1 Peter: Redeeming the Time of our Exile (1 Peter 4:7-19, Jeff Kliewer)

Redeeming the Time in Exile

You may not think he's the greatest athlete but one thing that no one can take away from Tim Tebow is that he gives his all. He leaves it all on the field and in his life he's not even yet 30 years old and he's accomplished all that he has.

Heisman Trophy winner, all the sports, you know he's trying to be a professional baseball player right now. He is taking this life that he has and he is living it all out. Whatever comes of it, if he does, maybe he'll be a sumo wrestler or something next, we don't know.

Whatever it is, he is going all in. He is taking what little bit of time that he has on this earth and he's giving it all he's got. He's stewarding the time that he has well. Now the word for time in the New Testament is kairos and we're going to come across that word in our text today in 1st Peter 4.

You can start finding that but just a minute I wanted to mention something about the word kairos. Kairos means time and my sermon title is called redeeming the time in our exile, of our exile. We are in exile according to 1st Peter.

We are in this world but we're not of it. We are here but we don't belong here. We're here for a limited amount of time and then we go to the city of God. For now we live in the city of man. So what do we do during our time?

The word kairos gives us some insight into what we are to do because the word kairos does not refer to just a duration of time. For example, you might be thinking how long is Jeff going to preach today?

You wouldn't use the word time to refer to how much time I'm gonna preach today. Rather you would say is it time for Jeff to preach today? Because the word time here refers to an appointed time, a set time, a time that was designated for this.

Now it doesn't have to be a moment like a flash like that. It could be a slice of time, a period of time, but there's always this idea of opportunity. The word kairos carries with it the idea of there is an opportunity because it's time for something to happen but we need to redeem the time.

Why? Because we live in a fallen world where we don't belong and the world is pulling us in a certain direction so that the normal course of things is for us to waste the time. I like the way this guy named Len Pinellas explained it.

He said because the days are evil we have to rescue and redeem opportunities from the clutches of 16 there where it says redeem the time because the days are evil. We are exiles in this world. These are evil days that we're living in and because of that we have to rescue our time from the clutches of an evil world.

I picture it like a stream or with a strong current pushing in one direction and we are called to swim upstream. If we don't what's going to happen? We're just going to drift downstream. Our time is under assault.

We need to redeem our time from the evil days in which we're living. So the main idea today as we come into first Peter chapter 4 is that we have an appointed time in our exile that we are required to be good stewards of.

There came a day when each of us who are born again here trusted in Christ to save us and at that moment the Holy Spirit entered us and redeemed us and baptized us and sealed us set us apart for heaven but we're waiting on that day when Christ comes back to get us or that day when we die and go go to be with him.

From the time that we're saved until the time when Christ comes or when we die that period is what I want to talk to us about today. It is such a short amount of time relative to the eternity that's going to follow and yet it is so consequential.

If we're not careful these few days this appointed time will be lost. It will just flow downriver. We will lose it to the evil days. We ourselves will be rescued from it but our time will be lost. We need to redeem the time.

The Imminent Return of Christ and Prayer

So first Peter chapter 4 we're just covering verses 7 to 19 today. Let's read the first five verses to begin with. The end of all things is at hand. Just catch that. The end of all things is at hand. Therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

Above all keep loving one another earnestly since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's very grace.

Whoever speaks as one who speaks oracles of God. Whoever serves as one who serves by the strength that God supplies. In order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever.

Amen. Verse 7 tells us that the imminent return of Christ should motivate us to be self-controlled clear-headed and to focus on prayer. The end of all things is at hand. So what should we do? Should we go and make poster boards?

Cardboard. Two-sided. String them together and put them over our shoulders and go stand on the street corner with the sign that says the end is at hand. People do that don't they? Is that what we're to do?

No. It doesn't say to do that. It says the end of all things is at hand. We are to know this. We're to know this. So therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Peter will say in the second letter that he writes that for the for the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day.

Nevertheless it was the expectation of Peter and the early Apostles that Jesus would most likely come back either in their lifetimes or shortly thereafter. They expected the return of Christ to be any minute.

The end of all things is at hand. It's been over 2 ,000 years or almost 2 ,000 years since Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead and departed and went to the right hand of the Father and left us here.

It should be our understanding that Christ could return any minute. The return of Christ is imminent. He could rapture us out of this building today before we leave to go home. That's what the end of all things is at hand means.

That should be our expectation and our great hope. See that could have been the rapture. I did that on purpose. Now that was our new sound system but we're figuring it out. Bear with us if there's more things like that.

It's just to wake you up. The end of all things is at hand. If that was the rapture and boom you were taken up to heaven and you were seated at the right hand of the Father you would have with you everything that you had done in the flesh.

All of your life to offer and lay down at his feet. Every crown that he gives you for you to throw at his feet. My question would you be content with what you have to offer or would you say I just wish I had something more to lay down at the Savior's feet.

The end of all things is at hand. This picture's imminency. He could come any minute so we don't need to make signs. What we need to do is one be self-controlled, two sober-minded, three for the sake of our prayers.

Self-control. Controlling yourself, being disciplined, is actually a work of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5, is what? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

You guys know that from Sunday school right? Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit but it's also by definition something that we control of ourselves. Being that the time is short we have to have self-control.

We have to be sober-minded because in these evil days the enemy of our souls will send information at us like a flood. On your iPhone every day will come hundreds of news stories and other stories that are posted on Facebook.

The world will flood us with information and if we're not careful our minds can become diluted. We can become drunk on information. We're told here to be sober-minded which means our minds are not clouded in our judgment.

Our minds are not twisted or diluted by too much information. Some of that information is good, it's just news, it's just what people are writing in the newspapers. But if that is the constant source of information in our brain, how little are our thoughts being shaped by the Word of God?

We live in probably the the busiest generation in human history don't we? So much to do, so many influences in our mind, a constant stream of information and we're told here listen, don't live as if you belong in this world.

Live as if you belong in another. Don't let your mind be diluted. Why? Because brothers, sisters, we are called to pray. And this here is the first stewardship that we have. How often do you go to pray and you grab your cell phone with you and all of a sudden you're reading a story instead of praying?

How often do you hit that snooze button instead of praying? Prayer is a stewardship. It is a useful way to spend time. God has ordained all that happens in this world. There is a decree but he has also ordained the means of prayer so that in our prayers things are changed.

Prayer matters and here's the first stewardship for your life. Set aside time to spend in prayer. This is so basic but it's it's worth saying. Set aside a time in your day where you spend time alone with God in prayer.

See the book of first Peter has been very difficult in some ways so far right? Heavy theology last week we talked about how it is that baptism saves us metaphorically comparing it to Noah and the flood.

How Noah was brought safely through the flood in the same way we're brought safely through the waters of baptism and there's all this deep theology but now it boils down to the practical part of the book and the first thing we're being told is pray.

Don't get distracted, be disciplined, self-disciplined, self-controlled. Set aside a part of your day to kneel before your father. That's what an exile does. Don't be distracted. Spend time in prayer.

Love, Hospitality, and Covering Sins

Next verse, verse 8, above all. Now this gets getting real here when he says above all you don't want to miss what Peter's about to tell you. Keep loving one another earnestly since love covers a multitude of sins.

Yeah life is busy, there's a lot going on but you are called to love and love is an action. It's a self-sacrificing. Our time on this earth is under siege by an evil world. These are evil days and everything is pulling us away from love.

You have to sacrifice of yourself in order to agape love. The word here for love is agape. It's like God's love when he gave his one and only Son to save us from our sins. The self-sacrifice to rescue us is now our charge and our example.

The love that we need to show other people will require time. It will require investment. It will require simplifying your life. Cutting things out of your life that simply sap your time in order that you can go and do something to care for someone else.

What else does that look like? Look at the second part of verse 8. Since love covers a multitude of sins. Love covers a multitude of sins. One of my favorite verses in the Bible and this verse has helped me in relationships throughout the course of my life.

Don't miss what it says. We're very familiar with Matthew 18, right? When somebody sins against you, what do you do? You go to them just one-on-one and you show them their fault and you work that out.

And if they won't listen to you, you bring a witness and the two of you go and talk to him. If that doesn't work, you bring the elders and finally if that doesn't work, you bring it before the whole church.

That's the process of how you deal with a problem in a relationship. But even before that first confrontation, very often the Christian understands first Peter 4 8 and says love covers a multitude of sins.

See that? That's huge right there. In your time of exile, personal conflicts, relationship struggles can waste your life. Moving from one conflict to another. When we are exiles here for such a short amount of time with so much opportunity to serve the king who died for us, we cannot get bogged down in so many petty things.

We will step on each other's toes, say okay I forgive you. Someone will say an off-color joke that offends you. You say I cover it. Somebody will believe something slightly different than you and instead of getting all twisted, you say love covers a multitude of sins.

I'm right on this one, they're wrong, they're in sin, but love covers it. On the minor issues. Now there are times you have to go and confront sin because it's affecting other people, because it's a deep wound, it's something that really needs to be addressed.

Of course you need to confront sin at times, but first look at this verse. Love covers a multitude of sins. Think about your life. Are you getting distracted by relational conflicts when you need to be quicker to forgive and slower to become angry?

This will help you redeem the time. Next, this gets very practical. How do you show love? What do you do? Well you're praying when you wake up in the morning, you're setting aside time, you're staying focused on the goal.

Now look at verse 9. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. This is exile life. It's taking care of your fellow exiles. It's inviting someone over to your house or out to lunch. It's spending time with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

This is the strength of our church. When we come together and show love to one another in this practical way, when you host something at your house, you go to a fellowship dinner, you spend time with people.

Hospitality. Man, that's that's an underrated word right there. It's a big word. If you want to show love, it takes time and opening your doors or going out to eat at a restaurant. Hospitality without grumbling.

Look at it as a privilege, not as an obligation that you just have to do. Without grumbling means the attitude is right. This is how we spend our time. Verse 10. Now verse 10 and 11 refers to spiritual gifts.

It's one of four places in the New Testament that talks about spiritual gifts. Ephesians 4, 1st Peter 4, Romans 12, 1st Corinthians 12. But here it just summarizes the spiritual gifts in two categories, speaking gifts and serving gifts.

Speaking gifts and serving gifts. Your spiritual gifts that you have are a stewardship. Just like your time is a stewardship that you need to manage well, just like your money is a stewardship, you are entrusted with God's money.

And so what do you do with that money? You take 10 of that money and you give it back to God. And you take 10 of it, you save it, and then you live on 80. That's great advice right there. That's how you steward your money.

But you, each one of you and myself, we are given spiritual gifts. To each one of us is a portion a spiritual gift. Let's read it. 10 and 11. As each has received a gift. See that? You who believe in Christ and have been born again, you have the Spirit, you have a gift, use it.

See that? You use it. It's not automatic. Use it. This is your stewardship. Use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's very grace. Whoever speaks as one who speaks oracles of God. Whoever serves as one who serves by the strength that God supplies.

In order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. So two categories of gifting here. There's the speaking gifts and the serving gifts.

When I stand before you to preach, I pray to God that a gift of the Holy Spirit to speak the Word of God would come forth out of me. I pray that every time. I ask for the Holy Spirit to minister through me because here's what I know about myself.

I am NOT a great speaker. I'm not trained in rhetoric. I'm not particularly funny. I have a sense of humor which means I can sense humor when people are being funny. I can sense that and I laugh and I'm a joyful person.

But I'm not a comedian. You know like some of the great entertainers of the world. I don't have rhetorical skill to turn phrases and to string together sentences to make it sound awesome. I don't have this big booming baritone voice.

Here's what I can bring to this table. Passion for this Word of God and I know that when I speak it's as one who speaks oracles of God. These are the very words of God and I understand that this is the Word of God so I ask that the Spirit of God take the Word of God and he do a work that I can't do anyway.

So I'm not eloquent but I believe these words with all of my heart and every fiber of my being and I will tell you the truth and I know that God has been taking that word and changing all of our lives.

Because that's what the Word of God does right? Isaiah 55, like the snow falls and doesn't return without accomplishing the purpose for which it was sent so it is with his Word. When it goes forth it accomplishes the purpose for which it was sent.

And so when I come here I pray that the Spirit speak through me. It's not just me speaking it's God himself wants to say something to you today and teachers when you stand before kids in the Sunday school class recognize that you are speaking the very oracles of God.

Ask for the gifting of the Holy Spirit that you speak with passion for his Word to speak the truth. Every community group leader speak the Word of God like you're speaking the very oracles of God. The very Word of God not the Word of man.

And when you serve bring that same passion to the table. Reminds me of Hezekiah when he the king of of the south of Judah. His father was a wicked man and had closed the doors of the temple and everything was knocked down and destroyed and covered with dust and everything was barred up and the temple was in ruins because the nation was worshiping Baal.

But Hezekiah came and he preached the truth and he believed the truth and it says within two weeks they had completely renovated the temple. It is amazing what God's people can do when the serving gifts are operating.

Haven't we seen it already? We've seen people so inspired that they've painted the whole building in a couple of weeks. Others renovated the entire foyer in short order. A couple of guys took a few guys took down an entire wall and opened up our building.

These things can happen quickly. The building of a website. When the Holy Spirit gifts you to serve we can accomplish much. We have a short amount of time but there is no telling what this church can accomplish in this community in our day.

It is incredible what God's people can do when there's a spiritual gifting to serve. When it's the Holy Spirit that's motivating us, empowering us. Why? This is the most important part of the sermon. Look at verse 11.

There's a hena clause and order that. In the Greek the word hena means it's a purpose clause. All of this in order that. Why should you be so motivated? Why should you care? Why not go with the evil days and serve the flesh?

There's an in order that. There's a purpose clause here. Don't miss this. If you miss everything else, which I'm sure you're not, in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Do you see that forever and ever? Amen. There's an eternity that we're looking forward at and forever and ever the Son of God is going to be worshipped and adored by the Saints and the angels.

He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire. The angels will be worshipping him for eternity and you and I will be right there with them. That's what's coming. The glorification of the Son and our time here serves that end.

Do you see that? That's the in order that. That what we do in the flesh, the short amount of time that we have would resound to eternal praise and glory to the Son of God. When the world sees and and we know and everyone sees that these things were done not for ourselves but for him.

For the one who hung on a cross. For the King. For the lion who's also a lamb. The Lamb of God who lays down his life for us. The King who's crowned with many crowns. This is why we do what we do. This is why we steward our time and our gifts.

Many of you are gifted already in ways you don't know. There's probably some preacher out here today. There's missionaries out here. You have the spiritual gifts to speak. Fan them into flame. Let the Holy Spirit fan those into flame.

Begin to use them. To use them means you have to step out in faith. The first time I preached I was young. I was at a camp for Fellowship of Christian Athletes and they said give your testimony and I was scared to death to give my testimony at this Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp.

So I was just gave it all. I stepped out and I did. I remember I had a basketball. I was talking about how I was a college basketball player and I took it and I punted it across the gym and I said that's nothing.

The Spirit came on me. I began to preach Christ is all. Surrender to Him. It was stepping out in faith. Some of you need to step out in faith as an evangelist. Maybe you're gifted to preach Christ in your workplace but you haven't stepped out and used that gift yet to serve.

Man it was cool at the Thanksgiving dinner wasn't it? To see people step up and lead that. Thank you for that. But then everybody jumping in to pick up tables and clean up. We made short work of that because there's many people with serving gifts in our church.

Step up and use those things. This is what matters in life. This is where our time makes a difference. It resounds to His praise and His glory. Lastly we have a section here from 12 to 19. The final stewardship we'll talk about is a stewardship of trials.

We only think of trials normally in terms of bad things that happen to us. We don't want trials. But I will propose to you from our text today that trials are our greatest stewardship. Because if the endgame is glory to Jesus Christ there is nothing that brings Him glory like trusting Him in the midst of trial.

It says to the world, it says to the church that He is worthy and He is greater. That He is able to uphold us. And when the world sees us rejoicing in the midst of a trial they say, whoa who is that and what did they have?

And we point to Jesus. So let's read it 12 to 19. We'll be brief. Beloved do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you. As though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.

If you are insulted for the name of Christ you are blessed. Because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in that name.

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God. And if it begins with us what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if the righteous is scarcely saved what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?

Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good. Your trials are a stewardship. They're an opportunity to rejoice in the midst of suffering and so shine a spotlight on the glory of Jesus Christ.

Verse 12, we're not to be surprised. Remember verse 4? When unbelievers are surprised by the fact that we don't plunge in with them in the same flood of dissipation, the same sins that they are committing, we abstain from.

And that reminds me to remind you to get this book. Someone went and got it and I just grabbed it from him. The Hole in Our Holiness. Great book. Kevin DeYoung. As exiles we are called to holiness not to just plunge in with the world during these evil days.

Please read that book. The Hole in Our Holiness. We're not to be surprised at our fiery trials. Nothing strange is happening to us. So rejoice. We're sharing the sufferings of Christ. When his glory is revealed we will experience his glory for all eternity.

Verse 14, if you are insulted for the name of Christ you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Now verse 15, don't suffer because you brought it on yourself. One of the Proverbs talks about meddling.

It's like twisting a nose. It's and gossiping and slandering is gonna make people angry. A lot of times we suffer because we stirred up trouble. We twisted somebody's nose. But if we suffer for being a Christian, will that happen to us?

More and more even in this country. We are so blessed to live in this country but more and more the world is turning against Christians and the primary weapon is what we see here in verse 16. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed.

The world will increasingly use shame as a weapon against you. Shame on you for your Christianity. You think you're better than others. Shame on you because you say that Christ is the only way. But if you were born in a different country where there was a different majority religion, you would be that religion.

Shame on you for saying that your religion is the only true one. How intolerant of you. How bigoted. How narrow-minded. Sound familiar? The world will try to heap shame on us and for our morality as we don't plunge in to the same flood of dissipation and we say that we believe in life and it begins at conception.

We say that on the basis of Psalm 139 that it's God who knits a baby together in the mother's womb. The world will say shame on you for trying to say that that anyone can tell a mother what to do with her body.

Shame on you for being pro-life. Shame on you for being traditional family and pro-traditional family. Well it's not traditional family. It's biblical family. It's what the scriptures teach about the family.

Genesis 2, 21 to 25, a man shall leave his father and mother be united to his wife the two shall become one flesh. Jesus then affirmed Genesis 2 in Matthew 19 and affirmed the whole law. He had the same worldview as the Torah and so we say what the scriptures say and increasingly, I guarantee it, the world will heap shame upon us for holding to that traditional biblical definition of marriage.

Do not be ashamed. That's what our text tells us. It's an imperative. Let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in that name. It's not going to be popular to be a Christian for much longer. Christianity has has been the majority religion of our country but it's less so and less so generation after generation.

Are you willing to be in exile here even if it means suffering? So in closing, we have a stewardship. Our stewardship is our life on earth. What are you going to do with your time? Are you willing to sacrifice it to love others?

What are you going to do with the spiritual gifts that are in you? Let the Holy Spirit fan them into flame. What are you going to do with your trials? Will you trust him? Look at verse 19, entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good.

Trusting the will of God that if necessary God will allow trials in your life but it's always necessary. There's always a purpose. This goes back to the first chapter of Peter. Trusting God in the midst of trials.

You guys ever heard of Al Mohler? I've encouraged you to listen to the Daily Briefing, his podcast. This guy, he's a machine. He became the president of one of the largest seminaries in the world at age 33 and when he did some of the other professors said, why do you think that you could be the president?

I mean you're not as wise as some of the older guys. How do you intend to deal with the fact that you're so young? His answer was, I intend to age. Made sense? Smart answer. He's a smart guy. Now I think he's 57 years old, just writes books and podcasts every day.

The Babylon Bee picked up on on him as well just like they did with Tim Tebow and they said things like Al Mohler is offline for the next four to six hours receiving a upgrade or something like that. So they have very funny articles about Al Mohler.

They said one time he's in the Himalayas fighting some clandestine operation of assassins. It says this week he'll only be writing one book, you know. But this guy, he is stewarding this gift that he has.

He's pouring his life out for Christ, kind of like we mentioned with Tim Tebow. So in closing, this time for real, how are you gonna steward the days you have left? It's a window of opportunity. For me, I know this, I want to go all in.

I want every spiritual gift that I'm given to be fanned into flame. I want to go all out for the King, give all my time, everything I am to the Savior. How are you stewarding the life you've been given?

Let's call on the worship team to come up. We're gonna close with a song and as they come we're gonna close in a word of prayer. I want you to just take a minute, just bow your head, think in terms of time, gifts, and trials.

These are your stewardship according to 1st Peter 4. All of us have a certain amount of time in our exile. How are you going to redeem this time? Do you need to devote a time in your life to prayer each morning or at night?

Think in terms of your spiritual gifts. Do you need to step out and operate in the spiritual gifts that you've been given? Maybe you need to start a Bible study. Could have been the rapture, I'm telling you.

We have a short amount of time and then the trials. Maybe you're going through something heavy right now. Are you willing to trust God through it? Let the world see that He is a faithful Creator. Take a minute and just pray.

Take inventory of your life. This is a day to take inventory, to think about your ways. Are you letting your time escape to the evil world? You need to grab it from the clutches of this evil world, Ephesians 5 16.

You need to redeem the time. You're going through a trial, tell God that you trust Him and ask Him to help your unbelief. Ask Him for His joy to be your strength, rejoicing in those trials. You have a spiritual gift.

You need to step out and sign up to serve, sign up to speak, step out in faith. So Father, we're here before you this morning, humbly before your Word. We recognize that we are nothing without you. Apart from you, we can do nothing and yet we have this precious opportunity, however many days we have left on earth, to serve the King of Kings.

I want to spend eternity with brothers and sisters on my left and right that I led to Christ, that I discipled in the truth, that I invited over for dinner, that I cared about when they were sick and visited them in the hospital.

That's what I want my eternity to be like. Those things lay down at your feet, Lord. I pray that for each one of us here, Lord, that we would make changes, real changes. Thank you, Jesus, for this time that we've been given to serve you.

Fill us with your spirit now to serve you well. In Jesus' name, amen.