2010-10-17: What To Do At The End Of The World

Sermon: What To Do At The End Of The World
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Duration: 28:56
Size: 13.2 MB

New Life In The Same Old Place
“What To Do At The End Of The World”
1 Peter 4:7-11

So, what do you do if you believe the world is coming to an end?

I. The Passage: “The End…Is At Hand” (4:7-11)

Peter has been encouraging them in this section about how to face the suffering they’re experiencing because of their faith in Christ.

A. The End is Near, Right at the Door (4:7a)

Well look again at what Peter declares at the beginning of these verses: The end of all things is at hand!

Peter believed that all of the pieces of God’s redemptive plan were in place. He believed what Jesus told him.

Peter wanted his readers to know that they were on the verge of God’s final judgment.

He wanted them to see their sufferings as evidence that the return of Christ, that the final judgment, that the end of the world as we know it was “near”, was “at hand”, was “right at the door”.

B. Clarity and Focus at the End of the World (4:7b-11a)

The end of the world is “at hand” just as much today, as it was when Peter wrote these words.

God has ordained that each and every generation live with a genuine anticipation of Christ’s return and genuine belief that He might come at any time…because he could.

1. Praying with Clarity and Focus (4:7b)

So, what does Peter tell them in light of the very imminent “end of all things”?

What do you do at the end of the world? You pray.

For people who were enduring trials of the last days, Peter’s focus is not first on the content of their prayers, but the act of prayer itself.

“The end is at hand” prayers are prayers that demonstrate we are entrusting ourselves to God for his purposes and his glory in the midst of our suffering.

2. Loving with Clarity and Focus (4:8-11a)

Not only do these followers of Christ desperately need to be a praying community. “Above all”, they need to be a loving community.

Recognizing that the end is at hand brings clarity and focus, not only in our relationship with God, but also our relationships with one another.

Peter reminds them here to honor God with their gifts.

Peter says, pray and love with the clarity and focus that only the end of the world can bring.

II. The End of the World and the Glory of God (4:11b)

The end of all things should bring us clarity and focus in regard to the most important thing in the universe: God’s glory.

May God be glorified in our lives as we pray and love with an uncommon trust that to God and God alone belong glory and dominion forever and ever.

Next Week
“It Comes As No Surprise”

1 Peter 4:12-19