Content (not
sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture, fit on one line):
1.Th4, since C suffrd in body, arm urselvs w/same
attitude bec who suffrs in body done w/sin(1)
2.As result, the live rest of earthly lives 4evil
human desires but 4 will of G(2)
3.U enuf time doing wht pagans
do-debauchery,lust,drunkenness,orgies,carousing,detestable idolatry(3)
4.They surprised u join them in reckless, wild
living & they heap abuse on u(4)
5.But they will giveacct2Him who is ready to judge
living&dead(5)
6.this reasn gospl preachd2those now dead,they judgd humn
std regd body,live acc2G regd spirit(6)
7.End of all is near. Be alert&of sober mind so u can
pray(7)
8.Above all, lv ea othr deeply, bec lv cvrs mult of
sins(8)
9.offer hospitality2 1anothr w/o grumbling(9)
10.use whatever gift u recd 2serve others as faithful
stewards of Gsgrace in various forms(10)
11.if any1 spks,do as1who spks wds of G;if any1 servs,do
w/strength G provides so G praisd thru JC(11a)
12.to Him b glory & pwr forever (11b)
13.Friends, be surprised at fiery ordeal cm2test u
as tho something strange happning2u(12)
14.Rejoice as u participate in sufferings of C so u
overjoyed when glory revealed(13)
15.if u insulted bec of name of C u blessd 4 spirit of
glory & G rests on u(14)
16.if u suffer, should not be as murderer, thief, other
criminal or meddler(15)
17.if u suffer as Christian, be ashamed, but
praise G you bear that name(16)
18.its time4judgmt2begin w/Gs household; if begins w/us,
what outcm4those who obey gospl(17)
19.”it hard4righteous2b saved, what become of
ungodly&sinner?”(18)
20.so those who suffer acc2Gs will should commit
selves2faithful Creator&cont2do good(19)
Divisions (run-on
sentence OK, direct verbiage from Scripture/Principles are Aims for each
Division):
1.Arm yourselves with Christ’s attitude and live
according to God(1-6)
Principle: Christ followers adopt Christ’s attitude as
their own.
2.The end is near.
Be alert, love, offer hospitality, use your gifts to serve others(7-11)
Principle: Christ followers prayerfully use what God
gives them to serve others.
3.Rejoice as you participate in the sufferings of
Christ(12-19)
Principle: Christ followers ultimately rejoice in
suffering.
Subject Sentence (10-word
sentence with proper structure showing exactly where you are in Scripture):
Peter writes: rejoice in suffering; judgment and glory
are coming.
Aim (“To Cause My
Audience To…” Know, See, etc.):
TCMATK The suffering we believers experience in this life
is nothing compared to the glory we’ll experience in eternity with Jesus!
Application (not
yes or no question. Meant to bring about
life change):
1.What aspects of Christ’s attitude are part of your
character and what aspects would you like to incorporate? How will you do this?
2.How are you using/will you use your gifts to serve
others?
3.What experiences have you had suffering for Christ and
how have you rejoiced through those experiences?
A few notes on 1 Peter 4:
How do you arm yourself with Christ’s attitude? What is Christ’s attitude? Philippians 2:5-8 tells us He is an obedient
and humble servant of God to the death.
Are you?
Philippians 4:8 tells us what we should fill our minds
with: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent,
praiseworthy. That’s what Jesus fills
His mind with. Are these the kinds of
thoughts you’re entertaining? Or do you
ponder wickedness, flaws, weaknesses, inferiority, fault, lies, guilt, blame?
We need to get our minds and attitudes right with God and
we need to keep fighting those battles actively so the enemy doesn’t sneak in
and sow seeds of sinful thought in our minds.
We need that helmet of salvation placed firmly on our
heads. We need to know and remember
daily who we are in Christ so we don’t believe or even consider the enemy’s
lies.
What begins in our hearts and minds comes out in our
speech and deeds. There are only 2
choices: we either live for our evil human desires or for the will of God. There is no middle ground.
We’ve spent enough time living for evil human
desires! How will you seek and live for
the will of God? Bible study. Prayer.
Wise Christian counsel and accountability.
Those still living for evil human desires, especially
your friends, will be surprised when you stop doing the things you used to
do. They’ll feel judged by you – or
convicted by the Spirit – and it’ll come out of them as ridicule and abuse.
Take those hurt feelings and turn them away from hate and
second guessing your choices. Turn them
to prayer for your accusers. They will
be judged and they’re not headed for heaven!
If you’re truly their friend, you want them to be in heaven,
though. We need to pray for their eyes
and hearts to be opened and receptive to the gospel!
Who are you adding to your prayer list? I have a few.
When you pray for these people, the hate and the hurt fade and love and
compassion take the place of those negative emotions.
As believers in Christ, we should love our friends well
especially when they don’t love us back.
The end is near.
That thought can explode our minds into chaos! Because it’s true that Jesus’ Second Coming
is closer now than it ever was before, we have to be alert and sober-minded so
we can pray!
How difficult is it to pray on a “normal” day with
“normal” distractions and “normal” concerns?
How much harder is it to pray when you’ve received that
news from the doctor? That foreclosure notice?
That your job’s been eliminated effective immediately?
We need to be in the Word. We need to be praying constantly. We need to trust God’s sovereignty and His
goodness and His promises. Those days
will fling us into the chaos that the non-believing world already lives
in! They grab at everything like a
drowning man grabs at everything hoping for some stability so they can catch
their breath. We need to grab hold of
our hope which is in Jesus Christ!
Do you love each other deeply? It’s no accident Peter talks about love right
after talking about prayer. It’s loving
to bring people to the throne of God in prayer.
Remember what I wrote a moment ago about love and compassion and
replacing hate and hurt feelings toward someone we’re praying for. Prayer is a loving investment. It softens our hearts and works miracles in
the lives of others. Come to think of
it, softening my heart is a miracle in itself!
Do you offer hospitality without grumbling? I remember a joke I heard about a little girl
at the table at a dinner party her parents were throwing asking permission to
say the blessing over the meal. She
turned to her Mom and asked, “What should I say?” Her Mom told her to say what she heard Mommy
say. So the little girl bowed her head
and said, “Dear God, why did I invite all these people for dinner?”
Grumbling in NOT a beauty treatment! Last week we saw in 1 Peter 3:3-5 that our
beauty comes from within…that gentle and quiet spirit is unfading beauty.
Grumbling makes us ugly.
Beauty is only skin deep when our ugly goes clear to the bone! It’s about our heart. Physical beauty is going to fade no matter
how we fight it. True beauty comes from
the inside. Amen!
Are you using your gifts to serve others? Are you serving in your church? What excuses are you making to avoid
serving? I pray God pokes so many holes
in those excuses that they disintegrate before your eyes and you run to your
pastor asking where he needs your service and you joyfully take up that cross.
Do you treat your words as if they are the very words of
God? Father, may the word of your people
be glorifying to You.
Do you seek God’s glory in all you do? Whether it’s cleaning the bathroom or singing
a solo in the choir or going on a mission trip?
There is no small service when it’s done for God’s kingdom and His
glory.
Are you surprised when bad things happen? Don’t be.
We’re on the devil’s radar because we belong to Christ. We should rejoice when suffering comes. Maybe we should turn our attitudes around and
be surprised when good things happen to us!!!
Just a thought. Try it for a
day…or a week…
Sometimes you’ll know without a doubt we’re suffering
because of Jesus. Other times, we won’t
be so sure. At least this is my
experience. As long as you’re not
suffering for a crime you’ve actually committed – even meddling 1 Peter 4:15
says – consider all your suffering to be because of your relationship with
Jesus Christ. And rejoice!!!
Trust God. Commit
yourself to Him. Continue to do good.
Back to meddling – I thought that was interesting. According to 1 Thessalonians 4:11, we’re
supposed to live quiet lives, minding our own business.
According to 2 Thessalonians 3:11, meddling comes from
being idle. It makes us disruptive. In other words, stay busy for Jesus and His
kingdom’s advancement and you won’t have time to be a busybody!
We should be happy to suffer for the cause of
Christ. Remember: our suffering draws us
into intimate fellowship with Jesus.
Judgment is coming.
Believers are only safe from judgment because Jesus was judged in our
place! Those who are lost have no hope
when facing judgment because none of us can pass God’s judgment on our
own. Only Jesus meets God’s standards.
Only the Savior can stand before God the Father, Creator,
King of the Universe and be judged worthy.
Have you placed your hope and trust in Jesus? He is the only hope!
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