Humbled to Exalted- 1 Pet. 5:6-14

Humbled to Exalted- 1 Pet. 5:6-14

We come to the end of Peter’s first letter in the Bible. It has been an emotional rollercoaster, moving from the pain and suffering and to the glory and exaltation of Jesus. We have discussed our Triune God’s glorious salvation. How, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, we were rescued and are being transformed by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

Like many good books and movies, Peter ends his letter with a summary of his exhortations and discussions. He wraps everything that he has been writing about. In a phrase, Peter writes about moving from a state of humility to a state of exaltation.

That is, this is the way that we, as followers of Jesus Christ, must take. Anyways around this and we are attempting to subvert the work of God in our lives. When we speak of humility, we do not mean a simply debasement of ourselves. No, we mean what the puritan Obadiah Grew writes,

“By humility I mean not the abjectness of a base mind; but a prudent care not to over-value ourselves upon any account.”—Obadiah Grew

If we are to move from suffering to glory, we must be humble.

Our question is not so much, should we be humble. We all know that we should, even if we do not necessarily practice what we preach. Our struggle is how we do remain humble. Peter gives us the answer in his final words of this letter.

I. Humility comes from a proper view of God- 5:6

*Though we are remarkable, we are nothing compared to God

Human beings are remarkable. Our ability to create things, discover things, treat things, all of this and more is a demonstration of the remarkableness of a human being. Together we can accomplish magnificent feats. Within a period of less than one hundred years, we went from not flying to going to the moon.

This, of course, is all do God’s goodness in creating us. But with all these things, we are nothing compared to God. Peter commands us to humble ourselves. It is an action that we can take. But how? Peter gives us the answer in this command: under the mighty hand of God.

When you have a proper view of God, you will be humbled. When you realize that God can do anything according to His holy will, and that none can stay His hand nor resist Him, you will be humbled. When you remember that He holds each breathe you take in His hands, you will be humbled.

When you contemplate God’s intimate knowledge of everything, from the smallest particles to the galaxies that span space, you will be humbled. Notice the seeming contradiction in Peter’s thoughts. Humble yourself in order to be exalted. The way up, is down, is what Peter is telling us. But this, as I mentioned, is not a flagellation. It is a biblical view of God and of ourselves. Humble yourselves by also recognizing our powerlessness.

II. Humility comes from recognizing our powerlessness- 5:7-9

*Though we have advanced, we are powerless against our Foes

Now, this may seem to be redundant, but this is humility on a different level. Obviously, when compared to the Almighty God (of which there is no comparison) we are less than nothing. But what about our foes? That is, the devil, the flesh, and the world? Though we have advanced and performed marvelous feats, ultimately we are powerless against our foes.

A. The Fleshly Foe

Our foes include our flesh, that nature that bears the remnants of the first Adam. These are the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:17-21). They wage war against our souls, as Peter mentioned in 2:11. In this portion, Peter refers to it as anxiety. What is anxiety?

Is it not fear? It is a fear of the unknown, of the what-ifs, or the might bes. It is a fear that overtakes an individual and paralyzes them. Like the venom of a spider paralyzing its prey, anxiety can stop the believer in his or her tracks. If left to ourselves, we would be powerless against it. Think about the people to whom Peter is writing. Do they have legitimate reasons to fear? He has been writing to them about suffering. The Christians have faced persecution since their inception in Acts chapter 2. Yes, they have reasons to fear. But do they have reasons to be anxious? To be paralyzed by that fear?

No, they do not. No believer should be paralyzed by fear. The question is, How do we become free of this venom? What is the antidote? We cast it, we throw it away to the Lord, upon His marvellously gentle shoulders it will land. Anxiety is concerning ourselves with issues and potentials that were never ours to address. Throw those anxieties and fleshly desires to the LORD!

Why? Because He cares for you. Contemplate that thought for a moment. He, that is God, cares for you. He is interested in you. He loves you. Like a child, attempting to bring in the groceries but overwhelmed by the weight, whose parent comes and easily lifts the load, so too our caring God takes what is His to bear. We are powerless, if left alone, to wage war against this foe.

B. The Satanic Foe

Though the power of Satan has been limited (see Rev. 20:2; 2 Thess. 2:1-12), but this does not mean he is not active. In fact, Peter portrays the devil as a lion. Lions do not casually walk up to the wildebeest. No, they ferociously charge the beast and tear its flesh apart. Blood pours down its jaws.

With greater rage the devil fights against the Seed of the woman (Jesus) and His disciples. We are powerless, on our own, to face such a for. More deadly than a lion, more ferocious than a cornered honey badger, the devil fights against God and His people. Resist him, be disciplined, be alert! Peter commands. We are at war against a deadly foe. How do we resist?

We rely, as we do against our flesh, on our Triune God. Our faith, John tells us, overcomes the world (1 John 5:4-5). In other words, if left to our own, we are powerless, but God is not. God will crush him underfoot. God destroys the devil with the breath of His mouth. It is no contest.

C. The Worldly Foe

The world hates God and His Messiah. We learned that from 1 John. And we see this hatred against His people, our brothers and sisters. We must be aware of this system that opposes God. It is everywhere! Humility also comes from remembering the future.

III. Humility comes from from remembering the future- 5:10-11

*Though we face extreme pain in this life, the best is yet to come

We have an entire letter preparing us to suffer well. I have mentioned this as we work through this letter, but Peter constantly reminds us of the future: Glory. He will restore, support, strengthen, and establish you, after you have suffered for a little while. This exile will not be long, fellow pilgrims. Take heart, be humble, because glory is coming.

IV. Humility comes from the body of Christ- 5:12-14

*Though we are the Church, we are not the Church alone

Peter ends his epistle in the customary way, but it serves as an excellent reminder that though we, Warrior Creek Baptist Church, are the church, we are not the church alone. Other brothers and sisters have come before us, they are present with us, and they will, unless the Lord returns, be here long after we go.

If we are to move from suffering to glory, we must be humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.