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June 2020

1 Peter 4:7: Last things

“7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.” NIV

Back in the early 1980’s, I invited a good friend to do several days of Bible teaching for the church I pastored in Lancaster. On his last evening with us, in the course of his talk he said that on another occasion he might do something on ‘eschatology.’ At the end of the service, one lady, thanking him for his ministry, said with a broad smile that she looked forward to his talks on ‘escapology…or something like that!’

‘Eschatology’ is the study of the ‘last things.’ It has to do with the end of the age and the second coming of Jesus. Many books on the subject indulge in flights of fancy and much speculation. But what strikes me as I read the New Testament is that again and again its approach to the subject is practical. We are going to see this over the next few days as we look at verses 7-11.

‘’The end of all things is near.’’

So how should we live if that is the case? How ought this belief to affect us? Well, in really down to earth ways. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

For now, I want to stress that Peter was not mistaken when he spoke about the end. In Biblical terms, the ‘last days’ began with the first coming of Jesus, and will come to a climax with His second advent. In between times, everything that shakes the world, or rocks our personal worlds, reminds us how small and weak and fragile we are. It underlines the point that we are mortal, and we won’t be here forever.

We are feeling something of this now. How should we then live? Read on, and you’ll find out that the application is earthy, feet on the ground stuff.

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1 Peter 4:5-6: The great divide

“5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.” NIV

I think today’s verses become clearer in ‘The Message’ translation. Let’s read from verse 3:  ‘’You’ve already put in your time in that God-ignorant way of life, partying night after night, a drunken and profligate life. Now it’s time to be done with it for good. Of course, your old friends don’t understand why you don’t join in with the old gang anymore. But you don’t have to give an account to them. They’re the ones who will be called on the carpet—and before God himself. Listen to the Message. It was preached to those believers who are now dead, and yet even though they died (just as all people must), they will still get in on the life that God has given in Jesus.’’

There is both good news and bad news in today’s passage.

There is bad news for unbelievers in verse 5. Those who persecute the church and appear to get away with it now will not do so forever. We worship a Just God who will, in His time, set all things to rights.

But the good news for believers is that even though they die, it will not be the end of any of them. As someone observed: ‘Death is the ultimate statistic: one out of one dies.’ No-one can beat it or cheat it; no-one can avoid it. But as a Christian you know you will come through it into a richer, fuller life with God.

The great American evangelist, D.L. Moody spoke of a day when people would read in the newspapers (he was famous) that he was dead. ‘Don’t believe a word of it,’ he said. ‘Then I will be more alive than I have ever been.’ This is the good news here in verse 6.

David Pawson said, ‘The church is the only society on earth that doesn’t lose a single member to death. They just transfer to another branch!’

The Bible teaches that a day of separation is coming – a great divide. It isn’t just the persecutors of the church who need to fear that day, but all who reject Christ. However, for those who trust in Jesus, there is nothing to fear.

Bishop Thomas Ken wrote:

‘Teach me to live that I may dread,

The grave as little as my bed.’

PRAYER: ‘’…thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 15:57).

 

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1 Peter 4:4: Misunderstood

“4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.” NIV

The philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, said, ‘Christianity has been made so completely devoid of character that there is really nothing to persecute. The chief trouble with Christians, therefore, is that no one wants to kill them any more!.’

He was, of course, speaking about a certain flavourless brand of traditional Christianity which he saw in his own day and culture. It is manifestly not the case that no one wants to kill Christians, and that no Christians are ever martyred. The persecution of believers is still a sad fact of life in many nations. Nevertheless, Kierkegaard’s words should provoke us to self-examination, because there is much unsalty salt here in the west.

The Christians to whom Peter was writing certainly knew about suffering for their faith. One way this can come is through social ostracism. Your non-Christian friends think it’s ‘’strange’’ that you’ve said ‘Enough’ to your previous lifestyle; that you no longer live as you did, nor want to Some may think you are strange.

I remember David Pawson saying something like this: when you become a Christian you make at least two discoveries. The first is that you’ve got a whole lot of new friends, and that’s good. The second is that you’ve got a whole lot of new enemies, and that’s not so good.

A new convert asked his pastor, ‘Now that I’m a Christian, how much of the world should I give up?’ The pastor’s reply was,’Don’t worry; the world will give you up!’

I believe it was Warren Wiersbe who told the story of a couple of girls who were known for their wild partying. After their conversion to Christ, they received an invitation to yet another party. They sent this reply: ‘We regret to say we cannot attend because we recently died.’

PRAYER: Although living your way, Lord Jesus, may mean that I am misunderstood, scorned, and left out, I want to always be true to you. But I need your help if I am to walk the same path you trod. Thank you that you do help all who look to you.

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1 Peter 4:3: Enough!

“3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do – living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.” NIV

The first present I bought Jilly for her 60th birthday was a bathroom weighing scale . Now lest you think me terribly unromantic, let me say two things in my defence:

  • This was not my only gift to my lovely wife. But, more importantly…
  • She asked for them!!

Of course, we are sharing it, and when I first weighed myself a week or two ago, my reaction was ‘Enough’. Without going into too much detail, I discovered I am quite a bit heavier than when I thought (Surely there is something wrong with those scales. I think I’ll send them back!!!!). Furthermore, last time I got weighed, I had put more weight on than I was comfortable with.

Now to be fair, I seem to still be in the acceptable zone for someone my height and age, but only just. So I have drawn a line in the sand. I have said to myself, ‘Enough’. That needle must not go any further to the right; I’d like to see it gradually coming down to the left. So, ‘Happy Birthday Jilly.’ It’s a wake up call for me.

In these opening verses of chapter 4, Peter is writing about the place of suffering in our growth towards holiness. Here, in verse 3, he says, in effect, ‘As you look at how you used to live in those pre-conversion days, you need to say ‘’enough’’.’ That may sum up part 1 of your life story, but it mustn’t describe part 2.

The Message reads: ‘’You’ve already put in your time in that God-ignorant way of life, partying night after night, a drunken and profligate life. Now it’s time to be done with it for good.’’

 Whenever you find one of those dirty, ugly, sinful critters crawling back out from the sewers of your old life, you should look it in the eye and say, ‘Enough!’ You might even find it helpful to say it out loud. Send it packing, back to where it came from. (Of course, that old way of life has more characteristics than are listed here. See, for example, Galatians 5: 19-21).

Somebody went home from church one Sunday, and he was asked, ‘What did the preacher talk about? ‘He spoke about sin, I think,’ was the reply. ‘And what did he say about it?’ ‘He was against it!’

So should I be; and so should you.

‘Enough.’

PRAYER: Lord, as I read the New Testament, time and again I hear the call to resist, to come out, to put off, to put to death. Help me to be militantly anti-sin, and profoundly dependent on you to live the life you want me to live.

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