Intro: Every letter must have an ending…Peter has assured us of who we are in Christ Jesus. He has reminded us that we have been born again to a living Hope, we are the Temple of God, Living Stones built on the cornerstone Christ Jesus. He has called us to Holy Lives, to face suffering as a faith purifying fire and to respond to suffering with upright lives by God’s grace, we are Exiles headed to our heavenly hope but as ones who have a Christian family and home here and now, we have many relationships of authority to government, Husbands, wives, Elders, and ultimately a Suffering, Crucified, Shepherd Savior Christ Jesus, our living Hope seated in heaven…But the Letter must end.

Read 1 Peter 5:6-14 “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 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. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. [14] Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. (ESV)

Prayer of Ilumination:

Points 1-2 are the major ones and Points 3-4 are brief.

#1 Embrace Humility (v. 6-7)

#2 Embrace Watchfulness (v.8-9).

#3 Embrace the Glory of Grace (v.10-11)

#4 Embrace Encouragement (v. 12-14).

#1 Embrace Humility, look in verse 6

[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.

Pride and Humility are always in relationship to God. Its not just a you thing. Simon Kistemaker says, “As man must love both God and man, so he must demonstrate humility toward God and man.” (Kistemaker, 197).

If Pride is us elevating and puffing ourselves up in comparison to others.

Then Humility is a lowering, a down to earth-ness, remembering I am a creature. I have a sovereign creator who watches over me, He is my Father, and HE cares for me.

Do you truly see your life as flowing from God? Is he the fountain of your meaning and purpose? Is he the fountain of your soul and life? Is he the confidence and strength you turn to as you leave the house each morning? Is he your hope that when you are brought low by the world or your flesh, that he will lift you up and seat you at his table, that he will raise you up and give you a home? A place of belonging.

This is the promise of Jesus to us,

Recall Jesus and the Tax Collector [Retell Luke 18:9-14]…I thank you I am not like other men vs. God be merciful to me a sinner…only one left Justified…, those who exalt themselves will be humbled, those who humble themselves will be exalted

Consider Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. The Poor in spirit, low and emptied are raised up and made Sons and Daughters of the King in the Kingdom of the Son.

Peter is not being hypothetical or philosophical about this. Remember how pridefully he said, Jesus, everyone may leave and abandon you but I won’t! I will stand by you. Peter was confident. Yet he was NOT watchful, he was NOT prayerful, he was prideful.

And so he was brought low…by the questions of a servant girl [Expand on story], and he cursed his savior mere feet away from him. John says he was close enough to look through the window and make eye contact with Jesus. Then he swore He did not know him.

Peter is Humbled in his denials; his pride cast him down…

But as he is humbled, he realizes he is poor in spirit, but he is in danger of being bruised and broken by sin. So as to Give up Hope.

How does Jesus respond to us when we are bruised and broken by our sin and pride? He restores. Peter is restored in sorrow and repentance by Christ, and Jesus asks him if he “loves him” and he is restored and picked back up and made a shepherd of the Church by Jesus.

Peter knows if we are under the mighty hand of God then in Humility we can face suffering, loss, and Satan himself.

We can face these things because we are in the mighty hand of God. The strong hand that delivered Israel from Egypt. Remember to be in God’s hand to be rescued by him from slavery and darkness.

Ex. 3:19 God says “I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go!” When God lifts us up he does not leave us empty but he blesses us. We are freed from the kingdom of Darkness and well supplied for the Christian life, just as Israel left Egypt with silver and gold from the Egyptians.

Next Peter call us to entrust our anxieties to God. We humble ourselves by casting our anxieties to God

The ESV study bible notes that, “Worry is a form of pride because it involves taking concerns upon oneself instead of entrusting them to God.

Why should we entrust ourselves to God? Because he is not a disinterested distant deity. He cares for you.

V. 7 Because he Cares for you – The word for God’s care for us is actually a word play that sounds like the word for distraction or anxiety….So Peter is saying, Do not be anxious because God is anxious for you…Why should you be anxious when God cares, his mind is occupied with his children and his care of them. If you are a child of God you are not out of sight and out of mind to him.

Speak to him of your cares and as a father, he cares for you…

[#2 Embrace Watchfulness]

Peter has warned of pride and called us to humble dependence on GodSecond, Peter warns of an unwatchful, unaware attitude towards Satan, who can use suffering combined with pride to cause us to be easy prey. Look in verse 8. Embrace Watchfulness.

[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.

Two part story….ILL: 1980s 90s. movies and tv shows have a common opening trope: In order to quickly show us the movies main monster and how dangerous a threat it is, the movie will open will show a man or a woman running through the woods, clearly fearful. You might hear the alien, or the bear, or some threat searching for them, they hide behind a tree, and you hear it prowling for them. They are fearful, but the fear produces watchfulness. They are straining to HEAR. They are Looking every direction, they are planning their next step…

The same is true a team of soldiers searching dark abandoned nuclear facilities and tunnel system as the alien invasion seems unstoppable…every soldier is on watch, alert, Sober….in fact there often are scenes where due to the strain of the events of the movie a soldier snaps and maybe they end up drinking on duty becoming drunk and so dooming everyone (except the main character) because they fell asleep on duty.

God tells us that we are on Duty. We wage spiritual warfare. We have an enemy and a foe. And so we must remain awake, alert, WATCHFUL.

Man the watchtower of your soul and know your enemy.

Everywhere the bible says things like, “watch and pray….the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak…Pay Careful attention to yourselves…Stay dressed for action, keep your lamps burning, testing produces steadfastness…keep your hearts with all diligence, be sober-minded, be watchful, be self-controlled.

We are called to Watch over our souls for moral and spiritual decline. Because Satan seeks to ensnare us in sin and devour us. And he hopes that suffering will cause us to respond pridefully or indulgently in our flesh for comfort.

Michael G. Brown says, “[ Satan’s]roar may take the form of accusation, persecution, false teaching, or the deceptive voice of temptation. Whatever the form, his aim is always the same: to oppose Christ by attacking the church. The devil is not idle. He is restless, cunning, and cruel. Like a lion stalking its prey, Satan watches for the vulnerable, the isolated, and the careless. He seeks not merely to tempt but to devour—to destroy faith, sow division, and lead souls into ruin.”[1]

Pastor Brian Hedges says, Christian Watchfulness means, staying awake both morally and spiritually; BY paying attention to God’s word, to our own souls, and especially to Christ Himself;maintaining vigilance against our mortal enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil; and hoping in the Lord—in His promises and His return.”

What might be signs that you are falling asleep, that the glory of Christ and the gospel is NOT what you are humbly and soberly trusting in? Think of it in terms of being on a boat, if you are supposed to be on WATCH in a boat you are making sure you are headed in the right direction. When you fail to soberly watch you will drift of course. You will drift.

So we can ask, Have I been watchful in my spiritual habits, have I been watchful in the way I respond to sinful temptations that the world, the flesh, and the devil me?

Satan wants sleepy, cruise control Christians so that he can cause us to drift of course Morally; One area in particular is Conscience “drift”

Conscience drift Is a gradual ignoring the moral clarity of a bible filled conscience controlled by the living and active Holy Spirit in our hearts. Where we ignore or downplay the warnings and commands of scripture and begin turning to and tuning our hearts more and more to the standards and norms of our culture.

“Conscience” is so often “caught” not “taught’

You may be drifting, if your speech, your language has grown harsh, and you find yourself speaking in ways you didn’t used to...

Or perhaps you enjoy and approve what used to shock you, whether TV, Movies, Social media, or the actions of your friends.

Ask yourself, is it edifying? Is it God honoring? Are you watchfully focused on Christ? Are you feeding your soul, feeding your heart your mind on the ordinary blessings of Christ? Is the Holy Spirit your conscience? OR just your most influentials peers or social media personalities?

Christ calls you to man the watchtower of your soul.

Ok Second part about 1980s-90s movies with creatures, aliens, Invations, and threats.

In the beginning of The Movies, it is always the case where the aliens seem mysterious and undefeatable all around the world. Soldiers are being picked off…No one knows how to resist…until the last 30 minutes of the movie…We don’t know when the movie will end but we know it’s time for the Heroes to start winning. And so yes, finally the heroes find out, oh, they are weak to water, or radio waves, or whatever plot device they came up with….And then you pass the word. You can defeat the aliens; they can be beaten! Peter is reminding us that throughout the world the family of God is both suffering like us and Satan will flee from us.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

We humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. And ask him to strengthen us against Satan. Because in manning the watchtower, we learn that Satan, Our Flesh, and the world is defeatable and defeated by Christ.

Look again in verse [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

Jesus has defeated Satan. John 12 says, “Now the ruler of this world, Satan, will be cast out” by the work of Christ on the Cross and his ascension into heaven as King and ruler of the world. Satan is defeated therefore withstand him, resist him, oppose him. Firm in your knowledge of Christ and the good news that you are now alive and united to a church family, a global kingdom of life and light..

Ephesians 6:10–16 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. [11] Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. [12] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. [13] Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. [14] Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, [15] and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. [16] In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; (ESV)

Be firm in the faith, and so take up the shield of faith…Be firm in the faith as the last passage said, we have the Apostolic faith given to us by witnesses to Christ Jesus, and witnessed to us in all of scripture, and stewarded by the Church throughout the ages, and as verse 9 says the truth guarded and shown true by the sufferings of our brothers throughout the world.

Michael Brown gives us this encouragement, “We are not helpless before the enemy. We can resist Satan by being “strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Eph. 6:10), putting on the whole armor of God. To be firm in our faith means to be rooted in the content of the Christian faith, wearing the breastplate of Christ’s righteousness and wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Moreover, we do not stand alone.… Our union with Christ also unites us to His people. The roaring lion preys on the isolated, but the flock that stays together under the Chief Shepherd’s care is guarded. …. It is true that we are no match for Satan, but it is also true that Satan is no match for Christ (Rom. 8:33–34; 1 John 4:4).” – Michael Brown).

1 John 4:4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them (evil spirits), for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

#3 Embrace the Glory of Grace: What God’s Grace does in us who humble ourselves, watch, and resist. (v.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 dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The god of all grace…shelters you under his wing, under his mighty hand, and the end of the story is written. Eternal glory in Christ. We have been called to this.

In our humility recognize that as we live our lives God graciously feeds us by his word. He will strengthen around the Lord’s table, he will restore relationships, establish families,

Humbling ourselves frees us to know the strength and the armour we have in Christ by God’s grace. Grace upon grace. Glory because of Grace. Received Humbly.

Samuel Medley, I believe captures the tone of being called to eternal glory in Christ. in his famous hymn, I know that my redeemer lives.

1 I know that my Redeemer lives– glory, hallelujah!What comfort this sweet sentence gives– glory, hallelujah!

Refrain: Shout on, pray on, we’re gaining ground– glory, hallelujah!The dead’s alive and the lost is found– glory, hallelujah!

2 He lives, he lives, who once was dead– glory, hallelujah!He lives, my everlasting Head– glory, hallelujah!

3 He lives, to bless me with his love– glory, hallelujah!He lives to plead for me above– glory, hallelujah!

4 He lives, all glory to his name!- glory, hallelujah!He lives, my Jesus, still the same- glory, hallelujah

Refrain: Shout on, pray on, we’re gaining ground– glory, hallelujah!The dead’s alive and the lost is found– glory, hallelujah[2]

#4 Embrace Encouragement (v. 12-14)

[12] By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. [13] She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. [14] Greet one another with the kiss of love.

God chooses to encourage his people not by their getting away from other people and finding a rock to meditate on…He uses people; he uses the word by the Holy Spirit. Yes, he encourages us to get apart and pray and spend much time in prayer. But here notice Silvanus (aka Silas, carried the letter to them. And encouraged them to Stand Firm! You have the love and grace of God! You have brothers and sisters in Rome! You are not alone. You have a brother who is earnest to know how you are doing.

There is a multi-generational element beginning as Mark is a spiritual Son, the next generation, and Paul has disciples Timothy. And 2,000 years later this is still true for us, Satan is resisted, we are strengthened, and the Faith is beingpassed on from one generation to the next.

Verse 14 reminds us that we are a connectional people, so take the opportunity when given to host brothers and sisters from around the country, to greet people with warmth and love, if you are Italian American, then that very well could be with a holy kiss…I suspect we are holy hugging people…and some are holy leave room for Jesus people…But we are connected to brothers and sisters in every place. I hope that gives you encouragement.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, Christ has Conquered Satan. Hear this promise from you savior Jesus in John 14.

John 14:25-27 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Prayer

Benediction

Receive now this good word from the Lord from 1 Peter 5:14, “Peace to all of you who are in Christ.”

[1] Watchful and Sober-Minded | Tabletalk, https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2025/10/watchful-and-sober-minded/.

[2] 281. I Know That My Redeemer Lives– Glory, Hallelujah!, https://hymnary.org/hymn/TH1990/281.

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