Victory in view

Foreign memories thank you very much foreign thank you Jamie thank you good morning everybody welcome to First Baptist Church and happy day fathers I have a whole pile of announcements here so click in some of them will affect you some of them may not but we here at First Baptist Church are here because we love God and we want to share that love with one another with our community and with the world that's why we're here this week there's quite a bit going on starting off with let's see let's start with the potluck next Sunday for the children's ministry it's not just for the children it's maybe even more for the parents and those that would like to be involved with working with the kids we also have VBS coming up and I have an announcement here that says please remove a card from the prayer board where is the prayer board right there on the way out remove a card from the prayer board take home as a reminder to pray for the volunteers the children the parents Etc there'll be more coming on VBS but this is a start let's get praying for it we also have get all my announcements organized here in the lamb house does anybody know where's the where is the Lamb house some do yes and more need to know last week it said in the bulletin that we're that our group here was working in the lamb house on Friday

That would have been two days ago that was not right but it isn't in the bulletin this week and yet our group should be working at the lamb house this Friday okay so this Friday if you're one of the Lamb House crew plan to be there if you're not one of the Lamb House crew Kathy raise your hand see that lady she needs help there and lamb house is a great ministry to our community so if you want to get involved there see Kathy okay there's a hike on Tuesday is it for young people or people that think they're young enough to go on an adventure hike see Austin if you have any questions on that it'll be out at haha Tonka we have several other things coming up so check your bulletin for those be praying for pastor Cody and Amber and the five little ones that chase them around they are in West Virginia we'll be there until next Saturday they'll be home Saturday evening and back with us again next Sunday morning okay I think I have all the announcements covered so in that case you guys stand up you're sitting down too comfortably and go find some hand that you haven't already shaken and Shake It thank you [Music] very much [Music] thank you for good morning and welcome to First Baptist church this morning we've come to the part of our service where we like to just take a moment and ask the Lord to prepare our hearts and Minds for corporate worship you see worship is something that we are created to do every second of every

Day we are worshiping something here we have set aside time to worship together because that's what we've been called to do is to come together in worship so I'd ask that you just take a moment to prepare your hearts and Minds for worship bow your heads close your eyes ask God to help you maybe you just had a hard time getting out of bed this morning maybe you're still a little bit cranky maybe you had an argument with a spouse or a child or a parent on your way to church this morning I invite you to take this time to give that over to God all right dear Lord I pray that you would help us to put aside all the distractions all the things that get in the way that separate us and Lord help us to focus on who you are help us to focus on Christ help us to focus on what connects us to one another God I pray As we sing together this morning as we hear from your word Lord that we would be focused in our hearts and our minds on who you are and what you've done for us Lord that what we're doing here today would be good and pleasing in your eyes Lord help us to worship to glorify you in everything that we say and do to the Jesus name we pray amen I'd invite you to stand as you're able and join us as we sing together foreign [Music] do you feel the world is broken we do you feel the Shadows [Music] we do [Music] is all creation for me [Music] this is a new creation coming it is [Music]

It is [Music] worthy of this [Music] does the father truly love us he dies does the spirit move Among Us he died and is Jesus our Messiah hold forever [Music] there's a God intent to dwell again with us [Music] is anyone Worthy able to break the lion of Judah who conquered the grave he is [Music] [Applause] [Music] is he worthy of this [Music] is he is worthy amen the day yesterday and forever praise the Lord his Mercy is born [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] stronger than Darkness knew everyone our sins they are many his Mercy is more [Music] what patience what wait as we constantly roam what father so tender is close home he welcomes the weakest the violence to the poor our sins they are many history is more praise the Lord his Mercy is born [Music] [Applause] [Music] our sins there are many his Mercy is more [Music]

What Riches of kindness he lavished on us his blood was a payment his life was the cost we stood me that we could never since they are many his Mercy is more praise the Lord his Mercy is more stronger than Darkness there are many his Mercy is more praise the Lord his Mercy is born [Music] [Applause] our sins they are many his Mercy is born [Music] the Opera should be well good morning church family good morning Happy Father's Day I'll do the off toward prayer heavenly father I thank you for today Lord I Thank you for the example of a father Lord I just thank you for this time that we get to come together now and show our faith and encourage us to give our tithe and offering to you Lord so we can further your kingdom so we can reach out for this community locally and show the glory of you Lord in Jesus name we pray this amen you're welcome to standard to the worship are you saying about how Jesus is Worthy he is the promised lamb he's the one who came to bear our sins to take the punishment that was reserved for us no matter how great our sins are we've sang about how the Scriptures tell us that his Mercy is even greater and because of that we today can claim victory over sin and over death over hell even though we don't see those things presently we know that it's coming so I'd invite you to join us as we sing Victory in Jesus my Savior forever

[Music] I heard enough [Music] with his redeeming blood he loved me [Music] is [Music] to see [Applause] and then I cried dear Jesus [Music] and somehow Jesus came and brought you to me the victories all Victory in Jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] Beyond [Applause] [Music] the crystals [Music] oh Victory in Jesus my Savior forever he sought me and bought me with his redeeming blood he loves [Music] me into Victory beneath the cleansing blood [Music] [Applause] [Music] because of that Victory we can live lives even now that are dedicated to him lives that do claim victory over sin in hell and death [Music] my soul finds rest in God alone my rock and my salvation a fortress strong against my foes and I will not be shaken though let's make less makers and lies [Music] I'll fix my heart on righteousness I Look to Him who hears me Oh Praise [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign

[Music] Oh Praise Him Hallelujah by Delight in my reward Everlasting never failing My Redeemer my God I'll set my Gaze on God alone and trust in him completely with every day pour out my soul and he will prove his Mercy the light is forever [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh Praise Him Hallelujah Mighty light in my reward Everlasting never failing My Redeemer my God Oh Praise Him Oh Praise Him hallelujah oh praise him oh praise him hallelujah praise him [Music] hallelujah oh praise Him Hallelujah Mighty light in my reward Everlasting never failing My Redeemer my God [Music] thank you dear Lord we come before you today offering our place Lord I pray that as we continue on in corporate worship together Lord that it would be pleasing to you God I pray even as we go from here that every thought every action every breath would be an act of worship toward you Lord because you are worthy of it all and so much more remind us of that Lord because we need it's in Jesus name we pray amen well

Good morning again Church if you didn't catch it you're stuck with me for a little while yet usually I'm off the platform now but here we are Pastor Cody as Stephen told us is on vacation although I'm pretty sure he's in Virginia not West Virginia so you might get talking to when he comes back but Happy Father's Day it's a it's a good day for fathers to model to your children what it means to be in the house of the Lord in corporate worship mine is six weeks old so obviously I know all about that already but I'd invite you to open your Bibles to First Peter Chapter 4 verses 7 through 11 because that's where we're going to be today I'd like to start out this morning with a question if you woke up this morning and found a duffel bag at the end of your bed that had a million dollars cash in it what would you do it's totally legal okay this money is your money to do with what you please what would you do I know some of you're thinking oh just a million I posed this question to our youth group on Wednesday we had a variety of answers some plan to buy a car or a house I guess wanted to get out of their you know the if as long as you live in my house kind of rule one person one of the youth wanted a plane I said where where are you gonna take it she didn't have an answer well there wasn't answer I just don't remember what it was several wanted to invest it or just put it into savings and draw the interest I thought hey there's there's the people that are going to be financial planners some people wanted to play the stock market I don't know how that's going to work out

But think for a moment what would you do if you suddenly had that life-changing amount of money when I was a kid my family don't worry we're coming back to that my family listened to a lot of Steven Curtis Chapman any fans in here okay there's a few there's a few yeah we listened to a lot like a lot he released the song once it was called live out loud and he poses a similar thought thought experiment to The Listener he says imagine that he gets on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and then he wins the whole thing he wins the full million dollars he goes home and he buries all that money in the ground pretending like it never even happened the point is that would be insane nobody would do that it just it just doesn't make sense and then he says I've been given more than Regis that's who he used to host too I know it's been a long time guys but I've been given more than Regis ever gave away I was a dead man who was called to come out of my grave and I think it's time for making some noise so the whole concept of the song is that he should live like something life-changing has happened we can all agree it would be strange abnormal almost criminal just to sit on such a life-changing event and act like it never happened each and every one of us would do something with that money either to improve our lives or our family's lives or even to turn that money into more but for those of us in Christ we have been given a gift that is so much greater so much more precious than any amount of money if we believe and have received the free gift of God in Jesus Christ we have been set free from the tyranny of death the price we owe for our sin has been paid

And we have eternity with the creator of all things to look forward to forward to we get to partake in his victory over sin and hell and death think about how much more criminal it would be to do nothing with a gift as great as this to act like it never even happened and it's with this mindset that I want you to read today's passage with me so please stand as you're able in honor of God's word as we read together first Peter 4 verses 7 through 11. It says the end of all things is at hand therefore be self-controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers above all keep loving one another earnestly since love covers a multitude of sins show Hospitality to one another without grumbling as each has received a gift use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied Grace whoever speaks is 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 let's pray dear Lord I pray that as we are gathered here that you would help us to continue in worship today and even as we go from this place Lord as I speak I pray that you would help me to speak as one who speaks your oracles Lord help me not to speak my own thoughts and my own words but Lord only yours it's in Jesus name we pray amen thank you Peter starts this paragraph with a short but powerful phrase thanks John he says the end of all things is at hand this idea is the theme of The Passage

It's the Crux of Peter's argument and indeed his commands to his audience so I think it would be prudent to remind us of who that audience is if you turn back just one or two pages to First Peter 1 you'll read this Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ to those who are elect Exiles of the dispersion in Pontius galatia Cappadocia Asia and bithynia Peter is writing to Christians that is who the elect are we could argue all day over what that means but overall it means Christians specifically Christians who have been displaced and exiled in the first century Christians were driven out of their homes forced to leave all the worldly possessions and kicked out of their communities for their faith but I think this label that Peter uses is extended to every Christian in the first century all the way up to today you see each one of us is displaced in a way we are foreigners in this world longing for our true home with Christ in the next we can expand Peter's immediate audience to include us we who are sitting here in First Baptist Church in 2023 Christians who are so generous in this world strangers to this present life awaiting the return of Christ in some translations you'll find this little phrase begins with the word but I don't think this is probably the best literal translation but it does correctly denote that this passage is not to be understood alone this is not some you know parenthetical thing that's offset from the rest no this is one idea it's connected to the parts before it in fact the whole book is a letter right letters are meant to be read in one

Sitting as one idea but that would take forever to preach it so we break it up but this passage is specifically a continuation of what we just read last week in First Peter 4 we read in verses one through two since therefore Christ suffered In the Flesh arm yourselves with the same way of thinking for whoever has suffered In the Flesh has ceased from sin so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God and it's in this context of no longer living to the flesh but living to Christ instead that Peter charges his readers to remember the end of all things is at hand he reminds us earlier in this book that all flesh is grass every living thing every person has an end this will all fade part of the curse in Genesis 3 promises it promises mankind that from dust we were taken and two dust we will return we will die so of course Peter he has this idea of the transience of the world in mind and of course the futility of life it will end but what else might you have had in mind when he's writing the end of all things is at hand the Scriptures describe many things about the end times Christ will return there's tribulation there is a Rapture for the Saints there's a final judgment for all people glorification or damnation there's a new Heaven there's a new Earth and there's eternity reconciled with our creator if we believe now we could spend and indeed waste a good deal of time arguing over the finer points of what all that means the orders of events the times and dates the nature and sometimes we claim even the name of the beast but I think that would miss the point that Peter is trying to convey here Peter is telling his Believers to live

Expectantly to live as though they actually expect that Jesus was really coming back to judge the living and the dead and could do so at any time that Victory is really present Victory is already won and it will come to pass in completion many of the first century Christians maybe probably even Peter and the rest of the twelve they believed that Christ would return in their lifetimes or at least soon thereafter they thought it would be you know maybe 60 70 years Max so to live expectantly it may have felt different to them they thought oh man it's going to be by the end of my life or by the end of my child's life that doesn't invalidate the promise of Christ's Victorious return but it only shows us further that we don't and won't know the time or day that God has chosen and so we must live every day like it's the last one expectantly waiting for Jesus and his Victorious return just like the great life-changing thing it would be to suddenly become a millionaire the knowledge of the Victorious return of Christ should be a life-altering reality for us today so with that in mind with eternity and victory in view Peter gives us five commands in this passage for how we ought to live as a result because he's returning this is how you ought to live the first one is be self-controlled and sober minded I know you're thinking Austin that's two things first off we'll get there don't worry first off the inclusion of the word therefore In this passage it only further proves the point because the end is at hand we should be self-controlled and sober-minded those things are connected self-control and sober-mindedness there are two parts of the same idea two facets of the same idea

The idea being have yourself under control in body and also in mind now when I think of self-control I generally think of classroom students I was a teacher before I came here as a minister and now here I'm a youth leader and I see middle and high school students as a great example of what it means to be self-controlled in that you can learn a lot about a concept by studying its opposite closely did you guys catch that over here youth group did you got that those ones who are talking and don't even know that I'm pointing them out my favorite thing is when a student would do something just off the wall ridiculous in the middle of a classroom and you have to ask of course very calmly and gently what do you think you're doing what is going on and the response you get is almost invariably something akin to I don't know I wasn't going to tell this story but I'm going to anyway I top band and I had this little Tron bonus to just he just could not keep it together he's like I didn't know we were playing but what did you think I was doing counting anyway he cut his finger on his instrument and so but he didn't ask for a Band-Aid I or anything I didn't know he'd cut it and so he's sitting there staring at it and goes yeah so I walked over to this little corner of the trombonis and there's just blood spattered all over the floor and I said buddy I'm not dealing with this he cleaned it up and I just had to think what are you doing I don't know in these scenarios for the student there is no forethought there is no medication or meditation on there might be medication but there's no meditation on the consequences or the outcomes or the possible injuries that

Could happen because of these ridiculous ideas nothing the Mind thinks about something and the body does it's that simple and it's incredible to those of us on the other side of it of course I've never done anything close to anything like that ever and neither have you I'm sure so if that's the opposite of self-control then what does it mean to be self-controlled it means to think and not to do to want but not to get to save or conserve your time your money your resources to delay gratification for a better or more appropriate time in short I think self-control often means denying the impulses of the Flesh in favor of something better does that sound familiar to you it probably should in Matthew chapter 16 we read then Jesus told his disciples if anyone would come after me let him deny himself take up his cross and follow me it's it's basically what Peter has been saying this whole time we've been brought from Death to life and so we ought to act like it our Behavior should be shaped by that reality now being sober-minded is just like being self-controlled in that it's about denying the flesh the deadness that we won't be fully rid of until Christ's Victorious return but this time we're talking specifically of the Mind now some of your translations they may leave out the word mindedness they may just have be sober and that would lead us to believe that Peter is talking about Temperance or abstinence when it comes to alcohol now I don't think Peter is excluding that idea here but I think he's speaking speaking of a more broad issue Warren weirsby suggests in his commentary that the idea of Being Sober

Minded means to keep your mind steady and clear to be intellectually ready to keep cool as it were now we have to ask can any of us do those things to keep our minds clear and intellectually ready and steady if we are intoxicated with alcohol or any other kind of drug no of course not that's we can't have both so I don't think it excludes alcohol but I think it's talking about something much broader weersby takes this issue even further this idea of sober-mindedness he points out how quickly we are to be worked up into a frenzy or a Madness because of some new idea that comes out or some new prophecy that we get excited about how often do we see people just obsessed with end times prophecy to the exclusion of how Christians ought to behave today that is to be out of balance in a way it's to be Intoxicated by an idea one of my well one of my favorite things there was when Britain exited the European Union to see all the charts changed so rapidly because people were so sure that the European Union represented some prophecy in the end times and the numbers didn't add up after Britain left we don't know we don't know but we are to live expectantly that it's going to happen the pulpit commentary it warns about on this issue it warns about intoxication of all inordinate excitement whether it be cause whether the Cosby alcohol gold appetite or ambition in other words we can be unsober-minded because of many things including alcohol or any kind of mind-altering drug but it also includes things like money things like food or drink things like that next promotion or that dream job if you could just have it or things like being more noticed or more popular at school or at work anything that takes your mind off of

Christ and his imminent return and how he how that should play out in your life anything is in view here when Peter calls us to sober mindedness oof that's pretty tough you see sobriety is easy for some of us sober-mindedness is not easy for any of us we need to set our minds on greater and better things casting off all the distractions that plague Us in this 21st century Ultra political media Laden dark and dying world that rejoices in sin we need to live today as those that have our eyes set on the future as those with Christ's Victorious return in view so the first command is to be self-controlled and sober minded the second command here is to pray Peter is kind to us here giving us a present reason for our self-control and sober-mindedness with which we're charged and that is for the sake of our prayers now this can seem misleading at first glance we can read it as saying that self-control means God will hear me better or that sober-mindedness will make my prayers sound especially good to God so he's going to actually you know he's going to do what I want this time that is not what the Scriptures teach about prayer anywhere so we have to interpret Scripture by Scripture understanding that if this seems to contradict we're probably missing something instead we should understand this little passage as a way to make our minds and our hearts more fit for prayer more ready more willing to pray how are we going to remember to pray and then devote our time to prayer if we spend our time out of control or devoted to worldly things foreign the Apostle Paul commands us to pray without ceasing in first Thessalonians how can we do that if we're so caught up

In our own sinful desires if we are being conformed to this world which Romans 12 2 warns against the rest of that verse tells us instead to be transformed by the renewal of our minds that by testing we may discern what is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect self-control and sober-mindedness put us in a state fit for prayer fit to better understand the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect it makes us ready and willing and focused in our prayer if our minds are set on eternity and the victory that we share in we share in with Christ and our bodies aren't engaged in constant self-indulgent Behavior we can pray as God desires for us to pray that's what it's saying so the command is to pray and if we follow the command to be sober minded and self-controlled than those prayers will be easier for us the third command is to love Peter continues this passage telling the Believers to keep loving one another earnestly because love covers a multitude of sins the Apostle ranks this command as being a first priority he says above all it does it is of the utmost importance to the Christian Life With Victory in view love is above all the other Commandments he gives In this passage for how we ought to live so I think the best thing we can do first is to Define What Love Is the root word for love in the original language here is agape which is often translated as Charity the idea being that it is a choice and an action not just a feeling though it certainly doesn't exclude the emotional aspects of affection the love that is commanded here is a deliberate choice for the believer it is different from how you love a spouse a child a friend or a pet those are all entangled in emotion and

Familiarity and closeness not that they exclude the charity kind of love but it's a different thing we're being called to we'll see in just a second that the love Peter is talking about here is the kind of love that you would choose to show a neighbor in just the same way that you would choose to show it to a complete stranger this love involves actions not just feelings how many marriages fall apart because people fall out of love see they haven't fallen out of love they've fallen out of infatuation they've fallen out of feeling they've chosen not to love not to show the charity that is required here and elsewhere of Christians toward their brothers and sisters in Christ that's what Paul is commanding here not feelings but actions so now we know what kind of love we're talking about it's not the same way that I love a cheeseburger it's a different thing and I do love a cheeseburger I last time I preached it was about love talked about cheeseburgers that says something so now let's now that we know what it is let's talk about what we should do with we already know it's of severe importance but how do we go about showing it first off who do we show it to the object of this love In this passage is one another we show it to one remember the context of this letter this means that the charge we've been given is to love fellow Believers that's who it's written to it's not written to all the world that might accidentally stumble upon it's to the elect to the Christians so this love is specifically reserved for one Christian to another as brothers and sisters does this mean that we can't show this

Kind of love to unbelievers no but there should be a special place not just in our internal affections but in our external practice for fellow believers in the Book of John Chapter 13 we read a new commandment I give you that you love one another just as I have loved you also are to love one another by this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another here we see again a Commandment that shows us that it's not our love for the world that marks us as Believers but our love for one another talking to those who are following him in that Passage they ought to love their fellow Believers their fellow followers of Christ and in doing so others will see that we are his disciples so how does that play out should we not show charity to the needy we already kind of answered this of course we show charity to the needy we do those things to show Christ's love to those who don't know him but it's a different thing than the love that we show to one another on top of this kind of definition of love the Apostle writes that our love toward one another should be earnest that means to be fervent to be devoted and real a real love toward one another it's never lazy it's never half-hearted and it's never fake and look here it's the job of the love to be earnest not the job of the Love Ed to be worthy of earnest love that's tough we get that so confused we say things like well I'll be more loving when they apologize to me or I'll be more loving whenever they get themselves together or I'll be more loving when they're more loving to me first but that's not what Peter says here and that's not what Jesus said in the Book

Of John we are to choose actions of Love toward one another and we are to choose it earnestly because Christ chose to show love earnestly toward those of us who believe in dying on the cross bearing the punishment for our sins by Rising again three days later and appearing to many and by promising to return for his bride the church amen it is by his power that we can love others as he loved us and it is according to his Merit his righteousness that we are to love our fellow believers so it's not Austin that you show love to it's Christ and his righteousness in me that both enables you to show the love and enables me to receive it and look at this next part Peter gives us a reason for this command as well how nice of him this reason is also somewhat difficult at first glance it says love covers a multitude of sins you only Jesus covered since that's a great observation but we see this idea back in the Book of Proverbs as well in the 10th chapter in the 12th verse of Proverbs it says hatred stirs up Strife but love covers all offenses you see as love covers offenses we see that it cancels out The Strife that hatred or an unloving attitude would create this phrase should be understood as saying that love covers or does away with a multitude of missteps between Christians of sins that I might commit against you or you might commit against any number of your brothers and sisters does anyone here have kids or siblings or relatives or close friends that when they come to your house they just like raid your refrigerator anybody got those people in your life yeah a few of us so I had a friend in high school his name is Chris he just got married last weekend congratulations Chris he would show up to my house every

Single day after school and hang out every day my mom would sometimes say Austin we need a day without Chris you're gonna have to tell him not to come over today he would open up our kitchen cabinets get stuff from the fridge and just hang out until we would kick him out like at seven or eight he even he bought food and stored it at our house with his name on it so that whenever he was hungry he could swing by and cook it at our house and I have to drive out to his which is a good 15 minute drive he didn't ask for this he didn't there's no permission giving he just did it now at first it was pretty strange my parents would say what's he doing I'd say I Don't Know But as time went on it became more familiar this offense that he had committed against us it became more tolerable as we got to know him better those people that you know that raid your fridge if they're close to you they kind of get a pass on those things right but if a stranger were to just walk into your house and start taking food out of your cabinets you'd be like no hold on a minute this is kind of strange that's kind of the idea that Peter is talking about when he says love covers a multitude of sins it makes offenses between us much easier to bear love requires that we assume the best of others it requires that we are slow to judge and quick to forgive remember as we're talking about judgment that holding a fellow believer to the standard of God's word is not our own judgment but actually it's it's an act of love it means it means that we cover any sins between us with our love that Christ has bestowed upon us not in the way that Adam and Eve covered their nakedness to hide it from God but

Taking as an example the way that God forgives our sins he covers them with the blood the righteousness of Christ so Christian if you struggle with an unloving attitude toward a fellow believer you'd better take care of it is of the utmost importance in the Christian walk with Christ's Victorious return and view your unloving attitude despite the disposition of the other party is creating Strife within the body of Christ it is not allowing sins or offenses or even faux pas to be covered and forgotten instead your decision not to love because it's regardless of what the other party is doing did I say that enough are you with me your decision not to love is making you and you alone unready for the return of Christ that's not to say that he'll reject you if you are truly a Believer it's to say that you're not living with his return in view you're not living expectantly like the Apostle is calling us to live here the fourth Commandment I promised these last couple go faster the fourth Commandment flows directly out of the Third says show Hospitality to one another without grumbling now when we think of hospitality we think of inviting people over for an afternoon and putting out a cheese spread or maybe taking them to the buffet at Pizza Hut those things certainly count those are acts of hospitality but I want you to think about this from Peter's first century View we already talked about those Christians that he's writing to they are the displaced the sojourners the pilgrims many Christians in this time they had

Quit their jobs inside of Eternity believing that Jesus was coming back very soon in their own Reckoning of time many were poor for other reasons many of them were orphans or widows many had been persecuted and forced to leave everything they owned now Hospitality takes on a different light in this context doesn't it when Peter commands his readers to be hospitable the context suggests taking in strangers from off the streets to stay with you and your family for months sometimes even years at a time it suggests sharing food even when you have little it suggests lending time and energy to those around you and we are to do it towards one another again it says towards one another right we are to do it without grumbling or complaining that's the part I have a problem with the implication is that it should be cheerful and joyous for us to serve one another in love we are commanded to love one another in showing Hospitality without grumbling no complaining no belly aching no little comments about how much this cheese platter cost our love towards one another results in our Hospitality toward one another finally the fifth and final command that Peter gives here is to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied Grace again one another we're talking about serving within the body of Christ showing love towards one another that others might see and know us as his disciples in this verse we see three points it's from God it's to the service of one another and it's for the glory of God it's from God it's to service it's for just like love and Hospitality our first

Duty in service to one another is one Christian to another Christian but here the Apostle he talks about gifts whenever I read this passage I immediately thought of pastors Elders Bishops preachers Shepherds it's all the same all those words mean the same thing we went over that a lot if you need to go back and listen to those sermons that's okay I thought of pastors and deacons and the reason is because it talks about whoever speaks and whoever serves that word Services where we get the word Deacon after it's been translated and re-translated and ends up in English with like 15 different languages in there so I thought of pastors and deacons and I thought he might have those offices in mind but I think after after studying it I think that's too narrow of you for what Peter has in mind here the Apostle says as each receives a gift he says whoever speaks he says whoever serves that doesn't sound like he has a limited view of just the offices of the church in view so he gives two categories I just said that right speaking and serving if we look at the list of spiritual gifts in First Corinthians chapter 12 we could divide the gifts as such it says and God has appointed in the church first apostles second prophets third teachers then Miracles then Gifts of healing helping administering and various kinds of tongues see those that were given the gifts of being Apostles of Prophecy and teaching are all given a gift of speech that's what they do they speak those who were given the gifts of Miracles and healing and helping and administration were given Gifts of service tongues may go in either category that's a discussion for a different time but the point is it fits in one of those

Categories we can clearly see spiritual gifts being divided into those categories easily so we could read it as each of us receives a spiritual gift we are to use it to serve one another that makes more sense than just the offices of the church pastors and deacons these gifts they come by way of the Holy Spirit when he comes upon the believer at Salvation these gifts they can and certainly they can certainly be developed but they are bestowed in God's timing and in God's way we should also note that spiritual gifts are not given to the Dead unbelievers they have not received the grace of Christ and thus have not received the gift of the Holy Spirit so they have not received spiritual gifts these gifts are four Believers to serve believers but I'm not sure that spiritual gifts is the only thing he has in view here either as each has received a gift is the phrase now we believe that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights James 1 says that and that God is Sovereign over all things he causes it to rain on the just and on the unjust Matthew 5. We know that job says that the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away so we believe that every kind of gift we have been given is from God and for God our houses our cars our jobs our salaries our spouses our children everything is from him to the service of one another and for his glory that's what the next part of this passage is talking about when it charges us to be good stewards of God's varied Grace the word Grace there is referring to the gifts that he's given various kinds of gifts there's a unity in the calling to use the gift but there's a diversity in the gifts that are given

We are to remember that all these things are from him and should be used according to his plan in his will rather than for our own I think the gifts Peter has in view are those of the officers of the church and of the spiritual gifts of the Believers and of the physical the common Gifts of every believer and Peter reminds us here that God takes Delight in our serving one another with these gifts because that is what it means to be a good Steward of the gifts that God has given but Peter gives us instructions on how to be good stewards in speech speech service when we speak the things of God we should speak as though what we are saying really is the very word of God the creator of the universe the sustainer of all things that should give us pause now we aren't saying that every believer is writing down new books of the Bible or that every Pastor in his own opinion is speaking new prophecies that's not the point the point is that when we speak the words of God we ought to act like we're speaking the words of God as I've been preparing this sermon I've been pretty nervous not because I'm afraid of crowds or public speaking I ought to be over that stuff at this point right but because I've been afraid of misrepresenting who God is and what he has said to us what he's revealed to us in his holy word it should give all of us pause whether we're up on a platform on a Sunday morning preaching or whether we're even just talking to our fellow Believers in private about the things of God it's not just preachers and sermons but to those who have been gifted opportunities and abilities to speak about the things of God in various circumstances you ought to do so with

Fear and reverence and awe that you have been given the gifts to speak the truths of God to your fellow believers and when we serve we should remember that it is God who supplied the gift and the strength required for our service he won't leave us a need if we really are living like God supplies the strength we can't be afraid that we won't be good enough because he perfects our work in Christ our work is never good enough if that's what you're afraid of you can just be totally certain that it's not going to make the cut but God has gifted us for his purpose and for his glory he will not lead us in need leave us in need he will supply what we need to accomplish his will for us whether it be to take out the trash after a church event or to be martyred in some unknown corner of the world for the sake of the Gospel it is from God to service for his glory these works of Ministry they aren't just for clergy but therefore whoever God has gifted at whatever time he has chosen wherever he might Place us finally the Apostle reminds us that any and every gift any and every time we use the gift that God has supplied it is to his glory solely Deo Gloria to the glory of God Alone and that Glory those gifts that speech that service it's only made possible by the blood of the Lamb of God Spilled Out for you his grace in Christ gave you the gifts his plan gave you the opportunities to use the gifts and his church is built up by the gifts when we use them for the service of one another and he is the one who receives the glory always and forever Peter finishes up with a short doxology he says to him belong glory and Dominion forever and ever amen it's a short statement of praise and

It's not to put an end cap on this nice little paragraph so he might you know begin to close out the letter no it's an overflow of the awe and wonder that Peter is experiencing as he writes these great truths about the Creator who chose to save us he hearkens back to the opening paragraph saying essentially though the end of all things is at hand we don't live like the ones who have no hope the result of that knowledge at the end of at hand is not laziness nor should it cause us to attempt to earn some sort of extra favor with God to escape this end but this same Jesus Christ through which we may glorify God to him belong glory and Dominion forever and ever the end of all things is coming but those who believe belong to the one who will bring it about he will come to judge the living and the dead the old will pass away but those who are alive in Christ will dwell with him eternally because to him the long glory and Dominion forever and ever amen a glorious Victorious eternity is in view will you live like it head heart hand I want you to know that Christ is coming back Christ is coming back and the end of all things is at hand if you are a Believer it's your job to live like it let that knowledge let that knowledge dwell in you let it bring you towards Christ if you are not a Believer let that knowledge bring you into the fold let it make you want to be a part of the body of Christ heart I want you to believe that God has a plan for you and has gifted you according to that plan that plan involves being self-controlled

And sober-minded it involves prayer and love and hospitality and using your gifts to serve his church in hand I want you to actively look for ways to use your gifts physical and spiritual to serve fellow believers as we close out our service I'd like to invite Steve to come up and I'd invite you all to stand and join me as we sing together Lord I pray that you would help us to remember that the end is in view that Victory is coming to its fulfillment Lord help us to live like it help us to love one another earnestly help us to pray Lord help us to be self-controlled and sober-minded because you are worthy help us to live like the end of all things is in view [Music] my soul finds rest in God alone my rock and my salvation a fortress song against my foes not be shaken though lips May bless and hearts makers and lies like arrows peace I'll fix my heart on righteousness [Music] Mighty light and my reward Everlasting never failing [Music] I'll set my Gaze on God Alone [Music] I'll set my days [Music] pour out my soul he will though life is [Music] King My Redeemer my God [Music] I prayed God for our father in Heaven heavenly father I thank you for today

Lord and as we go forth now this week be with us be there to encourage us be there to help us be there to direct us and may we always rely on your understanding Lord now I thank you for all the fathers in here and may you give them a special day today Lord thank you for everything you've given this church and everything we can do for you to bring honor and glory to you this week we ask this in Jesus name we pray amen step up 12 30 inches that's right at the left foot and I'm pretty sure we have too many donuts so you know eat some donuts save some money on lunch