This study is based off of the sermon preached on November 8th. The discussion is

meant to follow the sermon so should be used in your groups any time between Sunday

evening the 8th and Sunday morning the 15th.

Please remind your group that sermons are available online and through iTunes should

any member miss a service. There are too many questions here to discuss all

together. Feel free to ask only the ones you feel will fit your group’s discussion.

Some questions are simple and others more complex, use your discretion to decide

which ones to use.

Members may choose to work through the personal study questions before your

meeting or you may choose to talk about those as a group. As a general rule, the

personal questions focus more on understanding the passage while the group

questions focus more on application.

This document is not intended for leaders only, feel free to use this to prepare however

you see fit for your group discussion.You may choose to answer all of the questions for

both personal study and Life Group discussion ahead of time. Or you may choose to

use it for family discussion prior to Life Group discussion.

This week’s theme:1 Peter 4:12-19 sums up Peter’s discussion on the Christian’s response to suffering by

presenting us with some key truths on suffering.

5 Truths on Suffering: 1. Scripture assumes saints will suffer. (verse 12) 2. The saints’ reaction to suffering is grounded in Christ’s suffering. (verse 13) 3. Suffering prepares us for blessing. (verse 14) 4. Suffering is meaningful in the context of obedience. (verses 15-18) 5. The Saint can trust God even in the midst of Suffering. (verse 19)

Note: The scriptural promises and prayers read at the end of the sermon are attached to this sheet. They are taken from the book Take Words With You by Tim Kerr. Visit takewordswithyou.com to learn more.

Life Group Discussion Guide

Week 8: November 8-15

1 Peter 4:12-19

The Strange Suffering of the Saints

Information

for Leaders

Information

for

Participants

Passage

Information

1. What do you see as the primary point God wants us to see from this section?

2. Why do you think Peter refers to his audience as the beloved in verse 14? Do you think

that title has anything to do with the subject of this particular passage?

3. How are you blessed according to verse 14?

4. Have you ever suffered for doing evil? How does that suffering compare to suffering for

doing something good? Which is most painful?

5. How could you glorify God in the midst of suffering?

6. Does thinking about God’s judgment comfort you or cause you to fear (v 17-18)?

7. What can you do to trust God in a deeper way this week? (v19)

1. Read through the five truths of suffering on the previous page which of these is the hardest for you to understand or accept?

2. Which of these is the most comforting? 3. Does anyone have a story in which they have experienced suffering or trial and felt any

of these truths come to light? 4. What kind of blessing might come out of a difficult situation? (v 14) 5. Case study: You have a friend named John. John just learned that his wife has cancer

and the outlook is not good. On top of that John’s company has just informed him that his position is being cut and he will be losing both his income and insurance soon. John is a believer but he is angry. He’s struggling to find hope and understand how God could allow this to happen to one of His beloved children. Discuss as a group how you can minister to John in the midst of his suffering and help him “entrust [his] soul to a faithful creator.” (v 19)

6. Case study: You have a coworker named Jane. Jane is not a believer but usually she doesn’t mind when you talk about your faith. Jane just lost a child and now she’s hurting. Now she gets upset every time you talk about the Bible or God. She does not understand how you could possibly believe that to be true when there is so much pain in the world. Discuss as a group how you can minister to her.

7. Spend some time as a group reading through some of the promises and prayers on the attached page. Which of these verses bring hope to you?

8. How can you discipline yourself to remember the promises of God in the midst of a fiery trial?

9. How can your Life Group or church help you? 10. Is there anyone in this group suffering right now that needs additional prayer ad

support? 11. How can your group pray for you this week?

Life Group Discussion Guide

Week 8: November 8-15

1 Peter 4:12-19

The Strange Suffering of the Saints

Personal

Study

Questions

Life Group

Questions