Equipped to Live -- a Study of 1 Peter 4:1-11
- mww
- Oct 13, 2016
- 15 min read
God didn’t leave us to stand again the world by ourselves.
Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for 1 Peter 4:1-11
We shouldn’t give in to pressure from the outside world because Jesus is coming back soon, and it would be a huge mistake to abandon ship so close to the end. The tools of stick-to-it-ness are prayer, love, and hospitality. Are you doing those things? God has also given us special gifts to help us all make it through.
Now the end of all things is near; therefore, be serious and disciplined for prayer. (4:7)
Getting Started: The Icebreaker
You have several ways to start this one . . .
A “Look Forward To” Date.
Your leader guide mentions the importance of vacations as something good for a family to look forward to. I really like that, although I think the reason they gave you for including it is a stretch. Here’s what I would do with it: how do you cope with a particularly rough stretch of life? Or what helps you get through a really hard time? Or (if you want to be more positive) how you keep your nose to the grindstone on a really long project? Everybody has different ways of doing that, but generally people find something to look forward to. Vacation, holiday, the end of a project, payday, family visit, final exam, whatever. My experience has been that when I have something to look forward to, I can put up with a lot more. When I don’t, things just seem to feel like more of a grind. As Christians, we have the ultimate vacation/payday waiting for us when Jesus returns. We can hang in there.
The Ungrateful Gift.
The Quicksource resource used a classic hospitality illustration that’s great if you haven’t used it before. Bring in a fresh breakfast treat, preferably something you made yourself (they used cookies, which is fine too; preferably double chocolate chunk; bring some to me). After everybody has enjoyed some, say, “How would it make you feel if I now complained about how expensive the ingredients were, how long it took to make, how much trouble it was, and how much cleaning I have to do in the kitchen when I get home?” We’re going to focus today on spiritual gifts and hospitality. Those are things we are supposed to use in love and to serve one another willingly and joyfully. Is it still a nice treat if I make you feel guilty about it? Maybe? The point of serving one another in love is that we don’t think of it as a sacrifice at all.
Love and Fake Love.
There’s a big thing out there about how to identify fake love or fake relationships. You have to be very careful doing any research on it because non-Christians can be very bitter and vulgar about their experiences. There are a bunch of websites like “8 Signs You’re in a Fake Relationship” and such. Peter’s point in this part of the letter is that the end is near, judgment is coming, and things are going to get even harder for Christians. The only way we will survive is to be in it together. A fake love or a fake church won’t survive the kind of pressure that is coming. Talk about how you know the difference. How do we know when our personal relationship with Jesus is “the real deal” or when our church is “the real deal” (whatever you think that means)?
This Week's Big Idea: Spiritual Gifts!
I love talking about spiritual gifts! We often think of Paul as being the place to go to learn about them (and that’s what the table is below—Paul’s lists), but Peter is the one who actually tells us what these gifts are for. In our passage, we learn
Their purpose is serving others, not satisfying oneself.
Their sole focus is the word of God, not one’s own clever thoughts.
Their strength is provided by God, not oneself.
What’s so great about spiritual gifts is that they are tangible evidence of God working in our lives in a supernatural way. Every Christian has at least one, and God wants us to use it to serve others. If you want to give your group a “cheat sheet” for how to learn more about spiritual gifts, use these websites. If you want to give your group some online options on where they can take a “spiritual gifts inventory” check out the back page.
People disagree about these gifts. Don’t let that discourage you. Let it encourage you to study the Bible. I have more resources if you need them.
Eph 4:4-13 | 1 Cor 12:27-31 | 1 Cor 12:4-12 | Rom 12:3-8 |
|
Apostles* | Apostles* |
|
| 1 |
Prophets* | Prophets* | Prophecy | Prophecy | 2 |
Pastor/Teachers* | Teachers* |
| Teaching | 3/4 |
Evangelists* |
|
|
| 5 |
|
| Word of Wisdom |
| 6 |
The * means the gift refers to an “office” and not an ability (a teacher vs. someone who can teach) |
| Word of Knowledge |
| 7 |
|
| Encouraging | 8 | |
Helps |
| Service | 9 | |
Managing |
| Leadership | 10/1 | |
| Faith |
| 12 | |
|
| Giving | 13 | |
|
|
| Showing Mercy | 14 |
| Miracles | Perform Miracles |
| 15 |
| Gifts of Healing | Gifts of Healing |
| 16 |
|
| Discern Spirits |
| 17 |
| Tongues | Tongues |
| 18 |
|
| Interpretations |
| 19 |
Where We Are in 1 Peter
A Call to Righteous Living, part 3
It’s Us Against the World. Technically, you could use this as another icebreaker topic if you wanted to. Peter has been highlighting that Christians can suffer even for doing the right thing, but he wants to encourage them not to give up. He has told them that Christ also suffered for doing the right thing, he has told them that they will be blessed and rewarded for such suffering, and now he tells them that all of their enemies will be judged. It then turns into an “us against the world” speech. You’ve heard them before on a football team or reported on the news. How do they work? Generally it’s a “we’ve got to stick together” or “blood is ticker than water” or “be true to each other” or something. That’s basically what Peter is telling them: don’t be afraid of the outside world, don’t go back to their way of live, take care of each other, serve one another, love one another, stick together and when Jesus comes back, He’ll take care of the rest.
Part 1: Living Under God (4:1-4)
Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, equip yourselves also with the same resolve—because the one who suffered in the flesh has finished with sin—in order to live the remaining time in the flesh, no longer for human desires, but for God’s will. For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the pagans choose to do: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry. So they are surprised that you don’t plunge with them into the same flood of wild living—and they slander you.
Over and over again, Peter points us back to Christ’s suffering. It was personal for him; you might remember in Acts 5:41 that Peter rejoiced when he was persecuted by the Sanhedrin because he knew that meant God thought him worthy and able to endure it. Jesus said that a student is not greater than the teacher. If Jesus suffered, we should expect to suffer and not be afraid of it. Peter’s command, to equip ourselves, is a military term. It’s a call to arms: “Since we know that Jesus suffered while He walked the earth, we know that we will suffer as well. Therefore, let’s prepare for battle!” But as you know from reading the rest of the New Testament, our battle isn’t with flesh and blood, so we don’t wage war like the world does. We prepare for spiritual battle. Battle #1: Our Sinful Desires.
The phrase “has finished with sin” could mean a number of things. It could just mean that Christ defeated sin. It could mean that the tested and persecuted believer will stop sinning. It could mean that the tested believer has a greater resistance to sin. It could mean that sin has no power over the believer. I believe the last option makes the most sense in context because of the first option. Jesus is the One who truly “suffered in the flesh”. Sin has no power over Jesus, and in baptism, we place ourselves “in Jesus”. The Paul says it is that in baptism, we die to our old selves, therefore our old self no longer has any power over us. The “has finished” is a perfect tense, meaning the event is entirely in the past. It is possible that Peter is making the application that once a Christian suffers for Jesus (and thus proves that his faith is true) he realizes that he has won the victory over sin.
In Jesus, in this life (the flesh) we stop living for ourselves and start living for God. Our “human desires” are set aside for God’s desires, placed under God’s will.
Peter says that we have spent enough time chasing our old desires. The phrase he uses is flexible—however long you lived before Jesus came into your life, that was long enough. The term Peter uses for “gentile” (or “pagan”) can be understood as any non-Christian. We should expect non-Christians to behave in certain ways. Why? Because it’s in their nature to seek to please themselves:
“carrying on in unrestrained behavior” means being devoted to bold, shameless conduct (in excess—usually sexual excess);
“evil desires” generally means sexual immorality and violence;
“drunkenness” means overindulgence in wine;
“orgies” refers to feasting and Mardi– Gras-style parades;
“carousing” seems to be the equivalent of today’s binge drinking;
“lawless idolatry” likely just refers to pagan religion.
Those pagans were surprised when the Christians stopped doing those things. The term “plunge” is actually “run together”; think of it as “they used to run wild together, but now you’ve stopped and they’re offended.”
Whenever someone asks me for assurance of salvation, I ask if he can think of any ways that Jesus has changed him. What are behaviors that he used to plunge into that now he has a twinge on conscience over, or even has stopped doing altogether? Depending on your group, that might be a good discussion. It’s a bit of testimony-sharing. In Thomson, where everyone has known everyone for a long time, this is hard because other people also remember your former way of life. The whole point of salvation is the “used to be” part—we used to be like that. But now, Jesus is changing us and He has forgiven us of that past. If you don’t think that’s a good discussion topic, perhaps just talk about how Christianity has affected your relationships with people (particularly old non-Christian friends).
Aside: “Flesh” in the Bible
“Flesh” can actually mean a number of different things. It often refers to a physical body, but it can be used just of the skin or the meat (as in leprosy of the flesh, and those who eat flesh). It can be used of people or animals or of both collectively. It can be used to refer to one’s relatives. In the New Testament, Paul uses it to refer to our fallen human nature (as opposed to “spirit”). In this case, “flesh” and “fleshly realm” is put in opposition with the “spiritual realm” so we know that is how Peter is intending it to be understood.
When the New Testament speaks of the spirit, it often does so in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, clarifying the meaning. The Holy Spirit knows and understands God and God’s purposes for humanity. The Holy Spirit can teach our spirits those great truths (for example, the “fruit of the Spirit”). Our flesh, then, represents the part of us that does not wish to live God’s way and wants to do things our own way (which is why “flesh” is often used in parallel with lust or selfishness or the world’s wild living).
This does not mean, as some have tried to say, that the physical world is bad and evil and only the spiritual world is good (as is, we’re better off dead). That’s why the HCSB adds the word “realm” to make it clear that we are talking about those “under the power of the flesh” vs. those “under the power of the Spirit”. The word “realm” is not in the Greek and may not convey the sense as well as possible; it is not about a physical location as much as it is the kingdom of God vs. the kingdom of this world. (Note that here, we do consider “heaven” to be a location, so . . .)
Part 2: Answering for the Gospel (4:5-6)
They will give an account to the One who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead, so that, although they might be judged by men in the fleshly realm, they might live by God in the spiritual realm.
Much like I preached this past Sunday, “freedom” means that we can choose to behave like we want, but we will have to answer for those choices. All that partying is great fun . . . until it’s time to pay the piper. (Until the credit card bill comes. Until your parents come home. Until you have to go to work the next day.) Everybody probably has a story of something that seemed like a lot of fun for a time, until they got into really big trouble for it or realized that it wasn’t worth the price. But even if we think we get away with something scot-free, we will answer to God. (The verses I used for this in my sermon were Romans 2:1-16, Romans 14:1-12, and 1 Cor 10:23-11:1.)
That next sentence is odd, but your leader guide explained it correctly. It has nothing to do with getting a second change at salvation after death. Rather, Peter knew that his readers would be worried about their Christian friends who had died under persecution. In that day, people thought Jesus was returning any moment, so they worried that anyone who died before such time might miss out on all “the fun.” That’s why Paul wrote 1 Cor 15, and that’s why Peter wrote this. Those believers might be dead to this world, but they are very much alive in the presence of God. I consider two real interpretations for the “judged by men” line: (1) it means that sinful pagans judged them and persecuted them in this life, or (2) they faced judgment for their actions in the flesh, which were pardoned by salvation in Jesus. I lean with 1 more than 2. To really hammer this point, ask your group to think about the things they deserve to be judged for. Have them go back to their very earliest memories. You can have them write them down or maybe share one. The point is that if our list only includes one sin, we deserve hell. Only perfect people earn their way to heaven. And that’s why Jesus made sure the gospel was preached to us, so we could learn about forgiveness.
Part 3: Redeem the Time (4:7-11)
Now the end of all things is near; therefore, be serious and disciplined for prayer. Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
These are the most pressing words of this week's passage; please save plenty of time for them! Do this—come up with a simple task (like a drawing or copying a Bible verse) and tell them they have 5 minutes to do it. Then, after they get started, tell them that you misread the directions and they only have 30 seconds. It’s fun to see how different people react to a pressing deadline. I tend to work better under pressure (in fact, I tend to procrastinate without one). Peter wants his audience to take “the end of all things” seriously (see the sidebar). When Jesus told His parables about the Second Coming (Matthew 25), it was to a non-Christian audience, so He focused the point on the need to repent. Peter is writing to a Christian audience, so his purpose is different. His purpose is that we make the most of the time that we have: serious prayer, intense love, selfless hospitality, intentional service. I’m just about out of space, so it’s great that Peter made them really easy to understand. Here, “love” is agape, meaning a self-giving, sacrificial goodwill (the tense is one of continuing to have it). This kind of love, as Paul says, keeps no record of wrongs and always forgives. That’s how to cover a multitude of sins! Should we really be bickering with one another when the world is going to hell? Peter says no. I gave you sidebars on hospitality, stewardship, and spiritual gifts already. Each one of us has received a special gift from God that God intends for us to serve in and through the church. When Peter speaks of spiritual gifts in those verses, he says the grace of God, the words of God, the strength of God, the glory of God, and the Son of God. Our gifts are all about God, and we are to use them for His glorious purposes. Why? We have them only because of Jesus, not anything inherently worthy in us.
Follow Peter’s thought process:
(1) Don’t be afraid of the wicked world, and certainly don’t’ join them in their sinful behavior because
(2) They will be judged for it on the last day.
(3) And that day is near when God will condemn the wicked and save the righteous, therefore
(4) Stay focused and alert. I recommend true prayer, true love, and true hospitality.
(5) Thankfully, God has specially empowered us to do just those things! Thanks be to God!
Spend time talking about gifts and motives. How has God gifted the people in your group? How are they using those gifts? Do they grumble and complain in their service, or are they selfless and Christ-focused? Here’s Peter’s point, which should thus be our point: if Jesus hasn’t come back by Sunday morning, then it’s not too late. Start living for Jesus now! Forget about the past! Pray for one another exactly about that. And thank God together for His gracious gifts.
Aside #1: Hospitality
In our highly private world (with back porches instead of front porches), we have lost the meaning and importance of “hospitality”. It’s a lost art, you might say, mainly because we have hotels. In Peter’s day, though, hotels were closer to brothels or hostels of the not-very-nice kind, full or prostitution and carousing. They were not appropriate places for Jews or Christians to stay.
Consequently, both groups placed a high value on entertaining travelers, even people you had never met before. Business travel generally happened on foot with a pack animal. Someone might just be passing through town, and he might be staying for business for days or weeks. In the early church, the disciples also did a lot of traveling to establish or teach churches, and they could be in a location for a very long time. Hospitality—opening your home to a non-family member—wasn’t just a nice thing to do, it was quite necessary.
Peter tells all Christians to practice hospitality, but not just as a duty, as a concrete demonstration of the love of Christ (a sacrifice). He saw it as being a good steward of God’s blessings. Though a command for all, it seems that some people were “better” at it than others, and that by supernatural involvement. Today, people are very worried about opening their home to a stranger, and I can’t blame them. But when an opportunity arises to take someone in for a time, I think God would encourage you to bear the inconvenience or expense and do it. And certainly short-term things like inviting people into your home for a meal would count, but this is generally talking about something more than an hour or two.
Aside #2: The End of All Things
I mentioned that people in Peter’s day thought Jesus was returning literally at any moment. The “end” referred to the moment that Christ returned to judge the living and the dead. In 2 Peter 3, Peter responds to those who scoffed at this expectation of nearness by saying that a 1000 years are like a day to God. For Peter, then, the “end” was a tag for urgency. Because Christ’s return was near, sinners needed to repent quickly (while they still had a chance), and believers needed to live holy lives NOW (to influence lost people toward salvation). No one should be complacent. Ironically, some people took the opposite reaction: because Jesus was returning soon, why bother working or having children or learning the Bible? Consequently, Peter really focused on the importance of prayer, Christian love, and Christian hospitality. One could no be complacent and serious about those things at the same time. If we have been changed by Jesus, then we should want to please Jesus; that includes taking care of His body on earth, the church.
Aside #3: Being a Steward
The word for “steward” or “manager” in 4:10 (oikonomos) means “house manager.” Men with multiple servants/slaves appointed one to be “in charge” of daily operations in the house or estate. This could include managing investments, business transactions, and even money. The master of the estate would regularly call the steward to give account of the day’s or week’s proceedings (Jesus used this concept in parables in Luke 12 and Luke 16).
Peter used this image for a very specific reason. Everybody understood that a steward did not own anything, did not have rights to anything, but was still fully responsible for everything. That might not sound appealing, but it applies to the role of Christians in this world. Though we don’t want to feel at home here, that doesn’t mean we can’t be responsible for what goes on here. We might not be chummy-chummy with the wicked rulers of this world, but we can still serve them and be accountable to them.
But Peter puts a twist on this image: the Master is not some wicked non-Christian, but God Almighty! We aren’t just living in a foreign country, we’re servants of God sent out on a mission. We’re strangers and aliens who have been equipped for our time here. This means (1) that we can and will serve the world with high expectations, and (2) that God will hold us to account for our use of the gifts He has given us. That’s why we take this subject so seriously.
Closing Thoughts: Spiritual Gifts Inventory
I try to be clear that a test can’t tell you what God has gifted you to do, but a test can help you take stock of what you believe about yourself. These are worth a few minutes to take!
I’m not the biggest fan of all things "church growth", but I really like that particular spiritual gifts test. You won’t have time to do them with your group, but assign it as homework and talk about it when you have time.
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