INTRODUCTION: THIS IS THE LAST WEEK OF OUR STUDY OF 1 PETER. OUR STUDY IS 1PETER 5: BUT I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT FINISHING UP UNFINISHED BUSINESS FROM LAST WEEK. LAST WEEK WE LOOKED AT THE TOPIC OF OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS SUFFERING -- AND WHEN OUR TIME WAS UP SEVERAL PEOPLE HAD THEIR HANDS UP AND WE HAD NOT FINISHED THE DISCUSSION.
BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE OR WILL HAVE TO FACE SUFFERING, AND BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A TEST OF FAITH, I WANT TO GO BACK AND FINISH UP LAST WEEK'S DISCUSSION BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD TO CHPT. 5 I. REVIEW A. LAST WEEK PETER STARTED OUT BY TELLING US NOT TO BE SURPRISED IF WE SUFFER. HE THEN MADE TWO LINES OF ARGUMENT WHY WE SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISED. [MAKE A CHART WITH 2 COLUMNS. AS DISCUSS, WRITE IN "CHRIST SUFFERED" "JUDGMENT/PURITY"] II. SUFFERING BECAUSE WE ARE SERVANTS OF CHRIST. A. READ v. 13--16. B. THE FIRST LINE OF PETER'S ARGUMENT IS THAT "CHRIST SUFFERED." SIMPLE CONCEPT: WE SHOULD NOT OBJECT TO SUFFERING BECAUSE CHRIST SUFFERED. WE ARE CERTAINLY NOT BETTER THAN HIM, WE DESERVE IT AND HE DID NOT. C. BUT I WANT US TO DIG DEEP HERE AND GO BEYOND THE SURFACE. v. 16 SEEMS TO CLEARLY INDICATE THAT WE WILL SUFFER AS CHRISTIANS: FOR BEING AND DOING GOOD. --NOT AS ANY SORT OF JUDGMENT OR PUNISHMENT. D. JUST WHY DID JESUS SUFFER? *** E. WAS IT GOD'S WILL THAT HE SUFFER? (IT HAD TO BE. IF IT WAS NOT GOD'S WILL, JESUS IS GOD AND HE WOULD NOT HAVE DONE IT.) *** F. SO, IS IT GOD'S WILL IF WE SUFFER? (IF THEY SAY NO, ASK WHY NOT IF IT WAS HIS WILL THAT JESUS SUFFERED?) *** G. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT EVIL CAN BE DEFEATED ONLY THROUGH SUFFERING? (GOD'S PERFECT WILL WAS THAT ADAM AND EVE WOULD HAVE PAID ATTENTION, OBEYED AND LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER WITHOUT SIN AND SUFFERING. BUT SINCE ADAM AND EVE DID NOT OBEY AND FOLLOW GOD'S WILL...) H. THEN "PLAN B" WENT INTO EFFECT. UNDER PLAN B CAN EVIL ONLY BE DEFEATED THROUGH SUFFERING? (PROBABLY) I. DID GOD LACK LOVE OR CONCERN TOWARDS CHRIST? 1. IS OUR SUFFERING A SIGN THAT GOD LACKS LOVE OR CONCERN TOWARDS US? J. DO YOU SEE THE SUFFERING OF JOB TO BE LIKE THE SUFFERING OF CHRIST? (SEVERAL PARALLELS: A) EXAMPLE TO OTHERS; B) GOD CALLED JOB A PERFECT MAN; C) CAUSED BY SATAN'S ATTACK, THE EXTENT OF WHICH WAS CONTROLLED BY GOD.) 1. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT ALL UNDERSERVED SUFFERING IS JUST LIKE THAT? 2. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE TWO TIMES WHERE THE CURTAIN IS PULLED BACK AND WE CAN SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING, IT LOOKS LIKE SUFFERING CAME IN THE SAME WAY? III. JUDGMENT A. PETER'S SECOND LINE OF ARGUMENT IS IN v.17-19. READ v. 17. 1. CAN SUFFERING ALSO BE A JUDGMENT FROM GOD? 2. A JUDGMENT THAT STARTS WITH THE FAMILY OF GOD? (EZK9) B. IN OUR DISCUSSION LAST WEEK, SOME THOUGHT THAT SUFFERING DID NOT COME FROM GOD, BUT ANOTHER SUGGESTED THAT IT "PURIFIED" THE SAINTS: AN IDEA THAT WAS REALLY HAMMERED HOME IN SUNDAY'S LESSON: "TRIAL IS PART OF THE EDUCATION GIVEN IN THE SCHOOL OF CHRIST TO PURIFY GOD'S CHILDREN FROM THE DROSS OF EARTHLINESS." C. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS IDEA OF JESUS MAKING GOOD PEOPLE SUFFER SO THAT THEY WILL BE BETTER--HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN v. 17 REFERENCE TO JUDGMENT BEGINNING WITH THE FAMILY OF GOD? D. WHAT IS JUDGMENT? (PUNISHMENT FOR BAD, REWARD FOR GOOD.) E. DOES THIS MEAN THAT GOOD PEOPLE ARE PUNISHED FOR THE BAD THAT THEY HAVE? DOES THIS SUPPORT THE IDEA OF "PURIFYING THE SAINTS?" F. SO IF WE LEARN HOW TO LIVE BY STUDYING THE BIBLE, AND DO IT, WE WILL NOT NEED THIS PURIFICATION? **** 1. CONSIDER THIS IDEA: THE RIGHTEOUS ARE SAVED BY FAITH: BUT GOOD BEHAVIOR CAN KEEP YOU OUT OF HARMS WAY--OUT OF THE WAY OF THE TRIALS OF PURIFICATION! a. AGREE? (IT CLEARLY HELPS TO KEEP YOU OUT OF HARM'S WAY.) b. CAN YOU SAY THAT SALVATION IS FREE; PUT IF YOU WANT TO STAY OUT OF HARMS WAY, VIGOROUSLY KEEP THE LAW? IV. CHANCE? A. NEITHER THE EXAMPLE OF JOB OR JESUS, NOR ANYTHING WRITTEN IN CHPT. 4 GIVE ANY HINT OF RANDOM SUFFERING: BEING IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME OR "JUST CATCHING CANCER." 1. I HAVE OFTEN SAID (IN THIS CLASS) I THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS RANDOM SUFFERING. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT NONE OF THIS HAPPENS BY CHANCE? 2. WHY DO WE WANT TO SAY THAT SOME SUFFERING COMES BY CHANCE? 3. SUFFERING IS OBVIOUSLY A TEMPTATION. JESUS TELLS US THAT HE WILL NOT ALLOW US TO BE TEMPTED "BEYOND WHAT [WE] CAN BEAR." 1 COR. 10:13. 4. IN MATT. 10:29 NIV SAYS THAT SPARROW DOES NOT FALL "APART FROM THE WILL OF YOUR FATHER." **** 5. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT WE ALL SUFFER FOR ONE OF THESE TWO REASONS: PART OF JUDGMENT (WRONGDOING) OR WE SUFFER BECAUSE WE ARE CHRISTIANS? V. CHAPTER 5 A. PETER CONTINUES WITH THE TOPIC OF SUFFERING IN CHAPT. 5. HE HAS TOLD US ABOUT THE CAUSE OF SUFFERING IN CHPT. 4, NOW HE TELLS US ABOUT THE SOLUTION. READ 5:7-10. B. WHAT ARE PETER'S TWO SOLUTIONS TO SUFFERING? (v. 7 CAST YOUR ANXIETY UPON GOD. v.10 IN HEAVEN JESUS WILL RESTORE US.) C. HOW DO YOU "CAST YOUR ANXIETY" OR "CAST YOUR CARE" UPON JESUS? (PART OF THIS IS SIMPLY KNOWING THAT JESUS CARES FOR US.) D. SO WE CAN TRUST HIM NOW TO CARE FOR US AND WE CAN TRUST HIM THEN TO RESTORE US AND MAKE US STRONG, FIRM AND STEADFAST (THUS SUGGESTING THAT IN TRIALS WE MAY NOT BE ANY OF THESE.) E. DO YOU THINK HIS OTHER SUGGESTIONS ABOUT RESISTING THE DEVIL AND BEING SELF-CONTROLLED AND ALERT HELP US WITH SUFFERING? (THIS SUGGESTS THAT ALL OUR SUFFERING COMES FROM SATAN. KNOWING THAT IT COMES FROM THE ENEMY, AND NOT GOD, HELPS US TO KEEP OUR COURAGE. 1. BUT PERHAPS MORE FUNDAMENTALLY, HE SEEMS TO SUGGEST THAT IF WE ARE PAYING ATTENTION BY BEING "SELF-CONTROLLED" AND "ALERT" TO EVIL, THAT WE EXPOSE OURSELVES LESS TO THE LION.) F. NOW GO BACK TO BEGINNING OF CHPT 5. G. READ v. 1-4. YOU WILL REMEMBER THAT PETER OFTEN MENTIONED HOW LINES OF AUTHORITY SHOULD OPERATE AMONG CHRISTIANS: FREE MEN TO THE LAW, SERVANTS TO MASTERS, WIVES TO HUSBANDS, ETC. HERE HE TALKS ABOUT ELDERS TO THE REST OF THE CHURCH. 1. HOW IS IT THAT ELDERS SHOULD "RULE" OVER THE CHURCH? (a. AS SHEPHERDS b. AS OVERSEERS c. WILLINGLY d. NOT FOR PROFIT e. EAGER TO SERVE f. NOT LORDING IT OVER THE OTHERS g. BY EXAMPLE) H. READ v. 5-6 1. HOW IS IT THAT THE REST (THE "YOUNG MEN") SHOULD REACT TO THIS? 2. HOW SHOULD THEY ACCEPT AUTHORITY? 3. IT SAYS "CLOTHE YOURSELVES WITH HUMILITY." OUR LESSON QUOTES A FELLOW WHO SAYS THAT "MANY WOULD BE SCANTILY CLAD IF CLOTHED WITH THEIR HUMILITY." 4. WHAT IS PETER SUGGESTING IN v. 6 WHEN HE SAYS "HE MAY LIFT YOU UP IN DUE TIME?" (IF YOU ARE HUMBLE AND LEARN WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG, YOUR TURN WILL COME TO ASSUME THE POSITION OF AN ELDER AND HELP OTHERS.) VI. NEXT WEEK: NEW QUARTER, NEW BOOK: SONG OF SOLOMON.
