WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.320 Well, if you have your Bibles, you're welcome 00:00:01.320 --> 00:00:05.480 to turn on over to 1 Peter chapter 5. 1 Peter 00:00:05.480 --> 00:00:08.339 chapter 5. There are Bibles in the chairs in 00:00:08.339 --> 00:00:10.179 front of you. You are welcome to grab one of 00:00:10.179 --> 00:00:12.019 those if you don't have a Bible, and you can 00:00:12.019 --> 00:00:14.080 even take that with you. It's our gift to you. 00:00:14.759 --> 00:00:17.059 Also, the scripture will be up on the board. 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:20.539 But there was a quote that was popularized in 00:00:20.539 --> 00:00:24.600 the 1995 movie, The Usual Suspects, and it went 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:27.960 something like this. The greatest trick... The 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:31.199 devil ever pulled was convincing the world he 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:35.640 didn't exist. The greatest trick the devil ever 00:00:35.640 --> 00:00:39.119 pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. 00:00:40.119 --> 00:00:43.219 C .S. Lewis in his book, The Screwtape Letters, 00:00:43.219 --> 00:00:46.380 once imagined a senior demon who was teaching 00:00:46.380 --> 00:00:49.899 a junior demon how to deceive people. And his 00:00:49.899 --> 00:00:52.979 advice to the junior demon was, keep them laughing 00:00:52.979 --> 00:00:56.600 at the idea of the devil. Keep them laughing 00:00:56.600 --> 00:00:59.380 at it. Make them think that Satan is just a cartoonish 00:00:59.380 --> 00:01:04.280 character in red tights. That way, even if they 00:01:04.280 --> 00:01:07.379 start to suspect something is spiritually wrong, 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:11.400 they won't believe in the real enemy and he can 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:15.739 continue his work unopposed. Well, tragically, 00:01:15.739 --> 00:01:18.920 many Christians live as if we're in peacetime 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:23.819 when in fact we are in a war zone. And there 00:01:23.819 --> 00:01:29.359 are no pacifists in the Christian life. Peter 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:32.040 knows this, and that's why, as he closes his 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:35.280 letter to the scattered, exiled believers who 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:39.099 are suffering all across modern -day Turkey, 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:41.239 he gets really serious with them, and he says, 00:01:41.239 --> 00:01:44.280 hey, you're in a spiritual battle, and you have 00:01:44.280 --> 00:01:49.319 an enemy, the devil, and he's not idle. He's 00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:54.379 not lazy. He is a lion. who's on the hunt. And 00:01:54.379 --> 00:01:58.060 if you're not prepared, you will be devoured. 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:02.180 And when the Bible talks about spiritual warfare, 00:02:02.280 --> 00:02:06.120 it's not a metaphor. It's an actual battle with 00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:10.460 an actual enemy. And this isn't just about fear 00:02:10.460 --> 00:02:14.659 -mongering. It's a warning. But it's a warning 00:02:14.659 --> 00:02:18.159 that comes with hope. Because while the devil 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:22.240 is powerful, he is resistible. And while suffering 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:27.680 is real, God's grace is greater. Amen? And in 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:31.300 these final verses, the Apostle Peter gives us 00:02:31.300 --> 00:02:34.840 four instructions to help us stand firm in the 00:02:34.840 --> 00:02:36.960 fight. And these will be their four points today. 00:02:37.240 --> 00:02:39.500 We'll cover them one at a time. But it's know 00:02:39.500 --> 00:02:42.979 your enemy and stand firm. It's guard against 00:02:42.979 --> 00:02:47.300 his footholds. Rest in the God who restores. 00:02:48.199 --> 00:02:51.580 And then a final encouragement where Peter closes 00:02:51.580 --> 00:02:55.120 out the letter with a word of encouragement to 00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:58.659 stand firm in the grace of God, remain in the 00:02:58.659 --> 00:03:03.219 fellowship, and receive God's peace. And so we're 00:03:03.219 --> 00:03:05.699 going to walk through that together today. We're 00:03:05.699 --> 00:03:07.539 actually going to start not in verse 6, even 00:03:07.539 --> 00:03:09.680 though we'll cover verse 6 through 14 of chapter 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:12.719 5 in 1 Peter. We're going to start, though, in 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:16.530 verse 8 and 9. If you're taking notes. We are 00:03:16.530 --> 00:03:19.169 a note -taking church, as we are a Bible -loving 00:03:19.169 --> 00:03:21.490 church, and so take notes, I encourage you, that 00:03:21.490 --> 00:03:24.090 way you hold on to what we cover. If you're taking 00:03:24.090 --> 00:03:25.729 notes, the first point I'll have you write down 00:03:25.729 --> 00:03:30.189 is know your enemy and stand firm. Know your 00:03:30.189 --> 00:03:36.530 enemy and stand firm. Verse 8, be sober -minded, 00:03:36.789 --> 00:03:41.849 be alert. Your adversary, the devil, is prowling 00:03:41.849 --> 00:03:45.569 around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone 00:03:45.569 --> 00:03:50.590 he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, 00:03:50.830 --> 00:03:53.830 knowing that the same kind of sufferings are 00:03:53.830 --> 00:03:56.090 being experienced by your fellow believers throughout 00:03:56.090 --> 00:04:02.840 the world. Peter's first exhortation here that 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:04.479 we're covering and we're looking at is this wake 00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:08.120 -up call. Be sober -minded. Be alert. In other 00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:10.919 words, don't sleepwalk your way through the Christian 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:17.420 life. Don't assume peace when we're at war. The 00:04:17.420 --> 00:04:20.240 idea of invisible forces, this might not seem 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:23.910 like a modern American mentality, right? that 00:04:23.910 --> 00:04:26.370 we function in, like the idea of superstition 00:04:26.370 --> 00:04:29.290 or like science has solved all these problems. 00:04:29.329 --> 00:04:32.730 We don't need the metaphysical or the spiritual. 00:04:33.670 --> 00:04:36.649 It might seem like an idea that we've grown out 00:04:36.649 --> 00:04:39.850 of and yet you and I both wash our hands and 00:04:39.850 --> 00:04:45.029 sanitize our hands, don't we? Why? Because there's 00:04:45.029 --> 00:04:48.769 invisible forces, germs, they're out to get us, 00:04:48.790 --> 00:04:50.209 right? How many of you guys remember wearing 00:04:50.209 --> 00:04:55.750 a mask? All those invisible forces all around 00:04:55.750 --> 00:04:57.670 us that we didn't understand and couldn't control, 00:04:57.850 --> 00:05:02.430 we wore a mask to prevent, right? At least we 00:05:02.430 --> 00:05:07.790 were told. Right? We know that there are invisible 00:05:07.790 --> 00:05:10.930 forces that make us sick, and we protect against 00:05:10.930 --> 00:05:15.610 them. We come to the battle ready. And you have 00:05:15.610 --> 00:05:18.930 an adversary, the devil, not a vague force of 00:05:18.930 --> 00:05:23.069 evil or some superstition. You have a real, personal, 00:05:23.329 --> 00:05:27.209 spiritual being who is actively working to oppose 00:05:27.209 --> 00:05:32.069 the people of God. He is prowling around like 00:05:32.069 --> 00:05:35.810 a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 00:05:35.829 --> 00:05:43.800 Is that you? I hope not. We'll see. The Bible 00:05:43.800 --> 00:05:45.439 is clear and consistent about what the devil 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:51.279 can do. He can deceive. He blinds. He accuses. 00:05:52.120 --> 00:05:59.040 He tempts. And he devours. Satan isn't content 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:02.879 just to distract you. He wants to devour you. 00:06:03.899 --> 00:06:06.980 He doesn't just want to trip you up. He wants 00:06:06.980 --> 00:06:12.360 to take you out of the Christian life. And while 00:06:12.360 --> 00:06:17.199 the devil is a real and dangerous threat, he 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:21.300 is not God's equal. We are not in a battle against 00:06:21.300 --> 00:06:25.439 good and evil, equal forces. He is not God's 00:06:25.439 --> 00:06:29.040 equal. He is powerful but limited. He cannot 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:34.500 read your mind. Only God is omniscient. Only 00:06:34.500 --> 00:06:38.300 God knows the thoughts of our hearts. Satan is 00:06:38.300 --> 00:06:44.620 a created being. But as a created being who's 00:06:44.620 --> 00:06:47.779 been doing this for just a little while, Satan 00:06:47.779 --> 00:06:51.579 can also observe your patterns. He can watch 00:06:51.579 --> 00:06:54.860 you. He can observe the patterns of your life. 00:06:55.500 --> 00:06:58.959 And he can craft temptations that fit your weaknesses. 00:07:00.579 --> 00:07:04.899 He can whisper lies. And he can put stumbling 00:07:04.899 --> 00:07:08.750 blocks in front of you. He cannot see into your 00:07:08.750 --> 00:07:11.449 heart. And if you are in Christ, he cannot possess 00:07:11.449 --> 00:07:13.889 you. Your life is claimed and sealed by the Holy 00:07:13.889 --> 00:07:17.410 Spirit of God. The one who is in you is greater 00:07:17.410 --> 00:07:23.990 than what? He who is in this world. And so while 00:07:23.990 --> 00:07:27.329 he cannot steal your salvation, if you are in 00:07:27.329 --> 00:07:31.730 Christ, he can steal your joy. He can make you 00:07:31.730 --> 00:07:35.740 a joyless Christian. He can disrupt your peace. 00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:39.620 He can undermine your trust in God. He can divide 00:07:39.620 --> 00:07:43.339 you and other believers. He can divide the church 00:07:43.339 --> 00:07:46.860 of God. He can fill your life with fear, guilt, 00:07:46.980 --> 00:07:50.399 temptation, and confusion. He can do those things, 00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:53.740 and that's why Peter says you must resist him 00:07:53.740 --> 00:08:00.360 firm in the faith. You don't resist the devil 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:04.709 by yelling at him. You don't resist the devil 00:08:04.709 --> 00:08:08.550 by rebuking him and binding him. You resist the 00:08:08.550 --> 00:08:12.170 devil by standing on the truth. You resist the 00:08:12.170 --> 00:08:15.069 devil by leaning in and trusting the gospel of 00:08:15.069 --> 00:08:18.790 Jesus Christ. You resist the devil by refusing 00:08:18.790 --> 00:08:22.889 to abandon what you know about God, especially 00:08:22.889 --> 00:08:27.629 when it comes to suffering. When we're faced 00:08:27.629 --> 00:08:29.670 with suffering, it's often the place where we 00:08:29.670 --> 00:08:32.250 want to let go and abandon everything we know 00:08:32.250 --> 00:08:34.850 to be true about God, everything that his word 00:08:34.850 --> 00:08:37.110 has testified, everything that we have experienced 00:08:37.110 --> 00:08:40.330 in the life in Christ. We let it go in two seconds 00:08:40.330 --> 00:08:42.850 and we go, oh, God is not faithful. He is not 00:08:42.850 --> 00:08:46.909 powerful. He will not overcome. To resist the 00:08:46.909 --> 00:08:49.549 devil is to not abandon what we know to be true 00:08:49.549 --> 00:08:52.350 about God, but to lean in all the more, especially 00:08:52.350 --> 00:08:56.899 when suffering comes. James echoes a similar 00:08:56.899 --> 00:08:59.720 call regarding the enemy. He says to submit to 00:08:59.720 --> 00:09:02.960 God, resist the devil, and he will what? He will 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:05.320 flee from you. And then the very next thing James 00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:08.659 says is draw near to God, and he will draw near 00:09:08.659 --> 00:09:15.539 to you. Lean in. Stand on the truth. Stand on 00:09:15.539 --> 00:09:18.059 the gospel. Lean into what you know is true about 00:09:18.059 --> 00:09:21.080 God. That's how we resist the devil. And Peter 00:09:21.080 --> 00:09:23.419 adds this encouragement to believers, knowing 00:09:23.419 --> 00:09:26.559 that, The same kind of sufferings are being experienced 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:29.159 by your fellow believers throughout the world. 00:09:29.700 --> 00:09:32.179 You're not the first to suffer. Sorry to hear 00:09:32.179 --> 00:09:34.820 that, right? Sometimes we feel like we're the 00:09:34.820 --> 00:09:37.139 first and the only and the greatest and the biggest. 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:40.159 You're not the first to suffer and you won't 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:42.220 be the last, but you're not suffering alone, 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:47.980 my friends. And there is strength in that. Because 00:09:47.980 --> 00:09:53.460 if they can't endure, so can you. If they can 00:09:53.460 --> 00:09:57.899 stand, so can you. And if they are standing in 00:09:57.899 --> 00:10:00.039 the face of persecution and we haven't really 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:02.580 experienced that yet, we can look and study and 00:10:02.580 --> 00:10:04.820 be encouraged by their life knowing that one 00:10:04.820 --> 00:10:07.659 day we will likely experience persecution because 00:10:07.659 --> 00:10:10.360 suffering is not a bug of the Christian life. 00:10:10.559 --> 00:10:13.620 It's not an abnormality. It's not getting off 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:19.190 the tracks. It's a feature. It's a feature. If 00:10:19.190 --> 00:10:21.649 Christianity was a television, it would be listed 00:10:21.649 --> 00:10:24.429 right on the front. Also comes with suffering. 00:10:28.110 --> 00:10:31.929 We stand together, shoulder to shoulder, in the 00:10:31.929 --> 00:10:37.350 same gospel, grounded in the same grace, upheld 00:10:37.350 --> 00:10:42.289 by the same faithful God. We're not alone. And 00:10:42.289 --> 00:10:48.230 so, we must first... Know your enemy and stand 00:10:48.230 --> 00:10:53.210 firm. And the second point is guard against his 00:10:53.210 --> 00:10:59.009 footholds. Guard against his footholds. Verse 00:10:59.009 --> 00:11:02.190 six, humble yourself therefore under the mighty 00:11:02.190 --> 00:11:06.269 hand of God so that he may exalt you at the proper 00:11:06.269 --> 00:11:10.169 time, casting all your cares on him because he 00:11:10.169 --> 00:11:15.879 cares for you. Before we talk about these two 00:11:15.879 --> 00:11:19.700 footholds that are right here in the text, the 00:11:19.700 --> 00:11:22.200 foothold of pride and the foothold of anxiety, 00:11:22.659 --> 00:11:25.259 let's go all the way back to the first temptation 00:11:25.259 --> 00:11:27.639 in Scripture, all the way back to the Garden 00:11:27.639 --> 00:11:32.320 of Eden, to Genesis chapter 3. Because Satan 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:36.179 did in Genesis chapter 3, he used the same strategy 00:11:36.179 --> 00:11:39.019 that he uses today, which is he targeted Adam 00:11:39.019 --> 00:11:44.730 and Eve with pride and worry. Genesis chapter 00:11:44.730 --> 00:11:47.289 3 reads, The serpent was the most cunning of 00:11:47.289 --> 00:11:50.049 all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. 00:11:50.169 --> 00:11:53.409 He said to the woman, Did God really say you 00:11:53.409 --> 00:11:57.870 can't eat from any tree in the garden? The woman 00:11:57.870 --> 00:12:00.690 said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit from 00:12:00.690 --> 00:12:03.669 the trees in the garden, but about the fruit 00:12:03.669 --> 00:12:06.230 of the tree in the middle of the garden, God 00:12:06.230 --> 00:12:10.470 said you must not eat it or touch it or you will 00:12:10.470 --> 00:12:15.450 die. No, you will certainly not die, the serpent 00:12:15.450 --> 00:12:20.009 said to the woman. In fact, God knows that when 00:12:20.009 --> 00:12:22.870 you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you 00:12:22.870 --> 00:12:28.450 will be like God, knowing good from evil. He 00:12:28.450 --> 00:12:32.250 says to Eve, did God really say, sowing doubt 00:12:32.250 --> 00:12:35.629 and suspicion on the character of God? He says, 00:12:35.649 --> 00:12:37.970 you will surely not die. You're actually going 00:12:37.970 --> 00:12:40.789 to be like God, and God knows it, and God's withholding 00:12:40.789 --> 00:12:46.409 from you. Can you see it? Pride. You can be like 00:12:46.409 --> 00:12:49.929 God. You can be like God. You don't need his 00:12:49.929 --> 00:12:52.730 authority. You can decide what's good and evil 00:12:52.730 --> 00:12:54.809 for yourself. Just take of the fruit that he 00:12:54.809 --> 00:12:56.909 said don't eat, and you will have the knowledge 00:12:56.909 --> 00:13:00.250 of good and evil for yourself. Take it for yourself. 00:13:02.649 --> 00:13:06.049 You're capable of ruling your own life on your 00:13:06.049 --> 00:13:10.230 own. You don't need him. It's pride. And worry 00:13:10.230 --> 00:13:15.350 or anxiety. God is holding out on you. He's keeping 00:13:15.350 --> 00:13:17.909 something from you. You're missing out. If you 00:13:17.909 --> 00:13:19.870 trust him, you're going to lose out on something 00:13:19.870 --> 00:13:25.070 good. Worry, anxiety. And from the beginning, 00:13:25.230 --> 00:13:28.049 Satan has been working to undermine our trust 00:13:28.049 --> 00:13:31.789 in God's character by convincing us that God 00:13:31.789 --> 00:13:36.970 is either not good, so we should worry, or that 00:13:36.970 --> 00:13:39.470 we don't need him, so we should rely on ourselves. 00:13:42.220 --> 00:13:44.700 So it's no surprise that in 1 Peter chapter 5, 00:13:44.860 --> 00:13:48.519 Peter tells us to cast our anxieties and humble 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:51.080 ourselves before the Lord because those are the 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:53.419 same two doors that the enemy has been walking 00:13:53.419 --> 00:13:56.480 through since Eden. So let's look really closely 00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:59.299 at those two. Number one, the foothold of pride. 00:14:02.940 --> 00:14:08.720 Pride says, I know what's best. Pride says, I'll 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:13.299 handle this. I don't need help. Pride says to 00:14:13.299 --> 00:14:16.460 God, you can't do anything I haven't tried already. 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:23.500 It resists surrender. It resents any limitations 00:14:23.500 --> 00:14:27.240 or boundaries. It refuses to come under God's 00:14:27.240 --> 00:14:30.820 hand. And Peter says of pride, humble yourself 00:14:30.820 --> 00:14:35.419 under the mighty hand of God. In other words, 00:14:35.419 --> 00:14:38.440 get low before the one who is infinitely wise, 00:14:38.740 --> 00:14:44.039 infinitely powerful, and infinitely good. Pride 00:14:44.039 --> 00:14:49.000 is spiritual self -reliance. That's exactly the 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:51.840 condition the devil looks for. That's exactly 00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:55.700 the foothold he's looking for to drag you down 00:14:55.700 --> 00:14:58.000 and devour you because when you're full of yourself, 00:14:58.139 --> 00:15:03.279 there's no room left for grace. C .S. Lewis once 00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:07.279 called pride the essential vice, the utmost evil, 00:15:07.460 --> 00:15:12.690 the sin behind every other sin. Pride leads to 00:15:12.690 --> 00:15:16.610 every other vice. It is the complete anti -God 00:15:16.610 --> 00:15:23.289 state of mind. Not many of us would admit to 00:15:23.289 --> 00:15:26.470 being prideful, would we? Because of our pride. 00:15:31.350 --> 00:15:33.950 Pride isn't just self -confidence that's gone 00:15:33.950 --> 00:15:36.590 too far. It's this heart posture that says to 00:15:36.590 --> 00:15:40.990 God, I've got this, I don't need you. Or I don't 00:15:40.990 --> 00:15:46.429 want you. But scripture tells us that God resists 00:15:46.429 --> 00:15:50.690 the proud, but gives grace to the humble in James 00:15:50.690 --> 00:15:54.610 chapter four, verse six. In Proverbs 16, some 00:15:54.610 --> 00:15:57.570 of you guys know this, pride goes before the 00:15:57.570 --> 00:16:06.700 fall. Proverbs 16, 18. Speaking to the Lord in 00:16:06.700 --> 00:16:10.759 2 Samuel 22, you save a humble people, but your 00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:16.379 eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. Pride 00:16:16.379 --> 00:16:20.100 puts you in direct opposition to God. It makes 00:16:20.100 --> 00:16:24.879 you wide open to the enemy's schemes. And Satan 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:27.220 knows this all too well because pride was his 00:16:27.220 --> 00:16:29.759 downfall. He wanted the throne of grace, the 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:33.450 throne of heaven. And now he tempts others with 00:16:33.450 --> 00:16:38.029 the same lie, you can be like God. And so when 00:16:38.029 --> 00:16:42.710 we elevate our opinions above Scripture, do you 00:16:42.710 --> 00:16:46.190 know that happens in the church? I know Scripture 00:16:46.190 --> 00:16:52.549 says that, but. I know the Bible tells us to, 00:16:52.710 --> 00:16:55.830 but. I know the Bible says that I shouldn't, 00:16:55.830 --> 00:17:05.000 but. What's that but? Pride. Pride. Elevating 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:10.940 ourselves above God's word. When we cling to 00:17:10.940 --> 00:17:14.940 control, when we elevate our opinions above scripture, 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:19.039 when we call what is bad good and we call what 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:23.819 is good bad, pride. When we resist correction, 00:17:24.200 --> 00:17:29.759 when we ignore the life of prayer, I don't need 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:32.220 to talk to God. Why would I talk to God? What 00:17:32.220 --> 00:17:37.480 can he offer? We are knowingly or not stepping 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:41.740 into a spiritual battleground and giving a foothold 00:17:41.740 --> 00:17:45.839 to the enemy, pride. Andrew Murray said, pride 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:48.440 must die in you or nothing of heaven can live 00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:53.099 in you. Pride must die. Don't give the enemy 00:17:53.099 --> 00:17:56.619 a foothold of pride. And number two, foothold 00:17:56.619 --> 00:18:05.019 of anxiety or worry. At first glance, pride and 00:18:05.019 --> 00:18:08.019 anxiety seem opposite. Pride says, I've got this, 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:13.119 and anxiety says, I don't, but I have to. I don't 00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:16.019 have it. It's falling apart. But both flow from 00:18:16.019 --> 00:18:22.640 the same root, a refusal to trust God. And that's 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:25.220 why I need to say this clearly and carefully. 00:18:26.980 --> 00:18:34.589 Worry is not just a burden. Worry is a sin. Worry 00:18:34.589 --> 00:18:41.750 is not just a burden. Worry is a sin. Worry becomes 00:18:41.750 --> 00:18:46.869 sin when we cling to it instead of casting it 00:18:46.869 --> 00:18:50.410 onto God. It's not the onset of the emotion that 00:18:50.410 --> 00:18:53.809 I'm saying is sin. We are human. That emotion 00:18:53.809 --> 00:18:56.450 comes well before we do anything, doesn't it? 00:18:57.329 --> 00:19:00.509 My oldest son, he's 21 years old. Makai, play 00:19:00.509 --> 00:19:03.210 his keys right here. Next week, we're going to 00:19:03.210 --> 00:19:05.190 pray over him and send him on his way. He's moving 00:19:05.190 --> 00:19:09.069 to Montana. And as a parent, this is the first, 00:19:09.089 --> 00:19:15.029 like, launch. And I'd be lying if I said I was 00:19:15.029 --> 00:19:19.890 totally okay. Totally lying, actually. That I 00:19:19.890 --> 00:19:23.089 had no anxiety. That I wasn't worried. That a 00:19:23.089 --> 00:19:25.089 thousand questions didn't come into my mind. 00:19:25.329 --> 00:19:29.269 What ifs. He's literally loading up his car and 00:19:29.269 --> 00:19:32.420 driving there. His car's not new. Like there's 00:19:32.420 --> 00:19:37.799 a thousand worries just around his car. Let alone, 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:41.259 no offense, Kaya, but who he is and what I know 00:19:41.259 --> 00:19:44.859 about him as a father, right? Like worry, worry 00:19:44.859 --> 00:19:48.039 upon worry. The question is, how am I going to 00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:51.440 handle that? The question is, when worry comes, 00:19:51.619 --> 00:19:56.119 what am I going to do with it? It's not the onset 00:19:56.119 --> 00:19:59.529 of that emotion. It's the refusal to. entrust 00:19:59.529 --> 00:20:01.730 your worry to the one who says, I care for you. 00:20:02.910 --> 00:20:08.109 Arms wide open, I care for you. Jesus said, do 00:20:08.109 --> 00:20:11.609 not worry about your life. Anyone ever worried 00:20:11.609 --> 00:20:15.130 about your life? Come on, admit it. Anyone ever 00:20:15.130 --> 00:20:19.609 worried about what you'll eat or drink? Anyone 00:20:19.609 --> 00:20:24.420 worry about what you'll wear? I literally bought 00:20:24.420 --> 00:20:26.940 10 black shirts so I don't have to worry about 00:20:26.940 --> 00:20:29.079 what shirt I'm going to wear every day. If you've 00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:30.440 ever wondered, why is he always wearing black 00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:36.079 shirts? It's like I'm Steve Jobs or Mr. Rogers 00:20:36.079 --> 00:20:39.059 or something. You just look at my closet and 00:20:39.059 --> 00:20:40.880 it's 10 black shirts. I don't ever have to worry 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:49.059 about what I'm going to wear on top. Do not worry 00:20:49.059 --> 00:20:50.920 about your life, what you'll eat or drink or 00:20:50.920 --> 00:20:56.130 what you will wear. Paul, in Philippians chapter 00:20:56.130 --> 00:20:57.950 four, we'll look a little bit more at six and 00:20:57.950 --> 00:21:01.250 seven, but he went further. He said, do not be 00:21:01.250 --> 00:21:09.369 anxious about anything. Do not be anxious, or 00:21:09.369 --> 00:21:13.630 another CSB says, do not worry about anything. 00:21:16.230 --> 00:21:20.109 So when we coddle worry, when we excuse it or 00:21:20.109 --> 00:21:22.569 normalize it, when we make it a burden we just 00:21:22.569 --> 00:21:29.490 have to bear, we are in a sense saying, God, 00:21:29.529 --> 00:21:34.210 I don't think you'll get this right. So I have 00:21:34.210 --> 00:21:37.349 to figure it out. Thanks for leaving it to me. 00:21:40.309 --> 00:21:42.549 God, I don't think you'll get this right. I have 00:21:42.549 --> 00:21:45.250 to figure it out. And that leaves a wide open 00:21:45.250 --> 00:21:48.750 door for fear, for doubt, for despair. All the 00:21:48.750 --> 00:21:51.849 things that it says the enemy comes to do, our 00:21:51.849 --> 00:21:54.450 worry will produce in our lives and the enemy 00:21:54.450 --> 00:21:57.670 will exploit that foothold. He'll make you despair 00:21:57.670 --> 00:22:01.910 and fall into fear and doubt and hopelessness. 00:22:03.390 --> 00:22:07.430 So what's the way out? Well, Peter says to humble 00:22:07.430 --> 00:22:10.779 ourselves. Under the mighty hand of God. If we 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:13.339 are experiencing pride in our lives. We need 00:22:13.339 --> 00:22:16.519 to humble ourselves. We need to trust God's power. 00:22:16.839 --> 00:22:19.960 Trust his wisdom. And this is the hard one. Trust 00:22:19.960 --> 00:22:25.279 his timing. We trust his wisdom. We trust his 00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:27.839 power. We just often times don't trust his timing. 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:33.160 We have to trust his timing. Even when we don't 00:22:33.160 --> 00:22:37.380 understand it. And here's a spiritual truth. 00:22:38.809 --> 00:22:40.569 put on your wall, you can write it down, you 00:22:40.569 --> 00:22:43.009 can memorize it, you can tattoo it on your neighbor's 00:22:43.009 --> 00:22:46.650 arm, whatever you want to do. God loves to be 00:22:46.650 --> 00:22:51.150 trusted. Just remember that throughout the day. 00:22:51.329 --> 00:22:54.509 Do you love God? Do you love the Lord? Well, 00:22:54.529 --> 00:23:00.390 God loves to be trusted. He loves it. It brings 00:23:00.390 --> 00:23:07.140 great joy when his children trust him. His smile 00:23:07.140 --> 00:23:10.619 on his face when we throw the totality of our 00:23:10.619 --> 00:23:13.440 life into his hands and say, you take it, you 00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:16.440 run with it, you tell me what, you exercise your 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:18.799 power, your wisdom, your goodness, you define 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:23.839 my life for me. God loves to be trusted. And 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:27.940 God's hand moves in crazy, miraculous, and amazing 00:23:27.940 --> 00:23:34.039 ways when we have trusted him. God loves to be 00:23:34.039 --> 00:23:40.119 trusted. The other way out of worry, Peter says, 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:44.579 is to cast all your cares on him because he cares 00:23:44.579 --> 00:23:50.059 for you. Don't carry them. Don't manage them. 00:23:51.039 --> 00:23:56.400 Don't suppress them. Cast them. Hurl them. Hurl 00:23:56.400 --> 00:23:58.180 them toward the one who's strong enough to carry 00:23:58.180 --> 00:24:00.400 them and the one who's loving enough to want 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:06.450 to. You might ask practically, what does that 00:24:06.450 --> 00:24:09.630 mean? How do you do that? When the onset of worry 00:24:09.630 --> 00:24:13.970 comes, what do I do? Well, here's just a little 00:24:13.970 --> 00:24:18.170 practical steps that I have found work in my 00:24:18.170 --> 00:24:22.910 life in recent history and even in the moments 00:24:22.910 --> 00:24:25.690 that I'm going through now. First off, just be 00:24:25.690 --> 00:24:29.829 clear. Name your worry. Don't just say I'm worried 00:24:29.829 --> 00:24:34.259 or I'm stressed. Go to God and say, God, I'm 00:24:34.259 --> 00:24:36.660 anxious because I can't pay the utility bill. 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:42.819 God, I am anxious and worried for my son's future. 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:47.839 God, I'm carrying with you worry about a future 00:24:47.839 --> 00:24:51.039 test result or an exam that I have to go to. 00:24:51.799 --> 00:24:54.900 I'm worried about what this could be. I'm scared. 00:24:55.480 --> 00:25:00.440 I'm anxious. Name it. Sometimes with our monsters, 00:25:01.279 --> 00:25:06.099 That alone alleviates our anxiety, right? You 00:25:06.099 --> 00:25:10.039 have a big, bad, drooling monster who's scary, 00:25:10.359 --> 00:25:12.359 right? And living under the bed and comes out, 00:25:12.460 --> 00:25:14.440 right? It's like, oh no, the big scary monster 00:25:14.440 --> 00:25:17.180 who drools, right? But the moment you give it 00:25:17.180 --> 00:25:20.279 a name, Bob, it's just Bob and he's got a drooling 00:25:20.279 --> 00:25:25.099 problem, right? You name your issue, name your 00:25:25.099 --> 00:25:28.519 care, your concern. Give it a name, the name 00:25:28.519 --> 00:25:32.339 it's supposed to be, not Bob. What is it? Say 00:25:32.339 --> 00:25:34.160 it clearly and bring it to the Lord. Lord, I'm 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:36.980 concerned about this. And the next in prayer, 00:25:37.299 --> 00:25:40.539 I would actually imagine yourself literally handing 00:25:40.539 --> 00:25:44.400 your concern to God. Imagine his open arms, his 00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:47.339 arms outstretched to receive your caring concern 00:25:47.339 --> 00:25:51.900 and say, Lord, this anxiety over my electric 00:25:51.900 --> 00:25:58.299 bill belongs to you. This belongs to you. I release 00:25:58.299 --> 00:26:01.619 it to your wisdom and your care. I give this 00:26:01.619 --> 00:26:06.160 to you. And the truth is, you're going to try 00:26:06.160 --> 00:26:08.579 to take it up again. That's just who we are. 00:26:08.799 --> 00:26:10.839 You're going to try to pick it up again. You're 00:26:10.839 --> 00:26:12.940 going to get a little bit away from it, and you'll 00:26:12.940 --> 00:26:14.740 start to feel like, yeah, I think God's got this. 00:26:14.799 --> 00:26:16.460 And then that anxiety will come back, and you'll 00:26:16.460 --> 00:26:17.960 want to go over and pet it a little bit, right? 00:26:18.299 --> 00:26:20.779 You'll just want to touch it, right? Just one 00:26:20.779 --> 00:26:25.859 more time. Come on, please. Let me hold it. It's 00:26:25.859 --> 00:26:29.390 like our phones, right? Man. Today's society, 00:26:29.609 --> 00:26:32.130 maybe not the older folks who kind of bridge 00:26:32.130 --> 00:26:34.150 the gap between having cell phones and not having 00:26:34.150 --> 00:26:36.609 cell phones, but the new generation, they got 00:26:36.609 --> 00:26:39.230 serious anxiety from being separated from their 00:26:39.230 --> 00:26:40.650 phones. If they're separated from their phones 00:26:40.650 --> 00:26:44.349 at all, their heart goes, they just want to touch 00:26:44.349 --> 00:26:46.690 it. Just one more time, right? I think there 00:26:46.690 --> 00:26:48.109 was a study that was done recently. I don't remember 00:26:48.109 --> 00:26:50.170 the exact number, but it was over 1 ,000 times 00:26:50.170 --> 00:26:53.990 that we touch our cell phone every day. 1 ,000 00:26:53.990 --> 00:26:57.460 times. Just touch it. Pick it up. Set it aside, 00:26:57.619 --> 00:27:00.339 touch it. Some of you guys are really proud that 00:27:00.339 --> 00:27:03.000 you know you don't fall into that, right? Not 00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:09.619 me. Name your anxieties and your cares. Hand 00:27:09.619 --> 00:27:11.420 them over to the Lord. Lord, this belongs to 00:27:11.420 --> 00:27:14.160 you. I release it to your wisdom and your care. 00:27:16.920 --> 00:27:18.900 And after trying to take it up again, you're 00:27:18.900 --> 00:27:20.740 going to have to repeat that process many times. 00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:24.200 Don't be afraid to repeat it. Don't feel like 00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:26.099 a failure because you have to say again, Lord, 00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:27.940 I hand this over to you. That's okay. That's 00:27:27.940 --> 00:27:30.880 a part of the process. Say it again and again 00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:33.480 and again. Say it again and again and again over 00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:36.079 and over again until you break through to peace. 00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:40.380 And then finally, you're going to have to replace 00:27:40.380 --> 00:27:42.920 that worry with something. You're going to have 00:27:42.920 --> 00:27:46.119 to replace that void with something. It's kind 00:27:46.119 --> 00:27:49.720 of like a story that Jesus told about a person 00:27:49.720 --> 00:27:52.160 is like a home and a home that is filled with 00:27:52.160 --> 00:27:54.680 evil spirits. Yes, they may get cast out and 00:27:54.680 --> 00:27:56.539 the house might be cleaned and it might become 00:27:56.539 --> 00:27:58.980 completely empty of any evil spirits and the 00:27:58.980 --> 00:28:01.859 evil spirits will go away. But if that house 00:28:01.859 --> 00:28:05.240 isn't filled with something, if it isn't filled 00:28:05.240 --> 00:28:08.140 with something good, It's just an empty house, 00:28:08.200 --> 00:28:10.460 and that demon or those spiritual forces may 00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:12.740 go down to the local pub and grab a beer with 00:28:12.740 --> 00:28:15.259 a couple of other spiritual forces and start 00:28:15.259 --> 00:28:17.140 talking about that nice home they used to live 00:28:17.140 --> 00:28:19.119 in. And they might get together and say, hey, 00:28:19.140 --> 00:28:21.279 let's all go and see if that house is still available. 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:23.900 And they all move into that house, that person. 00:28:24.099 --> 00:28:26.920 And Jesus in that parable says, the house is 00:28:26.920 --> 00:28:30.400 worse off, the man is worse off than he was before. 00:28:31.789 --> 00:28:33.549 And so if you release your worry, you're going 00:28:33.549 --> 00:28:35.049 to have to fill it with something. What should 00:28:35.049 --> 00:28:37.430 you fill it with? You should fill it with worship. 00:28:39.309 --> 00:28:41.630 You release your worry. Lord, this belongs to 00:28:41.630 --> 00:28:43.990 you. You need to do something with this. I release 00:28:43.990 --> 00:28:46.710 it to your wisdom and care, and now I'm going 00:28:46.710 --> 00:28:49.329 to fill my heart, fill that space with worship. 00:28:51.390 --> 00:28:54.410 Philippians chapter 4 and verse 6 says, Don't 00:28:54.410 --> 00:28:57.930 worry about anything, but in everything, through 00:28:57.930 --> 00:29:02.410 prayer and petition, With thanksgiving, present 00:29:02.410 --> 00:29:06.809 your requests to God. With thanksgiving, thank 00:29:06.809 --> 00:29:09.690 God for who he is, what he has done. Thank him 00:29:09.690 --> 00:29:12.789 for every promise that he has made and let worship 00:29:12.789 --> 00:29:15.230 begin to fill the same space in your heart that 00:29:15.230 --> 00:29:19.710 worry once filled. Say to him that he is good 00:29:19.710 --> 00:29:21.950 and you acknowledge his goodness, that he is 00:29:21.950 --> 00:29:24.230 all powerful and you acknowledge that his power 00:29:24.230 --> 00:29:26.829 can actually do something in this situation. 00:29:27.679 --> 00:29:30.440 That his goodness is not something of ancient, 00:29:30.539 --> 00:29:33.220 of olden days, but his goodness extends today. 00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:39.160 His goodness is actually pursuing you. His goodness 00:29:39.160 --> 00:29:42.220 is after you if you're in Christ. And you can 00:29:42.220 --> 00:29:44.539 believe and promise and worship and thanksgiving, 00:29:44.599 --> 00:29:46.900 ascribing to God all of the qualities that are 00:29:46.900 --> 00:29:49.720 true about him. Worship is not just some way 00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:52.319 of, it's not my code for saying you have to sing 00:29:52.319 --> 00:29:55.980 a song. Some of you should not. No, just kidding. 00:29:59.299 --> 00:30:03.839 Quietly. Joyfully. Something. No, it's not a 00:30:03.839 --> 00:30:05.420 code word for saying you've got to sing a song. 00:30:06.200 --> 00:30:09.599 It's a code word for saying, ascribe to the Lord 00:30:09.599 --> 00:30:13.460 things that are true of Him. Say things that 00:30:13.460 --> 00:30:17.559 are true about God to God. Acknowledge His worth. 00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:20.119 Acknowledge His glory. Acknowledge His power. 00:30:20.579 --> 00:30:23.220 Acknowledge His goodness. Acknowledge His promises 00:30:23.220 --> 00:30:26.079 as if they were true. Because you believe them. 00:30:27.180 --> 00:30:30.339 You fill the space that once was occupied with 00:30:30.339 --> 00:30:34.140 worry with thanksgiving. And what's the very 00:30:34.140 --> 00:30:36.079 next verse in Philippians chapter four? What 00:30:36.079 --> 00:30:39.839 does it say? After you've taken your worry and 00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:41.680 you've through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, 00:30:41.759 --> 00:30:44.140 you presented it to God. Verse seven says, and 00:30:44.140 --> 00:30:48.259 the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 00:30:48.680 --> 00:30:51.720 will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:59.039 Pride keeps us from surrendering. Anxiety keeps 00:30:59.039 --> 00:31:03.640 you from resting in God. But both give Satan 00:31:03.640 --> 00:31:10.920 a foothold in your life. Number three, rest in 00:31:10.920 --> 00:31:18.220 the God who restores. Peter has told us to resist 00:31:18.220 --> 00:31:21.980 the devil and stand firm in our faith. He's reminded 00:31:21.980 --> 00:31:24.539 us that we're not alone in this battle. That 00:31:24.539 --> 00:31:26.980 suffering is a part of the Christian experience. 00:31:27.220 --> 00:31:31.259 And now in verse 10 and 11 of 1 Peter 5, he shifts, 00:31:31.299 --> 00:31:33.380 and I love this, he turns our eyes from the enemy 00:31:33.380 --> 00:31:37.039 to God himself, from the battlefield to the throne 00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:41.200 room, from worry to worship. And he says, the 00:31:41.200 --> 00:31:45.200 God of all grace. who called you to his eternal 00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:49.640 glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, 00:31:50.099 --> 00:31:53.240 strengthen, and support you after you have suffered 00:31:53.240 --> 00:31:57.440 a little while. And then this praise, this doxology 00:31:57.440 --> 00:32:00.720 erupts from Peter. To him be dominion forever. 00:32:01.400 --> 00:32:07.200 Amen. If you underline in your Bible, that would 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:11.009 be a verse to underline. Verse 10, if you are 00:32:11.009 --> 00:32:12.769 someone who is suffering, if you are someone 00:32:12.769 --> 00:32:15.150 who is going through a trial or difficulty, if 00:32:15.150 --> 00:32:16.769 you are someone who's carrying the weight of 00:32:16.769 --> 00:32:19.190 worry, then you can remember that the God of 00:32:19.190 --> 00:32:22.450 all grace who called you into his eternal glory 00:32:22.450 --> 00:32:25.910 in Christ Jesus himself will restore and establish, 00:32:26.329 --> 00:32:30.009 himself will strengthen and support you even 00:32:30.009 --> 00:32:35.869 after you've suffered a little while. That's 00:32:35.869 --> 00:32:40.009 who he is. That's his heart. And that's why we 00:32:40.009 --> 00:32:43.210 can rest in the God who restores. You're not 00:32:43.210 --> 00:32:47.130 sustained by your own strength. You are not carried 00:32:47.130 --> 00:32:49.490 by your own resilience. You are held and will 00:32:49.490 --> 00:32:53.730 be restored by the God of all grace. Peter doesn't 00:32:53.730 --> 00:32:56.309 say the God of second chances. He doesn't say 00:32:56.309 --> 00:32:59.569 the God of pull yourselves up from your own bootstraps, 00:32:59.569 --> 00:33:06.119 right? No, he says the God of all grace. All 00:33:06.119 --> 00:33:08.920 the grace you need to endure. How many of you 00:33:08.920 --> 00:33:13.180 guys need grace to endure today? All the grace 00:33:13.180 --> 00:33:19.119 that you need to endure, he has it. All the grace 00:33:19.119 --> 00:33:21.920 that you need to repent and overcome sin in your 00:33:21.920 --> 00:33:24.480 life. Anyone ever dealt with sin? Ever? Ever? 00:33:24.619 --> 00:33:31.240 Ever? You got to say that. If you say today, 00:33:31.460 --> 00:33:34.759 everyone's like, I'm raising my hand in my heart. 00:33:38.620 --> 00:33:41.119 All the grace you need to repent, all the grace 00:33:41.119 --> 00:33:46.000 you need to overcome sin, he gives it. All the 00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:49.099 grace you need to be restored after failure, 00:33:49.319 --> 00:33:53.259 after failure, after failure, he pours it out 00:33:53.259 --> 00:33:57.920 freely. He's the God of all grace. And there's 00:33:57.920 --> 00:34:00.980 no crack or crevice in your life that is too 00:34:00.980 --> 00:34:05.579 deep for the grace of God to reach. And some 00:34:05.579 --> 00:34:09.420 of you are tired. Some of you are wounded. Some 00:34:09.420 --> 00:34:14.079 of you are tempted to give up. But this is who 00:34:14.079 --> 00:34:19.039 God is. He is not finished with you. He is not 00:34:19.039 --> 00:34:25.119 far from you. And my friends, he is full of grace 00:34:25.119 --> 00:34:32.289 for you. Peter goes on to say that God has called 00:34:32.289 --> 00:34:36.110 you into his eternal glory in Christ. And that 00:34:36.110 --> 00:34:39.230 means that if you are in Christ, God has already 00:34:39.230 --> 00:34:42.130 written your ending. It's a glorious ending. 00:34:42.230 --> 00:34:45.150 It's not pain -free, but it's glory -filled. 00:34:47.409 --> 00:34:50.329 And trusting in God to be a refuge doesn't mean 00:34:50.329 --> 00:34:53.070 that you won't get hurt along the way. But it 00:34:53.070 --> 00:34:54.989 does mean that along the way, he will be with 00:34:54.989 --> 00:34:59.829 you, and he promises to heal you from it. All 00:34:59.829 --> 00:35:07.079 the hurt. will be undone. For some of you, that 00:35:07.079 --> 00:35:10.219 is a message of hope, isn't it? All the hurt 00:35:10.219 --> 00:35:16.639 done to you will be undone. You were called not 00:35:16.639 --> 00:35:19.159 just to salvation, but to eternity with God. 00:35:20.820 --> 00:35:24.099 Not just to forgiveness, but to fellowship with 00:35:24.099 --> 00:35:29.699 him forever. And then Peter tags on this little 00:35:29.699 --> 00:35:32.369 phrase. After you've suffered for a little while. 00:35:33.090 --> 00:35:35.070 And I love it because it's intentionally vague, 00:35:35.210 --> 00:35:38.010 right? Some of you are like, what does a little 00:35:38.010 --> 00:35:43.789 while mean? It doesn't say. But I think, and 00:35:43.789 --> 00:35:46.349 a lot of scholars said this in their commentaries, 00:35:46.530 --> 00:35:52.050 it really ties to the length of your life. That's 00:35:52.050 --> 00:35:56.269 the guarantee. Your suffering will only last 00:35:56.269 --> 00:35:59.909 the length of your life here on earth. And then 00:35:59.909 --> 00:36:03.570 it'll be over. And in comparison to eternity, 00:36:03.889 --> 00:36:10.070 that ain't that much. It ain't. It isn't. It 00:36:10.070 --> 00:36:15.289 aren't. We did this once a long, long time ago, 00:36:15.309 --> 00:36:17.469 maybe when Pastor Jeff was still here. I think 00:36:17.469 --> 00:36:20.289 I got a chance to preach. Imagine this wall here 00:36:20.289 --> 00:36:24.090 is eternity, right? And your life is a speck 00:36:24.090 --> 00:36:27.230 you can't even see on there. All the pain and 00:36:27.230 --> 00:36:28.809 hurt that you've experienced in your life, all 00:36:28.809 --> 00:36:31.530 the worry and anxiety, all the trouble you've 00:36:31.530 --> 00:36:33.989 gone through and the wounds you've incurred are 00:36:33.989 --> 00:36:37.489 but a speck on this wall in light of eternity. 00:36:38.190 --> 00:36:40.269 And it's hard to see that now because we're in 00:36:40.269 --> 00:36:45.369 the fishbowl, right? But it's true. His word 00:36:45.369 --> 00:36:49.130 is true and we believe it by faith. And if that's 00:36:49.130 --> 00:36:53.030 true, then it is just for a little while. We 00:36:53.030 --> 00:36:55.360 can say to anything I've gone through, For a 00:36:55.360 --> 00:36:59.460 little while. Just for a little while. And after 00:36:59.460 --> 00:37:02.360 a little while, the promise is that he will restore. 00:37:02.780 --> 00:37:05.920 He will put back what was broken. The promise 00:37:05.920 --> 00:37:08.539 to persecuted believers, the promise to believers 00:37:08.539 --> 00:37:11.400 who suffer, is that everything that was lost, 00:37:11.539 --> 00:37:14.159 everything of value, everything of purpose and 00:37:14.159 --> 00:37:16.960 meaning, will be 100 % restored in the glory 00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:21.000 of his kingdom. That he will establish you, that 00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:23.119 he will ground you and root you and make you 00:37:23.119 --> 00:37:25.760 steady again, even if you feel tossed by the 00:37:25.760 --> 00:37:28.880 winds and the waves. That he will strengthen 00:37:28.880 --> 00:37:31.239 you, he will give you the power to keep going 00:37:31.239 --> 00:37:34.500 when you feel like quitting. He's the God of 00:37:34.500 --> 00:37:37.699 all grace. And he has grace for your quitting. 00:37:39.300 --> 00:37:41.559 And he's the God who will support you. He is 00:37:41.559 --> 00:37:43.800 the rock and the foundation that never moves. 00:37:43.900 --> 00:37:47.519 If you build your life on him, you will be immovable. 00:37:50.510 --> 00:37:52.550 And you notice, none of this language is try 00:37:52.550 --> 00:37:57.449 harder. None of this is just buck up, buttercup. 00:38:00.329 --> 00:38:04.469 It's all like, he's going to do it. He himself. 00:38:04.610 --> 00:38:07.929 He doesn't outsource it. He doesn't subcontract 00:38:07.929 --> 00:38:11.969 his restoration of you. He himself will do it. 00:38:14.789 --> 00:38:18.889 And Peter erupts in praise after that. To him. 00:38:19.519 --> 00:38:24.420 Be dominion forever. Amen. I think that's a word 00:38:24.420 --> 00:38:26.099 we need to hear because sometimes it feels like 00:38:26.099 --> 00:38:29.440 our suffering has dominion over us. And sometimes 00:38:29.440 --> 00:38:32.300 it feels like our fear has dominion over us or 00:38:32.300 --> 00:38:34.699 that the devil has dominion over us and they 00:38:34.699 --> 00:38:38.880 don't. God does. He always has and he always 00:38:38.880 --> 00:38:44.800 will. Amen? Satan may roar, but our God reigns. 00:38:49.480 --> 00:38:51.940 The trials may last, but God's dominion is eternal. 00:38:52.199 --> 00:38:54.280 And the pain may feel overwhelming right now, 00:38:54.340 --> 00:38:56.860 but the promise that God makes is unshakable. 00:38:58.460 --> 00:39:00.639 And it's something that we are to rest our lives 00:39:00.639 --> 00:39:04.119 in and stand firm in. The final point is a final 00:39:04.119 --> 00:39:08.659 encouragement. In these closing verses, there's 00:39:08.659 --> 00:39:11.559 one last set of encouragement that Peter gives 00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:14.159 to the church to stay rooted in God's grace. 00:39:14.619 --> 00:39:17.659 And it reads, verse 12, through Silvanus, a faithful 00:39:17.659 --> 00:39:21.079 brother, as I consider him. Silvanus, we won't 00:39:21.079 --> 00:39:23.000 cover it in detail, but Silvanus is the long 00:39:23.000 --> 00:39:26.840 word. It's the Jonathan to my John for Silas. 00:39:26.840 --> 00:39:29.880 If you know Silas from Acts, Silvanus is Silas. 00:39:30.119 --> 00:39:33.500 And he's a faithful brother to Peter. And he 00:39:33.500 --> 00:39:35.780 likely was either Peter's secretary who helped 00:39:35.780 --> 00:39:38.960 him write down this letter, or he was the man 00:39:38.960 --> 00:39:41.260 who Peter entrusted to deliver the letter to 00:39:41.260 --> 00:39:44.320 the churches. in the region. Through Silvanus, 00:39:44.320 --> 00:39:46.280 a faithful brother, as I consider him, I have 00:39:46.280 --> 00:39:48.360 written to you briefly in order to encourage 00:39:48.360 --> 00:39:51.019 you and to testify that this is the true grace 00:39:51.019 --> 00:39:55.360 of God. Stand firm in it. She who is in Babylon, 00:39:55.519 --> 00:39:57.900 chosen together with you, sends you greetings, 00:39:57.940 --> 00:40:01.159 as does Mark, my son. Greet one another with 00:40:01.159 --> 00:40:05.039 a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in 00:40:05.039 --> 00:40:09.019 Christ. And that's what sums up the letter. Peter 00:40:09.019 --> 00:40:10.659 is basically saying, everything I've written 00:40:10.659 --> 00:40:12.699 to you, everything we've studied for the last 00:40:12.699 --> 00:40:15.119 few weeks in 1 Peter, about suffering, about 00:40:15.119 --> 00:40:17.880 holiness, about the church, about resisting the 00:40:17.880 --> 00:40:20.659 enemy, all of this is part of what it means to 00:40:20.659 --> 00:40:24.679 live in the grace of God. This is what a grace 00:40:24.679 --> 00:40:29.460 -filled life looks like. And Peter says this 00:40:29.460 --> 00:40:33.130 grace -filled life, suffering and holiness, Life 00:40:33.130 --> 00:40:35.090 together in the church, being built together, 00:40:35.130 --> 00:40:38.829 the royal priesthood, resisting the enemy, not 00:40:38.829 --> 00:40:41.989 giving way to pride or worry, all of this together. 00:40:42.010 --> 00:40:46.829 Stand firm in it. Stand firm. And when Peter 00:40:46.829 --> 00:40:49.849 says stand firm in the true grace of God, he's 00:40:49.849 --> 00:40:51.469 using language that would have echoed in the 00:40:51.469 --> 00:40:54.030 minds of his first readers. These are people 00:40:54.030 --> 00:40:56.030 who lived in Rome under the shadow of the Roman 00:40:56.030 --> 00:40:58.599 Empire. And they were very familiar with the 00:40:58.599 --> 00:41:00.880 Roman legions and the battle exploits that they 00:41:00.880 --> 00:41:03.280 had. And the Roman legions, they didn't win battles 00:41:03.280 --> 00:41:05.840 by chasing down their enemies in chaotic battles. 00:41:06.059 --> 00:41:09.860 The Roman legions were known for a move, a strategy 00:41:09.860 --> 00:41:12.159 that they took, a tactic, which was they would 00:41:12.159 --> 00:41:15.300 interlock their shields together to create an 00:41:15.300 --> 00:41:18.300 impenetrable wall, both in front and on top. 00:41:19.579 --> 00:41:23.539 And this wall of shields held together by the 00:41:23.539 --> 00:41:25.780 resolve of your partner on your right and on 00:41:25.780 --> 00:41:29.150 your left. created a shield of safety in front 00:41:29.150 --> 00:41:31.570 of you, and you would stick your spears through 00:41:31.570 --> 00:41:34.289 that shield of safety, and the enemy would, in 00:41:34.289 --> 00:41:36.670 their arrogance, charge those shields, thinking 00:41:36.670 --> 00:41:38.489 they could take you down and only find that they're 00:41:38.489 --> 00:41:42.210 impaled on the spears as you stood firm. And 00:41:42.210 --> 00:41:44.090 to help you stand firm, because you knew when 00:41:44.090 --> 00:41:46.429 that enemy hit the front of that shield, you 00:41:46.429 --> 00:41:48.070 were gonna wanna retreat, you were gonna wanna 00:41:48.070 --> 00:41:50.489 push back, you were gonna be moved back by the 00:41:50.489 --> 00:41:52.889 horses and the men who were pushing against it. 00:41:52.969 --> 00:41:56.090 Many of the Roman soldiers would wear sandals 00:41:56.090 --> 00:41:58.889 that were fitted, with spikes, like golf shoes, 00:41:59.170 --> 00:42:02.570 with little longer spikes. And they would dig 00:42:02.570 --> 00:42:05.230 those spikes directly into the ground as they 00:42:05.230 --> 00:42:08.449 held their ground with the shield and wouldn't 00:42:08.449 --> 00:42:13.590 give up an inch. They stood their ground. And 00:42:13.590 --> 00:42:15.869 this is the image that Peter gives us. Not a 00:42:15.869 --> 00:42:18.610 scattered people who are running in fear, but 00:42:18.610 --> 00:42:22.530 a unified people holding the line. Feet grounded 00:42:22.530 --> 00:42:25.809 in grace. Faith locked with one another. Not 00:42:25.809 --> 00:42:28.429 backing down even when the enemy presses in on 00:42:28.429 --> 00:42:32.429 us. The victory is not how fast we move, but 00:42:32.429 --> 00:42:37.550 how firmly we stand. Stand firm in the true grace 00:42:37.550 --> 00:42:42.539 of God. Not in your strength. not in your performance, 00:42:42.800 --> 00:42:48.960 but in grace. And Peter says, she who is in Babylon, 00:42:49.219 --> 00:42:53.440 chosen together with you, sends a greeting. This 00:42:53.440 --> 00:42:56.500 is probably a metaphor for the church in Rome. 00:42:57.739 --> 00:43:00.099 The church in Rome, the people of God in Rome, 00:43:00.239 --> 00:43:03.139 sending greetings to these churches, standing 00:43:03.139 --> 00:43:06.059 together with them, firm in the faith, reminding 00:43:06.059 --> 00:43:08.280 them that they are not alone, that they're a 00:43:08.280 --> 00:43:11.619 part of a much larger church family. One body 00:43:11.619 --> 00:43:16.000 chosen together. And then he says to greet one 00:43:16.000 --> 00:43:20.960 another with a kiss of love. Now we're not going 00:43:20.960 --> 00:43:27.340 to start a new kissing ministry. But this principle 00:43:27.340 --> 00:43:31.099 of the church being marked by real affectionate 00:43:31.099 --> 00:43:35.000 gospel shaped love is probably more likened to 00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:37.099 the hugs that we give one another on a Sunday 00:43:37.099 --> 00:43:41.590 morning. It's a way of expressing. oneness with 00:43:41.590 --> 00:43:46.150 each other and love. It's not cold politeness, 00:43:46.329 --> 00:43:50.730 but it's real love. Tim Keller once said, the 00:43:50.730 --> 00:43:53.630 church is not a place you attend, it's a people 00:43:53.630 --> 00:43:59.670 you belong to. You look around, if you are a 00:43:59.670 --> 00:44:01.710 believer and your neighbor or your partner or 00:44:01.710 --> 00:44:04.429 the people in this room have their hope and faith 00:44:04.429 --> 00:44:08.809 in Christ, then you belong to one another. You 00:44:08.809 --> 00:44:12.500 belong to each other. And then Peter's final 00:44:12.500 --> 00:44:15.940 words. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. 00:44:17.400 --> 00:44:21.880 Not a peace from circumstances. Not a peace from 00:44:21.880 --> 00:44:27.139 Rome. For us, not a peace from this world. But 00:44:27.139 --> 00:44:31.340 peace that is found only in Christ. It's the 00:44:31.340 --> 00:44:34.039 kind of peace that surpasses understanding. It's 00:44:34.039 --> 00:44:36.300 the kind of peace that exists in the middle of 00:44:36.300 --> 00:44:39.340 suffering. And it's the kind of peace that... 00:44:40.139 --> 00:44:43.820 Guarded by grace and rooted in Christ alone, 00:44:43.960 --> 00:44:50.940 we can stand firm. Church, stand firm. Firm in 00:44:50.940 --> 00:44:53.920 the true grace of God. And stand firm together. 00:44:55.340 --> 00:44:58.119 Because Satan may roar, but our God reigns. Amen.