Expect, Embrace, Entrust
1 peter 4:12-19
Main Idea: We rejoice when we suffer as Christians by entrusting our souls to God while doing good.
I. Expect the Fire (4:12-14)
1 Peter 4:12-19: Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
John 16:33: I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
1 Peter 4:13: But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
James 1:2-4: Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Acts 5:41: Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
1 Peter 4:14: If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Isaiah 11:2: And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
II. Embrace the Cross (4:15-18)
1 Peter 4:15: But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.
1 Peter 4:16: Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.
If you suffer for the name of Christ, bearing that name, you glorify God.
1 Peter 4:17-18: For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
The fire that purifies the Church will consume everyone outside the Church.
“It is God’s nature to make something out of nothing. Hence one who is not yet nothing, out of him God cannot make anything.”
~ Martin Luther
The best is yet to come for those in Christ, but for all those who are not in Christ, the worst is yet to come.
III. Entrust the Future (4:19)
1 Peter 4:19: Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
God is your Creator — He is sovereign over everything.
And He is faithful — He never fails His people.
Psalm 31:5: Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God
Acts 7:59: And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Luke 23:46: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!”
Heidelberg Catechism Q & A
Q: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A: That I am not my own, but belong— body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.
