The First Epistle of Peter

Our study continues with 1 Peter 4. Someone said that it is true that most people would like to “serve” God --but in an ADVISORY CAPACITY only!”

There is a story about little Johnny who had trouble pronouncing the letter “R” so his teacher gave him this sentence to practice at home.“Robert gave Richard a rap in the rib for roasting the rabbit so rare.”A few days later the teacher asked him how he was doing with his sentence and to say it for her.He quickly rattled off the sentence. “Bob gave Dick a poke in the side for not cooking the bunny enough!”

Johnny did all he could to avoid using the letter “R”. Many of us at times do the same thing to avoid the Commitment to serve the Lord, especially if it is not easy for us to do--if we feel inadequate for the task or afraid.

At the beginning of Chapter 4, Peter talked to a group of Christians about living for God. He told them that Jesus did not live his earthly life just for his human selfish desires, but rather for the will of God (v. 2) and he says, “You have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do--living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry” (v. 3).

He is speaking to people who previously didn’t have even a VAGUE IDEA of what it meant to SERVE God. They had previously lived very self-centered, destructive lives. Now, he is telling them the importance of living a different lifestyle--one that would count for something in the light of eternity; one that would be productive and point other people to Christ.