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The Book of 1st Peter: Message Forty Six
By Dr. Michael
Guido, D.D.
He was a minister and he had a
burning heart. One day he walked into the store of one of his
members and asked, "Did you expect me?" "No,
sir," was the answer. "What if I had been death?" he
asked, and out he stepped, as suddenly as he came in. It's important
that we live every day as though it were our last one. It may be.
It's written in 1st Peter 4:7, "The end of all
things is at hand," and I must confess with one of old,
"there is but a step between me and death." But there may
be something closer than a date with death, and that's the return of
our Lord. It was Dr. G. Campbell Morgan who said, "I never
begin my work in the morning without thinking that perhaps He may
interrupt my work and begin His own. I'm not looking for death. I'm
looking for Him." For the Bible says, "The Lord is at
hand."
It's interesting to note that when
Paul, in the book of Philippians; and Peter, in 1st
Peter, spoke of the imminence of the Lord's return, they immediately
spoke of the importance of prayer. It's written in Philippians 4:5
and 6, "The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in
every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known unto God." And in 1st Peter
4:7, it's written, "The end of all things is at hand: be ye
therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." When there's an
expectancy of the Lord's return, there's an exhortation to pray. So
let's consider the props for prayer in 1st Peter 4:7.
Mark the sound-mindedness. The
Bible says, "Be ye therefore sober." Literally, that
means, "Be ye of sound mind." When the Lord calls upon you
to act soberly and sensibly, He doesn't expect you to drown yourself
in gloomy joylessness. And He doesn't expect you to be flippant and
frivolous. You're always to consider the effect of your conduct and
conversation on others. For 20 years he had been a gangster, and one
day in prison he got saved. It seemed as if the Lord said to him,
"I'll come into you and live in you, and we'll serve your
sentence together." Having served his sentence, he was about to
leave, and a prisoner handed him a letter that read, "When I
came to this prison I despised preachers, the Bible, and everything
religious. When I heard you got saved, I suspected you were
pretending, just to get a parole. But I've watched you, Roy. I've
watched you when you were in the yard exercising, when you were in
the shop, when you played, while we were all together at meals, on
the way to our cells, and all over. Now I'm a Christian, too,
because I watched you. You never made a slip."
Mark the self-restraint. The Bible
says, "watch unto prayer." The word "watch"
signifies "be calm and collected in the spirit." And the
word "unto" means "with a view to." It could be
translated "to help you to pray." A calm and collected
spirit will help you pray. If there's fear in your thoughts, there's
no room for faith. If there's terror in your thoughts, there no room
for trust. Tell me - what's in control of your mind - fear or faith,
terror or trust, grief or God? While on a hunting trip one of the
campers left a kettle of boiling water over the fire. A bear came
along, saw the kettle and seized it. Instead of dropping it, he
hugged the burning kettle to him - his only known method of defense.
That's what many do with their burning troubles. Instead of casting
their care on the Lord, they hug and hold onto them. That's why they
get burned. If you're not led to the unloading of your burdens on
the Lord, you'll be led to the undoing of yourself. One night a fine
old Bishop was worrying his heart over people and places. As he was
tossing on his bed, he thought he heard the Lord say, "Go to
sleep, Bishop; I'll sit up the rest of the night." So just now,
come close to Christ. That's good. Now unload your load on the Lord.
That's fine. Now go in peace, leaving everything with the Lord.
Mark the supplication. It's
written in 1st Peter 4:7, "The end of all things is
at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." If you
were engaged in a struggle with an enemy, and he had a weapon that
meant victory, you'd do your best to get that weapon and to keep him
from using it; wouldn't you? Just so, you have a weapon that can
defeat wickedness and worry. It's prayer, and the devil knows it.
That's why he does his best to keep you from praying. When you're
prayerless, you're powerless, and in comes worry and wickedness,
defeat and despair. So let nothing cause your prayers to cease! An
old Indian teacher met a young convert and asked, "Do you pray
daily?" "I have no time to pray," he answered.
"Do you have time to breathe?" he asked. "I take time
for that," he said. "Then," urged the teacher,
"it's just as important to pray as it is to breathe."
Let's "pray without ceasing."
copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic
Association
All Scripture verses are
quoted from the New King James Version..
This series of messages on the
books of the Bible were originally written for
broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program, "The
Sower." They are collected and reprinted here
for your enjoyment and spiritual edification.
