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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to 1 Peter 5. 1 Peter 5. I'll pick up reading in verse 5 and read through verse 
10. I'm sorry, verse 11. Likewise, you younger people, 
submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive 
to one another and be clothed with humility. For God resists 
the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble 
yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you 
in due time, casting all your care upon him for he cares for 
you. Be sober. Be vigilant. Because 
your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking 
whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the 
faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by 
your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, 
who called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after 
you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle 
you. To Him be the glory and the dominion 
forever and ever. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
we come now to the Holy Scriptures and we pray for the ministry 
of Your Spirit. We pray again for the forgiveness for all of 
our sins and for cleansing in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
We thank You for Him. We thank You that You made Him 
who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness 
of God in Him. We ask that you would just guide 
our thoughts now, help us to understand what Peter is encouraging 
us in. Help us, God, not only to listen 
and to learn, but to be doers of the word. We know that a man 
who does not do the word is like that fool who looks into the 
mirror, walks away and forgets what he looks like. May that 
not be the case with us, God. And may you help us and strengthen 
us to do your holy will. And we ask through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen. Well, many people, no doubt, 
this week will be planning what their New Year's resolution is. 2011 is going to bring a fresh 
slate for many, and they will resolve a particular thing. May 
I suggest that we resolve to pursue humility? I don't suggest 
this because I've mastered humility. By all means, I am so far from 
it, it's pathetic. I was thinking about a guy going 
for a job interview. Something you never hear when 
somebody says, what is your greatest strength? The man said, humility. Humility is my greatest strength. 
That would undo the very act of humility by its own admission. My buddy in Palmdale and I used 
to joke about writing a book, humility and how I mastered it. And that just does not sound 
legit. It is absolutely contrary to 
the spirit of true humility. But we need to pursue it. According 
to Peter, we need to be clothed with humility. We need to understand 
that this is a very blessed thing within the church of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. One man has well commented at 
every stage of our Christian development and in every sphere 
of our Christian disciples discipleship. Pride is the greatest enemy and 
humility. Our greatest friend at every 
stage of our Christian development. Jonathan Edwards described pride 
this way. He said, it is the worst viper 
that is in the heart and the greatest disturber of the soul's 
peace and sweet communion with Christ. I don't think that's 
an underestimation. I think if you are honest with 
yourselves and with an open Bible, as you search your own heart, 
you would have to admit and agree that that is the greatest enemy 
that you face. The greatest disturber of your 
soul's peace and sweet communion with Christ is pride. So let us look at what Peter 
says here with reference to humility. And again, take this to heart. 
Pray it in. I'm not preaching it because 
I know of one particular person or several persons. I believe 
this is true of all of us. I believe we're all guilty of 
pride. I believe we're all very selfish, and I believe that Peter's 
words and exhortation are very fitting to us on the eve of a 
new year. I want to break up verses 5 to 
11 under four considerations. The first is the command stated 
in verse 5. Secondly, the implication drawn 
in verse 6. Thirdly, the disposition necessary, 
verses 7 to 9. And then, finally, the benediction 
given, the good word of verses 10 and 11. But let us look at 
this command. If you're taking notes, we have 
three subcategories here. Notice the scope. Yes, all of 
you be submissive to one another. He begins by addressing comment 
to the young people. Verse five. Likewise, you younger 
people submit yourselves to your elders. Submission is taught 
in the Bible. It's not a bad thing. It is a 
good thing. It means to line up under another. It means to submit to them. It 
means to be reverent toward them. It means to be humble before 
that. So he addresses the young people 
and then he broadens out his exhortation at the end of verse 
or in the middle of verse five. Yes, all of you be submissive 
to one another. This is universal for the people 
of God. And the fact that he is addressing 
this issue suggests at least two things to us. First, it suggests 
that it is necessary in the Christian life. I don't think anyone would 
argue about that. It is absolutely crucial in the 
Christian life to be humble, to be submissive. But secondly, 
the fact that he is addressing it highlights its frequent and 
unfortunate absence in the Christian life. I mean, wouldn't it be 
great if Peter didn't have to tell us to do this? Wouldn't 
it be great if we were just really humble? Wouldn't it be wonderful 
if we were really like Jesus Christ and didn't exalt ourselves, 
but rather we became servant to others? Wouldn't it be wonderful 
if you and I just carried out our Christian life the way that 
we're supposed to? But it is frequently and unfortunately 
absent in our Christian lives. And so Peter must address this 
particular issue. Notice the specific details involved 
in this command. Twofold, be submissive. Be submissive to one another 
to go back to Ephesians five for just a moment. You see that 
this is the fruit of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Notice 
in Ephesians chapter five. Ephesians chapter five, beginning 
in verse. See then, that you watch circumspectly, 
not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are 
evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will 
of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is 
dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit." What does it mean 
to be filled with the Spirit? What does it look like to be 
filled with the Spirit? Does it look like you will speak 
in strange tongues? Does it look like you will prophesy? 
Does it look like you will work wonders and miracles and do mighty 
things? Not according to Paul in this 
particular section. Be filled with the Spirit. Notice 
in verse 19, speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and 
spiritual songs. Those filled with the Spirit 
will speak in a certain manner to their brothers and sisters. 
They will be a means of edification and encouragement. Notice what 
he goes on to say, singing and making melody in your heart to 
the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God, the Father, 
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another 
in the fear of God. Submission is not a bad thing, 
it's a good thing. And then he works out concrete 
illustrations and applications of submission in our life situation. Husbands, love your wives. Wives, 
submit to your own husbands. He deals with the child-parent 
relationship. He deals with masters and servants. 
Submission is not a bad thing. It is a bad thing that we don't 
submit more frequently and more earnestly, first and foremost, 
to God and then to one another. This is what Peter is saying. 
Yes, all of you be submissive to one another. And then he says, 
and be clothed with humility. It's a beautiful image that the 
apostle uses here. The verb or the word means to 
tie or fasten something on oneself. This whole idea of being clothed. The verb suggests to tie or fasten 
something on oneself firmly with a clasp, not or a bow. So take humility and fasten it 
to yourself is what he is saying. He says the word was also used 
of a slave who tied on an apron. Then the idea may be that of 
wearing humility as a slave's apron. I hope your mind is going 
back to the upper room discourse. Remember when our Lord Jesus, 
he took that towel and he girded himself with it. And then he 
went and he washed the feet of the disciples, Peter included. One wonders and can only believe 
that Peter had in his mind the very image of our Lord Jesus 
tying himself with this apron so that he could humbly wash 
the feet of sinners. So before you say, oh, no, I 
couldn't do this before you say, oh, no, you don't understand 
what my situation is like. You don't know how difficult 
it is. Consider the very son of God 
himself girding himself about with an apron and going to wash 
the feet of his disciples. John 13, 4 says that Jesus rose 
from supper and laid aside his garments, took a towel, and girded 
himself. And he commenced to wash the 
disciples' feet. So just here we need to stop 
and reflect on this brief command, this brief statement. Are we 
submissive to one another? It's not just wives. Are you 
submissive to your own husbands as to the Lord? The command of 
Ephesians 5, 21 applies to everybody. applies to each and every one 
of us. We need to be submissive. We need to defer to others. Paul 
says it this way in Philippians 2. We need to esteem others as 
better than himself. Is that literally or logistically 
how we conduct ourselves in this world? Looking out for others 
and considering them as better than ourselves? What about this 
whole idea of clothing ourselves with humility? Is that really 
what characterizes us at the Free Grace Baptist Church? We 
clothe ourselves, we tie and fasten humility onto us, we use 
a knot, we gird it about so that we are truly humble to one another? Notice that Peter then goes on 
to give a reason for this command. He cites Proverbs 3 verse 34. James does the same thing in 
his epistle when he is calling upon us to be humble. Notice 
all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility 
for there's a reason for the command for God resists the proud 
but gives grace to the humble. Now when you see that God gives 
grace to the humble, the idea is not go out and be humble. 
Go out and do certain things and then God will visit you with 
the gift of grace. He is writing to Christians. 
The origin of humility in the soul of a man is with God. It 
is God who humbles us. It is God who shows us our sin. It is God who shows us His holiness. In fact, Webster's Dictionary 
defines humility in this very way. This is the 1828. I don't 
know if this would be in the current Webster's. Humility consists 
in lowliness of mind, a deep sense of one's own unworthiness 
in the sight of God, self-abasement, penitence for sin, and submission 
to the divine will. Great statement of what humility 
is. Let's just get it again so that we're not lost. Humility 
consists in lowliness of mind, a deep sense of one one's own 
unworthiness in the sight of God, self abasement, penitence 
for sin and submission to the divine will. It's a beautiful 
statement of what humility is all about. Peter is telling us. that God resists the proud. He does give grace to the humble. We have several examples in the 
New Testament of this proud spirit. Romans 12, verse 3, I say, through 
the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think 
of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think 
soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 
Isn't that the essence of pride? thinking more about yourself 
than is warranted. He's not saying you got to walk 
around and hate yourself and beat yourself. It's not saying 
the monks were right. Get a whip and just, you know, 
open up your back and have bad food and just live a life of 
misery. That's not humility. That's not biblical humility. The idea is, is that we are to 
think soberly. We are not to think of ourselves 
more highly than we ought to think. Just a personal illustration. I'm really struggling lately 
with driving. Not with driving and the act 
and the mechanics of it. I think I got that down. But 
with sanctification. People cutting in front of me. 
People going really slow. I mean, if you were to hear me, 
you might go, wow, this guy's got some major issues. What's 
the bottom line? What's the underlying current? 
I think more of me than those people. I think I should be first. I think they should get out of 
my way. The very opposite of Romans 12, 
3, and I am seeking to deal with it. It's not something I'm proud 
of. Just giving a personal illustration. This is the rub. Do you think 
more highly of yourself than you want to? This works itself out in family 
relationships. Works itself out between husbands 
and wives, works itself out between parents and children and children 
and parents. You know, if we genuinely pursued 
humility in our homes, there would be a lot less stress and 
a lot less chaos and a lot less sin and selfishness and wickedness. We are to pursue this. We are 
to be clothed with humility. This was the sin in Laodicea, 
according to Revelation chapter three and verse seventeen. Revelation 
three, verse seventeen, because you say I am rich, have become 
wealthy and have need of nothing. What's that? Pride. They weren't 
clothed with humility. They weren't being submissive 
to one another. They were putting themselves 
first. I am rich, have become wealthy. I have need of nothing. 
Jesus says, you do not know that you're wretched, miserable, poor, 
blind and naked. You don't understand. Spiritually, 
you're missing the boat. You've missed it by a long shot. 
You're professing that everything is great and good and wonderful. 
And all the while, it's filthy. You love that passage that Pastor 
Cam read in the scripture reading today in Luke chapter 11. Wasn't 
that amazing how Jesus is indicting and upgrading the Pharisees? 
And then one of the lawyers whines and he says, Lord, when you say 
this, you upset us. What does Jesus say? Well, I'm 
sorry. I don't mean to offend your delicate sensitivities. 
You lawyers also. You are too high in your estimation 
of yourselves. You are too exalted in your own 
assessment of who you are under God. And such is the case with 
many of us. God not only resists the proud, 
but God also abominates the proud. That means He hates them. Proverbs 
6. These six things Yahweh hates. Ye, seven, are an abomination 
to Him. The scriptures are clear on this 
issue. C.J. Mahaney in his excellent 
little book on humility, not and how he mastered it. He admits 
that he has not mastered humility by any stretch of the imagination. 
It's a good little book on this issue of humility. He says this, 
pride takes innumerable forms but has only one end. Listen 
to this, self-glorification. Isn't that what it's about? Isn't 
that what pride is? It's all about the self being 
glorified. He says that's the motive and 
ultimate purpose of pride, to rob God of legitimate glory and 
to pursue self-glorification, contending for supremacy with 
Him. Robert Leighton, an older commentator 
on 1 Peter, says God singles it out for His grand enemy and 
sets Himself in battle array against it. You ever read through 
the book of Judges or some of the other historical books in 
the Old Testament? You see that God was fighting 
for Judah. God was fighting for Israel. 
God was the warrior. David praises God because God 
taught my hands to war or prepared my hands for war. God is this 
divine warrior. He doesn't just sort of hang 
out in heaven and do nothing. He fights for his people. He 
contends for his people. He seeks to bless and protect 
his people. Well, consider this. When you 
and I are proud, God is in battle array against us. Kind of an 
interesting juxtaposition in this particular section of Scripture. 
We are told later that we need to be sober. We need to be vigilant. 
Why? Because the devil roams about 
like a lion seeking whom he may devour. What's the emphasis? When we're pursuing humility, 
when we're pursuing submission to God, the devil is our enemy. 
But conversely, when we are proud, when we are arrogant, when we 
are independent, God is our enemy. Choose ye this day. Who do you 
want for your enemy? You want God most high because 
of your stinking pride? Or do you want the devil because 
you are seeking to submit yourself to the Lord and pursue humility? You can't miss that in the passage, 
brethren. If we use the imagery of the 
devil there, seeking whom he may devour. He is our enemy when 
we are seeking God. But when we are proud, God resists 
us. God resists us. He despises. He opposes this. This is unlike 
Him. This is contrary. This is not 
what we are to be about. When He looks upon us, He wants 
to see the Son of His love. Who was that servant of the Lord? 
Who girded Himself about with a towel? Who humbled Himself 
and washed the feet of sinful men? Peter included. He wants 
us to be like that servant of the Lord who did not have anywhere 
to lay his head in his earthly ministry. Didn't walk around 
complaining and grumbling and whining and crying because he 
was gypped and short and he didn't get his due. No. You need to 
be like Jesus. What would Jesus do? He would 
be submissive to one another and he would clothe himself with 
humility. That's what Jesus has done on 
our behalf and for God's glory. Notice the reason God resists 
the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. Humility makes 
a special luster upon the people of God. I love the statement 
of the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 66, verse one. Thus says 
Yahweh. Heaven is my throne and earth 
is my footstool. Where is the house that you will 
build me? And where is the place of my rest? For all those things 
my hand has made and all those things exist, says Yahweh. But 
on this one will I look. You see the picture thus far? 
Heaven is God's throne. Isn't that amazing? We've got a big universe that 
we live in, don't we? We have no clue as to its size. There's speculation, there's 
scientific hypotheses, there's all these things, all these ideas 
proffered with reference to the universe. But when all is said 
and done, we are very puny men who at best can look up in the 
sky and say, wow, it's big. Heaven is God's throne. This earth and all of its massive 
bigness and its power and its beauty is God's footstool. See what he's saying there? What 
does he want you to take from this image, this picture? God 
is massive. He's huge. He's glorious. He's 
wondrous. He's infinite. He's powerful. 
He's majestic. What also surprises is that he 
actually does look upon us. That's what surprises the psalmist 
in Psalm 113. He says it's a humbling thing 
for the thrice holy God to look upon the things of the earth. 
Notice in verse two, but on this one will I look on him who is 
poor. and of a contrite spirit and 
who trembles at my word." It's not a beautiful picture of what 
we ought to be. A beautiful picture of what we 
should pursue. Humble, contrite, one who trembles 
at the word of God. Doesn't put the word of God under 
his own scrutiny. Doesn't put the word of God under 
his own microscope and say, you need to perform the way I decree 
or else I'm going to cast you off. No, we tremble at the word. 
We go to passages like Cam reminded us this morning in 2 Samuel 6, 
where God killed Uzzah. Why? What was Uzzah's crime? 
For most of us, we're just blown away that the Holy God would 
actually kill Uzzah. All he did was try to stabilize 
the ox cart that was holding the Ark of the Covenant. That 
puzzles us. But as we were reminded, we're 
not to come out of 2 Samuel 6 thinking that God is trifling with men. We're to come away thinking that 
God is holy. God is majestic. God is commanded 
in Numbers 4 that you don't touch the Ark of the Covenant. He is 
upholding his holiness and setting it forth in that passage. Well, 
the tremblers at his word don't go, oh, that's offensive. Oh, 
that's horrible. Oh, that's wicked. No, the tremblers 
at his word say, I'm offensive. I'm wicked. I'm horrible. The 
tremblers at his word are like that man in Luke 18. He doesn't 
stand and pray thus with himself. I thank you, Lord, that I'm not 
like other men. No, he pounds his breath. He 
doesn't even look up into heaven. And he says, God, be merciful 
to me, the sinner. You see, what Peter is describing 
here is something that Christians ought to pursue. Yes, I hope 
you resolve to read more Christian books this year. Yes, I hope 
you resolve to read your Bibles and pray. I don't even think 
those should be resolutions. I think that should be the way 
you live. By God's grace, pursue humility. Yet to meet that, not a blight 
on anybody here, but You know, how often? What are you praying 
for, brother? I'm praying for promotion. I'm 
praying for ease. I'm praying for comfort. Those 
aren't bad things. I'm praying that God would humble 
my wretched, proud self. That's good. That's luster. And again, I'm not saying that 
if you tell me that, that's a good thing. I am suggesting that we 
all ought to pursue this mindset. So that's the command. Notice, 
secondly, the implication drawn. The implication drawn, verse 
6, therefore, this is the sign of an implication. This is the 
logical outflowing of this particular command. Therefore, humble yourselves 
under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due 
time, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. Isn't 
this amazing? Humble yourselves under the mighty 
hand of God. You're to be submissive to one 
another. You're to clothe yourself with humility. What's the first 
logical implication of this? Submit to God. Not go read C.J. Mahaney's book on humility. As 
profitable as that may be, not take down your concordance and 
do a word study on every time the word humility is used. Not 
even on Sunday morning when you meet somebody at church, instead 
of telling them about your week, ask them about their week. Notice 
where he begins when it comes to the practical, concrete application 
of being clothed with humility. He says, submit to God. What's 
the implication? If you don't get it yet, I'll 
draw it out for you. The idea is that when you're 
submitting to God, when you're humble before God, it cannot 
but work itself out toward others. Theology comes first. Theology 
comes before practice. You want to be a more humble 
guy or girl? Submit yourself to God. When you see someone 
who is proud and who is arrogant, yes, it means they don't really 
value people around them, to be sure. But the bigger theological 
lesson is they don't value God who is over them. Because when 
you submit yourself to God, you cannot but. Submit yourself to 
others. You see, when you're filled with 
the spirit and you are treating God with this proper respect 
and do it works itself out in the life. Wives, if you have 
a problem at home, it may be you need to submit to God. Husbands, 
if you have a problem at home, it may be that you need to submit. Not it may be. It is. Children, 
if you have a problem submitting to your own parents, it means 
first and foremost, you need to bow before God. You need to 
confess Jesus as Lord. You need to find salvation in 
him before you can fix these these relationships that you 
are involved with. Don't miss that, brethren. He commands us 
be submissive, be flow. Therefore, verse six, humble 
yourselves under the mighty hand of God. I love the logic. It is simply contrary to the 
way we often function. Maybe we've heard today something 
that has struck us. Well, I really do need to esteem 
my wife or my husband better than me. I really do need to 
value my child first. I really do need to show something 
of servant leadership in my home. I really do need to listen to 
my brothers or sisters at church. You ever fall prey to this? People 
are talking and all you're listening for is for your opportunity so 
that you can jump in. Yeah, it's great you have this 
kind of a week, but what's really important is my week. I mean, 
maybe I'm the only wretch here. I don't know. I don't think so. I remember reading that book by 
Simo Relevick. He's a missionary in a Slovakian 
place. And he has a book called The 
Tongue. It's a very tiny book. And in 
it, he makes that observation, sometimes, We listen only for 
our opportunity to speak. So maybe you've heard something 
of that today and you're going, wow, man, I have been selfish. I have been, you know, just looking 
at my my own way. I need to change. I need to give 
place to others. First, give place to God. That's 
the emphasis in the passage. Therefore, he says, humble yourselves 
under the mighty hand of God. Humble yourselves under the mighty 
hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Christians are 
not to exalt themselves, but to wait upon God. Right. Yeah, we all know that theoretically. We often want to make sure that 
people recognize it. People see it. People understand 
it. Yeah, he is a great guy or she 
is a fine woman. We try to lead conversations 
in that particular way. We can make ourselves look the 
best all the while making others look the worst. I used to work 
with a lady like this. I don't know that she's going 
to be listening on the internet. I really doubt it. She had a 
problem with everybody on our shift and then tried to blame 
everybody on the shift. We all got along fine with each 
other. It was her. And one of her modus operandi, 
one of her M.O.' 's was to always cut someone else down while exalting 
herself. You think, oh, you know, that's 
confined to pagan workplaces. No, it isn't. It isn't. How many times have we listened 
to something? How many times have we just waited 
for that opportune time to promote ourselves? I'm not trying to 
hurt anybody. I'm not trying to destroy anybody. 
I'm trying to get us to realize how insidious this sin is. I used the illustration of bad 
breath several weeks ago. One man, Mark Sarver, a preacher 
in New York, said that pride is just like bad breath. Everybody 
knows you have it except you. You spray this breath on people 
and they're like, whoa, mint, gum, please, take something. 
No, I'm good, man, I just brushed my teeth. Oh, wow, you smell 
like a sepulcher. I hope we're not that vicious. 
Here I am saying, let's not promote our... My breath, on the other 
hand, is like a floral arrangement every single moment of the day. 
Pride is like that breath. Everybody else knows we've got 
it, but us. This is why this is so important. You know, as I thought through 
what to preach on as we enter into a new year gospel, yes, 
we should make much of Christ. We should exalt the Lord Jesus. 
We should be about the gospel of Christ always, constantly. 
I hope you know me enough to realize that I affirm that reference 
with reference to this whole idea of Christian living humility. Humility. Submission to God that 
he may exalt you in due time. Notice it is due time. That means 
God's time. It is not your time. You cannot 
say, Lord, I've humbled myself for 15 days now. What are you 
going to do for me? It's the wrong attitude. You're 
not really humble. You're not really submissive. 
If you are simply going through a formula in order to get a blessing, 
you misread Peter. A humble man realizes it's in 
God's time. The humble man realizes that 
the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth knows what's best for 
me. The humble man realizes that God will work all things for 
good to those who love Him, to the called according to His purpose. 
The humble man doesn't try to ascend to the throne room and 
say, God, I've got some good ideas for You. I've got some 
encouragement for You. You know, I've watched, I've 
surveyed the way that You operate, and You're doing a bang-up job. 
Except in this one area. You might step it up in my case 
a little bit more. No, that's not the humble man. 
That's not being submissive to the Lord God. That's not being 
a trembler at his word. That is not humility and contrition, 
the one upon whom God looks. This is what Peter is telling 
us in order to flesh out and work out in our own church. To 
work out in our own family lives. To work out in our own interpersonal 
relationships. To work out in our workplace. 
To work out in our society. This whole idea of being submissive 
to one another. Of being clothed with humility. 
First and foremost, it is a God thing. We need to submit to the 
Lord Most High. Notice thirdly, the disposition 
that is necessary. Verse 7. Casting all your care 
upon Him, for He cares for you. You wonder how that fits in. 
Well, here's how I think it fits in. What is the essence of pride? I come first. So if I'm taking 
Peter seriously and I'm asking or he's telling me, look, you 
need to submit to God, you need to submit to others and you need 
to be clothed with humility. What's the nagging question in 
the back of my head? I doubt it's just my nagging 
question. It might be yours also. You might 
wonder, well, who's going to watch out for me then? Right? If I'm this others-minded 
person, if I'm esteeming others as better than myself, if I am 
laboring to submit myself unto God and unto His people, if I 
am girding myself with that apron of humility, is there anything 
for me? Casting all your care upon God, 
for He cares for you. You don't need to worry about, 
will everybody notice my wonderful humility? You don't need to worry 
about, will anyone notice that I esteem them better than myself? You don't need to worry about 
that. God has your back. God is watching you. Court His 
favor. Cast your burden upon Him. If 
you feel like you're getting shorted, if you feel like you're 
getting jet, rest in this fact that God actually cares for you, 
that your labor is not in vain. You may be married to a man who 
doesn't commend you when you cook well, or when you clean 
well, or when you do things well. You may be married to a woman 
who doesn't show you honor. She doesn't respect you. She 
doesn't say thank you for bringing home a paycheck. You may be rearing 
children that are ingrates, that are unthankful, that think that 
electricity and water and all those things are free. And no, 
I'm not picking on my children here. You may be in such a situation 
and you may be tempted to throw up your hands in despair. But 
what Peter is saying is that God cares for you. If the rest of the world doesn't, 
and they do, don't adopt that mentality. Oh, everybody hates 
me. Don't do that. God cares for you. Isn't that 
what he is saying there? Humble yourselves under the mighty 
hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Casting. Throw 
it over. Roll it upon him. This is obviously 
from the psalm. Psalm 55, 22. Cast your burden 
on Yahweh and he shall sustain you. He shall never permit the 
righteous to be moved. Cast that care upon him. Why? Because he cares for you. You 
don't labor in vain. You're not pursuing humility 
in vain. God loves you. God watches you. And maybe no one will ever say, 
attaboy, good job. God will. What are we told that 
on the day of judgment we're going to hear from our Lord? 
Well done, good and faithful servant. That can only be true 
because we're vitally connected to Jesus by faith. That we know 
for sure. But God does see. God does understand. God knows what people go through. 
It's one of the things I was taken up with as I was going 
through Revelation chapters 2 and 3, working through some commentary 
on those particular verses, or those particular letters for 
the seven churches in Asia Minor. We're often tempted to think 
that we suffer alone. Nobody knows what we're going 
through. Use the illustration of an old Bugs Bunny cartoon. 
They used to sing that song, nobody knows the trouble I've 
seen. I'm sure that song didn't originate in the Bugs Bunny franchise. 
They brought it into and used it. But the idea was the suffering 
cartoon character saying nobody knows the trouble I've seen. 
Isn't that the way we often live? Nobody knows the trouble I've 
seen. Nobody knows the difficulties I have to deal with. Nobody knows 
the way I've had to slug through this. Brethren, the whole of 
the Bible tells us this. God knows. God cares. God is concerned. God is kind. God is merciful. God is there. You're anxious for something? Roll it upon God. The idea really, 
brethren, is the idea of a beast of burden. You've got this big 
burden, so what do you do? You go get an ox. Not so you 
can carry the burden and then pull the ox along. You take that 
burden and you put it in the cart so that the ox can bear 
it. I don't want to sound cheeky. 
I don't want to sound bad. But the imagery that Peter and 
that the psalmist are using is that you take that burden, you 
roll it upon our God because he cares for you. That's what 
he wants us to get here. So when you're thinking through 
the implications of this passage, humble yourselves under the mighty 
hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Due time may 
be a while. It might be a while. You know, 
any preacher that says you do this for five months and then 
everything's going to be great. That's crazy. Some people have to deal 
with trials for an awfully long time. It's one of the most grieving 
things to see as a pastor when somebody is hurting and they're 
suffering and you wish you could take it away from them. You might 
know somebody physically that is suffering and you would say, 
I would gladly take that in myself so that you could be healthy. 
But there is no magic pill like that in the scripture. The reality 
is that in his time, he will exalt you. In the meantime, however, 
take that burden and care, roll it over onto him and realize 
that he cares for you. That he is concerned for you. That he loves you, he's kind 
to you, that he's got your best interests in view. You may not 
see how it works itself out for your best, but God does. And you know what? He doesn't 
just see it. He works it. It's one of the problems we get 
in any non-Calvinistic scheme of things. This idea that God 
is sort of reacting. God has decreed every detail. That's why we need a great big 
dose of the Westminster Catechism. What are God's works of providence? 
God's works of providence are His most holy, wise, and powerful 
preserving and governing all His creatures. and all their 
actions. How can He do that unless He 
has decreed everything? How can God know the end from 
the beginning unless He has decreed it? Far from Calvinism or Reformed 
theology, casting any sort of aspersion upon God, making it 
difficult, this is the foundation for comfort, for rest, for peace. You can roll it over upon your 
God because you know that He cares for you and He will carry 
it out. in your best interests. Beautiful, 
beautiful passage of Holy Scripture. Notice, he gives not only an 
encouragement, but he gives a caution. Be sober, he says. Verse 8, be 
vigilant because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a 
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The cause of submission 
to God does not mean laziness or idleness. The call to submission 
to God does not mean I'm going to go live in a hut somewhere 
and not be bothered with life so that I can really submit to 
God. No. Submission means that in your daily life and your work 
life and your family life and everything you do, you're submitting 
to God. And all the while you're being 
sober, you're being vigilant, you're being watchful. You realize 
that you have a real adversary. He roams about like a roaring 
lion seeking to devour you. His individual attacks on people 
have not ceased. They have not desisted. They 
have not ended. But notice the exhortation that 
Peter gives here. It says, resist him rather. Steadfast in the faith, knowing 
that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood 
in the world. Resist him. That is what the 
Bible says with reference to devilish attack. Resist him. Not cast him out. Not cast spells. Not by 15 books on demon possession 
and how to get rid of it. Resist him. What does James promise 
in a parallel passage? Resist him and what he will flee 
from you. Isn't that that could save the 
Christian world a whole lot of money, how do we deal with the 
devil? Well, you've got to buy my book, you've got to go to 
my seminar, you've got to listen to my tapes, you've got to buy 
my DVD series, get part 1, part 2, and part 3, and everything 
will be good for you. James is a lot cheaper. Peter 
is a lot cheaper. Resist him, and he will flee 
from you. That's what the Bible says. Resist 
him, and he will flee from you. Not resist him and he'll keep 
coming. Resist him and buy more tapes. Resist him and go to another 
seminar. Resist him and he will flee from 
you. We've made it a lot more difficult than it needs to be. 
We are sensationalized with the latest tactics on how to deal 
with the devil. When James and Peter, with their 
small, still voices, are telling us, resist him. What part of resist him don't 
you get? You don't have to know the Greek. 
You don't have to know the Hebrew. You don't have to know the parallel 
passages. You don't have to go pray in the woods for 40 days 
and 40 nights. You resist him and he will flee 
from you. That beautiful statement. Resist 
him. Isn't it beautiful as well? Resist 
him. Steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings 
are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. It's good for us 
to read prayer letters concerning the persecuted church. It's good 
for us to understand what people in other places have. It's good 
for us when we want to murmur and complain about a stubbed 
toe to hear about somebody who's losing their head for the cause 
of Jesus. It's good for us to realize that our brotherhood, 
not only in this century, but throughout the centuries, are 
suffering for the cause of God and truth. This is not new. This is not something fresh. 
This is not something novel. First Peter was written at a 
time of escalating persecution for the churches. This is why 
earlier in first Peter four, he says, don't think of a strange 
thing when you go through these trials. It's history, tradition. It's the way it is. When a man 
of God lives for God in a world opposed to God, he's going to 
suffer. And then notice how he treats this, moving on fourthly 
and finally to the benediction. Look at this benediction in verse 
10. But may the God of all grace, who called us to his eternal 
glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, 
establish, strengthen and settle you. It's incidental, isn't it? After you have suffered a while. 
That's not the theme. That's not the point. That's 
not what he's addressing. Brethren, I want you to learn 
something. You're going to live in this world and there's going 
to be hard times. There's going to be struggles. 
There's going to be opposition. No, this is incidental. This 
is just an, oh, yeah, sort of a statement. I don't want to 
berate the word of God, but it is not the primary theme. This 
is not what the accent falls on. It is the pronouncement of 
God's blessing upon us. May the God of all grace who 
called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. After you have 
suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you. And 
notice the stark contrast there. You see this, you've suffered 
a while. Well, what's he calling you to? 
Anyone, anyone with me? Eternal glory. So with the Texas right here, 
you can't miss the contrast, but may the God of all grace 
who called us to what his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after 
you have suffered a while, the while is small, the eternal glory 
is big. The while is temporary. The eternal 
glory is eternal. The while may be hard, it may 
be difficult, but it will end. This is why Paul can speak in 
2 Corinthians. He speaks in terms of a comparison. 
This momentary light affliction is nothing in comparison with 
this eternal weight of glory. Those who are tried, those who 
have issues, those who are having difficulties need to come to 
passages like that and realize this is for a season and then 
it ends. These rainy days will end. We 
will enter into the presence of God, the Lord, we will enter 
into the presence of a place where it says in the scripture 
that God himself will wipe away our tears. Is that a beautiful 
image? How many of us at times can't 
be bothered with the suffering of our children? Ah, suck it 
up. You're only bleeding a little bit. Just don't get any on the 
carpet. We just have the carpet clean. I don't care about that 
gash in your knee. What's God's deal? He wipes the 
tears from our eyes. Oh, let me get that. Let me take care of that. The 
God of infinite glory and majesty has a hanky to wipe away the 
tears from the eyes of his people. You see what Peter is saying? 
Think about him. It's easy to get bogged down 
in the trials of his life. It's easy to say, oh, woe is 
me. Nothing ever good happens. All bad things are mine. Nobody 
knows what I'm going through. Oh, yeah. God does. And there's 
brethren in this world that are suffering, too. You need to be 
thinking about them. There's a benediction given, 
a good word pronounced, and then he ends with doxology. To him 
be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. There is a command, an implication, 
a disposition that we need to imbibe. We need to understand 
that God is for us. We can summarize the section. 
It would be submission, selflessness, surrender and sobriety. We learn from this the evil of 
pride. God resists the proud. That should be argument number 
one for us to pursue humility. If God arrays himself or clothes 
himself in Babel array, we ought to resist pride in its uprisings. We ought to resist the temptation 
to put ourselves first, to only ever be talking about ourselves, 
to be those who cannot stop but thinking about themselves. It's 
one of the things I've often thought when we have issues or 
when we have troubles and we get tied down to our own thing. That's when we need to get a 
good dose of what's going on in the world around us, especially 
here in North America. I imagine, I'm not there, but 
I imagine that some people in Haiti would gladly deal with 
the sufferings that we go through. Traffic, people cutting them 
off. What would you rather have, cholera, earthquake, devastation, 
or somebody cutting you off on Yale Road? I'll take the cutting 
off on Yale Road, thank you very much. It's important, brethren, to 
broaden your perspective. It's important to read biography. 
It's important to see what men have gone through in the history 
of the church. It's important that you understand that the 
world does not terminate with you and your existence. It's 
another quote I've often appreciated. This is not a Christian man, 
not that I know of. He has said, when they discover 
the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed 
to discover they are not it. We function a lot like that as 
well. This passage teaches us the blessing 
of humility. There's an old saying it says 
in things essential unity and non-essential liberty in all 
things charity. That's a good maxim for the Church 
of Jesus Christ with reference to its pursuit of humility with 
one another in things essential unity in non-essential liberty 
and all things charity. And then if we were to consider 
how we could cultivate a humble, gentle spirit, I'm just going 
to run through a list of things. I've preached these before. I 
just want to remind us on these issues. The first is we must 
be born again. There's no genuine humility without 
genuine conversion. It's like trying to make a cat 
humble. We have a little intramural debate 
going on in our home right now. We have a dog and a cat. And 
one of the people in our family says, oh, the cat's the best 
pet. Some of us are saying, no, the dog is the best pet. I think 
dog and cat represent something about pride and humility. I heard 
a preacher once say, when you pet a cat, or when you pet a 
dog, rather, the dog is just so happy. And he's thinking to 
himself, wow, this is great. This person must be a god. You 
pet the cat. The cat says, wow, this is great. 
I must be a god. I think that typifies something 
of the human situation as well. Cats and dogs, different approach 
to how they respond to things. Well, trying to teach or trying 
to be humble without first coming to know Christ is like trying 
to humble a cat. I know that sounds weird and 
wacky and all that, but it's like trying to teach a hippopotamus 
to fly. Or to take an eagle and say, 
I want you to swim. You just can't do it. You take man and 
Adam, he cannot be humble. He must be saved first. You can't just go out of here 
and say, wow, I need to be humble. No, you need to be saved. You 
need to believe the gospel. You need to come to know Jesus 
Christ as Lord and Savior. That's the first step. Then secondly, 
meditate upon the cross of Christ. One man is well said, far from 
offering us flattery, not as if the cross says, wow, you're 
so awesome. As it's unfortunately depicted 
today, far from offering us flattery, the cross undermines our self-righteousness 
and we can stand before it only with a bowed head and a broken 
spirit. What did Watts write and what 
do we sing? When I survey the wondrous cross 
on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count 
but loss and do what? Pour contempt on all my pride. So we must be saved. We must 
come to Christ and we must continue to meditate upon the cross. We 
must continue to look to our Lord Jesus Christ. Thirdly, we 
need to acknowledge our dependence upon God. If the essence of pride 
is contending for supremacy with God, we need to acknowledge that 
we are helpless, hopeless, and completely in need of Him. Fourthly, 
we need to express thankfulness to God. Thankfulness. It's hard to be proud when you're 
thanking somebody, isn't it? You say, well, I don't know. 
I'm still pretty good at it. It shouldn't be. Easy to be proud 
when we're thanking God. Thankfulness is a soil in which 
pride does not easily grow. Ramsey said Mahaney says an ungrateful 
person is a proud person. If I am ungrateful, I'm arrogant. And if I'm arrogant, I need to 
remember God doesn't sympathize with me in that arrogance. He 
is opposed to the proud. So be thankful. Another helpful 
means is to identify grace in others. Look at others and esteem 
them as better than you. Acknowledge the fact that they 
are growing. Acknowledge the fact that they 
are thriving. Get the focus off of self. Look at someone other than you. And then finally, give thanks 
and glory to God at the end of each day. It's a great thing. Again, Mahaney brings this out. 
When you're laying in bed at night, think about what God has 
done in your life for that day. Acknowledge that. Thank Him. 
Praise Him. Give Him glory. Honor Him. Sleep is a wonderful means of 
acknowledging our creatureliness and our dependence. God alone 
is the one who neither faints nor is weary. Mahaney calls it 
cosmic plagiarism if we do not transfer to God the glory that 
is due to Him. What better time? Don't make 
big plans about your future. We all try to take on way too 
much at night when we're tired and weary and worn out. Now that's 
the time to praise and bless and honor God. Just return Thanksgiving to him. Well, brethren, that's my encouragement. 
Again, I'm not going to check with you in six months and say, 
did you write down that you have pursued humility for your New 
Year's resolution? I do hope that some of these 
things have been a help and an encouragement and be encouraged. 
The text itself is there to encourage. Yes, the command is there. Be 
submissive to one another. Be clothed with humility. And 
then the rest of the passage is geared with giving you incentive 
and invitation to pursue God, to pursue his grace, to pursue 
his mercy so that you can live with others in the way that he 
has called us to do. Well, let us pray. Father, thank 
you for your word and thank you for this passage in 1 Peter 5. 
We just pray that you would help us to realize that you resist 
the proud and that you give grace to the humble. Help us to realize, 
Lord God, that we can cast all of our care upon you and to know 
that you do care for us. God, these things are truly amazing 
and we give you praise and glory and honor for your truth. We 
ask now that you would go with us. We pray for any and all who 
have not come to know Christ as Lord and Savior. We know that 
humility begins at the cross. Humility is sustained at the 
cross and humility ultimately is finished with the cross. And 
we pray that you would just bless sinners and draw them unto yourself 
for your glory sake and for the good of their souls. And we pray 
in Christ's holy name. Amen.