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BEREAN COMMUNITY CHURCH

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1 Peter 4:12-19

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Wednesday May 18, 2022

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1 Peter 4:12–19 (NASB95)

¹²Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 

¹³but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 

¹⁴If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 

¹⁵Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; 

¹⁶but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. 

¹⁷For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 

¹⁸And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? 

¹⁹Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

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Group Discussions

1. Share the inductive questions you came up with in your prep of 1 Peter 4:12-19.

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• Share some of the observations you made in your study of 1 Peter 4:12-19.

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• What is the purpose of suffering in the Christian life?

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• Atheist John Stuart Mill: “God cannot be both omnipotent and good.” Why would Mill and others like him hold to such beliefs? How is the Christian to respond to such a statement?

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Red Bold: Significant words

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Blue Bold: of God, attributed to God, for/from God

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Theme of judgment / Judge in 1 Peter

1 Peter 1:17 (NASB95)

¹⁷If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;

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1 Peter 2:23 (NASB95)

²³and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

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1 Peter 4:5–6 (NASB95)

⁵but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 

⁶For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.

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Theme of judgment / Judge in 1 Peter

1 Peter 4:17–18 (NASB95)

¹⁷For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 

¹⁸And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?

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** Chastening that leads to cleansing through Refiner’s Fire (Malachi 3; Ezekiel 9)

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Matthew 7:21-27

²¹“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 

²²“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 

²³“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ 

²⁴“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 

²⁵“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 

²⁶“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 

²⁷“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

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Take home truths from 4:12-19

1. Christian suffering is to be expected and embraced as evidence of God’s faithful testing and disciplining of his children. (4:12,17)

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• There is a difference between suffering that comes as a result of sin and suffering that comes as a result of Christlikeness. We are to “make sure” for ourselves and others in the body of Christ, that when suffering comes, it is only for the latter. (4:14-16)

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• The Christian’s responsibility and privilege in every trial is to trust, do good, and glorify God. (4:13-14,17-19)

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Jonathan Isaac

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Jonathan Isaac

“I didn’t feel that putting that shirt on and kneeling went hand in hand with supporting black lives. My life has been supported by the Gospel, and that’s the message I want to share. Everyone is made in the image of God, and we fall short of His glory. We can point fingers at each other about whose evil is worse, but that just comes down to whose evil is most visible. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that there is grace for us all, and if we could recognize that we are no better than another, we could get past not only racism but everything else that plagues our society.”

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July 31, 2020 (age 22)

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Jonathan Isaac

“Karma, ‘a knee for a knee,’ is what many declared. My injury, according to some, was punishment for standing against black lives. The negative remarks didn’t bother me. If I’ve learned anything up until this point, it’s that God is good… He’s not just a God of the hills; He’s also a God of the valleys. That’s His love. I may had been playing the lead role in my circumstance, which I accepted, but God still held the lead role in my life.”

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Jonathan Isaac, Why I Stand, DW Books pg. 190-191

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Red Bold: Significant words

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Blue Bold: of God, attributed to God, for/from God

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For Next Bible Study (Wednesday 6/1)

1. Carefully read 1 Peter 5:1-7.

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• Ask inductive questions of these verses and come up with observations.

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• How do these verses fit into the context of the rest of the section, chapter, and letter?

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• What are some practical and measurable applications you can draw from these verses?

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• In light of the growing hostilities, what were Peter’s instructions to those in the church?�

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Group Discussions

1. What role has suffering and refining judgment played in the shaping of your faith?

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• What are tangible applications that you can make in your life from 1 Peter 4:12-19?

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• In what ways can your small group members pray for you as you share the sufferings of Christ?

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