Section 17 – 1 Peter 4:12-19
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
● (v12). Who are these people to Peter? What is Peter doing for his dear friends here? Do you have people in your life you would consider dear friends?
● (v12). What is the fiery ordeal that is testing Peter’s audience? What is a ‘test” for the believer? Who administers the test? (Look at 1 Peter 1:6-7, Isaiah 48:10, James 1:2-4, & 12.)
● (v13-14). What does Peter tell his friends to do? Why are they to rejoice? How are they blessed? Is rejoicing and counting your blessings a natural reaction to insults and experiencing suffering? How can we get to the point where it is?
● (v15). If Christians suffer, who should they not suffer as? Does any part of the list surprise you? What is a meddler/busybody?
● (v16). Should believers be ashamed of suffering for being a Christian? Why or why not?
● (v17-18). What type of judgment is given tot hose in God’s household? What will the judgment be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
● (v19). What should Christians do when they suffer according to God’s will?
● What is something from our passage you are challenged to ponder further this week?
Trials and Testings
1 Peter 1:6-7
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed
Isaiah 48:10
10 See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
James 1:2-4, & 12
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
The Lord’s Discipline
Hebrew 12:4-11
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.