Approaching the Text

Refer to: www.desiringgod.org/labs/serve-in-god-s-strength-not-yours www.desiringgod.org/labs/do-your-gifts-glorify-you-or-god Excerpt from webpage: Principle for Bible Reading Inference An inference is a statement that explains what is or should be based on something already said. An inference is like the top floor of a building because it always rests upon other floors, or reasons that have already been given. Statements that begin with “therefore” are almost always inferences. Because inferences build off of other statements, whenever you see a therefore in the Bible, ask what it is there for (or, what statements is it building upon). Questions and thoughts by Pastor Piper: I wanted to learn how God's gift to Pastor Piper to speak words as from the oracles of God, could teach me how to look at the Book better. So I thought I would here notice the questions Pastor Piper asks of a text. I find the questions he asks to be guides into the text. These questions lead to some thoughts about what a text is doing and how it is accomplishing its task. I note them here. The answers to these questions are found in the Phrasing module. 1) How do gifts of God and words of God and power of God and glory of God team up here to have their effect? 2) Seeing how this text have the cumulative effect, we see how overwhelmingly God saturated this text but also the gathering which this text describes the use of gifts. 3) How does God get glory from the use of spiritual gifts seen in this text? 4) How does being motivated to love people relate to being motivated to glorify God? 5) Approach answering these by seeing the density of this text and how it explodes with a doxology at the end. Study Questions from the webpages: I found these other questions helpful too and have answered some of them in the phrasing module. 1. When you serve others with your gifts, whose strength do you tend to rely on? Who tends to get the glory when others’ are helped by you? 2. How is the relationship between God’s grace, Christian gifts, and others in 1 Peter 4:10–11 ? 3. What might it mean practically to serve in God’s strength, as opposed to your own ( 1 Peter 4:11 )? How can you apply the distinction this week? 4. Have you identified gifts that the Lord has given you? Is it under the speaking or serving categories of 1 Peter 4:10–11 ? 5. When was the last time you used them to benefit others? What can we learn from 1 Peter 4:10–11 about using our gifts to the glory of God? 6. Which gift has God given you that tempts you to use for your own glory?

notes

Context

NT

1 Peter 4:8-11

esv

8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since q love covers a multitude of sins. 9 r Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 s As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, t as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks u oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves v by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything w God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. x To him belong glory and y dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 2:12

12 k Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, l they may see your good deeds and glorify God on m the day of visitation.

lookup

Phrase

1 Peter 4:10-11

mine

God Saturated Text

The Dense Details of the Text

We Love By Gifts from God From His Grace For His Glory and Our Joy

As each has received a gift,

This gift is an expression, an outflow of God's grace.

use it to serve one another,

This service is how we love one another see 1 Peter 4:8.

as good stewards of God’s varied grace:

God's varied grace is seen through His varied gifts

whoever speaks,

1st Category: There are gifts which are speaking

as one who speaks oracles of God;

The speaking content is not ours, but from God. God's content.

whoever serves,

2nd Category: There are gifts which are serving

as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—

This service is done by and in the power of God

The above two categories are not mutually exclusive but are interrelated. Speaking involves service and service involves speaking.

in order that in everything God may be glorified

The PURPOSE: that God may be glorified

through Jesus Christ.

God can only be glorified through Jesus Christ, because without Christ, we would not receive God's grace, nor His gifts, nor then the means to glorify Him!

To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The "explosion" (Pastor Piper's term) of doxology. The height of our joy. "There is no conflict between God getting all the glory and us getting all the grace we need."

This is how we love one another with God's grace. By ministering to one another with the gifts that reveal God's varied grace. See 1 Peter 2:12

phrasing