Under the Mighty Hand of God...

In college....I was a freshman....maybe a sophomore....and it was halftime of the Auburn football game at UA..... and amidst this big rivalry people come from all over.... 100,000 people into one stadium and there on the sideline was Sir Charles Barkley.... and after debating with a friend whether I should go up to him or not..... I finally went over and talked to him..... hi” and shook his hand..... and for a moment, I don’t know if I could tell you where my hand went..... He had such big hands! Have you ever had that experience?.......

In college....I was a freshman....maybe a sophmore....and it was halftime of the Auburn football game at UA..... and amidst this big rivalry people come from all over.... 100,000 people into one stadium and there on the sideline was Sir Charles Barkley.... and after debating with a friend whether I should go up to him or not..... I finally went over and talked to him..... hi” and shook his hand..... and for a moment, I don’t know if I could tell you where my hand went..... He had such big hands! Have you ever had that experience?.......

Big hands can do big and mighty things.......

Have you ever thought about what the hands of God are capable of? He is Spirit, yet the Bible gives us human metaphors for his Hands throughout the Bible..... take a listen to a few.....

It shatters enemies....

Exodus 15:6 (ESV)

6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.

It Redeems and delivers God’s people

Deuteronomy 7:8 (ESV)

8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Joshua 4:24 ESV

24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

He uses his hand upon us to convict us and discipline us....

Psalm 32:4 ESV

4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

The Hand of the Lord shows God’s power and presence in the movement of the Church

Acts 11:21 ESV

21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

In His hand he holds Wrath towards the wicked of the Earth.

Psalm 75:8 ESV

8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.

So this morning..... if you hear anything I say..... Are you under the Mighty Hand of God? Think about that...... That is Peter’s point this morning..... are you under the rule, might, authority, power, of God’s Mighty Hand? That is Peter’s Command, that is my invitation to you this morning...... The ultimate humbling of yourself under the mighty hand of God is believing in Jesus Christ as your Savior for the forgiveness of your sins and accepting him as your Lord!

Come under God’s hand..... because there you will be exalted..... because there you have a perfect architect..... because you know God’s Grace and Peace....

1. You will be exalted

1 Peter 5:6–9 ESV

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 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.

In Musical composition..... There are themes and variations..... In Symphonies, musicals, etc.... you will find that there are grand scale plans for the theme to come up over and over again..... and then in a final crescendo.....the Theme is taken to new heights and it is finished in this upward momentum and ultimate expression of it! ...... Ode to Joy! comes in Beethoven’s 9th symphony..... or in Les Miserables “Do you hear the people sing!”......

Here Peter is returning to the Theme.... the main theme he wants us to hear in his short letter..... There is a Sovereign, Holy God, merciful savior, and a Holy Spirit helping you grow in this journey of faith..... Submit under him..... live in faith now..... and you have a reward.... a hope in heaven.... and it is only found in him, and NOTHING can separate you from that!

A. Cast your anxiety on the Lord

This verse literally says to take your cares..... your anxiety..... your stress about anything in life..... and cast them onto God.

God is the one who cares for you..... so you don’t hold onto Cares.

What causes these cares and anxieties of life?

Persecution - Negative words, jobs lost, insults, hardships..... all of it creates stress, anxiety, and worry.

Matthew 6:25–33 ESV

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

It is a guarantee that in this life you will have anxiety and worry..... That is how this world is wired..... as a follower of Jesus that doesn’t magically go away..... so what is the solution here? What is Peter saying?......

Do You want to know the secret to humbling yourself before the Lord......

Consider others above yourself - modeling after Jesus

Consider All of your life in the hands of God

B. Victorious over Satan

Satan is real..... This morning, I don’t want to give him more time than Jesus, but this passage is real… he is your adversary..... the Father of lies.... and he is prowling around looking for weak sheep to devour...... where will he find these weak sheep..... THOSE THAT ARE MOVING AWAY FROM THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD.

How do we go astray as sheep? Away from the hand of the Lord?

We question “Did God really say? - pridefully sin

We try to figure out life on our own without God - pridefully go our own way.

We remove ourselves from the flock (regular church attendance) - pridefully think we are self-sufficient

We are worried more about our outward religious appearance than the inward relationship with Jesus - pridefully worry about the wrong things

We live lives that look more like the World than a follower of Christ - pridefully wanting to fit in by the worlds standards

We compartmentalize our faith instead of living out our faith in all of life - prideully thinking no one can fully know us.

In the power of the Holy Spirit..... we are given all that we need to be......Sober minded, watchful, and to resist the Devil!

2. You have The Perfect Architect

1 peter 5:10-11

1 Peter 5:10–11 ESV

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.

a. He will restore

b. He will confirm

c. He will strengthen

d. He will establish

In the 1980s.... the movie “The Money Pit” came out.... you don’t have to go home and watch it.... but the premise of the movie is that Tom Hanks and Shelley Long are convinced to invest in a great real estate investment.... a mansion that just needs a little work, a little renovation.....just try to make sense of what they have been given and it should result in a good thing! Well, given the name of the movie.... the house becomes a disaster...... a Money pit......

Your life is a “money pit” renovation project...... You can try to find purpose and build your life as you see fit.... but there will always be work that must be done.... because you will always fail you..... you can even try to allow others to take you on as a renovation project..... but here is the truth Peter is telling you this morning..... ONLY in Jesus Christ.... ONLY UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD will you find that God is ready, willing, and able to restore you, confirm you, strengthen and establish you..... and don’t miss this..... the verbs here are in the perfect tense..... MEANING THAT THIS IS A GUARANTEE IN THE FUTURE THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN!

You may have a false sense of security right now.... but I will tell you this.... your American dream.... the perfect job, the perfect spouse, the perfect children, the perfect house, the perfect grocery store........ all of that will ultimately leave you empty, alone, and not bring your the salvation, hope, and eternal restoration that is found in Jesus Christ alone.

3. You Know God’s Grace and Peace

1 Peter 5:12–14 ESV

12 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.

a. Stand firm in God’s Grace

Peter tells us that this message of Hope for the elect exiles is God’s grace shown towards them..... They don’t deserve God’s love yet they are brought near, they have a living hope, they are new creations in Christ, they are called to live in such a way to show off the Goodness of God.... and so do we!

Stand in it...... If I tell you that the ocean is amazing.... the water… the sand in your toes, the water and the waves that you feel over and over again.... the tide coming in and out.... the power, the depth, the beauty..... My words will always fall short of you actually experiencing the ocean!.......

Peter has given us all the words to know the Grace of God.... hearing these words are good to us… but Peter’s command is to STAND IN IT..... Do not let these words be enough.... daily stand in the grace that is shown towards you in Jesus Christ!

b. Peace is found in Jesus Christ

I don’t want us to miss these last words of Peter.... Under the mighty hand of God.... there is Peace with God and that Peace is found in Christ......

Romans 5:1–2 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Are you in Christ? That is the ultimate humility to live out...... that you would submit, believe, and follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior. That he has forgiven your sins and that he commands the direction of your life!

We have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord...... Through him we have obtained faith by grace in which we stand...... and we bring glory to God together forevermore!

To him be dominion forever and ever..... AMEN!

Conclusion:

Are you Under the Mighty Hand of God?

This morning...... join our church with others under His hand? Make the committment to Be baptized!

This morning..... you have avoided his hand.... Today is the day to humble yourself.... to find Jesus.... to have peace!

This morning..... you need to repent, turn.... and return under God’s Might hand.... you have been playing the games of this life and you are presenting yourself as a weak sheep for Satan to devour.....run back under his hand!