Run Devil Run

Life is hard.

Everyday I hear of someone new who has something new.

A member in the hospital who has fallen and broken a hip.

A member in the hospital who has a racing heartbeat.

A friend of a member in a hospital far away awaiting a lung transplant.

A friend of a friend who died from the treatment meant to save their life.

And that’s just health stuff.

Throw in jobs and families and politics and just plain tired.

Life is hard.

Life is hard and many of us are suffering untold hardships that no one else knows about - that you don’t want anyone else to see.

And many times the pain - the grief - the heartache - it wears you down.

Peter is here to tell us to take heart - The Lord gives all Christ followers the ability to rise above the suffering and hardship that inevitably comes their way.

I saved a baby goat this week.

Well, I probably didn’t save it really - it’s owner said she saw that it was trapped - but I like to think I played a small part in her rescue.

Long story - I was in the church mini-bus - I had just driven a group going to Israel to the airport.

I ran by my house on the way home and on my way out - I saw a small black goat with it’s head stuck in the fence.

All of the other animals were gathered in a corner way away from where this baby goat was stuck.

So I pulled the van over.

I got out and walked over to the baby goat.

I had no clue is a trapped goat would bite or if the owner might think I was trying to steal the goat and unload their shotgun in my direction, so I waved my hands in the air to get the owners attention.

She yelled she saw her - and this is where my fun began.

I went to get back in the minibus - and the door had locked when I got out.

The engine was running - my phone was in the van.

At least it wasn’t raining.

The owner of the goat drove down - called me a city slicker - twice - and freed the goat.

Then she talked to me for about 15 minutes.

And in that 15 minutes, this neighbor of mine who was a total stranger until then told me about her life.

It was a very interesting story.

Full of heart ache, pain, relatives on drugs and the family issues that inevitably comes from addiction.

And church and worry about our country.

But before she left to go feed the animals and leave me to spend some time in the sunshine waiting for Susan to bring me the spare keys, she told me what kept her going.

She knows the Lord blesses the faithful so she keeps on going knowing that He is going to be good to her.

She might as well have said, “The Lord gives all Christ followers the ability to rise above the suffering and hardship that inevitably comes their way.”

We’re out of Malachi for just a minute, we’ll finish up over the next few weeks.

But today I wanted to talk about something a bit more “in touch” with October 31st.

Today is the Not So Scary Grayberry Spectacular.

It is not a Halloween celebration.

If you will think about it for a moment, you’ll realize, it’s the First Baptist Church of Gray with a little help from Bradley Baptist and a few other folks, inviting the entire community to come to church this afternoon.

And for all of those who have worked to make this day about the devil over the last 10 centuries or so, we’re not going to play.

Today is the Lord’s day - not the devil’s.

1 Peter was written somewhere around 30 years after Jesus’ resurrection.

Rome was in power - Jerusalem had not been ransacked yet and Nero was not yet in power.

So the great persecutions that we know that happened at the hands of Roman dictators weren’t on the books just yet.

And still Christians suffered.

They did - they always will - if for no other reason than we are different.

We don’t belong here - this world is not our home.

Have you ever not been invited to a party and you found out later it was because you were different?

I have - and if you haven’t yet, I sure hope it happens to you.

“I was going to invite you but...”

Mine was - there are going to be a lot of people drinking a lot.

I was turned down for a job once and the man was honest with me.

“Our guys are a pretty rough bunch but they are a good team and you would make things awkward.”

Those things are so minor.

In Peter’s day, people’s livelihoods were threatened because folks weren’t comfortable around those Christians.

It’s going to happen.

If you are following Christ at some point, something is going to happen.

What do you do?

1 Peter 5:6–11 ESV

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.

“Humble yourselves” because, if you look back at verse 5 Peter quotes, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Well, if you have any gumption, you got to realize I’d rather have God’s grace that God’s opposition - so humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.

What does that look like - humbling yourself?

We think of a humble person as someone who speaks softly, doesn’t rock the boat, doesn’t make good eye contact, never stands out in a crowd.

Is that right?

In the gospel of Matthew, a Roman centurion came to Jesus and asked Jesus to heal his servant - maybe you remember the story from Matthew 8.

Jesus said he would come - and this powerful man - a commander of a hundred men said no.

Matthew 8:8 “But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

Humility doesn’t mean you walk around with a hang dog look on your face all of the time being a door mat for the world to walk on.

Humility means that we are a people who knows that we are under authority.

That God is sovereign and what happens to us flows from His hands into our lives.

Recognize that - embrace it - the Lord is fully in charge.

In verse 7 he says to cast our anxieties on the Lord.

Anxiety - great word.

Any one here have any anxiety.

I wonder about Hannah - the Not So Scary Grayberry Spectacular is going to be running in less than 6 hours.

This is Hannah’s first “Spectacular” event here.

She’s planned for thousands - but will thousands come?

Because the Braves are in the world series, will we be the trick or treating alternative?

Or will no one show because they are all going to the neighborhoods to get in and out so they can see the game?

Will we have 2000 or 20?

Anxiety.

Anxiety means feelings of apprehension or distress in view of POSSIBLE danger or misfortune.

Possible - it hasn’t happened yet.

Possible - it might not even happen.

And - here’s the kick because I have to be reminded of this regularly - anxiety is a form of pride.

“Well, I trust the Lord, but if I don’t get this right my whole life will go up in flames.”

You hear the incongruity there, right?

I trust the Lord - but if He doesn’t get my precise help - well, it won’t go right.

In other words, if let alone, the Lord will mess it up.

That’s not what I’m saying.

Yeah. Yeah it is.

Peter reminds us, “[The Lord] cares for you.”

He has compassion on His children.

He cares for us.

The miracle stories in the Bible - what is the common denominator?

“He cares for [us].”

6-700 years before Peter wrote to encourage his church, someone wrote a Psalm that said, Psalm 55:22 “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”

Listen carefully - I wish everyone who has ever or will ever contemplate suicide would hear this and believe it.

Whatever the mess you’ve made - go to the Lord with it - tell Him you are going to let Him handle it.

In return for your faith - He will sustain you - he will keep you going.

He will never permit you to be moved - He will never permit you to be destroyed.

You can’t ruin your life if you turn to Jesus.

Your life will certainly end up in a place you didn’t intend, but if you are in Jesus’ hands, your life can’t be ruined.

And for those who are scoffing at this in your mind - if I live in the King’s palace, explain to me exactly how my life is ruined?

So Peter says “Be sober-minded.”

Be realistic - use your common sense - open your eyes to reality - the Greek word literally means control your thoughts.

Now, here’s the devil: 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

The word adversary means enemy.

For those who want to play both sides of the track keep in mind, the guy on one side of the track who has such a great game, he is your enemy.

The word devil means slanderer - he wants and will talk bad about you.

He’s waiting for you to slip so he can shout to the world - look how weak these Jesus people are.

Peter says suffering is the devil roaring.

Like a lion’s roar scares every weaker animal that hears it, suffering is the devil’s roar.

He wants you scared.

He wants you in despair.

He wants you so terrified you can’t move.

His goal - seeking to devour - that word means utter destruction.

But he’s not seeking to destroy you - he’s seeking to destroy your faith.

He wants you to collapse - to worry - to think that if you don’t do it just right, your entire life will be ruined.

He wants to hold you up in front of the Lord and say, “Why would you love such a pathetic creature as this?”

So resist him.

It’s not pull yourself up by your bootstraps and put on a hap, hap, happy face.

It goes back to what Peter said before.

Humble yourself - surrender in faith to the Lord.

Be willing - listen - be willing to go where ever the Lord takes you.

“Lord, no matter how this turns out, I will follow you.”

Listen, the scripture wouldn’t say it unless you can do it.

Your power is your faith.

“I don’t have a lot of faith.”

What you have is enough for what you face - and listen to this: 1 Peter 5:9 “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”

Form a support group - or better still - join the one Jesus created.

Come to church.

And church, when you get here, be real.

Join a small group.

Get to a place where you see you are not the only one suffering what you are suffering.

Not to minimize your pain - but to strengthen your faith.

Why does AA work, or Celebrate Recovery work for so many people?

If you read the small print on diet ads or stop smoking ads, they almost all say that results are improved when you join a group.

Why is that?

It is because 1 Peter 5:9 “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”

This applies to suffering in general, but Peter is talking of suffering for the faith in particular.

Friends, as times get tougher, I dare say that if you are not a committed member of a faith community, you stand an excellent chance of seeing your faith devoured.

Think about this - why do so many of our young people lose their faith in college?

They find themselves walking alone.

Want to hear some great wisdom: Ecclesiastes 4:12 “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

Verse 10 has an interesting turn of a phrase, “And after you have suffered a little while...”

Little while is relative.

I’ve got a few friends who’s little while has turned into 4, 5 - 6 or more years.

In our economy that’s a lot of years.

In God’s economy, that’s seconds - and it says something else too.

Your suffering has a sell by date on it.

You know what I’m talking about.

You buy a pack of lunch meat.

It sits in the fridge, I don’t know - a year.

You see it one day and think a ham sandwich would be good.

You open the pack and the smell about makes your eyes explode.

You look at the label and it says, “Sell by June 6, 2018”.

And you say, don’t you - we all do - “It’s been in here that long?”

Our suffering - as interminable as it appears - has a sell by date on it.

As our suffering comes to it’s conclusion - the God of all grace.

Now stop right there.

Why does Peter use that phrase?

Here’s what I think.

I think Peter knows that as you suffer, some days your going to be this great lion of the faith.

And some days you’ll be a weenie.

Some days you will slay dragons.

And other days you’ll whimper because you broke a fingernail.

One day you’ll resist the devil to the point that those around you will be impressed.

And one day you’ll relapse.

You’ll give in - maybe for a day you’ll give up.

And the God of all grace will lean in to you.

Remember the miracles - not that Jesus performed the miracles - but who Jesus performed the miracles for.

A woman at a well who’d been married so many times she’d almost lost count.

A man who’d been at a hospital so long he’d given up getting better years ago.

Men who were so sick and diseased no one wanted to have anything to do with them.

A woman who had female problems so bad that her life had been out of kilter for 12 years.

A man who was born blind and everyone blamed it on his parent’s sin.

Keep going.

Keep looking at the miracles.

Find me one miracle of a person who had it all together - who was the pinnacle of success.

What about the centurion - he appeared successful?

He had a servant that dying that he could do nothing but watch the servant die.

Unless - he cast his cares on Jesus.

So many people, I’ve seen so beaten down - I’m just - and they’ll name their failings.

I’m telling you from the very word of God - you are who Jesus died for - and listen:

1 Peter 5:10 “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.”

When your suffering is coming to a close - the Lord who doesn’t hold your failures against you.

The Lord, who called you to eternal salvation - not momentary - not revocable.

But eternal.

This Lord will

Restore you - He will make you - listen - He will make you completely adequate and sufficient.

This Lord will confirm you - He will - listen to these beautiful words - He will cause you to be able or capable to do whatever it is He has called you to do.

You will stand - you will succeed - He will see to it.

This Lord will strengthen - listen - this is a very specific strengthen.

This Lord will strengthen your faith.

Imagine - all of those charlatans who say you must have more faith - no - This Lord Himself.

Gracious - good - powerful - compassionate.

This Lord Himself will give you the faith you need to resist until you overcome.

This Lord will establish.

This Lord will make your foundation so firm, that nothing will be able to shake you.

You may be thinking what a wonderful dream that is - but it no dream.

Jesus promises - humble yourself - resist as best you can - He will take care of the rest.

Paul says in 2 Cor 4:17-18 “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Or simply - look up, this too shall pass.

“The Lord gives all Christ followers the ability to rise above any suffering and hardship that inevitably comes their way.

I understand - and the more I’m around it and the older I get - the more I know enduring is easy to talk about, but hard to do.

But look at what Peter is saying:

You can do this.

We need to be reminded regularly - that’s part of what Church and groups do - we need to be reminded regularly.

The devil does not own us.

In fact, as we stand with Jesus, Satan is powerless to do any long term harm.

What do we need to know?

We need to know we are under the Lord’s authority.

We need to know that we can’t - but He can.

We need to remember that Jesus died so we could cast our anxieties on Him.

In fact, if we could live with perfect faith - which we don’t - but if we could - we’d have no anxieties.

Because Jesus would bear them all.

There is a choice in front of you.

Are you the one who is large and in charge?

Or are you the one who is under authority?

If you choose to follow Jesus, John 1:9-13

John 1:9–13 ESV

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And as a special, parting Halloween message to all who plan to celebrate the evil one.

My daddy will whip your daddy, because 1 Peter 5:11 “To him [to My Father] be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

And what a perfect segue into the Lord’s supper.

We are meeting outside today to get us all in the right frame of mind.

On this property in just over 4 hours a battle will rage - it won’t look like it - but it will be.

The good people of the First Baptist Church of Gray have invested their time, their talent and their treasure and have invited the community to this campus.

God willing, in just over 4 hours where you are sitting people who aren’t affiliated with any church will be walking.

Think about this - 6 out of every 10 people who walk across this grass, this gravel, this asphalt - 6 out of 10 do not know Jesus as their savior.

And we’ve invited them here.

To the place where we studied last week that God wants to make His name known here - right here in this place.

We dedicate this place and this day to the hope that many people walking across this place today will experience a calling of the grace of Jesus.

In order for that victory to occur, we’ve got to rally around the one who has guaranteed the victory.

He faced unimaginable suffering.

He died a horrendous death.

But on the very next Sunday morning, Jesus rose from the dead and gave us the victory over sin and death and Satan.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

We have four stations set up - go to the one closest to you.

When you have been served - return to your place for a final hymn.

Let’s pray:

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank you for coming for sinners and sufferers.

Thank you for seeing us hurting, and crying, and raging and lost and alone.

And for leaning in to us, offering us your shoulder for comfort.

Your words for peace.

And your blood for our cleansing.

Dear Lord Jesus.

Thank you.

Amen

Please go to the table nearest you.

Sing “Amazing Grace” when it’s done.