Sermon Tone Analysis

Depend on God & Work Together - 1 Peter 4:7-11

PRAY: Infinite God, we echo this morning the words of Moses in Psalm 90:12 and ask that you teach us more today of how we may number our days to gain wisdom in our hearts.

Amen.

INTRO: It’s the end of the game (5 mins left, two mins left) - Coach says, “Give it your all.

Rest is coming soon.”

- Negative reinforcement as well: Kids lollygagging around when it’s time to clean up.

Dad says, “You have 5 mins to get this all picked up.” (Hopefully resulting in improved performance rather than panic… :-))

Peter springboards into this next section with that very notion of “the end is near” to shape the mentality of God’s people:

Context: Suffering like Jesus - How to patiently endure unjust treatment while doing good

Now Peter will tell us…

Live like Christ’s return is drawing near.

(7a)

… or at hand, or imminent… in other words, It’s-a-gonna-happen. - We’re in the final quarter.

Since Christ has come and inaugurated the Church age, the time in which we live is now near to the end—near to the return of Christ.

- Now the point of course is NOT to try to set a time for that end specifically, but rather to live in a godly way in light of the fact that it draws near.

As Tom Schreiner notes, in the NT…

Eschatology is invariably used to encourage believers to live in a godly way

Short time = motivation to live for and serve Jesus - There’s a sense of urgency here.

- Focused and Fervent

Pray Alertly (v.

7)

Self-controlled and sober-minded… are so closely tied here as to be synonymous, taken together as a whole.

σωφρονέω (sōphroneō): to be sane, to be sensible/reasonable, to be clear-minded for sober judgment - In other words, to be soberly wise — to think and live wisely in self-control over one’s passions and desires.

νήφω (nēphō): to be sober-minded (in the sense of clear-headed and not drunk, also to be restrained and self-controlled.

It means both to get self-control and to sober up — to curb the controlling influence of inordinate emotions or desires (thereby being reasonable), conceived of as sobering up from the influence of alcohol.

What they seem to have in common is clarity of focus and keeping your passions and emotions in check.

They imply focus, watchfulness, urgency, etc. … a clear mind.

- These are things we need when being treated unjustly, to be sure.

But Peter turns that need toward our dependence on God… that’s what prayer does.

It keeps us connected with God in dependence on Him.

The realization that God is bringing history to a close should provoke believers to depend on him, and this dependence is manifested in prayer, for in prayer believers recognize that any good that occurs in the world is due to God’s grace.

Dependence on God is paramount in the Christian life.

Prayer is the proof and the avenue.

(7b)

Prayer is the proof of your dependence on God.

And prayer is the avenue of your dependence on God.

Don’t be swayed by your emotions or desires.

Stay tethered to God in prayer.

- We want our prayers to be level-headed according to God’s will, no matter what the circumstance.

Prayer is your wartime radio.

You use it in the still of the night to rest in God before the battle resumes tomorrow, and in the heat of battle, you use prayer to request orders and reinforcements as the bullets are whizzing near your head.

But even in the heat of battle (ie., suffering unjustly for righteousness), you must keep your head even in your dependent prayer, remembering that you may already have some clear orders from your commander… you just need to review them… and remembering that God may reinforce you through his power to withstand the suffering rather than relieving you from the current situation.

Prayer is the proof of your dependence on God.

And prayer is the avenue of your dependence on God.

To live with focus and fervency in the urgency of these last days, pray dependently on God with a clear mind.

Love Earnestly (v.

8)

“Maintain fervent love for one another”

- with intensity, urgency, and constancy

“Above all...”

Selfless love is the Church’s glue.

(8a)

My Dad understands Christian love—sacrificially giving without expectation of reciprocation.

Selfless love allows us to work together beyond everybody’s shortcomings.

(8b)

Here seems to be the sense of what Peter is saying...

When believers lavish love on others, the sins and offenses of others are overlooked.

And here seems to be the application:

Where love abounds in a fellowship of Christians, many small offences, and even some large ones, are readily overlooked and forgotten.

But where love is lacking, every word is viewed with suspicion, every action is liable to misunderstanding, and conflicts abound

Love one another earnestly, with constancy, because love is the glue that holds us together in tough times and it allows us to work together and get along in spite of each teammate’s quirks and shortcomings.

And as one example of this selfless love, Peter says next to…

Show Hospitality (v. 9)

Hospitality in its broadest sense is the quality of kindness and generosity toward others.

However, I think Peter has something more specific in mind.

In their contemporary context...

Hospitality was receiving others, especially taking in travelers of the same faith who needed a place to stay.

Hospitality was incredibly important to the mission of the church in a day when inns could often be dangerous or immoral and unpleasant, and such lodging could be difficult to afford.

So not only was hospitality required for churches generally, which often met in people’s homes, but you can see how this would be critical for mission efforts, as well as particularly during times of persecution when believers could become displaced and needed to journey to new areas.

Traveling Christians were to be generously welcomed and provided for by fellow believers—that’s hospitality.

Perhaps that backdrop helps us to see that…

Hospitality is a supreme example of how love builds the Church.

Hospitality invites others into our personal space to share with them the abundant grace with which God has blessed us.

Hospitality shows preferential treatment to visitors.

It treats guests with the best.

Hospitality takes effort and sacrifice.

There’s time involved, and expense involved - which is why we’re reminded to do so without grumbling.

- Don’t take hospitality for granted.

When someone shows you hospitality, thank them profusely.

And give them breaks!

(Don’t take advantage of it.

Also, I guess, don’t assume people are inhospitable just because they don’t do it exactly the way you think it should be done.)

And now, along with being clear-headed and alert to remain dependent on God in prayer, and showing hospitality as an example of earnest love… Utilize the Grace Gifts as Faithful Managers to the Glory of God.

Grace Gifts (v.

10)

By saying “each,” Peter implies that every believer receives at least one spiritual gift… something Paul teaches explicitly in 1 Cor.

12:7-11.

You may also find it helpful to have a working definition of a spiritual gift.

Here’s one offered by Wayne Grudem: “A spiritual gift… is any talent or ability which is empowered by the Holy Spirit and able to be used in the ministry of the church.”

-Wayne A. Grudem, 1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary, vol.

17, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 182.

The other key thing to notice is that these gifts have been received and that they are to be used to serve others.

Spiritual gifts are gifts of grace—gifts received by God’s grace and to be a means of God’s grace to His people.

This means at least a couple of things:

Believers cannot boast about the gift they have, for otherwise they contradict its gracious character, thinking that somehow they merit its bestowal.

Gifts are not given so that believers can congratulate themselves on their abilities.

They are bestowed “to serve others.”

(Are you withholding grace by a lazy lack of sincere love and intention to bless the body?)

When believers use their gifts for the purpose of blessing and strengthening others, they are acting as “good stewards of God’s grace.”

Good managers honor their Master through faithful administration of His gifts.

A “steward” was one who served as a house manager; he had no wealth of his own, but distributed his master’s wealth according to his master’s will and direction.

Spiritual gifts are not fundamentally a privilege but a responsibility, a call to be faithful to what God has bestowed.

Varied grace… (10b) - “The diversity of gifts reveals the multifaceted character of God’s grace.”

-Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol.