Sermon for Sunday October 12, 2003

The Kingdom of Heaven is Near by Jay McPhearson

1 Peter 4:7-11

1st Peter 4:7-11
“The Kingdom of Heaven is Near”
“There is time for action but no time to waste.”
FCC – Piggott
10.03.03
Intro:
I don’t know the number of times I have been on my couch screaming at the TV during the last seconds of a NASCAR race, or a football game. It seems funny that I believe Jeff Gordon will be some how inspired by my screaming. You laugh, but I know you do the same. Last seconds of an Arkansas football game, score is tied….field goal from the 45 yard line – the kicker is 1 for 2. Don’t tell me you don’t get a little excited. If you go in my office I have 3 hockey jerseys. I remember going to my first hockey game. We sat in the nose bleed section. The next season my mom gave us tickets for the whole season. The next season, we bought season tickets three rows from the ice. My voice would be gone by the end of the game because I yelled so much. It’s easy to get excited about the things we care about.
I remember just a few months ago sitting on the couch at Duane’s house watching a man on TV with his whiteboard go through the book of Revelation, explaining that we are in the last days. His emphasis was more on when it was going to happen, than that we should be prepared. Somehow he thought he figured something out that Jesus said we wouldn’t know. Jesus said that no one will know the hour or the time when the son of man returns. But over an hour long show – this certain preacher had it all figured out. We hear a lot about the last days. Wars…rumors of wars. In the 80’s they thought Regan was the antichrist, in the 90’s it was Clinton. I wonder if our emphasis hasn’t been on when, instead of the assurance that it will happen.

Discussion:
Peter walked with Jesus. He heard Jesus proclaim that he was going to return. Peter’s claim that Christ would return was more of a warning to get ready than a mystery about when.
Turn with me to 1st Peter 4:7-11 (read)

I believe Peter is going to give to us 3 ways that we can get ready for the coming of Christ. The first:

I. Prepare Yourself (7)
a. The end is near
This literally reads – “prepare yourself mentally, therefore, and attend to prayers” We should be prepared. Peter’s meaning is neither that the present age has reached its end nor that the end lies somewhere in the indefinite future. His meaning is that the end will be very soon, although he has no interest in setting dates.
b. Be Clear Minded
This literally reads – “prepare yourself mentally, therefore, and attend to prayers” We should be prepared.
i. Not a desire to keep yourself sober – but a desire to always be thinking of eternity.
c. Be Self-Controlled
i. We should refrain from doing that which is wrong.
ii. We should be self-controlled in our speech
1. The words we say can hold a huge punch – even when we are joking or just playing around.
Before Amanda and I got married her parents came to Ozark for the Ambassador's rally. I don’t know where Duane was at the time, but Amanda and her mom were sitting next to each other. The professor was calling rolled and looked at Amanda. He said that he didn’t realize Amanda had a sister – speaking of Annette. That one statement made Annette feel really comfortable in the class. The professor knew his words were powerful.
d. Be Prayerful
i. This sounds like another step –
Really it’s connected with the other two. I can’t pray and really ask for God’s will to be done in my life when I am not self-controlled, when my mind is full of cares. I can. “God give me this, give me that…help me with this.” You can always throw up something and hope it gets answered. You can take it a step further and know God is faithful, know that he answers prayers, know that he cares for you. It changes the way you will pray. Instead of praying to a God who only answers what he wants, and leaves you wishing for more, he will answer more, because your heart is right. Because your dependence is right.

Peter says another thing to do in preparation for the end of all things.
II. Love each other (8-9)

John 13:35 – By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
a. We should have a passion for one another
i. A desire to help each other
ii. A desire to meet needs
iii. A willingness to go beyond the call
I have said this before – my relationship with you, your relationship with each other affects your relationship with God. It is affect by your relationship with God.
b. It’s not easy to love
i. Sometimes we do good at liking each other
1. Different personalities
2. Different desires
3. Different understanding of motives or different gifts.
Sometimes getting along with one another is a spiritual gift. I believe over all we do well in this church. There is a church in this area, could be one of the largest churches in this area, but there are groups within that church that hate each other. Preachers have come and gone, but they can’t get the two sides to just get along. I am thankful that we don’t have those issues here. I believe if we had those problems, I wouldn’t be your preacher. Two things happen when we don’t get along. When we fight with each other.
a. We forget our calling.
The Bible says that we are at war. That our battle is not of flesh and blood but of the spiritual world. If you want to humanize that for just a minute and picture two soldiers standing ready for battle. They start jawing at each other. One gets offended. They reason in their minds that they should fight each other instead of the enemy. They drop their weapons. Not only do we lose our calling, but:
b. We are able to be defeated
We aren’t ready for battle if we are fighting each other. We aren’t ready for anything. We aren’t watching out, because our eyes aren’t focused on the enemy, but on each other.
Peter says we have to love each other:
c. “Love Covers a Multitude of Sins”
This same idea is mentioned in Proverbs 10:12 – Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.
i. This doesn’t mean that I can intercede for you – if I love you
Psalm 85:2 – You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins.
ii. This doesn’t mean that we get better at hiding our sins.
Peter’s understanding is that sin is a social issue. You have envy in your heart because of a social problem. He’s assuming that in a group of Christians they are dealing with the same things. If we concentrate on loving each other, we will overcome our sin.
d. Offer hospitality
The survival of early Christianity frequently depended on the exercise of Christian hospitality, whether within particular congregations, like the willingness to use their homes as a house church, or their willingness to receive prophets and teachers into their churches.
i. We must offer hospitality to each other
1. it’s an extension of our love for the body of Christ
The third action we must do to get ready for the end of time is:

III. Serve Others (10-11) -- Read
a. If you speak
This has the idea of preaching. If you preach. The word that is from God – this is not ordinary speech. Let’s get this down on our level. There is only one preacher in here…or is there. I am not suggesting that this means anyone can or even should preach, but in the great words of Billy Sunday – “Preach the gospel and if you have to use words”. What about the words you say to those who are hurting? What about the words you say to those who are trapped in sin? What about the words you say to those who are confused? Do those words come from nothing….or are they the result of something deeper planted within you? Let me suggest that if you pray over the situation, pray over the conversation and pray over the heart of the one who receives – the words come from GOD.
b. My preaching
i. If I understand that my words are from the result of my reading, my bible study, my prayer life, my relationships – then I tend to put more work into it.
I believe we run into something far too often in the church. The preacher doesn’t understand the calling and the people only listen and never do. I am not blaming you or even coming down on you at all – As preachers we are so quick to demand authority, without understanding what the authority is. We want to speak the words for God instead of allowing God to speak through us. I shouldn’t just get up here because I have to say something, I should be here because I have something to say. “There is time for action but no time to waste.” We can no longer afford to waste time, with our families, or friends, our loved ones, our children. Everyone regardless of age or social status needs a relationship with Jesus, because we are all in the same boat. The world sees us as wanting to tell them where to row their boat instead of getting on their level and paddling ourselves. We need to paddle. If God calls me to take serious this calling of preacher (which I believe he does) – he calls you to take serious the message that is preached.
c. He calls you to serve
i. Not through your own strength – you will fail
1. But through the strength that God provides
When we understand that our service and wisdom and ability to care comes from God, we react different. We am more willing to give of our time, also our time is directed, it’s not wasted, which makes it more effective.
ii. Not to bring glory to yourself
1. but to bring glory, honor and praise to the one who truly deserves it.
2. We shouldn’t desire the glory for ourselves
Conclusion:

I am a big fan of the KC Chiefs. They haven’t won so many games at the start of the season since they won the first Super Bowl. I guess that’s what I was thinking about when I was sleeping the other night. I was at one of their games, at Arrow Head Stadium. There was this sea of red and gold. They were playing the Raiders, so there was also this group of raiders fans. I remember this clearly – there was a group of fans at the game that were wearing neutral colors. One whole section, with not Red and Gold, not Silver and Black, but neutral. The game was played and the fans of the winning team was happy. They had on the right colors. The losing fans were angry and almost ashamed that they had committed themselves. The Silver and Black face paint with the spikes on the shoulders is more powerful if the team wins. When you have all that stuff on and your team loses you look like an idiot with face paint. The group that committed to neither side, the group with all neutral colors on, they were all excited as well. No matter how the game turned out, they were winners, because they didn’t commit to either side.
Some of us this morning, maybe not on the outside but on the inside we aren’t committed. We talk a good game. We say the right things. But there is no commitment. When it comes time to choose the uniform – “Christian” or “Non-Christian” we decline. See because if you are committed, your team might lose, and no one wants to be a loser. If you are on the side of Christ and you walk faithfully with him – you won’t lose. The only war that ever needed to be fought was won not when Jesus went to the cross but when he rose again on the 3rd day. Death has been defeated. Joshua 24:15 – But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD ." Choose to follow Christ this morning. Stand up and take a stand for him. Take your cross and follow him, carry your cross wherever God has placed you, wherever you are sent. Peter says that the end of all things is near. Are you ready? Are you ready to meet Jesus? Are you ready to stand before God, he knows everything about you so there won’t be a huge introduction, there won’t be a need to justify everything you’ve done or haven’t done, because he knows your thoughts, he knows your motives. I am not saying this to make you feel guilty or anything like that – I say it for the reason Peter says it – the end is near. We should be prepared. “There is time for action but no time to waste.”