Opening illustration: The ancient sport of falconry used trained hawks or falcons in the pursuit of wild game. When the "educated predator" was allowed to fly, however, it often rose too high for human eyes to see it. So a hunter often carried a small caged bird called a shrike. By watching the antics of the little bird, the man could always tell where his hawk was, for the shrike instinctively feared the predator and cocked its head to keep it in view.
The Christian desperately needs the alert perception of the shrike when it comes to detecting his spiritual enemy. Our adversary, Satan, "walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Our responsibility, according to the apostle Peter, is to "be sober, be vigilant." We're to be always on the alert.
It would be nice if God had giant sirens to warn us of an attack by the devil. But the Lord doesn't operate that way. Instead, we must read the Bible regularly, meditate on its truths, maintain a prayerful attitude throughout the day, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Only then will we be sensitive to an imminent onslaught of the evil one, and be armed by grace to meet it. Is your spiritual "shrike system" working well? (M R De Haan II, ODB)
Introduction: There are moments in life that one never forgets. Peter had his highs and lows, and one of his lows occurred when he was not sober-minded and watchful, and then discovered that he was under intense attack by the enemy of his soul which led to the denial that he knew Jesus. That occasion was when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Peter had followed them to the high priest’s house where he denied that he knew Jesus. Peter had not been thinking soberly and had not been watchful, even in a literal sense, and shortly afterwards was caught in the devil’s trap. And we can see his memory at work as he recalled that sad time.
What is the strategy for defeating Satan’s attacks?
1. State of Readiness: Be SELF-CONTROLLED and ALERT (v. 8)
Being of sober spirit isn't necessarily the same thing as being sober or simply free from the influence of something such as drugs and alcohol. Having a sober spirit means having a sense of self-control. No, it isn't just the routine things we need to watch out for; there is the spiritual aspect, too. We have enemies. The world, the flesh and the devil all have each one of us in their targets. They want to see us fail and fall. They rejoice greatly when we stumble and face problems. Imagine a bully in school or somewhere who gets you in trouble and gets his or her kicks from doing this. Now multiply that by a factor of 10 or more and you'll get the idea. Peter was careful to give us a couple of sound instructions; he also told us why.
Adversary is the term for the devil himself. The image Peter has in mind is that of an opponent in a court of law, such as opposing counsel, someone who believes he or she has a legitimate case against you. Most of us could relate to this: Who hasn't heard about Job and the problems he faced? None of them, by the way, were his fault! Satan accused God! of protecting Job and proposed that if God allowed Job to lose his property and later his health, Job would curse God. God gave permission for Satan to afflict Job to the point of horrible skin lesions and loss of almost all he had, but Job stayed true. This was a classic example of an accuser being found false, and the believer remaining faithful and true to the Lord.
Peter and other early disciples would have known, also, about the illegal trial of Jesus Himself, just before He was crucified. Humanly speaking, Jesus didn't stand a chance against the lies, misquotes, changing charges, and an appeal to the pride and personal welfare of Pilate, the Roman governor. Further, one thief who was crucified with Jesus insulted Him to His face, along with many people who walked to Calvary, only to mock and watch Jesus suffer. Lest we think the accusations stopped there, we don't need to look far to prove otherwise. Just about any time a Christian wants to live as a Christian, following the Bible's teachings, taking a stand for biblical morality, watch how often he or she is accused of being everything from racist, sexist homophobic, biased, zealous, right-wing reactionary, etc.
Peter didn't stop at giving an image or identity of the adversary. He also described some of his strategy or method of operation. Peter said the devil walked about, like a roaring lion, seeking something to devour. I read somewhere that a lion will roar in order to scare or frighten the prey into freezing or not knowing where to go or what to do to escape. The young lions and sometimes the lionesses would then come in for the kill, dragging some of the prey back to the pride. Sometimes, depending on the relative hunger, the lion would gulp down the prey whole, not bothering to chew.
What a picture of our adversary! He's prowling around, just as he did in Job's day, roaring to frighten the prey—us!—into giving up the fight. He's waiting to find and devour us, gulping us down in one bite. He will continue to be the "accuser of the brethren" (Revelation 12:10) far into the future. We'll never completely understand the absolute hatred Satan has for all of humanity, especially those who renounced our allegiance to him and became believers in the Lord Jesus Christ! Lest we get too discouraged, please remember that even when we stumble, fall, and become aware of our sin in any capacity, we generally feel bad about it as a result of conviction. This is a reasonable reaction to having committed sin against God and the Lord Jesus Christ. We deserve punishment for our sins, but let's not stop there.
The apostle John later wrote "...if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1). The word advocate is the Greek word parakletos, meaning "one called alongside to help." One rendering I've seen or heard of is "defense attorney," which means Jesus Christ defends us when we are accused, including when we are rightly convicted of sins! Jesus pleads our case by declaring that He already has paid the penalty for our sins by His own death on Calvary's cross. He's defended us numerous times, but He's never once lost the case! We are forgiven!
If a Christian is marked by sobriety and alertness, he will not fall, no matter how fierce the devil’s opposition becomes. This reality is clearly revealed in the story of Job. Christians are in a war, and a war situation demands a particular strategy, which is to keep a clear head and to look for potential attacks. A Christian knows that the devil can only be in one place at a time, but the believer cannot tell who the devil will target next. Therefore the realistic Christian will always be ready because he knows that the devil could attack him soon.
2. Stance of Resistance: Exercise an IMMOVEABLE FAITH by OPPOSING the devil (v. 9)
We would love to stop there, rejoicing in the grace and goodness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We can't, though. Not yet! We're still here to live, work and witness to what He has done. There's only one way to do this: by standing firm against all that the Devil throws at us. What did Peter say in verse 9?
James already had written to believers some years prior to "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (v. 4:7). This advice is still valid! We don't have to yield to the devil for one moment. He'll try anything to cause us to veer or wander off the pathway, and then accuse us to God when we do! If we resist him—if we say no and mean no, if we call on our heavenly Father for assistance—we don't need to fall for any trick of the devil.
Peter's first commands were to be of a sober spirit, and to be on the alert. We need not say much more about this, except that our enemy, the devil, is prowling about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. If we resist him, we can and will overcome with the power our Lord makes available to us! I have heard too many Christians make light of Satan as though he were no threat. I have even heard a knowledgeable teacher of the Scriptures call him a “wimp.” This does not square with Peter’s description of Satan here nor does it square with the attitude we are to manifest toward angelic powers (see Jude 8 and 9).
Resisting simply refers to our refusal to submit to him and our standing fast against his onslaughts, by divine enablement. I hear many Christians doing these things, and yet I see no command to do so and no example of the saints having done so. Just as the key to submitting to God is faith, so the key to standing fast against Satan’s attacks is faith. Remember, once again, the words our Lord spoke to Peter just before his denial: 31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded [permission] to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22: 31-32, emphasis mine). The key to Peter’s survival under Satan’s attack was his faith, just as our Lord had prayed for him that his faith would not fail. Faith is likewise the key to our resisting Satan’s attacks. Resist him and let your faith be a solid wall.
But why faith? Why is faith so essential? Because Satan’s attacks against the believer are an attack on faith itself. When Satan tempted Adam and Eve, he tried to induce them to act independently (disobediently) of God. They were urged to act independently of God by Satan, raising doubts in their hearts about the trustworthiness of God. They could not understand why God would “hold back” the fruit of the forbidden tree and what it offered. They trusted in themselves (and Satan) by doubting God. When we are successful, Satan tempts us with pride, seeking to turn us from God because we think we no longer need Him. When we suffer, Satan tempts us with doubt and unbelief, trying to make us believe God has abandoned us so we will act independently of God to bring about what is in our best interest—or so we think.
Peter’s comments in verses 9 and 10 provide us with much fuel for faith. First, we can be firm in our faith because we know we are not alone in our suffering. Furthermore, we are well aware that many others who are suffering for their faith are standing fast as well. When we suffer, we are tempted to think our situation is unique, that no one has ever faced the difficulties we are facing. Taking a stand is more than quiet resistance. Taking a stand means preparing our defenses and planting our feet firmly with determination not to give an inch against the advancing enemy. It is a planned defense against an enemy, prepared in advance, by knowing truth and living according to truth, by committing ourselves to righteousness, by a faith that is strong and unwavering despite circumstances, by remembering our position before God the Father (saved and under His care), and all this from knowing and understanding the word of God. The attack will end if we “resist him, standing firm in the faith”
3. Statement of Resolution: Endure SUFFERING for Christ which will STRENGTHEN and ESTABLISH you (vs. 10-11)
Peter also reminded his readers that we're not alone in our struggles. Other believers in other lands are going through their own dealings with the devil. In some cases, they endure fierce, fiery persecution. John later wrote Jesus' message to the Church of Smyrna about troubles to come (Revelation 2), and Peter already had mentioned the problems his audience was going through at the time of his letter. After all, Peter had endured his own share of persecution. Just look at the first few chapters of Acts! Yet, he encouraged them (and us) that we have victory in Jesus!
We may think we are alone in our suffering, but we should be comforted and encouraged when we realize saints around the world are also suffering—some much more than us—and they too are standing fast, firm in their faith. We can pray for one another that we will stand firm as we suffer, looking to the cross where our Savior suffered and died for us. Our faith silences Satan’s temptation for us to doubt God.
The second basis for a firm faith is knowing that while Satan seeks to destroy us, God sovereignly actually uses his opposition to further His purposes and strengthen our faith. As Peter has already shown, trials and suffering are the means by which our faith is proven (1 Peter 1:7). Now, he will say so again. Suffering is the means by which God—the God of all grace—perfects, confirms, strengthens, and establishes us (1 Peter 5:10).153 The very trials which may appear to be the means Satan employs for our destruction are the means God employs for our deliverance and development. Behind the opposition of unbelievers stands Satan seeking to devour us, and behind Satan stands God, sure to perfect and purify us.
The third basis for our faith is found in verse 11: “To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Satan claims to control much more than he does (see Matthew 4:9) and even demands that which is not his (Luke 22:31). He seeks dominion over all the earth and over the people of God, but dominion does not belong to him; it belongs to the Lord Jesus, whose death, burial and resurrection brought about Satan’s downfall. He was using persecution with the object of intimidating souls, and they needed the courage of firm faith to protect themselves from this.
Application: Satan is an imitator and an impostor. He declared his intentions in his "I will" speech recorded in Isaiah 14:12-15. He is a master of disguise. Satan "walks about like a roaring lion," but Bernard of Clairvoux writes, "Lion or Worm? 'Infidels fear the devil as a lion, but those who are strong in the faith despise him as a very little worm." John reminds us in his first epistle: "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4b).
Therefore while strategizing the defeat of Satan’s attacks, let us always be in a state of readiness; take on a stance of resistance toward the devil and be ready to give your statement of resolution. Let us not forget that when your faith is the strongest, you come up under the greatest attack, because the enemy is trying to destroy your destiny. But we are so fortunate and blessed that God has already fashioned and carved it out by His very hands.
