Final Encouragement 1 Peter 1 Peter 5:6‐11 February 5, 2017 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober‐minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Good morning! Well, I was on vacation all last week, so if I seem a little disoriented this morning… well, that probably isn’t anything new. Honestly, it is always good to get away for a little while and get some much needed rest and relaxation, but it is even better to be back and to be so privileged to be able to proclaim the truth from God’s holy Word. Well, we have a great passage to work though this morning, as Peter wraps up his letter to the elect exiles in the regions of modern day Turkey. You know, when you think about it not a lot has changed in Turkey since Peter wrote this letter, as far as what it would be like to be a Christian in the that land. Of course, Islam had not yet become a factor in the world, but the 1 | P a g e people in these regions were pagans. This part of the world had been ruled by the Persians, who worshipped Zoroaster, then the Greeks and now it was under Roman rule, both of whom had a whole pantheon of Gods. All kinds of beliefs and customs had been mixed together, with the official religion being the worship of Caesar. Christianity was in its infancy, but was on the move. Paul had evangelized and established churches throughout the eastern part of the country and there were believers scattered throughout the region. Full‐fledged opposition from Rome had likely not yet begun, but was on the very near horizon. Peter has written his letter to these exiles to encourage them and to strengthen their faith. Now, in his last few sentences, he is going to deliver a very straight forward conclusion, filled with several commands… and remember, Peter is writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so when he issues a command it isn’t coming from him, it is a command from the very lips of God himself. Here is my summary of the message of this passage: Submit to God's authority and trust Him in all things. Life will be hard but God is faithful So, with that, let’s take a look at what Peter has to say, look at verses 6‐7. Submit to God’s Authority and Trust Him Verse 6 starts out by saying, “Humble yourself.” But it is not just saying to be a humble person. No. It goes on to say that you are to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. This is Peter’s first imperative… it is a command and it comes directly from God. Now, Peter isn’t saying live like 2 | P a g e a humble person. That is a Biblical concept, it is in the Bible. We are to be humble, but that isn’t the main point of this verse. What Peter is saying is “submit”. Lower yourself. Lose your life. Give up your rights and become a slave to God. That is what is on Peter’s mind here. And he uses a phrase that would be very familiar to the first century believer, because it is a phrase that is used frequently in the Old Testament to describe God’s power to deliver his people in the story of the Exodus. Humble yourself, submit yourself to this great and powerful God we serve. And what happens to those who humble themselves before the Lord? They are exalted!! They are lifted up. The slaves become the exalted ones! The servants become the rulers and share in the glory of God. This truth is amazing. Jesus said this in Matthew 18:4, Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And again, in Matthew 23:12, Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. And again in James 4:10, Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will exalt you. God will raise up those who submit to his authority… that is his promise. But, why would God wants us to humble ourselves, if we are going to be raised to a high position? So we realize that it is God, and God alone, who has that kind of power. Think about why God created us. He created us to express His amazing glory. He created us to declare that He, and He alone, is God. That He and He alone is able to bring life from nothing… ex nihilo, something from nothing. In short, God is about His glory and we are the crown jewel of His creative 3 | P a g e powers. Yet, we have fallen into sin and disobedience to God, through the temptation of Satan. In our sinful state, we want to be like God, to seem like our own god. When we exalt ourselves, we draw ultimate attention to us, not to God. That is idolatry. We are not worthy of that kind of worship. But when we submit ourselves to God, when we humble ourselves and declare ourselves to be lower than God, we put the focus and the spotlight on Him and His glory. He is worthy, He is Holy, He is Righteous, He is faithful, He is merciful, He is loving and kind, He is worthy to be praised. Let all that has breath praise the Lord! So there you have it. God promises us that when we humble ourselves, He will lift us up. It’s a promise. It is also the only way we can rightly serve him. That is why it is a commandment… for our own good, so we will fight our tendency toward self‐centeredness. And then, in verse 7, Peter makes it clear that when we humble ourselves, we can also throw ourselves on God’s mercy and let him carry all of our heavy burdens. Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. The one who is the source of all life, all power and all truth… He cares for YOU!! He is a personal God. He loves you. He will carry your burdens, your anxieties. You can trust Him with your life. This word “casting” literally means to throw the responsibility onto someone else. This verse is saying, “Unload your burdens. Throw them on God’s shoulders. Stop carrying around the weight of the world. This life is brutally hard, you can’t do it… but God wants to carry your burdens and your anxieties. 4 | P a g e Listen to Psalm 37:5‐7, Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in the way, over the man who carries out evil devices. Don’t carry around your anxieties. Don’t fret about your life. God cares about you, He is concerned about you… God has you on His mind. So unload your burdens, your cares, your anxieties. Let God carry them and deal with them. This is a totally free way to live that most of us know virtually nothing about. We have been taught to be self‐sufficient. But God wants us to be God‐sufficient. He is sufficient, we are not. Do you believe that? Then learn to live that way! It is harder than it seems because it requires a lot of “unlearning”. But how great would it be not to be carrying the weight of the world around? Cast all your cares on him, because he cares for you. Resist the Devil It is no coincidence that Peter tells us we can cast our anxieties on Him, and it is a good thing that we can throw ourselves upon His mercy… because we will need to. Look at verses 8‐9: 8 Be sober‐minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout 5 | P a g e the world. This is the third time that Peter has told us to be sober‐minded. Don’t use fuzzy thinking… be clear about your relationship and commitment to Jesus. Be sober minded and watchful. These again are imperatives. It is not optional. Could I digress here for a second. I want to address something about our ability to be sober‐minded and watchful, in light of the legalization of marijuana in our state. It is something that has been on my mind and I think it fits in here. When Peter says be sober‐
minded, he is drawing on the imagery of someone who is suffering from the abuse of alcohol. The Bible does not forbid drinking alcohol, but it strictly forbids becoming drunk. That is because we are to be watchful and sober‐minded. So, while drinking alcohol is not prohibited in scripture, drunkenness is. An inebriated person cannot be focused or clear thinking or watchful. That brings up the question of the legal use of marijuana. Does this same logic work for the recreational use of marijuana, in small amounts? Clearly the legality, in our cultural context, is not the determining factor. We must use scripture to answer the question. I want to emphasize that this is not an easy question. But, current information and knowledge about the occasional use of small amounts of marijuana strongly suggests that there is not a level of use at which cognitive functions are not impaired to the point where the user is still able to be “sober‐minded”. This is how I read the research. This is controversial, but I have read a lot of literature and thought about this for some time. Consequently, my advice to you as a believer is to avoid the use of 6 | P a g e marijuana. I believe its use, while “legal” in our state, is outside the bounds of behavior that the scripture would call “profitable” and it should therefore be avoided. Think about this in light of this passage. This is a serious issue as our passage tells us that we have a really serious adversary that requires our full attention. Don’t even risk the possibility that you might fall prey to his ravenous appetite. The devil, the deceiver, the one who would like you to believe that you are as smart as God… well, he is out there roaming around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. It will require a sharp, unimpaired mind to fend Him off. Satan’s goal is to destroy you. Karen Jobes says this so well in her commentary, "The goal of the devil is to devour, a graphic depiction of his desire to annihilate the Christian and, collectively, the church by assimilating them back to the evil ways of the world."1 You see, “devouring” isn’t always a head on attack. Sometimes, even frequently, you get devoured as a Christian by being slowly but ever so surely assimilated back into the world. It is sometimes so subtle that you don’t even see it coming. Smoke a joint here or there. Fudge on your taxes, just a little. Watch movies that have questionable materials, only once in a while. Use language that is corrupt… but only when you are really mad. Gossip a little and call it “just telling the truth”. Lusting after someone else’s spouse, but justifying it because yours doesn’t really care for you. On and on and on and on it goes. This is what Peter is talking about when he says that the devil is out there roaring and looking for someone to 7 | P a g e consume. He eats Christians, because it brings shame to the name of God… have you ever thought of that? Satan could care less about you! He isn’t after you in particular, He is after the glory of God, which is designed to be expressed through YOU! His target is God’s glory… not you. You aren’t that important, you are a tool. Are you going to let him use you that way? Are you?? Don’t do it. Look at what Peter says in verse 9. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. Don’t be used. Don’t let Satan use you to tarnish the glory of God. Fight back. Be sober‐minded. Be watchful. Two more imperatives, two commands. Be firm in your faith… stand strong. How? By casting your cares on God and trusting Him to live strong through you!! Do you see what Peter is trying to tell you here. It is all about trusting God and letting Him carry your burdens. Then, when the devil comes with his temptations, they won’t be temptations at all because your will already know that God himself has it under control. Satan wants you to believe you can’t trust God. That you have to do it yourself, be self‐
sufficient, fight your own battles, make your own way. But that is a lie. Believing that lie will suck you back into the world and cause you to care about the things of this world, as if they were ultimate. This is how Satan will assimilate you back into the world. It’s like the Borg collective on Star Trek or the Matrix, a collective mindset that denies the ultimate power and 8 | P a g e mercy of God… that is what Peter is describing. Listen to this statement, it really made me think: The opposition the Christians face from their non‐Christian contemporaries is not something they can avoid by modifying their behavior or adapting their beliefs in such a way as to escape such opposition. Only by completely abandoning the gospel and the community shaped by it, only by submitting to the satanic forces that stand in total opposition to God, can they escape the persecutions they otherwise face.2 So, resist. But do it in God’s power, standing firm in your faith and knowing that every Christian who has ever lived has fought the same battle. This isn’t unique. The same kind of suffering, the same kind of battle against assimilation is being fought in every corner of this world by people just like you. All of us in this room are fighting the battle and that is why it is so important that we do it together, in community. The battle is on, but God has already won the victory. All we have to do is stand firm, trust God and be patient. Life will be hard, but at the exact right time, God will lift you up and restore you to His glory! God Will Act to Restore Now look at verses 10‐11, 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the 9 | P a g e dominion forever and ever. Amen. This is an incredible promise, an outrageously incredible promise. Walk through this with me. First, we see that this God that we are told to trust with all our cares is also the God of grace. Grace… God giving us what we absolutely don’t deserve. And he isn’t just a God of grace, he is the God of ALL grace. Have you received undeserved, unearned favor? It came from God. All grace is from God… that is who He is! And then, we see that he has called us to His eternal glory in Christ!!! A little suffering, without doubt… but then, at the perfect time Christ’s glory! And look at what God has promised to do, look at the list at the end of verse 10: He is going to restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you… that is God’s promise to you, so cast all your anxieties on Him! Let’s look at what this means up close:3 Slide Restore: make you completely adequate and sufficient for your purpose, cause you to be fully qualified. Confirm: to cause you to become more able, more capable, with a contrast to your former weakness. Once you were weak, but now you are confirmed. Strengthen: to become stronger and firmer and more unchanging in attitude and belief. Firm. Establish: to make steadfast, providing a firm basis for belief and practice. With the idea of rooted. 10 | P a g e So, after you have suffered a little while, a relatively small amount… here is what God promises to do. He will make you completely adequate and fully qualified for the life He has given you. He will confirm you, he will make you more capable. Once you were weak and unable, but in Him you will be able. He will make you strong in your faith. You will be stronger and more unchanging, far less vulnerable to being devoured. You will stand firm in your faith. And finally, God will establish you, He will root you in the soil of truth and belief and practice. You will stand firm for all of eternity. So, ask yourself this question. Does that describe me today? Well, of course not, totally. That is because this is one of those “already, not yet” promises. But does this describe the desire of your heart? Listen up, if you are a true follower of Jesus Christ, God has already done all of this for you. He has declared you righteous in Christ and adopted you into his family. But he has not yet finished his work in you. You are still in process, you are still being sanctified. But guess what, after a little suffering in this world, God is going to restore you, completely. That is a cause for great joy and celebration. That causes us to look at verse 11, which is Peter’s doxology and say with him, To him be the dominion forever and ever. AMEN. Application/Conclusion So, how do we respond? What do we do today to apply this great passage to our lives. Well, it is really pretty simple. First, we lower our self to the level of a slave. We humble ourselves before the Lord, declaring Him to be 11 | P a g e our master… and we His absolute servant. That means giving up all rights, all claims to sovereignty, all hopes of controlling our lives and doing as we please. In short, we become as nothing… placing ourselves in the hands of God to do as He pleases with us. Second, we unload all our cares and anxieties on His shoulders. We give him control and we expect Him to take care of us… totally. We cast our burdens on him, literally throw our burdens on Him and make him responsible for the outcomes. Third, we acknowledge that this life is hard and that we have an adversary that wants to devour us, to suck us into the ways of the world and dishonor God. So, we go on the alert. That means we do nothing that could cause us to fall into Satan’s trap. We become sober‐minded and watchful of our lives. We evaluate everything we do against one single standard: Does this bring glory to my Father? Does this action, thought, or attitude shine a light on the glory and mercy of God? And finally, we take comfort in knowing that God is good for his promise and He will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish us. Then we can join Peter in declaring the amazing reign of God over all of his creation and especially our lives, as we say, To Him be the dominion forever and ever… AMEN! 12 | P a g e 13 | P a g e Endnotes: 1
Jobes, Karen H. 1 Peter. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic,
2005.pg.314
2
Ibid. pg. 315
3
All four word definitions are from Louw– Nida.
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