1 Peter 4:7 - The End is Near

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.”

Peter gets very practical from this verse till the end of the chapter. There are ten direct instructions that Peter rattles off in rapid succession – often called the 10 commandments of Peter. I’ll sum them up when we finish the chapter, but until then, soak up these valuable insights.

When I was growing up, my folks would leave my brother and me at the house while they went to the store, to dinner, or whatever. Before they left, they would say something like, “We’ll be back around 8:30 pm, make sure the dishes are put away and the living room is picked up before we get back.” So what would we do from 5:30 till 8:20? Absolutely nothing. But at 8:20, we started cleaning and putting things away like crazy. That worked out just fine most of the time.

But every once in a while, my parents would come home sooner than expected. When we heard the garage door open at 8:05, we would shoot off the couch like it was on fire and get as much done in the 2 minutes it took them to get into the house. We would get the “don’t wait until the last minute” lecture and then my parents would watch TV while we finished cleaning up. Good times.

We don’t know when Jesus is coming back. He could come back this very hour, or he may not come back for a thousand years. Because it’s been 2000 years since the promise, we often live as if Jesus isn’t coming back in our lifetime (or at all) instead of living accountable, obedient, and faithful lives. We feel that we can trash the house, ignore his instructions, and live like we please because there will be plenty of time to straighten up later.

Peter thought that he was living in the last days. Paul thought the same thing. They believed that Jesus was coming back at any moment – and it impacted the way they lived.

- They didn’t care about acquiring earthly wealth or influence because Jesus was coming to take them to heaven.
- They didn’t worry about what others thought of them because their righteous judge was coming to justify them.
- They lived only to do God’s work because they wanted to be found faithful when Jesus arrived.

As I typed those words, I was struck at how wonderfully simple their lives must have been. They only had one goal – glorify Christ. Because of their belief that Jesus was coming back soon, they didn’t get distracted by anything. To Peter, Paul, and the early church, their parents were coming home at any minute and they had stuff to do – they were focused, intense, and passionate.

Do those three words describe your Christian walk? There are millions of people who have never heard the name Jesus. There are millions of children who are starving or dying from curable diseases. There are countless people who are hurting and need a word of encouragement and comfort. Are you focused and passionate about meeting those needs? If you and I don’t meet those needs, who will?

As we sum up, the instructions that Peter gives us are predicated on the fact that the end is near. The only question is this: do you believe that the end is near? If so, live as Peter instructs. If not, live how you want and hope you don’t hear the garage door open sooner than you expect…

“But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” – Luke 12:39-40