Therefore…Be Alert

Therefore…Be Alert

Opening Illustration:

Good morning Eastern Shore Baptist Church. This morning we are concluding the series “Therefore”. Next week I will take you to Vacation Bible School and the following week, starting June 25th, we will be examining the 10 plagues of the Egyptians. It should be a fantastic study. Now back to today. We have been looking at several “therefore” statements in the Bible. We have been attempting to answer the age old question when perusing through Scripture, “what is that ‘therefore’ there for”. This has been a 6 week series.

“Therefore do not worry…” ,taken from Matthew 6.

“Therefore you are no longer condemned…”, taken from Romans 8.

“Therefore…become a living sacrifice…”, taken from Romans 12.

We read just three of weeks ago, “therefore be steadfast”, from I Corinthians 15.

Two weeks ago we examined the passage of Scripture found in Ephesians 4 stating, “therefore bear with one another”.

Today we will read through I Peter 4:7-11 where the Apostle Peter reminds Christ followers to ready, to be alert, to be on their guard. “Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.”

Why? Why Peter? Why do believers need to be alert? Why should we be sober of mind and prayerful? Well Peter answers this question in verse 7. “The end of all things is near”. That’s right brothers and sisters, tune your hearts to toward heaven and keep your eyes fixed on eternity.

There was a song that came out in 1996. It was written by Crystal Lewis. She was a popular Christian artist at the time. Do you remember the song that made her famous? That’s right, “People Get Ready…Jesus is Comin”

… Lord I'm ready now

I'm waiting for Your triumphant return

You're coming so soon

This world has nothing for me

I find my peace and joy solely in You

Only in You

I want the world to see that

You're alive and living well in me

Let me be a part of the harvest

For the days are few

He's coming soon

… People get ready Jesus is comin

Soon well be going home

People get ready Jesus is coming

To take from the world His own

Growing up, I had a brief stint in the Boy Scouts of America. I was a Cub Scout like many of you. Do remember the motto for the Boy Scouts? You got it, “Be Prepared”. The concept of preparedness comes up from time to time in our lives. I was talking to an older member of our church who is prayerfully considering retirement. I asked him why he had not gone ahead and made the decision.

“Stuart what if there is a health crisis?”

“Stuart the economy is on the skids. I have lost so much money over the last two years. Im not sure that I have enough saved to be able to adequately provide for me and my wife.”

If you are like me, 45 years old, father of three, husband to one, you are probably preparing for the day when you might retire. You are saving. You are trying to be responsible. If you are like me, you are probably asking yourself, “am I doing enough, am I prepared”.

All of us think about readiness, preparedness, and being alert. You prepare and ready yourself for a vacation, a trip, a new career. Caleb and Ryan Turner, Chris and Patti’s children are preparing themselves, readying themselves, for marriage.

Nevertheless, no matter how much you and I prepare, no matter how alert we choose to be, there seems to be things in life that catch us off guard. You cannot prepare yourself for an untimely death. What about when you are just minding your own business? You just went to the grocery store and you pull out into traffic. Suddenly, a car traveling 60 miles an hour t bones you on highway 98 totaling your vehicle and hurting you in the process. That was a story that I heard from a member the other day. You cannot prepare yourself for sudden accidents. What about when you go to the doctor for a check up and they discover a lump, a spot on your skin, or an abnormality? Cancer. Can’t prepare for that either. Teenagers, what about when you get that text message from your boyfriend or girlfriend? “I don’t love you anymore, we should break up”. You are devastated and heartbroken. As someone who has been on his fair share of being dumped, trust me, you’ll be fine. Still, it hurts like crazy in the moment. You never saw it coming. The pain is real.

There is no preparing for moments that come like a hidden freight train in the dark.

Brothers and sisters, do you remember what I told you the last time we were together? I told you that the principles of living today are not that different than the days of Peter, Paul and even our Savior Jesus. People are still people and problems and still problems. There was plenty of sin and darkness to go around in the days of Peter just like there are today. If Peter maintains that we should be ready, prepared, alert, because the days of evil are drawing to a close, we should be very considerate of that advice today. We have advanced in time some 2000 years. Everyday we inch nearer and nearer to the return of Jesus Christ.

Will I be ready? Will you be ready? Are you prepared? Am I?

Fill in the blanks under “Today’s Thought”. The days are distracting, remain devoted to Christ. Oh friends, there is so much to take our attention from the return of our Savior. There are so many distractions. We must arm ourselves with spiritual weapons to defend our souls from the daily spiritual attack that is being waged.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6 that we should “keep alert with all perseverance”. That is practically the same message of Peter. How? How should we keep alert? We keep ourselves alert by making ourselves ready for battle. We must be ready for war because this world is making war against Christ and Christ followers. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil…”. Friends, we must fasten the belt of truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness. We must take up the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

Speaking of preparation, in preparation for this message, I came across a short little poem. It might be said that it is a short little prayer.

“When I awake at early morn,

To meet the coming day,

I want to be prepared to take

Whatever comes my way.”

Well brothers and sisters, the only way to be truly prepared, the only way to be totally alert, is to keep our eyes on the prize, our reward, our Savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ. The name that is above all other names. The King of Kings and the Lord of Hosts. He is our portion. Our banner. Our defender. The Lion of Judah and the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world. The Alpha and the Omega. The Beginning and the End. The Son of Man and the Son of the Living God. Our Creator, Redeemer, and the One who holds it all together. Place your faith in Him and you will not be led astray.

Background and Context:

Before we read from Peters first letter, I want to give you some background and context. The first letter of Peter was likely written around 62-64 AD, during a time of increasing persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Nero. Peter wrote the letter to encourage and strengthen the faith of Christians who were facing suffering and persecution.

The letter is addressed to "God's elect", which refers to all believers in Christ, regardless of their background or social status. Peter encourages his readers to stand firm in their faith, and to live holy and obedient lives, even in the midst of trials and persecution. He also emphasizes the hope that believers have in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the promise of eternal life. The letter is full of practical instructions on how to live as followers of Christ, and encourages Christians to love and serve one another, to submit to authority, and to resist temptation and evil.

In chapter 4, Peter emphasizes the importance of living a holy life and enduring suffering for the sake of Christ. He encourages his readers to use their gifts to serve one another and to glorify God, and warns against the dangers of sinful behavior.

Statement of Faith:

We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect.

Today’s Thought:

The Days Are Distracting, Remain Devoted To Christ!

Today’s Quote:

“When I awake at early morn,

To meet the coming day,

I want to be prepared to take

Whatever comes my way.”

-Simmons

Today’s Scripture:

1 Peter 4:7-11 NIV

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. [8] Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. [9] Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. [10] Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. [11] If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Are You Ready For Christ’s Return?

I. Remain Watchful, Seek The Lord vs. 7-8

Dear friends, are you ready for the return of Jesus Christ? I certainly hope that you are. Fill in today’s first point for me. Remain watchful and seek the Lord. The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. [8] Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Did you know that your belief in the Lord’s return impacts the way you live. Your belief in the Lord’s return impacts the way you see the world, the way you talk and the way you treat other. I will explain that in just a moment.

Sadly there are more and more “Christians” who do not believe in the second coming of Christ. Do not be fooled, Christ is clear, He is coming back. When He returns, it will be an extraordinary, supernatural, the most unprecedented moment in human history rivaled only by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His return will be tremendously different than His arrival. He came as a helpless child in the localized area of Galilee, specially Bethlehem in Judea. His return will be a global event, seen by everyone. There will be no mistaking who He is or what is happening when the clouds part and the heavenly hosts sing praise and worship. Jesus even spoke about His return in the book of Matthew. All the nations will “see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather His elect”, that being His followers and believers.

During the last days of Christ here on planet earth, He gave many clues and spoke about His second coming. Following Jesus’ resurrection, He was seen by more than 500 people. He ate with His beloved and continued to teach and preach in the region. The book of Acts records what He told His followers, “this same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.

These are just two occasions on which we see and hear the truth, the very reality, that Jesus Christ will return. Jesus talked about His second coming on the regular. It’s been said that the second coming of Jesus Christ is mentioned some 318 times in the 260 chapters of the entire New Testament. 318 times y’all! The teaching of the second coming of Jesus Christ occupies one in every 25 verses from Matthew to Revelation. When you stop to consider Jesus’ own words concerning His return, when you pause to reflect on how often the Second Coming is discussed, when you ponder all the times it is mention in the New Testament, it is joyfully clear that Jesus is indeed going to come back to this world, brining with Him a glorious reward, and breaking the back of sin and death upon His arrival. What a day that will be!

Peter tells us to alert and sober minded to the return of Jesus Christ. Alert and sober minded because the end of all things is near. Peter is directly speaking to the imminent return of Christ Jesus. Time and time again Jesus Himself tells us…His followers the same message. If you were to open your Bible to Mark 13, you will hear Jesus speak in clear words about becoming ready for His return.

“Watch out that on one deceives you…”

“You must be on your guard…”

“So be on your guard, I have told you these things ahead of time…”

“Be on guard…”

“Be alert…”

“Therefore keep watch…”

“If He comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: WATCH!”

Jesus is coming. That’s a fact. We should be ready, be watchful, remain alert. This watchfulness should impact the way we live our lives. Imagine if our attention to Jesus’ return is a domino that tips over. As it tips over, it causes another domino to fall. What is that second domino that falls? If we daily focus on the coming Christ, it changes the way we treat others. When we live in the shadow of Christ’s second coming, we become more grateful, we become more loving, we become more merciful. I would speculate that one reason that there is so much conflict in Christendom today is because we are not focusing, we are not remaining alert, watchful, or ready for the return of Jesus Christ.

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. [8] Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

If we are focused on the return of Jesus Christ, it drives us to love deeper, show compassion more readily, grant forgiveness and mercy with more enthusiasm. Paul reminds us in I Thessalonians 5:6 that when we live in the light of Jesus’ return, it should spur us on to love and good works. “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self controlled”.

Is there conflict in your life? Drama? Are your closest relationships out of control? Is your marriage in turmoil? Could it be that you have forgotten that the King is returning and no man, no woman, knows of when He will come back. What will He discover when your deeds are brought to light? Will He be pleased when what is done in secret is brought to light? Will you be embarrassed at how you treated others or will the King be pleased in your acts of righteousness? Remember, no one knows the time or the date. Only the Father knows.

Matthew 24:36 NLT

"However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.

II. Ready Yourself For Service 9-10

So, are you ready for the return of Jesus? Remain watchful and seek Christ. Are you ready for the return of Jesus? If so, ready yourself for service.

[9] Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. [10] Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.

Again, when you live in the of the return of Christ, it reorients how you see others, how you treat others, and how you see the needs of people presented in your life. Remember, when Peter wrote this letter, He believed that the Jesus’ second coming could have happened in his life time. He believed that time was quickly ticking by. He thought that the sand in the hour glass was just about on the last grain. Therefore, he encouraged believers to deploy their spiritual gifts, their acts of mercy, all for the glory of God.

There are two words that I want you to focus on this morning. The first word is “hospitality”. The Greek word being used here is “philoxenos” “fee-locks-sa-nose”. What do you think when you think of the word “hospitality”? Chances are you think of an open door. A nice meal. I think of people having their glass refilled. That is a nice picture and that is not inaccurate. However, in ancient Judaism, this word calls believers to go far beyond a nice meal, a fully belly, and a full glass. Hospitality to Peter meant a passion to entertain and host guests. It is a willingness to not just provide, but to give away. Think about some of the stories in the Bible. People went far beyond trivial hospitality concerning Jesus. They provided Him a place to sleep. They fed Him. They sheltered not just Him but all of His followers. People voluntarily washed His feet. This word means an attitude of generosity towards guests and strangers.

Sadly we have lost much of this attitude in our culture today. We live behind locked doors and have built fences around our lives to protect our precious belongings. We are afraid to the stranger and we grow nervous around the people that look different. Know that when you show hospitality to guests, when you show compassion to the stranger, you may be entertaining angles unaware.

The second word that I want you to think about is “grumbling”. Oh friends, when we live day by day thinking and longing for the return of Jesus Christ, there is no room for grumbling. The Greek word being used here is “gongysmos” “gong-gu-smos”. When I looked up this word in the Hebrew Greek Lexicon, listen to the definitions it provided, “a murmur, murmuring, muttering, a secret debate, a secret displeasure not openly allowed. Holding a grudge or grumbling against someone.”

Can you imagine a scenario where Jesus returns and finds His people “gong-gu-smos” instead of showing “fee-locks-sa-nose”? How embarrassing! Here is the truth, even though Jesus may not have returned yet, He still knows. He knows all. He sees all. He is pleased when we are kind and patient towards one another and He is grieved when we treat each other poorly.

Church, I want you to hear this this morning. If you hear nothing else, I want you to contemplate on this point. When we live thoughtfully, with the understanding that Jesus will return, it affects how we treat other people. When we know that Christ is coming back and we focus on that truth, we treat others in the most Godly Christlike way possible. The second, the moment that we take our eyes of off Christ, our relationships spiral out of control. Dissension. Back biting and back stabbing.

Put your eyes on Jesus, focus on heavenly matters, keep your attention on His return, you will be amazing how much better our earthly relationships function.

Jesus Himself is our example of love and service. Look at what He did for the disciples in John 13.

John 13:12-14 ESV

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

III. Reach Out, Share The Gospel vs. 11

So, are you ready for the return of Jesus? Remain watchful and seek Christ. Are you ready for the return of Jesus? If so, ready yourself for service. Are you ready for the return of Jesus? If you are, then reach out and share the Gospel.

[11] If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

This is a reminder that we have been entrusted with a great responsibility to share the message of salvation with those around us.

Sharing the gospel can sometimes be intimidating or uncomfortable, but we must remember that it is not our own words that have the power to save, but the very words of God. We are simply vessels through which God can work to bring others to Himself. We should pray for opportunities to share the gospel, and trust that God will give us the words to speak when the time comes.

Church, we are called to share the gospel with boldness and confidence. Peter reminds us that when we speak, we should do so as if we are speaking the very words of God. This shows us that we are not simply sharing our own opinions or ideas, but the truth of God's Word. We should be bold in proclaiming the gospel, knowing that it has the power to transform lives and bring people to salvation.

Friends, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us in our witness. Peter also reminds us that when we speak, we should do so with the strength that God provides. This shows us that we cannot rely on our own strength or abilities to share the gospel effectively. We need the help of the Holy Spirit to give us the words to speak, and to open the hearts of those who hear us.

It's also important to remember that sharing the gospel is not just the job of pastors or missionaries. Each one of us has a unique circle of influence - whether it's our family, friends, coworkers, or neighbors - and we should be intentional about sharing the message of salvation with those around us. We may not always see the immediate results of our efforts, but we should trust that God is using our witness to draw others to Himself.

Let us be bold in sharing the gospel, trusting in the power of God's Word to transform lives. And let us rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us in our witness, knowing that He is the one who gives us the strength and wisdom we need to share the good news effectively. May we be faithful witnesses of the gospel, and may God use our efforts to bring others to salvation. Amen.

I want to remind you of the words of Philemon 1:6, which says, "I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ." Let us partner together in sharing the good news of the gospel, and trust that God will use our efforts to bring others to Himself. May our witness be effective in deepening the understanding of those around us of every good thing that we share for the sake of Christ. Amen.

Philemon 1:6 ESV

And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

The Day Of The Lord Draws Near…

Bibliography

Websites:

https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/crosswalk-the-devotional-september-12.html

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/life/2017/07/15/devotional-christians-we-should-always-prepared/470345001/

https://www.preceptaustin.org/second_coming_of_christ

https://odb.org/US/2012/09/04/well-prepared

https://www.openbible.info/topics/sharing_the_gospel

people get ready jesus is coming lyrics

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%206&version=ESV