1 Peter 5 - Stand Firm in the Great Shepherd | Elder James Moseley | 08-23-2026

Here in the first uh epistle, uh Peter within here, first Peter.

I like to look at what the Lord has uh moved the Apostle Peter to write.

These are God's words, uh to him, or to us, his people, uh contemporary, to the churches that were that the Lord had was uh nourishing and protecting at this very time.

God's people who were believers in Jesus Christ and the risen Savior, they needed encouragement.

They needed to hear words of uh consolation and comfort, that they would be strengthened by God, that they would continue on while being persecuted for believing in the name of Jesus Christ, for claiming his name, for standing in defense of him and the truth.

Uh these words we read in the fifth chapter, uh, it's Peter addressing the churches, but also really directing his encouragement to the elders of these churches.

And as we start to read this, we'll we'll see how he is, it's like he's speaking to the ones who would who would be uh charged with being the under-shepherd of God's people.

That was the truth then, that he had called men out from among God.

God did the calling, God gave them what they needed, uh the the words that they would speak, and he would endue them with power that was um was otherworldly, that was of the Holy Spirit, that they would speak words that were fitting and right, and the timing was perfect, and it fit exactly what the people uh needed.

It was pictured as a shepherd feeding the flock.

And that's what he told Peter.

Actually, he told Peter that directly.

There on the shore, after Christ was raised by his own power, he would meet the disciples there on that ship, and they had come down from that ship onto the shore.

They were met with uh food ready and the fire, the fire running for breakfast that morning.

And he had a little he had a conversation with Peter, and it was at that scene where uh he asked Peter a question, Lovest thou me more than these?

And then he would charge Peter directly to feed my lambs, to feed my sheep, and to feed my sheep.

The the uh what he would show him in that picture is you're gonna be the shepherd, not the great shepherd.

Christ knew that he was the good shepherd, the great shepherd over all his sheep.

But he had charge over uh the flock that the Lord would uh give under his charge, under his protection as an under-shepherd, right?

Ultimately, the under-shepherd um is under the protection of the great shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord, and so are we.

But the ministers, the the elders of the church have a heavy responsibility to feed God's sheep, right?

And that's where we get here.

Peter was coming from this place, and in his mind, I can imagine him thinking about that charge that Christ had given to him there in that place.

Feed my lambs, feed my sheep, feed my sheep.

Not just you, Peter, but the whole ministry.

The ministry is charged with this responsibility.

And at times it is a great responsibility.

The effort and time that we ought to put into reading God's word and studying and praying and looking for revelation, of looking to him for revelation, that we might be able to glean something, be able to see light in something, and uh pray that not just that I that I find something that would uh make a good sermon.

No, something that's perfect and fitting for the moment, for the season that the people are in.

See, it was just as true then as it is today.

This charges to them and to us.

Peter writes, the elders which are among you, I exhort.

Uh without going, trying to go down a different path here, uh, I did spend a couple Sundays recently uh talking about comfort, the word comfort that we find in uh all throughout, really, the New Testament, that that word is sometimes rendered in other words, but it's the same Greek word, comfort, will show up as beseech, as pray, um, as desire, and also exhort.

Exhort is the way I described it a couple Sundays ago, it was kind of like coach talk.

Right?

We got to get a sense of what that looks like.

Coach talk is is come on, we can we can do this, you can do this.

And it's like a like a speech to strengthen and encourage.

That's what exhort is.

It's it's saying something that they would mmm, right?

It's like coach talk is kind of how I see it.

But it's also a comfort.

It's to not bring them down, but to lift them up, right?

That's what the apostle Peter is doing here.

He's giving them coach talk.

Ministers, do this, right?

The elders which are among you I exhort in a comforting way, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.

The apostle Paul understood that he too had this responsibility, or the apostle Peter knew that he had the responsibility as well to partake in the sufferings of Christ in Christ's name for Christ's sake.

So we have the sufferings of Christ, and there's the persecution, there's the assault of others, of Satan, of powers that would be against him and God's church.

He knew he was a partaker of those things, but also and more so the glory that is revealed in Christ, the glory that is of um of him.

It's always much more, right?

There's the sufferings of this life, but all much more of the glory that shall be revealed in us.

So are we partakers of the suffering for Christ's sake?

Yes, but we're right there in the same boat, in the same fellowship of Apostle Peter, the Apostle Paul, all those who had who have stood in the defense of the truth of Jesus Christ our Lord and for his kingdom.

There's the suffering for Christ and the glory that is revealed in him and through what he does.

Okay, then he goes on here.

He puts forth this image again of the under-shepherds and their charge for these things.

Feed the flock of God.

Feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for a filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.

See, there is a caring for the sheep, as the under-shepherd, as the one who is charged to lead and to guide and to look to the Lord for the words to say, for the spirit in which to say it, for the timing, for the revelation of these things, that we might trust in the Lord, that as we stand and we try our very best to speak these things, that the Lord would take them and so perfectly uh feed his people wherever they're at in their lives.

See, that's that's the picture we also get when the Lord feeds the multitude naturally.

See, there's a multitude that gathered um in that um desert place, and they sat down for there was much grass.

What the Lord did that.

He made the setting beautiful in a place that shouldn't have been so um hospitable.

That's what the Lord does in his church, is he he allows us to sit down in nice, lush grass, so to speak, in this dark world, because the Lord prepares the place.

And he sits down and he fed the multitude with what seemed like a little, but the Lord multiplied it and fed them, and he fed them where they were at in their hunger.

And that's the thing, is we all could be together in this congregation, and we could all be in different places, like within ourselves, whether we're on the mountaintop, whether we're on the valley, and the same message can go out to us, and we it we hear it because the Lord is speaking to us, and that same food could be can feed all of us and comfort us and strengthen us wherever we're at, wherever we're at mentally, spiritually, what we're struggling with, or what we're rejoicing in.

That's the miracle of the Word of God, His spoken word.

But what He's saying is feed his flock, the flock of God, which is among you.

There's oversight, and it needs to be done so in the right manner, in the right way, the right posture, for the right motives.

It's definitely not of constraint, but willingly, not for the man to be uh get more naturally, but that it's done so with a ready mind looking for the why, which is God's people need to be cared for.

Neither, oh, and that is the opposite of doing it the right way, the way he's exhorting these ministers to do it, and what we're exhorted to do, the wrong way is that of an hireling.

A hireling is one who would have charge of the sheep, but he was hired on to do it, and those sheep aren't his.

It's like there's really no relational connection from the shepherd that has charge and watch over the sheep, other than they were just hired to do it.

See, what's their motive?

What's the hireling's motive?

It's for the money that comes with it, for the natural gain that comes with it.

That should never be the place in which any minister should be watching over God's sheep.

It should be because they're God's sheep.

It's because of the relationship and the connection that they have together.

And I'm so thankful to be around and among blessed elders who truly, at the very core of who they are and who they care for the sheep, uh, they do it because they do so willingly, and they do it with a ready mind and the right motive, the right approach.

Because we're speaking to the Lord's child children, to his own, to his beloved uh people.

And because we all love the same Lord, we love him, therefore we love each other so dearly.

Uh moving on here, neither as being lords over God's heritage, but examples of the flock, or examples to the flock.

And when the chief shepherd, and that we know that is Jesus Christ our Lord, when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

Likewise, likewise, also, in like manner, likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder, yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.

So both the minister and every congregant, everyone in God's house, we all have the same charge to be humble, to be uh to be approaching things in the right way, the right manner.

Um and there's a word here that jumped out to me.

It's resisteth the proud.

Lord, God resisteth the proud.

Um, just put a pen in that.

I I want to look at that word resist, and we'll see it several times.

We're gonna see that word resist and kind of variations of that word resist.

One thing we understand, one we can see in this picture is the Lord resisteth a mindset and an approach, and that is that of a that one of who is proud, which is opposite of what uh the ministers are being exhorted to do is to do so with humility, right?

The proud is the exact opposite of that, and the Lord, God, resisteth that.

Right?

That's how God sees that kind of approach of having a proud and haughty spirit, he resisteth that.

Okay, he resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.

It says, humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he might exalt you in due time.

Again and again we find the exhortation here for us is to approach things in a humble manner, in a humble spirit, not in a proud way.

But we understand that when he tells us that when we humble ourselves, the Lord will exalt us in due time.

That's not why uh we humble ourselves.

We humble ourselves because uh he is so great and we uh ought to reverence him in that place.

In our minds, exalt him.

He cannot be more exalted, he cannot be more magnified than who he is.

He is the great I am, he is the all in all, the alpha and the omega.

He could not be more, but in our minds we can uh not exalt him the way we ought.

And the best way for us to do that, the best way for me to do that, is for me to humble myself.

That he, in my mind, in my that position in my mind, I might see him more exalted and more magnified.

Now, I would say this verse seven, if I had a text for you this morning, it would be this.

It'd be this.

This is kind of what um kind of sparked my thoughts and my studies as I was looking at this this week, was verse seven.

We read, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.

Now, before we get to this place, to verse seven, and um, we can kind of assume we've already looked to the Lord to humble ourselves, to take any sort of pride and put it out of the way.

Uh understanding that we have a great shepherd that we belong to, and he cares for us and loves for us and feeds us, provides, protects, remedies us when we're ailing and when we're cast down, he lifts us up.

He takes care of us as the great shepherd.

So now, if we're in a place of being humbled and seeing him magnified, now at this place, let us look towards uh verse 7, which is casting all our cares upon him, for he careth for you.

Who, our shepherd, careth for us.

But do we have cares?

Yes, we have cares.

And he knows that we have cares in this life, but he tells us to do something with those cares.

Um, and this word care isn't, we sometimes use a modern-day vernacular.

We use the word like be careful, like be cautious.

It's not saying don't be wise and cautious.

Like when we're when we are driving down the highway, Brother Jay, we ought to be careful, like be cautious, be aware of what's going on.

That's not, or like we care for one another.

That's that's not what this rendering of this word is.

It's anxieties.

Things that are in our minds that come from our environment, our situation, can bring anxiety.

And the Lord would not have us to hold on and have those anxieties and just like bear that burden all the time.

He would He would have us to take those anxieties, those cares, those troubles and cares of this life and of this the things that we go through.

And I will say this this exhortation, these comforting words, they apply to our individual personal circumstances.

They did.

Casting all of my care upon him, for he careth for me.

It fits.

These words, they fit for my individual life.

But I will submit to you this morning, he is speaking to a flock of sheep.

Like ministry and the whole flock, to the collective.

So as much as these words of taking our cares and casting them upon him, it fits for us individually, it also fits for us as a church body, as all of us, right here.

The membership that the Lord uh has brought and gathered this morning in this place, but also to the uh membership who are unable to be here this morning, not only here at Grace, but over there at Spring Grove, where they're meeting right now in Houston Primitive and Gulf Coast and on and on and on.

We're talking about the collective body of Christ.

This also is perfectly fitting for that.

For his sheep, for his flock.

We at Grace, we have collective anxieties.

Maybe about things that are going on right now, what season that we're in right now, this chapter in the history of Grace Primitive Baptist Church, wherever we're at right now, many of us have gone through and we've seen a lot of different changes over the years, and maybe we're at a place right now as a church body where we have almost like this collective cloud of anxiety that all of us are feeling, right?

That we that we've been praying about, that we're being faithful about.

And I will say this this these thoughts are not because I don't think that this church body is handling things the right way.

It's because I've seen that you are handling things the right way, that you are being faithful and trusting in the Lord and leaning on him and looking for the next step.

These are words of let us keep going.

Because uh the anxiety that you might be feeling, I've been feeling.

And I know that my older brother, who's such a wonderful, blessed under shepherd of this body, has been sometimes feeling.

I see it sometimes weighing on him, and it weighs on me, and I know it's been weighing.

There's a cloud of anxiety that I think some of us have been feeling.

And what he's telling us is these words of casting up our cares individually, and we can cast them upon him.

We as a church body can take that cloud of anxiety that we've been feeling and the different things that we have known have happened, and we're maybe fearful that it might happen again.

And he tells us there's a place for us to cast those cares and it's upon Jesus Christ, our Lord, because, and I've heard this from um a dear elder of that I love and care for, he shared that Christ has already taken those two.

Like he already has taken them because he's not gonna allow us to bear these burdens by ourselves.

He feels the very um groanings within us that cannot be uttered.

He's touched with the feelings of our infirmities.

And those feelings of infirmities include the cloud of anxiety that sometimes us as a church body might be feeling kind of together.

Jesus is already feeling all of those.

So he already has 100% of the weight on himself.

He's willing and would have all of our burdens on himself.

So there's really no benefit for us not to let go because he's already holding all of it.

He's already holding all the burdens.

Does that picture kind of make sense?

So he's saying, I've got this let go.

It's of no benefit for me to continue to hold the anxiety because Jesus Christ already has all of it on him.

And he has the strength to take care of it.

It's his strength, it's his power, and he knows about it, and he is bearing it, right?

So he says, cast them upon him, for he careth for you.

Right?

And those cares are different.

Our cares and anxieties, and then his caring, that good connotation of care.

He careth for you, he watcheth over you.

He is the great shepherd, and we are his sheep.

Um kind of kind of sticking with this imagery of a flock of sheep and a shepherd, both in the sense that he is our great shepherd over all his sheep, but also his sheep in congregations and the ministry, which are under shepherds, kind of watching over his flock, caring for the church.

Picture that I kind of I thought of there.

was sometimes there are maybe peaceful times where the sheep are just walking about they have uh lovely days and nighttime it gets nice and cool and they just lay down the grass and it's just like weeks go on and and just it's just peaceful it's just peaceful just day to day but then at a certain point maybe the enemy comes by the maybe a a predator comes walking by sees the sheep and would uh bring an attack upon the sheep maybe seeking to devour some of the sheep that like the enemy comes and is kind of at the gate so to speak right but see it that's the shepherd's responsibility is to notice that and to at that moment kind of fly into action to protect the sheep that that's true about our great shepherd he comes to our aid and and protects us and provides and rescues us out of things but also um the ministry it's their responsibility too and then um their duty to see the enemy to see the the and to protect as best as they possibly can so it it really is kind of fitting for us to to see it that way casting all our cares upon him as a church collective casting our care upon him for he careth for us he says be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil see that that enemy that predator that we thought of in that that scene maybe a wolf or a bear whatever it might be that would attack the sheep right here we have who that is in our in this life and it's Satan himself Satan would desire to seek out God's people find them in their place of peace and bring forth as much damage and wreck and havoc not because he hates us so much it's because of he we are God's and he is attack he would attack because of against him he did really the same thing in uh I believe there in the third chapter of Genesis when we won't go there but Satan that serpent in the garden sought after God's people there in the garden.

He sought after Eve he didn't just happen upon Eve he went there like directly I see him going to her so that he could cause destruction not because of his uh he just hated Eve so much but because he hates God and she belongs to God and he and his deceit and because um what does it say there's a word there that I'm trying to think of so I'm gonna try to now the serpent was more subtle that's the word subtle he in his in his subtle nature would come and not come ablazing sometimes sometimes it's just in a very subtle way that's how he came was deceitful and crafty and that's how he attacks sometimes he'll come and it'll be slow and methodical to where he can slide right in where he can where there's a maybe um something not being watched see that's the wolf might not be coming in just full fledged straight at the he might try to use strategy to to get his way in that's how Satan attacks is it very subtle very crafty very deceitful so that he might fight his way in way in and cause destruction and that we're in verse 8 it tells us um collectively this is true about every single one of the sheep it's what's true toward the under shepherds collectively brothers and sisters verse 8 it God tells us to be sober or that's like clear minded clear minded sober and vigilant vigilant that tells us we need to keep our eyes up watching uh look circumspectly that's where we find in another place is look circumspectly and what that when I think about brother Bobby on that is um when I was in football in uh when I was younger kind of played uh in in defense played free safety and the coach always told me uh keep your head on a swivel keep your head on a swivel I'm like what does that mean that means you need to be kind of have your eyes in kind of all parts of the field at one time how do you do that you need to keep your head moving looking for where you might not be looking don't get caught just looking in one direction that's us too is to look circumspectly keep our head on a swivel and looking for that subtleness of Satan looking for that subtleness that craftiness of the deceiver of the accuser of the brethren of the attacker right be sober all of us be vigilant all of us because your adversary the devil as a uh because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walking about seeking whom he may devour let us never be deceived to think that Satan is not after God's church after his people I will say this he will never be victorious God has already won over Satan.

There is this common misconception among Christian denominations and believers and maybe messages that go out that there's this great battle between God and Satan and that they're always just at war and we're waiting to see and that is not the truth.

What we understand is the truth is that Jesus Christ has already won we serve a victorious Savior.

He has already conquered the things of the sort he told us that he has won the victory he has given us the victory we are more than conquerors through him not we could be more than conquerors we are more than conquerors he tells us um be of good cheer for I have overcome the world he's already won but yet here in this life where we where we live there is still the enemy there is still Satan who is going to subtly try to cause whatever damage he can cause unto us in our lives in our families in our careers and our relationships one with another why would we think that he would not attempt to cause damage in his kingdom he would right that's that's an approach of Satan to cause destruction where he could man I feel if we were to stop there we'd be in a bad place.

But what understand is God's word is there to comfort us and exhort us and he tells us that there is a remedy to filling that filling that attack of the enemy of the adversary of the devourer the the roaring lion who walks about so we get into this one he tells us cast all our cares upon him for he careth for us that makes me feel better verse nine again this fits individually the troubles and anxieties that I'm going through in my personal life it also fits as a church body who's going through a common anxiety and care as we sometimes do.

Verse nine whom resist Satan whom resist steadfast in the faith knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world that word resist is one I would like to look at because we'll see it here and we'll actually see it where we uh Lord willing we'll turn here in a moment that word resist means to stand firm stand firm where you're at thinking back on this imagery here of a flock with a shepherd who's standing nearby the shepherd is watching he's being sober he's being vigilant he's being purposeful he's being careful because those sheep belong um to those are God's sheep standing firm standing fast standing in one place when the adversary comes a walking by like growling like hungry to cause damage what's the opposite of of this what might what what might a collective church body do instead of standing firm scatter right run like run for the hills get away from it really what that does is get you away from um filling the the shepherd mirror it gets you away from the other sheep it puts you out off in in whatever might be puts you actually more vulner more vulnerable than you would be if you were to just stand still stand firm where you're at to resist another thought about that is is we need to stand and resist like arm in arm together.

Like the opposition is coming we need to stand with each other and by one another and we do that together kind of linked arm in arm saying we're not gonna move we're gonna stay right here I've got my brothers and sisters with me and I've got my great shepherd watching over me.

All together we're going to stand fast and we're going to resist steadfast in the faith knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world but the God of all grace who has called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after that ye have suffered a while make you perfect established strengthened and settle you when I tried to speak on the subject of comfort one of the thoughts that I tried to bring out was that he is the God of all comfort that's what we uh read in the first chapter of 2 Corinthians is that he is the God of all comfort.

Comfort that we feel it all emanates from the source from the the fountain that runs downstream all the comfort that we would ever feel in this life it all comes from God.

If it comes from God through his written word it's from God.

If we find comfort in the preaching of the gospel those those that that ultimately comes from God that God's words God's truth uh through through broken man that we might hear those things.

If we find comfort in prayer what we find is that comes that comfort that we would feel through prayer is from him when we hear exhorting words that coach speech that's coming from God all comfort that we get in this life is comfort that comes from him.

He not only has the comfort he is the comfort Jesus Christ says that it is expedient that I go away that I might send unto you another comforter I'm confident that Jesus Christ was a comfort unto his people and to his disciples when he physically walked with him and talked with him and showed great works and miracles in their lives and then he would depart from this world in this physical resurrected body but he didn't leave his people without a comfort he said it's good and it's expedient that I go away that I might send another comforter he was a comforter and that the Holy Spirit is a comforter all comfort that we feel as scared anxious sheep all that comfort does and can come from God who is our comfort God of all grace and all comfort he would settle us as sheep that might feel that anxiety and that desire to what am I going to do and that panic that might sometimes set in He tells us that Jesus Christ after that ye have suffered a while that he might make you perfect or like complete establish strengthen settle you that's like the sheep get calmed down we all kind of get come together into that place to where we're in kind of back to that good time when it's just like peaceful peaceful sheep out in a pasture because our shepherd was always there he protected us from the danger and would calm us down right we're cast all our cares upon him our anxieties upon him let go of those anxieties trust our the strength of our shepherd and that he would settle us down settle us down as a as a church.

Individually does that fit yes in our own struggles that we go through equally it's fitting for us as a collective church body it says to him be glory and dominion forever and ever amen in harmony with these thoughts the apostle Paul would um kind of hit on the same common struggle that his sheep go through that his people go through in the sixth chapter of Ephesians and we'll turn and spend a little bit of time here Ephesians chapter 6 that first imagery that we looked at of feeling the attack of the enemy and there we're not um we're gonna be as clear as we can that enemy is Satan.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

Satan who is the accuser of the brethren he is the adversary is the devourer that would seek to cause harm in our lives the shepherd comes and protects us and delivers us.

This imagery is different but it really is very harmonious in kind of what it what it's showing us.

Ephesians chapter 6 this is what we oftentimes would refer to as like well it's the whole armor of God.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

This imagery is more like an like a knight a middle I I think of like I don't know why I think of a middle the uh middle ages like knight in like all the the steel in the armor that really wasn't what this was um it was during these Roman times during Christ was here but nonetheless um Ephesians chapter 6 we'll start here in verse 10 it says finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might in multiple places as we read through uh the continuation of chapter 6 is we'll see that it's of God that it's emanated comes from him it belongs to him and it comes from him it's of God and that's we see that right here in verse 10 is the power of his might it's of God.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

So the power that we're looking to and for is his power it's his might and he tells us to be strong in the Lord not strong he says be strong be strong but don't be strong in your own strength don't be strong in your own might we are some we are helpless needy sheep and a sheep doesn't have teeth to protect itself right it has it has teeth to eat of the grass of the field.

We cannot be our own strength we need strength that is above us and outside of us and that strength and power is his power and his strength.

Finally brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might um thinking about his power and his strength and his protection we find in like Romans chapter 8 it says who can separate us from the love of God it is Christ that died for us rather is risen again who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect I'm talking about like an enemy whether it's an external enemy or even ourselves who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect who can separate us from the love of God and the resounding answer to those questions is nobody, nothing, no time, nothing can separate us nothing can lay a landing accusation unto the child of God.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

Why?

Because of his strength his power his victory his mightousness and it's in those things that we stand and we claim is all him and nothing of ourselves he's saying be strong and be strong in his strength if you allow me to say it that way and it tells us in other places that we are kept we his people his sheep his children his church are kept by the power of God of God kept um brother Anderson I've talked to you a lot you've heard me say this many times kept is a military word that means a protective garrison about or a fortress walls of a fortress and that's being kept and you're inside and the enemy is what?

Outside and the thing that's protecting us from the enemy is the wall the the the the keeping and that wall is no one else but Jesus Christ our Lord He is our protection He is our strength and we are kept in him so be strong in that in the power of God in whom we dwell in whom we trust in whom we stand then verse 11 uh he puts forth this this picture of this armor that we are called to put on his people put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand in um where we were before in 1 Peter we saw the word resist resist they're the same Greek word stand and resist same word right it says to stand against the wiles of the devil of the roaring lion of the accuser of the devourer to stand against the wiles that fits back to third chapter of Genesis where it says the subtleness right his subtle he subtly came to Eve he subtly comes to us in our lives he subtly comes to his kingdom the wiles like wily troubling wiles of the devil says for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but we do wrestle against something it's not flesh and blood then what is it but against principalities against powers against rulers of darkness of this world against the spiritual wickedness in high places those things are enemies against God's people because they're enemies against God they hate God and they would attack him and try to land um assaults on him and he does they try to do that through us but I tell you we have a defense against those things he tells us wherefore take upon unto you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand again that word isn't the exact same Greek word but it's basically the same it's a variation of the same word if you go look at it you're like yeah that's basically the same word it still means to stand to resist to withstand it means to be fixed in one place and not to run or move but to stand firm in a place in a position to withstand in the evil day.

So there you can have whichever picture you want to see in this I like both you have a flock of sheep and the shepherd is right there and you just get as close as you can to the shepherd and he'll protect you or a group of different troops that collectively are on the same side and the enemy comes and they do what?

They stay in one place they fix in one place that's standing that's resisting that's arm And arm.

Enemies around.

Oh, we're going to stay in one place.

We're going to stay together in one place by his power.

That's where we're staying close to is with him.

Stand, therefore.

Again, we see that.

Stand, withstand, stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Man, all of these things just continue to echo again and again that they this the power and the strength and the word and the sword of God.

All of these things are of God.

Now, each one of these things deserves time to look at.

And you've heard wonderful preaching throughout the years about the whole armor of God and what we can see in it and what we can appreciate in each one of these aspects of the armor that is his armor, that he has given his people, that he has given his sheep, that we are to take on and put on as a protection against the wildly assaults of Satan, devil, the devourer, because he does at times come, but he's telling us to stand firm in one place and to take his armor and to put it on.

And I'll tell you this, I've always thought of this armor as like this physical putting on of these like physical things, even the girding, and even the kneeling down in prayer.

I'm telling you, something that really jumped out at me when I was looking at it is each one of these pieces.

The helmet, the sword, the girding, the sword, each one of these things, the shield, the shield that the Lord would have us sing this morning as we change the order of service.

Every single one of these pieces is Jesus Christ.

He is the sword.

He is the sword of the Spirit.

He is the helmet of our, he is our salvation, he is the truth.

He is the word, he is all of the things which tells us, which tells us, put on Christ, put on his protection.

Now I'll say this, he you are permanently and forever in Jesus.

But sometimes we in our minds, in an anxious way, we don't see it, and so that's why the fear comes.

That's why we sometimes have the thought of um panic, and what are we gonna do?

It's because we're not we're not seeing ourselves with the armor that's on us.

We don't see the protection that should be on us, and we are in Christ Jesus, he is our protection.

These things are of him and they are ours.

So stand firm in those things.

And in addition, that thing, stand together, stand together as a church in whatever we would, um whatever we would do, whatever the next step is in a troubling time, whatever um we do, do so asking in prayer to go to him and say, Lord, what would you have us to do?

Does that fit in our personal situations?

Yes.

Does that fit in our collective church body and the troubles we are going through?

Absolutely.

Continue in prayer, continue looking to him, stand fast in those things.

Um James, he echoes that same thing.

I believe it's verse uh four and seven.

It says, Submit yourselves uh therefore unto God uh and resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Satan will come, his attacks will come, his fiery darts will try to assault, um, he'll try to cause havoc.

But brothers and sisters, let us have uh, let's keep in memory to stand together, stay fixed, stay firm in one place, arm in arm, uh stand in his strength, his power, his might, um, claiming his name.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from us.

Um, yeah, let me try to get a few more of these verses because just as we started there in 1 Peter, and it was thinking about the ministry and the exhortation to the ministry, and how it's a burden on them of what they are to study and to preach and pray for and watch over the sheep, it hits this as well as we kind of draw this to a close.

Verse 18 it says, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication of all saints, and for me, that utterance may be given unto me.

He's praying for himself and for me that utterance may be given unto me.

That I may open my mouth boldly and make known the mysteries of the gospel.

I am confident that your sweet, blessed pastor prays this as well.

Pray for me.

I pray, I pray the same thing for me because it's my responsibility, duty, and pleasure to try to be able to speak to this church and try to preach to you God's words, not my own, but God's words.

This prayer for the ministry is pray for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I might open my mouth boldly and make known to you the mysteries of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I might speak boldly as I ought to speak, that we might as a church body be reminded to be resistant of Satan and his ways, that we might be resilient as the assaults continue to come.

But understand this.

We have during the um the portion we were reading about the whole armor of God, why do you think he uses above all the shield of faith?

That's interesting.

Each one of those pieces of the armor of God, they all are important.

So why do you think he says, above all, take the shield of faith?

Well, that the shield might quench the fiery darts.

So you've got your shield up, the fiery darts are coming, and you've got that shield, and it's right here between you and the wily assaults of Satan.

That thing is faith.

The helmet doesn't get needed, sword doesn't need to be applied, feet, you're staying in one place, and it talks about the there's no protection on the knees, on the like the lower legs, because you're down kneeling in prayer.

I've heard that.

That's a beautiful addition to that picture.

Um that shield is really that that true protection between you and the assaults is your faith.

The faith that we have, that we serve an Almighty God, He has given us that faith to be able to see Him for who He truly is, to be able to see Him and what He has done for us, the promises that He has given His people that I'm right here with you.

Your great shepherd will never leave.

He'll never uh He'll never take a day off.

He's not a hard man.

He is your His, and He will protect you.

And we have the captain of the troops of the army of His people, and He is the one who has done all the fighting, and He stands in defense of His people.

Have faith in what He has done and what He has promised us that He'll never leave us, forsake us.

We are protected in Him.

That faith protects us, guides us.

What are we going to do next?

And whatever we do next as a church body, let us do so faithfully, prayerfully, and understanding the church, wherever we're at, it might not be this building and this property, it might be somewhere else.

That's not the church.

The church is the sheep, the people, his own.

We are the church.

The important thing is for us to stay fixed.

Fixed.

Stand firm, faithfully together.

Draw close.

We've been a close church body in years and decades.

We've been close.

Man, there's no better time for us to draw even closer to one another.

And by drawing closer to one another, we do so by drawing closer and closer to him.

That's something my brother mentioned recently in a sermon that just was like, ah, it was an aha moment.

He says, um, the way that we can draw closer to one another is by drawing closer to Jesus Christ.

We're all moving towards him.

We're drawing closer to one another just by like extension of that.

Let us be fixed in one place, sheep, soldiers, on and on, protected with God, with Jesus Christ as our protection, faithfully having that shield between us and Satan.

I love you dearly.

Let us continue to pray for each other, for this church.

I will say this.

He's not here.

I don't know if we're recording this or not, it might be my feed.

Pray for Elder Mike Mosley.

He is strong, he is faithful, he loves you so dearly.

There's never a bad time to pray for your pastor.

And it's always a good.

He needs your prayers.

Because he loves you and he cares for you, and he is his wonderful opportunity, blessing, and duty to care and to watch over this flock.

He needs prayers.

I need prayers.

We all need prayers.

Let's draw together in faith in him.

If you have a desire to join with the Great Spring Baptist Church, all you have to do is ask and this church will wait for you.

For 555, we'll stay in the thing of the Rivas Fellowship.