A PILGRIM'S ATTITUDE

Introduction

-[1 Peter 5]

-When the Bible was written, it was during a time heavily influenced by Greek / Hellenistic culture. This was a blessing in one sense because it gave the Roman Empire a common language (Greek) which made evangelism and church planting easier and made it possible to write the New Testament in a language that most everybody would be able to understand.

-However, there was also the negative of Greek culture in that it’s virtues and values were antithetical to that of Scripture. Greek culture applauded might and arrogance and self-centeredness and self-sufficiency and power at any cost. It’s not much different from the values that are promoted today.

-The old country song O LORD, IT’S HARD TO BE HUMBLE, WHEN YOU’RE PERFECT IN EVERY WAY, while it was meant to be funny and sarcastic, isn’t that far off of how many people actually think. We live in an age of self-righteousness, self-indulgence, self-sufficiency, self-centeredness, etc.—it’s all about the self.

-We might think that this describes those on the outside of church and faith, but let’s get real—that defines many in the church as well. But Peter says that there is a different attitude that should define the Christian—the attitude of humility. In his epistle, Peter has told believers that their position in the world is of a pilgrim—just passing through until they get to their final destination. That means the church doesn’t take on the values of the world because the Christian has been given a new life in Christ.

-But Peter speaks of how we are to live in our journey on the earth, and he concludes his epistle talking about the attitude with which we live out our pilgrimage. Christian pilgrims are to clothe themselves with the attitude of humility in the journey through this life because that is what is pleasing to God.

1 Peter 5:5–14 NET 2nd ed.

5 In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 6 And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand 7 by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you. 8 Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, strong in your faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering. 10 And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him belongs the power forever. Amen. 12 Through Silvanus, whom I know to be a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, in order to encourage you and testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. 13 The church in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with a loving kiss. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

-[pray]

-Peter tells the church that he was writing to them from Babylon. He was not in the literal city of Babylon, but used that as a code name. Most scholars believe that Peter was referring to Rome. Just as Babylon persecuted and harassed the nation of Israel (who at the time was the people of God), Roman culture was now persecuting and harassing the people of God, which is the church.

-In this passage and throughout this epistle, Peter has told the church that suffering for the faith is a reality in a fallen world. This world is temporarily under control of the enemy, and until Christ returns it will be a foreign land, enemy territory as far as we are concerned. But we are here on this earth to expand God’s Kingdom and share the gospel of Jesus Christ, and even though we will go through the suffering and harassment, we do not change the way we are to live, nor do we change the message we have to share. We have been given new life through Christ and we live out this new life in every aspect, even when we are going through trouble and tribulation from those opposed to the faith.

-Peter, in our passage, says you are suffering and other brothers and sisters throughout the world are going through that same suffering. But, for the Christian, the suffering is temporary. And Peter says there is a certain attitude that you take on even when dealing with all that hostility. This is timely for us as the world becomes more hostile toward our faith, so we have to examine the way that we live in the faith and the attitude we take on.

-When the world is hostile toward you for your faith, you don’t get hostile back, and you don’t cop an attitude (as we would put it). Instead, he says in v. 5 CLOTHE YOURSELVES WITH HUMILITY. And then he describes whom especially we are to show this humility toward. Yes, it is to everyone, even our enemies, but if we are to have the right attitude, it is especially toward these certain people, because this humility toward these people will help us navigate through the hostility. I want to mention two before talking about ways our humility can be demonstrated. If we are to have the right attitude through our journey on earth, we first show:

1) Humility toward other believers

-In v. 5 he tells us to be humble toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. He first talks about a specific category before generalizing it. First, Peter says to take on a humble attitude toward the leadership of the church, and this humility is shown by being subject to their leadership. He says that the YOUNGER ARE TO BE SUBJECT TO THE ELDERS. This can be taken two ways, and might be meant both ways.

-It could first be talking about age—younger people ought to follow the leadership of those who are older. The older people have more experience living for Christ and have learned some things and have knowledge and wisdom that they can pass down to younger people so that will make their journey easier. We try and do that for our kids right? You try and give them some advice on something, but too often they don’t want to listen. They think you’re nagging at them or that you don’t understand what they’re going through, but your trying to save them from some hassle and pain. What our kids don’t understand is that we have gone through the same things and we learned some things along the way. We try and say LEARN FROM US, but if they don’t they learn the hard way.

-It is similar with older Christians and younger Christians. Us older Christians have gone through some stuff, and we have wisdom and knowledge to pass along. But, it takes humility to say YOU KNOW WHAT? I PROBABLY DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING. THIS PERSON HAS SOME KNOWLEDGE, SO LET ME LISTEN TO HIM. If you aren’t humble about this, you shut your ears to what might be a means of grace that God has put in your life, and you go through things the hard way.

-But this terminology of younger and elder might also refer to the flock of the church listening to the pastoral leadership that God has placed over them. In the passage right before this one, Peter talked about how pastors were to shepherd and care for the people and the attitude that they were to have. So, it probably makes sense that Peter now says that the flock ought to submit to the leadership of the elder. This is not a blanket statement of following anyone for any reason—it is not saying to follow the leadership of an apostate or someone who abuses their leadership position. But, if the pastor teaches biblical truth and follows what Peter said in the previous passage (he’s not leading out of duty, but willingly; he’s not leading for shameful profit, but eagerly; he’s not lording it over you, but being an example) then you are to subject yourself to him.

-This submission to leadership takes a whole lot of humility because it goes against the pride that we all have inside of us. There is something inside of us that just cringes whenever anyone tells us what to do. I am not immune to this. If I’m about to do something, and somebody suggests a way to do it that is different from what I was thinking, I will thank them and say that I am taking it into consideration, but inside I’m like: I got this, I know what I’m doing. It’s a pride thing. Thankfully, most of the time my brain is processing their suggestion in the background, and if what they suggested makes more sense I will finally say—hmm, they know what they’re talking about, so you might want to do it. That takes humility to submit yourself to someone else.

-And especially within this context of suffering for the faith, the pastor is there to shepherd you through those times. You could be like a normal sheep and just do your own thing without any thought of the danger that can occur, or you can subject yourself to the pastor and let him guide you through the difficult waters. It is actually to our benefit to submit to the authorities God places in our lives. But it takes humility to do it.

-But then Peter says that we are to CLOTHE OURSELVES WITH HUMILITY TOWARD ONE ANOTHER. We need to be humble toward our brothers and sisters in Christ so we can help one another navigate the storm of hostility that we face. It takes humility to know that you cannot do the Christianity thing as the Lone Ranger. It takes humility to realize that the Christian life isn’t about you and what you can get out of it.

-This humility toward one another is living a life of service to the church, rather than living as if everyone else is there to serve you. It takes humility to get out of the routine of being a spectator within your faith and then going out and living it so that God’s Kingdom reigns, not yours or anybody else’s. It takes humility to correct a wrong you may have committed to a brother or sister. It takes humility to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. It takes humility to realize that you need the help and encouragement of others and you can’t do it yourself.

-And so, we kill our pride, and we clothe ourselves with humility toward others. But Peter also talks about:

2) Humility toward God

-Peter, at the end of v. 5, quotes:

Proverbs 3:34 NET 2nd ed.

34 With arrogant scoffers he is scornful, yet he shows favor to the humble.

-God will mock and scoff and oppose those who will not humble themselves before Him, but those who humble themselves before Him will receive His grace and favor. And so, Peter says in v. 6

1 Peter 5:6 NET 2nd ed.

6 And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand

-And this is important, if you expect God to get you through the times of trouble and suffering, you have to humble yourself under His mighty hand—meaning, you place yourself under His care and lordship. You will not experience a work of God in your life if you are prideful. That’s why Augustine said:

For those who would learn God’s ways, humility is the first thing, humility is the second, humility is the third.

Augustine of Hippo

-Peter says HUMBLE YOURSELF UNDER HIS MIGHTY HAND. How do we humble ourselves under His hand? It has to do with placing ourselves under His care and protection (the meaning of being under His mighty hand). First, Peter says in v. 7 that we humble ourselves by CASTING ALL OUR CARES ON HIM BECAUSE HE CARES FOR US. We realize that God actually does love us and has our best interests in mind. Yes, He allows us to suffer and go through tribulation, but that doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us. And when we go through those trials and troubles, and they make us start to worry and have anxiety and stress, we don’t keep it to ourselves—we run to our loving Father who will take care of us.

-Here’s the thing, our pride will prevent us from getting the help we need, even from God. Too often, out of pride, even if something is stressing us to the max, we’re like I GOT THIS!

For a ridiculous picture, I think of if you fell off of a cliff but were able to grab this one tree sticking out of the side of the mountain. Your dangling there with your fingers slipping, with no way to climb back up. Somebody finds you and lowers a rope and says they’ll pull you up. But you refuse saying I GOT THIS! No, you don’t .

-It takes humility to say I DON’T GOT THIS, be it persecution for the faith or whatever. And so Peter says we humble ourselves under His hand by casting our anxieties on Him. Instead of trying to carry it ourselves, we just throw it to God and ask Him to take care of it.

-But Peter also mentions that humility before God is important for protection from the snares and traps of the enemy. If you take on the prideful, Lone Ranger, I got this attitude, you make yourself easy prey for the devil’s tactics. He could lead you to apostasy, He could discourage you in your faith, or one of a million other tactics. So, Peter warns, humble yourself under God’s hand, be on the lookout, run to God for cover, because your enemy the devil is like a roaring lion looking to take you down.

If you have this self-sufficient, prideful attitude about life, the picture Peter paints reminds me of those nature shows we watch when we were kids. They’d show the lions isolating an animal from the herd in order to make them easier prey to turn into their dinner.

-The devil wants you isolated from others and from God so he can devour you. So, Peter says to resist him? How do you resist him? James gives a similar answer as Peter in his epistle when He says in James 4:7, 8—SUBMIT TO GOD. RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU. DRAW NEAR TO GOD AND HE WILL DRAW NEAR TO YOU. We could say that both Peter and James are saying STOP THINKING YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE DEVIL. YOU NEED TO HUMBLE YOURSELF AND DRAW NEAR TO GOD, ONLY THEN WILL YOU BE PROTECTED AND ABLE TO RESIST HIS WAYS.

-What happens when you humble yourself before God in these ways? Peter tells us in v. 10

1 Peter 5:10 NET 2nd ed.

10 And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

-You humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and He will get you through the storm of trouble, suffering, and persecution. But if you go it alone, you’re on your own, living in your pride.

Conclusion

-Having said that, what are some ways that we can live in humility toward others and God? What are some practical steps of living humbly? These are not unique to me, but have come from a study of what others have said:

(i) Confess your sins to God and confess when you have sinned against others. Everyone sins and falls short of God’s glory, and we are told to confess our sins to God because He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins. John tells us in His epistle that if we deny having sinned, we make God a liar and the truth isn’t in us. If we deny sinning, that is pride. We need to examine ourselves and review our lives and confess to God how we have sinned against Him. But we also confess to others if we have sinned against them. Pride prevents us from admitting wrong and will ruin relationships. Humility rights wrongs and seeks forgiveness.

(ii) Be patient when we have been wronged. In our pride, if we have been wronged we want to react and rectify. But, being humble and patient when wronged is Christ-likeness at its peak, for He Himself was wronged and yet took it humbly. Earlier in this epistle, Peter said:

1 Peter 3:9 NET 2nd ed.

9 Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but instead bless others because you were called to inherit a blessing.

(iii) Receive correction and feedback from others graciously. In our pride, if someone notes something we may have done wrong, our defenses automatically go up and our ears are automatically shut to anything that is said. However, I have heard from many a wise person that every criticism, whether fair or not, has a grain of truth in it and we can learn from it. We are told:

Proverbs 10:17 NET 2nd ed.

17 The one who heeds instruction is on the way to life, but the one who rejects rebuke goes astray.

Proverbs 12:1 NET 2nd ed.

1 The one who loves discipline loves knowledge, but the one who hates reproof is stupid.

(iv) Be willing to accept no recognition for what you do, but do everything for God’s glory alone. In our pride we have a LOOK AT ME attitude. We have been the children and then have had the children that want to be the center of attention. For many, this translates into what they do for God and the church. When they do something, they want the pastor and everybody to know what they did. You have no idea how many people have gotten mad at me as a pastor because I did not immediately recognize what they did and give them a pat on the back and laud them with praises.

-But Jesus told us a completely different approach—don’t seek the high places and don’t do things to be seen.

Matthew 6:1–4 NET 2nd ed.

1 “Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward! 3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

-And Jesus gives this warning

Luke 14:11 NET 2nd ed.

11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

(v) Cultivate an attitude of gratefulness. Remember, that everything that you have comes from the Lord, you did not do it yourself. Thankfulness constantly reminds us that we haven’t provided for ourselves, but God did, and it takes away remnants of self-sufficiency in our heart.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NET 2nd ed.

18 in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

-So, Christian, I invite you to consider your attitude toward life. If you are prideful, you will not weather the coming hostility very well. But if you live in humility you live in the grace of God. Come to the altar and pray that God would give you a spiritual attitude adjustment.

-And I’ll quickly close with this. It takes a great humility to realize that you are a lost sinner under God’s judgment. It then takes great humility to receive God’s provision for your sin, which is Jesus Christ, His Son, our Lord, who died for our sin and rose again. If you have been too prideful to seek the remedy for your sin problem, that pride will lead you straight to condemnation. But if you humble yourself before the Lord and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you, you will have eternal life. So, get over your pride, and walk down the aisle to me, and let me tell you about Jesus.