Humbled & Exalted Series

1Peter 5:5-14. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." [6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. [8] Be sober-minded; be watchful/on the alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. [11] To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. [12] By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. [13] She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. [14] Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. (ESV)

Ralph Waldo Emerson said: ‘A man is what he thinks about all day long.’ How could he possibly be anything else?” Why? An old maxim states: “Thoughts produce acts, acts produce habits, and habits produce character.” The Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius said, “Our life is what our thoughts make it.” Or as one translation of Prov.23:7 puts it, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7). (Morgan, Robert J.: Nelson's Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, and Quotes. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000, S. 558)

How you regard what we have looked at thus far, will determine if you are ready or not for ministry. Spectators, what is the hallmark of our age, crave entertainment. They see things for general entertainment or personal enjoyment. Those going into battle, look for equipment for war and prepare for hostility. Which are you?

As the Apostle Peter closes out his letter to the Church he is now sending us into battle with the resources that God provides. Over the course of 1 Peter he has examined hope, faith, the work of Christ, love, submission, shepherding and suffering. This has been aimed at equipping you to stand firm in the true grace of God. With this, the concluding message of this series, I aim to use Peter’s closing comments to wrap together what we have seen so we may put it into practice.

In the final section of this letter, Peter addresses how godly enables us to get proper perspective enabling us to put our thoughts and mind right in order to act. . If we are humble before God, He will exalt us to achieve His will. In 1 Peter 5:5-14, the Apostle Peter closes out 1 Peter by showing us how to have: 1) Humility in Ourselves (1Peter 5:5-8), 2) Humility before Threats (1Peter 5:8-9), 3) Humility before God (1Peter 5:10-11), and finally 4) Humility towards Others (1Peter 5:12-14).

In order to be Humbled & Exalted, God desires us to first have:

1) Humility in Ourselves (1Peter 5:5-7)

1 Peter 5:5-7 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." [6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (ESV)

As he did earlier in the letter (1 Peter 3:1, 7), Peter uses homoios (likewise) as a transition word. In the prior verses, he renders the word “in the same way.”. In 1 Peter 5:1–4 Peter addressed church leaders; now he turned to the congregation. As shepherds submit to the Chief Shepherd, so the flock submits to their shepherds. The foundational attitude in the life of the saint must be submission, a relatively familiar theme already in this epistle. In 2:13–20 and 3:1–7 Peter commanded believers to be submissive to employers, civil authorities, and within marriage. As Peter had presented the best plan for household relationships, so here he described the best plan for church relationships (Barton, B. B. (1995). 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude (p. 134). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Pub.)

Although no one is exempt from Peter’s exhortation that everyone is to be submissive to their elders, he targets specifically those who are younger. Though it is not stated in the context why he singled them out, probably he did so because it is so obvious that they generally tend to be the most aggressive and headstrong members of any group. (cf. Ps. 119:100; Prov. 16:31; 20:29). The call for godly submission is usually of greatest challenge for the younger. Tell me if this quote sounds familiar. “When I was a boy, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly impatient of restraint. They (tend to have awful) manners, flout authority and have no respect for their elders”. Lest you think it’s from this weekends newspaper, it’s from a Greek poet named Hesiod, who wrote 800 years before Christ was born. (Living for Christ in a Pagan World. Michael Bentley. Evangelical Press. 1990. p. 165).