I Peter 4:7-11
What to do while we are suffering
Verse 7, But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
I. The end of all things.
A. This could be the end of the world.
B. This could be the end of Jerusalem for the city was overthrown in 70 A. D.
C. This could be the end of your life.
II. Regardless of what is ending, it is time to be sober and watch.
A. The word "sober" doesn't mean not to drink.
B. It means to be wise minded.
1. Eph. 5:17, The wise understand what the will of the Lord is.
III. Watch unto prayer.
A. The meaning is to be careful to continue in prayer.
1. I Thess. 5:17 - "Pray without ceasing".
2. Ephesians 6:18 - Part of the armor of the Christian is prayer and watching.
B. Jesus is our example, and He prayed continually that He might know His Father's will.
1. Daniel was careful to pray three times a day, and God blessed him because of that.
2. James 5:17,18 - Elijah continually prayed, and God answered his prayer.
C. Some believe continual praying will get to be a habit.
1. It is not wrong to have good habits.
2. Col. 1:9-12 - Paul prayed continually for the Colossians that they might grow, walk right, be strengthened, and give thanks.
Verse 8, And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
I. Before you can pray aright, you must have love (verse 8), hospitality (verse 9), and speaking (verse 10).
II. Fervent charity.
A. The word "fervent" means without ceasing.
1. II Peter 3:10,12 - Peter uses the same word here to describe how there will be continuous heat until the elements of the world are destroyed.
2. James 5:16 - Elijah prayed fervently, which means "zealous", as the jealously of a husband toward his wife. Elijah prayed until God sent rain.
B. The thought is that we ought to cultivate Christian love toward our brothers in Christ until it totally consumes our every thought, purpose, and deed.
1. Rom. 12:9 - The word "dissimulation" means undisguised, or sincere.
2. Rom. 12:10 - We ought to prefer one another in honor, with an undisguised, sincere, preference.
III. Love shall cover a multitude of sins.
A. We will not "cover up" their sins.
1. It is very wrong to act like our brothers in Christ are sinless.
2. It makes them think they can get by with sins.
3. This in turn, makes us think we can get by with sins.
B. We will not necessarily make their sins public.
1. Gal. 6:1 - If a brother is overtaken in a fault, we will gently lead them back to the truth.
2. If possible, we will do this privately, because this is the least embarrassing to our brothers, and ourselves.
3. If it is necessary for the best interest of our brother and our church, we will deal with their sin in public.
C. We will have love for our brothers in church before we cover their sins.
1. This fervent love will keep us from gossiping, talebearing, faultfinding, and criticizing our brothers.
2. We won't purposely do them any kind of harm, but our every thought will be to be a help to them.
Verse 9, Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
I. Hospitality means to be fond of guests, given to (lover of, use) hospitality.
II. Without grudging.
A. Hospitality is not done because you have to, but because you want to.
B. Be hospitable when it is inconvenient.
1. Proverbs 17:17, "A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."
2. John 15:14 - Jesus called his disciples "friends" even though they didn't really understand all He was doing.
3. We can have friends that really don't understand all about what we believe and try to live by.
4. The only way they'll understand is to be around us.
5. The only problem here is that we must be careful to keep their unbelief from rubbing off on us.
C. Rom. 12:9,10 - We ought to prefer Christian friends instead of being alone, or with Non-Christians.
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.
I. Received the gift.
A. What gift?
1. I don't think this is talking about a particular gift that all the church members will obtain.
2. I believe it is talking about the particular gift that each separate church member obtains.
B. I Cor. 12-14 speaks about spiritual gifts.
1. Verse 4-6 explains the three types of gifts.
a. Verse 4 - The Holy Spirit gives a diversity (gratuity, endowment, religious qualification, miraculous faculty) of gifts.
b. Verse 5 - The Lord gives differences in administration (attendance, service, office).
c. Verse 6 - There are differences of operations, (effects, working) but God works all in all.
2. Verse 7-14 - These gifts, administration, and operations, are all in the local assembly.
a. Some people think verse 12-14 is speaking of some universal, invisible, or visible church.
b. Who is Paul writing to?: I Cor. 1:2 - The church at Corinth.
3. When God adds members to each local assembly, He adds them because of the particular gift that member has, so the entire church can be what it ought to be before God.
4. If there are members in the church that don't add to the church, there are only two reasons.
a. God didn't add them to the body.
b. They are not using the gift(s) God gave them.
II. Minister the same one to another, as good stewards.
A. As God gave the gifts necessary to each local assembly, so we ought to use that gift in His assembly.
1. This is not cheating other assemblies, for God will also supply the gifts necessary in that assembly.
2. Those people that are not in one of the Lord's churches (which is his body, Eph. 1:22,23) are the ones who miss on the major blessings of God.
a. Matt. 5:15,16 - We should put our candle on a candlestick, not under a bushel.
b. Rev. 1:20 - The candlestick is the local church.
B. Good stewards.
1. I Cor. 4:2, "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
2. I Tim. 6:7, "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out."
3. I Tim. 6:17-19 - The rich ought to make sure they don't trust in their riches, but lay up a good foundation for eternity.
4. May God help us to be very careful not to be overcome with taking care of the affairs of this life so much that we forget why we are here.
5. May we understand that if we first seek the kingdom of God, He will add all the necessities of life to us.
III. Manifold grace of God.
A. The word "manifold" means various, or many.
1. I Peter 1:6 - We should share the various gifts we have because there are manifold temptations.
2. Eph. 3:10 - It is through the church (local assembly) that we discover the manifold (various, many) parts of the wisdom of God.
3. We can also discover the other attributes of God as we deal with and understand the other church members.
B. Romans 12:1-7 - The purpose of sharing our God given gifts is so all the church (local assembly) will grow to maturity.
1. Rom. 12:3 - As individual members of the local church, we must realize that we are a small cog in the wheel, not the entire wheel.
a. Rom. 12:4-8 - These verses are not written to a universal, visible or invisible "church".
b. What church is Paul writing to?: Romans 1:7 - to all the saints in Rome.
c. These saints were, of course, members of the same local assembly, because there was no other church in Rome at that time.
2. I Peter 5:10 - Peter states that suffering causes pastors to be perfect (complete, not sinless), established, strengthened, and settled.
3. II Peter 3:18 - The whole local assembly (church) should grow together in knowledge and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Verse 11, If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
I. Speak as the oracles of God.
A. Note the word "if".
1. It is not necessary that we all speak.
2. There must be some to listen and do.
B. The word "oracles" means the utterance of God.
1. Speak as God would speak.
a. In other words, don't say what you think a verse means.
b. Say what God says it means.
c. If you don't know what a verse means, don't say anything.
2. II Peter 1:20, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."
II. Minister with God given ability.
A. The word "minister" means to be an attendant, wait upon, to act (to help in a common ministry to meet a daily need).
1. A person can minister without speaking, just like he can speak without ministering.
2. Our speaking ought to be ministering, and our ministering ought to be speaking.
B. Every person has a different God given ability.
1. This is not talking about "natural" ability that is of the flesh.
2. It is talking about using the gift given to him of God spoken of in I Cor. 12 and Rom. 12.
3. Therefore, my personality, when it is authorized, formed, and empowered by the Word of God, is given to me by God for the betterment of those around me.
4. I don't have to try to be somebody or something I am not.
5. I can be what God wants me to be, and by being what God wants me to be, I will be a blessing to those around me.
III. The purpose of all the above.
A. That God be glorified. Our final praise is to be given to God the Father, not Jesus the Son!!
1. Matt. 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
2. John 15:8, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."
3. Rom. 15:6, "That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
4. I Cor. 6:20, "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
5. I Cor. 10:31 - God should be glorified whether we eat or drink or whatever we do.
B. Through Jesus Christ.
1. There are a lot of people who believe "Jesus" is all we should glorify.
2. We glorify God through the person of Jesus Christ, His Son, who suffered, leaving us an example.
3. A false message is when people are told to believe in Jesus when that Jesus is "disconnected" from God the Father.
C. Praise and dominion belong to God.
1. Rev. 4:10,11 - The 24 elders declare the everlasting glory of God.
2. Rev. 15:3,4 - The song of Moses and the Lamb (Jesus) is that the Lord God Almighty (God the Father) should receive all glory and praise.