Casting Your Cares And Fleeing From The Devil

Casting your cares and fleeing from the devil

1 Peter 5:1-8

Good morning everyone, Welcome.

1Peter Chapter 5:1-8. Peter speaking to a crowd of believers

1 Peter 5:1-4 Read from the bible- clearly and slowly.

Peter has some history with the church and with Jesus.

Peter is one who most look up too and yet we are reminded that he has had some issues with doing what he was suppose too.

We cannot ignore that Peter has failed a few times in his walk with God and needed the grace of God to rest on his life.

Anyone else need to be reminded of God’s grace?

One article I read stated that Peter failed at least 13 times between what he was told to do by Jesus and what he did.

I am glad that Jesus loves and forgives imperfect people.

I am glad that He gives second and third chances.

Here is a list of some of Peter’s failures

Peter & the other disciples try to keep the children away from Jesus. Jesus instructs them by using a little child. Mark 10:13

Peter fails to “continue” to walk on water. Jesus catches Peter when he was sinking and instructs him to keep his eyes on Jesus not the storms of life. Matt 14:22

Peter, filled with selfish ambition (soft answer for outright sin) argues with the other disciples about “Which one of us is the Greatest!” Jesus instructs them all about the kingdom. Jesus doesn’t have a melt down or get frustrated with them. There is no rejection. Jesus instructs them. – Luke 22:24

Peter speaks up on the Mount of Transfiguration when Moses and Elijah appear to talk to Jesus. No one is talking to Peter. But it is Peter who suggests it is good that he, James and John are there…so that they can build 3 shelters or dirt huts for Jesus, Moses and Elijah.

Peter resists the single greatest reason Jesus became a human: to atone for the sin of the human race. Jesus severely rebukes Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” However, note, Jesus does NOT reject Peter and doesn’t even demote him from leading the church.

Peter resists Jesus when He says that He is going to wash Peter’s feet. “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” John 13:8 Jesus instructs Peter, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

Who can forget:

Peter fails to stay awake and falls asleep in the Garden of Gethsemanie right before Jesus is killed. Jesus finds them sleeping and instructs & disciplines them, “The flesh is weak but the spirit is willing. Pray that you may not fall into temptation.” But Jesus does not reject them.

Peter denies Jesus three times with cursing in a public arena. Matthew 26:74 (sin) (Jesus restores Peter. ( John 21:15-19)

Peter is completely overwhelmed by his sin, self-discovery of his own weakness and quits the team and goes back to the only work he feels he can do… fishing. John 21 (Until Jesus restores him)

I am glad that Jesus offers us more than we deserve in blessings and less than we deserve in punishment.

Here is what Peter says to the elders of the church after all the things that he has gone through-

Do not be greedy for money

Serve, do not Lord over the people God has called you to be over.

Be an example to the people of God

(4) “And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of glory that will never fade away.”

Here is how you keep God’s grace working in your life-

Read verses 6-10 read from bible clearly

Humble yourself! Humble yourself… If you don’t allow God to humble you, He will do it by means you would probably want to avoid.

I believe for Peter it was two things the Lord did for him when he finally humbled himself and let the Lord work in his life.

Two things

Gave him the ability to cast his anxiety and his cares on Jesus

Taught him to be self controlled so that he knew how to defeat the devil working against his life.

Casting your cares on the Lord

Worry and anxiety will take over in your life if you let it. In fact it will break you if we don’t learn to understand what it means to cast our cares on the Lord.

The pressures of life are overwhelming

We lie in bed, tossing and turning and replaying and rehashing things till we cannot sleep and get the rest that we need.

Our hearts pound harder and harder and then it turns to panic.

We know that we need to get a hold of emotions and thoughts