This week we
are looking at a section of a letter in the New Testament of the Bible, called
the book of 1 Peter, where we discovered a timeless truth about how we are to
live out our identity as followers of Jesus who are part of God’s kingdom
community in the midst of a rapidly changing culture in that living as part of
God’s kingdom community requires that we recognize the danger around us. And in
1 Peter 5:6-14, we will see Peter reveal three different dangers that we need
to recognize as followers of Jesus who are part of God’s kingdom community.
Wednesday, in
verses 6-7, we see Peter reveal for us the reality that, as followers of Jesus,
we are to recognize the danger of difficult times. Just like the readers of
this letter, as followers of Jesus living in a rapidly changing culture, we can
experience difficult times. Just like the readers of this letter, as followers
of Jesus, we can feel like we are being squeezed by trials and difficulties in
our lives.
And because of
that reality, we are to respond to danger of difficult times by humbly placing
ourselves under the Lord, knowing that the Lord will lift us up upon Jesus
return. And as followers of Jesus, we are to respond to the danger of difficult
times by humbly placing ourselves under the Lord, knowing that we can transfer
our cares to Him while we wait His return. Instead of trying resolve our
anxieties and concerns ourselves without the Lord in a way that exalt
ourselves, we are to transfer those anxieties and concerns to the Lord in a way
that exalts the Lord. Peter reveals a second danger that we need to recognize
as followers of Jesus who are part of God’s kingdom community in verse 8-11.
Let’s discover that danger together:
8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your
adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to
devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are
being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After
you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to
His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 To
Him be dominion forever and
ever. Amen.
Now to fully
understand what Peter is communicating here, we first need to understand a few
things. The first thing we need to understand is what Peter means when he
commands followers of Jesus throughout history to be sober of spirit. As we
discovered earlier in the book of 1 Peter, the phrase “be of sober spirit” here
refers to being well-balanced. This phrase conveys the sense of being self
controlled.
Peter here is
commanding followers of Jesus throughout history to demonstrate a sense of
self-restraint and self control. As
followers of Jesus, we are not to allow our mental or emotional states to be
filled with confusion that comes as a result of excess emotion and rash
responses to our circumstances. Instead of becoming emotionally or mentally
intoxicated by riding the emotional or mental roller coaster of “what if”, as
followers of Jesus we are to focus on the confident expectation that we have
for the future in light of Jesus return so as to have balance in our lives
emotionally and mentally.
Now that leads
to the second thing which we need to understand, which is what Peter means when
he commands followers of Jesus throughout history “to be on the alert”. To be
on the alert means to be in a constant state of readiness. Peter then explains that the reason why
followers of Jesus were to be sober in spirit so as to be emotionally and
mentally balanced regardless of our circumstances: the reason why followers of
Jesus were to be in a constant state of readiness, was due to the fact that “Your
adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to
devour.”
Now, in the
Greco-Roman culture of the first century, the word adversary was a term used to
refer to one who brings a charge in a lawsuit. The adversary would be one who
was an accuser of another. Peter explains that the one who brings a charge, the
one who accuses, is the Devil. Now Jesus and the other authors of the letters
that make up the Bible teach us that the Devil is the leader of a group of supernatural beings who known as demons. We
also know that the Devil and demons have superhuman, but limited knowledge and
power.
The Devil and demons are a group of
angels that were created by the Lord before the creation of the universe, who
rebelled against God sometime before the fall of humanity that is recorded for
us in the very first letter in the Bible in Genesis 3. And the Devil and the
demons that follow the Devil are driven by a desire to destroy the Kingdom of
God and the people of God. The Devil and the demons are driven by a desire to
be worshipped as gods instead of worshipping God.
And because of that reality, Peter
states that the Devil prowls around
like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Peter paints a word picture of
a lion hunting for prey to reveal the reality that the devil devotes serious
effort to find people that he can oppose, accuse, and destroy. Peter wanted the
readers of his letter to understand the danger of the devil by getting off the
emotional and mental roller coaster so as to be in a state of mental and
emotional balance and readiness for any potential attack by the devil.
Peter then
provides the strategy for opposing any potential attack by the Devil with the
phrase firm in your faith. Peter’s point here is that followers of Jesus are to
respond to the accusations and enticements of the Devil by being steadfast in
our confident trust in Jesus and the message and teachings of Jesus. In
addition, Peter reminded the readers of his letter that the same experiences of
suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. In
other words, the readers were not to feel alone when it came to the accusations
and enticements of the Devil as the Devil and
the demons that follow the Devil are driven by a desire to destroy the Kingdom
of God and the people of God. Instead, Peter wanted the readers of his letter
to clearly understand that their experience was a common experience for
followers of Jesus throughout the world.
In addition, in verse 10, we see
Peter reveal the reality that he wanted the readers of his letter to clearly
understand that after you have
suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His
eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish
you. You see, Peter wanted the readers of his letter, and followers of Jesus
throughout history, to clearly understand that the suffering and sadness that
they were experiencing at the hands of the Devil and those in the culture
around them who were hostile to God and the things of God were only temporary.
And after this
temporary time of suffering that they would experience here on earth, Peter
wanted the readers of his letter, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to
clearly understand that God, who is the source of all favor and blessings and
who had chosen them to experience the splendor and radiance that is without end
as a result of His activity through Jesus that resulted in their relationship
with Jesus would perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. In
other words, after their temporary time of suffering, the readers of this
letter would experience the fullness of God’s activity in their lives through
Jesus that would result in them being put in the perfect condition that they
were created to experience. After their temporary time of suffering, the
readers of this letter would experience the fullness of God’s activity in their
lives through Jesus that would result in them being totally committed,
empowered and provided a secure basis from which they would experience the
fullness of the relationship with God that they were created for.
And it is here
that we see Peter reveal for us the reality that, as followers of Jesus who are
part of God’s kingdom community, we are to recognize the danger of the Devil.
As followers of Jesus, we are to respond to the danger of the Devil by being
emotionally and mentally balanced. As followers of Jesus, we are to respond to
the danger of the Devil by being in a constant state of readiness for his
attacks. And as followers of Jesus, we are to respond to the danger of the
Devil by opposing his attacks.
We are to
oppose his attacks by being steadfast in our confident trust in Jesus. We are
to oppose his attacks knowing that we are not alone in these attacks. And we
are to oppose his attacks knowing that God promises us a glorious future. God
promises a glorious future where He will put us into proper condition. God
promises a glorious future where He will cause us to be totally committed. God
promises a glorious future where He will make us strong. And God promises a
glorious future where He will provide a secure base for our life in
relationship with Jesus.
A glorious
future, that is sure, because as Peter points out in verse 11, God has the
dominion, or ruling authority to accomplish His promises for all eternity.
Peter then concludes this letter by revealing a third danger that we need to
recognize as followers of Jesus who are part of God’s kingdom community in
verse 12-14:
12Through Silvanus, our
faithful brother (for so I regard him),
I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true
grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together
with you, sends you greetings, and so
does my son, Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of
love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.
Now so often,
when we come to the final verses in a letter in the New Testament we can find
ourselves just skimming through so that we can move on to the next letter. So
often, we read these final verses as though they are the fine print in some
item that we purchased. However, it is in these final verses, it is in the fine
print, so to speak, that we discover another timeless danger that we need to
recognize.
When Peter
refers to Silvanus, this is another name for a man named Silas. Silas was a
travel companion of the Apostle Paul and Timothy during one of his missionary
journeys and helped write several letters that are recorded for us in the New
Testament. In addition, Silas often delivered correspondence for the leaders of
the early churches to churches, as we see in Acts 15:23. Silas delivered the
letter that we know as 1 Peter to the original readers of this letter.
Peter
explained that the letter that Silas was delivering contained the true grace of
God. Peter’s point is that the contents of his letter contained the genuine and
authentic truth about God’s transformational intervention and activity through
Jesus that results in forgiveness and the relationship with God that we were
created for. And because of that reality, Peter commanded the readers of this
letter to stand firm in it. In other words, the readers of this letter were to
remain firmly rooted in the truth of the letter so as to remain unmoved from
the truth of this letter.
And it is here
that we see Peter reveal for us the reality that, as followers of Jesus, we are
to recognize the danger of failing to remain rooted in the message of the
gospel. As followers of Jesus, we are to respond to the danger of failing to
remain rooted in the message of the gospel by recognizing the message of the
gospel as being the real deal. As followers of Jesus, we are to respond to the
danger of failing to remain rooted in the message of the gospel by standing
firm on the truth of its message.
And as
followers of Jesus, we are to respond to the danger of failing to remain rooted
in the message of the gospel by recognizing those who are also rooted in the
gospel. Peter recognized those who were followers of Jesus that comprised the
church in Rome as those who remained rooted in the gospel. Now a natural
question that could arise here is “why would Peter refer to the church at Rome
with the name Babylon? Is Peter speaking in code? What is going on here?”
Peter here
uses the word Babylon as a word picture that connected the idea of living as
aliens and strangers. Just as the Jews lived in Babylon in the OT, these early
followers of Jesus were living in exile now as strangers and aliens whose true
citizenship was in God’s kingdom community. Peter then wished the readers of
his letter would experience a state of well being with God and others that came
as a result of embracing and living out their identity as part of God’s kingdom
community.
And part of
living out our identity as God’s kingdom community is to understand that living
as part of God’s kingdom community requires that we recognize the danger around
us. As part of God’s kingdom community, we are to recognize the danger of
difficult times. As part of God’s kingdom community, we are to recognize the
danger of the Devil. And as part of God’s kingdom community, we are to
recognize the danger of failing to remain rooted in the message of the gospel.
So here is a
question to consider: Do you recognize the danger around you? Do you recognize
the danger of difficult times? Do you recognize the danger of the Devil? Do you
recognize the danger of failing to remain rooted in the message of the gospel?
And how are you
responding to the danger? Are you responding to the danger by placing yourself
under the Lord so as to place the Lord first? Are you responding to the danger
by being steadfast in your confident trust in the Lord? Are you responding to
the danger by recognizing that the message of the gospel is the real deal?
Because the
timeless reality is that living as part of God’s kingdom community requires
that we recognize the danger around us…
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