 We will turn for this last session on being tested in true first Peter 4, 7 through 8. First Peter 4, 7 and 8. We're just going to cover two verses in this session on how to occupy until he comes. Some of you may not know, but I grew up in a Baptist minister's home and especially a minister who loved prophecy. My dad loved Bible prophecy. I remember specifically coming out of church one Sunday evening. I was probably 13 to 14 years of age and I was coming out of church one evening and the sky was really weird looking and I was standing next to this lady. Her name was Genevieve Mayer. She was an older lady and she looked up in the sky so serenely and she said, wouldn't it be great if it was tonight and I'm like, what are you talking about? And I remember sudden fear gripped my heart when she said that and I thought no way. I haven't graduated from high school, I haven't, I'm not married, I haven't had my kids yet and all these excuses went through my mind when she said that. And the years went by and I went off to Bible school where I met my husband and I also have a vivid memory of sitting with him in the school cafeteria when he brought up the subject of the Lord's coming. And I began to cry and I said, please don't talk about the Lord's coming. And he said, why not? What's wrong with you? That's the believer's blessed hope. And I said, well, you know, my dad was a prophecy nut and that's all I ever heard and I'm just tired of it and I don't want to hear it anymore. And the truth of the matter was I did not know the one who was coming. That was the truth of the matter. I was terrified to think about the Lord returning. In fact, I was self-deceived into thinking I was one of his children. So I got married, had those children that I wanted to have and life went on with fears about the Lord's return. And most of you know my testimony, so I won't share that now, but to say that at 30 years of age, God arrested my heart and I truly committed my life to his Lordship. And it was such an encouragement to me when I got saved that when I was studying and memorizing 1 John and I came to verse 18 where John says this, there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear has punishment. And John is talking about that day when we're going to stand before the Lord and you know what, there is going to be no fear in judgment because fear has punishment. And ladies, I was always like, whoa, that's why I was always scared to death of the Lord's return. That's why I got weak in my knees. That's why I felt like I was going to throw up when someone talked about it because I did not know the one who was coming to take me home. So now you can talk to me about the rapture all you want, I won't be afraid. The Lord's coming. Ladies, it's a theme that runs much throughout the New Testament and now here in 1 Peter, let's hear what Peter has to say about this event in 1 Peter 4, 7 to 8, but the end of all things is at hand, therefore be sober minded, be watchful in your prayers and above all things, have fervent love among yourselves, for love shall cover a multitude of sins. Now, Peter is going to write briefly on what we should do while we wait for the Lord to return. I know many of you are probably wishing it would be soon, but there may actually be still a lot of time left and there are some things that we should be doing while we wait for the Lord to return and we're going to see how we should occupy until he returns and we're going to see four different ways and it's not to eat, drink, do drugs and party on. That's not what he's going to say. Remember, that's what we did before Christ. That's not what we do while we wait for Christ. So Peter has just talked about, if you'll look in 1 Peter 4, in verse 5 he talks about we're going to give an account to him that is ready to judge the living and the dead and so he's talking about judgment to come in verses, the previous verses. And so when I think about judgment or the judgment to come, naturally what comes to my mind is the end, right? The end is coming. And so Peter says the end of all things is at hand. The end is at hand. Now what does it mean end? Well the word end means a consummation or a goal achieved, but then what the question comes to mind, what is the goal that Peter's talking about? Well, Peter has already been talking about the living hope the last time, the appearing of Jesus Christ, the judgment of the living and the dead. I mean he has been talking about the Lord's coming. And so the end would be what? Christ return, Christ return. In fact the word translated of all things is in the emphatic position, so it would read like this, of all things the end is at hand. Of all things the end is at hand. It's near, it's approaching, it's coming. In fact it's similar to what he's already said in verse 5. He's ready, he's ready to judge the living and the dead. Very similar to what Paul says in Romans 13, and knowing this that now it is time, time to wake out of your sleep. Why? Our salvation is nearer than we ever believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness. Get rid of them. Put on the armor of light. Or as Paul says in Romans 4-5, let your gentleness be known to all men. Why the Lord's at hand? He's coming. He's coming and you better not be in some squabble when he comes. Better be gentle. James says the same thing, James 5, be patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is drawing near. Mermor not one against another, brother. And why? The judge is standing at the door. In fact literally there when James is talking, he's standing at the door. He's ready to push the doors open. Come get his children. So don't be involved in murmuring against each other. You know the Christians in the early church expected the Lord to return in their lifetime. Acts 111 says this same Jesus who has taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manners you have seen him go into heaven and they expected the Lord to return. In fact during the Reformation do you know believers thought the end was near? And today because of all the things going on, international things, things in our nation, the moral decline, I've heard, I've heard, I don't know how many Christians say, surely he can't be much longer. My dad said that too. He hoped to, you know, he hoped to live through the Lord's coming but he didn't. The Lord took him, he is there with him but he didn't make it there. Ladies, the fact that he's not returned doesn't mean he's not going to. He is going to come. In fact Peter says in the last days there'll be scoffers saying, ha ha, mocking. Where's the promise of his coming? All things are the same. All things are the same. Peter says uh-uh. They willfully forget this. They perversely forget this. He says beloved don't forget this one thing. One day is with the thousand, Lord the thousand years is one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness but his long suffering not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance. The day of the Lord will come Peter says. It will come as a thief in the night, the heavens will pass away, the earth and everything in it will melt and be burned up. I don't know how that's going to happen. I don't really care but it's going to happen. In fact Peter says what manner of men ought you to be in holy living and godliness looking for and hasting that coming of the day of the Lord, 2 Peter. So evidently there's going to be some that think he's not going to come but Peter reminds his readers, yes he is going to come. Ladies, time is nothing to God. Remember? Time is nothing to him. He is eternal. The hours pass by neither fast nor slowly to him. He's not slack. He's not tardy concerning his promise. He will come when he wants to come when it's the designated time. In fact we know from Scripture there are certain things that must happen before he does come but notice in 1 Peter, the two verses we're looking at, Peter does not set a date for the Lord's return as we see some people today. I remember in the 1980s my kids were still living at home, junior high high school and some guy wrote a book, 88 Reasons Why Christ Will Come in 88, I don't know probably some of you are not old enough to remember that book but my husband who kind of likes to be a jokester, we had some neighbors next door that we'd been witnessing to and they'd read this book and they were terrified and they were trying to straighten up their lives and get religious and so on the day that this guy predicted that Christ was going to come back it happened to be a Sunday morning. And so their house was about this far from ours and so my husband and my son went to the side of the house and they had one of those horns you blow when you're at a ball game. So they went out to the side and blew that thing and my next door neighbor wanted us. She said she was on the toilet and nearly fell off. I mean she was terrified. She was terrified that the Lord had come and she was still on the toilet. And we joked about that as neighbors for years. That's my husband. That gives you, you know I'm the sober one in the family. He's the jokester. In fact sometimes Doug last time I said I'm not telling you that because you're going to announce it from the pulpit on Sunday like well what are you weighing these days honey? Or I'm like I'm not telling you that. That'll be in your sermon somehow so that he's a great guy so God uses him to humble me and he probably uses me to humble him so it's good right. But Peter doesn't say today neither should we ladies. No one knows the day or the hour right. That's what God says nobody knows the day or the hour but we must be ready right. We must be ready but we do know this. With each passing day the coming of the Lord is near right than the day before. So what should be the attitude of these readers and us in light of the Lord's return? Should we get drunk? Should we eat? Should we party on? No because the end is near notice what Peter says first of all we must be serious sober minded. This is the first thing you must be doing while you're waiting for the Lord's return be sober. Ladies if you thought the Lord was going to come back today do you think you'd sober up? You think you'd sober up? Do you think you'd get serious? I think we would and yet it could be today right. In fact the word serious or sober is a word we've already had it means to be of sound mind to be clear headed. In fact the temptation for many of these readers would be to have all kinds of fears and worries which would lead them to make hasty and wrong decisions. Peter says have sobriety of mind. Be alert don't dull your mind with drink and drugs. My friend we're living in an age that is drug addicted. Whether it's prescription whether it's illegal we're far from being sober minded. Peter's not the only one that addresses our need to be sober in light of the Lord's return. Paul says in Thessalonians 5.8 says this the day of the Lord is going to come as a thief in the night they're going to say peace, peace, safety. Paul says sudden destruction is going to come upon them as a woman that is in labor it's going to come and he says watch be sober be sober. Also Paul says in Titus too we should deny ungodliness and worldly lust we should live soberly there's that word again live soberly righteously looking for that blessed and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Ladies we better be sober we better be sober. Peter Paul are saying the same thing Jesus says the same thing. Ladies we must have our wits about us. You know it amazes me when I see more and more Christian people turning to drugs and alcohol to alleviate their fears and worries. People can't deal with it today can't deal with what's going on they can't deal with family problems they can't deal with health issues and so they turn to numbing drugs. In fact it's very interesting in Revelation 21.8 it talks about the end times that all nations are going to be drunk with the wine of their sorceries. Sorcery is Greek word pharmacy we get our English word pharmacy indicating in the end times that nations are going to be spaced out with drugs. Numbing drugs. Do you know one out of every two Americans are on some type of psychotrophic drug? That's scary. That is really scary. People can't face the reality of life and death so they turn to numbing drugs. But for the Christian lady we have a different place to turn right and that's the second thing we should be about in light of the Lord's return. Notice Peter says we must be watchful in our prayers instead of turning to something to numb us and make us in a stupor we turn to prayer. We turn to prayer. And what does that mean to watch and to prayer? Well the word watch means to be sober, abstain from wine, be calm, be collected in your spirit. Ladies if you're going to pray you need to be watching right, be sober. If you're drugged, if you're drunk, you're not likely apt to pray right? So the need is for sobriety that we can pray. According to a recent article in the New York Times more and more Americans are taking antidepressants and not only are doctors prescribing them but people are demanding that the doctors give them to them. I've heard of people, my mom she was on an antidepressant right before she had a massive heart attack she was in great health 81 years of age and I went to go see her in California and I noticed something different and then she told me she said the doctors put me on antidepressant for my blood pressure and I said mom do you know what those drugs will do to you long term I said they're dangerous and anyway she died two weeks later she was in Russia on a tour she died of a massive heart attack after she died I told my sister that was in charge of everything I said I want to I want to list I want the name of that drug my mom that mom was on I looked it up one of the side effects heart issues my mom had been great health great health doctors are prescribing them for everything in fact I've had people tell me their doctors prescribed them for high blood pressure hormonal everything except what has to do with depression I thought they were antidepressants you know you read the little label and it says this drug will want you will make you want to kill yourself I'm like well yeah I think I'll just take a bottle that that sounds really good people's lives are increasingly difficult because of moral decay so there they turn to drugs but ladies that shouldn't be for the child of God we either believe that the Bible is sufficient or it's not can't have it both ways drugs and alcohol dole our mind and keep us from facing reality one man said temperance promotes wakefulness both promote prayer drink makes drowsy drowsiness prevents prayer ladies the readers that Peter's writing she must be discreet and sober so they can pray one man said the Christian who's always on a tear whose mind is crowded with fear and worry who is never at rest in his heart does not do much praying ladies we must have our wits about us so we can pray I know I've counseled many a woman on some type of psychotrophic drug and you know I'm not a doctor so I I encourage her to go to her doctor to get help but it's very difficult at times to counsel and help her because her mind is so clouded and she's such in a zombie state I've counseled women that are just they're zombie like and I say I you know I want to help you but I really can't help you to you try to get off of some of these drugs because your mind is so dull than anything I try to tell you today biblically to help you in this problem you're having you're not going to be able to take home and do it because you're just in a stupor you won't even remember what I said you know Paul has a similar idea as Peter when he says watching to prayer he says be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God Paul says we're to pray in four different ways prayer is worship supplication is beseeching being thankful for the situation that's come up and then you know begging God pouring out your petitions to him in fact Peter knew that you know Peter's writing this to the persecuted Christians and he knew he messed up didn't he remember when Jesus took Peter James and John with him that before he you know the Garden of Gethsemane he was praying he said my soul's exceedingly sorrowful even to death stay here and watch with me and he prayed over and over pray and he came back and found him sleeping and he said what is going on could you not watch with me one hour one hour watch and pray least you enter into temptation you better be prayed you realize what's going to happen I'm going to the cross persecution is going to hit you guys you better be praying you better watching to pray Jesus says the spirit indeed is willing the flesh is weak fission 618 Paul says I'm talking about our armor praying always with all prayer and supplication praying always and then in Colossians 4 to continue earnestly in prayer be village vigilant in it with thanksgiving in fact it's interesting the word here for prayer in first Peter is in the plural in the plural prayers actually prayers be therefore sober minded watch unto prayers now Peter doesn't say what they should be praying for but you know certain things come to my mind if I thought the end was coming first of all thanksgiving would be in order for sure the fact that I'm chosen going to heaven I'd be thanking God for that that I'm going to escape the awful torment of hell we should be expressing gratitude that we have a place in heaven prepared for us we should be much in prayer about our lives and living holy in preparation for the Lord's return we should be asking him Lord what do you want me to do until you return we should be confessing our sins to him to others that we've offended we should be praying for all those in our family our friends that don't know Christ that they will come to him we should be praying for those who are going to be left behind in the list goes on and on and on for all the things we should be praying about ladies if we really thought the end was near that Christ might return today don't you think we'd be praying I think we'd be on the phone too right compelling our family members to repent my dear sister was we must be praying at all times for all things well the third thing we must be about as we wait for the Lord's return is found in verse 8 and above all things have fervent love for one another for love covers a multitude of sins Peter says above all things which means prior or in front of all things were to have love for each other now this doesn't mean love is preeminent over prayer but it means love is the heading for all we do it's just like Colossians chapter 3 remember Paul Paul has all that list put off anger wrath malice blasphemy me filthy communication out of your mouth etc and then he says put on this and put on this and then he says above all things put on love above everything else clothe everything you do with love it is the bond it is the glue of perfection it glues everything together it's just like Paul says though I give my body to be burned though I do all these things and I don't do it with love I'm nothing or it's the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5 where Paul says the fruit of the spirit is what love that's the heading and out of love flows what joy peace long suffering gentleness goodness meekness faith self-control against such there is no law and that's what Peter's saying here it's not that love is in the most important thing but it's the love it covers everything it's the heading of all we do love is preeminent and notice Peter does just doesn't say love he says fervent love have fervent love what does that mean well fervent means to be stretched out it's it has the picture have you ever seen the Olympics when they're running in the race or have you ever seen anybody run in a race and they kind of stretch out their neck so they can you know get to the finish line that's the idea that's what that's what Peter is saying love each other fervently stretch out to reach the one that is loved give of yourself for the sake of somebody else make it hurt make it cost you something be willing to be spent and spent again as Paul says in 2nd Corinthians notice this love is among themselves did you notice that have fervent love among yourselves Peter doesn't say love yourself more we do that anyway don't we love others and then Peter gives a reason why we're to have fervent love among ourselves he says because love will cover a multitude of sins now what does that mean well there's our there are some erroneous ideas out there about this so let's look at it the word cover means to conceal or hide and the word multitude means a large number a bundle and Peter knew about this right remember he asked the Lord Lord have a shot forgive my brother seven times Jesus said no Peter how about seventy times seven instead of seven how about 490 times that's a that's a bundle isn't it that is a bundle I'm not sure I've ever forgiven someone 490 times for the same offense but I know the Lord's forgiven me 490 times for the same offense in fact Peter's not the only writer to mention this idea Proverbs 10 12 hatred stirs up strife love covers all sins Proverbs 17 9 he who covers a transgression seeks love but he who repeats a matter separates friends James says in James 520 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the air of his way shall save a multitude from death and shall hide a multitude of sins now most of you have heard the word the phrase love is blind that certainly is true isn't it I remember when I met my husband I never saw one fault in him whatsoever in fact my husband I've counseled many couples in the premarital counseling I'm like I want to tell the girl flee I mean do you not see this and this and this about this guy and she like oh isn't he just great I'm like oh boy you just way and I and I've lovingly tried to warn some women and after they get married and they come crying to me I said I tried to tell you you didn't listen to me because you're blind love is blind one man describes it like this they're in your local church is and she doesn't know much about hygiene and is frankly quite smelly Billy wears you out with incessant talking Kathy is unspiritual Don doesn't get along with Evelyn Fred treats his wife badly Jean is a teenager who never knows how to act with courtesy and discretion Hillary grumbles Irene has a different set of interest and values she can't even come to the Tuesday evening prayer meeting because it clashes with the local amnesty international group then there's Kevin to be sure who's really quite saintly but rather drab as a person and so it goes on none of them is very easy to love at full stretch and yet ladies were commanded to do that we're to love each other by the way the writer adds that he's all probably also on somebody's difficult list to love my husband and I have many times been sitting in our homes in the privacy just the two of us and we'll talk about one of his family members around like they're just a little different but then we kind of laugh ago you know what they're probably in their living room right now saying you know Doug and Susan they're weird they're just really weird we're all weird right we're all dysfunctional what Peter saying here we should be forgiving and patient we should accept each other's faults in fact Peter knew about this right when the Lord questioned three times Peter do you love me Peter do you love me Peter do you love me you know what he could have said come on Peter give me a break you don't love me are you kidding me you denied me three times do you expect me to believe that you love me you don't love me but Jesus's love for Peter covered Peter's sins overlooked his weakness and I'm sure Peter remembered that as he's writing these words love covers a multitude of sins ladies when we really love each other we won't publish each other sins we cover them up one man said where love is lacking every word is viewed with suspicion every action is liable to misunderstanding and conflict abounds to Satan's perverse delight you know a lot of gossip is stopped when we really love each other it's stopped the person that doesn't love the way Christ loves is often critical very judgmental now let me say this before we go on love does not conceal or cover when the sinner goes on sinning that's not love that's reading into the text okay that's Jesus's point Matthew 18 if your brother fans you go tell him his fault between him and you alone if he if he repents great if he doesn't take two or three more if he still don't repent you tell it to the church it was still a repent treat him as a heathen and a tax collector but that's not what Peter's saying here ladies when sin occurs love deals with it according to the principles that Jesus set up for us to do but when repentance occurs were to do what Jesus told Peter we forgive 70 times seven and we don't bring up others sins to them when your husband does something wrong you don't bring up all the things he's ever done and remind him of all his faults we don't keep records of things done wrong so we think about the Lord's return we certainly should be focusing on loving the brethren in fact the writer to the Hebrew says let us consider one another to love and good deeds not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together but but so much more as we see the day approaching ladies as the end of the age winds down we must be loving each other with that outstretch love that fervent love now the fourth thing we are to be about and it's not in those two verses but it's in the following verses but I already taught on this one time in this church so I'm not going to cover all of that is verses 7 through 11 which basically is what if you have a gift for hospitality use it if you can teach you better be teaching if you can minister you better be ministering in other words the fourth thing that you should be doing while you wait for the Lord's return is to be using your spiritual gifts and I'm sure that Nikki or the powers that be would be happy to get you that CD from that was years ago that I taught on verses 9 through 11 the ladies every one of you in this room if you are born again you all have at least one spiritual gift the Bible says the Holy Spirit gives to everyone a gift several in fact some of you have several gifts and so you need to be using while you're waiting for the Lord to return you shouldn't be sitting at home twiddling your thumbs watching the latest news and freaking out you need to be using your spiritual gifts so Peter says while we wait for his return love each other stay clearheaded be alert in prayer and use your spiritual gifts the end is at hand and when it comes what will you have done for the glory of God so what should you be doing while we're waiting for the Lord to return what are you doing while you're waiting for the Lord to return are you sitting up late to watch the latest tragedy in our nation and becoming hysterical or are you working on being level-headed and being sober-minded are you worrying about what will happen to those who you love who will be left behind or are you spending that time praying for them are you stirring up trouble and holding grudges or are you loving others to the maximum are you spending more time isolated from others and on social media or are you using your spiritual gifts for the glory of God now I don't know what you believe concerning the end times you may be a post-millennialist all-millennialist pre-millennialist you may believe in post-trib mid-trib odd-trib whatever trip I don't know or you may be none of the above you may be a pan-millennialist and you say what's that well that that just means you believe it's all gonna pan out in the end I don't know anymore I think that's what I am a pan-millennialist it's all gonna pan out and I am not here to prove some system of eschatology I mean we could get into arguments about that and that wouldn't be good but I'm trying to encourage you to occupy till he comes as one man said here's what you don't do you don't whip up a white robe and buy a helium filled balloon and with angels paint it all over it and if you're a Californian don't quit work and move to Oregon for fear you'll miss him because of the smog and for goodness sake don't try to set the date because of the signs of the times end of quote but ladies do occupy till he comes the fact that the Lord is coming should motivate us to live holy to live soberly to live righteously to be watching with an attitude of prayer and loving one another fervently and using our spiritual gifts ladies we should love each other every day and live each day as if it were last because my friend it just might be in fact I like the Puritan prayer that says Lord if this is my last day let it be my best day let it be my best day now maybe for some of you you are like I was as I mentioned in the beginning of this session and that is that you're terrified of the Lord's return maybe you don't want to talk about it with others like I didn't and you have a hard time sharing in their excitement and so perhaps the issue with you is that you are like I was you're not ready to meet the Lord if your life is not consistent with your faith then the coming of the Lord will be a dreaded event for you if you're not ready to go then get ready don't wait today if you will hear his voice do not harden your heart don't put off committing your life to his lordship as you may find yourself looking back and not up and then my friend it will be too late father in heaven I do pray for these ladies Lord I don't know all of them and I certainly don't know their hearts I don't even know one of their hearts I don't even know my own heart and so God I pray that if they do not know the one and only true God and his son Jesus Christ who died for their sins who was raised from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of God I pray oh God that they would come to know him that you would draw them to yourself that you would save them and that they would begin their walk with you this day father give us grace in these days I don't know if I'll see these girls again next year the year after who knows Lord what you have for us the father if you Terry I pray that we will be strong in this world that is becoming evil and more evil every day help us to remember the things that Peter writes to these persecuted Christians and help us to occupy until you come and be found faithful oh Lord we do want to hear those words well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of the Lord bless this church father help it to be a lighthouse in this community and may it keep shining and growing and glowing for the gospel in Jesus name