Keys Of The Kingdom 13 - The End of All Things

Everybody wants to talk about the end times and the last days. As we look at the Scriptures, there's a lot in the Bible that discusses these topics. But what is it, and how is that supposed to change our lives?

Open with us to First Peter, chapter 4, and let's consider that together. Amen. Good morning! Welcome to Cross Connection. Would you open your Bibles to First Peter, chapter 4? While you're standing, stand with me if you are not. First Peter, chapter 4. If you don't have a Bible, raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one. First Peter is right near the end of your Bible, right after the books of Hebrews and James, and right before Second Peter.

As you're turning there, I want to share a quick praise report with you. This last Friday night, I was able to preach to a group of about 250 high school graduates who are just about to graduate from high school up in Riverside. I was able to share the gospel with them, and we had about 50 of them pray to receive the Lord. So, it's an awesome blessing. Praise the Lord!

Now, let's look at First Peter, chapter 4. We're going to pick it up at verse 7. It says, "But the end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and watchful in your prayers. Above all things, have a fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Father, as we turn now to your word, we pray that you would open our hearts and our minds to receive from you by your Spirit your word, which is living and powerful and able to transform. God, I pray that we would be transformed in some measurable way by the work of your word and your Spirit, that we would be able to shine brightly as lights, glorifying you wherever we find ourselves.

Ourselves this week on a school campus, in an office building, or at a construction site in our neighborhood—wherever we are—God, use us to display the glory of Your Son. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who agreed said, "Amen." Amen. You can be seated.

Well, the end of all things is at hand. This is just what many Christians want to talk about, isn't it? I love the discussion about the end times, and there always seems to be someone with something to say about the end of all things. However, you will find that the longer you are here with us at Cross Connection Church, we really only talk about this topic—the end of all things—when we come to it in the Scriptures, when we encounter a passage in the Bible that speaks about it.

That said, it needs to be understood that the Bible teaches and assumes an end to all things. It's important to understand that because not all faiths, beliefs, or worldviews hold that there is an end to all things. The Scriptures promote that concept. Not only do the Scriptures speak of the end of all things, but they also purport to know the nature of that end through what is called prophetic or apocalyptic literature. The end of all things is not seen as a total mystery where the Scriptures are concerned.

Now, that said, there are a lot of things about the end of all things that are mysterious, both in the Scriptures and in our understanding. If you ever meet someone who claims to know and understand all things related to the end times, they are either, number one, arrogant; number two, deluded; or number three, selling something. There often is something to be sold as it relates to this whole topic of the end times.

We know that the things surrounding the last things are mysterious because Jesus Himself told us that they would be. In Acts chapter 1, just before Jesus ascended into heaven, His disciples asked Him, "Will You now at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has placed under His care."

So we recognize that what Jesus simply said to His disciples there on the Mount of Olives 2,000 years ago is a tip of the hat, if you will, a nod to the fact that there are things that are...

Mysterious as the last times may be, point number one on your sermon guide is that the Bible presumes an end of all things. While we acknowledge that there is mystery surrounding the future and the end of all things, we do need to recognize that there are things we can know and should know about the end. In fact, there is a lot we can know about the last things because the Bible speaks extensively on this topic in prophetic and apocalyptic literature.

However, I need to let you know that we are not going to spend a ton of time talking about the end of all things today. Instead, we will consider five things that we in the Protestant Church basically agree on regarding the end of all things. The sad fact is that after these five points, the church splits into divergent paths concerning their views on the end of all things.

As we step into this topic, there are at least five things we know from the Scriptures that I believe we can mostly agree upon, both within our church and with many other Christian churches in our day and time.

The first thing we can see from the Scriptures is that there is an end of all things as we currently know them. It is important to understand that this end is not the end of everything; rather, it is the end of things as we know them. When you study the prophetic literature in the Bible that speaks about the end times, we need to grasp that the end of all things is the beginning of new things.

This is heartening and encouraging. Though there is an end spoken of, and many people can become anxious or fearful about the end that will one day come—despite not knowing when that end will be—we must recognize that it is an end of one thing and the beginning of a new thing. The Bible describes a new Heaven and a new Earth, a place where righteousness will reign, where Christ will be in bodily form, and we will be there with Him. Thus, the end of all things is indeed the end of things as we know them, but it is also the beginning of new things.

Where there is no illness and there is no death, every tear will be wiped away. I don't know about you, but when I read those passages of the Bible, a smile comes to my face because I'm looking forward to that. You see, the end of all things is the end of all broken things. We live in a broken world, and we should be looking forward to and championing the idea, the concept, the truth that there is a coming day when all the broken things will be made right by our Lord.

If you talk to most Protestant Christians, you will find that we agree that the end of all things here is the end of those things as we know them currently to be. Secondly, as we study through the Scriptures, one of the things we find about the end of all things is that God knows when the end of all things will be, and He knows exactly how He will wrap things up. This too is encouraging to me. God knows when the end will be. Jesus said to His disciples that the days, times, or seasons are not for you to know, but My Father in Heaven knows when those things are.

This means God will not be taken by surprise. He will not be surprised by strange political things happening in the United States in the 21st century. Though you might get frustrated or freaked out by it, He is not surprised. We need to always remind ourselves and remind other brothers and sisters who believe in Jesus that God is still on the throne, and these things don't take Him by surprise, though they may surprise us. This should give us great peace and hope.

The end of all things is the beginning of new things. God knows how He will end things and when He will end things. Thirdly, we who are followers of Jesus, Christians, are to live with an expectancy of the end of all things. We are to look forward to the end of all things because it is the beginning of new things. We are to look forward with expectancy and not dread.

You see, a lot of times when I talk to believers who find themselves reading books on the end times, they are filled more with fear than hope, more with dread than faith. When you read from the Scriptures, that's not the way that these things were ever spoken. In fact, Jesus, when He spoke of the end of all things, said to His disciples, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions."

Many dwelling places. Were it not so, I would have told you. I'm going to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also. That passage is in John 14.

Now listen, the end of all things and the discussion of the end of all things will be a dread if you don't get John chapter 14, verse 1, that says, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me." You should be rightly filled with dread when it comes to the end of all things if you do not believe in Jesus. But if you have faith and trust in Christ, then you don't have to be troubled by the end of all things because we have the sure word of promise from Him: "I will go and prepare a place for you, and if I go, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

The Apostle Paul, when he spoke about the end of all things in Titus chapter 2, says that we are looking forward to this great, glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. He also said in 1 Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5, which speak about the end of all things, that he bookends that whole discussion with these words: "Comfort one another with these words." You see, the end of all things should be a comfort to us because we know that the end is the end of all the things as we have known them, but the beginning of great things. We know that our God has a plan that He is bringing about, and so we don't have to live with dread but with expectancy, looking forward to the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

One of the other things that we agree upon, number four, is that Jesus will one day return to the Earth as He left from it. This will commence the end of all things as we know them and the beginning of new things. All Bible-believing Christians have, for the last 2,000 years, believed in the bodily second coming of Jesus Christ. In the same way that He bodily rose from the dead and bodily ascended into heaven, He will likewise come again.

On the very day that Jesus ascended into heaven, it's recorded in the book of Acts chapter 1 that His disciples were with Him in a place called the Mount of Olives, just outside of Jerusalem. He was taken up from them; He ascended into heaven, and the clouds received Him from them. They could no longer see Him, and they stood gazing.

Up into heaven, going man, that is far out! As they stood there gazing up to heaven, we read in Acts chapter 1 that two men in white apparel, probably angels, stood with these men and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven."

We should not be filled with dread but with anticipation of the end of all things God has planned. When this end will come and how He will wrap things up will not take God by surprise. Jesus will one day return to this earth. He said, "I will go and prepare a place for you, but I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

The church agrees on this point: Jesus will one day return to the earth in the same way that He left the earth, and He will begin new things. The church has basically agreed on that point.

The fifth thing that we agree upon is that the last days is a heading that the Bible places over the entire period of time between the ascension of Jesus to heaven and the return of Jesus from heaven. The last days are like a title, a banner put over the top of this entire period of time, which so far has lasted for 2,000 years.

The author of the book of Hebrews writes in Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1: "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to our fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed the heir of all things, through whom He also made the world."

You see, 2,000 years ago, the author of the book of Hebrews said we were living in the last days. Paul, 2,000 years ago, could say with sincerity and conviction that he was living in the last days, just like we in the 21st century can say with sincerity and conviction that we are living in the last days. This entire period, from the ascension to the return, is the last times, the last days.

Now, you may be one who says, "Well, I think we're living in the last of the last of the last of the last of the last days." That's all well and good, but at least admit that you don't entirely know that to be the case. God has a plan, and Jesus said we don't know exactly what that plan is.

He has a plan, and we can trust His plan. Unfortunately, that is about the point where the church divides on the discussion of end times, or what we refer to as eschatology, which is merely the study of the last things. Sadly, from this point on, many people subdivide within the church into all kinds of different views or opinions on how the end times will come about and what exactly will take place. They look at all these obscure and apocalyptic prophetic passages like Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Revelation. It is often very confusing, and I know that it is confusing because I myself have been confused by them. I also know that you're confused by them because I get your emails, or you come and talk to me and say, "Listen, Pastor, I've been looking at this passage in Revelation chapter 17, and I don't have a clue what it means." I say, "Join the club," you and like every other person who has been studying these things.

We may speculate, but we need to have enough humility to admit that what we think we know is mere speculation. It might be good educated guesses; it might be built on a Biblical theology, but it's still speculation. Here’s the truth we need to hold on to when it comes to the discussion of eschatology: what you are absolutely certain about in times may be wrong, other than the fact that Jesus will come back one day. He promised that He would.

You may have a spirited discussion with a friend at church or work who also believes in the Bible, and you may have a difference of opinion. You might be premillennial; they might be amillennial or post-millennial. You might be pre-tribulational, and they might be mid-tribulation or post-tribulation. At this point, you might be thinking, "What in the world is he talking about?" And you know what? God bless you, because there is a sense in this whole discussion where ignorance is bliss.

Here’s the awesome thing: you may have a friend who says, "I'm absolutely certain this is the way that it's going to happen." When the second coming happens, you might be able to say, "You were wrong," but they might be able to say equally to you, "I think you had something backwards," and that’s okay.

Here’s the truth we stand upon: Jesus ascended into heaven 2,000 years ago, and He promised He would come again. We are looking forward to the blessed and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Most of the discussion of what is called eschatology falls into...

A category of teaching doctrine is called non-essential doctrine. There is essential doctrine and there is non-essential doctrine. Now, in saying that it's non-essential, it doesn't mean it's not important. You see, there are essential and non-essential doctrines, just like oil in your car is essential, while the air conditioner is important but not essential. The topic of eschatology is important, but it's not essential.

So, what are essential doctrines? Essential doctrines are those beliefs that are important as they relate to salvation; they are necessary for salvation. What would those be? The deity of Christ, the Incarnation, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and the return of Jesus. These are essential doctrinal truths—things that we largely agree on within the church.

Then, there are non-essential things, such as premillennial, post-millennial, amillennial, pre-tribulational, mid-tribulation, post-tribulation, and pan-tribulation. These are topics people talk about from time to time. You might wonder, "What is that?" It's okay; you don't have to know all of that now. You can dig into it, and you could probably get a PhD in it; some people have. But understand that you have to hold those views with humility and grace, recognizing that there are other people who are also equally Christian and God-loving, who hold a different view on the tribulation, and that's perfectly fine.

This last week, I had coffee with a good friend of mine who is a pastor down in Poway. He and I have been friends for many years, and he knows that I hold a different view—a premillennial view—on the second coming of Christ, while he holds an amillennial view. That's perfectly fine. We have no problem with that. Sometimes we've joked with each other about it and challenged each other's views, but at the end of the day, we have no problem getting coffee together and having a good time talking and praying with each other.

That's the way it should be. We should not kill each other over these things. And let me tell you, if you study church history, it's happened. It has happened. So, though we hold a premillennial view here at Cross Connection, you're not going to find that we spend a ton of time talking about it. Why? Because we're committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is essential.

One of my concerns as it relates to the discussion of eschatology, the end times...

Often, Christians and pastors are guilty of spending too much time observing and interpreting biblical texts and not enough time applying them. What do I mean? If you ever take a class called Inductive Bible Study, which we occasionally teach in our School of Discipleship, you will learn that studying the Bible involves three key steps: observation, interpretation, and application.

To illustrate this, consider the weather report. You turn on the news to see what the forecast is for tomorrow, and the weatherman says there’s a huge high-pressure or low-pressure system moving into San Diego County. Although our weathermen are about 90% wrong in San Diego, they report that a significant low-pressure system is moving in. That’s the observation. We can see it right here; it’s coming in from the Northwest. With this low-pressure system, the interpretation is rain. The observation is the low pressure, the interpretation is rain, and the application is to leave 45 minutes early tomorrow morning because the 15 freeway is going to be terrible.

It’s simply a matter of observation, interpretation, and application. However, we can often be seduced into spending hours, weeks, months, and even years observing and interpreting obscure, veiled, and metaphorical passages of apocalyptic literature without ever moving to the point of application.

Notice what Peter does in 1 Peter 4:7. He states, "But the end of all things is at hand." Therefore, I encourage you to underline that word "therefore" in your Bible. Notice what Peter does not do. He does not say, "The end of all things is at hand; let me spend six chapters explaining what I mean by this." Certainly, one could spend a considerable amount of time explaining what is meant by the end of all things being at hand. However, Peter assumes that his readers fully agree with this truth and concept: we are living in the last days, and the end of all things will one day come. He assumes that every one of his readers is on the same page with him regarding this idea and concept.

Instead of providing an explanation, he jumps immediately into application. He says, "Since the end of all things is at hand, this is how you should..."

Live if you believe that Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and that one day He will return. That should change the way you live. Too often, I, as well as many others, have been sucked into this place of just spending tons of time on the end of all things being at hand and never moving to the question, "How shall we then live?"

Listen, if today you believe in Jesus and you trust that one day He will come back, then it should change the way you live. How so? Well, the end of all things is at hand; therefore, be serious and watchful in your prayers.

Point number two on your outline: the second coming of Christ should awaken our hearts to prayer. The second coming of Christ should awaken our hearts to prayer. Now, notice for just a moment the adjectives and descriptives that Peter uses for the activity of prayer. He says if you believe that the second coming will one day happen, then the New Living Translation says to be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. The New International Version says to be alert and sober-minded in the way that you pray. The English Standard Version says to be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. The HCSB says to be serious and disciplined for your prayer.

Look at all those descriptives: disciplined, serious, alert, earnest, sober, and self-controlled, all describing the activity of prayer. Now, let me ask the tough and difficult question: does that describe your prayer life? In all honesty, if I examine my prayer life, oftentimes it's more haphazard, casual, and unintentional. It doesn't tend to be the way that Peter describes it.

Here's the challenge: my belief that the second coming of Jesus is actually true can be measured by the seriousness of my prayer. I can say all day long, "Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming."

Coming, but if it doesn't influence in some way the way that I passionately and seriously pray and seek Jesus, do I really believe that He is coming? Not only our prayer lives, but notice what Peter says in verse 8. If I believe in the second coming, then I should pray seriously.

Secondly, above all things, have fervent love for one another. The second coming of Christ should motivate greater love for others. The words here, "have fervent love for one another," could also be translated as "take great care to love others deeply and earnestly." Why? Notice this in verse 8: "Above all things, have a fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins." Peter is reaching back to the Old Testament, about 3,000 years ago. He is referencing King Solomon, who wrote in Proverbs 10:12, "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins."

Now, the word that Peter used here for love in the original Greek is "Agape." This word is described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. If you are in the book of First Peter, turn to the left. You will pass a whole bunch of little books like First and Second Thessalonians, Colossians, Philippians, and Ephesians. Keep going until you reach Second Corinthians, and then continue to 1 Corinthians chapter 13.

1 Corinthians chapter 13 is the description of this kind of love that Peter says we are to love others with fervently. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:4, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy, it does not parade itself, it is not puffed up, it does not behave rudely, it does not seek its own, it is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

Now, does that describe the way that you love people? Never irritated, never...

Rude never provoked, never thinking evil. That is projecting upon someone else some sort of ill motive or ill intent. Is that the kind of love that we love others with? Absolutely, 100% of the time. I can say that because my wife's not here this morning in the service. That's challenging.

Listen, if you're a follower of Jesus today and you believe that Jesus will one day return, then in light of eternity and His coming, which could be soon, we are to live with expectancy that it might be soon. This should influence us to have this kind of love for other people. Above all things, we should have this kind of love for others. Why? Because this kind of love covers a multitude of sins.

You see, we overlook the failings and the sins of those we love, especially our kids. The amazing thing is that because we love our children so much, we can almost be blind to their failings. This can lead us to disagree with people when they point out very clear things that are wrong. We might say, "Oh no, no, no, you just don't understand him; you just don't get him," because we overlook it.

Here, Peter says to have a fervent love for one another within the body of Christ because love will cover a multitude of sins. Now, I know at this point you're saying, "Well, wait a minute. At what point do we hold them accountable? Should we just gloss over their sins? Should we just overlook their sins? At what point do we hold these people accountable for their failings and for doing wrong?" That's a good question.

Here's the simple thing about what it means to cover a multitude of sins: it doesn't mean that we don't hold people accountable to grow, to change, and to become more Christlike. But it does mean that we don't hold their failings against them. There may be a minor difference, but it's an important difference.

Love covering a multitude of sins is not about not holding them accountable. It's about not holding their failings against them and saying, "Because you did this, because you did that, because you've said that, because you've thought that, now I will never trust you again." No, love covers a multitude of sins. It does challenge people to grow, but it doesn't hold them at arm's length. Every one of us is guilty of that.

Peter says, "Listen, if you really believe that Jesus is going to come back someday, and He could come back at any time, any day, and there's nothing hindering Him from coming back, then at the top of everything, above all things, have a fervent love for one another because love will cover a multitude of sins."

Look around the room. Do me a quick favor and look at the person sitting next to you. Now, when you get done here today, find a mirror, look in the mirror, and say, "Sinner." I don't know about you, but I need some people to lovingly cover a multitude of sins in my life. I fail. I fail every day, like fifty times before breakfast, and we need this covering nature of love.

Proverbs 17:9 says, "He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends." What is that? It's when that person who is trying to be connected with you, and you say to them, "No, no, no, because you did this and you did this and you said this, I could never be your friend again." Jesus said if your brother sins against you seven times, you should forgive him. He said even further than that, "seventy times seven."

Now, I know there's some astute person who's got a ledger book and they're at like 479, and we're getting close to that 490th, and then I'm going to let you have it. That's not what Jesus meant. Love covers a multitude of sins. How many sins has the love of Christ covered in your life? It's challenging.

He says if you believe in and trust that Jesus will one day come, then His second coming should awaken your hearts to prayer. His second coming should motivate greater love for others. Next, we find in verse 9, Peter says, "Be hospitable to one another without grumbling." Point number four: the reality of the Second Coming should encourage sincere hospitality. The reality of the Second Coming should encourage sincere hospitality. This is actually one of the truly lost expressions of sacrificial love.

Christlike charitable love in our culture today is often lacking. As Americans in the 21st century, we are not known to be very hospitable people. In fact, we tend to be quite individualistic, often closing ourselves off from others. This reality is especially evident here in Southern California.

I was talking with a group of pastors recently, and they mentioned how, 50 years ago, many pastors would make home visits or go door-to-door to share the gospel. We don't see that as much today because people have closed themselves off from such interactions. Generally, we are skeptical of any sort of religious person coming to our door. We live in a rather inhospitable culture.

However, promoting hospitality is one of the values of the Scriptures and one that we seek to uphold as a church. This is why we have our connect groups. Unfortunately, at this point, only about a quarter of our church is involved in a connect group, which means that many of you, most of you, are not participating. Connect groups are not merely home Bible studies; they are home groups focused on hospitality, fellowship, and prayer. We want to encourage and promote genuine hospitality.

It is important to note that we need to be hospitable without grumbling. The original word for "without grumbling" can be defined as "without secret debate" or "without secret displeasure." What does that mean? It happens like this: you meet someone at church, and you start to talk with them. You put on your Sunday smile because you feel you should. They say, "Hey, we should get together sometime," and you respond, "Yeah, that's great!" But in your heart, you think, "I don't want to get together with you."

You might say, "Let's plan something," and they suggest next Friday at 7 o'clock at your house. You agree, but internally, you are dreading it. All week long, from Sunday to Friday, you think, "How can we get out of this? Oh, they're coming to our house! I don't want them here. They're going to eat my food and mess everything up."

Then, when the doorbell rings, you greet them with a smile, thinking, "I hope they don't stay long." We are called to be hospitable without grumbling.

Further with this, I believe it to be true. I'm absolutely convinced you will not know and experience the abundant life that Jesus came to give us until you live life in connection with others through genuine hospitality. If you're not involved in one of our connect groups, you're missing it; you're not experiencing the abundant life. Yes, it makes us vulnerable, and yes, it takes us out of our comfort zone, but that's exactly what God wants to do. We never grow in our comfort zone; we never experience true growth. The Lord wants to bring us into this place of growing more and more like Him, and so He calls us to a new kind of life, a life that is filled with real, genuine, sincere hospitality.

If you'd like to be a part of a connect group and you're not, just come talk to us at the connection point after the service. We'd love to plug you in.

In light of eternity, Peter continues in verse 10. He says, "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Point number five: the reality of the second coming demands faithful stewardship. This is a faithful stewardship of the gifts that God has given to you.

Now, at this point, there are some of you saying, "Well, I don't have any gifts." No, you do. You see, if you believe in Jesus today, the Scriptures make very clear that God has saved you and placed His Holy Spirit inside of you. You are indwelt by the Spirit of God, and as one who is indwelt by the Spirit of God, the Spirit has given to you, every one of you who are believers in Jesus, gifts. You might say, "Well, no, I don't have any of those." No, you do; I promise you.

Notice Peter says here, "As each one has received a gift." It's not just Peter; the Apostle Paul, in the largest passage of Scripture on spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, says this in verse 7: "But the manifestation of the Spirit, that is the gifting of the Spirit, is given to each." Each one—every one of us has been gifted by God. You might ask, "Well, what are these gifts?" Well, there are many of them. Some of them are listed in passages of Scripture like 1 Corinthians 12, including the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues, and many others. In fact, did you realize that...

Hospitality is a gift given by God. Some of you have that gift, and some of you have it but aren't using it. Notice what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:7: "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all." What does that mean? It means that God has gifted you, if you're a follower of Jesus, and He expects you to use that gift for Him and for His kingdom, for the building up of His body.

Here’s the heavy reality: one day, when Jesus returns at the Second Coming, we will give an account to Him for how we have used our gifts. We will give an account for how we used our time, our talents, and our treasure—all the things that He committed to us. He speaks of this in what is called the Parable of the Talents, where He describes a master who had three servants. He gave to one servant five talents, a measure of money; to another servant, He gave two; and to the third servant, He gave one. After a period of time, this master returned and settled accounts with his servants.

The one to whom he had given five had multiplied it to ten. The one to whom he had given two had multiplied it to four. However, the one who had one talent had hidden it and didn't use it at all. The two who had multiplied what they were given received great blessings, but the other one faced great judgment.

So listen, God has gifted you. You might say, "Well, I don't know what my gifts are." If that's the case, come talk to me or one of the other pastors. We would love to pray with you and ask the Lord to direct you and reveal to you what that is. We can even provide you with some tools to help you discover your gifts.

But here's the thing: if you have a gift and you're not using it, you are a bad steward of the grace of God. You can fix this, and you should fix this because there will be a day of accounting. God wants to use you to bless others within the body with the gifts He has given you. Yes, it will take breaking you out of your comfort zone. Yes, He might call you to do something you've never done before.

You may need to leave the seat that you always sit in, not park in the parking space you've always parked in, or not get the doughnut that you always get when you come to church. You might even consider staying for another service and helping as an usher, a greeter, or in children's ministry, or participating in an outreach project. Yes, it might be uncomfortable, but here's the thing: if you believe in Jesus and that He is coming again, it should compel you to serve Him. The end of all things here is the beginning of new things in eternity. Jesus said that he who is faithful over the little things here will be given greater authority.

Responsibility—what does that mean? I don't know all the ins and outs, but I do know this: the work doesn't stop when the end of all things comes. As each one has received a gift, we are to minister to one another.

Look at the next verse, verse 11. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God has supplied, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Here's what Peter is saying: using the gifts that God has given to you—your time, your talents, your treasure—is continuing the ministry of God here while Jesus is in eternity in heaven. Though Jesus is seated in heaven at the right hand of the throne of God, He is working in and through His church, and we are serving Him in His stead while He is in eternity. One day, He will return.

Therefore, if anyone speaks the word of God, like I am doing right now, they are speaking as if with the words of God. If anyone serves and ministers to the people of God, they are serving and ministering as God Himself is reaching out through them, empowering them to do that.

When we are doing these works, although they may be simple, we are actually doing the work of God in His place. We are not doing it by our own might or power, but by His Spirit. We are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything as being of ourselves, but our sufficiency comes from Him. He enables us to be servants in His kingdom.

So, what’s the purpose? What’s the end game of all this service that He calls us to do on His behalf? Well, Peter says it is that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

Final point number six: in anticipation of the second coming, we should live for the glory of God. If we really believe that this life is just the pregame show to all that God has prepared in the next, then we should live for that life and for the glory of God.

Necessarily for this life, Jesus said it like this: "Store not up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves may come in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in eternity, in the Bank of Eternal securities, if you will, where moth and rust will not destroy and where thieves will not come in and steal. Why? For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

You see, for the person who believes and trusts that the second coming is real and that it will one day happen, when all turmoil occurs here in this world—when Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump are your only choices—when all turmoil comes in this life, you will not be destroyed to the core. Why? Because your treasure is not here, and one day He is coming with the treasure.

So, God help us to pray fervently. God help us to love greatly and fervently. God help us to reach out hospitably. God help us to steward faithfully, and God help us to live for Your glory. Amen.

Let's stand and pray. God, would You help us? We all need Your help because in our own strength, we are feeble and weak to do these things You call us to do. So, Lord, enable us by Your power this week to be faithful stewards, to be serious prayers, to be loving and hospitable, and to glorify You wherever You take us, that the world would see our good works and glorify You, our Father in Heaven.

Lord, work in us, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.