Surprised By Suffering (1 Peter 4:12-19)

1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
Surprised By Suffering (1 Peter 4:12-19)
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Sermon Outline:

  1. Rejoice amidst your pain (1 Peter 4:12-13).
  2. Be faithful in your pain (1 Peter 4:14-16).
  3. Keep an eternal perspective on your pain (1 Peter 4:17-19).

Discussion Questions:

  • Why are we so caught off guard when we suffer? How will this passage prepare you for future trials?
  • How has God matured you through difficult situations? Share some examples to encourage those at your table. 
  • When do you most struggle to genuinely trust God? How does this passage (and 2 Cor. 4:17-18) help?

This is the 12th sermon of the series 1 Peter: Thriving In Exile.

Two Mindsets (1 Peter 4:1-11)

1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
Two Mindsets (1 Peter 4:1-11)
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Discussion Questions:

  • What are some actions we take to avoid suffering in our life?  Which of those are legitmate?  Which of those may go too far into taking us out of what God wants for us? 
  • How does having an eternal perspective help us with disappointment and unmet desires?
  • How can living in community with other believers help us step into difficult things? 

This is the 11th sermon of the series 1 Peter: Thriving In Exile.

A Picture of Thriving in Exile (1 Peter 3:8-22)

1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
A Picture of Thriving in Exile (1 Peter 3:8-22)
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Sermon Outline:

  1. A picture of God’s people thriving (1 Peter 3:8-12).
  2. What God’s people should expect as they thrive (1 Peter 3:13-17).
  3. The reason God’s people will always thrive (1 Peter 3:18-22).

Discussion Questions:

  •  How would you describe “the good life?” What first comes to mind with that phrase? How might your mental picture be different from Peter’s?  
  • When have you grown through pain? How does that build trust for God’s will in your life amidst suffering?
  • What types of things are Christians reviled for in our culture? How can we bless those who attack us?

This is the 10th sermon of the series 1 Peter: Thriving In Exile.

Easter and Living Hope (1 Peter 1:3-5)

1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
Easter and Living Hope (1 Peter 1:3-5)
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This is the 9th sermon of the series 1 Peter: Thriving In Exile.

Honorable Exiles and Marriage (1 Peter 3:1-7)

1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
Honorable Exiles and Marriage (1 Peter 3:1-7)
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Sermon Outline:

  1. Honorable wives in exile (1 Peter 3:1-6).
  2. Honorable husbands in exile (1 Peter 3:7).

Discussion Questions:

  • Women, which of the three attributes discussed today is most challenging? Which is most appealing? (1-2: Missional Submission; 3-4: Authentic Beauty; 5-6: Communal Calling); 
  • Men, which of the four attributes discussed today is the most needed exhortation? (7a, live in an understanding way; 7b, show honor; 7c, remember we are co-heirs; 7d, prayers can be hindered);
  • What would a church culture that embodied these attributes feel like? How can you help cultivate that culture?  

This is the 8th sermon of the series 1 Peter: Thriving In Exile.

Entrusting Ourselves to Christ (1 Peter 2:18-25)

1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
Entrusting Ourselves to Christ (1 Peter 2:18-25)
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Sermon Outline:

  1. Servants and suffering (18-20).
  2. Christ’s Example  (21-23).
  3. Christ’s work on our behalf  (23-25).

Discussion Questions:

  • How Can the truths in verses 23-25 help us in our daily work? 
  • What are some ways we can practically entrust ourselves to Christ and ground ourselves in Him?
  • Pray for anyone at your table who may be experiencing a suffering season at work or in other places God has placed them.   

This is the 7th sermon of the series 1 Peter: Thriving In Exile.

Honorable Exiles (1 Peter 2:11-17)

1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
Honorable Exiles (1 Peter 2:11-17)
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Sermon Outline:

  1. Honorable exiles (1 Peter 2:11-12).
  2. Honorable exiles and government (1 Peter 2:13-17).

Discussion Questions:

  • What is your flesh passionate about? What does the war feel like? How does God enable you to abstain? 
  • When people think of you, what comes to mind? When people think of the American church, what comes to mind? How is Jesus different and better? How can we help people think of Jesus instead of us? 
  • What good deeds (Verse 12) would you like our church to be known for as a way of bringing glory to God? What beautiful behavior would direct attention to our beautiful Savior?

This is the 6th sermon of the series 1 Peter: Thriving In Exile.

Living Stones and a Spiritual House (1 Peter 2:1-10)

1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
Living Stones and a Spiritual House (1 Peter 2:1-10)
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Sermon Outline:

  1. Our individual responsibility (1 Peter 2:1-3).
  2. Our corporate identity (1 Peter 2:4-6).
  3. A universal reality (1 Peter 2:7-8).
  4. An overwhelming beauty (1 Peter 2:9-10).

Discussion Questions:

  • What are the things that narrow your gaze or focus? What desires/hopes cloud your mind from seeing Jesus? How does hope in the Gospel broaden your gaze? Or, how is Jesus better? 
  • God’s kindness leads to repentance (not the reverse) and our salvation fuels our obedience (not the reverse). Why are we so tempted to switch the order of those statements? 
  • Finish the sentence: In my life, greater holiness looks like… (Hint: It looks more like Jesus!)

This is the 5th sermon of the series 1 Peter: Thriving In Exile.

Grace Fueled Obedience (1 Peter 1:13-25)

1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
1 Peter: Thriving In Exile
Grace Fueled Obedience (1 Peter 1:13-25)
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Sermon Outline:

  1. Command #1— Set your hope (1 Peter 1:13).
  2. Command #2— Be holy (1 Peter 1:14-21).
  3. Command #3—Love earnestly (1 Peter 1:22-25).

Discussion Questions:

  • What are the things that narrow your gaze or focus? What desires/hopes cloud your mind from seeing Jesus? How does hope in the Gospel broaden your gaze? Or, how is Jesus better?
  • God’s kindness leads to repentance (not the reverse) and our salvation fuels our obedience (not the reverse). Why are we so tempted to switch the order of those statements?
  • Finish the sentence: In my life, greater holiness looks like… (Hint: It looks more like Jesus!)

This is the 4th sermon of the series 1 Peter: Thriving In Exile.

A Reason to Rejoice (1 Peter 1:3-12)

Sermon Outline:

  1. A salvation worthy of celebrating (1 Peter 1:3-5).
  2. A reason to rejoice, even amidst suffering (1 Peter 1:6-9).
  3. A reminder to understand the times we live in (1 Peter 1:10-12).

Notable Quotes:

“A very strong proof of this destruction of death and its conquest by the cross is supplied by a present fact, namely this. All the disciples of Christ despise death; they take the offensive against it and, instead of fearing it, by the sign of the cross and by faith in Christ trample on it as on something dead. Before the divine sojourn of the Saviour, even the holiest of men were afraid of death, and mourned the dead as those who perish. But now that the Saviour has raised His body, death is no longer terrible, but all those who believe in Christ tread it underfoot as nothing, and prefer to die rather than to deny their faith in Christ, knowing full well that when they die they do not perish, but live indeed, and become incorruptible through the resurrection…Death has become like a tyrant who has been completely conquered by the legitimate monarch; bound hand and foot the passers-by jeer at him, hitting him and abusing him, no longer afraid of his cruelty and rage, because of the king who has conquered him. So has death been conquered and branded for what it is by the Saviour on the cross. It is bound hand and foot, all who are in Christ trample it as they pass and as witnesses to Him deride it, scoffing and saying, ‘O Death, where is thy victory? O Grave, where is thy sting? (1 Cor. 15:55)’”                —-St. Athanasius 

“If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?”            —John Piper

Discussion Questions:

  • What do you hope for (or hope in)? What preferred future are you telling yourself is just around the corner? Is it eternal? Perfect? Does it diminish over time? Be honest…
  • If you are a follower of Jesus, how often do you reflect on your salvation? How might that impact how you view times of suffering?

This is the 3rd sermon of the series 1 Peter: Thriving In Exile. Unfortunately, the audio was not recorded.