In the passage of scripture under consideration, it seems as though Peter has examined us and has discovered we all have a deficiency when it comes to having the proper attitude toward certain things.
One's attitude is how one thinks toward a certain thing. Our thinking can be correct or incorrect. For example, in this nation different groups have different attitude problems.
For example:
(1) MANY YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM. They have a rebellious attitude. Their thinking is incorrect.
Illus: Someone said, "There may be no fool like an old fool, but some members of our younger generation seem to be doing a pretty good job of competing for the position."
(2) MANY ADULTS HAVE AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM.
They are supposed to think like adults but so often they think like children as they confront certain issues in life.
Illus: Someone said, “You are young only once. If you act foolish after that, you'll have to find some other excuse."
In this portion of scripture, Peter deals with the way we THINK about certain things. Such as:
I. OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD TEMPORAL THINGS
Look at verse 7, we read, “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”
Peter warns us about something, look at-
A. THE STATEMENT
Peter's statement is that “The end of all things is at hand…” WHAT IS HE SAYING? He is saying that nothing that surrounds us in this life is permanent.
Even nature itself tries to teach us this valuable lesson!
Illus: As spring comes we marvel over the beautiful flowers, but in a few short months the beautiful flowers that we marveled over wither away and die.
Even though we should observe the lesson nature is trying to teach us, Christians and sinners alike still live their lives as if they were going to live forever.
Peter is telling us that, since temporal things of life soon come to an end, we should subdue and restrain those appetites.
Illus: F.B. Meyers made a distinction between today’s Christians and Christians of years ago. When it comes to loving this world he said,
• We live in the world and pay occasional visits into the unseen and eternal; they lived in the unseen and eternal, and paid periodic necessary visits to the world.
• We conform to the world; they were transformed by the daily renewing of their minds.
• We read the society papers, discuss society gossip, send our children into society and strive to hold our own in dress and appointments with the cream of society around us; they, on the other hand, were thought strange and ridiculous.
In other words, they recognized we live in a land that we know is not permanent. And they restrained themselves, not to give their life to things that are only temporary. We should do the same!
HOW SHOULD WE RESTRAIN OURSELVES?
(1) CONSIDER FAME - Many seek fame every day.
Did you know that you can be famous today, and all of the world will know your name and face, but in a few short years or months your name will be forgotten? When your name is mentioned, someone will say, "Who is that?"
Illus: We that are older than some in this congregation can talk to young people about people who were famous on television when we were growing up. Such as: Howdy Doody, Pinky Lee, Red Skelton, Cheyene, Buster Crab, Bob Steele, and Sugarfoot. They will look at us and say, “Who are those people? I have never heard of them?”
WHY HAVEN'T THEY HEARD OF THESE PEOPLE? Because no matter how famous you may be today, you will be forgotten in the near future.
Peter is telling those who have an appetite for fame and have no time for God in their pursuit of these things, they need to subdue and restrain this appetite, because one day they will realize that fame will not buy any favor with God.
Fame is not a permanent thing. We can be FAMOUS TODAY, but in a short period of time be completely FORGOTTEN!
2. CONSIDER FORTUNE
Many live for the purpose of acquiring as much of the world's wealth as they can in the time period allotted to them to live.
To watch them live their lives, you would think nothing counts in life but money. It is all they talk and think about. It has become the god they serve and worship.
But did you know what Howard Hughes discovered after he breathed that last breath? He found that all his billions would not buy him any favors with God whatsoever.
Illus: In January of 1991, it was revealed that Queen Elizabeth was worth over 13 billion dollars. However, if she does not give her heart to Christ, she will discover that all her wealth and her position in life don’t give her any advantage over others with God.
Peter is saying that these temporal things around us belong to these dying bodies, and we need to have the right attitude toward these things and subdue and restrain these appetites, lest we indulge and destroy our effectiveness as Christians.
B. THE SOLUTION
HOW DO WE DO THIS? Look at verse 7 again, we read, “Be ye therefore sober..”
There is nothing wrong with possessing things, but it becomes a sin when we allow things to possess us. Wealth is a god that controls many people. It literally possesses their lives.
Illus: For example, when you are driving your car and weaving all over the highway, a patrolman will pull you over for the purpose of seeing if you are sober. IF YOU AREN'T, IT MEANS THAT YOU ARE UNDER THE CONTROL OF ALCOHOL OR DRUGS.
God's Word teaches it is wrong to drink alcoholic beverages, because when we do, we loose control of our bodies.
Illus: Everyone who has ever had a bad cold and taken some of the strong cough medicine on the market, knows what it is to be so sick you cannot hold your head up. But when you drink some of the cough medicine that is mostly alcohol, you soon start to enjoy your cold. In fact you may not even know that you have a cold.
For medical purposes, we have to have drugs (including alcohol), but God has never wanted anything to control us but His sweet Holy Spirit. So Peter says, "Be ye therefore sober, Watch unto prayer."
The word "Watch", was a military term referring to a soldier watching for the enemy. He recognizes the possibility of danger so he watches for it.
WHO IS THE ENEMY WE ARE TO WATCH FOR?
There are many, but I have mentioned a few already. When fame, fortune, and material things become our gods, and we live for these things, we have been captured and become POW's of Satan.
But notice he says "Watch unto prayer." Prayer is a weapon with which we prepare ourselves to face our enemies.
We watch with our spiritual eyes, and if we see any of these enemies trying to invade our life, we use the WEAPON OF PRAYER against them.
Prayer here, is used in a positive way. It gives us power to face our enemies, no doubt about it!
Illus: Sometimes sailors have been shipwrecked on an island. In their distress, they found a bottle and placed a note inside asking for help, and sealed it and cast the bottle into the waves, hoping by chance it might wash up on some shore and be found.
That is not really faith at all; that is only wishing.
Peter speaks of prayer as being a definite weapon, which if used in the proper way, will protect us from the enemies that confront us. Prayer is when we make our requests known to God and watch to get the results.
Our attitude toward temporal things should be that NOTHING COMES AHEAD OF THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD IN OUR LIVES.
But also we need to consider-
II. OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD THE TROOPS
Look at verses 8-9, we read, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging.”
Some Christians do not have any problem with their attitude toward TEMPORAL things. Their problem is with their attitude toward the TROOPS. That is, the other Christians they deal with daily.
Peter, in these verses of scripture, reveals what our attitude should be toward God's people.
A. ONE OF CHARITY
Look at verse 8, we read "And above all things have fervent charity." The words, "fervent charity” in this verse mean, "Warm love"
Some people, because the way they were raised, do not know the first thing about WARM LOVE.
Illus: The lost world misuses the word “charity”, in the sense that they give to a needy organization to help crippled children, but they do it for a tax deduction. That degrades the word because they do not give because they love crippled children and want to help them. They give because they want to help themselves by getting a big tax cut for their giving.
Notice when we have this "warm love" within us for God's people how it reveals itself.
Peter says in verse 8b, “…for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”
• Some people never say anything bad about the dead, but the living are fair game
• Some people have the idea that everyone should have at least two friends: one to talk to and one to talk about
• Someone said, “In most beauty parlors the gossip alone would curl your hair”
• It is a known fact that every year, gossip runs down more people than automobiles
Peter says when we have this "burning love” in our hearts towards God's people, we do not try to spread their sins and short-comings; our love for them covers their sins.
• Someone said, “We are never nearer to Christ and more like Christ, than when, in love, we are covering the sins of mankind.”
• If you know anything to any one's detriment, hold it as a sacred deposit that has been entrusted to you.
Many have an attitude problem when it comes to others in the body of Christ. Those who are convinced they make themselves look great by degrading others are wrong..
The attitude we should have for those in the body of Christ should be a “warm love" that tries to cover the sins and shortcomings of others.
B. ONE OF COURTESY
Look at verse 9. We read, “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” Closely related to "hospitality" is the word "courtesy." Many Bible students consider “Hospitality and Courtesy” as synonyms.
The word "courtesy" first had to do with how things were to be done in the king's court. That is, everything was to be done properly.
The family of God needs to learn how to PROPERLY treat each other. Our attitude toward the TROOPS, God’s people, should be one of “warm love”
III. OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD OUR TALENTS
Look at verse 10. We read, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
Many have the wrong attitude toward the talents and possessions God has given them. Peter shares with us two things concerning this:
A. FREELY YOU HAVE RECEIVED
Look at verse 10, we read, “…As every man hath received the gift…” Look at the word “gift”. This word has three different shades of meaning.
• First, it is a present
• Second, it is an offering to God
The offering you place in the offering plate each week is a love offering to God. This is not the tithe we place each week in the offering plate. The tithe is not a gift; it already belongs to God. Lev. 27: 30, teaches the tithe is the Lord’s. The offering you place in the plate each week is a love gift to show how much you love the Lord.
• The third shade of meaning of the word "gift" is a personal endowment. God almighty has endowed us with certain gifts. We did not deserve them, but God graciously gave them to us anyway.
All three of these meanings apply to the Christian in that God has given him a gift. A gift is not something we work for or it ceases to be a gift.
God has given us these things. But notice, the way we have FREELY RECEIVED them, and now we are instructed to-
B. FREELY GIVE
Look at verse 10, “As every man hath received the gift. even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
He has given some:
1. A present when they were born
They were born to a family that could provide them with all kinds of opportunities. But God placed them there not so they could become snobbish and exalt themselves over the less fortunate, but He intended they be good stewards so they could help others less fortunate than themselves.
2. An offering to give to help others
Many have the attitude, “My money is my money and that is that!"
This is the same crowd that becomes furious when the preacher talks about money. They don’t want to hear it! But God says in Deut. 8:17-18, "And thou say in thine heart,my power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember; the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth…”
Everything we have came from God. When God created you He could have made you a moron, but He made you the way He did so that you could use your intelligence and skills to help others... “freely ye have received, freely give."
Illus: A missionary was at a church and he noticed the church had two copy machines. He expressed how that he would like to have one in his ministry. The good pastor, out of love, gave him one of them. This same pastor was saddened when he later discovered this missionary took this copy machine to another church and sold it to them shortly after it had been given to him.
How it must sadden the heart of God, Who so freely gives men/women wealth, (If He did not give them the wisdom and strength they would not be able to obtain it), and they are not willing to help another child of God if their lives depended on them. Our attitude should be, God has freely given and we will freely give.
3. An endowment
God has not given special financial opportunities to all at birth, but He has endowed them with certain talents. It is incredible the amount of talent that is lying dormant in God's church.
God has given some of you men the talent to do carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, etc.. God wants you to start your own ministry using your talents to help the poor and widows who so desperately need help.
Conclusion:
Peter says we are "Stewards of the manifold grace of God." That is, God in His grace has given all of us some kind of gift. He says we are “stewards”, and one day we are going to give account to God for how we have used these gifts.
I. OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD TEMPORAL THINGS
(A) STATEMENT
(B) SOLUTION
II. OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD THE TROOPS
(A) CHARITY
(B) COURTESY
III. OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD OUR TALENTS
(A) FREELY YOU HAVE RECEIVED
(B) FREELY GIVE
