (or it should be) the priority of EVERY Christian!
