SPEAKER_00 0:00

We're we are entering into um our series again in Peter, and it's hopefully it's been a wonderful time for you to dive into the word of God and and uh talk about suffering, talking about tribulation, but talking about overcoming. Amen. And now George is gonna come and he's gonna lead us in 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 7. The end of all things is at hand. Amen. And it is uh it is a great verse of encouragement and hope. So thank you, George.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Good morning. It is such a blessing to see everybody here. Who gets excited about coming to church and receiving life from the presence of God and an awareness and a fulfilling of his spirit working in our lives? That's exciting, isn't it? And we get we get to hear the word, you know, and and it's it's the word that gives us life. You know, the Bible tells us in Jude that that that we need to experience the Spirit, right? And that increases our faith. And interestingly, it also tells us in Scripture that our faith is increased by the Word. Our faith grows as we hear God's word. And it's the Spirit of God residing in us that begins to make real and quicken to our hearts the word that we know. You know, and Peter tells us that we need to safeguard, or it might be John actually, that we need to safeguard his word in our heart. We need to keep it in our hearts, you know, and and hold it. And that that literally describes kind of like a Fort Knox mentality. Okay? We always consider Fort Knox as being impenetrable, right? Can't get in there. And and that's how our heart has to be with the guarding of God's word. You know, that it's that which is the safety that keeps things from the world, the influences of the world, and our flesh getting in and corrupting us, right? So here we are in 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 7. He says, the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Interesting verse that falls in the middle, what Daryl was sharing with us last week, you know, and how you know it calls us, it puts us in remembrance of the life that we lived and the choices that we made that we're no longer to live that way, we're no longer to live that way anymore. But to have our lives committed to service in the kingdom, service to God. And in the process, you know, we understand that we're gonna go through persecutions, we're gonna go through trials. How many here have ever had somebody that you knew were close, near, and dear to, now that you've given your life to? It's like the relationship's not quite there, the same anymore. If you even see them or if they even acknowledge your existence. I've got an entire family like that. Literally. Six aunts and uncles, and I can't even I lost count of how many cousins I've not heard from in 20 years. Why? Because I've chosen to give my life to the Lord. Not that there hasn't been efforts made, right? But but but don't think it strange when things like that begin to happen. And interesting that he ties that verse right here in the middle, because he's gonna go on into the next several verses in the chapter and start talking about how we are to live. And Pastor Dan's gonna bring that. How we are to live in the kingdom for the Lord. So it's odd. He in the middle of this, all of a sudden, he speaks to us in a verse that relates to eschatology, to end times. I don't know about you, but I've often wondered, what's it doing there? Interestingly. Okay. Well, who likes end time teaching? Or who's interested in revelations? Yep. You know, as it as it talks about the Great Whore Babylon. Do you ever wonder what is the Great Whore Babylon? Or what is what what are the ten heads of that beast? The ten horns. Have you ever wondered? Right? And you get in there and you start reading. Well, all that is what's to come. Should we know it? Absolutely, it's in God's word, right? If it's in God's word, we should know what the scripture says. But what is our focus to be? Who's ever heard of the rapture? Yeah? Anyone not heard of the rapture? Okay. The rapture is the calling away. Where the Lord returns, a trumpet blasts, and then those that are dead in Christ rise, and those that remain all rise, are caught up in the sky with the Lord. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the scripture says we're changed and transformed into that new creature that God has us to be, and we are ever with the Lord. Okay? Scripture says that's our great hope. Now, it's fascinating stuff. Revelations never once mentions rapture. And you're not going to find a specific verse in Revelations that actually deals with that. Chapter 4 in Revelations, John is called up. And a lot of people look and say, okay, well, that's a picture of what the rapture is going to be. Okay. Here's the wonderful thing about Revelations: it's a mystery, it's a revelation of Jesus. Revelation in chapter 19 says that the spirit of prophecy is what? The testimony of Jesus Christ. That's where our focus needs to be. For us, when we're caught up and the Lord pulls us out, all the other stuff in Revelations, we're not here for. So there are a lot of people that spend their time trying to study that book to understand what the order of events are. It's not a chronological book. You're not going to read through revelations and get a chronological understanding of events. You won't. Okay? Because no man knows the hour, the scripture says. We can't, we will not know, but we will know the day that we're in. Jesus said in Matthew that it shall, the days of the return of the Lord shall be like the days of Noah, when they were eating, drinking, given in marriage, living their life unaware of the day they were in. That's why that verse is in the middle of that. Verses 1 to 6, we're reminded of the life that we've lived and what we've turned away from. 8 to 11, we're spoken to about the life we are to live. Verse 7 tells us, focus on what's to come and the change in your life that needs to be there, or you won't get to where you need to be. Who starts a journey without an expectation of reaching the destination? Right? Verse 7 is a reminder, focus on the end of this journey. Okay? So let's start diving into that. Because just to put it out there, a study of end times for us cannot be intellectual. It has to be practical. We have to approach our awareness and understanding of end time events and the day that we're in practically. Okay? So he he starts off by saying the end of all things is at hand. And it's a phrase that's two basic Greek words that speaks to a consummation or culmination. And that culmination has drawn near or is close and remains near. Okay? Now we've heard the phrase before that we're in the end days. We're in the last times, right? You heard that phrase before? Yes? Well, they've been saying that for over 2,000 years, haven't they? Since the Lord ascended, they've been saying that we're in the last days. Be careful lest we fall asleep, the scripture reminds us. And dull because of that. Understand that the delay is not an indifference on God's part. It's an opportunity for us to change, to grow. And that God has a plan. We are in the culmination of his redemptive plan and have been since the Lord ascended. What remains? Let me ask you that. What is left for the plan of salvation to be completed? What's left? Did Jesus come in the flesh? He has. Okay. Step one, check. Was he crucified? Step two, check. Did he rise? Step three, check. Did the spirit come down and now resides within us? Check. What remains? What is it?

unknown 10:00

Coming back.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

The imminent return of Jesus, our blessed hope. That's all that remains. And of that, we don't know the hour. We only know the day. What did Jesus tell us the day is? Just like it was in the days of Noah, Matthew chapter 24. They'll be eating, drinking, living their lives. When he says, given in marriage, living their lives, planning out the next day, planning out the next year. Should we not plan out? That's not what he's saying. He's not telling us not to plan our lives, not to live our lives, not to be ready for tomorrow. That's what the Corinthians did, and Paul set them straight. We're to live our lives with an urgency of the Lord's return. We're to live our lives expecting him to return. The last days means that we have to live with a hopeful expectation, mindful of the day that we're in, preparing our hearts for his return. And what I've been referring to there is Jesus was talking about as in the days of Noah, Matthew chapter 4, verses 37 to 39. Okay, if you want to write it down in your notes. Now, we are citizens of heaven. Okay, it tells us that in Philippians chapter 3, verse 20 and 21. It says, our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. That word await, it's a careful attention and awareness of a great care that needs to be had in anticipation of something. Okay? A careful and great anticipation. Titus chapter 2, verse 11. I love this, I love this verse here through 15. He says, the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all men, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, in this time that we're living in. Waiting for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, who are zealous for good works. Declare these things and exhort and rebuke with all authority, let no one disregard you. So he says the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all of us, training us to renounce ungodliness. We live that past life, and if we're not careful, that past life can draw us back, right, Jim? Yeah? It can pull us back. And if we're not careful, we can find ourselves dwelling on that stuff too long. Right? Have you ever caught yourself romantically thinking back, remembering and kind of missing some of it? Anybody here ever missed part of your former life?

unknown 13:19

No.

SPEAKER_01 13:20

It's life. It's flesh. It's in us naturally. Now, we're not going to necessarily miss the bad things, but maybe some of the connections you had with family, some of the old friends you had, some of the opportunities that you had, some of the things you did, places you went, things you experienced. It's in us. But if we at all ever allow ourselves to begin to focus on that, we have to be careful, or we will become Lot's wife. Everybody knows what happened to her, right? The angels spoke very plainly at the destruction of Sodom. Don't look back at what you had. Don't look back. What did she do? She glanced back but a moment and was turned into a pillar of salt. Interestingly, as they began going and leaving, and we're not going to take the time to jump back into Genesis there, where that account is given. You can look it up on your own regarding Lot and leaving Sodom and its destruction. The angels are taking him basically saying, where is it you want to go now that we've left there? Remember, when he and Abraham split, Abraham gave him the choice of the best, and he said, I want to go to that city. I want to live in the city. It's convenient there. Everything's close. Kind of like buffalo. Within 15 minutes, you can be anywhere. Nice and convenient. So they're leaving, and the angels are like, okay, you had that. You lived in that. Look at what happened. Where do you want to go? There's some nice high points. Some nice mountains you can go and dwell in. He looks and says, No, I want to go to Zoar. Literally, the name of that town means just a little. Just a little. He wanted to go back to just a little bit of what he had. He wanted to return back to just a little bit of what he had. Because now he thinks, I got it under control. I've seen what happens. I just lost my wife because of her dumb move. I've learned a lot. But did he? In account of that testimony, what's the next thing he does? He gets blitzed drunk. He gets blitzed drunk. And the consequences of that and what occurs to the nation of Israel as time progresses. Okay? Because he wanted just a little bit of what he used to have. That's why that verse is there. To get us to thinking, this is the life you lived, that's the life you need to now live. So, reading this verse, it is critical that we have an end-time perspective. And that can't be speculative about what we think is going to come, but practical and how we need to live to get there. He doesn't discuss the identity of the Antichrist. Nowhere in here does he lead us to that? He doesn't say, you know, the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded so you can get into the book of Revelations, which isn't here yet. John's going to write it when he's exiled in Patmos. But when you get it, be sober-minded, be diligent, be committed to read it so you understand exactly what's going to happen, so you know what the ten-headed beast is, so you know who the Antichrist is, so you know who the great horse is. He doesn't say that. What's he say? For the sake of your prayers. Hmm. Curious. Well. The certainty of his return has to be how we live. So the the fr the where he says in there in verse 7, he says, therefore, that's a crucial word. Okay? It's critical. It tells us that everything that follows flows from the reality of the last days. Because we need to live aware that we're in the last days and the Lord's return, then everything following that awareness has to be with that mentality, that perspective, that knowledge. So being self-controlled, because now he jumps into from a call and an attention, you know, where our attention needs to be given to command. And he says, be self-controlled. He doesn't say, you know, if you get around to it, if you think about it, if it's convenient, if it works into your, you know, day. No, he says be. It's in fact, there is, it's it's a command. There is no option. Be self-controlled. Well, what is that? Think soundly. Literally. Be of a sound mind. Be of a sound mind. Well, this sound mind should produce in us stability, not tossed about. Scripture tells us about that, right? That we're not to be tossed about. That we're to discern the day that we're in. The spirit that's around us, even the spirit that we might be moving in. Because we all got flesh, right? Drive down 90 once in a while and watch how people are responding. You'll see all kind of flesh coming out of you. I know. I'm dumbfounded sometimes. Or how people choose to park in Buffalo. Clearly, the sign says you're not to be parking on this side between Monday and Wednesday. What are they doing there? Can they not read that sign? Some people. Here's a big one. Being sober-minded needs to work in us and produce in us an emotional balance. Do things change your emotion in a moment? Do you go from being even-tempered to a raging lunatic? Do you go from being blasé? To so ecstatic people think that you popped something. Do we bounce around in our emotions? Well, to be sober-minded is to be centered. Does that mean we can't be ecstatic? We can't be happy. No, no. I like having fun and being happy and joking around as much as the next guy. And any of you that spent, oh, say, two or three minutes with me know that. I enjoy laughing. I enjoy having fun, spending time with people, talking. But sometimes I don't enjoy talking. Sometimes I want to be alone. Well, what's it mean to be emotionally even-tempered? It's under control. Because if somebody else needs that, and I don't uh especially feel prone to that right now, what do I do? Do I submit to how I feel, or do I look and realize I need to be the same? And somebody needs time. If something comes along in my day and and it really irritates me, does that mean that it won't have or shouldn't have an effect on me? I got emotions, I got feelings, I got flesh, I got a body, right? But what am I to present? How am I to respond to that? We can't react to outside influences. We have to respond according to the life of Christ in us. We can't be moved by what's outside of us, but rather what's in us. And if the life of Christ is in us, that needs to be what controls us emotionally. And it's going to produce in us a spiritual maturity. Now, from there, this self-control begins to look at, we're not driven by fear, anger, worldly desires, or emotional extremes. Couple verses I want to look. Can we get Proverbs 29, verse 11 up there in the New King James? Is it possible to get it in New King James? Proverbs 29, 11. Let's read that. A fool, let's all read it together. A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back. Interesting. A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back. He's under control. He's thinking correctly. His mind is focused. I'm living in the last days. I have to look at everything through the filter of Jesus is returning. How am I supposed to respond to this? Jesus is returning. How am I to live? Jesus is returning. What am I to express to the world? What am I to express to the world? What is my life to be an example of? Can we flip over to uh and put up 1 Thessalonians? Excuse me. I'm sorry, Proverbs 25, 28 in the ESV. We'll look at that one in the ESV. Again, just so we can all see it together. A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back. Proverbs 25, 28. This is huge. We need to understand this. This is massive when it comes to living with an awareness of the day that we're in and how we are to carry ourselves in respect of the influence of the world. Sorry for the delay. I just want us all to see this together. There it is. Let's read it again, aloud. A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. A fool vents everything. And somebody without self-control is like a city that's open to invasion. No protection. No protection. Okay? I remember when I first read that verse, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Probably all the bricks from the wall I tore down. So we can't give in to, well, you know, we can't be driven by fear, anger, emotional extremes, false teachings that that confuse us. And, you know, if it doesn't line up with the word, why are we spending time entertaining it? I don't care what that person's name is, how famous they are, their opinion doesn't count if it doesn't line up with the word. And cultural pressure. Oh dear God, are we faced with cultural pressure? We've talked about that plenty. We don't need to dive into that right now. But I think we all understand what we mean. Then he says, be sober-minded, literally clear-headed, free from drugs and alcohol, but more specifically, a spiritual alertness. Okay? A spiritual alertness. The word drunk in the Greek means to be filled up to overflowing with what will cloud moral judgment and spiritual awareness. To be drunk from a the, you know, in the language of the day that we're here and everything that's being discussed, as he's talking about being here being uh, you know, sober-minded, uh, yes, it does deal with drugs and all that, but especially, specifically to being aware. How much of an alcohol or a drug does it take to cloud our perspective of reality and our judgment? How much? The moment we start taking it, it begins to have an impact, right? And I want I want us all to understand, we are not just talking about drugs and alcohol, beloved. We are not, we cannot be. It's that which will dumb or excuse me, dull our alertness, our awareness, our our our perspectives. Who likes cheesecake? Who likes wings? I know I get pizza? How much is too much? Well, when it comes to pizza and wings, not mine. Open territory. I live in Buffalo.

unknown 25:54

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 25:55

There's a reason they sell buckets of 50, baby. And I can mix and match them. Yes, it'll take a surprise in every grab. But honestly, when it comes to overindulging in food, you know what the scripture says? It's better to put a knife to your throat than be in the presence of a king and gluttonous. Curious. We're not just talking about alcohol and drugs, that's an easy one. We're talking about anything that's gonna draw our attention, draw our focus so that we're going after it harder than we are going after God and the kingdom. Anything that's gonna pull us away and draw our attention focus from the reality of the day that we're in. That's what we're talking about. Remember, why is this verse here? So we're viewing our past life and how we are to be through the lens of we are in the last days, and they are deadly. So, a person, a believer that's sober-minded should not be distracted by the world, should not be careless, should not be spiritually asleep. It does describe somebody who's alert, watchful, vigilant, clear-headed. 1 Peter 5, 8 says, be sober and vigilant, for our adversary is seeking someone to devour. That lion, that roaring, ranging lion, hunting, looking for. We've all seen Mutual of Omaha with Marlon Perkins, right? Those those those that are uh you know, as old as me and older will understand what I'm saying. All you young folks, huh? You know, yeah. Just follow along. You'll you'll pick up on it. Um and and they would show and in the in in the uh the the deepest wide open plains of of Africa, right? You'd have the lionesses all hunting. Which animal were they going for? Did they go deep into the middle of the herd? That was suicide. What did they look for? They looked for the one that was lingering on the sides. The wounded, the sick, or the ones that were just, you know. Oh, look, I like this grass right here. The herd is moving on, but they just saw a nice fat, juicy flower. Well, I haven't had one of those for a while. I bet it tastes good. Or shall we say, hmm, that bucket of wings looks really good. Man. Oh my goodness. That's who the devil's looking for. The person whose attention is and is taken from being focused on what really matters, what really counts. Does what that person said to you really matter? What if they called you a, you know, a I don't know, what? A jerk. They called you a jerk. I don't know who they think they are. And now we're gonna respond with that instead of the eternal perspective. That's a soul that needs Jesus. I can't respond. What would Jesus, yeah, we've all heard that, right? WWJD? What would Jesus do? How would he respond to that? They slapped him and accused him, and what did he do? Prayed for them. They whipped him to the point where his bones were sticking out, the Psalm says. What did he do? He died for them that they would live again. But I'm not a jerk. Who does he think he is? Right now, child of the devil? Who do you think you are? 1 Thessalonians 5, 6 says, Let us not sleep as others do, but stay awake and sober. Now, he moves into for the purpose of prayer. This, this is wonderful. This is wonderful. The return of Jesus is connected to our need to pray without ceasing. Why? The influence of everything around us, the cultural pressures, our flesh that's waging war against us, the devil who roams to devour us. Everything's stacked against us in this world. But rest assured, greater is he that's in you than he that's in the world. Rest assured in that. So prayer is that which reflects our dependence on God. Praying reflects our dependency on God. Prayer aligns the church and our purposes with God's purposes. When we're praying, what are we praying? Blab it, grab it. Lord, I need a car. Get me that best car. I need one of those. What are those metal cars that walk around looking really weird and very straight lines? What are those things called? Drive on electricity and not gas? Cyber truck. Cyber truck. I heard those things are what, like like $432,000 or something like that? I'm a child of the king. Cattle on a thousand hills are his. He can bless me with that if he wants to. Bless God. Praise God. Praise God. I need some money to pay my bills. Lord, I'm gonna I'm gonna believe for a hundred thousand dollars. Now, know this. The Lord richly blesses. Right? The Lord richly blesses us. He does. But he also knows what's gonna kill us. We don't. We think we do. If I only had. Do you ever think that way? Has that ever crossed your mind? If I only had. What would you do if you only had? Don't think about what you only, you know, what you need. Because the scripture, again, I'm sorry, I gotta refer back to the scripture. It's how we live our life, right? And as I start saying it, lights are gonna go off. Seek. Say it? Seek ye first the kingdom of God. And what? And what? And all these other things shall be added unto you. Does God know that you have bills? Yes. Yes. Food and raiment, be content. But does he know you have bills? He sure does. Does he want us to be destitute? No, the scripture says, David said, one thing, I'm old now, I'm young, I lived a full life. One thing I've come to realize the children of God are never begging bread. They're never destitute in begging bread. We don't have to worry about that. Don't give in to the pressures of life. Don't give in to the pressures of our culture. Be clear-headed, be sober-minded, and understand that all this drives us through an awareness of the return of the Lord. It drives us to our knees. How does a Christian fight this battle on their knees? Jesus warned us in Luke 21, 34 to 36. He said, Watch, watch yourselves lest your hearts are weighed down. He says, Stay awake and at all times pray. Now, I'm just paraphrasing, I'm condensing that. Watch for yourselves lest your hearts are weighed down, but stay awake at all times and pray. Colossians 4, 2, continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Now, these this right here, this one verse and these commands build on one another. It's a disciplined mind will produce a vigilant heart, and a vigilant heart naturally seeks God in prayer. Okay? Let me say that again for those of you taking notes. A disciplined mind produces a vigilant heart. A vigilant heart naturally seeks God in prayer. Don't merely watch for his return, but live faithfully because of it. It's not enough to know that he's returning. How are we living? Because we can know. The devil knows every word that's in this. Does he live according to any of it? No. The devil can quote the verse a whole lot better than any of us can. But he's not living by it. There are people that have spent their lives studying and know the Bible a whole lot better than any of us. But there's also a good number of them that don't know God. There's a difference between knowing the words and knowing the author. Live faithfully because of Christ's return. So, just stand firm in God's grace until the Lord's revealed. Amen. Amen. If we can have the worship team to come back on.