MESSAGE IN 1PETER – NUMBER 5 – HUMBLE YOURSELVES AND THE MONSTER OF ANXIETY – 1Peter 5:6-7
[A]. INTRODUCTION – STRENGTH AND DEPENDENCE
The strength of youth is most evident when the body is at the prime of its physical development. How many of us have had sons in the middle teens who likes to flex their developing muscles. This is all so natural but teens pass into early adulthood and then into middle age and lastly into the twilight portion of life. The carefree self-sufficiency of youth soon becomes the realisation that this old physical body can’t do what it once could. As the natural abilities decrease, we find more and more that there is a growing dependence on the assistance of others.
A term used more and more for the spouse who supports the dependent partner is that of “carer”. Peter spent three and one half years in earthly association with Christ, and various episodes in his life showed he was a self-determined man, a self-energised man. On the eve of the crucifixion Peter learnt a major lesson for he had boasted a misplaced, personal strength, but found that under trial and testing, that strength evaporated. He learnt that dependence on God was the only way of satisfaction. Later on in life he could write this:-
[B]. HUMILITY AND QUALIFICATION
The physical strength of youth must not be confused with a spiritual strength because they are different. There is a physical that may be strong but there is a spiritual that may be weak. Over the years Peter became more dependent on God and walked in humility. He was a humble man of God.
The academic may write about things he knows nothing about such as a discourse on humility but it is the man who has gone through the training and failures and the practical advancement in growth – he is the one who is qualified to speak on these things. Peter was one such man.
One thing I do not like, and it is so common under a ministerial system that denominations have, is that young men are appointed to the ministry, men who may love the Lord, but have had no experience in life. When you deal with people’s personal problems, and the problems of life, you need an experienced basis for ministry. That is why all the churches in the New Testament times and later as well had elders who were qualified in their experience with God. The very word “elder” means men of maturity, older men, and men of standing. The Old Testament backs this up.
Experience is a very necessary requirement when you are dealing with the overseeing of the flock of God’s people. We must not have novices – {{1Timothy 3:6 “and not a new convert, lest he become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.”}} Anyway getting back to Peter, he was qualified to speak on this matter of humility because he knew failure in that regard.
Peter makes two requests here, and we may consider them as commands. For a walk with God these are the necessary steps in a proper walk. Remember Peter walked with very God Himself on earth. He was instructed by the Creator of the universe. Those two positions are, “humble yourselves” and “cast all your anxiety”. We are going to look at those.
[C]. WHAT IS THIS MATTER OF HUMILITY?
{{1Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,}}
What Peter says here is that (we) must all humble ourselves under God’s hand and He will exalt those who do so. This is an act of personal decision. There are those who take it to heart and those who don’t. We are told to humble ourselves and I must say this is not a “maybe” but a direct injunction to do it, straight from the mouth of God.
Paul had something to say on this matter. {{Romans 12:3 “Through the grace given to me I say to every man among you NOT TO THINK MORE HIGHLY of himself than he ought to think but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”}} Pride is an awful thing and it is resorted to when a person needs to exalt himself because he wants people to be impressed. When you think more highly of yourself than you ought to you have no right to do so. Why?
I would especially address Christians. What do you have that was not given to you by the Lord? If you are a great speaker in church, a great singer, a great writer and teacher, a great preacher, or what ever it is you have a gift in, the moment you think you are someone important, then you immediately fail God. You are no more than a steward of the gift God has given you. You are no more than a servant carrying the message.
Look at the dreadful failure King Saul turned out to be. God chose him because he was humble and small in his own eyes – {{1Samuel 15:17 Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were LITTLE IN YOUR OWN EYES, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel and the LORD anointed you king over Israel.”}} Please take note any of you who serve the Lord in some capacity, that you do not let thoughts of your own importance begin to crawl in under the door for it will be your ruin in Christian service. I have always liked the little saying, “CHRISTIAN = in Christ, I Am Nothing.”
The Apostle James penned the following that is parallel to what we have been doing. {{James 4:6 He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”}} {{James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”}}.
If you want to exalt yourself, then there is no place for God to do it so you fall. I think you will also miss out on an inheritance. If you read the Sermon on the Mount you will see several of the beatitudes are similar to what Peter is saying.
[D]. NOW WE CONSIDER THIS GREAT BIG MONSTER OF ANXIETY
{{1Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 1Peter 5:7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.}}
Human beings are created with a measure of concern and caution in their lives. God has given us this so that we live safer lives and can be more allied to God. However our natural beings can be too concerned when we rely on the natural human instincts alone without the reliance on God. We then get anxious, overwrought, even fatalistic. What it boils down to is that we are walking God’s way or we walk our own way. The threads of faith in the Lord’s continual presence with us can start to snap.
These two verses teach that our times are in His hands for Christ will exalt His own at the proper time (6). What a tremendous privilege is ours to cast all our anxieties on Him (7). That includes all those things that trouble us; that cause us to worry and to doubt; that cause us to become miserable.
In Psalm 31 David had a lot to worry him. He requested that God would deliver him and incline His ear to him. David was in dire straits. This is just one verse – {{Psalm 31:9 “Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress. My eye is wasted away from grief, my soul and my body also.”}} There are two verses I want to select from that Psalm – {{Psalm 31:5 “Into Your hand I commit my spirit. You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth.”}} And this is the second – {{Psalm 31:15 “MY TIMES ARE IN YOUR HAND. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.”}}
I think David had more trials and troubles than most of us will have. Yes, he prayed for deliverance but there was also the recognition that God was his fortress and cared for him in his sorrows and God would sustain him. In verse 9 he knew God would not fail him and so into God’s hand he committed his spirit. (Jesus did the same, you remember). The whole secret here is not to take back your spirit from God’s hand. That is our problem. We commit then take back. It must never be.
You will see Psalm 31:15, is a great one that has meant so much to me in difficulties. “My times are in Your hand.” IF only we believe that and then REST in that fact so that we sleep contentedly in trust. Our times rest with the Lord. What is it that holds all this in place? Is it your faith or God’s ability? He is faithful who has called you. He will never fail you. He remains faithful. Place all your times and your life into God’s keeping AND LET IT REST THERE.
[E]. THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS IN THE PSALMS
I find that in every situation especially in difficulty and testing that the Psalms are a marvellous help. There is something there for every unpleasant condition we find ourselves in. I have been helped by the Psalms so much.
How often we could say along with the psalmist – {{Psalm 55:5 “Fear and trembling come upon me and horror has overwhelmed me, and I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”}} We want to have contentment and not be troubled or anxious. If the trouble is bad we just wish we could fly away from it all. However it is not possible. We hope for some solution from the hand of man but that won’t happen. What then can we do? What is available? That is the great story of the Psalms. These wonderful songs have the solution.
I want to add here a few more Psalms to this discussion and here they are –
{{Psalm 94:19 “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, YOUR CONSOLATIONS delight my soul.”
Psalm 27:1 “The LORD is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? THE LORD IS THE DEFENCE OF MY LIFE. Whom shall I dread?”
Psalm 34:4 “I sought the LORD and He answered me, and DELIVERED me from all my fears.”
Psalm 46:1-2 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore WE WILL NOT FEAR though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea.”}}
You will see that all those verses have some things in common. Firstly, there are the anxious thoughts and then the solution for those, which is God and the LORD in His provision. Gathering them up we have, “The consolations of God delight the soul; the Lord is light and salvation; the Lord is my defence; the Lord answers and delivers; and He is a very present defence.
Of course that requires trust and commitment. God is not a fair-weather God to be called on only in difficult circumstances. He does these things for His children. Does God always answer? He certainly does but not always in the way we might expect or hope for.
If you look at verse 2 just above you read a positive statement that results from recognising God to be our refuge and strength from verse 1. Then there is no fear, no anxiety. It is a hard lesson to learn. We must let go in faith and let God take full control.
[F]. OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ALWAYS CARES FOR US
We come back to that verse in Peter we are considering – {{1Peter 5:7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.}}
Casting means to throw fully and completely on the Lord and to leave it with Him, not try to rake it back again. What more glorious fact can we want than the affirmation, “because He cares for you.” Peter is led by the Holy Spirit to write along the lines of this verse – {{Psalm 55:22 “CAST YOUR BURDEN UPON THE LORD AND HE WILL SUSTAIN YOU. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”}} The Psalm verse is a beautiful one, just another of abiding trust.
Matthew Henry expands the casting of anxiety on the Lord this way – [[Humility preserves peace and order in all Christian churches and societies; pride disturbs them. Where God gives grace to be humble, he will give wisdom, faith, and holiness. To be humble, and subject to our reconciled God, will bring greater comfort to the soul than the gratification of pride and ambition. But it is to be in due time; not in your fancied time, but God's own wisely appointed time. Does he wait, and will not you? What difficulties will not the firm belief of his wisdom, power, and goodness get over! Then be humble under his hand.
Cast all you care; personal cares, family cares, cares for the present, and cares for the future, for yourselves, for others, for the church, on God. These are burdensome, and often very sinful, when they arise from unbelief and distrust, when they torture and distract the mind, unfit us for duties, and hinder our delight in the service of God. The remedy is, to cast our care upon God, and leave every event to his wise and gracious disposal. Firm belief that the Divine will and counsels are right, calms the spirit of a man. Truly the godly too often forget this, and fret themselves to no purpose. Refer all to God's disposal. The golden mines of all spiritual comfort and good are wholly his, and the Spirit Himself. Then, will he not furnish what is fit for us, if we humbly attend on him, and lay the care of providing for us, upon his wisdom and love?]]
Peter had witnessed constantly the way the Lord had cared for all who submitted themselves to Him; how they found in Him all their satisfaction and resources. That is what he now wants his readers to understand. Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today. Peter knew the Lord’s care to be ongoing. Recall what Jesus said to the crowds one day:-
{{Matthew 6:25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink;
Matthew 6:28 “And why are you anxious about clothing?
Matthew 6:31 “DO NOT BE ANXIOUS then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’
Matthew 6:34 “Therefore DO NOT BE ANXIOUS FOR TOMORROW; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”}}
There are times through trials and suffering when we feel there is just no earthly help. Cast all that anxiety on him. There are times when we feel the fight is too great or too unrelenting. Cast all that anxiety on Him. There are times we feel no one understands us or our problems – personal trouble, debt, serious loss, just so many matters. Cast all anxiety on Him. Our Father in heaven is a compassionate God whose mercy and grace are wonderfully sustaining through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Earlier in the epistle Peter had penned this:-
{{1Peter 2:25 “For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”}}
In this passage he is presenting another aspect of the great care of God. One of the functions of the shepherd is to gather up the fallen and injured sheep, or the timid and frightened animal that has found the going just too tough. Then he places that sheep on his shoulders and supports it with all the strength of his being. The human shepherd’s tenderness and compassion - the motivation of love - is a pale reflection of the true dispensing love of the true Shepherd and Guardian of our souls. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep, and also the Chief Shepherd who provides the unfading crown of glory for faithful shepherds.
As Guardian He is well able to protect from all the anxieties and the troubling concerns of life. He will care for us; He wants to. His divine heart of love reaches out to the hurting sheep. Remember this - “casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”
Part of a great hymn
[[Why do you let the troubles of tomorrow,
Bring sorrow to your heart, and burdens too,
For if the Father’s eye is on the sparrow,
Then surely He will care for you.
He knoweth, and careth,
Each burden, He beareth.
For if the Father’s eye is on the sparrow,
Then surely He will care for you.]]
The following article comes from The Weekly Pulpit
[[GOD'S CARE OF US IS A PERSUASION TO CAST OUR CARE ON HIM. He cares, why should we? Why should we not be as calm as the sailor boy in the wild storm who knew that "his father held the helm"? But it is easier to speak in general terms about our "casting care on God" than it is to explain precisely what it involves. A very simple illustration may help our fearfulness.
A small tradesman had a case coming on in the county court, on which, for him, every thing depended. A decision given against him meant ruin. Worrying over it day and night, he had become thin, looked haggard, lost appetite and sleep. One day there came into his shop a friend of his boyhood, whom he had not seen for years. This friend was much distressed at his appearance, and said, "Why, whatever is the matter with you? I am sure you must have some grave anxiety weighing on your mind." The tradesman poured out to his friend all the story of his troubles; and then that friend said, "Don't you trouble any more about it. I am a lawyer, and practise at the courts, and I have had just such cases as yours. I see where the point of difficulty in your case is, and I have no doubt we shall be able to get you through all right. You trust the matter entirely to me. I will appear for you, and all will be well." What a relief that tradesman felt! He had lost his burden, for he had cast it on his friend. "O Lord, I am oppressed. Undertake for me."]]
Cast your burden on the Lord! Give God your anxiety.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
