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[0:00] We're going to be reading 1 Peter 5, verses 5-14, which will conclude our study of the first epistle.

[0:24] ! Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.

[0:36] Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.

[1:03] Be sober-minded, watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

[1:17] Resist Him. Firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

[1:32] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

[1:51] To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. By Silvanus, a faithful brother, as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God.

[2:13] Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.

[2:32] Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

[2:42] Amen. There's much contained in that final chapter of 1 Peter. And I was thinking during lesson preparation about the age in which we live.

[3:05] I want to make a few comments concerning Western society. By that term, I essentially mean the United States and Canada and Western Europe.

[3:22] For the last 50 years or so, we have been living and many of us raising children in an age that is referred to as anti-intellectualism.

[3:35] anti-intellectualism is hostility to and mistrust of intellect, intellectuals, intellectualism, commonly referred or expressed as a deprecation of education and philosophy and the dismissal of art and literature and history and science as impractical, politically motivated and even contemptible human pursuits.

[4:09] Everything is suspect in the day in which we leave, but nothing more so than organized religion. Now, we do know that there are many religions in the world and a lot of them are very despicable with bizarre beliefs.

[4:33] They are Christ-rejecting and really are part of the anti-intellectual age. And I hope that you understand that what we believe and what we teach in this church is anathema to maybe 97% of the world or a small minority and maybe in some respects getting smaller.

[5:02] Who knows? All this has given rise to a spirit of mindlessness when it comes to many churches and denominations.

[5:15] They may display a cross, but that's about as far as they're willing to go in identifying with Christ or with Christianity. Entire denominations have rejected the truth of Scripture for a lie.

[5:36] For them, the Bible is out. It is no longer held as the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word of the living God.

[5:50] It is not seen as infallible. In this system, divine truth has been cast aside.

[6:00] divine truth is either ignored or mocked. This has given rise to the rejection of moral absolutes.

[6:13] People will tell you there's no such thing as a moral absolute. I remember one preacher having a discussion with some unbelievers in a large audience and he said, do you believe in moral absolutes?

[6:26] He said, no, there are no moral absolutes. Well, are you sure of that? I'm absolutely sure of that. There's no absolutes. So you're absolutely sure?

[6:37] I'm absolutely sure. Well, you just named an absolute. And he lost the audience. They started mocking him and laughing, you know. But they've, by and large, rejected moral absolutes.

[6:58] Many in our culture no longer believe in the concept of right and wrong. And this is all very against of how a person can know God.

[7:12] Well, what does the living God have to say about this? Consider these words from the mind of God. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

[7:38] Romans 128. The gospel is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the God of this world, and that's Satan, has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.

[8:04] 2 Corinthians 4, 3 and 4. Now this I say and testify in the Lord that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do in the futility of their minds.

[8:22] Ephesians 4, 17. And you were once alienated and hostile in mind doing evil deeds. Colossians 1, 21.

[8:32] But here's the definitive statement comparing the unregenerate mind with the regenerate mind.

[8:44] The mind that's been regenerated by the Spirit of God. And all these that I've read, including this last one, was by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul.

[8:58] In Romans 8, my favorite chapter, I guess, in the whole Bible along with John 6 and a couple others, but Romans 8, verses 5 to 8, for those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh.

[9:22] But those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death.

[9:36] But to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God.

[9:48] For it does not submit to God's law. Indeed, it cannot. those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

[10:03] Boy, that's powerful. Unbelievers in the flesh try as they might cannot please God.

[10:18] these verses of Scripture and there are many more speak to the human mind that is fallen.

[10:35] How do we make sure that we don't have such a mind as this? Godly attitudes Godly attitudes produce a spiritual mind.

[11:02] Godly attitudes and where do these godly attitudes come from? Well, they come from the indwelling Spirit of God as He reveals Scripture to us and a great source of understanding godly attitudes comes from 1 Peter chapter 5.

[11:33] We're going to take the words I've already read tonight and believe it or not we're going to briefly on each one of them review ten such attitudes in our study tonight.

[11:46] Now, understand we could spend several days several Mondays on each one of these and we can go elsewhere in Scripture and come up with more.

[12:03] But the first one I want to look at this evening is submission in the very first part of 1 Peter 5 the very first part likewise you who are younger be subject to the elders.

[12:27] We're to be submissive. Submission is a foundational attitude. But in honesty submission is sometimes very difficult for some people.

[12:44] Very difficult. picture in your mind this church. Don't yell out here but who's the head of the church?

[13:00] Well, if you answered the elders and pastor you of course would be incorrect. The head of this church is the Lord Jesus Christ has revealed to us in the Scripture by the Spirit of God but if He's not then we're doing something wrong and we better repent.

[13:23] The Lord Jesus and His Spirit have raised up elders in the church. Elders are all equal with each one but there's a caveat we refer to Pastor Mike as the first among equals because He's the shepherd of this flock we're the under shepherds some of us that are in here elders.

[13:49] How can a church be successful in the area of submission? We're going to do a lot of this tonight we're studying Peter but we're going to appeal to the Apostle Paul on a whole bunch of this here's a couple of verses in 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians 1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse 15 to 16 now I urge you brothers you know that the household of Stephanos were the first converts in Achaia and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints be subject to such as these and to every fellow worker and laborer and then in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 12 and 13 we ask you brothers to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the

[14:55] Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work be at peace among yourselves Christians are to be submissive actually to all authority because God has established and ordained all authority but they are especially submissive to the church that is led by the Spirit of God Hebrews 13 17 obey your leaders and submit to them for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account let them do this with joy and not with groaning for that would be of no advantage to you now if someone rises up and they say well we need to be doing this and that and it's unscriptural it's a violation of scripture don't obey that is it better for us to obey God or man so submission is our first attitude the next one is humility being humble or having a humble attitude clothe this is the next verses the second part of five and six clothe yourselves all of you with humility toward one another for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God so at the proper time he may exalt you

[17:12] I wasn't going to do this but that usually indicates I'm going to do it but great great preacher of another generation just behind me Harry Ironside neat name he was the head of Moody Church he got his staff together and he said you know he said I really struggle with being humble he said I have no humility I just I pray God will deliver me from that but it hasn't come so his staff wanted to be helpful so Dr.

[17:59] Ironside said this is Chicago downtown Chicago everybody downtown Chicago knows who you are everybody and this was in the day remember the sandwich board you wore this thing and it had some things on the front and on the back and so they talked him into you should wear this and walk around downtown Chicago business district over the noon hour thousands of people on the street that knew him and he you know basically said I'm Harry Ironside I at Moody Church I need I'm not a humble man that's a sin and I need to repent of that and he made this glowing thing you know he walked from noon to one o'clock and he went back to Moody

[18:59] Church and his staff had to help him out of the thing it was so big he said man that felt great he said I bet I'm the only preacher in Chicago that would do that I don't I don't think he got the message he was a great guy if we're going to obey the Lord's commands concerning submissiveness it will take a healthy dose of humility they fit together the word clothed used there means to tie something to oneself it was similar to an apron worn by servants if we are to be humble we must submit to those authorities over us the word humility means lowliness of mind it is an attitude whereby one serves willingly in the lowliest of tasks put in context this was not a desired trait in the first century in fact it was often used to describe slaves people saw humility as weak and even displaying cowardice but

[20:29] Peter you know he saw instances of the Lord Jesus behaving humbly none was more expressive of this trait than when the Lord washed the feet of his disciples and of course you remember old foot and mouth Peter you're not going to wash my feet he said then I have nothing to do with you well in that case wash everything he said no I just need to wash your feet Peter was always injecting you know into that but he washed the feet of his disciples this is God in human flesh guys that act was reserved exclusively for the lowliest of the slaves in a household Paul understood in real time humility and I love what

[21:34] Paul says so to keep me from becoming conceited because of the suppressing greatness of the revelations a thorn was given me in the flesh a messenger of Satan to harass me to keep me from being conceited three times I pleaded with the Lord about this that it should leave me he didn't want a thorn in the flesh he asked the Lord to remove it but the Lord said to me my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me and for the sake of

[22:38] Christ then I am content with weaknesses insults! hardships persecutions and calamities for when I am weak then I am strong this is what the Lord Jesus had to say in Luke 14 11 for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted!

[23:09] Well next on our list of godly attitudes is this trust trust! casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 7 cast all on him him him the Lord Jesus Christ as we develop the traits of submissiveness and humility we know that we can put our trust in the Lord's perfect purpose for us and no doubt Peter drew his words in this verse from one of David's Psalms Psalm 55 22 cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you he will never allow the righteous to be shaken and that word burden there can also mean anxiety

[24:11] David was anxious because every time he turned around he was being attacked by friends his friends looked more like Judas Iscariot than Jesus and casting means to throw something on someone else we're to throw all our anxiety on the Lord you know what he can handle it he can handle it he's got broad shoulders I still love this definition if you have anxiety just don't worry about it that always speaks to me just don't don't worry about it or what John MacArthur says look if you're anxious if you've got problems he said don't worry about it they're going to go away and be replaced by something worse so don't worry about it that was that was

[25:16] John's advice next on our list is self control they sound like Galatians chapter 5 study self control is next on our list and it says in first part of verse 8 be sober minded that can also by the way be stated as being of a sober spirit and the word sober I was a little surprised by this but it is actually used here to refer to self control as it relates to alcohol or intoxication that surprised me but that's what it said one interpretation is that of avoiding the intoxicating allurements of the world the flesh and the devil and that means we must have and exercise self control over ourselves we have to and then we have vigilance second part of verse 8 be watchful that means by the way be on the alert be on the alert your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour well thus far we've looked at submission and humility and trust and self control and these are all connected in this life we face attacks from

[27:19] Satan demons and the world and our own fallen flesh and that's why the spirit says exercise vigilance be vigilant! and we must constantly be watchful and on alert you young fathers you know I'm a grandfather and a great grandfather and I'm not with my future every day but the world wants them Robert you got two little girls and some of you other guys the world wants them you got to be on alert and I know Robert is and I'm sure others of you are this is warfare in every sense of the word we call it spiritual warfare it's very real it is very real

[28:19] I was in Vietnam about 1997 and during a deposition I had to get police chiefs give depositions all the time because we get sued You can't sue a police department unless you name the police chief that was just the way it was and this lawyer he said were you never in Vietnam I said counselor be careful how you ask that because I was now I wasn't there fighting the North Vietnamese and I wasn't there fighting Viet Kong I came later but I was in a war he said well what war did you fighting in Vietnam I said well it's called spiritual warfare and me and the fellow I was with took in 170 pounds of

[29:21] Bibles in the Vietnamese language and we had to get them in the country and we weren't sure how we were going to do that so we prayed when we landed we got together and we prayed the prayer that is kind of standard for people that smuggle Bibles or Christian literature into the forbidden countries and that prayer is Lord you made blind eyes to see we ask today that you make seeing eyes blind and we put these on the conveyor!

[30:04] belt the first one of us went through and just as the thing got up there the guy was looking at all these things and someone to his left fellow worker of his said something he looked around and it went right through and then we got the other one in 170 pounds so be watchful we're in spiritual warfare guy it's every bit as intense of any war has ever occurred in the world and to battle it we must stay awake and be on alert Christians are assaulted directly and indirectly and we have to be watchful for both modes of attack those that come directly those that come indirectly this is what the Lord told his followers in the garden of Gethsemane on the night he was betrayed watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak

[31:15] Matthew 26 41 now we know that our ultimate adversary is Satan we know that the Bible here pictures him as a lion prowling roaring seeking someone to devour interesting word devour in Greek language means to gulp down Satan wants us to be quiet or he claims he will destroy us of course he can't do that we are under the protection from the spirit of God nothing will ever befall us outside the direct or permissive will of God Satan and demons are real they're all around we don't know how many are some have suggested hundreds of millions some have suggested billions but they do their work against

[32:25] Christians and the church through human agents they enter into some unbeliever that wants to attack us the next attitude we want to mention here is fortitude 1 Peter 5 9 resist him firm in your faith knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world how do we resist the devil well let me tell you one thing we don't do and I've seen this so many times it nauseates me you ever see this and I'm being honest with you when I say this a lot in extreme charismatic settings they pray to Satan and they start commanding Satan and you you're not going to do this and you're not going to do that let me tell you how to resist the devil be firm in your faith and that means you better be in the word because that's where your faith will grow when we do that according to James 4 7 the devil and demons flee from us they can't stand against the word of

[33:48] God now the Lord himself raised up faithful leaders to shepherd his church in its infancy consider these words from Ephesians chapter 4 verses 11 to 14 and he gave the apostles the prophets the evangelists the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry for building up the body of Christ until we attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ so that we are no longer children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine by human cunning or by craftiness and deceitful schemes and

[34:50] Satan is a master at deceitful schemes Satan is a liar he's the author of lies if I asked you when's the first time he ever lied we would probably all say the garden of Eden to Eve he said is God really said and of course all human lies originate there but he first lied in heaven I will be higher than the most high God well that he got chunked out thrown down to earth he's a liar he's a deceiver he's cunning so how do we stand up to him we stand up to him by faithful obedience to the truth of scripture we are in an intense spiritual battle and there are victims in that some with eternal consequences we must have spiritual weapons to engage in this warfare 2

[36:06] Corinthians chapter 10 verse 3 and 5 for though we walk in the flesh we are not waging war according to the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ and the next Christian attitude we will examine is hope 1 Peter 5 10 and after you have suffered a little while are we going to suffer says after you have suffered a little while the God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore confirm strengthen and establish you there is a spirit of peace that comes over a

[37:13] Christian when he possesses hope in the matter that God intends and it's real simple hope is not something we wish for it's not something that we if you'll excuse the pun hope is not something we hope for hope is described in scripture as something already settled in the mind of God true believers can count on God doing all that he said he would do for them the circumstances we go through in this life ultimately at the end don't matter I was in one of the communist countries in Asia very forbidden for Christians to be there that's where we were at and the VOM worker I was with he says you know if we get killed here today what does it really matter if we believe the

[38:17] Bible what does it matter well I couldn't answer that I mean it doesn't matter if we're doing the will of God but we can count on God to do all that he says he will do in the end we count on God glorifying us in heaven additionally during this lifetime we can count on God sanctifying us through his spirit even in times of intense suffering sanctification means being steadily conformed to the image of Christ if you are not how do I put this if you're not different for the better since you were first saved then you're not being sanctified it's a process a lifelong!

[39:09] process make sure you understand sanctification and he says after you have suffered for a little while the Lord gives us a great promise in Romans chapter 8 what if you're suffering what if sufferings come to you and you know you're a believer you know that Romans 8 again chapter 8 what then shall we say to these things all these things causing us to suffer!

[39:47] If God is for us who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

[40:05] Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies who is to condemn?

[40:16] Christ Jesus the one who died more than that was raised and is now at the right hand of God and is interceding for us so who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

[40:30] Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? That's pretty much everything as it is written for your sake we're being killed all day long we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered no in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us for I'm sure King James says I'm persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord Romans 8 31 to 39 and I'll tell you how I used to make a comment on that nothing in death nothing in life and nothing in all creation what else is there what else is there

[41:41] I said that to one of my Armenian friends says well but I think I think you can jump out of God's hand really it says nothing Paul could press on because he had fixed his hope on Christ he'd fixed his hope on the promises of God next is worship and I taught like a 12 week block on this one time to him be the dominion forever and ever amen verse 11 that's great worship pray that tonight that's great worship Lord to you is the dominion forever and ever amen so be it Peter is here acknowledging that God has dominion over all things for eternity and dominion signifies strength God can dominate everything in this universe he is sovereign over everything in this universe

[42:47] God has all power all wisdom all authority and all sovereignty he alone is worthy of all praise and all the worship the saints of God can render to him and we're not going to say anything more tonight on worship but we just scratched the surface barely and then faithfulness 1st Peter 5 12 by Silvanus a faithful brother as I regard him I have written briefly to you exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God I love these four words stand firm in it that's a great passage in this section Peter refers to a man by the name of

[43:49] Silvanus there's another name for him probably more familiar maybe that's Silas Silas a traveling companion of the apostle Paul Silas was also designated a prophet in the book of Acts 1532 and Judas and Silas not Judas Iscariot who were themselves prophets encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words interestingly Silas was also a Roman citizen he served for a time as Peter's secretary he was writing down the words of first and second Peter Peter refers to him here as his faithful brother and we're to be faithful brothers as well to the Lord Jesus Christ and so important was faithfulness that Peter declares stand firm in it and then we come to the last

[44:54] Christian attitude and it's vitally important the attitude of love interesting the way this verse begins it's verses 13 and 14 final two verses of 1st Peter chapter 5 she who is at Babylon who is likewise chosen sends you greetings and so does Mark my son greet one another with the kiss of love peace be to all of you who are in Christ think back to the great chapter that Paul wrote 1st Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 13 now faith hope and love abide these three but the greatest of these is love and

[46:07] Peter starts the last words of the first epistle with the word she interesting she is a veiled reference to the church and then he says she who is at Babylon now we're not going to be dogmatic here but there's a real possibility that Babylon refers to or maybe as a code word for Rome and if you don't think Rome is not in the headlines tonight you just wait in the coming weeks going to be a whole bunch because if you hadn't heard the Pope died today Pope Francis now I believe and I don't want to offend anybody but I do it all the time that the Roman Catholic church will be used!

[47:03] tribulation period by Satan and Peter then tells us to greet each other with the kiss of love now let me tell you that's the English standard version I refer some of the other translation referred to as a holy kiss and I found out when I studied that a kiss was given by men to men and women to women but not men to women which is a good thing because my wife has certain attitude about that so we're to greet each other with a holy kiss don't read into that any type of sexual connotation there isn't any today we greet each other with an affectionate handshake and then

[48:05] Peter closes with a very simple statement peace to all of you who are in Christ Jesus peace to all of you who are in Christ well what better way to close our study of 1 Peter peace be to all of you who are in Christ let's pray father we bow our heads and our hearts in the blessed and holy name of Christ Jesus our Lord he did not leave us as orphans he sent another the very spirit of God to live in us to reveal truth to us to energize us and to do all these traits that we studied tonight Lord we don't know when the

[49:08]  Lord Jesus is coming back father but may we be found faithful and may we occupy with your great work through the church until he comes Lord bless these guys that are in this class use them in a mighty way Lord bring us back next Monday and I ask all this in the holy and blessed name of Jesus Amen