From suffering to glory!
1 Peter 5:6-14
Scripture introduction: please turn to…
Scripture reading: 1 Peter 5:6–14 (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.
8Be 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.
Final Greetings
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.
Prayer for illumination: please join me in prayer…
Sermon Introduction: A year and a half ago I read to you this account of John Calvin’s life. John Calvin was a pastor from France who lived 500 years ago. I would like to read this account again.
“His first son, Jacques, was born July 28, 1542, and two weeks later died. He wrote to his friend…, "The Lord has certainly inflicted a severe and bitter wound in the death of our baby son. But He is Himself a Father and knows best what is good for his children"…
Idelette (his wife) was never well again. They had two more children who also died at or soon after birth. Then on March 29, 1549, Idelette died.
Calvin wrote…, “I have been bereaved of the best companion of my life...”
He wrote to his physicians in 1564 when he was 53 years old, and described his colic and spitting of blood and ague (ag-you) and gout and the "excruciating sufferings" of his hemorrhoids... He also had stomach problems and constant migraines. But worst of all seemed to be the kidney stones that had to pass unrelieved by any sedative.
He said- [They] gave me exquisite pain. ...
On top of all this pressure and physical suffering were the threats to his own life. "He was not unfamiliar with the sound of mobs outside his house [in Geneva] threatening to throw him in the river and firing their muskets" (see note 34).
In a letter to Melanchthon in 1558, he wrote that war was imminent in the region and that enemy troops could reach Geneva within half an hour. "Whence you may conclude," he said, "that we have not only exile to fear, but that all the most cruel varieties of death are impending over us, for in the cause of religion they will set no bounds to their barbarity" (see note 36)….
To add insult to injury his enemies named their dogs Calvin.
John Calvin suffered much. Many of you have suffered. Suffering is mentioned 12 times in 1 Peter more than in any other book of the NT. So it is fitting that the last sermon in this series should once again deal with the topic of suffering.
Peter concludes this letter by giving us three ways to deal with suffering.
First, we can deal with sufferingby humbling ourselves
Second, we can deal with suffering by resisting the Devil
Third, we can deal with suffering by contemplating Heaven
First, we can deal with suffering by humbling ourselves
How do we humble ourselves? We submit toGod’s mighty hand! Look with me at verse 6 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,”
Peter exhorts us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. The mighty hand of God is OT short hand for God’s sovereign sway over all things. Humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God means that we acknowledge that God controls all things therefore we trust him with all things, yes, even suffering.
Peter makes clear that the Mighty hand of God controls our suffering in other parts of this letter-
“For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. ” (1 Peter 3:17, ESV)
“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. ” (1 Peter 4:19, ESV)
What does it look like to submit to God’s mighty hand? It is almost easier to describe how someone behaves who does not submit to God’s mighty hand.
When suffering comes this person blames God, is angry with God, complains, grows bitter, and retaliates against others.
On the other hand someone who humbles themselves under God’s mighty hand may have questions, they may be confused, they may hurt terribly, but they trust God because they know that God is in control.
This brings us to the last part of this verse. The wonderfully good news contained in this verse.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,”
“At the proper time” (most likely the return of Christ) those who humbly submit to God’s sovereign plan will be exalted.
Implications-
When we grumble and complain in the midst of suffering we are saying something about God and ourselves. Grumbling is questioning God’swisdom, questioning his love, and questioning his control of all things. Deep down we are blaming God for our problems and arrogantly implying that we could do a better job ruling the universe if we were in control. This comes across as very arrogant which is why Peter tells us to humble ourselvesunder the mighty hand of God in the midst of suffering.
Illustration-
Imagine a child complaining to his parents that he can’t play in the street
Imagine a child complaining to his parents that he can’t eat the bottle of ibuprofen
Imagine a child complaining to his parents that he has to wear a lifejacket in the deep end
Imagine a child complaining to his parents that he can’t play with Dad’s 30 volt skill saw
When a child complains about these things he is implying that he knows better than his parents how to survive. His complaining indicates that he thinks he is wiser than his parents. This child is not submitting to his parents mighty hand.
Grumbling is no small sin because of what it says about God.
One of my professors used to say that a complaining Calvinist is an oxymoron.
We can submit to the mighty hand of God in the midst of suffering no matter how difficult it may seem because we know God is in control, we know he is good and we know that someday he will exalt us.
We can deal with suffering by humbly submitting to God’s mighty hand.
In addition, we can deal with suffering by humbly casting our anxieties on God! Look with me at verses 6-7 “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.”
Verses 6 and 7 should not be separated because they are one sentence. One scholar writes- “‘Casting’ in Greek is a circumstantial participle dependent on the main verb “humble”, not a separate command…” (Davids, 187)
In other words casting anxieties is one of the ways that we humble ourselves. We could also say that casting anxieties describes how we humble ourselves. This is because a humble person realizes that he is not in control of his life. He knows that ultimately God controls all things. An arrogant person on the other hand is anxious because he is trying to control his life and maybe the lives of those around him. Since no one can successfully do this he or she gets anxious.
The last part of the verse says that we can cast cares on God because he cares for us. In fact, the text says that he cares for you personally. He cares for individuals, he knows your every need and He loves you.
We humble ourselves by casting our anxieties on God
Implications:
Casting literally means heaving or throwing our cares on God. We do this through prayer. Phil 4:6-7 is a great commentary on this verse.
“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ” (Philippians 4:6–7, ESV)
Illustration: Describe walking around my neighborhood and reciting this verse over and over again.
When we are anxious we are called to cast our cares on God. We will only do this if we are humble. You may be thinking I’m humble, I’m not dependent on myself, I’m not trying to control everything. Really… how often do you pray? If we don’t pray we are holding on to our burdens implying that we don’t need God.
Like the sin of grumbling the sin of anxiety also says allot about how we functionally view God.
“A preacher once said: ‘Worry is sin because it denies the wisdom of God; it says that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. It denies the love of God; it says He does not care. And it denies the power of God; it says that He isn’t able to deliver me from whatever is causing me to worry.’” (Macdonald, 2281)
What did the original audience worry about? In this context they primarily worried about the suffering that comes from following Christ.
What do you worry about? Last Tuesday I was overwhelmed with many things. We had a baby due on Monday, slammed at work (planning for preaching club, pdg, Veritas, SS, Sunday preaching, home group launch, campus min, equipped, etc…), child has brain tumor, lawn has NRS, etc… I was overwhelmed and anxious so I went home and whined to my wife.
What do you worry about? Money, safety, relationships, your future, your children, school, health, growing old, getting married, being lonely, rejection, the affliction that comes from following Christ?
What are some indicators that you may not be casting your anxieties on God?
Possibly not sleeping
Prayerlessness
Incessant Planning (planning is good, incessant planning is bad)
Do you work too much? (work has become an idol and your worried about something so you work more)
Not being generous with your money
Ceaseless activity
Feelings of guilt when you rest
Overall Lack of joy
Short with the kids, the spouse, the roommates, or coworkers…
When we find ourselves getting anxious we need to stop, repent, and cast our cares on Jesus knowing that he cares for us. He can handle our problems. This is how we can humble ourselves.
Not only do we deal with suffering by humbling ourselves…
Second, we deal with suffering by resisting the Devil
How do we resist the Devil? Realize who we are dealing with! Look with me at verse 8. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
If you are going to walk down a dark alley at night where known thugs hang out you need to be watchful. In a similar sense you need to be watchful of the Devil. Why? Peter tells us that he wants to devour us. Here he is compared to a Lion. Lions often sneak up on their prey when they least expect it and overpower them with strength and ferocity.
Yes the Devil is a real being who is active today. In the materialistic West he often works behind the scenes wreaking havoc while simultaneously deceiving people into thinking he does not exist.
In the Bible-
Satan accuses Rev 12:10
Satan afflicts Luke 13:16
Satan deceives Rev 3:9
Satan murders John 8:44
Satan perverts Acts 13:10
Satan stalks 1 Peter 5:8
Satan Tempts Matt 6:13
Satan threatens heb 2:14-15
Satan Slanders 1 Peter 4:4,14
In this context Peter primarily has in mind the Devil’s work of persecuting the church. The Devil persecutes the church in order to get the church to stop living godly lives and telling others about Jesus.
I’ve been a Christian long enough to experience physical/tangible encounters with demons. And I’ve heard plenty of stories from friends regarding dramatic exorcisms and violent encounters with the demonic.
But this is not primarily how Satan seeks to destroy the church. He tries to destroy the church with the sins of pride, lust, greed, and hypocrisy.
We resist the devil by realizing who we are dealing with
Illustration: Allen Nahar, a member of this church, is a mail carrier. Allen has been attacked by dogs more than once while delivering mail. For a while Allen had several different routes he worked during the week. I’m sure if you were Allen you would want to know which dogs were on which routes so you could realize what you had to deal with that day.
If route A only had 15 pound toy poodles with big frizzy hair you would not be all that concerned.
On the other hand if route B had a 150 pound Mastif, a 100 pound German shepherd, and a 100 pound pit bull, you would be prepared with three cans of bear mace and maybe a bat.
The point is that you need to realize what you are dealing with so that you can be prepared.
You also need to realize when you are most vulnerable to these dog attacks.
In a similar sense you can resist the Devil by knowing what you are dealing with.
(quick qualifier) Not all of our problems are a result of the Devil. Some people blame their weeds, their sore throats, and their flat tires on the Devil. Most of our problems are the result of sinful people living in a fallen world. At the same time we must realize that some of our problems are a result of the Devil’s activity.
How do we resist the Devil? We realize who we are dealing with
How else do we resist the Devil? We stand firm in our faith! Look with me at verses 8-9 again. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”
We don’t have to fear the Devil. Instead of fearing him we are called to resist him by being firm in our faith. In other words, we hold on firmly to the promises of God that he has given us in Holy Scripture. In this previous verses Peter made reference to God’s mighty hand. Again this is short hand for God’s control over all things this includes the Devil. This is a wonderful promise.
Satan can do nothing to us without getting God’s permission. Peter knew this first hand.
Jesus said to Peter- ““Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” ” (Luke 22:31–32, ESV)
Satan had to come to Christ and ask for permission to have Peter. Furthermore, Christ prayed for Peter. Finally God allowed Satan to sift him so that later Peter would turn and strengthen his brothers.
Satan also had to ask permission to afflict Job.
God gives us many promises to believe in order to stand firm in the faith when the Devil comes near but one of my favorite promises found in this context is the promise that the Devil falls under the sway of God’s mighty hand.
Implications:
We need to know the promises of Godso that we can stand firm in the faith when the Devil comes near. This requires disciplined study.
These promises are contained in one place, God’s holy word, which is referred to as the belt of truth and the sword of the spirit in Eph 6:10-18.
These 8 verses in Eph 6 are an excellent commentary on this passage and if we had more time we would go there.
We can deal with suffering by humbling ourselves.
We can deal with suffering by resisting the Devil.
Third, we deal with suffering by contemplating Heaven
What does Peter say about Heaven? We will be there soon!Look with me at the first part of verse 10. “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ…”
What helps us endure suffering is realizing that this life is very short. The text tells us that “after we have suffered for a little while… we will be called into our state of eternal glory.”
This is the second time Peter has reminded us of the brevity of life.
“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. ” (1 Peter 4:7, ESV)
When we are in the midst of suffering it sure does not seem like a little while but in light of eternity our life is so short that it can’t even be measured.