Through the Apostle Peter, God has been telling us Christians how to live while we wait for the return of Jesus Christ. Very soon, all of us who believe in Christ will be perfected and taken to heaven to live forever with God!
Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your only God and Savior for your sins? If you have never made a profession of faith, today is the day to believe, receive, and live out Jesus Christ in your life for tomorrow may be too late. Eternal glory will come to those who believe in Christ but eternal judgment will be on those who do not believe.
Let us all pray this together: Dear God, I believe you are my Creator and You are Holy, Perfect and Eternal. I confess that I have disobeyed You in many ways including my unbelief on a daily basis. I acknowledge dear God that You sent Jesus Christ, who is God Himself, to become a human being like me, to die on a cross for all of my sins. I also believe that after 3 days in the grave, Jesus rose from the dead and is now back in heaven waiting to return to earth to judge all mankind. I profess that Jesus Christ is my only Savior and God and I commit to living for Him. Amen.
Let us now continue to listen to God’s instructions in 1 Peter 5; open your Bibles there. We will note that after God gives instructions to young people, God lists a number of direct instructions for all Christians. Read along me 1 Peter 5:5-14….
1 Peter 5:5 states “Young men, in the same way, be submissive to those who are older.” What is this same way? As we noted last week form v1-4, Elders are to be shepherds of the people in the church (guiding, leading, and serving) and are to be godly examples for everyone; and elders are to be subject to the Chief Shepherd who is Jesus Christ. Church Elders are to lead people to Jesus Christ.
And so, young people are to submit to church Elders who direct them to Jesus Christ!
As we noted last week, we must be discerning and careful who we follow, even in Christian churches. God will use people, but ultimately, every Christian is to follow Jesus Christ, their Lord.
In v5-6, all Christians are to humble themselves before God which leads to an attitude of humility to one another.
v7 tells us to cast all our anxieties on him because he cares for us.
v8 tells us to be self-controlled and alert. Why? – because our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
And so in v9, we are to resist the devil, standing firm in the faith
And God gives us several reasons why we are to fight the devil and stand firm in our faith in Christ (let us note these things to encourage us to do the right things:
v9: many Christians all over the world are suffering for the Name of Christ.
Even today, some are in prison, some are killed because of the Name of Christ; and many have gone before us who suffered because of their stance in Christ; if you’ve never heard of the stories of Dietrich Boenhoeffer or Corrie Ten Boom, I encourage you to study them; and of course Hebrews 12:3 tells us, Consider Jesus Christ who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary or lose heart.
v10: Jesus Himself will restore Christians to be strong, firm and steadfast!
v11: the Lord and Savior has power
Jesus can create an entire galaxy with one word!
v12: the Apostle Peter and Saint Silas are encouragers
v13: a sister church encourages as well
v14: Christians have peace in Christ – many do not have peace simply because they do not resist the devil and stand firm with a faith (a trust) in Christ!
The instructions for us are straightforward. Let us have a bit of discussion as we apply these Biblical Principles to our lives.
1. Humble ourselves before the Lord Jesus Christ!
How do we practice this on a daily basis??
In summary, we are to check everything through Christ!
Memorize 2 Corinthians 10:5b and do it! This is how we can change to be the true people God intended us to be; to continue renewing our minds through Christ!
How are we doing with this on a daily basis? Start today; this is part of why we are called to pray continuously.
2. As we relate to one another, keep in mind the Lord over all of us!
Yes, we should ask WWJD? But again, more importantly, we should ask amongst ourselves, WWJWMTD? Then do it!
3. Indwell in our minds and hearts that Jesus Christ can create a galaxy with a word and He cares about every cell, every thought, every emotion, every struggle that we have. Do we truly depend on Him for everything?
4. Don’t let the devil win in your life! The devil cannot beat Jesus Christ but he takes pleasure in winning in our lives. We have control in the devil’s success. God allows the devil to walk around in our lives but the Lord Jesus gives us power to extinguish him. Always be alert of the devil’s schemes, say no to him, put on the full armor of God!
5. Know that our good God has given us encouragers and we are to encourage each other and other churches!
