Conduct Befitting the End of All Things

Transcript

GRM 874
9/14/2003
Conduct Befitting the End of all Things
1 Peter 4:7-11
Gil Rugh

I want to direct your attention to I Peter chapter 4. We’re talking in our study this morning as we began I Timothy about the household of God, which is the church, pillar and support of the truth. In I Peter 4 he develops some of these concepts related to the fact we are the household of God, and our responsibility to one another and how we are to function together. I thought it would be a good supplement, if you will, to our consideration of some of the matters in I Timothy chapter 3 verse 15. We’re going to pick up with verse 7 and here we’re reminded that our functioning, how we conduct our lives, is shaped by our view of the future, as those who do anticipate the coming of the Lord. We have that as the delight of our hearts because we look forward. We are interested in future events that take place on this earth, but we are anticipating with eagerness the return of Jesus Christ. That’s what Peter emphasizes to shape what he has to say about our relationships to one another and our service of the living God.

In verse 7 he says, “the end of all things is near.” Therefore, here’s what you are to do. You know if you do not have a future hope, as Paul said in I Corinthians chapter 15, “if the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” There is nothing else. Go for the gusto, get all you can. Because whatever you get today is everything you’re going to get, as far as good is concerned. But for us as believers our lives are shaped by the fact the end of all things is near. We are to conduct our lives accordingly. That doesn’t mean it’s a guarantee it will happen very shortly, obviously Peter wrote this almost 2000 years ago and it hasn’t happened yet. But it can happen at any time. There is an imminence about the climax of God’s plan. We don’t know when that will be brought to conclusion with the return of Christ for the church, which will begin the unfolding of the events that will climax with His return to earth to establish His kingdom. One writer said it’s like we’re running on a parallel track and at any time He moves over, and the program is brought to completion in this phase. So, the end of all things is near, and to be a people living as God would have us live we must live with that anticipation. Do I really live like I believe the end of all things is near. Doesn’t mean I don’t plan somewhat for the future, even have a general idea for longer term perhaps. But the focus of my life and what shapes the way I live is I believe the end of all things is near.

“Therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.” He gives two commands, then he gives a series of participles. In English our participles usually have “ing” on them, it helps us recognize what a participle is. Words that have “ing” on the end are often participles. Here you have two commands given. Be of sound judgment, be sober, and then you have a series of participles that help elaborate what it means to live with this kind of focus.

Be of sound judgment, think clearly, keep your head. We talk about being levelheaded, a person who has a clear mind, who has both feet on the ground. It is given as a command. The end of all things is near so be of sound judgment. Think clearly. Know what happens if you don’t put this together? The end of all things is not near, I don’t live like that. Well then how can I have sound judgment? What do I do? I begin to be concerned and worried about the tomorrows of my life. I begin to have fears and doubts, I begin to reshape my life along a different pattern. But the end of all things is near, so think clearly, be of sound judgment, be sober. That word could be used literally, don’t be drunk. But it is used figuratively because it is the opposite of being intoxicated. To be alert and ready, mentally focused. Both the commands to be of sound judgment, to be sober convey the same kind of ideas. Christians of all people are to be those who think clearly, have their wits about them, they’re levelheaded. You don’t find them wringing their hands in despair with a sense of hopelessness and aimlessness. Why? They think clearly. The end of all things is at hand; and you want me to worry about certain things? My life is shaped by those facts.

Be of sound judgment and sober for the purpose of prayer, a life focused in my relationship to the Lord. You know what happens when our prayer life, if we’re not clear headed, thinking properly? It becomes muddled. It helps to anchor my life. I keep my wits about me, and I walk in communion with God. What else do I need? I focus my life on Him, talking to the one who has all things under control, the one who works all things according to the counsel of His own will. So, the levelheaded, clear-thinking person knowing the end of all things is at hand, I concentrate on talking to my heavenly Father; and then out of that comes the rest of my activity. Above all, and note what happens here, my personal responsibility, living in light of the imminent coming of the Lord, and keeping a level, clear head so that I have an effective prayer life. Now of prime importance in this. What we’re going to do in verses 8-11 is talk about our personal relationships, involvement in one another’s lives as God’s people, the one another’s in verse 8, verse 9, verse10. Each of these verses he talks about one another. Verse 8, “keep fervent in your love for one another.” Verse 9, “be hospitable to one another.” Verse 10, “we are to use our gifts to serve one another.” So how we live together in a proper relationship as God’s people, remember God’s family, God’s household is flowing out of this. It is of utmost importance in our relationship with one another that we keep fervent in our love, keep fervent in your love for one another. That word fervent means an intensity, pictures muscles that are strained and stretched out. We see the pictures of athletes and you see the muscles in their arms or legs and there’s an intensity about it. That should characterize our love, there is an intensity about our love for one another. We have a responsibility to maintain that intensity of love. You’ll note, Peter under the direction of the Spirit says this is of prime importance. The end of all things is near. Think clearly, have a purposeful prayer life. Of prime importance is maintaining the intensity of your love for one another.

I Corinthians chapter 13 verse 8 says “love never fails.” Back in I Peter chapter 1 verse 22 Peter says, “since you have in obedience to the truth purified your soul for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.” It was God’s intention in saving us and purifying us from our sin and our own selfish, self-centered, self-serving life so that we might love one another. You have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren. God’s intention in His salvation was that we would come into a relationship of love, not only with Him but with one another as the redeemed of God.

Back in chapter 4 of I Peter. He gives a reason. “Because love covers a multitude of sins, love covers a multitude of sins.” Proverbs chapter 10 verse 12 says, “hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.” I Corinthians chapter 13 verse 5 says, “love does not take into account a wrong suffered.” That’s the idea here. We’re not talking about covering up sin, in the sense that we sometimes speak of it. We’re talking about when I love someone, I overlook the wrongs they might do to me, transgressions that might take place against me. What happens when we don’t love a person? We are quickly offended; we quickly take offense at what people might say or do. But when you are in a relationship of love you are willing to overlook those things. In fact, when you’re in a relationship of love you’re happy to be able to overlook those things, are you not? Peter says it is absolutely essential. You know what will happen if we’re not functioning in a relationship of love as God’s people? We’re going to end up in conflict with one another. Not only conflict, pretty soon we’ll be at war with one another. Love covers a multitude of sins. That’s why the church as the family of God, a family that is to be characterized by love, because “by this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another,” ought to be a place that’s devoid and absent of strife and conflict and personal animosities. Isn’t it sad testimony, we often think of churches, and we think of what? Division, splits, conflicts. Why? Because we haven’t heeded the instructions of the Word of God. The end of all things is near. Think clearly, be sober for the purpose of prayer. Of prime importance is, keep the intensity of your love up. Because love covers a multitude of sins. You won’t be able to function together as you should if your love does not maintain its intensity. We’re not just talking about the feelings of love; we’re talking about the actions of love.

We always use the relationship of our families because it’s something we all identify with. It happens. People get married and they overlook all the faults. Don’t you wonder how some people come to want to marry some people? You know why? I don’t love them. All I can see is their faults. Why don’t they open their eyes? Why would they marry her? Why would they want to marry her? Why would they want to marry him? I mean, what’s going on in their mind? You know what? They’re in love, and love overlooks the faults. All of us who are married fell into the thing. You think Marilyn married me with her eyes open? What happens? You’re in love, you overlook the faults. What happens after you’re married for a while? Why do marriages disintegrate? People come in; they want to talk. Our marriage is not going well. Why? You know what they do? You know what they’ve done? You know how… I say wait a minute, what happened here? When they got married, they didn’t think that the other person had any faults, and if they knew the faults they didn’t want to hear them. Some of you are parents and have had kids get married. You try to tell them about the faults, maybe, of the person they’re going to marry. They don’t want to hear it, and often they know those faults are there, but that’s all right. I can live with them. They don’t make any difference to me. Why? I love them, I’m willing to overlook it. Over time, if we don’t keep up the intensity of our love, pretty soon we find ourselves occupied with the faults.

So it is in the church. People get saved, they come into the body, they’re excited, I mean they think they’ve come to heaven. They don’t see any problems. All they can see is I’m growing in the Lord, I’m learning, people are loving. What happens over time, often? Pretty soon there are things they don’t like about these people; they’re not as loving as I thought. This happens and that happens. You know what the real problem really is? It never was a perfect church; they never were perfect people. Just like the person you married had those problems. They never were a perfect person. You know where the breakdown comes from? Of not maintaining the intensity of my love. So now I’m not covering those transgressions, those faults, those sins. Now they grate on me, now I can’t stand it, now I don’t think I can put up with it any longer. So important here. Back up and say wait a minute. The end of all things is near. If the Lord is coming tomorrow, do I really want to occupy my life with this issue? Is this really so important? Is this really the major thing? If the Lord’s coming tomorrow, I’m not worried about it. It’s not an issue.

It goes back to keeping my head clear on this, keeping my focus on the Lord as I talk with Him in prayer. Now of prime importance in our personal relationships, to keep up the intensity of my love. We all battle with it, but one of the things that helped me is stop and think. Stop and think about all the good things about that person I can—how they have contributed to the life and ministry of our church, or my development personally; and you start to focus on those things, things get put into perspective. I start to focus on the problems, then I’m thinking about myself, not about them. You know this is required of us as believers. We have been forgiven much, and we are to be forgiving others as well. Matthew chapter 18 Jesus talked about this matter of forgiveness. Peter was concerned about forgiving his brother, you know, what’s the limit. It’s like we talked about with freedom. We get our focus wrong; we’re concerned about freedom in the wrong sense and how close to the edge I can get. When my focus is turned wrong, if I’m really in love… You know when you love your children your prime thinking is how many times am I going to forgive them for their failures. You’re not keeping track. Why? Because you’re going to forgive them every time, no matter how many times it takes. Right? You don’t tell your 4-year-old, do you know how many times I’ve had to forgive you, overlook your failures, and your faults? Let me tell you. You have four more times and you’re out of the family. That will be it. Families just don’t function that way. Well, this is God’s family, so we don’t function that way.

In Matthew chapter 18 verses 21-22 Peter came to Him and said “Lord how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Seven times? Jesus said I don’t say seven times, but 70 times seven.” Seventy times seven, seven times seven, 49, 0 brings 490. I’m going to have to get a bigger book with more paper in it. The point is, the limits aren’t the issue here, Peter. Then He goes on to say you’ve been forgiven. In Ephesians 4:32, “as we’ve been forgiven in Christ, so we forgive one another.” He’s talking about the same thing, the covering of transgressions. One person wrote this, only when Christians become mean and ugly do they favor the devil, by dragging each other’s failings out into the public and smiting each other in the face. That doesn’t mean there aren’t times when we have to deal with sin in a public way in the body. There is such a thing as discipline, Matthew 18. The first part of Matthew 18 dealt with the matter of responsibility of church discipline. That doesn’t change the fact that the general pattern of our life is, we overlook the faults, the failures, the sins. And we don’t take them personally. There’s no room for division. Why? Because I’m not offended. Now that’s contrary to the world because it becomes the inalienable right of every American not to be offended. We as Christians begin to think that way. Christians are just the opposite, because we are not self-focused on what you’ve done to me. But we’re other- focused on what we can do for others.

Back in I Peter chapter 4 verse 9, “be hospitable to one another without complaint.” Hospitable. In Biblical times this would have involved general hospitality like we’re familiar with. Sometimes it would have involved the providing of lodging and food for traveling workers and teachers, like Paul and those who ministered with him. They traveled from place to place in Biblical times, they didn’t have hotels and motels like we do. They went and stayed in personal homes, people would put them up, have them come into their home, do what was necessary. Be willing to use their homes as meeting places for the church and the fellowship of believers. Read about the church that meets in so-and-so’s house, the church that meets in so-and-so’s house. In general hospitality which involved the willingness to be put out for the good of someone else. These kinds of things go on today, we have people who have Bible studies in their homes. They open their home, they go to the trouble and the bother of being inconvenienced that way and count it a blessing, as they demonstrate that hospitality; and in other ways that willingness to be used in other people’s lives. You see where we’ve gone here, following through on the love, being hospitable to one another. How can I help them, what can I do for you? Not what can you do for me, what can I do for you, is the idea of being hospitable to one another.

Without complaint. Dounusman. One of those words by its sound gives you the idea. There is an inconvenience, cost involved in hospitality. You do it without complaining. In Philippians chapter 2 verse 14 Paul said as believers we are to do all things without grumbling or disputing. Well, it’s imposing on me, well you know it’s an inconvenience for me. But you see what I’m talking about when I say that? It’s inconvenient for me, it’s an added burden for me. But you know I feel responsible to do it, I’m a Christian so I do it, but I grumble and complain about it. You know sometimes it happens in churches; it happens in other relationships. Difficulties come up, people will bring things up and you find out something happened to them, and they’ve been stewing about it for some time. They’ve been unhappy about it. Sometimes something will come up and say something to someone and say oh no that wasn’t a sudden thing. They’ve been unhappy about that for a long time. We do all things without grumbling, complaining, disputing. That’s just not the way we do it. We don’t do it, but we’re unhappy about doing it because we do all things as unto the Lord, and how can I be complaining to the Lord about what I do for Him? Isn’t it an honor to serve Him? So that grumbling, and we easily slide into it because the world does it. I mean what if you don’t like it, you complain because you should have a world that is the way you want it to be. We as believers aren’t functioning with that selfish focus. Easily moves, as you’re talking about how we relate to one another in love, in hospitality, in caring for one another, to our matter of service. God has gifted us so as His family we function together in a way that is effective in honoring Him.

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.” We’re talking about serving one another, loving one another, being hospitable to one another, serving one another. You see we are part of one another’s lives; we are the household of God. Here is how God wants us to function as His family. Keep your head clear, you know the end of all things is at hand. Keep your communication open to me, remember He is the head of the family. Keep your love intense for one another, be hospitable to one another, take care of one another, and serve one another. These are good principles, aren’t they? Even for your own family, our physical family. We say yeah, keep our love intense for one another, take care of one another as we should, serve one another. What happens when your kids have a conflict with one another? Selfishness is usually the problem, isn’t it? One of them has what the other wants, or something like that. You say wait a minute; you shan’t be selfish here. What do you think God should expect in His family and that’s what we’re talking about.

Verse 10, “As each one has received a special gift,” each one… There are a series of passages that talk about spiritual gifts, this is one of them, it’s not the most elaborate. Romans chapter 12 talks about spiritual gifts, in I Corinthians chapter 12 and really 13 and 14 as well, as the most extensive discussion of spiritual gifts, as you’re aware. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 7 talks about some of the gifts. Romans chapter 12, I Corinthians chapter 12 emphasize the fact repeatedly each individual Christian has been gifted. There is no such thing as an ungifted Christian. A Christian, one who has come to believe in Jesus Christ and been saved by God’s grace has also been given a gift by God to enable him to function as God intends as part of His family. The analogy used in I Corinthians is that of our physical body, and the body has a variety of parts—hands, ears, legs and on and on it goes. Each part contributes something to the overall functioning of the unity, harmony, development and so on of the body. So, you have the emphasis here as each one, each individual has received a special gift, a charisma. We have the word special in the Bible I’m using, and you’ll note that word special is in italics. The translators put it there, so you get the idea the word gift here is talking about a special gift. The Greek word for grace is charis, charisma. You can see you just put “ma”, if I can put it in English here. Charisma and so you have the gift of grace, a grace gift. A gift is basically something of grace, right? You give somebody a gift, it’s something they didn’t earn or work for or deserve. It’s payment if they earned it. But here this is a gift. It comes from God’s grace, something freely, graciously given. What the Bible emphasizes there’s no room for pride here. Romans chapter 12 speaks of this fact. We’ve been given these gifts by God’s grace, so what do I have to boast about? Oh, I have a more important gift than so-and-so, oh my gift is… You didn’t earn it anyway; God graciously gave it to you. It’s not like you were better or more important or whatever to give this. They are grace gifts. Each one is received, and you’ll note he’s writing to believers. This is an accomplished fact; each one has received a gift. Even if I don’t know a person, if they’re a believer in Jesus Christ I can say for sure you have a gift graciously given you by God to enable you to serve Him and others. Peter doesn’t go into the detail Paul did, but the summary he has basically includes the same basic material Paul would have. Paul fills in the details, if you will. Again, the list of gifts you can find in the passages I mentioned-- Romans 12, I Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4. The Bible is not intent on being sure that every singly gift is laid out. But from the gifts that are mentioned, God has provided that His family would function as He wants it. Basically, a spiritual gift as I would understand it is a special ability given by God to function as a part of His family or part of the body of Christ. Saying the same thing. It’s a manifestation of the Spirit’s presence in a life. “’To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good,” I Corinthians 12:7 says. To each one, each individual believer, is given the manifestation of the Spirit. You read that in the context he’s talking about spiritual gifts. That gift is a manifestation of the presence of the Spirit of God in your life, and it is for the common good.

If you have the Holy Spirit, and you do if you’re a believer because “if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him,” according to Romans 8. Then you also are specially gifted by the Spirit because that gift is a manifestation of the Spirit’s presence. One of the indications that the Spirit of God dwells in your life. Now why is it given? To help my self-esteem, to give me a sense of confidence. Well, you know that’s not the purpose, the purpose is for the common good as I Corinthians chapter 12 says, or as Peter says in I Peter chapter 4 verse 10, “as each one has received a special gift employ it in serving one another.” The gifts are given, not for personal benefit, not even for my personal development primarily, but to enable me to serve others in the family of God, in the body of Christ. Gifts are given for the common good, the serving of others, for the benefit of others.

So, this causes talking about, keep intense in your love for one another. Love is what? Doing what is best for the other person. In fact, God has specially gifted you for serving others, so keeping your love intense is important. It’s part of God’s plan for my life as His child. I’m to be serving others; as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. We talked about God’s house or household. This is another form of the word house or household. This is a compound word. Two words, the word oikos is the Greek word for house. The word nomos is the word for law. These are just those two words put together, house law. We have it as steward. A steward in Biblical times was someone who had the responsibility for the administration of a household. In other words, they do this perhaps in other countries where they still have people who come and serve, not as slaves but more as servants because the cost is such sometimes missionaries have servants to come and help do the details of their household. Some parts of the world that is feasible because of cost. Biblical times, I had a household, I might have several servants or slaves in my house, I would have a household steward and he was responsible under my authority for the affairs of my household. We have house law here, the one who has the administrative responsibility for the house or the household.

Now we are entrusted with the responsibility. God has given us a gift so that we could serve others. I am employing His gift in serving others so that I could be a good steward of what God has entrusted to me. You see the primary issue here is not me, it’s not you, but it is the responsibility given to me by God. It is an issue for me that I must, I’m accountable to God for my stewardship. We won’t take the time to go there, but in Luke chapter 12 verses 41-48, Jesus told of account that pictured this responsibility we have as stewards before God, and the accountability that will be given, and this is a serious, serious matter. I will give an account for how I have used the gift that God has given to me. That’s not just because I’m a pastor. Every single believer will give an account to God for their stewardship of the gift that God has given them. That’s what it says, isn’t it? “Employ your gift in serving one another as good stewards”. Well, if I’m going to be a good steward what will it mean? I used my gift to serve others. God’s grace was not bestowed upon me in this area to no effect. I used it to serve others. The gifts don’t belong to me, per se, they are entrusted to me as a responsibility. Paul said he was a steward, entrusted by God with a responsibility, I Corinthians chapter 4 verses 1-2. You know what he said? The prime requirement in a steward is that a man be found faithful. He says a stewardship is entrusted to me. I have to do it, I have to do it when I feel like it, I have to do it when I don’t feel like it. I have to do it when I want to do it, and I have to do it when I don’t want to do it. Just like we tell our children. They get up and say I don’t want to go to school today. Well get your breakfast done, you’re going to school. But I don’t feel like going to school. Hurry up, you’ll be late. Doesn’t matter how you feel, doesn’t matter how you want. This is a responsibility you have that you must do. So, we say well I don’t feel like it. You know the Word of God clears things up for us so beautifully. I don’t have to fuss over that. I don’t feel like it. Oh, okay. Well then you have to do it not feeling like it. I don’t want to. Okay. Now I have to do it not wanting to. Get on with it. I don’t have to sit down and say I don’t feel like it, should I? I don’t want to, should I? Well, a stewardship has been entrusted to me by Almighty God. Think about this. Little, insignificant you, little, nobody me… the Almighty God who created all things, took a gift of His grace and bestowed it upon us. Now you are a steward of responsibility in my family. You will be accountable to me and give an account to me. What an awesome privilege as well as awesome responsibility. I have a stewardship. How will I know how I’m doing? Employed in serving others. He gives us the guidelines.

We are stewards of the manifold grace of God. What more? We sing of God’s grace, we talk of God’s grace, we teach and preach about God’s grace. You know what? Every single one of us has experienced God’s grace in salvation if we’ve believed in Christ. But you know there’s a special portion of God’s grace that has been entrusted to each person. We are stewards of the manifold grace, the multifaceted grace of God, the multicolored, multidimensional grace of God. All the variations that take place in God’s grace manifested in the variety of gifts. Even within the same gifts there is variety and diversity. I’m responsible for what God has entrusted to me, for the gift I have. I may not be the preacher that someone else is, I may not be able to communicate with the same effectiveness that someone else does. But I’m not responsible for exercising their gift. I am responsible to be a steward of the grace that’s been entrusted to me, that multifaceted grace and that grace that He has given to me. I’m not someone else. I can’t compare myself to someone else. Because I think I’m doing better than someone else doesn’t mean I’m a more faithful steward. They are responsible with the stewardship entrusted to them. I may stand before the Lord and say Lord I did better than they did. He’ll say what? The grace I bestowed upon you is different than I bestowed upon them, much more is expected of you in being faithful, in serving with what you have. I can’t compare myself; I don’t know. All I know is there is a responsibility upon me, and I must be faithful with the manifold grace of God as it has been bestowed in my life. What an honor. Think about it. I mean the God that we love and serve, His greatness is beyond what we can comprehend, and He has bestowed His multifaceted grace upon me. You have that grace in your life. God forbid that we would fritter it away. That’s the danger of wood, hay and stubble. You know wood, hay and stubble aren’t in themselves bad things, in that sense, they’re just worthless things. What a tragedy that a steward of that which is most precious, the multifaceted grace of God, would waste it. Like the steward in Christ’s account who went and buried it. He didn’t steal it; he didn’t spend it on worthless things. He did nothing with it. The master was greatly offended, and the punishment is severe. We think oh we’re all right, I didn’t do anything bad, didn’t do anything harmful. I’m just not doing anything. You think God gave His multifaceted grace so we would do nothing? So, I would park it? I think I’m doing okay; I didn’t do anything bad, and I’m not doing anything bad. Above all it is required of a steward that a man be found faithful. Better not bury it, let it sit idle. The multifaceted grace was given to me so that I might serve others.

Then he gives examples. All our gifts are for serving and now in verse 11 he gives two broad categories, speaking gifts and serving gifts, if you will. We’ll just mention it, but we won’t go into detail. “Whoever speaks he is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God.” We talk about this as the church. Some of the speaking gifts are mentioned in Ephesians chapter 4. Some of them are mentioned in I Corinthians chapter 12 also, but Ephesians chapter 4—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, gifts of exhortation. I Corinthians 12 and so on, other gifts like that would be speaking gifts. If you have a gift that involves verbal communication it’s so that you can communicate the truth of God, the utterances of God. What accountability we as preachers and teachers will have. While we’ve entertained people, we’ve told great stories, when God says I gave you a gift of speaking, you’d better speak my utterances. So, if I’m going to give an account, I don’t want to know I was the best storyteller in town, I don’t want to know people liked to hear what I talked about. You know what the measure will be? Did I speak the utterances of God? Did I convey to you what God said? Speaking gifts weren’t to be entertaining gifts, speaking gifts didn’t mean you had a gift of gab. Oh boy they can really talk, they ought to be teachers. Not necessarily, but if you have a speaking gift, you’d better speak the Word of God, you’d better speak the truth of God. That’s what’s involved in serving others. How do I serve you? By speaking to you and teaching you the utterances of God. It’s my responsibility to my stewardship. If I feel like doing something else, it doesn’t matter. I have a stewardship. I didn’t feel like teaching the Word of God today, so I thought I’d tell you about a book I read. Had nothing particularly to do with the Word of God, but I thought you’d enjoy a diversity. What kind of steward is that? I didn’t feel like doing what the master entrusted me to do today. I’ll so just what I felt like doing and I think you’ll like it. You might like it and I might enjoy it, but it’s required of a steward that he be found faithful; and those getting speaking gifts are to speak the utterances of God.

Whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies. Serving gifts would be as Peter breaks it down, all the gifts that aren’t the speaking gifts. Now the speaking gifts are to be used in serving others but then we have the broad category. There are gifts that involve the verbal communication of the Word of God and then there are the gifts that involve all the other things that go on that are listed in the gifts, for example, in I Corinthians chapter 12. You do that, whoever serves as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies. You know one of the old preachers wrote, there is no work so hard as the work of the Lord done in the energy of the flesh. Sometimes we run out of gas and strength. You know why? We’re trying to do God’s work in our strength, and doing God’s work in our strength is tiresome. Paul spoke about laboring and toiling, talked about being exhausted in the work of the Lord. Doesn’t mean if you’re tired in the work of the Lord and you’re weary, and your strength is gone you’re not doing it in His strength. The work of the Lord is tiring. But you need to be careful that we don’t try to do the Lord’s work in our strength because you know what happens? Nothing. It is discouraging, and we do lose heart. Even though we’re tired we don’t lose heart, we don’t grow weary in well doing when we’re doing it by the grace of God and in the strength that God gave you.

What your serving gift is you say look I’ve been doing this, I’ve been contributing in this area of the ministry and I don’t know that I get any recognition, whether anybody appreciates it or not. Then remind yourself. Well, I do it by the strength which God supplies, and I do it so that in all things God may be glorified through Christ Jesus, to whom belongs the glory. I’m not doing it for glory to me. The steward didn’t serve so he could get the glory, the steward served for the glory of the master. But there will be glory for faithful service. Maybe not from men, maybe it is unrecognized. I’m well aware that many people serve faithfully in this body that don’t get recognized. I’m sometimes surprised I didn’t know they were doing that. I say no wonder the ministry is accomplishing what it does when there are people like that. I get so much of the glory and the credit; the Lord knows what He is doing. Few people get the recognition I get for the exercising of their gifts and their service, but the Lord knows. He will mete out the rewards, the gifts. People serving, people wouldn’t know who they are. Gil Rugh, yeah, I know who he is. Those …………I don’t know who they are. The Lord knows they are serving faithfully, their service was given them is of ministry to the body that is enabling it to bring glory to Him and so their gift is glorifying Him, and we can’t measure that. That’s why Paul says in I Corinthians 4 as he talks about his stewardship, you know I don’t even try to evaluate myself. Only the Lord can judge because He knows the motives as well as the actions and all of that.

The Lord has brought us together as His family, He has thrust us into His service as His people, and He has made all the provision necessary to pour ourselves into the service that He has called us to, that He might receive all the glory. The end is near, let’s keep our values in proper perspective. What really matters in light of the fact that the end is near.

Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your abundant grace. Lord, we have been recipients of that grace in so many ways. Thank you for calling us together as your people, that we belong to you. Thank you, Lord, for the faithful service of so many. Lord it’s a testimony to your grace that you might receive all the honor and glory. May we continue to grow together as your people. Even as we are weary, tired in the labors and toil, we find your strength sufficient and go beyond what our strength seems able to accomplish. Lord may our service be done for you. May it refresh our spirits to know we serve you with the gifts of your grace for your glory, and that is an honor we cannot measure with these finite minds. We praise you in Christ’s name. Amen.