"6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen."
Stress and anxiety is one of the most challenges problems of our day. Severe stress can affect your relationships, as well as our daily routines. Anxiety is the official
emotion of our day. Casting your cares on the Lord is an expression of
humility. By casting your cares on God, trusting God with your future, it is
trusting His promise that He cares for you and has both the power and
wisdom to work things out on your behalf. Trust is the
essence of humility.
Paul tells us in Philippians 2:3-4, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."
While this can be a challenge, seeing others as more important than yourself, is the key to humility. I believe that being able to see others as more important than yourselves is a spiritual victory. Paul goes on to say in verses 5 through 7, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men."
I believe that a pretty good motivation is knowing that God is opposed to the proud. Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us "There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him. Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers." Haughty, by the way, another word for pride. Pride is at the heart of our sinful nature.
Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers." Haughty, by the way, another word for pride. Pride is at the heart of our sinful nature.
Psalm 55:22 teaches us to "Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."
I believe that as believers, we need to learn to humble ourselves in the time of trial, because at the heart of our anxiety is the proud notion that I can handle things on my own. Even we who have trusted in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, in times of difficulty, we have the sinful tendency to lift ourselves up and to pull the Lord down. Most Christians, really don’t know what it means to cast ourselves totally upon the Lord. That is, until He pulls the rug out from under you!
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we thank You for Your Word for us today, we are grateful for the rich truth and blessed reminder to cast all of our burdens upon You. Lord, sometimes when we're bearing burdens that are so great, so deep and heavy to bear, it seems some people come along and heap even more on us. Help us to humble ourselves before You and trust You who cares for us. We thank You for Your instruction on how we are to discharge our burdens faithfully, to release them into Your hands. We bless You Lord, oh how we praise You and thank You for Your grace upon grace. For whatever we are we are by Your grace.
In Jesus' name we pray
Amen
Today's Message: The God Of All Grace
As Christians, we are called to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand. Humility is focused on God’s power and authority. However, when we humble ourselves in this world, it's like inviting the world to run over us. In the culture in which we live, we will suffer as a result of being humble. But we can stand firm through trials, because God is sovereign over all things and He has given to all who are in Christ true grace.
I often see people stumbling around, trying to find some kind of solution,some magic quick fix to solve their problems. I submit the problem is that you are not experiencing God's grace but rather the opposing hand of God in your life. God opposes the proud and He gives grace to the humble. If we are going to follow Christ consistently, we must learn to humble ourselves under God’s authority.
Isaiah 57:15 says "For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy,
"I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."
"I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."
One of the biggest issues of false doctrine I see being proclaimed from many pulpits, especially certain television
preachers seeking to primarily attract a large following and I imagine, financial supporters, is they are deceiving their congregation by telling them that Christ’s death on Calvary means the end of their suffering and
of Satan, for all who have sufficient faith. This is simply is not true! Peter’s final words of his first epistle address the relationship between Christians, suffering and Satan.
Not only is this not biblical, it down right cruel. Furthermore, it causes many believers to question their faith at the time when they need it most, in times of suffering. Satan tries to convince them that God does not care about them. He tells them that God doesn't love them, because godly people should not suffer.
While reading and studying God's Word may not deliver us from suffering, it will deliver us from the error of those false teachers who are tickling the ears of men for selfish gain. Any church leader who feeds themselves rather than feeding the sheep is a counterfeit, a fraud.
Satan's success is dictated by his pride and addiction for power. His pride is what led to his own downfall, so he seeks to thwart the plans of God in redeeming the lost, sabotaging the testimony of saints. We are see witnessing the evidence of the moral decline with the churches today.
Scandals involving churches and pastors, are rapidly increasing! Everything from sexual abuse, fraud, and abuse of power. A disturbing 51% of pastors say that internet pornography is a possible temptation for them. More than 30% of pastors admit to being functionally addicted to internet pornography. More than 10% of pastors admit to having some form of sexual contact with someone other than their spouse, while serving as a minister. These statistic are appalling and indicate that sexual misconduct among clergy has become a major problem.
When these men are successful, Satan seeks to puff up their pride, convincing them they do not need God, that they are invincible on their own. That they are the main attraction, not Christ. These self-promoting pastors are prostituting the gospel and are profaning the name of God. It is tragic that they teach the Word, hear the Word, but the lust of the world and the
deceitfulness of Satan, entice them with riches and the desires for other things that choke the Word, and it prove it to be unfruitful in their lives.
Open with me your Bibles to the fifth chapter of 1 Peter. I believe that any true Christian who is really walking with Christ, will have the desire to be all that God intends them to be, to be spiritually effective. However, in order for that to happen, we must learn at some point in our Christian experience that we must apply God's Word to ourselves and our lives. We are going to have to be spiritually mature.
I would like to invite you to follow along with me as I read, to set the text in our minds, while we prepare our hearts for a Word from the Spirit of our Lord. Listen for the voice of our Lord. I Peter 5:6-11.
"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After
you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called
you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm,
strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen."
In verse 6, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time." Peter starts out pretty straight forward, by saying you ought to be humble toward each other . Then he says, "so that you can know the grace of God and not the opposition of God." In other words, you better be humble not only toward each other but toward God. Since God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble, therefore you better humble yourself.
We better not resist God. We better not rise up and think ourselves to be equal with God. Peter gives a clear command, we better be meek and lowly and humble toward others and God. We better be humble accepting whatever God brings into our life. We had better not contest God's wisdom.
Scripture has much to say about this, but I'll just give you a few passages. Micah 6:8 says "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?" God requires you walk humbly with Him, under His mighty hand. The mighty hand of God is an Old Testament symbol of God's covering power, God's controlling power, God's sovereignty. You better humble yourself because God is in charge.
And to walk humbly with your God?" God requires you walk humbly with Him, under His mighty hand. The mighty hand of God is an Old Testament symbol of God's covering power, God's controlling power, God's sovereignty. You better humble yourself because God is in charge.
As a footnote, the mighty hand of God means different things at different times. Sometimes, the mighty hand of God is used to protect the believer through
a time of testing. It's a protective shelter, rather than a deliverance. Other times, the mighty hand of God is used to deliver the believer from trouble. Then, there are times when the mighty hand of God is used as a chastening hand against the believer. Whether for deliverance, for testing, for chastening, always God's mighty hand is sovereign.
Then, in Ezekiel 20:33-38, here the Word of the Lord comes against Israel. The mighty hand of God seen in purging, chastening, judgment, punishment as God purifies and chastens His people. "As I live,” declares the Lord God, “surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be king over you. I will
bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you
are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out; and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares the Lord God. “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I will
purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will
bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the Lord."
So Peter says humble yourself under God's will, under His Word, and under His power. Don't question God, don't argue with Him, humble yourself. The mighty hand of God is there to protect you through testing. The mighty hand of God is there to strike you in chastening. As God puts you through a trial, accept the mighty hand of God over you, knowing that He may exalt you at the proper time. Only God knows His purpose. He knows when the proper time is. When God brings pressure against you to test you, to purge you, to purify you and you are suffering through very difficult, do not become discouraged.
I believe that one of the greatest evidences of our pride is our impatience with God. God has to teach us patience, it's one of the reasons for our suffering. So, be humble. The root of anxiety is an inadequate faith in our Father’s future grace. Anxiety divides our minds, making us unable to concentrate on much else. It cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.
In verse 7, Peter tells us the way to be humble, is by casting your cares upon Him because He cares for you. The word "casting,"is the Greek word "epiripsantes," to throw, it means to throw something on something. It's the way to be able to remain humble under God's mighty hand. Humility is the death of pride. That's not always easy to accomplish, it requires a great deal of prayer. It requires confession of sin. It also requires trust and confidence in the God who cares for you. You cannot humble yourself under God's pressure, if you don't believe that He cares for you.
Peter warns us in verse 8 to "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Satan's ploy, is to move through the world to find somebody he can consume. Satan is going after his prey.
Psalm 104:21 says "The young lions roar after their prey." In Scripture, the prowling, roaring lion is a symbol of viciousness.
And in Ezekiel 22:25, "There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her." Here the judgment of God is coming upon the sins of the leaders of
Jerusalem but he says they're like a roaring lion tearing her prey.
So, Peter is borrowing it from the Old Testament. It is important, that believers understand that the objective of his devastation. Satan doesn't go after unbelievers for obvious reasons, he already has possession of them! I believe that he goes after people who name the name of God, saints that are effective for the kingdom of God. Those who pose the biggest threat to his plans. That's who Satan attacks! Though he cannot take away their salvation, he can destroy their life, he can destroy their testimony, that's his plan. So we really understand what's going on. Remember how, he works his strategy through the demons and through people in the system. He's been doing it before Christ was born.
In Job chapter 1 you remember that Satan came into the presence of the
Lord and the Lord said to Satan, verse 7, "From where do
you come?" Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." He is wandering through the earth looking for victims to devour. Spiritual warfare is real beloved, spiritual warfare is very real! You know how the story ends, no matter what happened in Job's life Satan couldn't devour him. He couldn't destroy Job's faith in God.
The Lord took everything away from him, his health, his wealth, his family, everything he owned. Instead Job said, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." And in verse 22, "Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God." How in the world could Job manage to do that?
In verse 9, Peter gives us the answer. "But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world." I know that when your going through difficulty, it feels like your all alone. You're really not, though it may feel like. So, Peter says the entire Christian community is going through this. Suffering is a way of life as God is accomplishing His holy perfecting work in you. Rather than focusing on your suffering, just keep your eyes on the goal.
You know, there are time when I feel like the demons of hell are coming after me. Sometimes, I can see it coming, other times, it's so subtle, it escapes my notice. I don't run from it, I face it head on. I meet the devil head on, with what the Word of God says, the truth. I meet his temptations with confidence in the power of my God and through prayer. A lot of prayer. When you stand firm, resist him in the armor of God, he flees.
Satan comes at us through the whole system. You're just going about your day and all of a sudden you find yourself in a situation you didn't plan to be in. You're caught off guard, you find that you're vulnerable in a way you never imagined could happen. Satan loves to wear down your resistance. He loves to catch you by surprise. So, wherever he comes, no matter form he shows up in, whatever angle he comes from, the solution is always the same, stand firm in the truth, trust God. I turn to God in prayer and trust Him to fight the battle. I use my spiritual weapons. In the midst of my suffering, I have hope in what I am becoming. And you can too!
Next Peter tells us we need an attitude of hope. Verse 10, "After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you." Peter is adding the promise to the exhortation in verse 9. We are to live in the understanding that God's purpose realized in the future requires some pain in the present. So, Peter says "After you have suffered a little while."
Beloved, if you really understood the purpose of spiritual warfare and what it's doing for you, rather than resent it, you'd appreciate it. It may seem intense, it might seem long, but all the suffering that comes is just to strengthen you, to confirm you, to establish you, perfect you and make you the person of God that you should be. All that suffering has a divine purpose. This isn't about grace for eternity, God has already promised us that. This is grace for time, making us what we ought to be.
To perfect means to bring you to a state of wholeness, to confirm means to set you fast, to establish you means to lay you as a foundation.
In verse 11, Peter's just overwhelmed by this attitude of worship. "To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen." This introduces us indirectly to another important attitude, the attitude of worship. We are to humble ourselves before God, and in the proper time, He'll exalt us, we're to cast our care upon God for He cares for us, He's all powerful, He's compassionate. We are called to fight in His strength for He alone can defeat the enemy and in the process perfect us. It is any wonder what Peter says to "Give Him the praise." He alone is worthy of all of our praise. When you have a worshiping heart, you don't question God, your trust Him, you worship Him.
In Closing..
God is in charge. Nothing is beyond His control, not Satan and his demons and certainly not our suffering. And we worship Him for that. I believe that as Christians we must always be filled with praise and worship, we must always be filled with glory given to God.
Storm will still come as long as we are still here on earth, and you still may be in for a rough ride, but you can go through it without anxiety because you humbled yourself, exalting the Lord, trusting Him, who ares for you. God has the power, He has the authority and He is compassionate and He loves you.
For all that He is, all that He has already done and all that you are in Christ, He is worthy of our praise.
May it be so...
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2021 All Rights Reserved