Our burden of anxiety The burden of Peters

• Our burden of anxiety

• The burden of Peter’s friends

1 Peter 1: 1 I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners (“exiles, ” “aliens”) in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia

• Join the church

Verse 9 b Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

Philippians 4: 8 -9 Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

• Jerk the leash

1 Peter 5: 8 -9 a Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.

Isaiah 41: 10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am. your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 26: 3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Psalm 94: 18 -19 I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

• Transfer the weight

Verse 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

1 Peter 4: 12 -13 Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.

Philippians 4: 6 -7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

When you transfer the weight of anxiety to God, you are receiving the weight of glory. Ultimately we will remove all the weight of anxiety and receive the liberating weight of glory--BOTH GOD’S GLORY AND OUR OWN.

• Share the glory

Verses 6, 10 -11 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor…

…In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power to him forever! Amen.

1 Peter 1: 6 -7 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

2 Corinthians 4: 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

James 1: 12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

1 Peter 5: 6, 10 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor…God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

Romans 8: 18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.