'The End Is Near - Sermon Outlines. Org



"The End Is Near!"

1 Peter 4:7-19

INTRO. How soon is our LORD'S coming for us? Personally I believe it is very soon! I don't know when, but I believe it is very near! The Christians in the early Church expected Jesus to return in their lifetime. Paul said in Romans 13:12, "The night is far spent, the day is at hand:

Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light." If Paul and the early Christians believed Christ was going to come in their lifetime; surely with all we see happening all around us we can see His Coming is near! Our LORD Jesus in Luke 21 gives us several signs to look for concerning His coming. And in v28 He says, "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up , and lift your heads; for you redemption draweth nigh."

Even though Christ didn't come back during the Early Christians lifetime, it still doesn't negate His Promise! If Christ should tarry for another 30 years, which I don't believe He will, we should ever be looking for His Return! That was the attitude the Early Believers had-one of expectancy! Phils. 3:20-21 declares, "Our conversation (citizenship-GR.) is in heaven; from whence we also look for the Savior, the LORD Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself."

Our Key Responsibility as Believers is to Live for and Look for our LORD! We must all live with an attitude of expectancy! How we live and serve Him today will determine our judgment and Joy on that day! But our expectancy should not be turned to slumber! In Jesus' Parable of the Bridegroom in Matthew 25, v5 tells us, "While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept." We must be wide-awake, looking for our LORD at any moment!

Peter in 1 Peter 4:7-19 gives us Ten Commandments, if you will, to keep us alert and serving till our LORD COMES!

THE END IS NEAR, SO

(1) Be Sober

1 Peter 4:7a--"But the end of all things is at hand: Be ye therefore sober..."

*The word “sober” means "to be sober-minded." It implies keeping the mind

steady and clear!

1 Peter 4:1-2

*The opposite of "sober-minded" is "frenzy or madness." It is the Greek

word "Mania."

*God would have us to not think wildly but soberly concerning His plan for

His People! There are those who set dates, claim to know the name of the

beast, things which we cannot know!

Acts 1:6-7

*It is good for us to study about our LORD'S RETURN, but we must do it

with a mind led by the Holy Spirit!

*Also, being "sober-minded" means that our minds are focused and fixed

on what they should be on-Jesus Christ and His Soon Return!

Titus 2:11-14

*We must live our lives as if Christ might return at any time, yet still

planning and serving for the future!

*“If you want to make the best of the rest of your time live in the light of the

Return of Jesus Christ." (1)

(2) Be Watchful Unto Prayer

1 Peter 4:7b--"And watch unto prayer"

*If we live "sober-minded" we will be watching unto prayer!

*"Watch"--GR.--"Keep awake and be spiritually alert"

*“Watching unto prayer" means to be alert in our prayer life!

*There is no place for listless or routine prayer.

*Prayer should be an outpouring of the Soul. A cry to God for help and a

praise of His Person! To be watchful in Prayer we must be led by the Holy

Spirit!

Roms. 8:26-27

*When we fail to watch and pray, then can our enemy gain the advantage

on us!

Matt. 24:42-44

*The greatest gauge of our commitment to Christ is our thinking and

praying. If our thinking and praying is right, our living should be right!

(2)

(3) Be Loving

1 Peter 4:8--"And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: For charity shall cover a multitude of sins"

*Love is what differentiates Believers from the rest of this world!

John 13:34-35

*Sad to say but many churches have "left their first love", so they also have

lost love for each other! As the time of Christ draws nearer, we must have

a greater love than ever before for each other!

*This Love Must Be:

a) Fervent (v8a)--GR.--"Strained or to Stretched"

*It implies that love will go to any lengths!

1 Cors. 13:8a

ILLUS. The word pictures an athlete straining to reach a goal. It

speaks of eagerness and intensity. Christian Love is

something we have to work at, just as the athlete works

on his skills.

It is not a matter of emotional feeling, though that is

included, but of dedicated will! Christian Love means that

we treat others the way God treats us, obeying his

commandments in the Word. It is even possible to love

people we don't like. (3)

b) Forgiving (v8b)

Ephs. 4:32

*Love doesn't condone sin, but love covers sin in that love

motivates us to hide the sin from others and not spread it

abroad!

*The world has enough ammunition against God's People without

us giving them more! We happens here at our Church should

stay at our Church-if one falls or commits a grievous sin, let us

pray for that one; not spread it all over town!

(4) Be Sincere In Hospitality

1 Peter 4:9--"Use hospitality one to another without grudging"

*“Hospitality” according to Webster's Dictionary means "kindness to

strangers and guests." I believe in the world in which we live, Hospitality

is a lost art!

*Hospitality is a virtue commanded throughout the SCRIPTURES! it was

commanded in the Law (Ex. 22:21) and Jesus and His Disciples enjoyed

hospitality in their ministry!

*When we show hospitality we are reflecting God's Hospitality to us! He

has promised to go and prepare a place for us with Him and receive us to

Himself. In like manner, we should be willing to receive others!

Roms. 12:13; Luke 6:30

*When we share with others, we share Christ!

Matt. 25:35-40

*This is to be done without grudging (v9b)! In the Greek, the word means

"to murmur in displeasure."

*If it is going to cause us to complain and murmur to help others, I believe

God would be just as Happy, if we didn't bother!

(5) Be Ministering By the Power Of God

1 Peter 4:10-11b—“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any minister, let him do it as of the ability that God giveth."

*Minister"--GR.--"To be a Servant." We, if we are saved, are all His

servants, and we are to serve with gladness!

Ps. 100:2-3

*True Love Serves! Each Christian has at least one Spiritual Gift to use for

the glory of God and the building up of the Church!

Ephs. 4:7,12-13

*We are to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us (1 Cors. 4:2)!

*What Has God Given Us?:

a) Time

Ps. 90:12

b) Talent

Luke 12:48--"God expects Great things from His People!

c) Testimony

Ps. 107:2

*Whatever gift God has given us we must use to glorify His Holy Name

(Cols. 3:23-24). NO matter what!

*Because, “In the Kingdom of God there are no score sheets. menial tasks

rank as high as glamourous ones. Things are measured by the Spiritual

way in which they are done" --Carolyn Schultz (4)

*All service, for it to be pleasing to God must come from the heart!

(6) Be Sound In Speech

1 Peter 4:lla--"If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God..."

*"Oracles"--GR.--"The Very Utterance of God"

*We need preachers and teachers today who are careful to proclaim God's

Word rightly (2 Tim. 2:15)!

*“If I knew the LORD was coming in three years, I would spend two years

studying and one year preaching" --Donald G. Barnhouse (5)

*All human speakers, from time to time, will make mistakes, but if we allow

God's Word to be our Teacher and God's Spirit to guide our words, then we

will have sound speech!

1 Cors. 2:1-4; 2 Cors. 4:1-2

*It takes time, study, and preparation to be sound in speech. Preaching or

teaching is an awesome responsibility because we are dealing with the very

hearts of men!

*“Preaching that costs nothing accomplishes nothing. If the study is a

lounge, the pulpit will be irrelevant" --John Henry Jowett (6)

*We need men who will boldly proclaim God's Word, regardless of the

hazards it may put them in!

(7) Be Praising And Glorifying God

1 Peter 4:llc--"That God in all things may be glorified

through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen"

*Our LORD IS WORTHY of all PRAISE and we, His People, should exalt

and glorify His Holy Name!

Ps. 115:1; Ps. 96:1-9

*“The Christian should be an Alleluia from head to foot" –Augustine (7)

*We have so much to praise God for (Phils. 4:4)!

Ps. 103:1-5

*"An unmistakable mark of a living faith is the readiness to praise" --Howard H. Jones (8)

*But all praise must come form the heart, because if it doesn't we don't

truly praise and worship Him!

John 4:24

ILLUS. Our Worship is Spiritual when the door of the heart is shut against

all intruders, as our Savior commands. It is like going in our

closet and shutting the door. It was not His meaning to command

the shutting of the Closet-door and leave the heart-door open for

every thought that would be apt to haunt us. Worldly affections

are to be laid aside if we would have Spiritual Worship. To have

Spiritual Worship, is to have our souls gathered and bound wholly

in themselves, and offered to God. –Charnock (9)

(8) Be Ready To Suffer

1 Peter 4:12-14

*Suffering is a part of the Christian Life! All of us, if we live close enough to

God, will face persecution and suffering!

2 Tim. 3:12

*But Suffering, Persecution, and Trials are for our benefit (Roms.

8: 28): “As trees must be pruned, gold refined, grain sifted, and pearls

polished, so the Lord tests and tries His children that they may develop

their true potential and reflect their Maker’s glory.” What benefits do

these things bring to our lives?:

a) They Make Us More Like Christ

1 Peter 1:6-9

b) They Teach Us Patience And Make Us Grow

James 1:2-4

*“Adversity is God's University" Paul Evans (10)

*When we suffer, and do it patiently, we grow and become more like our

Savior!

*Suffering also gives to those watching us a wonderful testimony of our

LORD Jesus Christ (vl4b).

*"I believe there is nothing that honors God more, or that God honors more,

than praising Him In Tribulation" --Brownlow North (11)

ILLUS. Polycarp was the Bishop of Smyrna about the middle of the Second

century. He was arrested for his Faith and threatened to death if

he did not recant. "Eighty and six years have I served Him, the

Saintly old Bishop replied, "and He never did me any injury. How

can I blaspheme my King and Savior?"

"I have respect for your age,” said the Roman officer. "Simply say,

“Away with the Atheists!' and be set free." By "the atheists” he

meant the Christians who would not acknowledge Caesar was

"lord". The old man pointed to crowd of Roman pagans

surrounding him, and cried, "Away with the atheists!" He was

burned at the stake and in his martyrdom brought glory to the

Name of Christ. (12)

(9) Be Not Ashamed

1 Peter 4:15-16

*Our LORD gladly bore our shame for us, we should gladly bear shame for

Him and not be ashamed of him!

Hebs. 13:13-14

*Someone has said, "Shame arises from a fear of man, Courage from a fear

of God!"

Acts 5:40-42

*We need men and women today who are not ashamed to stand up for

Jesus Christ and the Principles of The WORD OF GOD!

Luke 9:26—“For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and my words,

Of him will the son of man be ashamed…”

*What gave the Apostles and early Christians the boldness to stand up for

Jesus? His Spirit!!

2 Tim. 1:7-8a

ILLUS. A boy playing in a field got stung by a nettle. He ran home to his

mother, telling her that he had but touched the nasty weed, and it

stung him. "It was your just touching it, my boy," said the

mother, "that caused it to sting you; next time you mettle with a

nettle, grasp it tightly and it will do you no harm." (13)

*That is how some of us deal with out service to God! We want the joys of

Heaven, but not the pains required to live Holy for Him. We want to touch

the handle of the plow, but let go when it is convenient for us!

Luke 9:62

(10) Be Ready To Stand Before God

1 Peter 4:17-19

*All of us will one day stand before Holy God to give an account of

ourselves to Him!

2 Cors. 5:10-11

*How we fair on that day depends on us! What have we done with the

opportunities and talents He has given us!

1 Cors. 3:11-15

*Because God's Judgment will begin “at the House of God” (v17), it

should motivate us to be as pure, holy, and obedient as possible!

*Peter Gives Us Two Things To Keep In Mind Seeing We Must Appear

Before God:

a) We Must Seek To Win The Lost (vv. 17-18)

Ps. 126:5-6

*Every two seconds three precious lost souls slip off into Eternity!

*Peter says, "If the righteous scarcely be saved" (vl8a). The word

"Scarcely" means “with difficulty!”

*There are some that will “scarcely be saved” They will be saved

“though as by fire"! Everything they lived for will go up in

smoke!

*Our times of trial and persecution are times of opportunity for

us to witness to our persecutors!

ILLUS. It was not the earthquake which brought the Philippian jailer to the LORD, it was Paul's loving concern for him that brought him to faith in Christ.

b) Commit Yourself To God (v19)

*To live godly in this present world, we must give ourselves to

Him!

Roms. 12:1-2

*“The prayer of commitment must be a way of life-not just a

despairing cry at the end of failure" (15)

*As we serve, love, and give to God, we show our commitment to

Him daily!

*AS the days grow more and more wicked, we need more and

more men, women, boys, and girls, who are truly committed to

Christ and His cause! Will you be one of those!

CLOSING: How long is the rest of our time? Only God knows! But we must not waste it, but make the best use of every opportunity to serve Him! Ephs. 5:16 says, "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Let us by the Grace of God, do all we can for His Glory! Let us be willing to suffer, serve, share, and speak out for Him!

Are you making the most of the things of which God has given

you? Remember we are stewards for God; and 1 Cors. 4:2 says,

"Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful!”

NOTES: 1. Warren W. Wiersbe. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Volume 2. PP. 421-422.

2. Wiersbe. Pg. 422.

3. Wiersbe. Pg. 422.

4. Albert M. Wells, Jr. Inspiring Quotations-Contemporary & Classical. Pg. 184.

5. Wells. Pg. 162.

6. Wells. Pg. 163.

7. Wells. Pg. 158.

8. Wells. Pg. 138.

9. Elon Foster. 6000 Classic Sermon Illustrations. Pg. 767.

10. Wells. Pg. 206.

11. Wells. Pg. 208.

12. Wiersbe. Pg. 425.

13. Foster. Pg. 90.

14. Wiersbe. Pg. 426.

15. Wells. Pg. 45.

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