1 Peter 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

6 For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.

10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

MEMORY VERSE: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. —1 Peter 4:12, 13

CENTRAL THOUGHT: Being a true follower of Jesus Christ in the blessed hope of eternal life puts us at variance and ways contrary to the sinful vanity of the world around us. But, while this brings adversity and persecution, we must look beyond this fleeting earthly realm and rejoice in our future with Him.

WORD DEFINITIONS

1 Peter 4:1, “Forasmuch”: Indeed since. “same mind”: Identical outlook and attitude. “ceased from sin”: Stopped going sinful ways. Even though the holy life brings adversity and persecution, we can rejoice that we are overcoming the sinful way of living.

Ver. 3, “suffice”: Was enough for us and we do not want any more of it. “lasciviousness”: Uncontrolled passions of the body. “banquetings”: Drinking liquor parties. “abominable idolatries”: Wicked and ungodly idol worship.

Ver. 4, “excess of riot”: Uncontrolled indulgence in ungodly passions.

Ver. 5, “ready”: Fully prepared and qualified.

Ver. 7, “sober”: Having a sound and rightfully sane mind and purpose. “watch unto prayer”: Be prayerfully on guard against the enemy.

Ver. 8, “charity”: The divine love of God.

Ver. 9, “without grudging”: Not grumbling nor complaining.

Ver. 10, “steward”: Worker or overseer. “manifold”: With many various benefits and blessings. Ver. 11, “oracles”: The holy messages of truth.

Ver. 12, “Beloved”: Dearly and greatly loved.

Ver. 14, “reproached”: Persecuted or condemned.

LESSON BACKGROUND

In our lesson today we have the direct and unfailing counsel of being aware of the dangers we face in life. From the beginning of creation we can see the trap in which Satan caught Adam and Eve. God created the world and everything in it. But the Creator gave a limit, a law of control, a restriction to what man had privilege to partake of. Man could freely partake of the many trees in the garden and their wonderful fruit. There was only one tree that God plainly made man know he was to not partake of. The lie Satan presented to mother Eve was that partaking of the forbidden tree would be beneficial to her and Adam. She was deceived by his lies, ate of the forbidden fruit, and got Adam to partake of it with her. This was the entry of sin and transgression into the world.

The history of mankind shows the terrible consequence of fulfilling the lusts and appetites of the body over and above pleasing man’s Maker. During His earthly life and ministry, our Lord Jesus faced that same temptation and was, as our Savior, triumphant and victorious over it all. He was tempted in all points like we are tempted, yet never yielded. He can help us if we will be willing and obedient to Him and seek His guidance and wisdom to keep us in the way of life. The way of living holy and bringing our appetites and desires into complete submission to the good pleasure of God is truly the way in which we desire to be obedient.

In Galatians 5:16-13 Paul listed the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. True godly wisdom will help us to avoid and triumph over the works of the flesh, which have a strong influence particularly in youth, and to diligently pursue the fruit of the Spirit. May the Holy Spirit of God help us all to be enlightened and warned to resist the temptation of the flesh and sow to the Spirit so that we can reap life everlasting (Gal. 6:7,8).

—Bro. Leslie Busbee

QUESTIONS:

1. What was the mind Christ had with which we need to arm ourselves?

2. What are some of the attractions of the flesh that we need to resist?

3. How can we overcome the flesh and live according to the Spirit of God?

4. What are some of the fiery temptations that we can and will meet?

5. How can we be a partaker of Christ’s sufferings?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

1 John 2:15-17 has some worthy and valuable counsel to which we should take diligent heed: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” We can see these three things in the temptation that the devil presented to Eve about the forbidden tree. As it says in Genesis 3:6, “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and a tree to be desired to make one wise (the pride of life), she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat.”

Our Lord Jesus faced the same allurements in His temptation, as is portrayed in Matthew 4:1-10: Commanding stones to be made bread (lust of the flesh), casting Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple (lust of the eyes), and seeing all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them and having them if he would worship the devil (the pride of life); here are these three attractions again. Let us be wise to resist the devices and allurements of Satan in our day! Jesus overcame it in His day, and when facing the horrible suffering of the death of the cross, He resisted any thought of saving Himself, but gladly gave Himself to death. It pays to deny the flesh and be willing to bear the cross that Jesus bore.

—Bro. Leslie Busbee

REFLECTIONS

Our memory verse says: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:12,13

Apostle James encouraged us to “Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” He went on to say, “Behold, we count them happy which endure.” The Apostle Paul testified of his thorn in the flesh experience that “[he] would rather glory in [his] infirmities. . .” He also admonished the saints to be “patient in tribulation.”

Think about those words for a minute: ‘rejoice’, ‘joy’, ‘happy’, ‘glory’, ‘patient’. These words do not describe the usual sentiments in the middle of heartache and devastation when all we want is for the trial to end and be over with as soon as possible. But there is a valuable lesson here that can be gleaned if we will open our hearts and minds to understanding. Paul and Silas tapped into this secret treasure when they were in the depths of the prison after being beaten and chained. They learned to rejoice because they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. Paul found this also because he went on to say, “I would rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

This takes every burden, every trial, every temptation, and every tribulation to a whole new level. We get to serve the Lord in a capacity as never before. In our disappointments and hard trials, we have a chance to prove faithful to a Savior who was ever faithful to us. Praise the Lord. This is why we can sing “The Pilgrim’s Confidence”:

“Welcome the storms, my hope is abounding,

Let the waves come, my anchor is sure.

Fixed in the rock on which I am standing,

How can I fall when all is secure?

Wonderful peace in thee I’m possessing,

Victory thro’ Christ I ever shall sing;

Let the rain fall in showers of blessing,

Homage and praise to Thee I would bring!”