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, 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. | 1 Peter 4:7–11
I ended the service on Sunday with the verse above. The sermon was on the Day of the Lord. Instead of getting overly specific on the timing and events of Jesus’ return, we spent our time focused on the fact that the second coming of Jesus is unpredictable, but also inevitable. We looked at what happens when we forget either one of these two truths. The challenge of the sermon was to rightly prioritize our theology, and with it, all of the parts of our lives.
After the service, someone asked me for some guidance in applying these truths. They agreed with everything said and appreciated getting the theological parts in line, but struggled to see how that fit situationally with all of the things going on in the world right now. This is a common feeling. It is impossible to get the priorities of life right without first getting our lives right with God; but being right with God does not make everything naturally fall into place. This world is still a sinful broken place and we are still going to have to navigate this sin on a national, local, and personal level. As I began to answer the question, it made me wish that I could rewrite the last part of my sermon to add some practical priorities to go along with the theological ones.
As I began to think about this, I realized that God’s last word (our benediction) provided this very guidance. It connects the inevitability of the end (The end of all things is at hand) to how we should respond (therefore). I want to get into how these verses help us to prioritize our response to what is going on in the world around us, but I want to begin with the next two verses in 1 Peter 4, which say:
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. | 1 Peter 4:12–13
The reason I want to start there is because our initial response to trials is going to determine the rest of how we respond. If we believe that our life is meant to be free of all difficulties, then any struggle will be viewed as a weed that needs to be pulled.
If we believe that life is supposed to be easy and comfortable, then all challenges are obstacles to be removed. No one should ever suffer; life will be about minimizing suffering.
Peter pushes this ideology aside. He says that difficulty is not something strange, but something to expect. Even more, he says it is something that we should rejoice in. Which sounds crazy. The Bible talks about difficulties in life as a means to grow in faith. We need challenges to mature. Going through trials is not the result of God not caring, instead:
My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights. | Proverbs 3:11–12
As Christians, we should not approach the difficulty of life with fear, disdain, or cynicism. Instead, having to deal with challenges allows us to grow. This also means that the ups and downs of life do not change the imperatives of the Bible. While appropriateness and timeliness are good ideas to consider as we attempt to figure out how we shall live, we need to make sure that they do not get in the way of ordinary faithfulness. While we may end up in moments that require extraordinary acts, the Christian life is about steadfastness. It is about doing things that seem small, but add up over time.
Peter lays out four guiding principles for life, which I will be expounding on throughout this week:
- Be self-controlled
- Keep loving one another
- Show hospitality
- Serve one another
In these four principles, Peter organizes a way of life that both focuses our attention; it helps move us from all of the things that we can’t control to that which we can. It also gives us a place to put our energy in a way that pushes back against all of the consequences of sin in this world. In this, we get to see God working and we get to participate in how He shapes His world.