1 Peter 4:12-19 - NOTE: There will be no audio streamed during our evening time of prayer, audio will resume when the message commences.

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 92:1-4
• Hymn — How Firm a Foundation (#94)
• Prayer of Invocation
• Hymn — Breathe on Me, Breath of God (#334)
• Pastoral Prayer
• Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:12-19
• Sermon
• Benediction

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Sermon Title: The Assurance, Refinement, and Comfort Found in Suffering

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-19

I. Suffering Brings the Assurance of Salvation

A. Peter warns the churches in Asia Minor not to be surprised by fiery trials (1 Peter 4:12)

1. Christians were persecuted for calling Jesus Lord rather than Caesar
2. Peter writes ahead of Nero's large-scale persecution campaign to prepare believers

B. Suffering for Christ is a sharing in Christ's sufferings (1 Peter 4:13)

1. Christ identifies himself with the church's suffering — Acts 9 ("Saul, why are you persecuting me?")
2. Believers are likewise to identify their sufferings with Christ's
3. Sharing in Christ's suffering means sharing in the glory that follows — reason for present joy

C. The Spirit of glory resting on believers is evidence of salvation (1 Peter 4:14)

1. The language echoes Isaiah 11:2, where the Spirit rests upon the Messiah — the only two places in Scripture where the Spirit is said to "rest" on someone
2. At Jesus's baptism in Matthew 3, the Spirit descends on Christ; in Matthew 4, the Spirit immediately drives him into the desert to suffer
3. The Spirit's primary role is not extraordinary experiences but empowering believers to say no to self and yes to God
4. When we suffer for Christ, the Spirit confirms to our spirit that we are sons and daughters of God

II. Suffering Brings the Pain of Refinement

A. Not all suffering is commendable — suffering for wrongdoing is not honored by God (1 Peter 4:15)

1. Peter lists murderer, thief, evildoer, and meddler
2. "Meddler" (used only here in the Greek New Testament) refers to one who intrudes into others' affairs — even well-intentioned meddling is not commended by God

B. Suffering for the name of Christ is a refining judgment, not a judgment of wrath (1 Peter 4:16-17)

1. The hymn How Firm a Foundation captures this: God designs to consume our dross and refine our gold
2. John Owen: "We will not know the power of grace until we feel the power of testing; we must be tried in order to realize the glory of being preserved"

C. Peter presents two kinds of judgment, drawn from Christ's teaching in Mark 9:43-49

1. The refining fire — painful and temporary, leading to eternal glory
2. The hell fire — the unquenchable flame, leading to eternal destruction
3. The church must not avoid preaching these hard words; Christ places them in Scripture to awaken us
4. Saying no to self, repenting, and confessing sin brings a strange but real joy — evidence that God is at work in the heart (cf. John Owen, The Mortification of Sin)

III. Suffering Brings the Comfort of the Creator

A. Peter calls believers to entrust their souls to a faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19)

1. Saying yes to self brings no rest — illustrated by David's adultery (cf. Psalm 32, Psalm 38, Psalm 51) and Peter's denial
2. Saying no to self and yes to God is painful, yet it is where true rest is found

B. The Creator has become the believer's heavenly Father through adoption in Christ (Matthew 6:25-34)

1. Jesus appeals to God as Creator and Sustainer of birds and lilies, yet addresses him as "your heavenly Father" (vv. 26, 32)
2. All of creation becomes a grand display of the Father's love and care for his adopted children
3. The way God sustains creation is a picture — infinitely magnified — of how he cares for his people

C. Conclusion: Entrust yourself to the faithful Creator

1. Say no to self and yes to Christ, confident that the God who made all things has adopted you and will care for your soul into eternal glory