Four Ethics for Endtime Living
Big Idea:
No matter how much technology and scientific breakthroughs we have or are made available to us today will truly make our lives better than the work of God through Jesus (His Son) and the Holy Spirit.
Intro:
Begin with asking the Church to talk (with others) about the technologies and science/medicine, they have or have received and the difference this has made their lives.
After 5-6 minutes, bring back together and get feedback about what they discussed.
1. What was it?
2. How did it make a difference?
Say:
There’s no doubt that technology and science in some way made peoples live better. But as I look at the world, especially the Western World with all the technological and scientific breakthroughs we have at our disposal, are we really better off?
Show crime rates in NZ
Say:
I wonder if we the Church have fallen subtly into the trap of believing technology and science with all their advancements can make our world a better place.
Say:
I believe no matter how much technology and scientific breakthroughs we have or are made available to us today will truly make our lives better than the work of God through Jesus (His Son) and the Holy Spirit.
1 Peter reminds us of this fact, as Peter talks about the various aspects that make up our faith, its source and its challenges. He does this in order to not only to give us hope, but to encourage us when we find ourselves in a world that thinks it can fix the problems outside of God.
Read 1 Peter 4:7-11
7Everything will soon come to an end. So be serious and be sensible enough to pray.
8Most important of all, you must sincerely love each other, because love wipes away many sins.
9Welcome people into your home and don’t grumble about it.
10Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.11If you have the gift of speaking, preach God’s message. If you have the gift of helping others, do it with the strength that God supplies. Everything should be done in a way that will bring honor to God because of Jesus Christ, who is glorious and powerful forever. Amen.
Peter begins this section with, “Everything will soon come to an end”.
He hasn’t just inserted this as a tag-on as it pulls together some very important themes within this letter. Everything will soon come to an end, is therefore foundational to what comes after this statement, because it refers to the Lord’s return and the final judgement that is to proceed for both Christians and non-Christians alike.
While Peter thought that the end was very near, it didn’t happen we are still here. This does discount the reality that one day Jesus will return, it’s in Gods time not ours.
1 Corinthians 15:52 (CEV)
52It will happen suddenly, quicker than the blink of an eye. At the sound of the last trumpet the dead will be raised. We will all be changed, so that we will never die again.
However, instead of doing nothing in anticipation of the end, what should we do?
Peter lays out 4 end of the world ethics for us to live by.
1. Prayer- So be serious and be sensible enough to pray. This has to do with us being mentally and Spiritually alert in prayer as this will affect the way we pray. The goal here is to have an effective prayer life as an individual, but also as a body of people (the Church)
2. Love – this ethic is found as a core value within God and Scripture, because His love must be the source of our love. Love strengthens our faith, it helps us when we are being tested or persecuted, knowing one day the judge will enter into our world once again. That’s why love can only happen when we relate it God and one another.
No wonder Peter tells us to sincerely love each other, because love wipes away many sins. As this type of love will obtain forgiveness from God at the end of time and shows we have put away our sinful behaviour.
3. Hospitality - Welcome people into your home and don’t grumble about it. This is a specific example of loving one another, by inviting and receiving people into our homes, making them feel welcomed, meeting their needs, providing a place for fellowship and acceptance. It’s about support and nurture.
The reason we are told to do it without grumbling, is due to the fact that being hospitable is about God’s love being outworked in us, rather than coming from a place of I have to do this. It’s not about conformity its about the heart.
4. Exercising your gifts - Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. This builds on and passes loving one another in hospitality only. It’s no wonder Peter said to love one another is to serve others in a way that faithfully shows God’s love and grace in various forms of service.
Remember the gifts we have, are for the building up of the body, therefore we can love one another, put up with others, practice hospitality and use our gifts to help other people.
But why did all this?
The reason why we as the Church should do this, The reason why we should do all this is “Everything should be done in a way that will bring honor to God because of Jesus Christ, who is glorious and powerful forever.
It’s for God’s glory.