North Anderson Baptist Church
1 Peter 5:5-6 NIV
1. Humility is God’s Way - Verses 5-6
In one of the commentaries, I can’t remember which one, the author says that the reference here to “clothe yourselves” is a reference to how real clothing is “put on.” In those days the well off and those who had position generally wore very nice clothes. Peter here speaks of that same concept, as if you were putting on the finest clothes you had, he says put on humility and wear it. People will know if you have put on humility, you won’t have to tell them, if you did it would not be humility. Humility is seen in your character, speech and actions. Wouldn’t you like to have the favor of the Lord God? Put on and live in humility!
John Wesley said, “Let everyone be ready, upon all occasions, to give up his own will. Be clothed with humility.”
We all know that pride can destroy just about anything, even in the church. When it is the pride that causes division and hurt it could cause the peace to be disturbed among people. But with the humility of Christ we can realize that peace can truly be found in the church, the peace of Christ.
Matthew Henry says, “Where God gives grace to be humble, he will give wisdom, faith, and holiness. To be humble, and subject to our reconciled God, will bring greater comfort to the soul than the gratification of pride and ambition. Then be humble under his hand.”
From Proverbs 3:34 we read, “He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.. under the mighty hand” If you desire to walk with the Lord and walk the way Jesus walked, then be not only clothed in humility but be prepared to humble yourself under the “mighty hand of God” rather living your life in pride so that one day God, when He desires it so, He will raise you up and exalt you in His timing. You will not live a proud life before the Lord long before He will oppose you.
While doing devotions at the Sheriff’s Office this week I was using this scripture and Bud Rager mentioned that he had been studying the scripture in Luke 7:1-10,
Luke 7:1-10 NIV
Bud said that not only did he see in this centurion, a Roman soldier of great authority and power, but he saw true humility in that he was willing to request the Master if He would heal his servant. He further showed his faith and the humility of his life by asking someone else to go to Jesus because he felt he was unworthy to go personally to Jesus. Hearing this Jesus said of the centurion, after the request was made and the facts were known, that of this man, the hardened Roman soldier, “I tell, I have not found such great faith even in Israel”
This soldier did not take for granted that Jesus would even pay him attention but with faith and humility he called on the Son of God to do what only He could do for a servant of his, not even a family member, but a servant!
How do you approach the Father when you want something? Do you, without thinking, go before the throne of grace and blurt out your requests and so to speak, expecting God to jump to it and answer right away? Well you say, He is good and you are His child and He said you can come and ask. Or, do you humbly come before His presence with thanksgiving seeking to praise and honor Him, giving Him the glory and humbly request of Him your petition? Your humility says you recognize you have no real worth except in Christ, to bow before the Father. Or, are you one of them that demands of God that He answer your prayer, because it says in the Scripture, that you can come and you can ask and you do so almost telling God what He has to do for you? My friends, that is not humility but pride and God resists the proud!
In due time - Wait humbly and patiently for God’s own timing in regards to when He will do more for you. One oldest manuscript and Vulgate read, "In the season of visitation," namely, His visitation in mercy. While we live the life God has given us humbly, He knows when He will break into our life and lift us up, showing His mercy, willing to give out special blessings due to the grace of God. He will also choose when He will show to the world one of His humble servants, not because he deserves it, but because God chooses to reward him or lift him up!
1 Peter 5:7-9 NIV
2. Casting Your Care On Him - Verses 7-9
Matthew Henry writes about “casting your cares on Him,” Cast "all you care;" on God, be it personal cares, family cares, cares for the present, and cares for the future, for yourselves, for others, and for the church. These are burdensome, and often very sinful, when they arise from unbelief and distrust, when they torture and distract the mind, unfit us for duties, and hinder our delight in the service of God. The remedy is, to cast our care upon God, and leave every event to his wise and gracious disposal. Firm belief that the Divine will and counsels are right, calms the spirit of a man. Truly the godly too often forget this, and fret themselves to no purpose.
Did Peter understand what he was writing about? Of course, maybe more than we really think. What was the difference between Judas and Peter? Think about it for a minute… In reality they both denied Jesus. They both had remorse over what they did, they had “cares.” But apart from that their paths were different dealing with their denial of the Son of God. Judas was so remorseful he gave back the money he was given to show where Jesus was the night Jesus was arrested. Judas couldn’t handle the guilt and allowed satan to truly enter him and guide him or push him, maybe that is a better way to put it, to take his life because of what he did. He heard the lie of the devil, the roaring lion was so loud, instead of casting those cares on God with truly godly sorrow he fell for those lies of the deceiver and satan and the lion devoured Judas. He did not give himself a chance to go to God and seek forgiveness, true forgiveness, but die an unrepentant sinner. Remember when Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” You see the devil was stalking Judas and seeking to steal, kill and destroy him and he succeeded.
Whereas, Peter was different. Peter loved Jesus and when he went out weeping those were tears of godly sorrow. Yes, he denied Jesus but when he could and as soon as he could, the guilt turned into such remorse over the sin that He called on God for that forgiveness that was needed casting his cares upon the Savior. Satan was not going to get a foothold in his life even though surely that night he tried to destroy Peter too. Earlier that night Jesus told Peter that satan would sift him but when he returned he would strengthen the brothers. (Luke 22:31-32, 31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”) There was hope there for Peter for he did not cut himself off from his brothers and the family of God he had for those three years. Peter did not fall for the lies of satan but took the promise of Jesus from that same passage in John that Jesus would give to him the abundant life, hopeful and meaningful life!
Do you remember the writings of Paul to Ephesians in chapter 6 when he told the Ephesians to stand firm against the devil and take up the whole armor of God? Ephesians 6:10-20,
Ephesians 6:10-20 NIV
Paul knew and as did Peter, that the evil of this world was really not flesh and blood but that they had to put on that spiritual armor to fight against the deceiver, the liar whom we call the devil. Therefore Paul made it clear what we all must do to successfully live for Christ in a world dominated by the evil one. Not only do you stand firm against that evil one but you stand in truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God. And yet, with all of that they were to keep on praying.
Matthew Henry says, “A man cannot fight upon a quagmire, there is no standing without firm ground to tread upon; this faith alone furnishes. It lifts the soul to the firm advanced ground of the promises, and fixes it there.”
This lion, satan, is the same one that tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) and the same one who came before God in heaven and asked to touch the life of Job. He had been trying to hurt the people of God as far back as we have evidence. (Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-7.)
1 Peter 5:10-11 NIV
3. God Restores His Children - Verses 10-11
Restoration is a great theme in God’s Word. Think about all the people who suffered because of sin and who experienced suffering because it was a part of the making of the man or woman of God. You can get a glimpse of how God allowed their suffering and then gave to them restoration so they could bring glory to God and find their lives full in the Lord. The Old Testament gives us just a few: Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David and so many more saints of God. Why would God allow all the great Biblical characters to suffer and be restored to Him and not allow you and me to go through the same things and yet not find that restoration He promises. Why does He allow such things to happen? All is for the glory and praise of the Father.
He will not let His purpose fall short of completion. If He does so in punishing, much more in grace. The three are fitly conjoined: the call, the glory to which we are called, and the way (suffering); the fourth is the ground of the calling, namely, the grace of God in Christ. JFB
Have you seen this in your own life? Have you been suffering for whatever reason, death, sickness or all kinds of sorrows, but eventually seen the glory of God come from all the pain and heartaches?
One of our dear friends has cancer and she has ever since the beginning of her diagnosis she has gone through pain and separation at times from her family but all the time she has given God the glory and the praise for giving her the strength and ability, with His help, to get through it all, up to this point. There will be a day either on this side of heaven or on the streets of gold that she will be restored to God’s likeness.
In the KJV this part says, “make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. “Perfect implies their progress towards perfection.” MH Peter is reminding his readers then and now that God desires that we become more and more perfect even if it means through suffering even though we won’t reach total perfection here but, to continue to strive for such a state.
1 Peter 5:12-14 NIV
4. Encouraged By Friends - Verses 12-14
Peter writes to the believers to encourage and testify to the grace of God even through the trials and sorrows that have come from persecution. He reminds them it is with the help of Silvanus or Silas whom they would know from the work that he did among them with Paul the apostle. Silas was helping Peter not only with the writing of this letter, for some reason, and surely by delivering of the letter but probably giving information to him since he was familiar with those he was writing to, having been there and met the people Peter is writing to, those believers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.
Anyone who has been persecuted and found many trials need encouraging and the words from Peter surely would do that. He reminded them of that special blessing of the “true grace of God” that comes to those who are steadfast in life in spite of the trials they have faced. “Stand fast in it!” Don’t waiver from God’s grace and love, stick with the truth that God will come through and meet the needs of those He loves even in the midst of life’s troubles.
The gospel is the true grace of God; it is not the creation of man, nor is it at the mercy of "change and decay." Man's understanding of it may be fragmentary, and his trust in it may be meager. Therefore he needs to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" Interpreter’s Bible
One of the things Peter has done here in this letter, much like Paul did, was to send greetings to those He writes to from those they may know. Or, just the Christians in the area. In this case he uses the term Babylon which is Rome, and all those believers there sent their greetings to the believers in Asia Minor. One name that they might know is Mark who was pretty well known in the Christian life and for sure was according to Peter “his son in the ministry.” That could have meant several things. It could mean that Peter led Mark to the Lord and therefore was his “son.” But I tend not to think that way. Even though Mark spent a tremendous time with Peter and learned so much from him about Jesus for which Mark used to write his Gospel, I don’t think that Peter led him to the Lord. I believe it was Barnabas, his cousin. Mark spent a lot of time with Barnabas after they left Paul and I believe Barnabas shared the faith with him and led him to grow as a believer. Peter had an impact on Mark and also helped him grow and learned much from Peter about the Savior.
With that said, Peter then sends the thought of greeting the believers there with the holy kiss. Someone has said, "A kiss to a young girl is hope, to a married woman is faith, but to an old maid is charity." In our country and culture, I think we had better just use the handshake as the means of Christian greeting.JVM
This kiss is the act of just greeting someone by kissing on both cheeks. We see it all the time in that culture. Peter was making their greeting, the Christian’s greeting, a part of their love for one another by saying this will be a “holy” greeting not just a worldly “hi!” This kiss now given, was customary as a symbol of love and communion among believers in that day.
Because of all the sorrow and hurt and hatred seen by Peter he knows that is true for the people to whom he is writing also, he concludes his letter to remind them, in Christ there is something different. It is peace! “Peace to all of you who are in Christ” Isn’t that a great way to end a letter to people who are going through trials and persecution. Don’t we all need that kind of peace too?
We live in a time of turmoil and hatred. We have divisions beyond our understanding and surely people do not have peace in this day. But to each of you who are brothers and sisters in Christ, I tell you today PEACE is the Christ way! PEACE is the way that one can live true to God! PEACE is the way you can show the love of Christ to the lost and dying world who have no peace! I have used this slogan for years and put it on our marque - No Christ, No Peace, Know Christ, Know Peace. If you live with that truth in your heart, you can share the love of God with those who have no peace.
If you are a believer and you are living in fear from whatever may come your way, whether it be coronavirus or sickness of some kind, that you might get cancer or some other disease that will kill you or someone you love, then you have no peace! You are not trusting in the Lord God who is completely sovereign. You are living in fear! Our God calls us not to live in fear,
2 Timothy 1:7 KJV
No matter what, let God give you whatever you need today! Surrender your life to Him completely and He will do whatever it takes for you to trust Him in all things.