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Know You are Loved…
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Expect them
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Rejoice in them
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Understand them
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Trust Him in them
The Believers were suffering which included “mental anguish,” which is what the word “distressed” means in 1 Peter 1:6. Some were beaten “get verse slaves } Nero the emperor was a wicked man, and was suspected of burning Rome down a few months earlier so he could build it they way he wanted and so had to get rid of the buildings already there. He needed a scape-goat and so he blamed the followers of Christ.Peter wrote this a few months later to the believer who were scattered, slandered, suffering.People had turned on the followers of Christ with an intense, hostile, vicious persecution. They were suffering unjustly -{1 Peter 2:19}. They were suffering for righteousness and been hit with fearful intimidation -{3:14}. Christ suffered and so will you, expect it.-{4:1}. But God promised to use their suffering for their spiritual welfare-{5:10}, and even their enemies welfare-{1 Peter 3:15-16}.
The people were slandering the Christians believing they were anti government because they did not believe “Ceaser was Lord,” but said “Jesus was LORD.” They believed they were anti family, as if one member became a Christian there was a split in different goals,desires and worship in the family. There were accused of being cannibals, the accusation that they offered the blood of children in sacrifice and would eat children. At the time there were approximately 60 million slaves and in the Roman court of law they had no rights, they were treated as objects and not humans. The believers were facing “fiery trials.” They had been scattered, slandered and suffering for their allegiance to the LORD Jesus. They had counted the cost and as 1 Peter 2:7 considered “unto us who believe He is Precious.” He was supremely valued by them.
In these “Fiery Trials” define the meaning
“So reason number one is that suffering is not surprising, it is planned. It is a testing. It is purifying fire. It proves and strengthens real faith, and it consumes “performance faith.” piper
list types of suffering piper names them….
they were experiencing we want to look at 5 Points to help us suffer well for Christ when we expereince it for His sake. It may not be as severe as these people did, it may be mocking, oztracized, laughed at, ridiculed, never theless it is painful and at tmes causing “mental anguish,” but we need to be ready and not taken of giard as if something strange is happening to us or wonder why me, and misunderstand that if we are trying to live for Chrst that somehow that absolves us from trials or suffering. Not sio! The Scripture says those whod esire to live Godly shall suffer persecutio”… harrasment!
Suffering is the norm, the intensity, types may different but it is guaranteed for those who live for Him will suffer for righteousness
In your “Fiery Trials”
“Our life trials are not as some suggest a lack of faith or God’s punishment but a purifying tool that God uses to hone and refine His children – to develop our trust and dependence upon Him. God’s purpose in each of our lives is to educate, discipline and train us in righteousness.. and the fiery trials that come upon us are used by Him to try us.. as the furnace tries silver – to cut deep into our fleshly nature and polish off all the fleshly dross that contaminates our new-life in Christ – so that by grace through faith we will not murmur, but humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God,.. knowing that He has promised to exalt us in due time. So let us accept life’s fiery trial as a beautiful child-training tool to conform us into Christlikeness – and yield to His gracious child-training, so that in the end.. we will come forth as pure gold”
Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/1-peter-4-12
read inckude here…..rom 5:3-4 2 cor 1:9; james 1:24; 1 peter 1:6–7; 4:1
“Now, let me say this before I dig into these words. You only suffer for righteousness’ sake when you are visibly righteous. It is only when you live godly in an unrighteous culture that you create the hostility. If you manage to hide your virtue, if you manage to hide your testimony for Christ, if you manage to sublimate the fact that you are a Christian so that no one can perceive it, then it is unlikely that you will suffer. But for those who live righteous, those who demonstrate their commitment to Christ, those who speak boldly, those who say what needs to be said where it needs to be said, there will be a hostile reaction.
“we need to take to heart verses 12 through 19. Here Peter gives us the proper way to deal with suffering for righteousness’ sake. And I have to tell you that I’ve gone over this repeatedly in my own mind because I get a little of this. It’s amazing to me that sometimes the suffering for righteousness’ sake comes from within the church, within the framework of Christianity. “- {mac athur}
1.GOD LOVES YOU;
“Beloved.” The temptation to question does God love you when you are suffering can go through your mind, how can He love you if He is allowing this and such thoughts that ultimately attack the character of God, to question His goodness, wisdom and love. {how many times in 1 peter is BELOVED used– 2 times 1 peter 2:11 and 1 Peter 4:12 } “friends, dearly loved by God.” Romans 1;7 “Beloved….” “Accepted in the Beloved”-{Eph 1:6}
2. EXPECT THEM – DON’T BE SURPRISED BY SUFFERING.
The word “surprised” means
“James explains that God uses trials to test our faith and to produces endurance. Indeed he even exhorts us to consider our various trials as a joy and blessing from our Father, while Paul warns that all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution – but that God Himself will comfort us in our suffering and pain.. so that we can comfort others in their suffering and pain. And Peter joins the chorus: beloved bretheren, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you to test you, as though some strange thing were happening to you.
Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/1-peter-4-12
“In Peter’s day, people expressed surprise that they should suffer. Does that sound familiar? “Surprised” (NIV, NRSV) or “think it … strange” (KJV) is the Greek verb xenizō, “to cause a strong psychological reaction through introduction of something new or strange, astonish, surprise.”[227] If you’re fairly new to the faith, Christian suffering may seem like something strange (Greek xenos, “strange, foreign”) to you. It’s not. It comes with the package. Paul reminded Timothy of a similar truth:
“Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12).”
“Peter is issuing a command (present imperative) which when combined with the negative (“not”) implies they were in fact being surprised or shocked by the fiery trials that had come upon them. The idea of this command then is to “stop thinking it a thing alien”, “stop being shocked”. Remember that all of the commands of God come with the power of God to carry them out! Submit. Yield. Surrender to His will. Continually walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16–note). Continually be being filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit (Ep 5:18–note) See also discussion of the Need for the Holy Spirit to obey NT commands.
Peter repeated stressed mental readiness (what you believe determines how you behave) was vital for believers who would walk in the power of Christ’s victory on the Cross over sin, Satan and the world (cf “gird your minds… keep sober… fix your hope” – see notes 1Pe 1:13–note; be of sound judgment and sober spirit – note 1Pe 4:7–note, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert” – 1Pe 5:8–note).
Peter is saying here “Stop being caught off guard. Stop being surprised.” The natural attitude is to look on persecution or testing or affliction as something strange and abnormal. We think things like “I’ve had a great quiet time all week. I don’t deserve this trial. Why is this happening to me?” We are surprised when we have to suffer and often we feel like no one has ever suffered like we are suffering (cp 1Pe 5:9–note, 1Pe 5:10–note). We all tend to think that our suffering is strange and that it is unlike anything that has been suffered before (cp 1Co 10:13–note). When Paul was chosen as an apostle, the Lord warned him so that he would not be surprised…
I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake (Acts 9:16, cp 2Co 4:11, Mt 5:11, 12–note, 2Ti 3:11, 12–note)
These Christians were thinking that the suffering which they were enduring was a thing foreign or alien to their Christian lives, as if Christianity made one an immune to suffering. Peter exhorts them to think rightly about suffering and to realize it an expected thing. Suffering for righteousness’ (Christ’s) sake is clearly on the calendar of every genuine believer in view of the world’s hatred of our Lord Jesus Christ (see especially Jn 15:18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 16:33) and also in view of the truth that believers are in covenant with Jesus, identified with Him, and bear His name to the world who does not know Him and who flagrantly mocks Him (2Pe 3:3–note).
As Paul forewarned his young disciple Timothy…
Indeed, all who desire (continually desiring by an active decision of their will) to (continually) live godly in Christ Jesus will be (not “may be” but a guarantee “will be”!) persecuted (see note 2 Timothy 3:12)
3. REJOICE IN THEM; KEEP ON REJOICING WHEN SUFFERING
Rejoicing means
Matt 5 : so they persecuted the prophets…”
Reasons to keep on rejoicing
“BELOVED.”
present –
“BLESSED”
Future Reward;
SPIRIT RESTING ON YOU -“If you say, “What is this?” — the Spirit of glory and of God resting on me in suffering — the answer is simply this: you will find out when you need it. The Spirit will reveal enough of glory and enough of God to satisfy your soul, and carry you through.”PIPER
4. Understand them; Evaluate them. Take infontory; TAKE INVENTORY IN YOUR SUFFERING; EVALUATE WHY YOU ARE SUFFERING
Ask yourself “Why am I suffering?” Note there is the will of God suffering and there is because of my sin, foolishness that I suffer…
“If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. “- V 15 NLT
ultimately for your testing!
5. DEPOSIT- SAFEKEEPING- ENTRUST YOURSELF TO GOD IN YOUR SUFFERING
“Entrust” is a banking term that mans to “Deposit”
“Second, entrust your soul to a faithful Creator. Verse 19: “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
This word “entrust” (paratithesthosan) is the same word used in Luke 23:46 when Jesus cries out at the moment of his death, “‘Father, into your hands I commit (paratithemai) my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last.”
It’s the same reality we find in 1 Peter 2:23 which describes what Jesus was doing all through his suffering: “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.”
So Jesus showed how to suffer without retaliation, even when being treated so unjustly. We entrust the justice of our cause, and we entrust our souls to a faithful Creator. “-{Piper}
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