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May 12, 2021 2:00 am
No matter how much time you have left on this earth, you should live with anticipation that God's kingdom is coming. In the message "Living Like There's No Tomorrow," Skip explains how you can live life to the fullest now.
This teaching is from the series Rock Solid.
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When you love people give it all you've got.
When you love people. Nothing back in your love for them. People like you are trying to win the love Olympics when you do your love like you're trying to win a gold medal. Love all is loving fervently strenuous loving others is not option Jesus said this is my command to love one another today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shares how deep sacrificial love can make you stronger as you wait for Jesus return the first Skip was to share about another way you can hear these encouraging vital messages to and from my program connect with Skip Heitzig sake on the health fund channel on Saturdays. It p.m. mountain time or watch it on TBN on Sundays at 5:30 AM Eastern.
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Thank Skip now where first Peter chapter 4 as we dive into her study with Skip Heitzig tomorrow. Tomorrow is what comes after today, although we have no guarantee that it will actually comment all but we have a hunch that are well.
We think that it will just keep coming and that is because of the simple fact today used to be yesterday's tomorrow and it came because those days just sort of keep piling up and keep on coming. That's why we often say I'll do it tomorrow I can finish it today so I'll do it tomorrow, so we bank on the idea that were just gonna have more and more and more tomorrow's joy also know that tomorrow is a very elusive idea that the more tomorrow's we get under our belts, the shorter they look they become shorter incrementally each day when you're young you think you have also tomorrow's we just never end. I mean think of it, if you're if you're two days old, tomorrow's half your life, but the older you get, they seem to be shorter. I remember when I was a little kid in school and I had a teacher named Miss Feiner she was a beautiful gal and I just thought she was awesome until she announced to our class for age. She said it's my birthday. I'm 25 years old and I remember thinking goodness. 25. That's old. She doesn't have many tomorrow's left because I on the other hand was thinking.
I have an infinite number of tomorrow's left. Then there were my parents and they they were just so sold to me.
I thought they they can have many tomorrow's left.
It all reviews. Most of them up like a little boy said to his grandpa.
Grandpa were you on the ark was of course I wasn't on the ark. The little boy still could get its was it so so then why did you drown just that your lease that old how to just survive the flood truth is one day we will have no more tomorrow's at all left, there will be none.
Some of us may not actually make it true. Tomorrow it's one of the facts of life.
Like the patient went back to see his doctor.
After a series of tests and the doctor said well the test came back.
I've got good news and I've got bad news. The good news actually is. You have 24 hours left to live.
The patient said how can that be good news for what could be worse than that. Dr. said the bad news is I was supposed to tell you yesterday that you had 24 hours left to look so is my question. How would you live if you had no tomorrow, no more. Tomorrow's were guaranteed you, what things would change how would you live in the light of that without as an introduction.
We go to first Peter chapter 4 beginning in verse seven, but the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sin 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 with the ability which God supplies that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Now there's a problem with Peter's statement in terms of our reading it and that's the first statement he makes in that paragraph says eat the end of all things is at hand. The reason I say that the problem is that he wrote that 2000 years ago. So we read this document. 2000 years after he said the end of all things is at hand with a big? Because certainly, as we read the New Testament. John the apostle Paul the apostle Peter all in their writings talked about the end the consummation of all things, and they taught in the imminent return of Christ that he can come at any moment and they believe that but here he says the end of all things is at hand. When the New Testament closes Revelation 1 of the last words of Jesus is this, yes I am coming soon so we read that and we ask so how soon is soon and I'm actually helped by a book by CS Lewis called voyage of the Dawn treader in the Chronicles of Narnia series where there's a conversation between Lucy, one of the humans in the story. Having a conversation with Aslan that Christ figure the lion and their parting company and Azlan says to Lucy. Lucy don't look so sad. We will meet soon again and she says please Aslan. What do you mean by soon and Azlan replied by saying I call all times. Soon is what I want you to know and I will get into this the last days is technically a phrase in the New Testament that refers to the time between the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ, that of all of human history that is the last part of human history between the first and second coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. So we are living in the last days but we must be living in the last part of the last days because of all of the predictions made that have been fulfilled in our lifetime. So let's just put that aside because we should be living in every generation should be living in the anticipation and expectation that the Lord could come back so there's a question whether you have one tomorrow left or thousands of tomorrow's left.
How should you live, how should you live with. There's three things that Peter says because the end is near. Three things, pray harder love deeper and serve smarter. Those are the three areas we examine this morning. Pray harder love deeper serve smarter. Let's look at the first one in verse seven, but the end of all things is at hand. Just for another clarification means near you and say the end of all things is here it's near it's moving God's consummation toward the end is at hand. Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. Stop for a moment right there be serious and be watchful in your prayers. How does that sound familiar to you. Think of Peter. Think of the last time Jesus said those words to Peter.
They were in the garden of Gethsemane right member when when the Lord brought Peter James and John into the garden of disseminating.
He said something to the effective bite.
My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to the point of death watch with me. So Jesus goes away. Praise comes back and he finds a lot are they watching at our door, watching the inside of their eyelids with her doing this on logs and and so the Lord Jesus said to them, why couldn't you watch with me one hour and his final exhortation, watch and pray, watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. So here's Peter sort of resurrecting that idea when he writes these words the end of all things is at hand.
Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. How do you live like there's no tomorrow. Pray harder, pray harder not notice something whenever a sermon is discussing prayer people get a little bit nervous were not particularly fond of sermons messages about prayer you want to know what it is because we don't do it much.
This is the honest truth. Prayer isn't huge on our priority list. And so whenever somebody talks about or read a book on wheat we fidget a little bit. One source said the average Christian praise 45 seconds a day and that's usually over a meal.
Another source unrelated to the first says the average conservative Christian in a total year.
The total time spent in a year praying six hours now, the same source goes on to describe other activities, hobbies and shopping mall expeditions in a year, 90 hours sporting activities 100 hours vacationing 120 hours prayer six hours. I'm not here to keep guilt on you. You're going didn't work. So let me be honest with you I'm here to confess my own inadequacy in this area. See, I have a problem in my Christian life. Me and it's the loss of passion over time. The loss of passion over time, like spiritual entropy that happens I can think back to my early Christian walk. When I discovered prayer and it dawned on me. I am in conversation with the create tour of everything. He is listening to my words. Moreover, he's very interested in what I have to say and he wants to help me and I member that dawning on me, and made such an impact on but I would go camping. I was single I would go camping to three days and I fast and pray. It was some of the most exhilarating times of my life. But as time went on, as tomorrow's Coming I just found that passion sort of leaking out. It wasn't what it used to be anymore prayer becomes professional and contained what Peter seems to be saying if I'm reading it accurately is that as your tomorrows become fewer your prayers should pray harder as time takes its toll as time casts its shadow on the path of your life. What will sustain you more than anything else is a solid prayer life. The end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers affect my own experience.
The reason all that happened to me in happens to me. It happens to me all the time. As part of the life of a believer that we deal with can be summed up by what Jesus said to the church of Ephesus in Revelation chapter 2, he said I know your works, and of your patients. I know all the stuff you do your very active you're very busy. I have something against you.
I don't like it when Jesus says that got something against you, what is it you have left your first love you left your first love one translation. The new living says you don't love me like you did at first. There's been a cooling of passion. There's been a waning of commitment.
At first it was really good. You love me as I could to the first you left your first love. By the way, don't misquote that I have some people say Jesus said you have lost your first love. You don't lose it you leave it you walk away from it.
You make conscious choices not to need him as much as you did. And that is been my problem. Left your first love in. Interestingly, when Jesus writes to them.
He says you do a lot of things right. I know your works.
I know your labor under your patients.
I know your discernment, so you're busy here active you're going through the motions of devotions, but there is an erosion of devotion deep inside her know what happens in a relationship with the Lord. Here some you can relate to more easily it happens in every relationship in life happens in marriage anybody is the counselor knows what it's like to have somebody sit on the other side of the desk and say something like we still love each other anymore.
And especially if you know the couple and the wash their journey you look at them and you wonder what happened what happened to that young girl whose heart skipped a beat whenever she heard his voice, what happened that young man who would drive across town just to deliver a bouquet of flowers. What happened to that couple who used to talk together about everything so much and one of the things about a dating relationship is the couple. They just talk forever about everything two in the morning or talk we talk about the carpet. I smile a little bit of that because according to James Dobson's is going to a restaurant and watch couples and you can tell in the restaurant who's married is not. He said, I guarantee you there's the married ones are not talking much the married ones are talking at once dating look at each other's eyes or talking back and forth, back and forth so anyone in any relationship can leave their first love leaving your first love is not a blowout it's us it's a gradual leak over time. So pray harder as your days get fewer pray harder as the first one second one second away to live like there's no tomorrow. Love deeper love deeper watch this verse eight and above all things, preeminently more than anything else, have fervent love for one another for law will cover a multitude of sins be hospitable to one another without grumbling when you agree that love is the identification mark of the Christian. It's her birthmark that identifies you belong to Christ.
That's what Jesus said, no, no, you are my disciples. As you love each other.
The word fervent have fervent love some translation to say love deeply. So I decide love deeper deeper love fervent love word fervent literally means strenuously strenuously. It's a word that in ancient times describe the horse at full gallop that horse was stretching and straining its muscles is the word for fervent. It also described an athlete who would stretch or strain his or her muscles to win the race. Given all that he has or she has so now let me read translated when you love people give it all you've got. When you log people hold nothing back in your love for them love people like you're trying to win the love Olympics. When you log people do your love like you're trying to win a gold medal in low-quality, that's loving fervently strenuously. Now you'll notice in our text. There's two aspects of this love that Peter talks about first is the law that covers then there's the love that recovers there's covering love and recovering love covering love is in verse eight above all things have fervent love for one another and watch that he's quoting the text for love will cover a multitude of sins.
He's quoting Proverbs 10 which is hatred stirs up strife, love will cover all sins when somebody wrongs you and I know you're thinking of somebody, perhaps, who has when somebody wrongs you, you have your two choices that you can make number one you can cover it up and forgive number two you can expose with that person is this kind of love will not air dirty laundry. This kind of love does not want to expose weaknesses or cause humiliation.
This kind of love seeks to handle things privately, discreetly, before it ever goes public and there is a time to go public. Jesus said in Matthew 18 you go to that person one on one and you tell that person his center. Her sin privately. If they don't listen you bring somebody else with you. Just another person. If you don't listen to that person, then you widen the circle. There's a time to go public but this kind of love is protective. It stretches its self out in order to cover.
I know some people that take pride in uncovering not covering all they feel so righteous that their whistleblower there uncovering soon.
I'm the gospel Gestapo is my calling in life. I am the great sin sniffer.
I smell it. Around here I'm gonna find it eventually. You know the type.
This is covering love seeks to cover the second type of love is recovering love verse nine be hospitable.
Hospitality be hospitable to one another without grumbling. Hospitality is a New Testament word that literally means loving the stranger hospital comes from that where you'd set up a system to treat people you may or may not know them but you're hospitable to them means to love the stranger. Here's why this was vital for the early church in the early church. They met in homes that have church buildings.
They met in homes and the believers who had their homes were also confronted with a particular situation where there were preachers or evangelists who would travel from place to place and needed a place to stay. There were no Sheraton hotels or Hilton Hotels or Hyatt hotels any of that and and ends. Back in those days were anything but a holiday so because of that you'd open up your home to them, you let them stay with you. You may not know them, but you are kind to them.
That's hospitality that's that's what it meant in its original context be hospitable to one another without grumbling so love to the stranger go out of your way to help them recover the servants of God that are traveling through bring them and refresh them. Let them recover. This is recovering. Love our little article about Albania, the country of Albania that hospitality is so part of their culture. They actually love the idea that no matter how poor they are they have stashed some special provisions and food in case a stranger comes through.
And here's why.
Here's their motto and Albanians house belongs to God and his guests, so glad your way to show kindness to God and his guests hospitality. That's good.
The message from the series walks right now want to share about a great resource that will spark a deeper passion in you to live for Jesus, you know. Proverbs 3113 passage that describes the ideal Christian woman in life.
To be honest ideal can be as intimidating as it is inspiring. Here's get high with more can I just tell you it's exhausting to just read that, let alone how on earth women, could you ever do that. Let me say first of all, you can't do that in a day is not giving the 24 hour description of the virtuous wife. This is a woman over time. Get to know some of the most incredible women in the Bible and in history with two inspiring resources, six message CD collection from pastors on prominent women in Scripture seven women by best-selling author Erica Texas. This bundle is our thanks when you get $35 or more to help expand the Bible teaching outreach of skintight think charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Call now to request these captivating resources as our thanks for your generous gift 819 to 1888. Given online securely connectwithskip.com/offer you see people come into a relationship with the living God, the way we get to know him is by knowing his word. That's why we've made these life-changing Bible teachings available all around the world and you can help take this broadcast further by getting today just now to share the gospel with more listeners like you. Just as a connectwithskip.com/donate.connectwithskip.com/donate or you can call 892 1888, 892 1888. Thank you. Tune in tomorrow Skip Heitzig shares how you can face personal suffering and still have an abundant life in Jesus because whatever you say. There is so much evil in the world are you saying why is there so much evil. You only ask that or say that because you have some notion that there is supreme good to see if I if I am in a class and I say this student gets 90, and the student gets a 60 in this student gets a 40 it presupposes there's a real standard of 100 is perfection by which everything else is Skip presentation of connection communication changing truth