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Call to worship: Malachi 3:1-6

Text: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Sermon Outline:

1. That we must endure as Christians: we can expect fiery trial for Jesus, 4:12
2. In what manner we must endure as Christians: with joy and resolve, 4:13-16
3. Why we must endure as Christians: sifting and salvation, 4:17-18
4. How we will endure as Christians: entrusting our souls to a faithful Creator, 4:19

Prepare

Discussion Questions:

1. Read 1 Peter 4:12-19. Note what's striking about it.
2. In 4:12-16, Peter returns to some things he's already said. Where has he addressed the place of trials in the Christian life? What did he say there? Why does he feel the need to remind us of it here?
3. In 4:12-16, Peter urges the church not to be surprised at the fiery trial, that is, to expect it. If we're strangers in the world, suffering shouldn't be strange to us. But on the contrary, how does Peter say we should respond to trial, in what way are we to endure it? What blessings do we have by trial (4:13-14)? What boldness in it (4:16)?
4. In 4:17-18, Peter tells us why we must endure as Christians. Why is that? What's meant by the judgment of the church? Why does it begin with us? What's meant by the righteous being 'scarcely' saved or saved 'with difficulty'? How might suffering purify or refine the church? How might it narrow the field on the way to final salvation? And what then of those who have lived and died rejecting the King's offer of the Gospel?
5. In 4:19, Peter says we endure by entrusting. Entrusting what to Whom? What adjective describes the Creator? Why is it 'Creator' here instead of 'God' or 'Father'? What, in the text, can we trust God to do as it relates to our souls? How does this spur us onward for Jesus?