Lesson Four

Lesson Three Review

How durable is our spiritual inheritance?

Can troubles or suffer take our inheritance away?

What should be our perspective and understanding of our present troubles?

Lesson Four Questions

We strong suggest that the student read the follow questions before reading the text. This will help the student to discover truths and comprehend what she or he has read.

What is faith?

What is the proof of our faith?

What is the outcome or result of our faith?

How is faith tested?

What do we share with the original readers of this letter (v. 8)?

If you only had verse 1-9, what would know about Jesus Christ?

Daily Reading

Monday – 1 Peter 1:5-9

Tuesday – Matthew 8:5-13

Wednesday – Matthew 9:18-26

Thursday – John 3:1-16

Friday – 2 Corinthians 5:1-8

V. 7

The phase “the proof of your faith” (NASB) is very humbling. The idea that such tests, such trials of life are real tests of our faith causes me to bend my knee and cry out as the father with the sick child cried out, “Lord help my unbelief.” If the troubles are times when our faith becomes evident, then we must not have much faith.

Gold has always been one of man’s most prized objects. It is considered to be durable – long lasting but according to the Bible it is perishable where our faith last forever. Again and through the book, Peter under divine inspiration focuses on eternity. Faith, even that which is tested by fire, will long outlast any treasurer here on earth.

Faith is that which will end in real praise. Often we think a good worship service is praise or an exciting song is praise but praise is the moans of the saints that continue to trust God when it seems impossible to do so.

Recently I had major surgery on my neck. It was not by choice and happened very quickly. When I awoke in the recovery room, I found myself in terrible pain. Pain like I had never experienced before. My entire shoulder and left arm felt like it was on fire. Tears ran down my cheek as I begged for something for the pain. I groaned and moaned as I thought I was on fire and for the next fort-eight hours I gained a new understanding of what pain can do to a person.

Afterwards I began to reflect on what had happened to me and I was gently reminded of what many Christians before had went through. I recalled how many were burned on tall polls as torches for Nero’s garden parties. I remembered reading of how many were burnt at the stake because they would not renounce their faith in God. It shamed me. I certainly do not want to be put to that kind of a test. I even wonder if I could pass the test. Perhaps we are a lot like Peter who had claimed that he would die for Christ; and, yet when the test came, he fled. Perhaps Peter knew how difficult it was going to be for these believers and how important it was to focus on the “blessed hope”!

        Hard times and Revival

Times are changing. The Christian faith once enjoyed a place of privilege in government and society but that is quickly changing. The Christian faith and ethics were once considered the glue that held our nation together is now being viewed as a curse. The privileges and influence the church once held is vanishing. Hard times may face the future generation of believers is Jesus does not return.

Is that really bad? I ran across this little tidbit of information that caused me to think about what God can do in hard times.

“The American Civil War sparked revival on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line. Between 100,000 and 200,000 Union soldiers reportedly converted to Christ, as did approximately 150,000 Confederates. Many soldiers' quarters featured chapels, and it was during this conflict that military chaplains became common. During the fall of 1863 and the winter of 1864 alone, some 7,000 of Robert E. Lee's troops became Christians.” (Elesha Coffman, associate editor of Christian History)

Sometimes God does His greatest works during the hard times -- Something to think about. Pastor JIM

V. 8

2 Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) Although we must not forget to stress the importance of faith found in this verse it is also important to stress that the love that these non-see believers had for the Lord. The relationship that we have with God is one of love – a Faith/Love!

Only by such faith-love can we experience the inexpressible joy. It is that love-faith that see joy in troubles and allows us to get a flicker of the glory of God.

V. 9

This faith-love lets us see to the very end of our salvation – the glorification.