Make Your Life Count | 1 Peter 4:7-11

INTRODUCTION

Do you want your life to count for something lasting and worthwhile? I think most people do want to lead an excellent life. To make the most of life, people have different approaches to life. Some say, “Life is short so make your life count by eating, drinking, and making merry.” For this cause, some do humanitarian help. Bill Gates tops the most generous philanthropists in the US. Aziz Premji is India’s biggest philanthropist. Others take the path of spirituality. Now the question is does all this make your life count?

1 Peter 4:7-11

⁷The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. ⁸Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

CPT: Apostle Peter is writing this letter to encourage the Christians in Rome facing persecution under Nero. Peter exhorts them to live their lives keeping the end in mind so that God will be glorified in all that they do. In this text, Peter explains how we can live for God.

CPS: We can make our lives count when we live for God’s purposes.

So the question is how to make your life count. I want to give you four important tips to make your time count.

1. To Make Your Life Count Be Disciplined and Prayerful

1 Peter 4:7

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.

Be alert and of sober mind. The idea here is to guard your mind. It is to be disciplined in our thought life. Everything proceeds out of the mind. As a man thinks, so he acts. We need to be disciplined in our thinking, and think God’s thoughts about us, so we guard our minds and keep our minds out of all distractions and temptations.

Colossians 3:2

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. We need to have a clear mind. Have spiritual thinking which leads to spiritual priorities.

In Mark 5 when the pig owners came to see the demon-possessed man who was delivered. See what they saw:

Mark 5:15

When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind.

The devil’s first strategy is to attack our minds. So we need to be alert and clear-minded.

ILLUSTRATION

On 29 September 2016; India announced that it conducted “surgical strikes” against militant launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, and inflicted “significant casualties”. Indian media reported the casualty figures variously from 35 to 50. By the way, this is not the first surgical strike undertaken by the Indian Army, but somebody decided to publicize it for various reasons. The strikes were conducted by the 4^th and 9^th battalions of the Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) at two different locations.

I saw a documentary of this on the History Channel. The teams had to walk into the enemy territory and wait for an opportune time to launch the attack. In one location the team was on the mountain around the terrorist camp by day and they observed the terrorist launch pads down in the plain. At night around 2 pm, they launched an attack. In the dark the terrorists were taken by surprise, not knowing which side the Indian Army, the terrorists started shooting in all directions.

Soon the Indian commander asked the Indian Army to stop fire. The terrorists thinking that the enemy had been killed, stopped firing and went back to sleep. They did not even place a guard to watch. The Indian army waited for the dawn light, got a clear picture of the target and launched a massive attack on the terrorists. Even before they realized, they were dead.

This is how the enemy works in our life. We need to be alert and keep watch over our minds.

Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. In summary, we need to guard our mind and fill it with God’s thoughts. That is why God told Joshua in

Joshua 1:8

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

We must bring our minds captive to the word of God. The word of God keeps our minds alert and clear. Holiness flows out of a clear mind. Only if we can have a clear mind and are holy can we pray effectively.

1 Peter 4:7

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Prayer in the Greek text is given as plural, it indicates a repeated pattern of life. Our prayer can be a formal time of prayer as well as unending communion with God. Prayer is the heart of our Christian life. Prayer is the heart of our power.

Peter’s life itself is a good illustration of a man who experienced a less-than-acceptable prayer life. In Matthew 26 on the night Jesus was betrayed, they were in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus told Peter and the other disciples to keep watch. Again finding him asleep, Jesus asked:

Matthew 26:40-41

⁴⁰Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Now, Peter recognizes the need to pray.

APPLICATION

How is our life friends? How is our thought life? Is it pure? Decide to set aside time to read the Bible, and set aside time to pray every day. Don’t neglect the gatherings of the church. Most of us struggle in prayer. We Christians pray because we want Jesus. When I don’t pray what I am telling is, “Jesus, I don’t need you. I can handle my life myself.” Then when a problem comes we run to god for prayer.

So Peter says Christian living is summed up in being alert and keeping our mind clear so that produces a holy thinking and lifestyle which enables us to have communion with God in prayer.

2. To Make Your Life Count Cultivate Love

1 Peter 4:8

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

After you have strengthened your relationship with the Lord, then your first concern should be to turn to those around and love one another. This is loving your neighbour as yourself.

Peter has been continuously speaking of love:

1 Peter 1:22

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.

1 Peter 3:8

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.

Peter is talking about sacrificial love for one another.

How do we love one another from the heart? We love by crossing the barriers of human emotion. That is to say, loving the unlovable. Love your enemies. Love those who have not treated you kindly. We are to love when it doesn’t seem rational, doesn’t seem reasonable. Love to the point of sacrifice that it costs you something, maybe costs you everything. The kind of love that requires all your spiritual muscle.

This kind of love is described in

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸Love never fails.

And why should we love each other this way?

1 Peter 4:8

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. To put it simply, love forgives, and forgives, and forgives, and forgives. And if we don’t have that in the church and at home, we’re in real trouble.

Once when Peter was with Jesus, he thought he had come to a point of spiritual maturity. He asked:

Matthew 18:21-22

²¹Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” ²²Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

The Talmud says three times, Jesus said 7 X 70 times. Peter has come a long way in his Christian life now. Now he is not telling a figure but says love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins. By the way, Peter took this out from

Proverbs 10:12

Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.

Do you know that we are the recipients of this love? When we came to Christ, God’s love covered all our sins. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Friends, this should be the heart of the church and at our homes.

ILLUSTRATION

Graham Staines and his two sons, Timothy and Phillip, were burned alive in Manoharpur village of Orissa in the early morning of Jan 23, 1999. A mob blocked the doors of their van where they were sleeping, poured petrol on the vehicle, and shouted political slogans. The mob surrounded them from all sides and never let them come out of the vehicle. Graham Staines and his two sons were burned alive. Charred beyond recognition and reduced to fragile frames of ashes, the three bodies lay clinging to each other in what must have been a vain attempt by Staines to protect his children from the mob and fire. Even in death, they were inseparable. Reportedly the murderers were led by a political activist Dara Singh.

The next day his wife Gladys Staines stated that they were determined to continue his work. She announced her forgiveness to those who had murdered her family. Gladys sang the song “Because He Lives” at the funeral of her husband and two sons.

Eight months later: Bhubaneswar, Sept 22, 1999. The Designated CBI Judge, Mahendra Nath Patnaik, handed out the death sentence to Dara Singh and sentenced 12 others to life imprisonment for killing Graham Staines and his two sons. Gladys Staines, “I have forgiven the killers and have no bitterness because forgiveness brings healing and our land needs healing from hatred and violence.”

Because of these events, Christ has been proclaimed on the front pages of the newspapers and TV channels in India and across the world. The statement of Gladys Strains had such a powerful impact that the whole world was stunned by the Christian love of this forgiving widow.

Yes, there is such a great power released from you when you decide to forgive others.

Peter goes one step further in this matter of love.

1 Peter 4:9

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. This is to love strangers. Be hospitable to guests. Peter has in mind the opening of our hearts and our homes for those in need.

So how then to make life count?

Firstly, pursue holiness with God. Secondly, to pursue love with others.

3. Make Your Life Count By Serving Others

1 Peter 4:10

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

Listen, we are to maintain a holy relationship with God, that will enable us to love others which in turn makes us serve others.

What are we to serve others with? Spiritual Gifts.

1 Peter 4:10

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

How are we to serve?

1 Peter 4:10

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. We are to wait on people like a restaurant waiter.

a. Everybody has spiritual gifts.

Remember each one of us have received special gifts from God. You and I have at least one gift to serve others. We are responsible for faithfully using whatever gifts God has given them to serve others.

b. Who is the source of spiritual gifts?

1 Peter 4:10

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. The gift you have received. So the spiritual gift is not your own, you have received it.

Ephesians 4:7

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. Grace also means gift. Christ is the source of our gift.

1 Corinthians 12:14

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.

The Bible mentions in Romans 12:4-8, and 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 about different kinds of spiritual gifts. These gifts can be divided into two broad categories: Verbal gifts: Teaching, preaching, prophesying, and encouraging. Practical gifts: Serving, administering and giving. Both types of gifts are needed in every church.

So what is a spiritual gift? A spiritual gift is a God-given capacity, through which the Holy Spirit supernaturally uses us to minister to the body of Christ or the church. We make the most of our life in serving others with our spiritual gifts.

Listen, we are given a spiritual gift and we are obligated to use it to serve others in the church.

What is the purpose of using our spiritual gifts? 1 Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

We use our spiritual gifts so that the name of God be praised and glorified.

4. Make Your Life Count By Evangelizing Others

If you want to make your life count, you need to be involved in evangelism.

1 Peter 4:7

The end of all things is near.

I remember 2 Sundays ago I spoke a sermon ‘Make your time count.’ Every man has a timeline from birth to death. The best thing we can do during this time is to know God. Someone shared the gospel to us. Once we know God, we are to use the remainder of our time well. How? Make the most of your life by loving God (disciplined and prayerful), loving others (forgiving and showing hospitality), serving others (using spiritual gifts) and evangelizing.

A true believer participates in the Great Commission.

Do you share your faith? Do you tell personal experiences to others? If you have to be involved in the mission of God, you will have to move out of your comfort zone. You will have to take the initiative. Take a genuine interest in people. We meet 100’s of people every day. Christians have over time isolated themselves from nonbelievers. No, we need to cultivate good relationships with outsiders.

Why do you do evangelism?

1. It is commanded by Jesus. Great Commission. It is not an option, it is a command.
2. It is the greatest thing I can do for somebody. The greatest thing you can do for anyone is to share about a living God.

ILLUSTRATION

If I know the cure for cancer and if I don’t give to a patient dying with cancer, I am selfish. We have a living God. We have experienced forgiveness of sins and have been reconciled with God. I am selfish if I do not share the gospel with others.

Now, I am not saying that all will get saved. But we are to share. Some people are at different levels of spirituality. Some are minus two and maybe after meeting with you there is a little change and come to minus one. After some time they meet another person and they accept Christ. Receiving Christ is a process. So, you do your part. A shift happens after they meet you. Are you involved in that? If you are involved in that you are fulfilling the Great Commission. You are making your life count when you share the gospel because this is the commandment Jesus gave to his disciples.

Initiate a conversation with people. Ask good questions to people. There is no standard for evangelism. Love people genuinely, and ask God what to say to that person.

Do you know that the maximum number of unreached people groups in the world are in India? We can do evangelism best in our country. India is ripe for the gospel proving we share Christ.

ILLUSTRATION

Do you know that Christianity is an ancient Indian religion? Christianity came to India in 52 AD when Apostle Thomas came to India. Do you know why Christianity did not move from South India to North India? When the gospel came to Kerala, it was the merchants and the business class that received the gospel. These merchants trade as middlemen from Indian farmers and foreign nations. Thomas shared the gospel with them and they received the gospel. However, after Thomas this community did not want to share the gospel as they did not want anyone to touch their income, status in the society, and lifestyle. They kept the gospel to themselves.

On the other hand, William Carey came to India in 1798 and his first Indian believer, Krishna Pal was baptized in 1800 in the river Ganges in Calcutta. Krishna Pal went to NE India with the gospel. Today we have 88% Christians in Nagaland and 70% of NE India are Christians. What is the difference? The NE Indians started sharing the gospel from village to village, home to home, and person to person.

Think about all the people that you come across, you may never meet them in 2-5 years. You share the good news of Jesus, you bring one soul to Christ, and you make the most out of your life. This is your window of opportunity to make the most out of your life.

CONCLUSION

CPS: We can make our lives count when we live for God’s purposes.

If the Roman believers could make their lives count in severe persecution, we all can make the best use of our lives if we take these four important things seriously.

Decide to read the Bible every day. Don’t miss your prayer time. Decide to love people. Who is it that you need to forgive? Decide to serve others by serving your spiritual gifts. God has given you at least one gift. What is your gift? God will hold you accountable. Decide where is that you want to serve that gift. If you want to commit to serving at church, kindly contact reception and give your names. I will personally call and get in touch with you.

Be involved in evangelism. Decide to make good friends with nonbelievers. Let them first see your life. Let them see Christ in you. Genuinely love them and slowly share your experiences with the Lord.

I tell you do this, you are on your way to make the most out of your life.

Extra Material on Time

I remember mentioning three types of time in my sermon

a. A Believer’s timeline is limited

A believer’s time is limited. We have already wasted a lot of time in sin, without knowing Christ. This is what Peter says in

1 Peter 4:3

For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. We are to use the remainder of our time well. How? Be disciplined and prayerful. Therefore a believer must use his or her time well in loving God (discipline and prayer), loving and forgiving people, serving others and evangelizing.

b. A Nonbeliever’s timeline is limited

The time of people who reject the gospel is limited.

Peter talks about our friends in the world who do not respond to the gospel and spend their life in wild living.

1 Peter 4:4-5

⁴They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. ⁵But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

Some people are resistant to the gospel. The people who are resistant to the gospel have a very limited time to come to Jesus. Either by the way of their death or the coming of Jesus, their time is limited. Both the dead and the living will have to give an account of how one responded to the gospel.

If anyone listening to me has not seriously considered your relationship to Jesus Christ, this is your suitable time. If you have not received Jesus into your life, if you have not taken water baptism to be a disciple of Christ, God is welcoming you this morning. Remember, you have a very limited time. You will have to give an account to Jesus.

c. The time of the Church is limited

1 Peter 4:7

The end of all thins is near.

It’s not just the end of something; it is the consummation of all things is at hand. The coming of Christ is imminent; it can happen at any time. The church age is going to end. Peter is reminding them that they are to live in anticipation of the nearness of the return of Jesus Christ.

When is Jesus going to come?

Acts 1:7

It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. God hasn’t chosen to tell us when Jesus will come. God has kept it a secret but Jesus will come.

Matthew 24:36

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. So, Peter is saying to his readers, “An exemplary Christian will use his/her time well.