Anxious For Nothing Part 3
Casting Your Cares
Text: 1 Peter 5:5b-7
[Many of the main thoughts for this series and this sermon are drawn from the writings of John MacArthur in his book : Anxious for Nothing.]
Introduction
Does anyone really want to worry? Does anyone really want to be so distracted, so consumed by anxious thought that they can’t function normally? Can’t sleep, can’t eat, fatigued, losing focus, losing weight – alright, maybe that last one would be OK.
In all seriousness though, none of us really wake up in the morning and think, “it’s such a fine day… I think I’ll obsessively worry about something.” And if any of us do, we know from our earlier studies that we should not:
Matthew 6 Jesus tells us that if we are worrying we should stop, and if we are not worrying He tells us not to start.
Philippians 4 Paul says very directly, “be anxious for nothing.” He shows us the way to avoid anxiety through thankful praying, right thinking, and active practice of Godly living.
Today we are going to look to the apostle Peter for his words on this same issue. 1 Peter 5:5b-7.
In considering the scriptures of our previous lessons it should be fairly clear that the solution to the puzzle of anxiety rests upon trust in God and Peter tells us a key piece needed in developing that trust and solving this puzzle: Humility.
Develop A Humble Attitude
A.Humility Towards Others
1.Earlier in his epistle, Peter was speaking to all the faithful and in chapter 5 he focuses in on those who hold the position of elder or overseer but expands the focus back to all in verse 5 “and all of you clothe yourselves with humility towards one another.”
2.Greek word picture: Don the apron of a slave.
a.The word here rendered “be clothed” (egkombōmai) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It is derived from kombos - a strip, string, or loop to fasten a garment. The word engkombōma refers particularly to a long white apron, or outer garment, that was commonly worn by slaves. There is, therefore, special force in the use of this word here, as denoting a humble mind.
b.The apostle calls upon them to be subject to each other, he desires them to put on humility, as the encomboma or servant’s dress, that they may appear to be such as were ready to serve.
c.They were to be willing to take any place, and to perform any office, however humble, in order to serve and benefit others. They were not to assume a style and dignity of state and authority, as if they would lord it over others, or as if they were better than others; but they were to be willing to occupy any station, however humble, by which they might honor God.
3.The verb is literally, “tie on with a fast knot”. Or, “gird on humility as the slave dress (encomboma)”
a.As the Lord girded Himself with a towel to perform a servile office of humility and love, washing His disciples’ feet, a scene in which Peter had played an important part, so that he would naturally have it before his mind. John 13:4-5 (14,15).
4.Challenge for us
a.Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
It is not our first instinct to put others before ourselves, and certainly counter to the teachings of this world. Pride and selfishness get in our way; we need to emulate the example of Jesus. Paul went on to say: vv 5-8 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
B.Humility Towards God
1.Clothing ourselves in humility, following the example of Jesus begins first by humbling ourselves before God.
a.Peter underscores the imperative to humility by citing an Old Testament passage: v 5 “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Quoting from Proverbs 3:34.
b.The verbs are in the present tense - God continually opposes those who are proud; God continually gives grace to those who humbly listen, love, and serve.
2.God Opposes the Proud
a.Proverbs 6:16 What is the first thing on the list? Haughty eyes.
b.Proverbs 8:13: “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.”
3.Grace to the Humble
a.Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”
b.The high and exalted One will seek to dwell not with the arrogant and proud but with the lowly and contrite.
c.Consider the words of the Lord in the concluding message to the prophet Isaiah: Isaiah 66:1-2 “Thus says the LORD, “Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being,” declares the LORD. But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”
d.Peter’s advice is, v 6 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,”
e.This would be an act of the will; humility does not come naturally. But when the believers humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, they are actually submitting to his care and protection.
4.The mighty hand of God v 6
a.The reference to God’s “mighty hand” was often used in the Old Testament to describe God’s power. Sometimes it is a hand of deliverance, as in the case of the exodus from Egypt, sometimes it is a shield to the faithful in the time of testing and sometimes it is a chastening hand.
b.To humbly submit under the mighty hand of God is to admit that God is in charge of every aspect of our lives and to accept all that happens as His divine providence; good times and bad times, blessings and persecutions. All is under the control of God’s mighty hand.
c.Consider the example of Job. Job tragically compounded his aguish by doing something he should have known never to do: contesting the wisdom of God by expressly resenting what the mighty hand of God had brought to him. Consider his words:
Job 30:20-23 “I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me. You have become cruel to me; With the might of Your hand You persecute me. You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride; And You dissolve me in a storm. For I know that You will bring me to death And to the house of meeting for all living.”
d.Here the mighty hand of God was not one of deliverance but as a refiner’s fire to make Job’s faith come out as pure gold. And that was the ultimate result, which Job could not see in the midst of his suffering but understood when he had passed through the trial: Job 42:1-6
e.Job’s example is written so that we might learn this lesson without the need to undergo the same sufferings. Whatever the mighty hand of God brings to our lives we can know that it is intended only for good, even when we can’t see it in the moment. We can be sure that God cares for us and His hand in our lives is not a slap in the face but grounds for hope.
f.To truly humble themselves, believers need to accept every thing in life as part of God’s providence. We must humble ourselves even in the face of persecution because, as Peter tells us, God will exalt us.
C.Exalt You at the Proper Time v 6b
a.Being “exalted” refers to a reversal of past misfortunes and troubles, triumph over all oppressors, and participation in Christ’s glory. The exalting may be in this life or in the next. In any case it will be in due time; that is, in God’s perfect time.
b.We often worry about our position and status, hoping to get proper recognition for what we do. But Peter advises us to remember that God’s recognition counts more than human praise.
c.God is able and willing to bless us according to his timing. Humbly obey God regardless of present circumstances, and in his good time - either in this life or in the next - he will lift you up.
d.Let us remember that Jesus humbled himself completely when he died on the cross and that God exalted him to the highest heaven.
Learn to Trust
A.Cast Your Anxiety Upon Him
1.The advantage flowing from humbling ourselves under God’s hand is confident reliance on His goodness. We know we can trust Him with everything in our lives. Freedom from anxiety goes along with humble submission to God.
2.“Casting” means throwing something on something else or someone else. For example, the same word is used in Luke 19:35 to describe throwing a blanket over an animal.
3.Peter exhorts believers to throw on the Lord all their anxiety, a word that can include personal cares, family cares, cares for the present, cares for the future, cares for themselves, for others, and for the church, all discontentment, discouragement, despair, questioning, pain, suffering, and whatever other trials they encounter because they can trust His love, faithfulness, power, and wisdom.
4.And the Greek tense says we do this once and for all, in humble submission, trusting in Him, we give it all over to Him. When we continue to carry our worries, anxieties, stresses, and daily struggles by ourselves we show that we have not trusted God fully.
B.Because He Cares
1.Peter tells us we can fully trust God because he cares for us (lit., “because it matters to him concerning you”.)
a.Our God who remembers the falling sparrow, and who hears the young ravens when they cry, will not be unmindful of us. Christ tells us in Matthew 10:30 that the “very hairs on your head are all numbered.”
b.Letting God have your anxieties calls for action, not passivity. We need to humbly submit and throw our anxieties onto God, confident in His care and concern for us. Don’t submit to circumstances, but to the Lord who controls circumstances.
Conclusion
Peter was writing to believers who were and would be facing persecution and suffering. His words told them and tell us today to humbly give our cares and concerns over in full trust and assurance to our God who cares for us.
Invitation
