Pilgrim Priorities I Peter 4:7-11

[I am jumping ahead to this passage this week, but will return to our "context' in I Peter next week, SN.]

Pilgrim Priorities

I Peter 4:7-11

Introduction: During our time as missionaries, in the midst of learning Portuguese and adapting to Brazilian culture, I was also trying to finish my doctoral dissertation.  At one point, as it was finally taking shape, it was necessary for us to come to the US for several weeks so that I could research a couple of points in a Theological library.  Sometime during that visit, I began to experience heart palpitations, and eventually needed to make an appointment with a cardiologist to get checked out.  Thankfully, it turned out not to be serious, and could be controlled with medication. I think it is good for all of us to get an occasional heart exam.  I am not talking about going to a cardiologist, but rather about allowing the light of the word of God to penetrate our defenses, and expose the need of our heart. The Proverb says, “Above everything, guard your heart, your whole life depends on it...” (Prov 4:23).

       I decided to jump ahead to this text in our study of I Peter, since I read it as the basis of our devotional before our quarterly meeting on Wednesday and could only touch the surface in those few minutes. I want to spend some time digging into this passage with you all, because God is challenging me through His Word, challenging me to examine my heart, and I hope, as you listen, He will challenge you as well. I am learning. I want to be teachable. And I want to be faithful. I know that is what you want as well if you know Him. This text is a good reminder to consider our priorities, and to examine our actions and our hearts in the light of God’s word. We are still in I Peter, and we’ve been focusing for a few months on the idea of “Pilgrim living in a fallen world.” How does our heavenly citizenship impact our priorities and our actions, and how does it mold our hearts?

       For an American living in a third world country, life is not all bad. During our time in Brazil no matter how “at home” we felt, we were still foreigners. We were there legally, eventually we had permanent resident status, but we were always Americans. Just as there is a huge difference between going to a country for a couple of weeks on a short term mission trip, and moving there to live and to minister for the long term, (most) career missionaries are still Americans, you are never a “native,” you still have a blue passport, and you can still come home whenever they decide it is time. 

       In my experience at least, most Brazilians like Americans. Like the people in many parts of the world, they view America as a land of opportunity and abundance. They want to know about America, they want to learn some English if they can. Many would love to come here, if not for themselves, for their children. Like a missionary, we are resident aliens. We know that in the deepest, most important sense, this is not home.  Do we live in such a way, and speak in such a way, that people around us are curious about the place we call “home”? Does the fact that we are citizens of Heaven, and only sojourners in this fallen world, impact our priorities and our actions?

The Maine* Idea: The task is urgent and the time is short. We need to check our hearts and stay engaged in God’s mission, for the glory of God.

We’ll focus on that truth from four “pilgrim perspectives”:

I. Be focused on prayer (7).

II. Be fervent in love (8).

III. Be freely hospitable [I forced that a little to keep the alliteration going!] (9).

IV. Be faithful in service: Use your gifts for the good of the church and for the glory of God (10,11).

I. Be focused on prayer: As the culmination of God’s plan approaches we need, all the more, to diligently seek Him (7).

⁷ The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled [be in your right mind] and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

       The picture is almost a cliché of the long haired, bearded fanatic in the street, wearing a sandwich board, and crying out, “Repent, the end is near!” Here, Peter is writing, and saying that this story is coming to a culmination.  Do you doubt it? Nice, France; Turkey; Dallas... The depth of human depravity is revealed everyday around us. Here is a News Flash: Everything is not going to continue like it now is. In other words, you are not going to live forever in your fallen state. That is good news! Whether we die and go to be with the Lord, and whether He returns in our lifetime, we have a future to look forward to, and it will be sooner than you think. We are citizens of heaven. Now.  We are already a part of the New Creation. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance in Christ.  

       “...have a clear mind and be sober...” The phrase “clear mind” in my translation of the word, is rendered “serious” in the NKJV, which doesn’t seem to get at the idea. It’s a word that only appears a few times in the New Testament, twice in the gospels it refers to Gaderene demoniac after he was healed by the Lord...

“And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid...” (Mark 5:15).

Paul uses the same word when he says to the Corinthians, “For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you...” (2 Cor 5:13). I don’t think the question is about mental illness in Peter’s context, but it is a call to be aware of what you are saying and doing, to act rationally, thoughtfully.  Sometimes circumstances can seem to overwhelm reason.  I saw a cartoon this week that one of you posted on Facebook that said, “My desire to be well informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.” It seems that way at times! But Peter is saying the time is short, we need to keep our heads, and as the psalmist said, lift our eyes to the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. We need to take seriously the importance of praying to the King of Creation.  The task is urgent and the time is short. We need to check our hearts and stay engaged in God’s mission, for the glory of God.

II. Be Fervant in Love: Love for one another will allow us, the objects of God’s love and grace, to be gracious toward each other (8).

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

        “Above all...” The NLT says, “Most important of all...” As we are evaluating our priorities, as we are considering the urgency of the hour, we are to “keep loving one another earnestly.”  The call is to continuing, deep, earnest love for one another.  That, according to Peter, should be a top priority for believers. We give our different reports of the church in worship service attendance and Sunday school attendance and offerings and contacts made. Wouldn’t it be something if we had a measurement or a chart that would say this week we were up in abounding love. I got on the scale a few weeks ago and the scale said, “One at a time please!” Not really. But I did scare myself enough that I decided to ramp up my exercise and I set a modest goal to lose a pound a week. I downloaded an app and started keeping track. They give a nice chart to show your goal, and where you are in relation to your goal. So far so good! Wouldn’t it be nice if we could measure our love so easily? “We have increased by seventy percent in love over last week.” What if we could measure love?  It would tell us so much, because that is the key. Paul told the Philippians that he prayed for them to “abound more and more” in love (Phil 1:9). That is what Peter calls us to here.
       How important it is when people come and visit us, just how much they sense this aspect of abounding love.  Maybe we cannot measure love tangibly, but people know when there is a true fellowship of love. Got love? Yes. If you know Jesus you do. “He who does not love does not know God for God is love.” But our love can grow cold. So Peter says, “Keep loving one another fervently, [earnestly, deeply].”  Why is it so important? Because “Love covers a multitude of sins.” That means we can be gracious and forgiving. Not taking offense, not allowing a root of bitterness to grow. We need to extend grace, because we need grace. The task is urgent and the time is short. We need to check our hearts and stay engaged in God’s mission, for the glory of God.

III. Be Freely hospitable: The “one another’s” of the New Testament start with our heart attitude, including ungrudging hospitality (9).

⁹ Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

       Hospitality implies welcoming people into your home, sharing your time and space with others. Does this seem almost out of place here, among these other exhortations? At its heart, it's a matter of the heart. We certainly have seen consistent demonstrations of hospitality in our church family. The early church did it, they were breaking bread together from house to house, taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.  And that is the idea here, “ungrudging hospitality.” I have to say God gave me the right wife to bring this into balance in my life.  Mary Ann loves to have people in the house. All the time. Now don’t get me wrong. I love people. And I love to have them in the house. But not all the time!  Pray for me, I need it!  We have families in our church who are freely hospitable. A few of you have even had people live with you for an extended period. Many host missionaries and visitors regularly. Some love to have people over for meals, or host Bible studies or prayer meetings. Our “Church on the Go!” meetings this summer are an opportunity to extend hospitality, for a few hours, to a group of folks that you may have never had in your house. It provides a context where we can interact and get to know each other better, and encourage one another.

       Ronald Reagan said, “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” That speaks to our responsibility to shepherd our family, but also, through hospitality, to reach out to our friends and neighbors, our oikos, the people in our close sphere of influence, and to show them Christ in our life and through our testimony.  The task is urgent and the time is short. We need to check our hearts and stay engaged in God’s mission, for the glory of God.

IV. Be Faithful in service: Use your gifts for the good of the body and for the glory of God.  Each of us has a spiritual gift(s) to use for the good of the body, and we are required to be a good steward of the gift (10,11).

¹⁰ As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied [manifold, multi-faceted] grace:  ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies- in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

       First of all, notice that “...each has received a gift...” You may or may not feel that you know what your spiritual gift(s) is (are). After 30 years in ministry I was challenged in this last year to re-consider what my gift and calling is.  It was not fun, at times it was painful, but in the end I know it was for my good and for the good of the church. I know that first of all I am a pastor/teacher, (and secondarily I have gifts of encouragement and discernment) not because I want to be or because I chose it. I would not have honestly. I am what I am by the grace of God.  But a church is composed of many members. Each of us has gifts, and each of is called to use those gifts “to serve one another.” Christianity is not a spectator sport, and the church is not a social club. We are a supernatural entity, brought together by God to carry out his mission in the world.

       Notice Peter speaks of the “manifold  grace of God.” The idea is “multi-faceted.” This points to the ‘diversity of gifts’ that God has given in the church. I don’t believe that we have an exhaustive list of spiritual gifts in the New Testament. It refers to any supernatural endowment that God has given us to build up the church and carry out His mission. For example, I don’t believe there is a “gift of encouragement” listed in the Bible. In fact we all are called to “encourage one another.” But I think when we look at the life of Barnabas, we see an example of someone who was empowered to encourage others. I know on our missionary team when we first went to Brazil we had a single woman who we called “our Barnabas.” She was constantly encouraging us and others on the team. I believe she had a gift. Likewise we are all called to give, to support the ministries of the church, but some have a special “gift of giving” in that God has enabled them to earn at a high level and to give generously to His work. John Piper says don’t stress yourself trying to name your spiritual gifts. Look for opportunities to serve in the church. What you find to do, and find fulfillment in doing, will begin to reveal your gifts to you and to others.     A good steward uses responsibly what God has entrusted to him. Rick Warren wrote a poem that states the idea,

“God gave me a gift, not for me but for you, and God gave you a gift, not for you but for me.
If you don’t use your gift, you’re depriving me; if I don’t use my gift, I’m robbing you.”

Maybe not a literary masterpiece, but this is God’s design for the church! He could have made each of us independent agents to bring the Gospel into the world. But instead He made the church. None of us is complete. But all of us are important. WE NEED EACH OTHER.

      Donald Grey Barnhouse [who was the pastor of 10^th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia from over 30 years, and a pastor to C. Everett Koop for 20 of those years, and also for a time to our own Jon South!] told the story of two students who graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. The highest ranking student in the class was a blind man named Overton and, when he received his honor, he insisted that half the credit should go to his friend, Kaspryzak. They had met one another in school when the armless Mr. Kaspryzak had guided the blind Mr. Overton down a flight of stairs. This acquaintance ripened into friendship and a beautiful example of interdependence. The blind man carried the books which the armless man read aloud in their common study, and thus the individual deficiency of each was compensated for by the other. After their graduation, they planned to practice law together. That is a picture of us. No believer is complete by himself, we are to minister to one another, as a family. Peter says you’ve been given a gift, “use it to serve one another,” not in our own strength, but “by the strength that God supplies...”

       Whatever our gift is we should use it whole heartedly, in God’s strength, for God’s glory  (11).  Bill Bright spoke to our call to be steward of all our life:

“God has placed in our trust a measure of time, a unique set of talents, and sufficient resources to carry out His will for each of our lives. Our task as faithful stewards is to manage those blessings in order to bring the maximum glory to His name.”

What is God saying to me in this passage? The task is urgent and the time is short. We need to check our hearts and stay engaged in God’s mission, for the glory of God. So, be focused on prayer, fervent in love, freely hospitable, and faithful in service. Not for the approval of men, but for the glory of God.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? God’s glory is where this passage ends and it’s where we should start. Is His glory of first importance to you? Then we need to love one another enough that if we have something against a brother or sister, we will seek them out, and talk it through, with a view toward reconciliation. Do you sense the urgency of our mission? Could it be that you have been “attending” church, but feel like you have nothing to contribute, no way to serve?  God has a plan, and it includes you. What about joining us for “Church on the Go!”? [This week we’ll meet at the Murphy’s] I believe there are still opportunities on the list to host, or to lead worship, or give the devotional. What about helping with our babies in nursery, or our children or our teens?  We need “inter-generational” ministry in the church.  VBS is coming up the first week of August, we could always use helpers!  And is there someone with children who you can invite?  Every year we have kids who put their trust in Jesus. Maybe, looking ahead to the fall, you would be interested in participating in a “Dare to Care” type ministry or in having a part in one of our “ministry teams” like welcoming or visiting?  Do you remember “Car Care” that we did a couple of years back? It was mentioned at a recent leadership meeting as something we’d like to do this fall.  

       If you know Jesus, know this: God chose you, and He has gifted you. As long as He has you in this world, there is work for you to do. It may be that only you can be a witness to someone in your sphere of influence.  Be a good steward of the gift He has given you, of the time He has given you, and of the opportunities He has set before you, for the good of the church, and for the glory of God.  AMEN.