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Living Hope SDA Church

Christian Martin

Bold Hospitality

Thank you, Father and Daughter, for that beautiful, beautiful music.

Heavenly music, as God gives us the ability to express music for his glory.

And so as we gather here today, It's time for God to be able to speak to our hearts, be able to speak through His Word.

You know, church definitely has its own language.

In fact, among Christians there's words or even phrases that we use that no 1 else does.

For example, you've heard this more than once, I have an unspoken prayer request.

We hear that so often that we don't think too much about it, but it's a unique wording.

Or how about this 1, a hedge, a protection.

Again, we've heard these phrases so many times that we don't think anything of it, but a hedge, a protection?

Or bringing it closer to home, the universal greeting that we all know well, Happy Sabbath.

We say that often every week, at least once a week, but it's very unique to our context.

You've heard that word multiple times already today, fellowship.

You know, when was the last time you got together with your friends after work, you know, colleagues after work and got together for fellowship.

But in the church, we have a fellowship hall where we have fellowship luncheons coordinated by our fellowship ministry so that we can have sweet fellowship.

You know I wonder you know as modern-day disciples of Christ have we lost its meaning because of this overuse?

Do we even know what fellowship really, really means anymore?

Is it some kind of social Christian gathering where we're gonna have a good time?

Or does it describe a much deeper level of interaction among the family of God?

What is the biblical essence of the experience that the Bible calls fellowship?

My message today is entitled Bold Hospitality.

Let's bow our heads together as we acknowledge God.

Father in heaven, this is now your time to speak to our hearts through the living word.

We've come here to interact with you in your presence.

And we pray that our faith and your word would mix together well.

And we thank you Lord in Jesus' name, amen.

I trust, I believe, I assume you have your Bibles.

There are Bibles in the pews if you happen to come without 1, please make use of a Bible.

1 Peter chapter 4, if you have devices, come with me to 1 Peter chapter 4.

And in this chapter, Here the author, Peter himself, outlines a few spiritual disciplines that a follower of Christ who is anticipating the coming of Christ ought to be practicing.

It should be a given that a Christian is 1 who anticipates the advent of Christ or the coming of.

And so Peter says these are the things that you ought to be doing.

And if they're not, then their loyalty to Christ is in question, and their expectation of Christ's return is uncertain.

I'll begin with verse 7, 1st Peter chapter 4.

It says, but the end of all things is at hand.

Therefore Be serious and watchful in your prayers.

Above all, have fervent love for 1 another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.

Be hospitable to 1 another without grumbling, as each 1 has received a gift.

Minister to 1 another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." So as Peter draws the reader's attention to these particular practices, I mean they're specific.

You could list them and there would be 4 in total.

Because he writes, it's in the text, but the end of all things is at hand.

Because the end of all things is at hand.

In other words, since the world as we know it is about to come to an end, spend your time doing things with eternal, not temporal, eternal value.

Focus in on those things that have eternal value.

And Peter soberly reminds us that materialistic things, temporal things are coming to an end.

You know, Peter even adds some graphic, very descriptive, inspired, description of what the end will look like.

Don't go too far, it's just the next book over.

Look at what he says about the end of all things.

And he knows what he's talking about because God has given him a 3D, vivid vision of what is to come.

Verse 10, the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night unexpectedly.

It's going to catch many by surprise in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will melt, melt with fervent heat.

Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up, Period.

Peter writes, the end is coming and it's not going to be pretty.

So things of temporal value will melt with fire and intense heat and be burned up.

No wonder the Apostle John, another disciple of Christ, he writes in 1st John chapter 2 verse 15, He says, do not love the world or the things in the world.

But wait a minute, the heavens declare the glory of God, and isn't nature God's second book, and doesn't nature reveal God?

Yes, but that's not what the biblical writers refer to when they speak of the world in the context of something that we ought to cut off or renounce.

The world in this context means anything and everything that is 1 of temporal value, not eternal, and it's something that actually redirects our focus away from God.

And Paul says, or John rather, do not love the world or the things in the world.

And James, James under the same inspiration of the same Holy Spirit wrote a similar concept in James chapter 4.

I'd like for you to see it and read it with your own eyes.

In fact, it's just before 1 Peter, so you don't have to go far.

We've seen it from different authors already.

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Bold Hospitality

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