1 Peter 4:7
The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.
Amplified Bible
The end and culmination of all things is near. Therefore, be sound-minded and self-controlled for the purpose of prayer [staying balanced and focused on the things of God so that your communication will be clear, reasonable, specific and pleasing to Him.]
Contemporary English Version
Everything will soon come to an end. So be serious and be sensible enough to pray.
Good News Translation
The end of all things is near. You must be self-controlled and alert, to be able to pray.
Apostle Peter tells the church in this text that the end of everything is near. Some day everything, as we know it today, will come to an end. This is solid biblical teaching. One day the end of everything will come. We also know it as the end of the world.
End of governments of the world. End of economic activities. End of going through school. End of relationships and social life. End of families. End of our best developments. End of everything good and bad. God will end this world and create a new heaven and a new earth. A new way of life. A sinless world. A world with no trouble and sorrow. A world where it is happiness and pleasure without end. A world without death. A world without pain. This is what will come if this one ends. Therefore, the end of this world is good news to believers.
Only believers will cross from this world to the next excellent world that God has prepared for us. Non-believers will perish with this present world when everything comes to an end. Therefore, an announcement that the end of everything is near is good news to believers and bad news to non-believers. What kind of news is it to you, to know that everything will soon come to an end?
Matthew 6:10
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
When Jesus taught us to pray, He taught us to pray for the coming of God’s kingdom on earth. The complete and full realization of God’s kingdom is when the end of everything comes. Apostle Peter tells the church in our key text today that the end of everything is near. Peter wants them to be ready. Therefore, how do they get ready?
Since the end of everything is near, Apostle Peter tells the church to stay alert and sober. You cannot be ready for the end of the world unless you are alert and sober. The end of everything is a very serious event and it requires one to be alert and sober. Alert from deception and harm. Sober from being carried away by transient things.
The alertness and sobriety are supposed to facilitate our prayer life. Our prayer life is the preparation we need for the end of everything. You cannot be prayerful unless you are alert and sober. Be alert and sober so that you can pray.
Sober means you are not high on anything that makes one high. Alcohol makes us high. Marijuana makes us high. Narcotics make us high. You cannot be prayerful if you are stupefied by these substances and drugs. You must quit their usage and be sober, then you will have a fruitful prayer life. You will have answered prayers. You will have a fulfilling life of faith. Be alert and sober so that you can pray!
Politics can make us high. Hatred can make us high. Love affairs can make us high. Sports and entertainment can make us high. Love and pursuit of money can make us high. Pride and arrogance due to achievements can make us high. When we are high we are not sober. When we are not sober we cannot pray as it pleases God. We must overcome these things that make us high so that we can be sober. Be alert and sober so that you can pray!
Luke 18:10-14
(10) “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. (11) The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. (12) I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
(13) “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
(14) “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The Pharisee was not sober when he went to pray. The Pharisee was high on himself. He was high on his sense of being better than others religiously. He was high on his religious achievements and activities. His prayer did not receive an answer from God because he was high. Unless you are sober, your prayer life is a waste of time. Be alert and sober so that you can pray!
Why are we not sober today? Is it the looks we have? Is it the money we have made? Is it academic achievement? Is it our status in society? What is making us high? Why are we not sober? Is it a competition with one another? Is it fear that someone will rise? Is it fear that someone has the potential to replace you? Why are you high? Why are you not sober? Could it be the double life you live? Without sobriety, our faith and prayers are in vain. Be alert and sober so that you can pray!
The end of everything is near, are you sober? Are you prayerful in a productive manner? What is making you high? May God help us identify what makes us high so that we can embrace sobriety and prayerfully wait for the end of everything. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
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Thanks for this Pst! Blessings
Blessings on you too!