Focus Text: 1 Peter 4:1-5, 12-19
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify ways in which they might react to suffering for Christ.
Central Truth: The example of Jesus Christ in His suffering should inspire the Christian to strength and purity in his own life.
I. AN EXAMPLE PORTRAYED (1 Peter 4:1-5)
II. RIGHT ATTITUDES COMMENDED (1 Peter 4:12-16)
III. TESTING TIMES IDENTIFIED (1 Peter 4:17-19)
If you decide to ask discussion questions, be certain that they will always create quality discussion. Do not ask questions that only have one right answer if you are looking for a discussion. Whenever you ask a discussion question, your goal is to help people share their thoughts and really think about the material. Ask open-ended questions.
Read Matthew 28:1-10
“And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it” (v. 2).
Kansas, where I have spent most of my life, is not known for its earthquakes. They are not all that rare, but they are generally too faint to be felt over a wide area. They do not usually cause any damage. The region of the world where Jerusalem sits, however, averages one major earthquake every eighty to 100 years, according to the Jerusalem Post. Since the last one was in 1927, I doubt there are many people either in the Holy Land or reading this book that can remember it. My grandparents were not even alive yet! I can just imagine what it might have been like to be on guard duty the morning the world shook, an angel appeared, and an enormous rock rolled out of place. There would have been no childhood stories to relate this to, no social context to surround it. The earth moved, a heavenly warrior materialized, and the last line of defense obediently got out of the way. (Michelle D. Avery)
No wonder the soldiers fainted.