Welcome Suffering as a Part of Life: Living in the Face of Eternity - 1 Peter 4:7-11

1:08Welcome back to the fall semester. Welcome back, students, as I've already welcomed you back. I know we're at that time of the semester. As people are getting back, there's a lot lined up for the fall, a lot of things to get involved in, a lot of things to get committed to. And before you get over-committed, as what Typically happens a lot if your college days are anything like my college days. Well, before you do, I want you to listen and reflect upon Peter's message to us this morning.

1:45We are still working our way through 1 Peter. We're in a context. At chapter 4 and verse 1, context is suffering. Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with also the same purpose. And then after this section in verse 12, he again picks up the theme of suffering. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you which comes upon you for your testing. In other words, they're in the midst of a fiery ordeal, a persecution under Nero. And this brought about a lot of issues within the church. And Peter is addressing them. He wants them to stay true to the true faith, to stand firm in true grace.

2:33And so, in these verses we have this morning, he takes us into what we can expect. How should we live in light of eternity? How should we live? Look at verse 4:7. He sets out this axiom right at the very beginning. The end of all things is near. And the end, the end here does not necessarily. Mean the cosmic eradication and termination of everything. He's not just talking about the vaporization, oh, we go into nothingness. That's not what he's talking about. The word end here speaks of a fulfillment, a completion, the achieving of a goal, the consummation of world events. The end is near. The consummation, the end of the age is coming. It is near. And that refers to something that is approaching, near. But he uses a perfect tense, which means the end of all things has drawn near. It is upon us. It is at the door, as James says. We live right now in the very face of eternity. What event is he talking about? Well, just a few verses back in verse 5, he's speaking about God standing ready to judge the living and the dead. And in chapter 3 and verse 22, just a little behind that, he speaks about Jesus being at the right hand of God.

4:08And early on, he's already laid out in chapter 1 and verse 13 the revelation of Christ is coming. Chapter 1, verse 5, 7, and 9, he's talking about the revelation of Christ. The event, the culminating event of human history is the revelation of Jesus Christ. John saw Jesus. In Revelation 1:12, he says, He turned and he saw the voice of one speaking with him, and he saw he was among the golden lampstands, and he sees Christ glorified. He was clothed in a robe reaching to the feet and girded across his chest with a golden sash. His head and his hair were white like wool, not as a display of old age, but of brilliant glory. And his eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like glowing metal. In his right hand, he held seven stars. John speaks about his voice. It was like the sound of many waters. And out of his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in its strength. And when John saw him, he fell at his feet like a dead man. You see, Jesus is going to be revealed for who he is. The peasant from Galilee is Lord of all, and he will be revealed as such.

5:46We will all see him, and he will be revealed for who he is. But also, we are going to be revealed for who we are. He will see all of us with those eyes. That cut through to the very innermost part of our being. And we will be revealed for who we are. And your eternity will be declared. And you and I are now just living moments before this event. We are all living, as if you could say, on the very face, on the very brink of eternity.

6:24And do you believe this? Do you believe what Scripture has to say about this? This event is imminent. Now, how do you explain that the church, early church, saw this event and saw it as imminent? So that Peter can say it's near. Well, it's been 2,000 years. Well, I can certainly say this. Jesus didn't tell them when he's coming back, but that he's coming back. He's saying it's near. It can happen at any moment. But also, 2,000 years in light of eternity doesn't even register as a blip.

7:05You are near eternity. Whether Christ comes today or tomorrow, or whether you go to him today or tomorrow. We all live on the very brink of eternity. And Peter wants us to live as such. So, how do we live? Well, this reality. Should impact the way you live. If you don't believe this, you will not live in the face of eternity. And you will be surprisingly and sadly and catastrophically overtaken. Look at verse 4:7. The end of all things is near. Therefore, coming out of this reality, it should impact the way you live. Therefore, those who believe will be characterized by an ongoing attitude of expectancy that the revelation of Christ is at hand. That very soon we will stand in His presence.

8:14So, how should we respond? How should we respond that the end of all things is near? How do we live a God-pleasing life in the face of eternity? That's the issue before us this morning. And Peter gives us three exhortations that answer this question. Three straightforward exhortations that give us this answer. And I want you to see these this morning so that you will live in the face of eternity and that you will order your priorities living in the face of eternity. So you won't get all bound up in a lot of things and chase down a lot of different paths and so over-commit yourself in things that don't. Don't matter. Well, first.

9:03First exhortation is think. Think. Peter's exhortation, think first. First thing you need to do is think clearly. The end of all things is near. Verse 7. Therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayers. He gives two imperative commands. Be of sound judgment. That is, be clear-minded. Think straight. It's used to speak about the demon-possessed man who had the legion of demons in Mark chapter 5 and verse 15. And then Jesus delivered him. And then they came out and saw that he was clothed and in his right mind. That's what sound judgment means. In light of eternity, be in your right mind. Think clearly about life.

9:59Second imperative command, be sober, sober in spirit. That means be alert. In fact, Peter's already talked about this in chapter 1 and verse 13. He says, Therefore, prepare your minds for action. Keep sober in spirit. Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. In other words, be sober. Be thinking the only way you're ever going to please the Father is by his grace. It's in him, not in you. You and set your hope upon that grace that's going to come to you who believe in Him at the revelation of Christ. And then again, kind of on the opposite extreme, in 1 Peter 5:8, he again says, Be sober of spirit. 5:8, he says, Be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. You have a real enemy that wants to destroy your life, that wants to detach you from a God-pleasing life and devour you. So be alert, keep your mind clear.

11:15This is a reality. So when you take this sound judgment and sober spirit together, it speaks of a spiritual alertness, a walk of life that is circumspectly or circumspect. Carefulness, a carefulness in observation. Be spiritually alert. The question is: why? Why do we need to be of sound judgment and sober spirit? Look back. Verse 7. It gives you the answer. For the purpose of prayer. You see, sound thinking and spiritual alertness are necessary for prayer. An engaged mind is necessary for effective prayer. It's the foundation of it. And be wary of any form of worship or any form of prayer that blunts your spiritual alertness or bypasses your mind because that is the very foundation of effective prayer.

12:15That's what Peter is saying: be sharp, be alert for the purpose of prayer. This is what Jesus was telling his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, chapter 14 of Mark. And he's telling them, My soul is deeply grieved. Remain here. Keep watch with me. He came back and they were sleeping. Minds dulled by sleep. Jesus comes back and says, Keep watching and praying so that you do not come into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

12:57You're going to have a tendency to sleep. And sleep dulls your senses, right? It's hard to carry out your duties when you're asleep. Some of us have had employees that maybe try to sleep on the job. You don't get much work out of them, for sure. But prayer is a heightened form of spiritual alertness and clear thinking. When you think through and you pray through, And you're in a state of constant prayer. You're constantly evaluating things around you in the light of God's word.

13:40And then you articulate things in prayer. It helps, it sharpens your thinking, it sharpens your spiritual alertness. So spiritual alertness and prayer go together. So in light of eternity, pray to the God of eternity. You see, throughout this letter, Peter is very concerned about their prayer life. Remember, in 1 Peter 3:7, he speaks to the husbands, and he says, Live with your wives in an understanding way and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life. Why? So that your prayers will not be hindered. If you do not live at home in an understanding way, your mind is going to be clouded by all kinds of things.

14:29You're not going to be effective in prayer. And then again, in 3:12, he says he's speaking in the context of, do not repay evil for evil. And he explains why. In verse 12, for the eyes of the Lord are towards the righteous, and his ears attend to their prayer. Whose prayer? To the prayer of the righteous. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. So don't repay evil for evil because he's not going to hear your prayer. He is against those who do evil. Evil, even if you were wrong first.

15:04You see, your prayer and spiritual life will be greatly diminished if your mind is intoxicated with other things, with worldly pursuits, with worldly cares and worries, or with worldly intimidation, as some of these were experiencing. It'll also be diminished if you think that the Lord's coming is a long way off. That will dull your alertness. So he says, be ready. Live in the very face of eternity. So, given the fact that the end is near, you should think clearly. Second, you should love. Think, love.

15:48Think clearly and love fervently. Look at verse 8. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. So, in the light of eternity, in the light of the end, believers should be provoked to love, awakened, so that we would love one another more fervently. And he points out five aspects of this love, five aspects of love. First, look at the priority of love.

16:21First two words, verse eight: above all, love is to be of top priority. And this underscores the supreme importance of love. In the Christian life, above all. Carries an imperative force, even though it's not an imperative, above all. Next, I want you to see the intensity of this love. Look at the second aspect that he gives here: the intensity, verse 8, keep fervent in your love. You see, Christ-like love is fervent love. And the word fervent describes, in ancient Greek literature, it described the intensity of a horse running at full speed with all of his muscles straining.

17:06It denotes that maximum effort, full force, intensity. And in Luke 22, it describes that extreme intensity of Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22, 44, it speaks about his agony as he was praying very fervently, to such a degree that his sweat became like drops of blood falling down upon the ground. Now, that is intense. And yet, here is the command: you love each other that intensely. You see, we often think of love in our culture as some kind of sentimental type thing, some kind of warm or happy thought or warm feeling or pleasant thought when somebody comes to your mind or whatever.

17:58But that's not what. Biblical love is. Biblical love like this involves sacrifice. And this is what is to define Christian community. A sacrificial love that mirrors the sacrificial love of our Lord. And again, Peter has already impressed this upon his audience. He wants them to be a praying people, but he also wants them to be a community that fervently loves one another. 1 Peter 1:22, he says, Since you have in obedience to the truth, purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.

18:42There's another aspect of love, the third one here. Look at the objects of love. Verse 8, for one another. One another. This is a reference to the body of believers. In chapter 1 and 1, verse 1, believers are referred to as aliens. In chapter 2 and 11, they are referred to as believers and aliens. Believers are seen as fellow or as strangers, as aliens, as citizens of another world. Your countrymen here are of another kingdom. And my question to you is: what kind of a citizen are you? Do you intensely love your fellow countrymen?

19:29Amen. Who sit in the churches who may think they love, but don't. Why don't you love more effectively? Bottom line is, you don't think clearly. You're not thinking in light of eternity. And so the degree to which you intensely love one another is a good measure of your love for Christ's coming kingdom and a good measure of your love for Christ Himself. The fourth aspect of love: look at the reason for love, verse 8. Because love covers a multitude of sins. And this is a general axiom: love covers a multitude of sins. It was God's love that covered the sins of humanity, that found a way to forgive and to let the sins go.

20:28It is a believer's love that is quick to forgive the transgressions of others. So love covers a multitude of sins, whether it's God's love or a believer's love. You see, sound thinking leads to fervent love. It leads to a fervent love that is quick to let the shortcomings and sins of other people go. And this is necessary for Christian community, right? I mean, when believers love one another fervently, they overlook the sins and offenses of others. Now, Peter is not saying, turn a blind eye to sin. That is not sound thinking at all, and that's not his exhortation here at all. But what he is saying is that love holds no ill will, it thinks charitably of people, and it always hopes, and it is quick to let transgressions and sins go. And he's quoting Solomon, Proverbs 10:12, he's quoting the second part of that verse. The whole verse says this: Proverbs 10:12, hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.

21:49And this proverb comes in a context of the sins of the tongues, the sins of the tongue. And what Solomon does is he sets these two phrases in contrast with one another. You want to know why people go around criticizing, defaming, and vilifying other people? It's because they hate. That comes out of a fountain of hate. The root reason why people spread that which is reproachful and dishonorable about others stems from hatred. Those who are disposed to hate find reason. Reason to be offended. When an opportunity for strife presents itself, they stir it up. Hatred stirs up strife, finds reasons to be offended, won't let it go. That comes out of a heart of hatred.

22:48It doesn't come out of a heart of love. Don't let anybody be deceived. But love does the opposite. Those who love will kindly and graciously forgive one another. They willingly bury the bad habits, shortcomings, and transgressions of others. They seek to preserve the honor of others. That's what love does. And those who love find reasons to cover over every insult, every injury, every inconvenience, every misunderstanding, every misrepresentation, every misdeed, every sin, every shortcoming, and the failures of others.

23:38And so, what Peter is doing, he's taking the scripture and he is quoting Solomon to exhort believers to cherish and to foster a fervent love for one another, an atmosphere of fervent love. I mean, listen, who among us Does not have many faults. We all stand in need for forgiveness, right? I mean, I think it's safe to say that we all wish to be forgiven. I mean, who wants to go through life constantly being railed for your failures?

24:18I mean, I can tell you, in a lifetime, you can accumulate a lot of misdeeds, wrong things, and a whole host of them. I mean, who wants to go through life at every corner being reminded of your sins, your shortcomings, your transgressions, what you should have done, when you didn't do, et cetera, et cetera? Nobody wants to live like that. We all need forgiveness, and love that covers over the offenses of others is necessary for Christian community. If this church, Emmanuel Baptist Church, is going to be effective in our mission here in this community, it's going to be out of a congregation who loves one another.

25:03Otherwise, we can slice and dice and commit suicide pretty easily. In fact, I think that's one of the greatest threats to the church, is a love that grows cold. In a speech on January 27, 1837, Abraham Lincoln reflecting on the dangers of Civil War and trying to hold this nation together. Said this. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer: if it ever reaches us, it must spring from amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we must live through all time or die by suicide.

26:01Listen, there is no foe that's going to bring the church down. I think the biggest threat is when we commit suicide by tearing each other down, by not fervently loving them and covering over the sins of others. There's a fifth aspect of love, and that is the manifestation of love. Look back at verse 9. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. Be hospitable. Word literally means the love of strangers. And it involves a welcoming attitude, an interest in the well-being of other people. But notice, this isn't talking about strangers outside the body of believers. It's talking about strangers maybe that go outside this community, or maybe people within this community that you really don't know well. Because look back at verse 9, it says, to one another.

27:00To one another. This involves those in the church and maybe those believers beyond their immediate circle. And the idea is: love strangers. Those people you don't know, just love them simply for the sake of who they are in the image of God and treat them with that kind of dignity. And that's the minimum level of dignity that we owe each other, right? Sometimes, after we get to know people, we find them a little bit harder to love. But that shouldn't lessen our hospitality and showing love to them. Notice those last couple words, without complaint. You see, showing hospitality is more than just the acts involved, but it also includes the attitude. You see, sometimes we know what we ought to do, and so we do it. Yeah, I'm going to serve you today. Rats.

28:00Because I have to do everything around here. That's kind of a disparaging giver. It's very rare to see a person who gives of themselves without any kind of disparaging thoughts. And that's what he's talking about. Hospitality involves the act, but it also involves the attitude. I want to tell you a joke. Not that I. Say a lot of jokes from the pulpit, but in this case, this is an exception. There is a string. You know a string, like you tie your shoe. He walks into a bar. However, strings do that, I don't know. But he walked into a bar, jumps up on the bar stool, and says, Bartender, give me a Dr. Pepper. That's what they drink down here. So the bartender says, Sorry, we don't serve strings here. They threw them out. So then the string goes out and kind of takes one end of him and scratches himself up against the wall, kind of takes a pair of scissors and kind of frays his head a little bit and takes a brush and kind of makes his hair all frayed out. And then he ties himself in a knot. And then he bounces back into the bar and jumps up and says, Bartender, give me a Dr. Pepper. He says, Are you a string? He says, No, I'm afraid not.

29:32Get it? Well, the circumstances of Peter's time necessitated that Christians would open up their homes and houses to strangers. And sometimes the interaction could get pretty dicey. It could kind of fray someone's nerves, right? Churches met in homes. Room and board was needed for traveling ministers. And housing. For displaced Christians was at times a very big need, and may very well be the need being addressed here in 1 Peter. They were scattered under Nero's persecution. And you can picture what's going on in Iraq right now. The tens of thousands of Christians who are being displaced.

30:23Now, what if I was to say to you, okay, look, everybody here, you all have homes. I want you to take half the rooms in your house, and I want you to take in some of these families right now. And let's take it. And where you don't have more room, make some more room. Let them share your kitchens. Let them share your restrooms. Let them share your house. Let them turn your lives upside down in ministering to them. And guess what? They're probably not going to have any money. And they may even have some different ways of thinking than you, may even some different points of theology on some things.

31:00It could be a pretty nerve-wracking thing, couldn't it? See, what Peter is saying is: love to exhaustion. Love your fellows in Christ to exhaustion. We hardly even know how to scratch the surface of that in our Western Christianity. But a hospitable person is one who. Has a genuine interest in other people and enjoys service, enjoys serving them. They have an unselfish attitude, and this is seen in the cheerful way they love to serve simply because you are in Christ.

31:49So, how should we live in the face of eternity? Well, we should think and we should love. Third, we need to serve. We should serve. In the light of the end of all things, believers should be provoked to think clearly, love fervently, and serve humbly as an expression of their love, which is an expression of their clear thinking. And there are four aspects of this serving that I want to bring to your attention. First of all, recognize that serving is a gift. Serving is a gift. Look at verse 10. As each one has received a special gift. You see, nothing is more suited to humble your service than knowing that you do not give of your own, but that which has been given freely to you. We can only give because of God's enablement. And God has uniquely enabled each of us for ministry to the body. If you are a believer, you have received a divine enablement for service, for sure. And it is for the common good, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12. And it is given wisely. God knows what He's doing. Doing when he gives it to you. And the body needs it, or he wouldn't have given it to you and given you to the body. There's a second aspect. Recognize that serving is also a stewardship. It's also a stewardship. Look at verse 10. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Look, if you were given the cure for cancer and you did nothing with it, how do you think history would remember you? It'd be pretty awful, wouldn't it?

33:34Gifts that God has given you are for a purpose, for building up, for healing. You do have the remedy for cancer. Not physical cancer, but spiritual cancer. You have been entrusted with that which gives life. How is history going to remember you if you fail to exercise that which God has entrusted to you for the benefit of others? And the idea is employ it. Put it to work. Use what God has given you in serving others. And the picture here is of a waiter waiting on tables. You know, a good waiter is what? Is attentive. A good waiter desires your best, and a good waiter serves to that end. End.

34:33But look at the verse 10. It's a stewardship as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Manifold means many-colored, many-faceted. You see, God's so awesome that a single gift to a single person cannot begin to reflect his manifold glory. I mean, look at nature. We don't live in a monochromatic world. We don't live in a black and white world. There are many colors. The flowers, the blooms, the birds, the fish, the leaves, the blossoms, everything, many colored. And that's the idea here. One commentator said it well. It's as though God dips his paintbrush into different colors or categories of gifts on his spiritual palette, and he paints each Christian a unique blend of colors. Very unique, very distinctive. So be a good steward of that gift that God has given you.

35:33The body needs it, and you need to exercise it. Likewise, you are a steward of that which God has given you. Remember that. And when he returns, he is going to settle accounts with you. How did you use that which I gave you? It's not good to give someone the cure for cancer and then they do nothing with it. You can touch lives with your unique gifts that only you can touch. Use them. Serve. There's a third aspect of serving. Recognize that serving is with God's supply. And He breaks this down into two categories of gifts: the speaking gifts and the serving gifts. First, the speaking gifts. Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God. And this will include categories such as preaching, teaching, discipleship, knowledge, words of encouragement, words of wisdom, words of discernment, words of godly counsel, all that which speech is given for the instruction and the edification of others. And the emphasis here is not so much on the particular speaking engagement, but upon the content that is to be spoken. You are to speak as one who is speaking the utterances of God, the oracles of God.

36:58So those who speak in God's name are to do so in reverent fear, in gracious sincerity, ministering God's words, not our own. God's word is to drive the form, the content, the substance, and the manner of all that is communicated. We're not dealing with our own wisdom, but His. And carelessness and hastiness is not good stewardship. And this will result in a weak church. But what's wonderful about this is that God leaves no room for human invention. We don't have to figure out what we need to say. We just need to give and communicate that which He has given. It's sufficient.

37:47We are to simply minister that which God has given for whatever occasion that may be. Second category of gifts are the serving gifts. Look at verse 11. Whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies. And this includes all the other gifts that display the manifold grace of God. God supplies the power, and we are to minister in his strength. So if you think clearly, you cannot help but serve humbly. Let us regard nothing as our own. He gives the gift, he gives the strength, and he gives you the people to minister to.

38:29And he does that so that you will render service to him by serving others. And why does he want you serving? Because he's conforming you into the image of himself. And he loves to serve. He loves to give, and there is a joy in that. And he wants you to be that way. And he is sanctifying you. And when you're perfect, you will be one who gives and serves. So, whether it's speaking or serving, God is the one who supplies. And a good steward speaks that which God has spoken and serves with the strength. But there's one purpose in mind. Look back at verse 11. So that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Fourth aspect of serving is to recognize the end of service is God's glory. So that in all things, in all things refers to all people, all gifts, all actions, whether word or deed, in all circumstances and in all situations, one goal is in view: that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To God be the glory. It doesn't belong to us. God doesn't adorn you with a gift so that we may bow down and worship you. He doesn't give us gifts so that we can become idols to others. He doesn't give you a gift so that you will steal his worship. But on the contrary, he gives you these things so that you will glorify him, so that God will be glorified through that which he has given you. That is good stewardship with what he has given you. And listen, brothers and sisters, friends, you can bury your gift in a field of engineering. You can bury your gift in many good fields. You can bury your gift in a medical field. You can bury your gift in a number of places. Be careful. Let all that you do serve the purpose of serving His body so that God will be glorified through you.

40:52And there is a time and a place for the gifts and the talents and your profession and all that, but it is to never trump and take first place. So God is glorified. Glory and dominion belong to God in Christ and belong to Christ in God. So how do we live in the face of eternity? Think, love, and serve. What is one overarching application of this? I could boil it down pretty simply. Immerse yourself in a Bible-believing church.

41:33I know there are many visitors here this morning, and I just want to give you some practical thoughts. First of all, how do you choose a church? How do you choose a church? Well, choose a church that thinks properly or is growing in its ability to think. Let's put it that way. I don't think any of us have arrived, but one that emphasizes God's word and not just in name only. I think a lot of people. Champion God's Word, but few, fewer really give it the priority in the time and adherence that it deserves. In fact, I would say expository preaching, like you've heard here this morning, and expository teaching comes out of a high view of Scripture. It does not come out of a low view of Scripture. And I would encourage you to look for a church that gives the time and attention and adherence to what God has breathed. That's a very important characteristic. And I would say, flee those churches that do not esteem God's word. In fact, I would say, be like Joseph before Potiphar's wife and flee.

42:48The end is near. And if a church doesn't think properly or isn't growing in its thought process, you can be sure that its love is going to be of an unholy kind and its service is going to be going in an unholy direction. Second thing that, or another thing that comes out of that, is choose a praying church. A church that really understands itself, who really has a view of eternity and is living in the face of eternity, will be a praying church.

43:24And I encourage you to seek out a praying church, one that frequently prays together. And I would encourage you to be part of that prayer ministry. It's very important. Second thing I want to say, choose, I want to talk to you second about loving the people in the church. Once you choose a church, develop a love for the people in the church. And the foundation for this love is in Christ. He loves them, and he wants you to do the same. And this is going to take a little bit of time commitment and a little bit of participation. You can't hardly love somebody you don't know very well. And it takes time to get to know somebody and to get plugged in. And I realize for some people, you can't be at the church every time the doors are open. But some of you could probably be more here than you are. But I say this because God has an intention and a purpose for you being in the body and being part of that fellowship. It is there where you'll develop more of a love. And if your schedule and your situation in life right now is such that you can't be in the body a whole lot or can't show up every time, I would say then look for those aspects of the church where you can fellowship and you can partner and go spend a little time with whatever sliver you can, but go in depth.

44:58Third thing. So, choose a church that thinks, and then come, and then love the people in the church, and then, third, serve the people in the church. A frequent question is asked: what is my gift? And I think sometimes the emphasis is maybe in the wrong place. I think the first question may be: what are the ministry needs of the church that I love? If you come in and you love the body, all of a sudden you start looking for the ministry needs. And I promise you, the God who has gifted you and has drawn you to a church will open avenues for you to serve in that church with the gift that He has equipped you with. But it's going to take some participation, it's going to take some time. And so, be sure that God intends the church to grow up in maturity, and He has brought you into the body so that you would exercise that gift. A perfect church doesn't need you, an imperfect church needs you because it needs your gift to build it up. So, as you, those are just some practical thoughts. They're free, and I do not assert at all that Emmanuel has arrived in all of these categories. We're trying, we're growing, and I would encourage you to be part of that journey.

46:24But Peter's message here cannot happen outside of a local church. Attach yourself to a church that thinks biblically, that loves fervently, and that serves humbly. And see, our lives are fleeting. We live in the very face of eternity. So let us not sit still. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we do thank you for Peter's exhortation. Father, we would ask that you would be exalted here in our midst. And, Father, that we would take these words to heart and really grow in our ability to live pleasing lives before you in the face of eternity. This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.