Articles
Past, Present, Future
We just studied 1 Peter 4. Here is a simple outline of it.
Put the past behind you (vv. 1-6). The old life of sensuality was a waste, and though the world still encourages you—even pressures you—to live that way, don’t.
Make the most of the present (vv. 7-11). That doesn’t mean have the most fun or accumulate the most stuff you can. It means live soberly, love and share with others, and use whatever God has entrusted to you in His service.
Be ready for the future (vv. 12-19). Peter’s initial readers faced a coming wave of persecution. Perhaps we do too. In that we are to rejoice and glorify God. Regardless of what the near future holds, judgment is coming. Live in such a way that whenever it occurs, it will be an occasion of ultimate joy, not the unthinkable alternative.
