Under The Mighty Hand Of God | Wade Branch

I love the last verse of that song.

Then in Fellowship suite, we will sit at his feet or walk by

his side in the way that's those are some special words we got to

sing this morning. Thank you for singing them

together. Thank you for teaching me

through song as scriptures say. And thank you that you are here.

Thank you that you care about godly things.

Thank you that you share with all of us and the best thing we

have going in our lives and that is being children of God.

And what a great set of passages we get to study this morning

that we get to finish up in first.

Peter, my goal is to get through the end of the chapter so we can

kind of wrap up the 1st letter from Peter.

And, and I want to thank you for, for teaching me things that

are in this letter because there's a lot of stuff that is,

that is the ideal, that is the top goal.

And, and I hope from these scriptures we see the ideal.

I hope we don't see achievement. I hope we don't see where we are

right now. Like, yeah, this is me.

OK, cool, I did all that. I hope we see that we can be

better. And I hope that brings us hope.

And I hope that gives us some looking forward to the future as

to what we can be individually and as what we can be together

for the glory of God, as we'll see in this set of Scriptures.

So thank you for showing me what it looks like for many of you.

You've taught me so much about what these passages mean in

example. And may we continue to teach one

another what this stuff means in real life.

May we learn to apply this and teach one another.

Because I don't have all the answers.

I'm not going to exemplify at all.

And there's going to be things as we learn this letter that you

are going to better exemplify than I do simply because God

gave you a strength that I don't have.

So may we together learn this and teach this to one another

going forward beyond the words we studied this morning.

So as we continue on in chapter chapter 5, we left off talking

about, Well, we'll go back to chapter 4 a little bit.

We left off with these verses. Therefore, since Christ suffered

for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same

mind. For he who has suffered in the

flesh has ceased from sin, that He no longer should live the

rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts or the desires of

men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our

past lifetime and doing the will of the Gentiles when we walked

in lewdness, lust, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and

abominable disgusting idolatries in regard to these, they think

it's strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of

dissipation, speaking evil of you.

And we talked a little bit before these abominable, these

abominable idolatries were a lot of things, but their worship got

nasty, it got perverted, it got very sexual and and worship to

these idols. We as humans will mess this

stuff up when we try to do for God what we think is right for

God and become so self-centered in regard to these things.

They think it's strange that you don't run with them in the same

flood of dissipation. Why aren't you partying and

drinking and doing these nasty things to glorify God?

This is what we all do. You're crazy for, for not doing

that. That's what they would say.

They will give an account to him who's ready to judge the living

and the dead. Don't worry about them.

For this reason, the gospel is preached also to those who are

dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh,

but live according to God in the Spirit.

All right, now we're back up to speed where we left off last

time, and I want to provide a point of clarification.

In verse 7 it says, but the end of all things is at hand.

And when I was discussing last week, I was talking about that

from a perspective of the end of the world.

And while some people do believe that, you've got to read a

little bit further, and I didn't get to the part where we would

have been talking about probably the more accurate context, which

is referring to the end of Judaism, the end of all things

being the end of the Old Law and the end of of the destruction of

Jerusalem. And that is, I believe, the more

precise end of all things he's talking about here.

Now, the good news is that all still applies.

Everything we talked about is still the same motivations.

He tells us to watch and pray because of the end being near.

So he's talking to these people who it says in just a minute,

verse 12, who are about to go through a fiery trial.

And don't be surprised when this happens.

We learned that the the Jerusalem is shortly after

destroyed. Now, if you're reading this

verse and you're like, how does that the end of all things mean

the end of Judaism? It seems like he means the end

of everything. Well, is this hyperbolic?

Is he exaggerating? Well, I mean, think about it.

Human history was built on the Israelite nation.

So much of God's role in this world was centered around this

national entity called Israel. And God spoke to the world

through them. He revealed his will through

them. He put the Messiah through this

lineage. He built this nation and took

them down multiple times. This nation was not some small

thing. This was God's presence on

earth. It was a nation, it was an

economy, it was the world's only true God ordained theocracy,

meaning this is a nation God is in charge of.

So saying that it's the end of all things is not exaggerating.

It's a big deal for the Jews and for the whole world who is

involved in spiritual things. And in addition to that, this

phrase at hand, as I understand, whatever at hand is used in the

New Testament, it's usually going to be something that's

like really coming soon. Not like, hey, it's going to be

coming soon. Be ready.

It's like it's here. And because of the more

immediate context of the words used, it's even more.

Clear. I believe that this is talking

about the destruction of Jerusalem, but then like I said,

verse 12 kind of confirms that. So, as we said, why be so

serious and watchful in prayer last week or last time I spoke,

all these things still apply. We need to be serious and

watchful because we have responsibility, we have

weaknesses, we have an enemy, we have people who need us, and we

have new frontiers that we need to be going into and seeking

out. But I'm just going to.

Throw at the top of this list. The fiery trial is the 1st and

primary reason they need to be serious and watchful in their

prayer life. OK.

That was a clarification and we read this verse last time, but I

want to provide a little bonus insight I didn't get into

because we're running out of time.

Verse seven said, but the end of all things is at hand.

Therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

Let's remember who he's talking, who's writing right now.

This is Peter. Do you remember Peter the last

time someone told him to watch and pray because of present

distress? Peter, James and John were taken

into the garden of and Jesus went and prayed alone, and he

said, watch and pray. He said be serious and watchful

in prayer. That's what he's telling us.

He's telling us that because he failed when the time was near

for the end of all things, so to speak, being the Messiah's death

coming and Jesus told him, guys, you need to be wake up and pray.

They fell asleep on him. And so now we have Peter

relaying the same message to us to be watchful in our prayers

because the answer is for us. Please hear me lovingly and

gently. We will fail if we do not be

serious and watchful in the tasks that are in front of us

that are daunting. We will fail.

I will fail, you will fail. They fail because they didn't

listen to Jesus and what they go and do.

They denied Him. They they absolutely mocked him.

I don't know the man, Peter said.

And if we think we're going to be any different, the devil is

winning so far beyond what we realize we will lose.

That's why when Jesus knew something big was coming, he

knew a big temptation or challenge was coming.

He went alone into the wilderness.

Remember what Jesus did? He fasted 40 days and 40 nights.

Was that the trial in the wilderness?

No, the temptation came after the 40 days and 40 nights.

He spent time being serious and watchful in prayer when he knew

he was in the middle of a trial. Coming if Jesus needed it, who

are we to think we don't need it?

And Jesus was the example, and we'd be serious and watchful in

a prayer life. Because of things that are

coming now here's what's completely new verse 8 and above

all things. So more than anything else, he

can give us advice in have fervent love for one another.

We've talked about this I feel like several times recently.

Fervent means aggressive straining.

You know, it's not a passive love.

It's so effort driven and that's going to drive us to be powerful

examples. It's going to drive us to solve

things in the midst of fiery trials that other things won't.

Fervent love will solve that he says for for love will cover a

multitude of sins. Now that's a proverb he's

referencing. And and this is coming from

Proverbs chapter 10, verse 2. And remember, Proverbs is

Proverbs 10:2

general truths. Now, if you apply this statement

in too many ways, it becomes inaccurate.

So don't, please don't apply this beyond and say if people do

wrong stuff, love will just cover up your sins.

Love is just going to say, yeah, do whatever you want.

Just love is going to cover you. That's not what this is teaching

by any stretch of the imagination.

It's a proverb that's speaking a truth that I think is well

expressed in this quote, where love abounds in a fellowship of

Christians. Many small offenses and even

some large ones are readily overlooked and forgotten.

We can move on, but where love is lacking, every word is viewed

with suspicion, every action is liable to misunderstanding, and

conflicts abound. To Satan's perverse delight, one

man described this. I think that's a good

representation of what he's really trying to say here is we

need some buffer between us. We need some cartilage.

We need some. When you lose the ligaments in

your knee, you start to feel bone on bone.

The thing that's going to help us work together and not be so

bone on bone is going to be love because it's going to help cover

some of that, you know, the grinding that happens with our

interpersonal workings. And maybe you could further

explain this by saying Jesus love covered.

Now Jesus love also convicted, but his love was a covering

love. It was a protecting and a

healing love. And our submission to this

system will protect others instead of harming others.

It will heal our soul by having love for people and it will also

heal the souls of people we are trying to support if we have a

love that will cover, not seek to only expose.

Now to be clear, 1st and 2nd Corinthians letters address how

sin can't just be left to linger.

He says you have to purge out the old leaven.

Leaven is sin, right? And and it's he's saying you

can't let sin just pollute A congregation.

So that's not the answer either. You can't just let it live

because that's not loving either.

But the answer is some balance between having grace but also

being. Willing to teach.

And show what is right, OK? Verse 9, he says be hospitable

to one another without grumbling.

So he's saying all this in light of the fact that the end of all

things is at hand, primarily being understood that the fiery

trials are coming and even the end of the world is coming.

That's true too. The second thing he says is to

be hospitable, right? Yes.

The third thing, prayer. Pray carefully and watchfully,

he says, love fervently and be hospitable.

How is our hospitality individually and as a

congregation? How is our hospitality?

I want to commend so many of you because you've taught me what it

means to be hospitable. But I want to challenge us as

well because Scripture is meant to cut.

How is your home's hospitality? And this passage is kind of a

comforting, frank admission. It's a, it's a, it's a like,

blatant admission that hospitality can be very costly

and burdensome and irritating sometimes.

That's why he says do it without grumbling.

Hospitality can be burdensome, irritating and costly.

But he says don't let that be what defines your hospitality.

Don't be a person that's burdened and too aware of the

cost and too mindful of how irritating others can be.

Don't focus on that, he says. Do without grumbling.

But on the flip side of that, there's some words in Hebrews

13, I think that that helped me kind of think about the other

side of this, and maybe we also. Need to hear?

What He's writing the letter Hebrews.

He's talking to the to the congregation saying let your

leaders do their work with joy, not with grief.

OK. He's, he's like saying these

people need to shepherd you and, and watch over you, but do good

to them and don't make it hard on them to do this for you.

Don't make it hard on your leaders to lead.

Make make an environment for them where it's joyful for them

and not grievous. So I think we can say the same

thing with the hospitality. If we are receiving hospitality,

may we receive hospitality a way that doesn't make it grievous

for the people giving hospitality.

But that we would be thankful and and not overstepping and

over assuming and just take, take, take.

That is not the scriptural way. Jesus says I came to serve, not

to be served. So there's two sides of this.

But the passage is focusing on the responsibility of us to be

hospitable. So that's the the third thing in

light of the fact that the end is near.

Now in verse 10, he gives us the fourth thing.

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as

good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

So everything we have, he wants us to start with the assumption

that everything you have to offer, whether it's an ability,

a, a thing or a how is it or a gift, whatever it is, minister

means to serve, serve it to one another as good stewards of the

manifold grace of God. I don't think I want to spend

the time to go through the full passages in Matthew about about

what it means to be a good steward.

But basically that was a a term they used to describe somebody

who was responsible for the for the investments of a more

powerful person. And God gave them the instruct

the parable. Jesus gave them the parable of

these different people who are entrusted with investments.

One of them was given a lot. One of them has given 10

talents. As I understand, the talent was

a year's worth of wages. He's given 10 years worth of

wages, maybe $1,000,000. And he was trusted with that.

And then he gave somebody else maybe 500,000 and gave somebody

else maybe 100,000. OK.

And he told them. To go out and do wisely with it

in the in this parable. And and most of those people did

good with it, but the person who had the least didn't do anything

with it. He buried it.

He didn't use that talent for the for the, for the master.

The master wanted to come back and say, hey, all these people

used my investments wisely. I hope you see, God invested a

lot in us. He put things inside of us.

I mean, aside from all the spiritual blessings we sang

about this morning, He put things inside of you.

He put things in your hands. He put things in my hands and it

doesn't matter if we think we're the 10 talent, 5 talent and one

person man, they were all required to do.

Something with it. And maybe it's a warning that it

can be easy for the people who don't think they have much to

offer. To bury it.

He doesn't say that about the 10 talent person, although it could

happen for sure. He specifically mentions the

person who didn't. Have a lot if you feel like

you're the person who has the one talent man he sell, he says

to the others, he says good and faithful servant enter into the

joys of your Lord. But to the one who buried the

talent he says you wicked and lazy servant, he calls him

wicked. He doesn't call him a passive,

he calls him wicked. Please do not underestimate what

God has has offered you as an individual.

He says, for to everyone who has, more will be given, and he

and he who he will have abundance, but from him who does

not have even what he has will be taken away and cast the

unprofitable servant into outer darkness.

There will be weeping, gnashing of teeth.

The words from Peter he says as good stewards of the manifold

grace and gifts of God, may we serve one another.

Jesus teaches pretty harshly on this matter that if we don't use

whatever little thing we have. This is a condemnation, so if

maybe you're afraid of using your gift, like I'm going to be

made fun. Of or I.

Like I don't have much to offer. Maybe this is a worse fear.

I don't know. That that seems worse to me, to

be afraid of Jesus final condemnation then whatever fears

might keep us from doing something.

I'm not implying that anybody here is doing nothing.

That's not what I'm saying. I'm just challenging any of

those thoughts in our mind that might think.

That I have nothing to bring. Now how do you do this?

How do you be the person who's a good steward?

When do you do this? How do I know that I'm not the

the unfaithful servant that he's going to cast an outer darkness?

Here's what he says actually, a couple verses later, This is

really interesting. He says he will set the sheep,

which is the good on the right hand, but the goats, the evil on

the left. Then the King will say to those

on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, and

inherit the Kingdom prepared for you, for the from the foundation

of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me

food. I was thirsty.

And you gave me a drink. He was just talking about being

a good steward and now he makes it as simple as seeing a need

and filling it. I was hungry, you fed me.

And now he goes after that to say.

He goes on to say the people said, when did we do this for

you? I never saw you, Jesus.

And they and Jesus says as much as you did it to one of the

least of these my brethren, you did it to me.

So it's serving people, serving needs.

You don't have to come up with some grand program in this grand

charity event. You don't have to cramp.

I'm not saying. That's what you need to do to do

something good. It says see a need, fill the

need. I was thirsty, you gave me a

drink. See need fill need.

Where? First in the family, our first

responsibility and our most direct responsibilities to our

own families, including people who are your extended unit,

right? So we have the people who are

maybe our siblings or our children, but our parents and

maybe even our uncles, cousins, they're part of the unit that we

are responsible to care for when they need it the most, when

they're in lacking, when they're lacking it.

So our family is the 1st place we need to see needs and fill

needs. Secondly, in the church.

There are so many scriptures written that say do this for the

brethren. Do this for the brethren.

God gives the most direct instruction and toward good

works toward first your brethren in in church.

That is our first line of responsibility.

Now that doesn't excuse the our efforts to the world.

That doesn't alleviate our responsibility.

Remember the parable The Good Samaritan?

That was supposed to be somebody that was outside of the Jewish

need for for for goodness. That was outside of their own

length. That is not their

responsibility. Jesus says.

You sure? You sure that person's not

somebody you could have helped out.

So we do have responsibility to these three groups, but let's

start with our families in the church before we neglect needful

responsibilities there. So we have to see need, fill

need where in the family church, in the world by being present

enough to see the need. First of all, to be able to fill

needs, we have to be present enough.

We need to be involved enough to even see the need in the first

place. Secondly, we need to be present

enough to be seen as a viable person to fill a need.

Some people might say, hey, nobody's asked me for anything.

I don't know, do I try? I mean, nobody's asked.

I would do if they ask. But are you there to where they

even see you as an option? Are we here in a way that people

see us as an option? Because no one's going to ask

people they don't think want to help.

Nobody wants rejection. May we be present enough in all

the ways we can manage ourselves to show people we are available

so that when times come up they don't just ask the same two

people in the congregation for every little thing, but that we

would all be a resource to everyone in this building to

where they will know there's more than just one or two.

And I'm not saying there is one or two.

I'm just saying we all carry this responsibility.

Dare and pray for the work of the church.

We as the church are the work. We are the workers, individually

as the body. It's not.

Just leaders responsibility to take care of these needs.

We are the church, we're the hands and the feet of Jesus.

May we be present enough. So we said as each one has

received a gift, minister to one another, serve one another as

good stewards of the manifold manifolds means variegated or

very coloured. We have a lot of different

skills here. We have a lot of different

backgrounds here. We have a lot of different

things that are from the grace of God to be used for others.

So how do we not waste God's gifts?

We need to know, we need to see, and we need to be.

We need to know that we are supplied with God's ability and

be aware and use our gifts as if it's not ours.

It's God alone who provides. We need to see.

We have to need to have our eyes open to needs.

We need to be present to be used.

Now verse 11, if anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of

God. So we're, I think #5 right now

of things we need to do in light of the fact that the end is

near. If you're going to speak if.

You're going to open your mouth. Let it be God's words.

That's what he says, the oracles of God.

It's kind of a, it's kind of a, an epic line to describe the

Oracle of God. It's the word of God.

You get to speak that. Did you know that you, your

words should be no less valuable than the apostles who wrote

these ones? Why?

Because he just said open your mouth to speak God's word.

Isn't that what the apostles did?

The word apostle means one sent from God.

Now those are capital A apostles, because it was a

title. Given by God, but.

We are maybe lowercase A apostles.

We are sent from God to do what? To speak his words to the world.

Did Paul get to talk to my neighbor?

So my words need to get to my neighbor because Paul didn't

talk to them. So it's my responsibility to the

people who are here with me now to talk to them about the

oracles of God, to speak to them.

God's words now, just because I wasn't the first one to say it,

it's less valuable. Paul was the first one.

No, he wasn't. God said it first.

Holy men were inspired by the will of God.

God spoke it first. They just relate it to man.

And as an extension, we have a chance to speak the words of

God, no less important than the apostles themselves, to a

generation that needs it. Just because we're not the first

one who said it doesn't make it any less powerful or any less

needed. If anyone ministers the

second-half of this verse, which is serves.

If anyone serves, let him do it, as with the ability with which

God supplies. That in all things God may be

glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the

dominion, forever and ever. Amen.

We need to keep in mind these are gods, God supplying these

things so that we, when we do the things, don't get the glory,

so that we don't ask for the glory, expect the glory, draw

the glory towards us. But that God himself will be

glorified through Jesus Christ. Verse 12 Beloved, this is the

SV. I think it words a little bit

more clearly here, beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery

trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something

strange were happening to you. We've talked about that a lot in

this letter. So I'm not going to belabor

this. But he's saying it's it's going

to happen for them. It was the destruction of

Jerusalem, but don't be surprised when we get fiery

trials. It's not it's not something

strange, it's expected, but rejoice.

Verse 13 in so far as or as much as you share in Christ's

sufferings, Christ's sufferings are up here, but was in so much

as you suffer, rejoice. Be happy about that.

Take joy in that, that when you also rejoice that you may also

rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.

That is the build up. Suffering is the build up so

that when he comes there is more rejoicing.

That is the lead up. That's the preparation.

So to live like there's no tomorrow.

These are what he says, Pray, love, be hospitable, serve with

God gifts, speak God's words and rejoice.

Especially when you have a chance to suffer for Jesus.

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you're blessed

because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

You miserable dust of a man. Even you, God's Spirit and His

glory gets to rest and land upon a child of the dust.

God pulled us out of the dirt and we're going back to the

dirt. But for a brief time, the glory

of God himself can rest on a poor, hopeless soul.

What a beautiful from dust to glory to carry the the glory of

God for just a while. It's through suffering.

It's not from feeling good. It's not from a feeling that

enters your heart and just makes you like so happy that you're

having a good day. It's from suffering.

Now we can have joy in suffering.

So I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the good

feeling, but but that's what he's talking about here verse

15. But let none of you suffer as a

murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.

He's going to say that's a waste of time.

It's a waste of your suffering. Suffer for something good like

the glory of God, not for your own mistakes.

He says don't suffer as a meddler.

Somebody who's in other people's business, People who are all up

in people's other people's business cause suffering for

themselves. They cause toxicity for

relationships. They cause hardship for

everyone. Don't suffer like that.

He says suffer for the good stuff.

Verse 16 if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be

ashamed. Don't let people make you put

your head down and shame when they're when they're ridiculing

you. Glorify.

God in that. For it is time.

For judgement to begin at the household of God.

And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome of those who

did not obey the gospel of God? Now, I believe this is referring

to the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jude, the Judaic nation is

going to be judged and God is going to come down on them part

Why? Well, they crucified the Son of

God and there's judgment that comes with that.

And he says US. Why?

Well, Peter came from a Jewish Home.

He was a Jew. So the judgment is beginning

with the Jews. And he says, what will become of

those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Verse 18. And if it and if it is with

difficulty, this is the NASB like it says it more clearly.

And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved,

what will become of the godless man and the Sinner?

Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust

their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

When things are going well, we trust the source of our

prosperity. We trust the relationship that's

bringing us all the good stuff. We trust the money that's buying

us all the fun stuff. We trust the circumstances that

you're so good right now. We trust that stuff.

But when we suffer, we trust the source of hope for something

better. When we suffer, we are forced to

look beyond things that are temporary.

And that's when we start to trust our souls to a faithful

Creator. Going on to chapter 5, many of

the things we've already studied are covered, and we're going to

kind of move quickly through this if you're worried about

time. So I exhort the elders among

you, who are the elders? He's going to mention in a

minute, They're the shepherds, they are the pastors, they're

the God, or they're the elect, the ordained leaders of the

congregation. So I exhort the elders among you

as a fellow elder. Peter is an elder and a witness

of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker of the glory

that is going to be revealed, he says.

So I exhort the leaders as someone who is to shepherd the

flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under

compulsion, not because you have to, but willingly as God would

have you. Not for shameful gain, not so

that you can get the glory and be the top dog, but eagerly to

serve. Eagerly.

Remember what Jesus told Peter. Jesus told Peter in John 21.

Feed my sheep, he says. Peter, do you love me?

Tend my sheep, says Peter. Do you love me?

He's the third time, Piers, Yes. You know I love.

You, he says, feed my sheep. The leaders are told by Peter

now relaying this to us. He's saying leaders need to

lead. This is speaking specifically

about the elders, but that applies to every single leader

in any capacity. If you're the head of your home,

you're to shepherd your home. The flock of God is the church

and to do it eagerly with love, not domineering over those verse

3 in your charge, not wielding the power over them, but being

examples to them. The shepherd doesn't go and and

whip his sheep and and and yell at them.

The shepherd leads and the sheep follow.

That's the model of a, of a godly leader who leads by

example, first and foremost, verse 4.

And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the

unfading crown of glory. If you're a leader in whatever

capacity, but especially a leader in the church, there are

burdens that you carry, and many of life's joys can fade because

of burdens and things that weighed down.

But he gives you just this, this unifying picture.

The chief shepherd is coming. Who knows what it means to lead

and suffer? Who knows what it means to

endure? He says he's going to come back.

And when he shows up, when he appears, because he's already

there, but when he appears before you, you will receive the

unfading crown of glory. There are burdens with

leadership, but Jesus says I'm going to connect with you in

that as the other shepherds who are among the congregation.

Everything in this world fades. You know that many of you who

are older, you've seen that Terry's taught me a lot about

all the all the paints, the the products, the plastics, the

wood, everything fades by the sun.

You can't hide anything from fading.

It falls apart no matter what it is.

And as I tried to. Make it make a list.

In my head, is there anything that doesn't fade?

Well, there's there's gold and diamonds, which is kind of

referred to in this in this lesson already.

But I can't think of like anything that doesn't fade, that

doesn't need a refreshing or restoring.

It reminded me of first Corinthians says, oh, now these

abide faith, hope and love. And this is tied to the unfading

crown's glory. Verse 5.

Likewise, you who are younger be subject to the elders.

That is our responsibility for those of us who are younger to

to subject ourselves to them. Clothe yourselves, all of you,

with humility towards one another.

We've covered that extensively in this letter already about

having humility and humbling ourselves, but now he just says

it's a blanket statement. We should all be humble toward

one another. Leader or not, leader or being

LED, we all humble ourselves toward each other.

If you can think of any relationship in this

congregation where you are not humble towards someone in this

congregation, or if there's any relationship in your life when

you're not humble towards them because you think you have an

excuse. He says no, there's no

relationship, there's no dynamic where humility does not need to

be shown by every person, says 4.

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

I want God's grace. Why should I want God's grace?

Because God's grace, yes, forgives.

And maybe that's the first thing we think of.

Grace is for forgiveness. Yeah, but if God forgave me and

then left me where I'm at, I would never get any better.

Grace doesn't just forgive, Grace waits.

Grace accommodates. Grace finds a way to get me from

my stuck position to a better place through mentorship and

patience. God's grace doesn't just

forgive, it waits and it accommodates.

And grace teaches, grace teaches.

So I sure want the grace of God and I need humility to get that

grace. Verse 6 Humble yourselves,

therefore, not just to one another, but under the mighty

hand of God, so that the proper time he may exalt you so that

every day you're going to feel exalted.

No so at the. Proper time.

There's been a time that comes where he will lift you up.

He will exalt you when you humble yourself.

Jesus says the way up is down. To climb the ladder we have to

bow before God. Humble ourselves under the

mighty hand of God and He will lift us up.

Verse 7 casting all your care upon Him.

How do you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God?

Part of it is by laying down not only yourself, but all of your

cares. Now the translation says

anxiety, cares and anxieties are the same thing, but I like how

this translation keeps the cares together.

Cast your cares upon him, for he cares for you.

You are his cares. He wants your cares because you

are his cares. He wants you so bad that he

wants you to. Throw casting is throwing is

dropping it. He didn't say show God your

cares and then put them back in your pocket for you to carry.

He says throw them down on the ground, throw it down, cast it

down and drop it under the mighty hand of God, for he cares

for you. We may have to, as we humble

ourselves under the mighty hand of God, we may have to be told,

stay down. You've humbled yourself, now

stay down as you get disrespected by a Co worker.

You may have. God may have to tell you humble

yourself and stay down. I know you want to rise up and

defend yourself and and show pride.

That's the world. Once the world says pride is the

option. God says stay down as you wait

patiently through a trial of life.

Stay down as your health fails you.

Stay down. Stay humbled as you as you get

criticized. We have people who don't really

understand you. God says stay down and humble

yourself as you hand over a sin that you've kept close to your

heart for way too long. Humble yourself under His hand

and release that. Sin.

Humble yourself and stay down as you clear idols out of your home

that are keeping God from being #1 There's a tendency for us to

want to humble ourselves and then get right back up whenever

something crosses our plate that we don't want to be humble to.

God says at the proper time stay down.

You stay humble and at the proper time you get up.

No, God will. Lift you up.

We don't lift ourselves up. That's not our job, the Bible

says he exalts himself. We'll be humbled if we think

it's our time now to stand up and and stake our claim.

No, that's not our place. Verse 8 be sober.

I'm almost done. Be sober, be vigilant, watchful.

The Bible says because your adversary, the devil, walks

about like a roaring lion, seeking.

Whom he may. Devour Do you know when lions

roar? Most of the time, not during the

day and not a lot during the night.

They roar at dusk, in the morning or in the evening.

At dusk and at dawn when the sun's coming up, that's when

animals feed. Lions roar when they're either

about to feed or they just got done feeding.

The devil has fed on people this week.

Maybe you picture the blood dripping from a lion's mouth

because the devil has won this week.

He's won a lot. He has just made a kill and

that's why he's roaring, but he's also roaring because he's

looking for another one. It's feeding time.

We're in the age of feeding time for the devil, but this age is

not going to be forever. The Day Will Dawn and The

Morning Star. Will come back.

If you don't have any care to cast on the Lord, do you have

cares now? Do you have cares now, knowing

that the devil is trying to get you And if you don't see any way

if you're not right now watchful and vigilant, aware of how the

devil may be getting close to you and you might be watching

his path into. Your camp, into your village.

Maybe he's standing behind you, ready to pounce.

And when you don't see how it could possibly matter now, if

the devil's whatever, that's when he's got you dead to

rights. Be vigilant, the Bible says.

Resist him verse 9 firm in your faith, knowing that the same

kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood

throughout the world. This is the ESV James floor

verse 7 says resist him and he will flee from you.

You think you're powerless to this scary line.

No, you're not. You stand firm in the faith.

You resist him. You'll be fine.

Does firm in the faith mean I carry the extremes of emotion

where I'm up and up one week down another and not say how my

faith is? No, he says.

Be. Firm.

You hold on, you be firm, you stand your ground because your

spiritual life depends on it. Are you strong enough?

No, stay under the mighty hand of God.

He through resisting through His will will lead you through and

find community through Christ's sufferings.

We do not know. I'm convinced we do not know

everybody that's out there that is faithfully serving God.

We may think we have a directory.

We don't know everybody. That's out there who is

faithfully serving God. They're throughout the world,

they're throughout the world, and if you don't see those

people, all you see is the wrong.

Just know God says there are people out there suffering for

what's right and I need to take community in the people even

though I can't. See.

I need to take encouragement knowing that there are people

out there doing this. Verse 10 and after you have

suffered a little while, 100 years, 80 years, 70 years.

Just a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to

his eternal glory in Christ, will himself perfect.

Some translations say restore, establish, strengthen, and

settle you. This is one of my favorite

verses. He's going to perfect.

That means to complete you. He's going to make you more

complete and more fully developed and mature than you

are right now. He will develop you.

The word restore kind of takes like, you know, taking like

Terry just took an old car and he restored it from this broken

and disheveled position and he made it new.

God will make you new. He will establish you.

He will take you from somebody who's wishy washy and flaky and

doesn't come through for people and doesn't fulfill your

responsibilities, take you from somebody who's worthless and

establish you in a stable, strong position in your family

and in the Lord's work. God will do that.

Don't think you're good enough to do that on your own.

You're not. I'm not.

God will himself establish you and strengthen you.

So you may say, OK, I'm in that role, but I'm pretty weak in

this role. God will strengthen you for that

work, and He will. Also settle you.

At times I felt decent on some of these other areas, but at

times I felt really unsettled for I can zoom in.

At times I felt really unsettled.

In my faith. But I can tell you by the grace

of God, I feel. So much more settled today than

I ever have. That's by the grace of God.

And He will do that for each and every one of us after you've

suffered a little while. To him be the Dominion forever

and ever. Amen by Sylvanus.

So he's now closing this letter. That is the closing powerful

statement, and we'll just read the closing real quick by

Sylvanus, our faithful brother for so I regard him.

I have written to you briefly. So that was 5 chapters.

That was a brief writing. Exhorting and testifying that

this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.

You hold on, you stand your ground.

This is the NASB that says it that way.

She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you.

And my son Mark does also greet one another with a kiss of love,

Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus.

Amen. Greet one another with a kiss of

love, peace to all of you who are in Christ.

And that closes the letter first.

Peter, what a what an inspiring, challenging, humbling, honoring

letter we just got to read and may we live these things and may

you help me see what that looks like in daily life because I

have a lot to learn. And I believe that for every

single person in this room, better is ahead of us and what

can be by the grace of God. And today, if you haven't

started this walk, the Bible says that faith comes by hearing

and and hearing by the word of God.

So we need to hear God's word to believe it to, to understand

what God has provided for us and is is teaching us.

And we need to repent of our past life.

Luke 13 and three. We need to confess that.

Jesus. Christ is the Son of God.

There's no salvation by anybody else out there except for the

door of the gate. That's Jesus Christ and we can

be baptized as we read already in this letter in first Peter 3

where he said that the like figure unto worth baptism does

not also doth now does not also save us.

We're baptized to be saved and washed and cleaned and then from

there we're going to live faithfully.

That's the call to the Christian revelation.

Revelation 2:10

Chapter 2, verse 10 says he is faithful unto death.

I will give a crown of life. That's our charge, that's our

challenge, that's our work. And today, if you haven't

started that process, if you would like to be baptized for

the remission of your sins, we could do that today.

Or if you need to get something right, you need to pray for

forgiveness. Or you need to.

Have prayers for for whatever. It might be we're here to

support and strengthen one another while we stand and while

we sing this song.