Peter Barnes | 1 Peter 4:17-18
SERMON NOTES
JUDGMENT ON THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD
1 Peter 4:17-18
1. Judgment begins with the household of God.
– 4:17. In all the interaction between Israel and the nations in the Old Testament, who is the key figure on earth? It is always Israel, not Assyria or Babylon or Persia.
– Jer.25:29; Amos 3:2; Ezek.9:5-6; 10:18. Do not look at the strength of the Babylonians but the apostasy of Judah.
– is the greatest threat to the West today Islam? Or the infidelity of the church?
– 1 Cor.11:17, 20. It is a dangerous thing to profess Christ.
2. The righteous can scarcely be saved.
– 4:18. The word ‘scarcely’ means ‘with great difficulty’ as in Acts 14:18.
– is the difficulty on our side or God’s side? The answer has to be both. Luke 13:23-24; Gen.19:15-16; Matt.19:26.
– How can anything be difficult for God? Catherine the Great is supposed to have said that God forgives us because that is His job. Not so – Isa.64:6; Habakkuk 1:13; Gal.2:21.
3. The ungodly will suffer God’s judgment.
– 4:17-18. See Ps.73:18-20.
– John 15:2 compared to John 15:6.