Humble in Waiting, Vigilant in Everything
Notes
Transcript
1 Peter 5:6-14
1 Peter 5:6-14
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.
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.
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. Peace to all of you who are in Christ
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Pe 5:6–14.
Verse six is really an extension of the second half of verse 5...
(…Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble…)
Peter also quotes Proverbs 3.34. for added emphasis.
Considering who Peter was prior to become a Disciple of Christ
- A Self-employed fisherman
- Impetuous and impulsive… A Loose Cannon at times
Hearing Peter speak at length of the importance of being humble, really speaks to what a changed man he is, since his reinstatement by Jesus.
Peters instruction to the elders of the church to regard the flock with humility
For everyone to be dressed in humility towards each other
And Finally...
To humble ourselves- “Before the Mighty Hand of God...”
Peter uses the phrase, “in due time...” , “Proper time”, “The day of Visitation” several times in this letter.
The focus is not on reaping a reward for our sufferings here in a temporal sense, but rather the ultimate and final reward of Eternal Life spent in the Heavenly Presence of God.
This eliminates the possibility of our sufferings becoming a “Work” to gain some Earthly benefit.
Everything we do for God in our physical life is focused on our Eternal gain, through Gods Grace and Mercy towards us.
Peter draws on the comparison of Gods MIghty Hand, delivering the Israelites from Egypt in the OT and then also the direct Teachings of Christ in
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The biggest part of humbling ourselves comes next.
“Casting all of your cares on Him, For He cares for you...”
This is not an easy thing for us to do, even as Christians. Especially for guys, who have been taught from childhood, to be self-sufficient and self-Reliant.
To pull ourselves up by our Bootstraps… Has anyone really ever tried doing that.
I mean, the boot straps are great for pulling ON your boots...
I tried to pull myself up by my bootstraps…And promptly fell on my face...
We trivialize our problems with thoughts of,
“This isnt big enough to bother God with”
“If I cant fix this myself, what kind of man am I?”