If you knew that you only had one more year, one more month, or even one more week to live, what would you do differently today? Would such foreknowledge make a difference in your lifestyle? Some might react by saying there has always been one place that I've always wanted to visit. Perhaps Hawaii or Alaska or traveling back to my home country where my ancestors originated. And I had to better do this before I die. Others might respond by just quitting their jobs and spending more time at home or with the family. Some perhaps might say, I'm going to do more for the Lord this year. I'm going to volunteer to do whatever I can. at the church. And others might say, I'll just continue to live life the way I've always had. No need to change my lifestyle. What is on your bucket list of things you want to do before you die? What difference would it make if you knew you only had a limited amount of time to live? Now I have news for you this morning. And that is, you and I only have a limited amount of time left on planet Earth. You and I only have a limited time left. Peter in the first century was well aware of this, for the Lord Jesus had prophesied concerning his death. According to John 21 verse 18, Jesus had said to Peter, Most assuredly I say to you, When you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wish, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hand and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish. And then John adds this comment. This he spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. There would come a time in Peter's life when he would be bound, led around from place to place like a criminal, and then finally crucified. Jesus' prophecy regarding Peter's imprisonment and death had occurred decades earlier. And he is now an old man. So Peter was well aware that his time upon the earth was limited. and therefore it was important to live for and serve the Lord now and not wait for tomorrow. But Peter was also well aware that the Lord Jesus could return at any time. He was there in the upper room the night that Jesus was betrayed and arrested. He heard Jesus say, let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, that you may be also. Jesus Christ will one day return for his own. He's coming again. Peter was present with the other disciples on that day when Jesus ascended into heaven. He had heard the announcement from the two angelic beings who appeared as Jesus ascended, who said, men of Galilee, who do you stand gazing, why do you stand up gazing up into heaven? The same Jesus. who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven. Jesus is coming again in bodily form. He's coming a second time. Peter had heard Jesus' Olivet Discourse on the signs of the time and of the end of the age. He knew from Jesus' teaching that what would happen at the consummation of world history. But he also had heard Jesus say, watch therefore, for you do not know what the hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming, you do not expect. Peter believed that the Lord Jesus could return at any moment for his own. that the age would be consummated. God's judgment would fall upon the world during the period of intense tribulation. Christ would return the second time at the end of the tribulation to establish his kingdom here upon the earth. And even though the Lord Jesus had predicted Peter's death, yet he believed in the imminent return of Jesus Christ. He lived anticipating his Lord's imminent return. For note what Peter says here in 1 Peter 4, verse 7. 1 Peter 4, verse 7. He says, but the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. The end of all things is at hand. The word that's translated here, the ancient word end, does not necessarily indicate cessation, or termination, or chronological conclusion. But rather it means consummation, fulfillment, a purpose that's been attained, or a goal that's been achieved. The end in view here is not the consummation of the persecution which Peter's readers were experiencing, Neither does Peter have in mind an imminent change in the Roman government which might result in more benevolent treatment for believers. But the end of all things refers to all that will take place when Jesus Christ returns. Peter says the day of Christ's return when all things will be fulfilled is at hand. It's at hand. The verb here translated is at hand or is near literally means is approaching. but it's in the perfect tense in the Greek language, which it is a consummated process with continual results. In other words, in Peter's mind, the fulfillment of prophecy and the judgment of this world is so near that it was as if it was already here. It only had to be fulfilled in history. Now Peter and the early church believed that they were living in the last days, which had begun with Christ's first coming. John writes this in 1 John 2 verse 18. Little children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come by which we know that it's the last hours. Paul describes the Timothy. in detail the spiritual atmosphere of his last days so that he would know what to expect as he was ministering to the church. He writes this in 2 Timothy 3 verse 1. But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away. Paul revealed that in the church the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. One characteristic of living in the last days is that people will be more interested in entertainment than in sound biblical education. A flocking to hear those who will tell them what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear. If that was true in Paul's day, I believe it's even more true today. Living in the last days, Peter and the early church believed that there were no prophetic events that needed to happen prior to the return of Jesus Christ, and that the next prophetic event would be the rapture of the church. concerning the rapture Paul instructed the Thessalonians. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we will always be with the Lord. See, Jesus Christ is returning for you and I, those of us who have trusted in him for our salvation. We're going to be caught up. The Latin there, in the Latin of Vulcate, the Latin word is raptura, and that's where we get the term rapture of the church. And so it's interesting to note that Paul believed that he might be one of the we who are alive when Christ returns. And so Paul fully anticipated and expected the coming of the Lord in his lifetime. Even the Apostle John, the last living of the original 12, at the end of his life was firmly convinced that the return of the Lord, with all of its attending events and phenomena divinely revealed to him in the vision of Revelation, could occur very, very soon. In fact, he reports at the end of Revelation, he who testifies to these things say, surely I am coming quickly, amen. Even so come, Lord Jesus. But at last, as of this moment, the Lord has yet to return. Over 2,000 years have transpired since Jesus announced he would come back again, and we're still waiting. But we believe he could come at any moment. For as we understand biblical prophecy, the world stage is being set for the events that will take place during the seven years of tribulation here on the earth. The world powers that play a major role in end time events are already in place. Israel, the West, Russia, China, the Islamic Arab states surrounding Israel. All of these play a role in what the prophetic scriptures reveal will happen after the return of Jesus for his church. Also, the spiritual condition of the world in general, and the professing church in particular, indicate that we are in the last hours of the last days prior to the Lord's return. And I fully expect, and I believe you fully expect, that Jesus Christ could come at any moment, perhaps even before I finish this morning. Jesus is coming again. Now, to the statement of the soon return of Jesus Christ, the end of all things is at hand, Peter adds this little word, therefore, therefore, which indicates that there are practical implications, something that we are to do based on the soon return of Christ. I stated at the very beginning of our study, on biblical prophecy that, and I want to reiterate it as we are taking the short hiatus from it, that this, prophecy always has a practical application. Prophecy always has a practical application. It's so easy to get lost in the minutia when studying prophecy and begin to speculate about details not revealed. It's also easy to get puffed up with pride for when one understands things that perhaps others fail to see or we think that we have some inside knowledge. But God revealing what will happen in the future was never intended to merely stuff our brains. But its main purpose, its main function is to motivate you and I to live for Christ in the short time left before the end of the age. For example, John writes, behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God. Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. The prospects of the Lord's return, it should have a purifying effect upon us. Paul writes in Romans 13, he says, And do this knowing the time, that now it is high time to wake out of sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provisions for the flesh to fulfill its life." Lust. With the little time we have remaining, Paul says to us, wake up, wake up and live for Christ. Wake up and live for Christ. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 reveals the mystery of the future resurrection and transformation. He writes in verse 51, Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound. The dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed for this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on in immortality Paul says here we cannot inherit the kingdom of God in our mortal bodies we need new resurrected incorruptible ones and because of Christ's resurrection from the dead and We're gonna be fitted with a new body in an instance in the blink of an eye when when Jesus Christ returned and Because of this bright future waiting for us Paul writes at the end of first Corinthians 15 therefore my beloved brethren Be steadfast Unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. I See, the practical application of a future prophetic event is encouragement. It's encouragement for us to be steadfast and abounding in God's work. Peter writes, but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will melt with fervent heat, both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of person ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of the Lord? In light of God's prophetic program and coming judgment, Peter says here we're to live holy, godly lives. We're to be looking forward to the coming of Christ. James writes this, Therefore be patient brethren until the coming of the Lord See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the Lord Waiting patiently for it until it it receives the early and latter rains. You also be patient Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand to be patient persevering waiting and establishing our hearts because the Lord is at hand. Every major prophetic passage in both the Old and New Testament has a practical application for God's people then and now. Knowing what God has planned for the future should motivate us. in the present to live a godly, holy life, to serve the Lord faithfully in the time we have remaining before Jesus comes for us, either by death or through the rapture of the church. The prospects of Christ's soon imminent return should revolutionize the way that we live. And Peter, in Peter 4, chapter 4, is no exception. For the anticipation of Jesus' soon return, that the consummation of all things is at hand, he issues five commands. in the next five verses. Five practical applications for you and I, and depending upon how quickly I get over COVID, we're going to be looking at all five of them. But today we will be discussing, we will focus on the first two, and they're found in verse seven of our text. So notice again what he says here, 1 Peter 4 verse seven. He says, but the end of all things is at hand, therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. We are first of all here commanded to keep our heads screwed on straight and not be carried away by self-indulgence or by excitement. The word translated here, be serious, literally means to be of a sound mind, to be in one's right mind. God wants us, as believers, to be in our right minds, to have a sound mind, sound thinking. You know, when Christ healed the maniac at Gadara in Mark 5, the people from the city came out to see. The one who used to live in the tombs, who had such supernatural strength that cords could not hold him, and who used to sit around and cut himself with stones. And what did they find? Mark 5, 15 states that when they came to Jesus and saw the one who had been demon possessed, had the legion sitting, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. He was in his right mind. He had sound mind. It's the same word that's used here in 1 Peter chapter 4. It speaks of a man or woman who is under control and not carried away by an errant view of oneself. Paul in Romans 12, 3 admonishes us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each a measure of faith. that word soberly. In other words, we're to think in a right mind, to have a right perception about ourselves. It also speaks of someone who has their passions under control, who is operating on the basis of their head rather than just going by their heart. It also refers to guarding the mind and keeping it lucid. It means that we will set our minds on things above and not the things of the earth, Colossians 3, 2. See, when we are serious, we will let the words of Christ dwell in us richly. In all wisdom, teach in admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing it with grace in our hearts to the Lord. When we are seriously minded, we will be casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Every thought filtered through the truth of scripture and subject to Jesus Christ. Now Peter is picking up again on an earlier thought from 1 Peter 1, verse 13. where he said, therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. We are to gird up the loins of our minds, that is, be serious and think straight. Last week we discovered that part of being armed for life was mental preparation. Peter encourages us to set our course, to determine the direction of our lives, to be done with sin, and determined to live the rest of our lives to do God's will. Move forward into the future without fear. We're to have the same mindset as Jesus Christ. But here we're encouraged as we think of Christ's soon return. to be of sound thinking and of sound mind, to think straight about what is happening, to not get caught up in the hype or hysteria, or to be drawn away into factless theories. You know, throughout scripture, we're admonished as believers about not getting caught up in the latest controversies and disputes. For example, Paul warns Timothy, he says, but avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. It seems that many Christians are so gullible to believe the latest conspiracy theories. Getting involved in such controversy not only robs us of time and energy that could be spent elsewhere in the proclamation of the gospel, but when they're proven to be false, we look so foolish to the world. In other words, we need to filter everything through the scriptures to have that eternal perspective so as to keep our heads screwed on straight. You remember Y2K? That seems so long ago, doesn't it? 22 years ago. Well, where's time gone? Perhaps we forgot what all the fuss was about. But there were some Christian preachers who were teaching that at the turn of the new millennium, the world would come to an end. Due to the glitch in the operating systems of computers worldwide, there would be a global power outage, food shortages, economic collapse, and perhaps even a nuclear holocaust if nuclear reactors would melt down. And as a result of the hype, there was mass hysteria. People stockpiled food and supplies to last for years. Some even sold their homes and moved to the mountains. Right before the turn of the new century millennium, if you remember, I did a series of messages on Y2K. and why I believe, based on what we know to be true from Biblical prophecy, that Y2K would not be, quote-unquote, the end of the world as we know it. I thought that if anything, it would only be a blip on the screen and life would go on as normal. And lo and behold, that's exactly what happened. I encouraged us to be prepared, but also to be sober-minded that is not carried away by the hysteria, level-headed, to be of sound mind and sound thinking as we see the day of Christ coming, approaching. But there's a second thing that Peter commands us here. That is, secondly, we must be mentally alert to pray. Mentally alert for effective prayer. Note again what Peter says in verse 7. He says, but the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. Watchful in your prayers. Now I wonder if Peter did not have in the back of his mind his own failure in the Garden of Gethsemane. If you remember, Christ had told him to wait and to watch while he went off by himself to pray. You remember what happened? Peter and the rest of his disciples, Christ's disciples, fell asleep. They were sound asleep. When Jesus returned, he found them sleeping and said to Peter, what? Could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray lest you've entered into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing. but the flesh is weak. He could not even watch one hour with the Lord. And so Peter here admonishes believers to be watchful in your prayers. The word watch really means to be cool, calm, and collected. It's the same word that's used in 1.13 where Peter commands us to gird up the loins of your minds, be sober and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. We're commanded here to be sober. That's the same word here, to watch. In other words, to be cool, calm, collected for the purpose to prayer, be able to concentrate, to be able to focus for the purpose of praying. The end of his Olivet Discourse in which Jesus outlines what will happen in the future surrounding his second coming He says to his disciples, but take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be weighed down with carousing drunkenness and cares of this life. And that day come on you unexpectedly, for it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the son of God. Watch and pray always. In other words, be alert mentally for the purpose of prayer, especially in light of living in the last days. For my friends, we are at war. We are involved in the cosmic conflict between good and evil, God and Satan. Paul writes in Ephesians 6, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of its age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, having done all to stand. In our fight against sin and Satan and his cohorts, we need to put on the whole armor of God. Defensive gear that will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And Paul in Ephesians 6, 14 through 17 lists the various pieces of defensive armor that we have. But what about offensive weapons in our battle against the powers of darkness? After having put on every piece of armor, Paul goes on to say that we are to be praying always, with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end, with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints and for me, that utterance may be given to me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mysteries of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. The battle, my friends, the spiritual battle, is fought on our knees. It's fought on our knees as we bombard the throne of grace to find grace to help us in our time of need. Satan and his cohorts are defeated practically as Christians pray. That's why we're commanded to pray unceasingly, to come boldly and constantly before the throne of grace. In our prayers we need to be watchful. We need to be alert and to persevere. That is not to give up praying. And we need to be praying for one another. Praying for one another. So in the words of Peter, we need to be sober. Be vigilant, because our adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And one of the ways that we resist him and are steadfast in our faith is by casting all your cares on him, for he cares for you. Satan hates when Christians pray. Satan hates when Christians pray. And he will do whatever he can to keep us from praying. Like he did to Eve in the garden, he will seek to sow doubt in our minds regarding the goodness of our God. God really does not care for you, he will whisper. He's not going to answer that prayer, so why even pray? This tactic is particularly potent during times of suffering and persecution when one has to pray earnestly for relief and nothing seems to be happening. It appears as if the heavens are brass. He reminds us of the discouraging times when we do not see God at work. For confidence in God is so important when we pray. As John states it this, now this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petition. that we have asked of Him. And so Satan seeks to undermine the confidence that we have in God's ability to hear and to answer our prayers. He seeks to sow doubt in our minds as to God's goodness, God's grace, God's ability to do what we ask of Him. He also laws us into complacency. As we see the world careening towards judgment, as we realize we're living in the last days prior to the return of Jesus Christ, we are tempted to succumb to fatalism. That is, whatever will be, will be. can't change what God has decreed, so why even pray? It's just the way the world is going to be. Prayer doesn't seem to work. It appears to be an exercise in futility. So why pray? God's going to do whatever God's going to do. So why pray? But if he cannot discourage us from praying in the first place, he will seek, secondly, to distract us while we are praying, to seek to frustrate us so that we lose our train of thought, so that our mind wanders all over the place. And in this way, Satan will seek to discourage us from praying. Because, my friends, prayer is hard work. Prayer is hard work. It takes concentration. It takes focus to effectively pray. I don't know if you've ever had the problems with concentration during prayers. I certainly have. There are times when my mind wanders. There are times when I've fallen asleep. There are times when while praying I've thought of something which I forgot to do, I've stopped praying, started to do what I forgot, never returning to finish with prayer. I fought a battle with concentration, and I'm sure that you have as well. I have found, though, a few things to help me, which I'd like to pass on to you kind of in closing. First of all, know what time that you mentally are alert for prayer. Know what time of day that you are mentally alert to prayer. I have found from my own personal experience that I have trouble concentrating in the early afternoons. If I've had a busy morning, a full schedule in the evening, I have a terrible time sitting down to pray in the afternoons. The best time for me is early in the morning before my wife gets up, and when things are quiet in the house, I know the telephone's not going to ring, and I can get up in the morning wide awake, ready to roll When my feet hit the ground come down make my my coffee sit down with a cup of coffee and have my time with the lord But I know many people who are just the opposite When they get out of bed in the morning, it takes them half the morning just to get awake by that time They are busily engrossed in their work. For them, the best time to pray is before retiring at night, and they like to sit and reflect upon the day's activities and commit everything to the Lord. At that time, they are mentally alert and able to concentrate. May I say here, too, that whatever the Spirit of God impresses upon you to pray, stop. Stop everything, if possible, and pray at that moment. Those moments will be some of the greatest blessings in your Christian life. You see, we should live in an attitude of constant communion and fellowship with Jesus Christ. But whenever we pray, let's be mentally alert. Find that time when you can concentrate best for prayer. Secondly, I would say try different postures in prayer. There is not one posture which is more spiritual than another. Some people believe that all praying must be done on their knees. Others believe that the proper way to pray is to stand like the publican in the temple, stand with your head bowed. The main thing in picking a posture is this, does it keep you mentally alert? I used to pray sitting in a rocking chair, but I found that I became too comfortable, too relaxed. Now, sometimes if I have a lot of things on my mind, if I'm agitated on the inside, I will sit for a period of time in my rocking chair until I become cool, calm, and collected in my spirit. so I can devote attention to prayer. But I've also found that walking around the room, taking a walk outside also keeps me alert. And sometimes I stand, sometimes I sit. You know, whatever posture keeps you alert, that's what we need. We need to know what best works for you and what best works for me. That posture, that right posture. And thirdly, I would say keep a prayer list. Keep a prayer list. If you find that your mind is wandering, write down your prayer requests before you pray and then check them off as you pray. Prayer lists are not unspiritual. They're not unspiritual. They can devolve into that. They can devolve into something legalistic, whereby we pray for each item on the list without really thinking about the request. We say, Lord, bless the following people, or our prayers can become standard prayers, saying the same thing each time. They can become rote prayers. But a prayer list itself can also help us to keep on track mentally. and to be mentally alert. Now these are three common sense suggestions which I have found to be very helpful in staying awake and alert in prayer. Satan and his cohorts try their hardest to divert my attention. On more than one occasion I have fleshed out Jesus' assessment that the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Now in closing, let me say that as we see the day of Christ's return for us, we need to be praying for one another. Praying for one another. Our adversary is out to defeat and destroy us. He wants to silence Christians, to marginalize us, to extinguish our light, to diminish our influence on others. And so we need to be praying for one another. that we might be strong in the Lord and in the power of His mind. We need to be praying that we will all be putting on the whole armor of God, taking our stand in this world. We need to be praying that none of us will be a casualty of this spiritual warfare, that none of us will abandon our faith or compromise our convictions. We need to be praying that all of us will be growing in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, going on to maturity. We need to be serious and watchful in our prayers for one another. And I ask as I close this morning that you pray for me. Pray for me. I echo the words of the Apostle Paul who encouraged the believers at Ephesus to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints and for me. that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. Pray for me. Pray for me. I'm not an ambassador in chains, like Paul, but I am seeking to preach the gospel, to teach God's word, and I need the boldness, the courage, the strength to do so. I need wisdom. I need help from the Lord in sermon preparation, preparing each week. Pray for me. Pray for me. And I would ask you to pray for me as the Apostle John prayed for Gaius. When he says in 3 John 2, Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. I need physical strength. I need health, healing from this virus. I need to test negative so that we'll be able to get back to doing the ministry God has given to me among you, that we'll be able to get back to in-person services again, being able to minister to people. And so I ask you to pray for me, that I might prosper. I'm not asking for financial prospering, but that I might be in good health. and good health, just as my soul is prospering. And so as we see the day of Christ return approaching, I say to you, and I ask in the words of Peter, let's be serious, let's be sober-minded, and let us be alert to prayer, watchful in our prayers.