Sermon by Samaroo Sookraj
SUB: Under The Mighty Hand of God
TEXT: 1 Pet. 5:5-141Pe 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
1Pe 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
1Pe 5:11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
1Pe 5:12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.
1Pe 5:13 The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.
1Pe 5:14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Intro: 1) What does it mean to humble your self under the mighty hand of God? An anthropomorphism;
a. Generally, it certainly involves an attitude of deep reverence toward God; letting every conscious thought be in submission to His will, in order that every word and deed might be pleasing to Him.
b. It also means, when we fall short of this - we acknowledge that, repent and return to the right path, prompted by a conscience in tune with God's will.
c. But we need not leave this important matter in general terms. In the context, there are at least five things which define what it means to place ourselves under the mighty hand of God.
1. BE CLOTHED WITH HUMILITY (5).
A. To be a Christian you must be dressed for that work. Many passages in the New Testament deal with that "dress" or "attire" that is appropriate for Christians. Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Col 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
Col 3:14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
B. Here in 1 Peter 5:5, we told to be clothed with humility. When I see myself as I really am before God; when I measure myself and judge myself by the perfect standard of God, telling myself the truth about whom and what I am, the attitude produced by that process is humility.
i) Humility is not self-hatred;
ii) It does not involve a denial of my potential or my good choices and character.
iii) Humility is a true, an honest view of who and what I am. Colossians 3:12 says we must put on humility. Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
And this passage says that we must "gird" ourselves (clothe or wrap ourselves) in this attitude called humility.
C. This is essential to placing my self under the mighty hand of God. Thayer makes the connection between this attribute (humility) and submission to God: “. . . to submit one's self in a lowly spirit to the power and will of God," (Thayer's, 614,615).
2. CAST ALL YOUR CARE UPON HIM (7).
A. Life here on earth will always entail a variety of concerns and cares. There are troubling distractions, fears, problems and pain.
i) We cannot escape sickness, disappointment and emotional distress. For those Christians who were the original recipients of this epistle - there was the daily experience of persecution.
B. As a child of God, I can turn these cares over to the Father!
i) By trusting His Word, praying to Him and letting my perspective and attitude be determined by His written will, I am casting all my care upon Him.
ii) This is possible and this is powerful because HE CARES FOR US.
iii) "Care" as applied to God in this verse is not the care of anxiety, but the care of forethought and interests issuing in His providence for our benefit. Jesus said: Matt. 7:11"If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him," .
When I clothe myself in humility and cast my care upon the Father, I'm placing my life under His mighty hand! I believe that one must "Do all you can with that problem, but before you do anything - give it to God and decide you will follow His will!"
3. BEING SOBER AND VIGILANT (8).
Peter said: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
A. If there is a vicious enemy out in the streets, "seeking whom he may devour," I MUST BE WATCHFUL.
i) This verse teaches the necessity of constant attention, in view of the restless energy, the wiles and steadfastness of the enemy.
B. To be sober is to be mentally under control; this means to think straight; to keep your mind focused and on task.
C. To be vigilant is to be alert; to be watchful. I'm persuaded, some folks just don't pay attention to what's
going on. They walk right into temptations, or they gradually slip into the devil's hands. They are not alert; not sober and vigilant.
D. By being sober and vigilant, I'm placing my life under the mighty hand of God.
4. RESIST THE DEVIL (9).
A. The enemy must be resisted, actively and personally! "Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."
B. By the wise use of defensive tactics and offensive moves; by preaching, practice and prayer; by using the mighty weapons of God, I am able to "resist the devil, and he will flee from" me (Jas. 4:7; 2 Cor. 10:1ff; Eph. 6:10-18). We can be strong and firm and effective in resisting the devil, based on "the faith."
5. STAND IN THE GRACE OF GOD (12).
A. Our Father is the God of all grace. That simply means, He has favored us in every way and He affords us resources for every need!
B. Name something you really need that God hasn't provided?
i) There is no physical need,
ii) and certainly no spiritual need that God hasn't supplied; made available to us.
C. He is the God of all grace, and we are called upon to stand in His grace. What does that mean?
i) Learn, rely upon and live as one dependent on God's grace!
CONC: If we will study these concepts and examine ourselves; if we will take these steps, there is a promise we enjoy: "He may exalt you in due time!"
"If one humbles one's self to suffer discredit, abuse, and persecution in order to keep doing the will of God, there is the assurance that God will lift him on high with deliverance to share the glory of Christ,"
"And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified," (Acts 20:32).
