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August 1, 2022 12:00 am
Welcome to the intense podcast maternal family. Monday, August 1 season coming back to focusing on when the question is, how should we be living until he returns. Here's more from the study of first Peter, I believe that the apostle Paul and Peter Volz apostles expected the Lord Jesus Christ, the comfortable, I believe they live with a vibrant, intense expectation that it any moment the master could return. He told me would he told about the things that they could expect. Before he came back and so they live that burning in the heart at any moment. The Savior could appear in the lots of folks who would like to make predictions about the coming of Jesus and I want you to notice to three things about Lord said about that, beginning in Matthew 24. You recall the 24th chapter and the 36 verse he said of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven know the song, but the father alone, and if you recall, in acts when he is giving them some glass minute instruction in verse six of chapter 1.
So when they had come together, they were asking him, saying, Lord, is it this time you're restoring the kingdom bistro now when he says, restoring the kingdom to Israel and coming again. All of these things. Sometimes they were confused about exactly what he was saying.
Their idea is to restore the kingdom of Israel to its previous state of great power and wealth and control, and so he said to them, it's not for you know the times all the epics, which the Father has fixed by his own authority says you know it's not you know those time so when somebody says they can predict the time there's no way to predict the time he said he didn't even know what it was here only the father knew the angels in heaven didn't know that's a great secret.
Only the father knew while Jesus was here, so it's not for us to predict the time, but it is indeed our responsibility to be ready for his coming. And likewise to be discerning enough to read the signs of the time.
Now somebody would say, as Peter says what about all these predictions about the coming of Jesus. People remember leaving this for years and years and years. That's right and it's getting closer all the time but my friend assigns the day that there have never been signs the day that there have never been so. Here's what he says. He says to these believers on the prosecution and I under going to undergo great persecution. He says there's some things you need to consider in these troublesome times in these last days and so he says here's the attitude you are to have and hear the actions you want to take so I want to briefly just go through these pieces. First of all, the end of all things is at hand.
Therefore be of sound judgment and of sober spirit, now in the King James. I think it does. Says another way, but these are two different Greek words there it says sound judgment, sober spirit, which in essence really means to keep calm in your spirit, and have sound judgment that is don't get into a frenzy. Don't get become fearful. Don't start wringing your hands.
Don't get anxious. He says keep calm and a cool, clear head. He says of sound judgment not impulsive and not react if somebody says well you know the signs of the times other Jesus Christ is coming. We need to get ready. That's true, but you should remake this in this passage.
These words are implied discipline, stability, a cool head a clear mind thinking wisely sound judgment not blown off track by every wind that blows in all the threats that come our way. He says one of the ways of preparing for these days is to be of sound judgment and sober spirit, for he says the purpose of prayer. You know when you get the big friends in your upset your anxious, and you're all set up. It's awfully difficult to get on quietly before God is in you getting on quietly before God will help you get rid of some of this frenzy and all of this nervousness and what's going to happen and all the uncertainties in life, he says sound mind sober spirit, stable not impulsive, clearheaded in your thinking sound in your judgment. Coolheaded you don't get upset about is provoking you you not anxious and worried. He said, for the purpose of prayer, God's people need to be praying people, you know what makes folks pray sermons don't get people to pray and are convinced of that. Or you may get stirred up for about a week is make folks by reading books don't make you pray. Sermons may give instruction and books may give instruction you what motivates people to pray. Hot water brother you get in hot water. You start praying. Amen when things get tough, you start praying when things really get difficult. Nobody has to beg you to pray and plead with you to pray you get busy praying and what he saying he says, you know, keep your mind clear for prayer. So the best motivation for praying is persecution, hardship, hard times, troubles and trials and heartaches and burdens and what does that do that drives us to praying and what does praying new focuses their attention upon God, and God begins the working hard to clean this up and cleaners out we begin to get a whole new perspective.
Our faith gets built and then you wonder why you have a hard time in a while we have a hard time we force God's hand. So what happens we have a hard time then we start praying old God. God springs that all the mess and when we do go right back to premises. I just told your biographer did. That is exactly what happens to us, and that's why what motivates us to pray must not be the outside but a relationship a personal relationship to God and so he saying here that I minds must be clear, we must be stable. He says for the purpose of prayer and then look in verse eight he says above all that is first and foremost that he says this is the priority.
This is above everything else, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Now when he says love covers a multitude of sins.
What the world you talking about, well notice he says in this passage above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins will not, how can love covers. Notice he says is loving one another, a right first grievance 13 you meant what he says about what love is.
Then he says in verse five. Love does not act unbecomingly. It does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
When he says love covers a multitude of sins is what he saying that you and I ought to respond to other people in such a fashion that we make allowances, listen we make allowances for their mistakes we make allowances for their sins taught us we make allowances for the things they say and do against the now a believer must be forgiving towards someone else because all of us live and walk in forgiveness. We live and walk in the forgiveness of God will never outside of the forgiveness of God's once we step in at the cross and salvation always living the forgiveness of God. Now how can I hold anything against someone who is wrong to me. When God has forgiven me no matter what I've done that when he says your love covers a multitude of sin that means when somebody wrongs you, you make allowance for you say I know what they're going through and understand why they did that and it's okay. It doesn't mean that they are right.
Our love covering a multitude of sins does not deal with their relationship to God. They don't have to deal with that but it deals with my relationship to the person and it deals with our relationship to God that we are able to take rebuffing we are able to take criticism and gossip and all the rest that goes with that and make allowance for that is we are able to love them anyway and is it were to cover what they say. It doesn't mean that you covering it and our forgiveness in our kindness doesn't get them right with God. But as believers do some things we overlook that you parents. For example, have small children. If you corrected your child every single time they did something wrong, but shall have a nervous breakdown time there were three years of age, you overlook a lot of thing you know it.
What the best thing one writes all I discipline my children every point will God help your children because remember, that's what they are the children and their learning the learning.
They make mistakes. They say things they do. Things are not right on. Please you all the time that you overlook. You know that growing up, he says, as believers, we to be fervent in our love. That is our love is to be active, and active love will cover a multitude of sins. He just overlooks doesn't accused doesn't try to expose doesn't make the person look like less than they are or even look like what they're doing. We pray for them we love them. We ask God if he would use this to give us an opportunity to help that person. But we don't expose them before the people and gossip about them and talk about them. Love doesn't do that and he knows when persecution comes to still be tough, loving, so he says.
Above all, keeping fervent in your love one another because your love covers a multitude of sins that he says the hospitable that is. That is a word in the Greek it's to our drilling Valeo Senior Valeo love senior which is stranger, which is the love strangers, that is, hospitality in those days persecution artist set in people oftentimes had to go without it didn't have a place to live. Didn't have a blanket at night undergoing all kinds of loss and the persecution he says in these last days. Keep a clear head stable in your spirit, not impulsive.
Quickly reacting given to prayer loving in spite of what's going on around you, and reaching out to people who are in need and helping them. Then he says as if to say, because he says no, look each one of you has received a special gift employed in serving the Lord serving one another and therefore serving the Lord, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. All of us are equipped to do just what he saying we are equipped to have a sound mind because we have the Holy Spirit living within. We are equipped to the law of the most unlovely people. We are equipped to pray and pray with power seeing the results we are equipped to be loving and hospitable to another people. He says you received the gift. Therefore, he says employee in serving one another. So how in the world can you serve God you can send anything up. That is nothing he needs. The only way you and I can serve God is by serving one another and what Peter is saying here is in trouble. Sometimes this is the spirit. This is the attitude these the actions that should prevail above everything else and noticed there all geared toward other people. The praying the loving the hospitality and the serving is all geared toward other people, so his idea preparing for the last days is not looking at oneself and say how can I save my own heart, but rather how cannot be used of God to express godly love toward others and then he says now some will do this by serving in different ways and some by speaking. He says whoever speaks, let them speak as it were the utterances of God. Whoever serves, let him do so. As for the strength which God supplies so that in all things.
What God is glorified through Jesus Christ, and who belongs blowing Dominion power forever. He says in these troublesome times when you persecuted and this is what we said in the very beginning Peter's objective is to show them how to respond in difficult times in such a fashion. Even their persecutors and their critics will be forced to face and look at the God whom they serve. Because God will be glorified in those action now lasted till three questions is there somebody tonight whom you just feel you absolutely cannot love you can love them, you can serve them you can show them any hospitality that is any kind of overture on your part of helpfulness to them. Anybody anybody you don't use not praying for him. You don't want to pray for them.
You don't care. Love them. I going to show him in the hospitable spirit sure don't want to serve them in any fashion is to buy like that so I just lay this on your heart and I'd ask yourself the question, are we practicing these attitudes now all we waiting to have a great catastrophe.
The reason Peter wrote this is the right of the people in persecution.
The reason God inspired to be written is not only for those folks but also for us.
Are you employing your gift to serve other people or is the truth you so apathetic about serving other people and you just brother come the church and saying, praying, give a little bit but don't ask you to do anything that demands a commitment I made a lot of folks who willing to come and pray, give saying and listen but who are not willing to commit them selves to serve other people and therefore glorify God now will make a commitment. You see, it's not convenient, just not convenient for me to serve the Lord is not a suggestion. He says you've been gifted. Therefore, you have responsibility to serve God in those days of persecution, but in these days here and now have an obligation that's a command we been equipped you know the biggest problem is you know if you really love somebody you can do enough for when you love God. When you love Jesus Christ. Someone ask you to serve him. You not going to count for this convenient or not you going to get busy and so I wonder if you have been deceived by thinking all yes I love the Lord. But don't ask me to commit myself.
My friend, you may like him and you may fearing you may believe a lot about, but anybody who will not commit themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ to serve him does not love him. Love does not count the wrongs done to it, nor does it count the cost.
It just ask. So I'm asking you go in the night and you pray I want you to say Jesus, I love you you I say to three times and ask yourself a real hard question Jesus do I really love you and ask a question supposed God says to you in your spirit. Tonight know you don't really love me you have trusted me you believe in me you give to me and you survey but you don't really love me you love what I'm doing for you. You don't really love me, let me ask you something of God spoke your spirit told you that what would you say how would you respond if he said you don't really love me. I will take some before I go to bed tonight I'm gonna get on my face before God and ask God to remind every single one of you tonight before you get in the beta before you go to sleep. Pray that praying God in Jesus name, bring it to every single person's mind to say Jesus, I love you and if it didn't come out right. I hope you have the courage and asking the Lord one father teaches how to distinguish between what is real and what only appears to be real is my prayer in Jesus name, amen.
Thank you for listening to living in the last if you'd like to know more about her family or intense ministry that night and had started writing back. After the presentation of InTouch ministries Atlanta, Georgia