Title: Be Humble and Be Vigilant

Text: I Peter 5:5b-11

FCF: We often struggle believing the Lord will do as He says He will.

Prop: Because God exalts the humble and opposes the proud, we must humbly stand firm in Him.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Peter 5. We are quickly approaching the end of Peter’s first letter to the chosen exiles in what is now Turkey. Next week we will, Lord willing, finish up this letter and even review a little to close it out.

But today, we are still very much in the meat. Indeed, some of the last things Peter says before he gives the greetings and final exhortations, are stunningly profound and amazingly challenging.

To a group of Christians who are being absolutely thrashed for what they believe- Peter’s closing words of exhortation present such a paradox that if he had started with it, they may have just tossed the letter. But here, we see the groundwork of all he has written culminate into two final commands before closing it all out.

I am in I Peter 5. I’ll begin reading in verse 5. I am reading from the NET which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1367 or in whatever version you prefer.

Transition:

Some really cool things here that I can’t wait to show you. Let’s dive in.

I.) Because God exalts the humble and opposes the proud, we must be humble and cast our cares on God. (5b-7)

a. [Slide 2] 5b – And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

i. We looked at this portion of verse 5 in conjunction with the roles of both Elders and the congregation.

ii. That in order to lead without lording, the Elders would need to be humble.

iii. In order to submit to the authority and responsibility of the Elders, the congregation would need to be humble.

iv. The reason that Peter should expect that from them, is because of the truism he mentions here from Proverbs 3:34. God’s grace is continually given to those who are humble. But those who are continually proud will receive God’s resolute opposition.

v. Only the poor in spirit will be given the kingdom of God.

vi. Only the mourners will be comforted.

vii. Only the meek will inherit the earth.

viii. So, if you are united to Christ by true faith, you will be humble.

ix. Nevertheless, to suffering Christians ostracized by their debauched society, demonized by demon worshippers, accused of lawlessness by the lawless, it may seem only a trite phrase pulled from an ancient scroll.

x. Ok, yes God will give grace if I am humble. But I am humble… where is the grace? Where is God’s opposition of my enemies?

xi. In some ways you see the tension between the Proverbs of Solomon and the Ecclesiastes of Solomon. The world should be that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble – but by all appearances it seems that God opposes the humble and gives favor to the proud.

xii. What is a Christian to do with the problem of evil in the world if this statement is true?

b. [Slide 3] 6 – And God will exalt you in due time,

i. Stop hoping in this world. That is Peter’s basic message.

ii. Stop looking for justice, mercy, peace, and love to reign here.

iii. That doesn’t mean we stop practicing justice, mercy, peace and love… because as citizens of His Kingdom this is what we do.

iv. However, to begin to think that the ship will right eventually or from our efforts, is foolishness.

v. God will exalt His people in due time. There is an end to the madness that is this world.

vi. What do we do with the problem of evil? How do we harmonize evil’s existence with a God who is all powerful, and all good? Recognize that this world is but a pit stop on the way to the eternal world that is to come. The problem of pain and evil is a temporary problem with an eternal purpose and solution.

vii. God will one day make it all right.

viii. And how do we know that we will be exalted in that time?

c. [Slide 4] if you humble yourselves under His mighty hand 7 – by casting all your cares on Him

i. God’s people are a humble people.

ii. God’s people recognize that all that they have is given.

iii. That they are nothing without Christ.

iv. That they are the fruit on the vine and without the vine they are nothing.

v. That all of our salvation is God’s work. That nothing we do or say contributes in any way to our justification. And that even the fruit of our faith, while it is us working out that fruit, it is wholly empowered and completely motivated by the grace of God.

vi. He gives and sustains our faith. He is its author and the finisher.

vii. So, we humble ourselves and believe that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

viii. That this is not some trite promise that we quote when times are hard – but with firm faith we grasp hold of such a teaching and depend on its truth even while we suffer.

ix. To the extent that we seek His Kingdom and righteousness first with total dependance on Him for all our cares.

x. Why should we do this? Why should we place every care, every concern, every earthly need, every sorrow, every pain, every injustice, every heartache, every loss, every hurt, every longing, every insult, every rejection, every bad thing in our lives – why are they cast upon HIM?

d. [Slide 5] Because He cares for you.

i. My friends.

ii. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty does not deal only with salvation.

iii. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty does not lie in theological discussions floating high in the lofty clouds of academia.

iv. If God is not sovereign than our pain and suffering is inevitable and explainable but the command to cast our care on Him is an incredibly risky one. If there are areas God doesn’t control, any at all, casting our care on Him could mean He won’t be able to help us.

v. If God is not sovereign than the promise that He cares for us is of so little value – because though He may care for us – He cannot stop what is happening to us, nor is He in any position to affect any meaningful change.

vi. Therefore, putting these two together, if God is not sovereign, the command to cast our cares on Him BECAUSE He cares for us… is stupid, foolish, and even unwise.

vii. But if God is sovereign and only if God is sovereign, can we identify our cares as those given by a God who is working things out for our good and His glory.

viii. If and only if God is sovereign can we cast all our cares on Him knowing He cares for us.

ix. God being in absolute control, exercising total dominion over His creation is the only way that casting our cares on Him and Him caring for us in the midst of those cares, gives us any comfort or peace.

e. [Slide 6] Passage Truth: So, Peter reminds his audience that God exalts the humble and opposes the proud. It is those, specifically, who humble themselves before His mighty hand that God does care for and exalt.

f. [Slide 7] Passage Application: So, his audience must be humble by casting all their cares on God.

g. [Slide 8] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out of this text we see that God exalts the humble throughout the scriptures. When Ahab, after sinning so wickedly did express remorse for his sin, God granted a stay of His judgment until after his death. When David repented for his sin, although God did not spare Him of the consequence, not only did God not turn His face away from David, He continued to keep His promises to David for his dynastic line. The proverbs testify that humility is exalted by God. Conversely, we see God oppose the proud. Unfortunately, these examples are far more common. Pick a Northern Kingdom King… any one of them... and you will see this demonstrated.

h. [Slide 9] Broader Biblical Application: So, because God exalts the humble CBC, we must be humble. And how does Peter specifically express that act of humility toward God? Casting all our cares on Him. Dependance on Him. Faith in Him. Trust in Him. How is this an act of humility? Well in order to understand how this is an act of humility we must take every word in full. “Casting (throwing upon or dump on) all (every) cares (troubles and worries) upon (committed to) Him (God the triune).” How is this an act of humility? When we cast our cares on Him it is because we have come to realize several truths.

i. First, God is sovereignly in charge of all that befalls us. Therefore, we in humility do not cast off our care as if to not worry about it, rather we put our cares back at the source from which they came.

ii. Second, we recognize that we cannot do anything to affect our own anxieties and fears. And so, we hand them to Him who is able to relieve them or at least sustain us through them.

iii. Third, we do this, not with a few, not just the big worries, not just the big sufferings, but with all our worries and fears, recognizing that even though we may see them as small – we are still ill equipped to handle them.

iv. Finally, God’s power is made perfect in weakness. Have you ever thought about what that phrase means. It does not mean that when we exhaust ourselves and squeeze every ounce out that God makes up for the rest. Instead, it means that God’s strength is strongest when it is unpolluted by our added strength. Be humble and cast your cares on Him. Because His grace is sufficient for you.

Transition:

[Slide 10(blank)] Casting all our cares on God is challenging. But it is only half the equation. Let us not stop at this step lest we miss another important facet of enduring in a world against us.

II.) Because God exalts the humble and opposes the proud, we must be alert and resist the devil in steadfast faith. (8-11)

a. [Slide 11] 8 – Be sober and alert

i. Humility does not mean passivity my friends.

ii. Casting our cares on Him does not lead to inaction.

iii. It is not let go and let God.

iv. It is not Jesus take the wheel.

v. These sentiments communicate some truth. Truly God being sovereign means we should cast all our cares on Him.

vi. But it does not remove our responsibility to act.

vii. Though depending on God to care for us in our suffering – we ought to remain vigilant.

viii. We ought to remain alert. We ought to be watchful.

ix. Our resting in the Lord ought not to descend into sleep.

x. Rather from a position of resting in the Lord we are free to be alert for the dangers around us.

xi. Like what?

b. [Slide 12] Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour.

i. The nature of a prowling and a roaring lion communicates both the hunger of the lion and the terror inflicted upon its prey.

ii. In this case, the bride of Christ.

iii. [Slide 13] Some look at this text and compare it to James 4 where he says something similar. However, there are key contextual differences between what Peter and James are trying to say.

1. James mentions nothing of the nature of the devil. Only that in resisting he will flee.

2. James clearly intends a resistance from temptation to sin.

3. But turning to I Peter, Peter seems to have a different situation in mind. Let me expand on that.

iv. [Slide 14] What does it mean to devour?

v. To devour means to drink down. It means to consume. It means to gulp.

vi. Unlike in James where the Devil is simply a tempter – Peter has something far more sinister, far more diabolical than mere temptation.

vii. Eusebius, in a letter written in the early church, thought that swallowed or devoured by the devil meant apostasy or when a Christian denies Christ.

viii. Therefore, we are not talking about a tempter who is actively seeking someone to succumb to sin, although that is certainly part of it.

ix. Instead, this is talking about the destruction of the faith of the Christian. Apostasy is his goal.

x. [Slide 15] Rather than comparing the language of Peter to James, I think it is better to compare it to the language of Job.

1. In response to the question of God “Where have you come from?” The Adversary or Satan which is a title or description of this being not its name. Satan responds “From roving about on the earth, and from walking back and forth across it.” This is a military expression. It means to execute reconnaissance or to investigate for weaknesses.

2. In I Peter, The Slanderer or the devil, again a description not a name, is characterized as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. How do lions hunt? They employ two methods, one is to stalk their prey but another is to scare their prey into a chase, isolate the weakest and face it against the strongest male lion in one on one combat.

3. In Job, God asks Satan if he has considered Job, who is righteous?

4. [Slide 16] Question. Why did Satan not consider Job?

5. He says that it is because God was protecting him. Job wasn’t weak.

6. Another question for you. In the entire exchange in Job, what is Satan’s objective? Is it the death of Job?

7. No. It is Job’s abandonment of God. He is trying to get Job to curse God. Even speaking through the lips of his wife those very words.

8. Likewise, the language of devouring seems less to do with death, pain, oppression, suffering, and more to do with apostasy.

9. In other words, the threat of death and even the reality of pain, oppression, and suffering are not an end in themselves. Rather their goal is to produce the effect of abandoning and cursing God.

xi. Satan’s goal then, is not simply to distract or to neutralize. His goal is to kill… Spiritually.

c. [Slide 17] 9 – Resist him, strong in your faith

i. This word means to stand against, oppose, or to resist.

ii. We are not running and hiding but rather fighting.

iii. To fight… a lion? Running and hiding seems preferred than to stand and fight. Afterall, if you have made it to a one-on-one fight – the pride leader (pun intended) with the weak (simultaneously justified yet still a sinner), you are probably going to be lunch.

iv. But notice it is not fighting in our own strength, but rather in the strength of our God.

v. His strength is made perfect in what? Our weakness.

vi. This perfectly marries the two aspects of humbly casting our cares on the Lord but remaining vigilant. We fight from the position of rest. We fight from the position of weakness and in His strength. His arms are wrapped around us as we resist and oppose our enemy.

vii. We are clothed in Christ and His righteousness, surrounded by the grace of God.

viii. Indeed, this is the only way we CAN oppose our great enemy. By faith.

ix. Why must we resist strong in faith?

d. [Slide 18] Because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering.

i. Listen very closely ok.

ii. Resisting Satan does not equal alleviation of his assault.

iii. Contrary to many name-it-claim-it, Pentecostal preachers – Peter does not say that we must resist in faith so that his assault will end.

iv. This is why it doesn’t do us good to compare Peter’s words to James’. James says that if we submit to God and resist the devil, he will flee. In regard to temptation, this is true.

v. [Slide 19] But did Satan flee when Job resisted the urge to apostatize? No. Instead, after taking all Job held dear, he told God that without his health, Job would curse Him to His face. In other words, Satan wanted to take more from Job. He pressed him harder. He did not flee.

vi. The reason we continue to resist the devil’s oppression, pain, suffering, and pull to get us to abandon God is not because it will force Him to stop. Rather it is because his efforts are not centered only on you and I.

vii. [Slide 20] It is a global effort on Satan’s part to roam the earth seeking the weakest of God’s people to eat. To devour. To lead into apostasy. To curse God and die.

viii. In short… we must continue to resist in the strength of our God because… WE. ARE. AT. WAR.

ix. And though the battle belongs to the Lord. Though the victory is won. Though claim to the universe is reaffirmed to be only our God’s… God is still executing the eviction notices of the former despots, and we are still preaching immigration policy to former darkness dwellers that have seen a great light!

x. Therefore, we oppose in God’s strength!

xi. Will that be a hard fight? Oh yes.

xii. For those who are united to Christ by true faith, it will amount to great pain and suffering for His name and possibly even our physical death.

xiii. But for those who only had fake faith... the cost will be even greater. For they will be devoured. Resorbed back into darkness.

xiv. So, what is our hope?

e. [Slide 21] 10 – And, after you have suffered for a little while,

i. Again, the insistence that this world is but a pit stop

ii. It is only a brief vapor. A fog that is chased away by the sun.

f. [Slide 22] the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

i. Peter started this letter with our identity being all of God. He concludes the letter with the same idea. God is the one who has made us what we are.

ii. Question. After we suffer for a little while… Where did your and my effort go? Where went our resisting? Where is the roaring lion?

iii. Absent.

iv. Here like in Romans 8, Peter gives an unbreakable chain. The God of all grace, from whence all grace comes, who has called us to share in His eternal glory in Christ, will also without any uncertainty, restore, confirm, strengthen and establish us.

v. Remember in chapter 4, where Peter says that God’s people will endure the fire of God’s judgement first? What points did we make there?

vi. The testing of God on this earth, his judgment process includes the fire of refinement for His people. Not just to eliminate sin and make them look more like Christ – but also to peel away all whose faith is fake.

vii. The same fire which purifies the precious metal, burns up the wood, hay and stubble.

viii. [Slide 23] Did you notice how God did not take anything away from Job. He merely allowed Satan to do this. To corner him. To attack him. To hunt him.

ix. Why was God so sure that Job would not curse Him?

x. [Slide 24] The answer is in chapter 1. God said ““Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil.”

xi. These are statements of identity… not performance.

xii. [Slide 25] God told Satan – I have called Job to eternal glory in His Redeemer, and I will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish him. And I will do that after he has suffered for a little while under your hand.

xiii. God knew that Job would not curse Him, because God knew what Job was made of. Why? Because God gave it to him.

xiv. How could we possibly escape being devoured by such an enemy… even if we were to resist?

xv. Because we trust God. Because we trust Him with all our cares. Because we trust that if He has called us to Christ’s glory… then we will have it.

xvi. God will use… even Satan himself… to refine His people and PROVE the faith that He has given them.

xvii. That is why Peter says…

g. [Slide 26] 11 – To Him belongs the power forever. Amen.

i. All power belongs to God.

ii. This word for power, understood in this context, must mean dominion.

iii. It is a word that communicates the absolute authority and power of God.

iv. There is nothing God doesn’t control. Even Satan…

v. And that doctrine gives us great hope.

vi. Not only that in suffering we can know that He has given it to us for our good, but we can also know that in suffering, as Jesus said, God will not allow one of His sheep to be lost.

h. [Slide 27] Passage Truth: Peter once again reminds his audience of the truth of Proverbs 3:34. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. He does so with an illustration. The illustration is the one who is the epitome of pride not being able to rip away those who are God’s from Him.

i. [Slide 28] Passage Application: And even though God will rescue His people from this enemy, it doesn’t mean they are passive. Instead, they must resist in firm faith. They must trust in the strength of God to oppose such an enemy. One they could never defeat on their own, but one who if faced in faith, cannot spiritually harm them. In fact, he will only purify their faith more with his assault.

j. [Slide 29] Broader Biblical Truth: A long confessed truth, held by the church in a broad context is that once a person is truly saved, they are secure in Christ forever. They will not, and cannot be lost. There is disagreement over emphasis on who does the sealing and holding. But here in our text we see that God holds forever those He loves. He will not lose any. But that is not a passive process for those united to Christ by true faith. Rather, though pursued by Satan himself, though tested by fire, though tried – they endure. As the Puritan Thomas Watson said “Christianity is not the removal of suffering, but the addition of grace to endure suffering triumphantly.”

k. [Slide 30] Broader Biblical Application: So CBC, not only must we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. But we must also resist the enemy by faith. We must oppose him by actively clinging to our God and the promise that those whom He, the God of all grace, has called to share in the glory of Christ, He Himself will establish, confirm, restore, and save forevermore. My friends… His strength is made perfect in our weakness. His grace is sufficient for us to oppose the enemy.

Conclusion:

[Slide 31] So CBC, having seen that God exalts the humble and opposes the proud, what are we to do, particularly in a world where that doesn’t seem to be the case.

What are we to do when we are ostracized, marginalized, ridiculed, silenced, or falsely accused of bigotry, racism, and other vile things?

What are we to do with a world where the humble are stomped on and the proud hold power?

What are we to do when we face such a fierce and powerful enemy who is the epitome of pride?

Will we still believe that God opposes the proud and exalts the humble? Will we still believe that God uses these fiery trials to refine and prove our faith?

Peter gives us all we need to wage this war.

We must humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. How? We must cast every care on Him. Why? Because He cares for us.

Let me just say that we do not do that well do we? In my own heart and in others I have seen us fail on both sides of this. Either we carry on through life handling everything that comes our way until we meet our match and in desperation cry out to Him. Or, we do the opposite and are fine praying for all kinds of little things, but when something big happens we trust only ourselves or experts to figure it out.

The scriptures say that not only that God holds the universe in His hands, but also that He feeds the sparrow. There is not one atom too small to escape His dominion and there is not one galaxy so large that He would be unable to effortlessly alter it.

Is He not worthy of all of our cares? All our anxieties? All our fears? Is He not ultimately responsible for us experiencing them? Could it be that the very reason He gives them to us, is to get us to give them back to Him?

My friends – our burden is heavy – but our God’s hand is MIGHTY. His strength is made perfect when we are weak. Be weak… and trust His sufficient grace!

Be weak but do not check out. Do not be passive.

Rest in His grace but do not fall asleep! Be alert for the enemy is searching for weak faith. He roars with suffering, oppression, pain, even the threat of death. And our hearts run. Those who have weak faith will be pursued and consumed.

So don’t have weak faith! Well, that is a fine thing to say – but how do I increase my faith?

We might wander into ways to believe harder or some sort of human focused effort.

Might I suggest to you that our faith’s strength is only as strong as the object of our faith.

In other words, a deep, humble, broad, healthy spiritual knowledge of who God is, His holiness, His love for us, His majesty, His grace… this strengthens our faith. The larger the rock, the more firm the anchor holds.

My friends, as we face this world, with devils filled, who threaten to undo us. We tremble not for them why? Because God has willed for His truth to triumph through us. The right man is on our side. The man of God’s own choosing. You ask – who is it? Christ Jesus our Lord. And He will win the battle.

Let us sing together – A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. #656