Only the Humble Endure.

Steve Gentry

[0:09] We’re going to have a seat. Welcome to Village Church. [0:11] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve, [0:13] one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:15] And as always, I’m thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:19] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to First Peter, Chapter five. [0:22] We’re going to be revisiting verse five and then finishing the chapter out.

[0:27] And today, as we bring a close to our series throughout the entire book of First Peter, [0:34] it’s important for us just to kind of remind ourselves that this is a book that was written [0:39] to Christians in the first century who were beginning to experience persecution for their faith. [0:46] Of course, this would produce different levels of suffering in the lives of those [0:51] who were experiencing persecution for their faith. [0:54] But it was because specifically that they were followers of Jesus Christ,

[0:58] that they were going to experience this persecution, whether it was physical suffering, [1:03] mental suffering, emotional suffering, as they were ostracized from community life, [1:08] sometimes family life, the religious life that they were familiar with. [1:13] And Peter kind of postures all of this, that all of it’s going to serve as a means [1:19] by which God is going to grow their faith and their faithfulness to Jesus Christ. [1:25] You know, Peter has maintained throughout this book that faithfulness to Christ would result

[1:30] in receiving the reward that was kept secure for them in heaven, [1:36] because it was guaranteed specifically by the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. [1:41] It was not that they were doing anything to earn this reward, rather, [1:45] it was because of the work of Jesus himself on the cross. [1:48] He had already earned redemption for them. [1:52] All that was required of them was to believe they were to depend entirely

[1:56] then on the grace of God, the power of salvation [2:01] that was given them for the endurance of their faith. [2:06] They were to depend on this alone. [2:09] So Peter wrote this letter to the dispersed churches to encourage [2:13] enduring through the suffering that they were going to experience, [2:17] while also understanding how they could utilize their suffering

[2:22] as a tool for evangelism so that their enemies could come to faith in Jesus Christ. [2:29] The conclusion of Chapter five serve is kind of what I think is a crescendo [2:33] of Peter’s message to these churches. [2:36] And bringing back in verse five from last week, [2:39] Peter’s going to begin to lay out the foundational element of salvation [2:44] that would serve as the very impetus for them to use for enduring through their suffering.

[2:51] It is faith in Jesus that requires [2:54] the humility he’s going to talk about in realizing your need for salvation from sin. [3:01] It is also that humility that aids in enduring because it serves as a constant reminder [3:07] that you need the power of God to strengthen you to live a life of faithfulness to his commands. [3:14] Most people. [3:16] Have very bad definitions of what humility is.

[3:19] Most people hold others accountable to a form of humility [3:23] that is no deeper than a woe is me mentality, broadcasting a self [3:28] deprecating thought that if I think lowly of myself and act lowly about myself [3:35] and never say anything positive about myself, well, then I’m the most humble person around. [3:40] No, you just are filled with self pity. [3:44] If that’s the life that you live, that actually has nothing to do with humility.

[3:48] And so one of the things that I hope to do today is kind of give a biblical view [3:52] as to what humility actually is, how you can live a life filled with real biblical humility [4:00] and understand that it has more to do with the way that you view God than the way that you view yourself. [4:06] Trusting in God builds a life of obedience that also affects the way that you view anxiety. [4:14] And I’m going to get myself in trouble with that one more time today.

[4:19] It helps you to understand that anxiety is not the natural human condition, [4:24] but rather anxiety is rooted in the curse of sin. [4:28] And when we give our anxieties over to God, casting all of our anxieties over to him, [4:33] we realize that the future is under his control and his grace is sufficient for my endurance [4:41] through all the troubles this life could possibly throw at me. [4:45] And it is actually when we pridefully hold on to our anxieties brought about by differing

[4:51] circumstances in life, that it actually limits your ability to trust God through the way he [4:58] commands you to live. [4:59] When we choose instead to walk by faith through real pain in and around our lives, [5:07] we learn just how God sovereignly orchestrates everything in our lives to his glory, as well as our good. [5:16] And it is then that we actually receive the strength we need to endure anything that Satan [5:21] is going to throw our way.

[5:24] I want to begin reading in verse five. [5:27] The apostle Peter writing, he says, Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. [5:33] Now, we covered that last week, so we won’t be covering that this week. [5:37] Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, [5:44] but gives grace to the humble. [5:47] Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you.

[5:58] Peter writes this in conclusion to everything that he has written throughout the entire book of First Peter. [6:05] And I call this the crescendo of his message, because everything that he has said thus far is what he is [6:11] referencing when he says humble yourselves, therefore. [6:14] Remember, therefore is beckoning back to everything that he’s talked about. [6:17] And I believe that when he says therefore right here, he’s saying everything that I’ve said from chapter one all the way [6:22] through chapter five should result in you having the faith that is necessary to humble yourself under the hand

[6:31] of a mighty God, understanding that if you walk into suffering dictated by the pride that consumes your heart, [6:39] you cannot possibly endure in your faith because you are going to be rejected by God himself. [6:47] God demands humility of his people. [6:51] It is the price of admission. [6:54] If you’re filled with pride, you will not understand your need of God’s salvation. [6:58] Therefore, you cannot experience God’s salvation.

[7:03] Therefore, number one, understand this morning, humility is trusting God with your life.

[7:09] Humility is trusting God with your life. [7:11] And of course, the opposite of that is trusting yourself with your life. [7:16] You cannot trust God and then trust yourself with life at the same time. [7:23] One will win. [7:25] And without the grace of God, you will become the worst false God you could ever find. [7:31] Last Sunday, we took a look at the beginning of verse five regarding the need for humility

[7:37] and relationship between church member and church pastor. [7:41] We talked about how leadership would be vital for the endurance of these Christians in suffering. [7:46] Of course, it is still vital for endurance. [7:50] But in our individualistic age, it can be difficult for some to imagine willfully submitting to leaders. [7:59] I know you’ve had bad experiences with that in the past. [8:02] There’s nothing I can do about that.

[8:04] But your experiences do not change God’s commands. [8:08] The vital key to life is that my experiences do nothing to change the commands of God on my life. [8:17] It might make it more difficult for me to obey God, but it in no way excuses my unwillingness [8:23] to obey God and no way excuses my disobedience to God the way that some would use it as an excuse to. [8:32] God has in his sovereignty developed a hierarchy of leadership in order, [8:39] according to this text that we’re reading today, to teach us humility before him.

[8:46] And the way that we humble ourselves with leaders, the way that we live in humility with other people [8:53] directly, according to the text, affects my ability to humble myself before God. [9:01] If you are a person, and I know many of you are, [9:05] because I know so many of you,

[9:08] where you are so filled with the pride of life that you cannot imagine someone knowing more than you, [9:14] someone having more authority than you, someone ever being authoritative over you. [9:20] I will tell you, you are going to struggle in relationship with God. [9:26] Because if God says, humble yourself towards church leaders, [9:32] imagine the level of humility he requires of you before him. [9:36] And therefore your relationship with other people directly translates into your relationship with God,

[9:40] because it’s going to directly translate into your posture through all of life. [9:47] Humility is required, friends, for your very entry into faith. [9:53] Because without humility, you will never have faith in God, [9:56] because you will never see the need for faith in God. [10:00] Because it translates into, do you think you even need salvation? [10:04] Humility, then, is required also after you come to faith in Christ for your endurance in the faith,

[10:11] because it is the way that you see your continued need for God-saving power to be active in your life. [10:18] Humility is not about, well, now you’re in, so you’re good. [10:22] Now you’ve got the religious ability to keep yourself saved. [10:26] No!

[10:28] Humility is the way you come in, and humility is the way that you stay. [10:33] Because once you come to faith in Jesus Christ, and you experience the power of God for salvation, [10:37] you realize, I am never going to be able to get this right on my own. [10:42] You realize just the strength that you lack, and the strength that he graciously gives. [10:50] And so, as I said, humility is not some self-deprecating posture [10:56] that just walks around thinking, woe is me, I’m no good, I’m such a weakling.

[11:01] No, humility is the willingness to understand who you are in light of who God is, [11:06] and then realize the love that God has for you, and you submit to God’s standards, [11:11] and then through that, you will have the ability to sacrifice in order to lift others up, [11:18] so that they can come to faith in Jesus Christ. [11:21] It’s about how you view yourself and how you view God. [11:24] Too many of you think that humility is all about how you view yourself in light of other people.

[11:30] And so you think that you’re only humble if you’re always putting yourself out, [11:34] and putting others up, and you’re always doing without so that others can have, [11:38] and you’re always saying, well, you know, it’s not like it’s fake, kind of self-loathing, [11:43] where you’re like, oh, there’s nothing good about me, don’t give me anything.

[11:48] Yeah, whatever. [11:50] We all know you’re faking it, because it’s basically like you’re saying, [11:53] I’m, I know, don’t encourage me, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, don’t congratulate me, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[12:01] That’s just negative narcissism on display. [12:04] But still, you are the center of your universe. [12:07] God commands that he be the center of the universe. [12:11] God commands he be the one who gets all of the glory. [12:14] And so it’s about forming a life in which you realize God is giving you great power. [12:19] God is giving you great potential.

[12:20] God is giving you a great place in his world in order to give him glory. [12:25] And it is about talking about him rather than yourself.

[12:30] But there’s nothing more painful than sitting in a room [12:33] with someone who only wants to talk about 37 problems that they have this week. [12:42] You say, where does God fit in your tragic tale, friend?

[12:46] See, that’s just as prideful as the person that wants to sit with you and tell them how great they are. [12:54] But we’ve convinced ourselves that it isn’t.

[13:00] Clothe yourselves is a vital phrase from verse five to term that would have meant in that time [13:08] tying on or binding a type of apron like a servant around yourself. [13:15] It’s the attitude expressed in the book of Philippians [13:18] where considering the needs of others above your own needs is prioritized. [13:23] The language used is also similar throughout the entire New Testament. [13:27] It’s a very important statement which has this theme in Pauline literature of putting off the old self

[13:31] and clothing yourself with the new self through faith in Jesus. [13:37] It points to the work accomplished by Christ to reconcile you to God [13:41] so that you can live in submission to his lordship under his power with his strength and with his giftings. [13:48] So if you’re experiencing the power of God, you are not going to walk through life woe is me. [13:54] I don’t understand that type of faith. [13:56] I don’t understand that type of religiosity where you think that experiencing the power of God means

[14:01] that you walk through life with your head down.

[14:04] I am saved by grace through faith. [14:07] I have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. [14:10] I have been forgiven by God. [14:12] I have been reconciled in relationship to him. [14:15] I do walk in his strength. [14:17] I do have the power to obey his command.

[14:19] I do have the giftings that the Spirit has given me to put on display towards other people. [14:24] And so if I am a follower of Jesus Christ, I’m going to walk through the world with my head high [14:28] and I am not going to pretend I am not a child of the King. [14:32] If that’s the life that you want to live, I feel sorry for you. [14:36] But understand I must confront you right now. [14:39] That’s not humility.

[14:43] That’s a pity party. [14:45] And no follower of Christ is ever called in the Bible. [14:49] I challenge you, find me in here where it says to live in a perpetual pity party is going to bring a single person [14:55] to faith in Jesus Christ. [14:58] Yes, life is hard. [15:00] Yes, life is painful.

[15:02] But no, I refuse to believe that my life is pitiable. [15:06] I have eternity in view.

[15:09] I’m a child of God.

[15:12] The theme here is to put on display the work accomplished by Christ to reconcile you to God [15:21] so that you can show others what it means to follow him. [15:25] Psalm 138, six informs us that without humility, God will not know you personally. [15:31] Says for though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. [15:37] Doesn’t that mean that what I just said is wrong? [15:39] No, because as I said, what am I lowly in comparison to?

[15:43] I’m lowly in comparison to God. [15:44] I need God. [15:46] It’s a haughtiness is another word for pride. [15:49] I don’t know why ESV uses King James English here. [15:53] But it’s just another word for pride. [15:54] It’s saying you are prideful or you are filled with pride.

[15:58] It’s about how you posture yourself where God is concerned. [16:01] And we’ll see in just a moment that when you in a self-deprecating way hold on to your anxieties. [16:08] Well, that’s what pride actually looks like.

[16:11] Proverbs 3, 34 identifies pride as the source of scoffing at God’s work towards the scorners. [16:18] He is scornful, but then he juxtaposes it. [16:21] He says, but to the humble, he gives favor. [16:25] And what is a scorner in the Bible? [16:27] A scorner in the Bible is anyone who looks to the work of God and tries to poke holes in it.

[16:36] I have been raised in ministry and I’ve been raised around pastors. [16:39] One of the most difficult thing that I viewed other pastors enduring is when they were doing great things for God [16:45] and people couldn’t help themselves. [16:48] All they wanted to do was find flaws in him.

[16:53] You understand that’s pride.

[16:56] It’s pride. [16:58] Nowhere in the Bible does it say you need to keep your pastor humble. [17:02] That’s not a spiritual gifting. [17:04] While I’m the chief discourager at my church, I keep my pastor discouraged. [17:09] I don’t know where you find that in Scripture.

[17:13] First of all, I’m afraid to encourage my pastor. [17:16] Good Lord, I can’t think of anyone that needs more encouragement than a pastor.

[17:23] As I said, humility is not about how you think about yourself. [17:27] Humility is how you feel about God and other people. [17:30] Humility is about how you posture yourself in a relationship to other people, [17:34] whether it’s negative or whether it’s positive, [17:36] whether you think you’re better than other people [17:37] or whether you refuse to believe you’re as good as other people.

[17:40] That’s pride.

[17:44] This is about trusting God’s power. [17:47] It takes humility to believe that God can work through you [17:52] and even the pain that you endure. [17:54] It’s unbelievable to me that people that can walk through painful diseases, [18:00] painful circumstances, painful loss, and still give glory to God through it, [18:04] still trust God through it.

[18:05] You want to know what humility is? [18:06] That’s humility.

[18:09] Humility is the ability to walk out of a doctor’s appointment [18:12] with the worst news you’ve ever heard and say praise God, [18:15] he will get me through this. [18:18] That is humility. [18:20] Because you’re not trusting yourself, [18:22] you are trusting the Lord.

[18:25] Pride, though, looks at pain and scoffs by thinking, [18:31] if God were active in my life, this would not be happening. [18:35] So that’s pride. [18:37] Humility thinks it will be incredible to see how God uses my pain for his glory. [18:43] I can’t wait. [18:45] So that’s humility.

[18:46] That’s true greatness. [18:48] 1 Corinthians 1, 28 through 31 states that God works through the lowly circumstances, [18:54] even though despised, even through rather despised people to show incredible glory. [19:00] It says God chose what is low and despised in the world, [19:03] even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are. [19:07] So that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

[19:10] And because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, [19:16] righteousness, sanctification, redemption. [19:19] So that as it is written, [19:22] let no one who boasts boast in the Lord. [19:25] What that means is let no one who is filled with boasting about his self [19:31] say, ain’t God great because I’m so good.

[19:37] Now, if you boast, you just look and say, I cannot believe how good God is. [19:42] It has nothing to do with me. [19:44] It’s about worshiping God and giving him all the glory. [19:48] Therefore, you have to get over yourself to experience the power of God. [19:53] Again, that can be negative or that can be positive. [19:57] Because I know in a room with this many people,

[20:00] some of you need to get over yourself because you just win all the time. [20:04] It’s tough. [20:06] Being a winner is the hardest thing that’s ever happened to me. [20:10] And so it’s tough to get over yourself. [20:12] But understand, there’s another portion of you in the room. [20:15] You think you were born a loser.

[20:18] You think that you were born half a step behind everybody else. [20:21] And that’s just the way that you felt your whole life. [20:24] And in order to experience the power of God, [20:27] it’s just as hard to get over that as it is to get over the kind of pride [20:31] that says I’m such a winner.

[20:34] Both of you must submit to the glory of God [20:38] over whether it is the congratulation of self [20:43] to the deprecation of self.

[20:48] When he says.

[20:52] Clothe yourself with humility.

[20:56] For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

[21:02] Jesus said something similar in Luke 14, where he said [21:05] everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.

[21:10] You see, it’s not always a call to faith. [21:15] Sometimes it is a warning about judgment.

[21:18] And Jesus gives this warning that if you exalt yourself [21:21] and to exalt yourself again, I want you to always keep in mind [21:24] it’s both sides of a coin. [21:26] You can exalt yourself because you’re number one [21:30] or you can exalt yourself because you’re hopeless. [21:32] And that is the same psyche working in opposite directions.

[21:38] Because you can clothe yourself with pride [21:42] by putting yourself behind and saying there is no hope for me. [21:46] I cannot be as good as others. [21:50] There’s also the one that says I’m better than others. [21:53] They’re both self exaltation. [21:56] But Jesus says he who humbles himself will be exalted.

[22:00] And how do you humble yourself? [22:02] You point everything to God and say, I cannot, but God can. [22:06] So do not then put yourself in God’s seat. [22:11] That’s the key. If you do, [22:14] then whenever your plans don’t work out, [22:18] you are not going to endure and safe.

[22:22] Therefore, the only answer is to trust his plan over your own. [22:27] Trust him in all things. [22:29] And so if humility is trusting God with your life, [22:34] pride number two is trusting yourself with anxiety. [22:42] That’s where the text goes. [22:43] Look what he says again.

[22:44] Verse six, humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, [22:47] so that at the proper time as a key, [22:51] he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him [22:55] because he cares for you. [22:57] Be sober minded, be watchful. [22:58] Your adversary, the devil,

[23:00] prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. [23:03] Of course, I mean, I think it should be obvious that this is the core [23:07] of the text we’re covering today, so I’m going to spend the most time on it. [23:11] This is so filled with theology and so filled with application that we must. [23:17] And so I want to begin with the hard part, the trouble with anxiety. [23:22] Because he makes a command in the midst of all of this

[23:26] to cast all of your anxieties on him, [23:28] but he phrases it as though it’s just inferred that that’s going to happen. [23:33] He says he says that in the positive, he says, [23:35] if you’re going to humble yourselves under the hand of the mighty God, [23:37] obviously, you’re going to be casting all of your anxieties [23:41] on to him because you’re not allowed to hold on to them,

[23:44] because that means you’re trying to be God.

[23:48] The trouble with anxiety is that you convince yourself [23:51] that you’re the only one that understands. [23:53] You convince yourself that you’re the only one who can control it. [23:56] You convince yourself that no one else understands you, not even God himself. [24:01] And so you hold on to it. [24:05] Because you won’t give it to God.

[24:07] And he says, that’s the only answer. [24:11] The text is clear. [24:12] I do not believe this is a difficult text, no matter what we want to think. [24:17] God calls us to be humble in us, to trust him. [24:21] And the fruit of that trust is casting our anxiety on to him. [24:28] How can we do that?

[24:29] Psalm 55, 22 is very similar to this text. [24:33] Cast your burden, calls it a burden in this text on the Lord, [24:38] and he will sustain you. [24:39] He will never permit the righteous to be moved. [24:44] And so the psalmist writes casting your burden on God [24:47] because he will never permit you to be moved

[24:50] if you are part of his righteousness in the gospel. [24:53] Jesus gifts you his righteousness. [24:55] The text also says he cares for us. [24:59] And is therefore powerful enough to prevent us from being moved. [25:04] This issue is very personal, even according to scripture. [25:11] Now, our current society

[25:14] has formed an entire system around the issue of anxiety [25:18] that obviously I believe is just as dangerous as the prosperity gospel, [25:23] because it is just as condemning. [25:26] And the system that we have formed as a society,

[25:31] we unfortunately treat anxiety. [25:34] Now, I understand I’m going to do my best. [25:36] I’ve written some very clear sentences that I’m going to try to say [25:40] to qualify everything that I’m going to say for all of you that, [25:44] quite frankly, no matter what I say, are going to get mad about it.

[25:48] And I want you to understand that’s not my goal at all. [25:51] My goal is to free you. [25:54] My intention is I believe that there is freedom available to you [25:58] that you do not believe is available to you. [26:01] And I believe that the scriptures testify to the freedom [26:04] that’s available to you.

[26:06] And you do not want to grasp it because you’ve been lied to [26:10] and you’ve been deceived by false teachers.

[26:15] Mostly Pfizer.

[26:20] That’s what they see.

[26:25] And so our current system wants you to believe that anxiety [26:29] is a prison that you will inhabit all of the days of your life. [26:33] And the best you can hope for [26:36] is a respite from the storm [26:39] through a combination of chemicals and therapeutic practices [26:44] that form two things that are dangerous.

[26:47] And I’ve read the peer reviewed literature. [26:49] I do have a degree in this. BTDubs.

[26:54] They form two things. First, they form dependency. [26:58] Secondly, they form coping mechanisms that are dangerous. [27:02] This forms nothing more [27:05] than excuses for why you cannot function the way others function [27:11] and why you do not have the potential to develop and grow [27:16] that other people have.

[27:19] Now, on the other side, I want to be clear. [27:21] Philippians four, six through seven carries a command with a promise. [27:25] Do not be anxious about anything [27:28] in the original language that has a secret meaning [27:32] that means do not be anxious about anything. [27:36] That’s the secret meaning in the Greek for you, Greek people.

[27:41] But in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, [27:45] let your requests be made known to God. [27:47] Do you see the humility in the second half of that text?

[27:51] Especially with Thanksgiving, [27:53] it’s difficult when your brain convinces you. [27:56] And this is what happens in anxiety. [27:58] I’m no fool. [27:59] It is difficult when your brain convinces you that you are going to die [28:03] and that the world is crumbling around you to be thankful.

[28:08] And do you think that God is not intelligent enough [28:11] to understand that right here in this text? [28:14] When he says, don’t be anxious, the world’s not falling apart. [28:17] Give me thanks.

[28:19] And he says, let it be known to God [28:22] and the peace of God that you don’t believe you can have.

[28:27] Which any qualifies, qualifies, this is the peace of God. [28:29] And then you’re like, well, I can’t have that. [28:31] Which surpasses all understanding. [28:32] God’s saying, I don’t expect you. [28:34] I don’t expect a therapist. [28:35] I don’t expect a counselor.

[28:36] I don’t expect your family physician to understand [28:40] the supernatural peace that is only going to come to you [28:44] by the power of the Holy Spirit. [28:45] And your unbelieving therapist does not understand that and never will. [28:52] But God commands it. [28:55] He says, God will guard your heart.

[29:00] Oh, by the way, and your mind.

[29:04] In Christ Jesus. [29:07] And so Paul, one of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit [29:10] juxtaposes anxiety and peace. [29:15] What those who struggle with this issue. [29:19] Here. Even in this text.

[29:24] The problem with talking about this is what you might receive [29:28] in me saying this is that I’m just one more person saying [29:32] you’re not trying hard enough. [29:34] And so what happens there? [29:36] Well, you you crash out, you start to spin out control. [29:39] You get anxious about not being anxious.

[29:43] And so now comes a panic attack. [29:44] The world’s falling apart all around you. [29:47] What do you do? [29:48] Well, you understand that that’s really not what I’m saying. [29:52] You see, when you are filled with or even paralyzed, [29:55] and I understand it will paralyze you

[29:58] when you’re paralyzed by anxiety, worry, stress. [30:02] And the list goes on and on. [30:04] What I’m trying to say is that it is directly connected [30:07] to your relationship with God, and yes, thereby your faith in Jesus Christ. [30:13] But what I want you to understand is, is that the mind [30:17] is actually one that is built by God for stress,

[30:24] for sadness, for happiness, for concern, for fight, for flight.

[30:34] And so understand. [30:36] That doesn’t have to be a bad thing. [30:39] But if you have a moment where you’re like, I’m in trouble, [30:42] the answer isn’t to hollow yourself out chemically [30:44] so that you never think that there’s trouble. [30:47] You might die if you never think there’s trouble and there is.

[30:51] But what I want you to understand is that these factors in the mind [30:55] actually keep you alive. [30:57] They actually keep you productive. [31:00] They actually keep you human. [31:03] And it is why. [31:06] That when they translate into the reasons

[31:08] you cannot live by faith, [31:11] you need to begin to see the sin problem emerging.

[31:16] When you say I can’t do that [31:19] because of my anxiety, [31:22] even with the commands of God, even with serving other people, [31:25] even with church. [31:28] Understand that’s where it’s becoming a sin problem [31:30] because it becomes a faith problem.

[31:32] You need to understand that God’s care and his promises are sufficient. [31:36] It’s not about you trying harder. [31:37] It’s about you simply accepting.

[31:41] Romans eight, five through eight, for those who live according [31:43] to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh. [31:46] That’s a spiritual reality. [31:47] But those who live according to the spirit set their minds [31:49] on the things of the spirit for to set the mind on the flesh is what death. [31:54] But to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace

[31:58] for the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, [32:02] for it does not submit to God’s law. [32:05] Indeed, it cannot. [32:05] Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. [32:10] And so he says there’s two postures. [32:12] There’s the flesh.

[32:13] There’s the spirit. [32:14] And when Peter tells you to clothe yourself with humility, [32:19] it is the idea that Christians are to live [32:23] under the control of the Holy Spirit all the way through thought processes. [32:30] Yes. Believe you me, [32:34] there are disorders that necessitate cognitive therapy

[32:39] and even chemical intervention.

[32:45] As a last resort.

[32:49] What we have accepted, even as Christians, [32:53] we’ve accepted this from an unbelieving society. [32:57] Is that the last resort becomes the first response [33:02] to the neglect of the supernatural intervention of God through faith.

[33:08] You see, friends, the two promises in this section [33:13] are first that God will exalt you. [33:17] But you know, there’s another promise. [33:19] It says he cares for you. [33:22] God is never going to call you to something that will destroy you. [33:27] He cares for you.

[33:29] He loves you. [33:31] And so when his word disagrees with society at large, [33:36] it’s not because God is in heaven saying, well, I’m just going to let you die. [33:41] I’m just going to destroy you. [33:42] No, it’s because God has got it and he has the best for you. [33:49] Much of the problem with anxiety

[33:53] is that it dreads unintended [33:57] outcomes that you don’t even know about. [34:00] And it spends your whole life spinning out [34:02] because you’re concerned about what’s in the future. [34:05] You’re concerned about what’s behind the corner. [34:07] You’re concerned about what’s behind that door.

[34:09] You’re concerned about what this person is going to choose. [34:12] You’re concerned about what that person might do. [34:14] You’re concerned you might never meet that person. [34:16] You’re concerned that you will meet that person. [34:18] You’re concerned that that person might ask you a question. [34:20] You’re concerned that the broccoli might be bad.

[34:23] I mean, you’re just concerned all day, every day. [34:27] And that’s difficult. [34:28] I’m not downplaying it.

[34:33] But what you’re doing is spiritually speaking, [34:36] you’re wanting to control [34:40] things that God says you’re not allowed to. [34:44] You’re wanting to control things that God says. [34:48] Let me sovereignly care about that, because I care about you. [34:52] His passage calls for the faith

[34:55] to leave the outcome to God [34:59] and a whole host of things and trust him. [35:03] Because again, he will exalt you. [35:05] That means his power is sufficient. [35:06] And then he cares for you, which means he is trustworthy with love. [35:11] You see, Paul wrote in Second Corinthians one, eight through 10 about concerns

[35:15] because Paul was concerned. [35:18] Paul lived a crazy life. [35:21] Look at verse eight. [35:22] We don’t want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction [35:25] we experienced in Asia. [35:27] We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.

[35:32] And so Paul’s saying him and his crew were looking at each other, saying, nice [35:35] knowing you. [35:37] We it’s like Indiana Jones when he’s in the temple and he’s like, [35:40] we are going to die. [35:43] Paul and his friends look at each other, saying, we are going to die. [35:47] And he says, indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death,

[35:52] but that was to make us rely on. [35:54] I love this for you. [35:57] That was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead. [36:04] He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us [36:09] on him. We have set our hope and he will deliver us again. [36:13] He says he will deliver us three times.

[36:15] I think the first two were about deliverances [36:18] that you’re going to experience in this life. [36:20] And I know that the third one was Paul saying, even if I had died, [36:23] he was going to deliver me. [36:26] Because where does he say his source of faith came from, from the resurrection? [36:31] And what did Jesus have to do to rise from the dead?

[36:33] Well, I don’t know if you know this or not, but he had to die.

[36:37] And so what is Paul saying? [36:39] Paul saying, I did not enjoy that experience. [36:41] I give it a one star review.

[36:44] When he says I despaired, he’s saying I was scared. [36:49] I had anxiety. [36:51] I was concerned. [36:53] I was worried. [36:55] I was stressed. [36:56] And it is when you get to that point that you have a decision to make.

[37:03] Do I hold on to my anxiety? [37:06] Or do I cast it onto God, knowing that even if the worst outcome happens, [37:11] he’s just going to raise me from the dead.

[37:15] Paul looked at the resurrection. [37:18] And he said, he will deliver us again. [37:21] Paul believed that even if he died, he was going to be delivered by God. [37:25] And that’s why it’s important for you to understand the devil devours [37:29] through prideful fretting. [37:33] The opposite of that kind of faith

[37:36] is being devoured by the devil. [37:38] The word picture here is devastating.

[37:41] I don’t know if you know this or not, but being eaten by a lion [37:43] is pretty much a worst case scenario for anyone. [37:48] You ever watch the safaris on YouTube or the lions get a little too close? [37:53] It’s why I will never go on a safari in Africa. [37:56] It’s because the lions might get too close and I don’t want to be eaten by a lion. [38:02] So what does Peter mean by that?

[38:04] What Peter is saying is when he says the devil prowls around [38:07] like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, he’s saying faithfulness, [38:11] faithlessness, rather, is the worst case scenario. [38:14] Satan is not actually a physical lion. [38:17] I don’t know if you know that. [38:19] And so he’s using a word picture here.

[38:21] He’s using a worst case scenario and he’s saying pride [38:24] is the gateway to Satan devouring you. [38:28] Satan wants you to be consumed by pride. [38:31] He wants you to abandon the hope of faith. [38:33] He wants you to be filled with prideful anxiety. [38:36] He wants you to take all responsibility onto yourself

[38:41] and he wants you to cease to endure through suffering. [38:47] So why then is anxiety a sin? [38:51] Because anxiety denies the power [38:54] and the care of God. [38:57] And it places all the power on the self.

[39:02] Anxiety condemns you where you stand. [39:05] And refuses to take your grip off of it. [39:10] Knowing that even though you can’t control it, you don’t believe God can either. [39:15] Thus, in a very practical sense, [39:18] anxiety chooses to die rather than trust God. [39:21] And that’s how Satan devours through anxiety.

[39:27] But third, God uses our faithful actions to accomplish his will. [39:34] Look in verse nine. [39:37] Resist him. I love that. [39:40] He gives us the worst case scenario, [39:42] and then he sums up in two words what we’re supposed to do about it. [39:45] And by the way, there is a lion in the streets.

[39:49] By the way, he is trying to devour you specifically. [39:53] He knows your name and he’s after you. [39:58] And you’re like, well, yikes. [40:01] I don’t want to be eaten.

[40:04] And Peter just looks at a church. [40:07] The suffering. [40:09] A church that’s hurting. [40:11] A church that is filled with anxiety, that makes perfect sense to me [40:15] and it should to you, because many of them would die for their faith. [40:18] He looks to them and he says, by the way, if you keep all of the burden on yourself,

[40:23] Satan is standing at the gate. [40:25] He’s going to seek to devour you like a lion. [40:27] You’re like, well, good night. [40:28] Do you have any lion repellent? [40:29] And he says, yes, resist him. [40:32] Just say no.

[40:34] That’s too easy, Peter.

[40:37] Firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of sufferings [40:41] are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [40:43] And after you’ve suffered a little while, the God of all grace, [40:48] who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, [40:53] confirm, strengthen and establish you to him. [40:58] Be the dominion forever and ever.

[41:01] Amen. And then he introduces a few people.

[41:08] Passivity is not the answer.

[41:13] Peter returns in this section to the concept of being sober minded from verse eight. [41:20] He says, this is the means by which you will trust God. [41:23] You will be sober minded about it. [41:24] It is how you deal with the devil prowling around like a roaring lion. [41:28] You think straight. [41:30] When many people think about spiritual warfare,

[41:33] they deal only with fantastical notions picked up from things like the movie The Exorcist. [41:38] Peter, though, faces the problem of anxiety and says, that’s spiritual warfare. [41:44] He says, Satan’s going to use it to try to deter your faithfulness to God. [41:49] And his immediate solution is for Christians to sober up to the reality in life. [41:56] I believe reality is a wonderful thing because God made it [42:00] and you have to engage it every single day or Satan will use it to eat you alive.

[42:09] Too many of you sit in passivity waiting for God to wave Dumbledore’s magic wand [42:15] over your life to bring solutions to the pain that you are enduring. [42:19] But the answer is not passivity. Faith moves. [42:23] It works. You must engage life. [42:27] Being sober minded begins with facing reality with the faith [42:32] that God is sovereign over every single circumstance.

[42:35] He cares for you and he will empower you to make obedient decisions, [42:40] to destroy the barriers Satan seeks to encourage you with. [42:46] And so don’t sit there claiming faith. [42:50] We’ll just let go and let go.

[42:53] Hopefully he does something.

[42:57] God has already shown up. [43:00] He showed up to create the world. [43:03] He showed up to redeem through Jesus. [43:07] He showed up by baptizing you with his indwelling Holy Spirit. [43:11] He shows up in every decision that I make with spirit filled mind [43:19] to resist the enemy and make him flee.

[43:24] That’s why you tell me Satan’s in my front yard. [43:26] I’m not going to the backyard. I’m going to go see if he’s really there. [43:30] Nothing will make me happier than to resist that coward face to face. [43:34] He will flee. James 4, 7, submit yourselves therefore to God, [43:38] resist the devil, he will flee from you. [43:40] He has no power over the Christian.

[43:44] He can accuse you. [43:45] He probably already is. [43:48] And the response is, that’s not true. [43:50] I’m a child of God. [43:53] Satan flees when I tap into the power of God by doing very simple things [43:57] like making obedient decisions of scripture, being watchful.

[44:01] It’s about being on alert with my sober mind. [44:06] He calls Satan the adversary in this text. [44:10] You know, that is a legal distinction. [44:13] Satan is my legal opponent, [44:15] and I think this is an interesting choice of words theologically, [44:18] because the gospel states that God loves me to the extent

[44:22] that Jesus took my guilt and gifted me with his righteousness. [44:26] And so the theological concept of justification [44:30] is the legal declaration by God that I am innocent [44:34] because Jesus paid my penalty. [44:37] And so I believe Peter uses the term adversary [44:40] because Satan will seek to make me question

[44:44] whether God actually loves me, whether God actually cares for me [44:48] and whether God has actually forgiven me.

[44:51] And so you want to know why follower of Christ, [44:53] that sin from 10 years ago still looms over your head. [44:57] It’s not because Jesus is holding it against you. [45:01] No, he’s forgiven you. [45:03] He’s justified you just as if it hadn’t really happened. [45:07] It’s because Satan is holding it over your head.

[45:10] And the answer is to say, I’m innocent. [45:13] Jesus paid the penalty. [45:14] See, Satan is my adversary, [45:17] and so the term resist means to take a stand against him. [45:20] And then he says, firm in your faith. That’s a posture. [45:24] That’s why I always talk about the way you posture yourself in life.

[45:27] You do not and never should cower to spiritual warfare, [45:31] nor should you fear it. You fight. I love a good fight. [45:36] There’s nothing better than a good fight. [45:39] Second Corinthians, 11, 13 through 15 deals [45:41] with the deceitful schemes of the devil. [45:43] He says, for such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen

[45:46] disguising themselves as apostles of Christ, [45:49] those wolves and sheep’s clothing. And no wonder. [45:52] I love this. For even Satan himself is disguised as an angel of light. [45:58] So it’s no surprise if his servants also disguise themselves [46:01] as servants of righteousness, their end will correspond to their deeds. [46:06] I love the hopefulness that he puts in dire circumstances.

[46:09] He says, by the way, [46:10] Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, [46:13] and you’re probably going to fall for it every once in a while. [46:15] And also, he’s got all these people in this world that actually serve his cause, [46:19] and they’re going to disguise themselves as apostles. [46:22] They’re going to disguise themselves as prophets, and they’re false.

[46:25] And you might get tricked every once in a while, but good news, [46:27] they’re all going to go to hell.

[46:31] It’s like, well, I wish they would go now.

[46:35] But make them less of a problem.

[46:39] You see, Satan wants me to believe he’s an angel of light. [46:44] He wants me to believe that his lies are true. [46:48] And ultimately, he wants me to believe that God is wrong and I should not trust him. [46:54] That’s why he says, resist him firm in your faith. [46:58] When you know what is right, [47:01] you won’t be deceived by what is wrong.

[47:05] Friends, humble yourselves under the hand of our mighty God. [47:11] He cares for you. [47:13] He wants to give you peace. [47:16] God wants you to have the righteousness of his son, Jesus Christ. [47:19] And you say, but my life is filled with worry. [47:21] My life is filled with pain. How can I do that?

[47:24] Because Jesus has proved it on the cross. [47:28] He lowered himself into the deepest depths of suffering [47:33] for sin that you committed and he is innocent of. [47:37] And he did it willingly. Why? Because God cares for you. [47:40] Because that’s the love with which he loves us. [47:45] We live in an age where Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

[47:49] And what I believe are so many therapeutic practices [47:55] that seek to keep you weak, [47:58] that seek to keep you impotent in your faith, [48:02] refuse to accept it. [48:04] He promises us, he says, there’s an entire brotherhood [48:07] around the world suffering alongside you. You’re not alone.

[48:11] But then he says, I love this promise. [48:14] The God of all grace will give himself glory by doing what? [48:20] By restoring you, confirming you, strengthening you and establishing you. [48:24] I love the four pronged promise at the end of First Peter. [48:28] And so the question that only you can answer, [48:30] I can’t answer for your friend.

[48:32] Will you trust him by standing firm in your faith until that day? [48:36] We trust him. [48:39] A few application points. [48:40] Clothe yourself in the humility God commands. [48:44] As I said, that’s difficult on both sides of the spectrum. [48:50] But he says, trust God, humble yourself before him.

[48:55] Secondly, give your anxieties over to God through faith. [48:58] It’s not a magic wand.

[49:01] It’s not an overnight success. [49:03] Are you still going to be anxious? Oh, yeah. [49:05] Are you still going to be tempted to despair? Oh, yeah. [49:09] But life is not a microwave. [49:13] Life is a long, hard obedience in the right direction, [49:15] where you’re a little bit more obedient today than you were yesterday.

[49:18] And hopefully I’ll be a little bit more obedient tomorrow than I am today. [49:22] He will give you peace, but the journey through it is always required. [49:27] Third, refuse to let the worst case scenario consume you. [49:33] You are surrounded by worst case scenarios every day. [49:37] And the problem is, some of you see it.

[49:42] Others of you blissfully ignorant, I wish I was you.

[49:46] But some of you walk through life and you just see the worst case scenario [49:50] every day, and that’s always the moment you need to preach the gospel to yourself. [49:55] And say, though I die, [49:57] he will deliver me. [49:59] And then finally, tap into the mind of the spirit [50:03] and resist the devil.

[50:05] He’s wrong. [50:07] It’s always been wrong. [50:09] And he will always be wrong. [50:11] God is right.