1 PETER CHAPTER 4
KJV
WEB
See
previous page
1Pet 4,1-5
(162i) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Bondage >> Being slaves of men >>
Bad company >> Bad company will entangle you in
their bondage
(167a) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >>
The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Lust of
the fleshly mind
(168a) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to
the world >> Do not let the world’s approval shape you to itself – The life we
live we are slandered by those who don’t know God or understand us, for they
don't go through
the same inner joy and suffering that we experience as Christians. We seem
foolish to them when they scoff at us and say, ‘What do you mean you’re not drinking in
excess with us?’ They lead a life of excess and dissipation and are without hope, but Christians
do have hope, and for this reason we do not need to
live like the heathen. Those who refuse to serve the Lord have nothing in the
end, no hope and no future, and when this life is spent, they will meet
God, who will judge them for the poor decisions they made, and they will be without
excuse. Yet, they slanders us. See also: Suffering; 1Pet 4,1-4; 8a
(193f) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Turn from sin to God >> Repent >>
Bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance >>
Instruction to
1Pet 4,1-4
(8a) Responsibility
>> Use time efficiently
>>
Use wisely what time you have – God
may call us to wander in the wilderness, which is often associated with
a lot of inner pain and turmoil,
and in our wandering stumble on the reason He sent us there in the first
place. This is usually how we find our calling, our direction and the manner
of service to Him. Whether we should lead a
life of dissipation is not an option as Christians. Prior to being saved
we could choose the kind of life we wanted, but now God has purchased us from
Satan with
the blood of Christ, and He has enlightened us by the Holy Spirit. A lifestyle
of
drunkenness has been pulled from the repertoire of options, making it a
little easier to decide. Coming to know the will of God is in a sense a process of elimination, and
we often have no choice but to walk through the last door that remains open.
Sometimes this is how God leads us. We are Christians; deciding between
two doors is hard enough; often neither of them are the Lord's will. Making life decisions can be difficult,
for there is a lot of dying to self
that occurs, a lot of giving up and surrendering to God's purpose and calling. There are
reasons God calls us to do certain things, and He often doesn’t inform us of
His reasons, making it impossible to understand except by faith. See also: Suffering; 1Pet 4-1,2;
42k /
Anointing of the Last
days; 2Cor 6,16-18; 213g
(77g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Humility >> Refusing the glory of man >>
Rejecting their admiration
(169j) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Seeking the glory
of man >> Loving the approval of men rather than
the approval of God >> Fearing their religion
KJV
WEB
/ Navigation Bar
1Pet 4-1,2
(42k) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Conform to the glory of Christ’s
death – Peter
says that doing the will of God causes suffering by default, the
fact that we must sacrifice our will for His will, yet some people would rather whip themselves until they
bleed before they bowed their knee to God.
Surrendering to the will of Christ is traumatic in itself, but actually doing the
will of God adds another level of suffering, which often invites persecution.
We suffer the will of God for the hope of eternal life, yet the vast majority of
people in the world scoff at us. The first step in doing the will of God is to
be born-again, but if we are not born-again, anything we do beyond that is in
vain. The love of God is our motive for serving Him,
which again does not register with unbelievers. They don’t know how anyone
could love God whom they have never seen. That is like having a long-distance
relationship over the telephone or through snail-mail, except for one thing; God has
given us His Spirit, so He does not just stand next to us; He dwells in
us. See also: Suffering; 173g
(56h) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> He must increase, but I must decrease
-- These verses go with verses 5&6. There are decisions that the Holy Spirit leads us
to make, often soul-wrenching decisions that are hard on our flesh, decisions
that we would have never made without Him, such as choosing a career or choosing
not to pursue a career, or whether we should get married and have a family, while the world never
asks these
questions. If unbelievers want to get married and have a family, they just do
it; they don't
check with God to see if it is according to His will, but Christians do. Part of the Christian
walk is to surrender our will to
God and let Him have an input in our lives as to what we do with our time and how we spend our
resources. We are obligated to give God first choice in everything. Most
of the time God commands us to do things that we don’t want to do in our
flesh, yet He gives us the desire to do them. What we do with our
lives is not just our decision, but the decision belongs primarily to God,
because we belong to Him.
(99b) Thy kingdom come >>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring the will of God >> Enduring the death of your flesh
(173g)
Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism
>> Unholy sacrifice (Penance) >> Offering sacrifice without God’s
approval >> Sacrifice against the will of God –
Some people seem to think they need to meet some self-determined quota of
suffering before they feel right with God, and after they have finished torturing themselves, they can
go on sinning, thinking masochistic penance will balance their disobedience. This does not accomplish the purpose of God,
who wants us to walk on the path of His choosing and accomplish the works that
He has prepared for us (Eph 2-10). He is displeased with us walking on any other
path on principle, considering it idolatry and treason. God
has an inherent distaste of us doing our own will, because we will invariably
let our flesh dictate how we live, and everything our flesh chooses is
in disregard of Christ by default. Peter said, “He who has suffered in the
flesh has ceased from sin;” this is not in terms of penance but of obedience. Penance is
self-inflicted misery, which Paul condemned in Col 2-23, “These are matters which
have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and
self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against
fleshly indulgence.” It is not our decision how we suffer for the cause of
Christ; there is no
need to go looking for trouble; if we are doing the will of God, we will
automatically suffer in the flesh. See also: Suffering; 188f
(187ab) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>> Separation from the old man >>
Die to the flesh >> The ministry of dying to
self >> Die to self to minister to God >> Pick up your cross and
follow Him
(188b)
Suffering (Key verse)
(188f) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Suffering >>
Suffering righteousness
-- These verses go with verses 12-19. Doing God’s will in this life automatically
brings about suffering, and for this reason Peter advised that we should arm ourselves
with this mindset since it is unavoidable. As Christians, we are called to suffer in the flesh for the purpose of serving God. Suffering is an integral
component of Christianity to
the degree that if we are not suffering, it is a sign that we are doing
something wrong. For example, God often asks us to help those in need, which almost
always causes us to suffer with them. It may not be physical suffering; there is
much anguish that occurs beneath the surface living in a world of
hopelessness, while we possess the answers to life and godliness; this in itself
is a source of
great spiritual anguish. We can preach the gospel and do what we can, but in the
end, what we do will have very little bearing on the world, because most
people’s minds are already made up; they know of no other way to live, and
they can’t find the faith in their hearts to live for God as we do. They are
already set on a course of destruction, and no one can lead them from it.
These things bring about tremendous vexation of spirit in the Christian, being only one layer of suffering among many that God calls us to bear for His namesake. See also: Suffering; 1Pet 4,12-19;
188f
(190b) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Masochism
(Self-made martyr)
>> Taking your sinful nature by force -- These
verses go with verses 12-19. We should fully expect to suffer in this life;
therefore, we should prepare for it and use it as a barometer for understanding
His will. The more we suffer, the better indication we are doing His will.
However, Peter was not referring to masochism, which is the intentional harming of oneself with a motive of
purification. Masochism doesn’t work as a purifier of the flesh. There is enough
suffering in the world that we don’t need to go looking for it; rather, it
seeks out the Christian and attaches itself to us.
(233k) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >>
Seek His glory without wavering >> Seek His glory
through hardship -- These verses go with verses 12&13
1Pet 4-1
(12m) Servant
>>
Jesus is our example of a servant
(90l) Thy kingdom come
>>
The called >> God’s purpose for us is to
fulfill His calling >> Our purpose is to do God’s
will -- This verse goes with verse 7
(233b) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >>
Seeking the goals of the kingdom >> Seek the
goal of freedom
KJV
WEB
/ Navigation Bar
1Pet 4,2-4
(22f)
Sin
>>
Lust (craving pleasure) >> Fleshly desire
1Pet 4-2,3
(1j)
Responsibility >> Avoid offending
God >> Carrying a false burden >> Weighs you
down as you walk in the flesh
1Pet 4,3-5
(202b) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Running from God >> Running to your sinful
nature >> Run from God by running to the world
1Pet 4-3,4
(242d) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Persecuting the kingdom >> Persecuting God >>
Persecuting righteousness -- These verses go with verses 14-16
1Pet 4-3
(63f) Paradox
>>
Anomalies >> Sarcasm >>
Minimize the truth to make a point
(159i) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >>
Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit anointing >>
Drunkenness >> Having a party spirit –
This was one of the few times Peter wrote as it were to immature Christians, but
Paul regularly wrote with a similar tone in hand to the Corinthian Church throughout both his
letters to them, continually exhorting them to remain true to the
Lord. In contrast, Peter considered any Christian who had a party spirit to be no Christian at
all; He simply would not put up with this kind of Christianity; he wouldn’t
cater to their immaturity, who wanted only to take from the charity of others
as mere receptacles of God's grace without contributing anything to the
Church.
(194e) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Turn from sin to God >> Hate evil >>
Condemning sin >> Hate evil by being innocent of
it -- This verse goes with verse 15
(195g) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >>
Worshipping men >> Worshipping the idol of
pleasure –
Paul spoke extensively about bondage and freedom. Yes, there is such a thing as
Christians falling under bondage to sin. However, Peter was not talking about
bondage but
about reveling in the flesh. True Christians confess their sins and repent and continue
in the freedom of Christ, but if they continually commit the same sin, they
are in bondage and need to break their chains, because sin has an eroding
effect on their faith. God’s people
need to be free, so sin does not control us. There is no clause in the true
doctrines of the Church that allows for licentiousness. Living in bondage to
sin always does more harm than good. In a state of bondage, we are
like a raspberry bush, bearing both thorns and fruit. Christians can live
this way for a season, especially when they are new converts, until they get
their feet on the ground, and the Holy Spirit has a chance to lead them
in the right direction, but to continually live like a raspberry bush is not the will of God. It is actually a better
sign to be miserable in bondage than to revel in sin (Jm 4,8-10). The person who
considers himself in bondage understands that he is not living right, whereas the
one who revels in sin does not have repentance in in his sites. The person who revels in sin knows
he’s wrong but doesn’t care, and his conscience is in disrepair, but the
Christian who lives under bondage is under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. A person
whose top priority is to baptize his flesh in as much pleasure as possible is
a heathen, a pagan and an idolater.
1Pet 4-4
(176j) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >>
Extremes >> Truth is never found in your conduct
on either extreme of any circumstance
1Pet 4-5,6
(25k)
Sin >> Consequences of sin
>>
Dead in sin >> The human condition without
Christ
(45a) Judgment
>> God judges us for not judging ourselves
>>
Preparing for believer’s judgment -- These verses go with verses
12&13. We
who believe in Jesus are dying to the evil passions and desires of the flesh,
and in this way we are
judging ourselves so God won’t have to judge us, corresponding to Paul’s
statement in 1Cor 11-31, “But if we judged ourselves, we would not come
under judgment.” As a result, our spirit lives according to the will of
God. This is the process of the Christian life; there are two opposing forces
that are constantly at war against each other: the will of
the flesh and the will of the Spirit. The more we walk in the flesh, the less
we can walk in the spirit; conversely, the more we walk in the spirit, the less we
will walk in the flesh, for we cannot do both at the same time, for they are
in opposition to each other, so that we cannot do as we please (Gal 5-17).
(56h) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> He must increase, but I must
decrease -- These verses go with verses 1&2
(149c) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >>
Three key messages in evangelism >>
Righteousness, judgment and self-control –
Peter is talking about preaching the gospel to unsaved people in the world,
claiming that they are dead, as Paul also said, “The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal
6-14). He
viewed worldly people who did not possess the Holy Spirit as separated from the life of God, and for
this reason he preached the gospel to them that they might be saved and live. Every
person will be judged according to their
deeds, whether good or bad; those who live in corrupt flesh and have sought
God for His mercy and found Him, who now walk by the principles of compassion and have stopped sinning, their spirit
will be preserved
for God and live in His heavenly kingdom by faith in the cross.
The ungodly sinner, converted and believing in Jesus' blood sacrifice for the remission of sin,
will receive the life of the Spirit, yet he has not bypassed the judgment of
God, for there is a believer’s judgment. God will judge the works of
His own people, and He will be just as ruthless on us as he will be on the
world of the ungodly. We who have trusted in
Jesus and repented of our sins and lived a holy life for God to the best of our
ability will be going to heaven, though stripped of many heavenly rewards that we
could have enjoyed, but the unbeliever who did not
trust in the Lord will find his place in hell.
(187h) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
Spirit versus the flesh >> Deny the flesh to
walk in the Spirit >> More the flesh dies, more the spirit lives
1Pet 4-5
(48b)
Judgment >> God judges the world
>>
Eternal judgment -- This verse goes with verses
17-19
KJV
WEB
/ Navigation Bar
1Pet 4-6,7
(82e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Three elements of prayer >> Our approach >>
Be devoted to prayer
– This was stated 2000 years ago, and look what
Peter says is key to surviving the last days. Did he advise us to accumulate
wealth to sustain us through hard times? No, he advised us to cultivate a life
of prayer, and come to know God in a personal way. This will do more to
prepare us for the last days than anything else. See also: Endtimes; 1Pet 4-7;
50c
(187e) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
Dying to receive the glory of God >> Die to self
to be set free
– This concept of dying to the
flesh is a matter of ignoring or shunning our sinful desires. If we ignored
the body’s appetite and quit eating food, we would soon get hungry, and if we continued
in this way, we would eventually die of starvation. In a very similar way, we
fast by cutting off our bodies resources as a simulation of cutting off the evil passions and desires of our
sinful appetite that originates in the flesh. God wants us to deal with our
body's
impulses that rise against the will of God, that we should turn from our evil
desires and walk by the inclinations of the Spirit instead. However, ignoring the will of our flesh is
easier said than done, otherwise more
people would be doing it. Simple observation in the world and in the Church
tells us that most people do not deny their flesh,
but serve it more faithfully than they serve Christ. It would take a long
time and would cause much suffering to literally starve our bodies of food to
the point of death, but this is what God would have us do to our sinful nature
with its evil desires, until they weakened and eventually surrendered to the
will of God in which we have an interest by the Spirit whom He has given us. In this way we become free to do the will of God without
internal resistance of sin. We give control of our will to the Holy Spirit,
suggesting that we cannot die to the flesh through our own power, for the
flesh cannot deny itself. See also: Fasting; Rom 12,1-3; 190a
1Pet 4-6
(111j) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Spirit and the word >> Word and the judgment of
God
(247h) Priorities
>>
God’s priorities >> God’s interests >>
God is interested in the gospel
(254h) Trinity
>>
Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >>
Jesus is equal with the Holy Spirit >> Holy
Spirit is life >> Spirit of God is the life of
Christ
1Pet 4,7-11
(138h) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Exhortation >>
Exhorting the people to glorify God
1Pet 4-7
(50c) Judgment
>>
God judges the world >> These are the last days
– It is one thing
to say from God's standpoint that we are living in the last days, the last age before the
millennium, referring to the 1000-year reign of Christ prophesied from the Old
Testament. The age of grace that we are now living has lasted 2000 years and is not expected to
last any longer, since all the ages before this have been approximate 2000
year periods! (From Adam to Abraham was about 2024 years, and from Abraham to
Christ was about 1957 years.) It is quite another thing to say from a human
standpoint that the end of all
things is near; how much nearer is it today (09/15/2021)? Was
Peter wrong when he said the end of all things was near? It’s a relative
statement. If we choose God’s perspective, which is the Bible’s point
of view along with his apostles and prophets whom He used to write His New
Testament, the end of all things is indeed near. 2000 years
is not a long time for God, since He is eternal and time is
irrelevant, but for man it is a long time. From a human standpoint Peter was wrong, but man thinks God is wrong about everything, and this
puts the exclamation point on our false reasonings! We are mortal and
finite, while God is immortal and infinite, which are huge differences, big
enough to get everything wrong about God if we don’t have the indwelling Holy Spirit to
help interpret the word of God for us. See also: Endtimes; 79f
(69l) Authority
>> Righteous judgment (outcome of discernment) >>
Judging yourself correctly
(79f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Renewing your mind through prayer – What’s going on in the world
today? People are either cultivating a sound mind, or they are losing their minds to
a whirlwind of ideas, belief systems and lifestyles! All the choices that are
available in the world today are overwhelming, and almost none of them are
good. We are over stimulated, over entertained and over indulged in every
imaginable way, and few of us have an inkling about what’s happening around
them and where society is headed. No body seems to have any sense about themselves,
just the opposite of what Peter said we should be doing in the last days.
According to this verse, we should be cultivating a sound mind and
“becoming sober in spirit for the purpose of prayer.” As we see the end of
all things approaching, developing a life of prayer should be top priority. See also: Endtimes;
84a
(84a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Be on the alert >> Remain on duty >>
Stay awake – All things being equal, 2000 years after
Peter said "the end of all things is near," from a human standpoint he was right. Therefore, how much more should we be dressed in
readiness for his coming after so much time has elapsed, but what do we see in the Church today?
Whole denominations refuse to discuss endtime prophecy, much less prepare for
His
second coming, whereas the saints in the first and second centuries
focused on His second coming as the main thrust of their ministry. What an
irony! See also: Endtimes; 1Pet 4,8-11; 13d
(90l) Thy kingdom come
>>
The called >> God’s purpose for us is to
fulfill His calling >> Our purpose is to do God’s
will -- This verse goes with verse 1
KJV
WEB
/ Navigation Bar
1Pet 4,8-11
(13d)
Servant >> Serve the body >>
Promoting its health >> Building up the body
of Christ – Essentially, it says to employ your gift as
your ministry to serve one another, for the sake of glorifying God. How many
churches do you know that allows you to employ your gift? There is at least
one person who has this liberty in every church, the pastor, but the rest are expected to sit down and shut up, and listen to
him. Now look at the
condition of the world, and realize that it got this way because the Church lost its
way and its salt that was designed to preserve the world from
self-destruction. If the Church is ineffective, then perhaps we need to go
back to the basics and find where we went astray, and make the needed corrections to
give
the ministry back to the people, give Jesus back in His Church and the world back on track, or we
may find our selves starring down the barrel of the last days tribulation,
unprepared. Are you ready for that? See also: Employ your gift; 129f
/ Endtimes; 1Pet 4,12-19; 49k
(129f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
love perfects unity >> Love is the mortar
between the blocks – We should be developing a life of prayer
through a sound mind and sober spirit, though we will always make mistakes,
and what is the solution to our mistakes? “Love” covers a multitude of
sins; in fact, love never sins; love does no wrong to a brother; therefore,
love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom 13-10). We commit sin during times
we do not love, so we must go back to love. See also: Employ your gift; 234l
(234l) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >>
Be a blessing >> Freely give what you received
from God – The ministry of helps is a common gift in
most churches that is not persecuted and definitely has its place in the
body of Christ, yet the gifts that correspond to the administration of
God’s word is just as important to the body of Christ, and those gifts are
persecuted. The ministry of helps pertains to
cleaning toilets, setting up and taking down tables and chairs, vacuuming the floor
and all the other menial jobs that “important people” who control the Church
designate to little People. There is always room for these people and
their gifts, but what about some of the more spiritual gifted people regarding the word of God? Those seem to be a little scarier and threatening
especially to the leaders of the Church. Everyone has seen their quota of flakes and
nuts, who have no idea what they believe yet spout at the mouth at every
opportunity, so there is reason for concern, yet Peter is saying that what
they are trying to do is the will of God. This is why it is important to
become students of the word, so when we open our mouth to speak the oracle
of God, the truth proceeds and not a lot of false teachings. There is potential for error,
but that doesn’t mean we should suppress people who want to wield the
sword of the Spirit, for in so doing we grieve the Spirit and suppress the
truth, but at the same time we should maintain order in the Church. See also: Employ your gift; 1Pet 4,9-11;
85e
1Pet 4-8
(100d) Thy kingdom come
>>
Diligence >> Diligence in your service to others
(113a) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >>
Protection >> Covering
(127k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Rewards for doing good >> Doing good hides your
shame
(248j) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Values >>
The Highest Values >> Top Priority
1Pet 4,9-11
(85e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Words that are spoken in faith >> Powerful when
spoken by the Spirit >> by the anointing – We need to create the opportunity for people
to practice their gifts to help build up the body of Christ. Doctors practices medicine and sometimes
prescribe the wrong pill and people get
hurt, yet we still have doctors, because we know we are better off with them than
without them. People have not given up on the health system, and we should not
give up on people who want to practice their gifts for the purpose of edifying
the body of Christ. Church leadership tends to suppress spiritual gifts from
fear and jealousy, preferring to be in total control,
so those who are gifted and want to bless the body of Christ are not
permitted. For this there is no solution, except to find pastors who are big
enough and gifted enough, who have no fear of being overshadowed by others, who
are not threatened by gifted people in the Church, so people can freely walk
in the gifts to edify the body of Christ. Spiritually gifted people are oppressed in order for those who
control the Church to appear important, otherwise if many
gifted people were allowed to operate in the church, the pastor's ministry would seem less significant,
but this is a lie of the devil. See also: Employ your gift; 1Pet 4-10,11; 115f
1Pet 4-9
(158b) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >>
Strife >> Grumbling
(235g) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >>
Giving (your inner self) >> Hospitality
(providing a temporary home)
>> Being a good host
KJV
WEB
/ Navigation Bar
1Pet 4-10,11
(35j) Gift
>>
God gives Himself to us >> Gifts from the Holy
Spirit >> Spiritual gifts
>> Knowing the mind of God
(101k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Ambitious to promote the Kingdom of God >>
Building up the body of Christ
(115f) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> Through your
ministry >> In your gift – Peter is teaching how we should conduct
ourselves in the assembly. If anyone has received a special gift, he is to employ it in serving one another “as good stewards of the
manifold grace of God.” In practice however, we go to church and attempt to
employ our gift and get put in our place in the name of preserving order in the Church, but there is a way to employ our gift while keeping order, unless of course
those in charge don’t want
our gifts in their church, which is usually the case. There are those who
don’t think we have a right to employ our gifts in the body of Christ, but
it says right here that we do; otherwise why are there gifted people in the Church? The Holy Spirit has gifted these
individuals for the glory of God and for the sake of the body of Christ, that all
may benefit from God’s work in each member. Therefore, the Church needs to
make room for each person's gift. See also: Employ your gift; 234d
(152j) Witness
>>
Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the
father >> Prophets >> The Church holds the position of a prophet >>
Church operates under a prophetic anointing >> Speaking a prophetic word
from God
(234d) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seeking the glory of the body of Christ
– The pastoral job is meant to be overseer of
the ministry; he makes sure that all runs well and that no heresy is
introduced into the assembly. There is no occasion to be jealous of other people’s
ministries and no need to suppress those who
are gifted in the Church. The religion of suppressing the gifts and oppressing
the people got its start from the Catholic Church, which essentially stole the
ministry from the people and put it in the hands of the clergy, and told the people that their
only obligation was to faithfully attend church each week, give their money
and sit down and shut up, and for doing this the Church leaders promised to
reward the people by managing their relationship with God for them, but
according to the Bible, God never gave man this position or authority. On the
contrary, it says, "There is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus"
(1Tim 2-5). Since the protestant movement broke away from Catholic Church,
they unfortunately maintain some of their heretical ways, such as central
leadership, and the general format of the church service. The pastor is
usually the only one allowed to minister in the church, as though he
represented Christ to the people, but again what did Jesus say about this?
"Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ." (Mat
23-9,10). If we put the ministry back in the
hands of the people where it belongs, we will become the salt of the earth
again as Jesus called us and preserve the world and possibly avert the last day’s atrocities of the
coming Great Tribulation, but it is probably already too late for that. See also: Employ your gift; 1Pet 4,8-11;
13d / Catholicism
(Silencing the word of God); Act 25-18,19; 163f
1Pet 4-11
(9j) Responsibility
>> Strengthen one another >>
Bear one another’s burdens
(111k) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Spirit and the word >> Living and active word of
God
(115a) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> Working God’s
grace through Christ >> Worship God through
Christ
(150i) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Speak the word of the
Spirit >>
Speaking the words that God has spoken to you
(213c) Sovereignty
>>
God is infinite >> God is all powerful >>
The creation is subject to Christ
(244c) Kingdom of God
>>
The eternal kingdom >> There shall be no end to
his increase >> Jesus shall be glorified forever –
Peter was thinking about boldness when he wrote this passage. Boldness
glorifies God, being one of His attributes. We can identify a man of God not
just by what he says but also by how he speaks. Those who are our enemies may
mistake our boldness for arrogance, the difference being that arrogance seeks
the glory of man, whereas boldness seeks the glory of God. We speak with
confidence in the truth that transcends human faith. For example, they whipped
Jesus to ribbons until almost dead, but not
for one moment did He think twice about what He was doing after His prayer in
the Garden of Gethsemane when He sweat drops of blood in asking the Father for
another way to make humanity acceptable to Him. Jesus knew what was good and
right and true, and He knew He was in His Father’s will. Those who are His
disciples possess this same divine attribute of boldness in their manner of
speaking about God, confidence that transcends arrogance, boldness that
causes people to believe in God after they hear the word spoken through the
Spirit. It engenders faith they never had until they heard the
word preached in the boldness of Christ. Boldness enrages our enemies, because
they know it is from God, and Peter said this is how we should conduct
our ministry. We are not to apologize for our boldness, because we
know our motive is to glorify God, and we are not to retract our stand just
because we offend people. If they tried to walk in our boldness without God,
it would just make them arrogant, being why they accuse us of being arrogant.
(253g) Trinity
>>
Relationship between Father and Son >> Father
and Son glorify each other >> Holy Spirit honors
the Son through the Father >> Father glorifies
Himself as He glorifies His Son
KJV
WEB
/ Navigation Bar
1Pet 4,12-19
(5f) Responsibility
>>
Discipleship tested >> God tests your faith
through hardship
(43a) Judgment
>>
Satan destroyed >> Conform to the Resurrection
of Christ’s death
(49k) Judgment
>>
God judges the world >> The last days >>
The day of judgment (Armageddon) – There will be
much bloodshed; many millions of people will die between the Seals and the
Trumpets, not
just Christians.
The
Bible teaches that in the last days there will be persecution and martyrdom, and God will use the world’s persecution during
the tribulation to purify and prepare His people for
His second coming, and when He
is finished using the world, He will turn on it and judge the
world for persecuting His people. This frames the judgments of the Seals
and Trumpets in the book of Revelation. The Seals depict a failing global
economy and the world will blame both Jews and Christians for it, and their
persecution will cause the Jews to believe in Jesus, which will spark a
spiritual revolution that will change the tapestry of life on earth, having a
greater impact than the Fist Century Church. The Trumpets depict God's
judgment on the world for persecuting the Church. See also: Endtimes; 1Pet 4,17-19;
40l
(98l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >>
Endurance invites the Holy Spirit into your life >>
Endurance invites the glory of God
(124i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love your enemies >>
Loving your enemies leaves room for God to Work >>
Leave room for the wrath of God
(188f) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >>
Suffering righteousness
-- These verses go with verses 1,2. The Christian experiences
things that are completely foreign to the world; what is happening to us is
indeed strange, but
the fiery ordeal that comes upon us for our testing is not strange to
Christians, but is common to us all. We need to come together and talk about our spiritual experiences in the
world, otherwise we will feel singled-out. Peter is referring to persecution;
we are persecuted because of our faith in Jesus; Peter
wants us to know that this is common among the children of God. Therefore,
when we suffer as Christians, we
are blessed, and when we meet God face to face, we will have cause to
rejoice in His presence. We have cause to hope when we meet God, after faithfully serving Him since the day of our spiritual birth.
We will treasure the moment throughout eternity, the
moment we fully realized He was worth the wait and the suffering we endured and the
sacrifices we made for our faith in Jesus. See also: Suffering; 229ia
(190b) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Masochism
(Self-made martyr)
>> Taking your sinful nature by force
-- These
verses go with verses 1&2
(229ia) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >>
Partaking of Jesus’ suffering >> Suffering as a Christian –
Suffering doesn’t scare us;
suffering
actually makes us feel like Christians. It brings out the faith in us like
nothing else, and if we can sense our faith stronger, it motivates us to
serve Him all the more. What scares us is the sacrifices we make of this life to better enjoy the
life to come. That is, one of the most difficult things Christians do is
train their minds to perceive the suffering of self-denial as a blessing in
disguise. Some of the things that our flesh craves
represent the hardest part of Christianity. We feel that we are betraying
ourselves when we die to the evil passions and desires of the flesh, showing
just how intrinsic our sinful nature is to us. It brings
about conflict, requiring tremendous faith, and there is usually no
confirmation in what we are doing. We have to stop sinning and hope to
somehow benefit, not knowing the substance of the reward. See also: Suffering;
1Pet 4-15,16; 194e
1Pet 4,12-16
(102l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Tried and true >>
Faithfulness – Heaven
will be a place for “spirits of righteous men made perfect” (Heb 12-23).
We will be made perfect so that rebellion is no longer feasible. Both
willingness to do righteousness and inability to do evil will become our
reality. Not just our body but also our soul will be made perfect; this is
significant in that God will superimpose our resurrected body over our soul
so that it takes on the contour and expressions of our underlying spirit. Ironically, we can understand our resurrected bodies made perfect
easier than we can understand our souls made perfect, meaning we will never
again have another evil thought. It is so easy for us now to sin that we can
hardly imagine it one day being unfathomable to us.
Somehow God will make it impossible for us to sin; in fact, John says He
has already done this, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His
seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1Jn 3-9).
John obviously said this within certain parameters, the key word being
“practice”, since we know we can still sin. John was reiterating
Rom 7-17, “no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.”
See also: Purified; 103l
/
Jesus was
perfect; Heb 2,14-18; 227g
(103l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Purifying process >> Purified by circumstances >>
Purified Through hardship –
Hardships and difficulties are common to both Christians and non-Christians
alike; the difference is our perspective on evil. We see
rebellion against God as ghastly, but we see adversity as something we must endure. God has His reasons for allowing us to suffer.
Difficulties come to us for the purpose of testing us,
not just to see if we are worthy of eternal life, but also to see if we are
worthy of the many rewards that He will shower on us in heaven. Therefore, to the
degree that we are tested in this life and are found faithful is the degree
that we will be rewarded. God allows hardship, because there won’t be
hardship in heaven to test us, meaning this is the only time God has to show
us what we are made of and to show us the caustic effects of sin. One day God will round up all
sin and cast it into hell, so nothing evil can harm us again. He can test us and we can fail, and we can get up and forge
ahead without being hurt. We are not evil for failing, but we are rewarded
when we remain faithful. At the end
of the age, God will cast our failures into the pit of forgetfulness and burn
our faithfulness into our resurrected bodies and make them permanent features
of our physical expression for all to see. The ultimate lesson for us is that sin
is a complete waste. The consequences for doing evil will not follow us, but the
rewards for obedience will remain forever. This will
help us understand in eternity why we serve Him. See
also: Purified; 102l / God allows suffering and evil to test us like He
tested Job; Mat 6-13; 227g
(242d) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Persecuting the kingdom >> Persecuting God >>
Persecuting righteousness -- These verses go with verses 3&4
KJV
WEB
/ Navigation Bar
1Pet 4,12-14
(113h) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
The anointing >> Anointed through obedience – If we are being persecuted, it is because of
the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, but more than that; we are persecuted for
permitting the Holy Spirit to remain with us. Jesus spoke
in detail about the Holy Spirit who would come to dwell in the believer,
defining our salvation, but there is a difference between that and the
Holy Spirit “resting on us,” which is the outward expression of our
salvation, called the anointing. In one instance He dwells in us, and in the
other He rests upon us. God earnestly longs for us to manifest the Kingdom of God through the members of
our bodies, not just in the form of good works, but also through the spiritual
unction of the anointing. We should smear
the anointing on all our good works, though the
anointing is the main cause of persecution. The
Bible testified at Jesus' baptism that the Spirit rested upon Him like a dove; Jesus never did anything to chase away
the anointing
throughout His 3 1/2 year ministry, so when the world sees that we are
unwilling to chase away our anointing, they will persecute us for it.
1Pet 4-12,13
(45a)
Judgment >> God judges us for not judging ourselves
>>
Preparing for believer’s judgment -- These verses go with verses
17-19. Peter is reminding us to make sure that our
suffering is not a consequence for doing evil. God
takes credit for our persecution, considering it a form of judgment that
purifies His Church, and at the
same time He uses it to calibrate the degree of
judgment that He should impose on the world for persecuting His people, for if
judgment “begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the
gospel of God?”
(108k) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >> Revelation of Jesus Christ >> Revelation of the
glory of God
(114f) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Working the grace of God >> Obeying the Holy
Spirit >> Receiving a revelation from God
through obedience -- These verses go with verse 19
(121c) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Hope >>
Expectation >> Hope is the expectation to
receive >> Expectation based on hope
– There
are multiple levels of faith. There is one level of simply believing a chair would support us if we sat on it. Then there is
a higher level of
believing that obedience will lead to fellowship with God. Until we
obey Him, our believing is just mental ascent. Finally, there is the
faith that we believe through the Holy Spirit. We start with human faith and
end with divine faith, and in the middle is obedience that acts as a catalyst.
We obey the Scriptures in an environment of prayer, until we receive a revelation
of His word that if we obey it, will give us God's faith. See also: God replaces our belief with His faith;
2Pet 3-17; 181f
(125c) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Joy >>
Joy is the result of investing in the kingdom >>
Investing in a life of adversity –
We serve God to prepare for the moment we first meet Jesus; his life of service will be worth
all his trouble and heartache. This makes the Christian and
the drug addict mirror images of each other. That is, the drug addict thinks just the opposite of the
Christian; he throws away everything for his drug of choice and spends the
rest of his life chasing the feeling he had with his first high, and he will never
find it again. In contrast, the Christian takes the best of himself and offers it to
God in order to secure that first moment with Him in eternity. The drug
addict takes his moment now and faces the consequences later, while the Christian
sacrifices this life for the life to come with the promise that his euphoria
will never end.
(175k) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Ignorance >>
Ignorant of what God means >> Ignorant of the
meaning of God’s works
(230h) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery
of godliness >> Mystery of the trinity >>
Obey the mystery of godliness like Jesus did
(233k) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seek His glory without wavering
>>
Seek His glory through hardship -- These verses go with verses 16-19
KJV
WEB
/ Navigation Bar
1Pet 4-13
(226h) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >>
Levels of reward >> God rewards us to the degree
of our faithfulness
1Pet 4-14
(67j)
Authority >> Jesus delegates authority
>>
Glorifying the name of Jesus -- This verse goes with verse 16
(112j) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Light >> Being in the presence of truth –
“Glory” is another word for light. If we are persecuted for the
name of Christ, we should make sure there are plenty of people who can see and
hear everything that is said and done, and allow the Spirit of glory and of
God to rest upon us. We do nothing in a corner, and we do not allow our
enemies to corner us or lead us into their darkness but expose them, and God
will produce the fruit and guide the situation and create the circumstances
for salvation to occur. If we remain faithful, He will make sure the events
surrounding our persecution lead to salvation for those who are called and
chosen, so our enemies know there is nothing they can do against the gospel
(2Cor 13-8). The Spirit of God is our comforter and comforts us in our
persecutions while we are working for Him. When we are busy doing His will,
proclaiming the gospel and are persecuted for it, the God of heaven will set
His glory on us, and we will know exactly what to say and do in that given
moment, and He will comfort us in our suffering. He will set the Spirit of
truth upon us so we can speak the word of God in power to those who will
inherit eternal life.
1Pet 4-15,16
(194e) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Turn from sin to God >> Hate evil >>
Condemning sin >> Hate evil by being innocent of
it -- This verse goes with verse 3. God
thinks about everything in relation to how it will reflect on Himself in
eternity. He
cares immensely what His creation thinks of Him, even the devil, not that He
has a fragile ego but that He is God, and He means to subject all
things to Himself, proving that He is worthy of His creation's
worship. Therefore, before
He forever rids the creation of sin He wants to test us and show us what we are
capable of doing and unwilling to do for His glory and honor,
not that He needs to know but that we do, also for reasons of the devil. We
forget about him, yet the devil plays a critical role in creation: if he is not involved in the testing process, then he is involved in the results.
God uses us to condemn the devil. He was tempted many ages
ago and condemned himself trying to take God’s throne. Ever since, God has
been teaching him that he shouldn't have gone that direction, and in the
process He is teaching His creation a lesson about rebellion, that it is not worth it.
Nevertheless, the devil
believes that he didn’t have a choice; he wants to
place the blame on God for his own actions. What does that say about extreme Calvinists?
God uses us to prove to
the devil that he actually did have a choice, and that he made the wrong one, and
that what he did was
his fault, and he needs to own it. God is a master educator and is teaching everyone
about Himself and uses the devil to do it, making an example of him to the
rest of all creation. While He proves Himself to the devil, He proves
Himself to all creation, who is watching, so everyone can
learn from the devil about his poor choices. For the same reasons God tests us too. He tested Job
and now we have his example to encourage us to remain faithful in trying
times. Likewise, God uses us to teach all creation the consequences of
rebellion and the rewards of faithfulness. See also: Suffering; 1Pet 4,17-19;
98m / God is committed to proving the devil wrong;
2Pet 2-4; 46h
1Pet 4-15
(24k) Sin
>>
Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Anger >>
Unforgiveness
(25h) Sin
>>
Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Thief >>
Stealing from some one
(84h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Words of your mouth >> Gossip >>
Attacking a person’s character
1Pet 4,16-19
(233k) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seek His glory without wavering
>>
Seek His glory through hardship -- These verses go with verses 1&2
1Pet 4-16
(67j)
Authority >> Jesus delegates authority
>>
Glorifying the name of Jesus -- This verse goes with verse 14
(122j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Boldness in adverse
circumstances >> Do the will of God in the face
of adversity
KJV
WEB
/ Navigation Bar
1Pet 4,17-19
(2o)
Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Get out of His way >>
Quit sinning
(11c) Servant
>>
Standard for a servant >> Freedom –
The Church
throughout the centuries has known very little of Christ’s
freedom, mostly because people have never understood it; in fact, without
comprehending freedom they never understood the gospel. Part of the problem
is incentive. There is such a cost to freedom; they don’t know why they
would pursue it. Freedom is like buying a cruise ship; it costs tens of
millions of dollars; and what would we do with it if we had one? It is the
same with freedom; if we don’t have plans on using it, why bother owning
it? The same is true with unity! Hence, without unity there is no cause for freedom. Unity hires all the
hands and performs all the necessary duties and attracts all the customers
to this luxury liner. Therefore, before anyone seeks freedom they need to
know beforehand what they would do with it, but when they see the Church in a
heap, they decline the offer. We see the application to freedom in unity, but where unity is lacking there is no vision of freedom. We use our freedom to minister to
people for the cause of unity, but we can’t go to church and expect to minister to
anybody. That privilege is delegated to a select few theoretically to
protect their doctrines, yet their doctrines are just as skewed as their
concept of freedom. We can have a church full of
heaven-bound Christians who believe in Jesus well enough, but if they are
not united, they are
more like individual bricks strewn about the ground, disconnected from each
other, not fitted together to
make a church. We need to seek unity, because in that state we will find the
application to freedom. Paul said in Gal 5-1 that freedom is the goal of our
faith, even as unity is the goal of Christ (Jn 17-23). See
also: Unity: 3Jn,2-8; 115g
(21d) Sin
>>
Disobedience will condemn you to hell
(39k) Judgment
>>
Jesus defeated death >> Jesus defeated the law
of sin
(40l) Judgment
>>
God is glorified >> God defends His
righteousness through judgment – Peter said that judgment must begin first
with the household of God. This pertains to every generation that has ever lived,
including this one, and
it especially applies to the last days in terms of endtime prophecy when
judgment is prophesied to fall on the Church and on the world in that order. God intends
to judge his Church first, and that judgment will happen during the first
five seals of Satan’s wrath, suggesting that when Jesus
called us the salt of the earth, a preservative that also enhances taste, He
was implying that the main purpose of the Church was to keep a lid on sin in
the world, while seasoning their message with grace. Satan’s
wrath will come to pass from the Church's complacency, from their
unwillingness to become the salt of the earth and from their godless
religion. Therefore, every person who dies as a
result of the first five seals, God will charge their blood
against the Church. This is the degree to which God intends to judge His
people in the last days, allowing Satan to take peace from the earth that
men should slay one, and allowing abject poverty and starvation to the point
of death. This will come after the world economy crashes and people
will not be able to buy food for themselves, and from sword and famine and
pestilence and from the wild beasts of the earth. All these plagues will
cause death to millions, and their deaths will be charged against the Church
by the number of Christians who deny the
faith, constituting the five foolish virgins, half the known Church today. The five wise virgins,
in contrast, are those who wake up and participate in the great endtime
revival led by the Jews, and God will add to their numbers a massive influx
of souls. Those who refuse to assimilate into this endtime revival will
label it the work of Satan, and they will blaspheme. Consequently they will
lose their souls and their hope of eternal life; they will take the mark of the beast
for a bowl of soup (Heb 12,15-17).
See also: Endtimes; 45a /
Sequence of endtime events;
Rev 2-9,10; 50f
(45a) Judgment
>> God judges us for not judging
ourselves >> Preparing for believer’s
judgment -- These verses go with verses 5&6. Peter
said that in the last days judgment will come to the Church before it comes
to the world. This flies in the face of the grace teachings that we hear
today. They say, ‘God will not judge us because of His grace!’ What is
Peter saying then? The grace of God itself is a type of judgment. God judged
the sin of the world through His Son, and by that He has forgiven us and set
us free from the sentence of eternal damnation. If grace has its
roots in judgment, then it shouldn’t surprise us if God judges His people
through His grace. He will require us to seek freedom and pursue unity in the last days. Freedom has always been
God's standard throughout the
centuries, yet bondage has always been the Church's condition. God intends to judge His
people to repentance and impart His gifts that we
might effect unity. This was the way of the Church
in Peter’s day; there was genuine unity and incentive for
freedom, but after 2000 years of disobedience, the freedom of Christ and its
incentives have eroded to a nub. In the last days God will demand that we obey
Him and seek freedom from our fleshly bondage, and if we refuse to work with
Him, He will pass over us. When God judged the Egyptians, the angel of death passed over the houses
with blood on the doorpost, but in the last days He will pass over those who have rejected His purpose
of
freedom and unity. See also: Endtimes; 98m
(48b)
Judgment
>>
Eternal judgment >> God eternal judgment on the world
(88h) Thy Kingdom Come >>
Fear of God >>
Fearing the judgment of God is the beginning of wisdom >>
Fear the sovereign hand of God on your life
(98m) Thy kingdom come
>>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Endurance invites the Holy Spirit into your life >>
Endurance invites the judgment of God
–
‘Suffering the will of God,’ and "entrusting our souls to
a faithful Creator in doing what is right," will be God’s expectation of
us in the last days. We will need to trust Him, for if we try to
save our own lives, we will end up losing everything as Jesus said in Mat
16-25, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses
his life for My sake will find it.” In the last days these words will take
on a literal meaning; those who seek to live in this world will die-trying. God has a
plan to protect His people. We can dig our doomsday prepper holes in the
ground and live like animals, but it will unlikely
protect us for 3½ years. We cannot have endurance without suffering any more than an ocean can
exist without water. We need to surrender our ideas to God and
integrate into His plan and recognize from the start that Peter promises
suffering if we do it God’s way, and we will get through it without a
scratch (Lk 21,16-19) and in the end inherit eternal life, but if we go with our plan, we
will be judged along with the world. See also: Suffering; 1Pet 4,1-5; 168a
/ Endtimes; 103k
(103k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Purifying process >> God purifies His church >>
Jesus purifies His people –
The last days will be hell on earth for the sinner, but God has a plan to
protect His faithful ones, though there will be martyrs. There always were
martyrs throughout the ages, and in the last days there will be more than
ever, yet they will only represent a small fraction of Christians alive on
the earth at the time of the end when the antichrist unleashes his rage on the
earth. God has a plan to protect us, just as He had a plan to protect Israel
during his judgments against the pharaoh of Egypt by commanding them to
remain in the land of Goshen. Had they left this land, their blood would be on their own hands. In the same way, if they failed to paint the
doorpost with blood of the Passover lamb the night God smote the firstborn
in the land of Egypt, their blood would be on their own
hands. This land of Goshen is the wilderness, mentioned in Revelation
chapter 12. There God will nurture His people for 3½ years from the
presence of the serpent at the same time that God’s trumpet judgments will blow in
the devil’s ear and rattle his
kingdom to its foundation. At the sixth trumpet there will be little left of
his kingdom, and at the last trumpet He will Rapture His Church. See also: Endtimes;
209f /
Wilderness (Place of safety and protection);
Rev 4,1-11; 224b
(136j) Temple
>>
Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body
of Christ >> Body of Christ is the temple of
God
(157e) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being
hell-bound >> Being displeasing to God >>
Walking in disobedience
(209f) Salvation
>>
The salvation of God >> Righteous saved with
difficulty >> Righteous saved with hardship >>
Righteous saved with grief –
God demands that we show Him a little reverence and endurance, and when He sees us
enduring our trials and temptations, in due time He will impart to us a
supernatural ability to endure them. 1Pet 5-10 says, “After you have
suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His
eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and
establish you.” However, If we refuse to relinquish our fetish sins to
Christ, He will judge us along with the world. 1Cor 11-31,32 says, “If we
judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we
are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the
world.” So we see that there are two judgments that are coming in the last
days: one to the Church and another to the world. The Church will not
receive the judgment that God will impose on the world; instead, those who
believe in Jesus will receive the judgment of God’s grace; He will demand that we become free, but if we don’t accept His freedom, He will
judge us along with the world. This flies in the face of grace teachers who
think their doctrines make them immune to God’s judgment. God’s
expectation upon His people in the last days will increase exponentially.
For the last 2000 years God has demanded the Church's obedience, while we have given ourselves freedom to choose not to
obey Him, believing there
will be no consequences because we are Christians and beloved. Most people would prefer to simply believe in a set
of doctrines rather than obey Christ. However, the Church will receive
an ultimatum in the last days to either do what He says or else lose His
protection from the antichrist that is coming. The Church has played Patty-Cake with
its many false gods
for 2000 years, and now it is time to finally learn His true identity. He wants to use us to help topple the devil’s empire. He has plans to
reveal Himself to the world through us in the last days so millions of
people can be saved from the darkness that is coming. See also: Endtimes; 1Pet 4-6,7;
82e
(218b) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will
over man >> You cannot control the judgment of
God >> You cannot control how God responds to
rebellion
KJV
WEB
/ Navigation Bar
1Pet 4-17
(214j) Sovereignty
>>
God controls time >> God’s timing >>
God’s time is soon >> God’s time is always
now
(250g) Priorities
>>
God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >>
Spiritual then the natural (anointing then miracles)
1Pet 4-18
(209c) Righteous Saved With
Difficulty (Key verse)
1Pet 4-19
(92a) Thy kingdom come
>>
The narrow way >> Trail of good works >>
The good works that He prepared for us
(102h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Trustworthy >>
Loyalty
(114f) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Obeying the Holy
Spirit >> Receiving a revelation from God
through obedience -- This verse goes with verses 12&13
(127h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Rewards for doing good >> Doing good is the will
of God
(144b) Witness >>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> The Church bears witness of Jesus >>
It bears witness of the
cross
(212a) Sovereignty
>>
God is infinite >> He is the creator >>
The creation glorifies God >> The creation
exemplifies God’s sovereignty
(247k) Priorities
>>
God’s priorities >> The will of God >>
We play our part in the will of God >> Doing the
will of God
See
next page
|