Title: The End Times (1 Peter 4:7-11)
Contents
The end of all things is near; therefore, be sober and sober and pray. Above all, love one another earnestly, for one covers a multitude of sins. Treat each other without grumbling, and as each has received a gift, serve one another as good stewards of God's various graces. If anyone speaks, let it be as if he were speaking the word of God, and if anyone would serve, let it be by the power that God supplies. This is so that God may be glorified in everything through Jesus Christ, to whom is glory and power forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:7-11)
There is an old saying that "time is equal to age". 1997 has already come to an end, and it is time for the last year-end service to send understanding. Now, in just one more day, the year is over and we are in the new year 1998. When we quietly put our hands on our hearts and look back on the traces of our lives over the past year, there were more things we did wrong than things we did well. There were more shameful things than proud things. I think I can't help but confess honestly before God. However, it is not a time that can be turned back by regretting it. So, from now on, we need to make up our minds to live the rest of the body in a more sincere, fruitful, and rewarding way.
Our souls are immortal. Therefore, although the remaining time is forever and ever, our bodies are limited. That's why we know the time is running out. But none of us know exactly how much longer his only bodily life will last.
1. There is a hopeful end.
Faith is a forward-looking mind. It is the reality of what is hoped for and the evidence of what is not seen. Seeing the future as the present and seeing with the heart what the eyes cannot see is faith. Therefore, always before him and far away of the believer, at the same time he sees all things deeply, not just outwardly. We do not experience it with our hands, but we experience it with our whole person.
The Bible is evidence of an eternal future. It definitely shows the future. Nevertheless, it prophesies that this generation in which we live today will surely come to an end. Theologian Chardon sees all life as a process and speaks of infinite evolution and development, but insists that he has an end. The problem lies here. The present generation does not continue as it is, or develop indefinitely, nor does this order continue as it is and in any form forever. I do not see the present generation to develop and continue to be maintained and improved through reforms or revolutions. However, it is a clear proof that this generation will surely come to an end.
There will come a time when it will surely collapse. The Christian view of history is not a circle. There is a beginning and there is an end. A straight line connecting the beginning and the end. Just as there is a time to be born and a time to die when we look at an individual's life, this cosmic problem also has creation and an eschatological judgment. Human life is also eternal. The mystery of the resurrection raises the true meaning of life. But before the resurrection, death must come first. Even in the universe, the world to come will unfold anew only when this world ends. The end of this generation is tied to the beginning of the next generation.
Therefore, the end of this generation must come first. It is not an endless end in which this generation explodes on its own and destroys itself, but it is a hopeful view of the end that this generation must end in order for the next generation, namely, life and a new earth to exist. The end is coming. And he is urgently explaining that he has come close.
Sometimes you can see young children turning their hands fast or slow at will. This is stupid. I am not in control of my time. Time is what I am following. I must obey this absolute power. People got their time. You say you've made time. This statement is paradoxical. No one can freeze or fix time. This time is what I live for. I live God's time. I am living by receiving the time God has given me. No one is born with their own birthday.
The end is also not decided by my own calculations. I must believe in the end that God has set according to His will, think within it, and design my life. I must know the end that God has set, and I must accept and obey the end that the Bible testifies, and build up an eschatological view of ethics within it.
2. A special view of ethics is required.
Normal and emergency values cannot be the same.
1) The way of life at the beginning and at the end cannot be the same.
2) What is important when you are healthy and what is important when you are sick cannot be the same.
3) In childhood, I like to play with my friends and toys.
4) When you are young, you find the opposite sex.
5) I look for business in my 30s and 40s.
6) In adulthood, we seek honor.
7) If you are over 50, you all become iron men.
8) After reaching the age of 60, everyone becomes religious.
Depending on the age, the direction of interest is different and the ethical view is also different. Even blessings and woes are different. In normal times, it seems that the most important things are the house, the field, and the clothes. However, in the midst of a riot, you learn that food is the most important thing. The blessings of everyday life do not necessarily translate into blessings in an emergency. On the contrary, you may become angry. The misfortune in peace may be fortunate in the time of war, and that moral view may change.
Among the same righteousness, the same good, we must discern the more righteous and the more good. In Philippians 1, the apostle Paul instructs us to discern what is good with the most good. It refers to values based on eschatology. Not the highest good in society. It refers to the preferred good in the light of the eschatological meaning. Such righteousness and wisdom to discern such goodness are required.
In the apocalyptic generation, values will change completely, and wealth and blessings may become curses. The same is true of the saying that it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Children are a blessing, and being wealthy is a blessing, but in the last days, all these things can become woeful. This is because children and wealth and wealth can be an obstacle to accepting Jesus Christ. To fully accomplish God's will, these can be a great test.
An extraordinary sense of ethics must be established. We need to think deeply about the meaning of the words, "Sell your clothes and buy a sword." At that time, clothes were one of the treasures. Humans hid their clothes because they were so precious. Selling the clothes and buying the sword means to prepare for the very imminent end. In my spare time, clothes are more important, but in the face of imminent tribulation such as going to battle, there are times when I absolutely need a sword, just like a sword is needed on the battlefield.
3. There are things to throw away and things to take.
Therefore, in the face of the imminent end, we need to know that we have different things to throw away and to take around this. The Bible testifies that the early church was a church that was full of love and that it was a church that communicated freely and freely. However, you must know for sure that the root of that love was a natural phenomenon that came from faith waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ. As the faith of waiting developed into the faith of preparation, a new view of ethics was established. In other words, it is an eschatological view of ethics.
Since it is the last time in the text, we are admonishing you to first calm down and pray. Martin Luther said, "The busier I am, the more I pray." He said that he prays more because it is easy to make mistakes when he is busy. You must have a prayer time. Prayer is an act of encountering God. The first thing we need to do is meet the person we need to meet today through prayer. When we are conscious of the end, the first thing we need to do is pray. You will have to put more effort into meeting God than meeting people.
Conscious of the end, let us now forgive each other. Let's reconcile And let's love hard. We must also do our best to serve as good stewards. It reminds me of the parable of the talents that Jesus Himself told us. All I have is not mine. Neither material things, nor health, nor wisdom, nor skills, nor precious time, must be made clear to me. And you must clearly anticipate that the owner's settlement is ahead of you.
You will be asked how loyal you are within the given powers and given opportunities. You will need to establish yourself as a good steward and be prepared to appear as a good steward. And when you think about the end, you will have to evangelize. As each has received grace, we must strive for missionary work.
When Jesus Christ was conscious of the end of his life, he preached while forgetting even to eat. Even after his resurrection, Christ did not ask for many things. He did not ask for almsgiving, service, or even social justice, but only asked to work hard to spread the gospel. This is the fundamental, primary and eschatological task. In the last days, the only work to be devoted to is missionary work. No matter what kind of work you do, the root of it must be in missions. Even though he speaks like a habit of saying the last days, he cannot open his stingy heart.
They cry out every day that the world is over, but they lead a life of faith without change. How can this be called eschatological faith? Now we need to sort it out. It's always a time to think about how to end, not how to start. Oh, would it always end like this? Even if my life ends like this at this moment, will I be able to stand before God without shame? Please ask yourself. I need to reaffirm my future. I must be able to look straight at my life hidden in Christ. Even if the beginning was faint and the process was unfaithful, the end must be clean. After all, the end is his conclusion. Let the last days of others be the most rewarding by being faithful in Christ as if it were truly our own. This end is not the end, but a new beginning. Because the end of victory is the beginning of eternal new life.