The Upright Walk of a Bowed-Down Man

Suffering is present. Good leadership should also be present, especially those who will feed the flock. Those who feed God's suffering. She will call God suffering.

She give them the ability to make it through that suffering for the church need something else.

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Get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer. Okay, let's get into today's teaching where in first Peter chapter 5 as we begin our study with skip. I feel Moody once said, be humble, or you'll stumble.

With that in mind, let's discover how let's discover this attitude in verse five of first Peter chapter 5 likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him for he cares for you now allow me to give my best shot at giving you the setting of these verses. These are the closing words of Peter in this letter is written to several groups.

The group right before this for the elders of the church that there to feed the flock there to shepherd the flock there to do so by example there to do so willingly, not by constraint. After addressing the elders he addresses those who are younger and then everybody saying that we should be submissive and humble, and humble ourselves before God to let me paint the scene as I can best see it. Peter's audience were a group of sufferers 21 times in this letter he addresses that subject of suffering and he has written to them already, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try so is writing to a group of people who are feeling the pain of suffering. And when suffering is present.

Good leadership should also be present, especially those who will feed the flock. Those who feed God's suffering sheep wool, God, suffering sheep give them the ability to make it through that suffering but the church need something else. Not only does it need good leaders it needs good followers because suffering will bring out the worst in people. Worse, attitudes the tensions and suffering. People will often resort to baser behaviors. Tempers will flare irritations will mount accusations will fly and pride will rear its ugly head. I noticed that when churches go through times of difficulty that the atmosphere can become very volatile and there will arise. Those who in the name of righteous indignation will challenge leadership is often not always, but often the younger ones who will do that. Why well, they never trusted the older generation anyway. To begin with. Oftentimes, and they have not learned the art of diplomacy or the virtue of humility. And that seems to be at least in part, the setting that we have here and what we have just read the pressures on the outside of the church have produced pressures on the inside of the church. So what Peter writes now is to those who are younger and then to everyone else. I call this message the upright walkabout bowed down man and I want to give you the three principles you know sometimes you go what he does things in threes a lot or there are three versus sometimes are two point sometimes or five point sometimes or four. But there are here in these three versus three major principles. Can I come call them compliant characteristics of those who are upright, given to you in sentence form number one responding to authority helps leadership.

Nothing is more helpful to those who are in authority than to find those who will compliantly respond to that authority noticeably rights. Likewise, you younger people submit your cells to your elders stop right there. This is not an unfamiliar theme, is it not a Peter has written a lot about submission.

So far been one of his themes back in chapter 2 verse 13 he writes submit your self to every ordinance of man for the Lord say in chapter 2, verse 18 servants, be submissive to your masters in chapter 3, verse one. Wives submit to your husbands in chapter 2, three verse 22 Peter writes about angelic beings, being in subjection or submissive submission to Christ. In other words, submission is a part of every single realm of life because submission is a foundational attitude for all of life. You can't be saved without submission. Did you know that because to be safe you have to repent and turn from what you know is wrong. Your own self-will your own previous choices and repent means to turn around and go in a new direction and therefore you are now in submission to an alien will. You cannot follow Christ. Unless you are willing to submit to Christ as Savior and his Lord. Notice, to whom he writes likewise you younger people. I need to warn you that that's my translation, but more modern translations and a few of the older ones will say young men in particular because the word is very very distinct. It refers probably to young men here it says younger people, but most translations are younger men. Now you might ask, why would Peter single out young man I can't be sure, I can only guess I can only guess by saying that often young men are more impulsive, more aggressive, more headstrong, and they have a tougher time with submission. I can only speak from personal experience when I was growing up I remember the top time I had went for my dad would say just about anything. I was headstrong. It's those who are young, especially young men. They feel like they've got the world by the tail and how did the world even make it all these years without them you know what I mean it's actually a wonderful time.

Youth is it's a time of daring and creativity and feeling invincible.

Almost. But it also be a dangerous time because those who are younger, often think themselves infinitely wiser than everybody, especially the older generation and this can sometimes be catastrophic to jog your memory a little bit Solomon after he died, his son, Rehoboam took over the kingdom. If you remember Solomon had a tough time because he heavily taxed the people almost to the point of breaking them. So when Rehoboam got got on the throne, he decided he would advise from two groups of people because the people had come to Rehoboam and said dude you gotta relax the tax structure your dad almost killed us.

So he asked two groups of advisors. One was an older group who had advised his father. One was his contemporaries, a much younger group in edgier group. The old guy said you better listen to the people because they are on the brink of revolt. But he asked the younger people they said don't listen to what the people want show them who's boss assert your own authority over them.

In fact, you should say that your little finger will be heavier than your father's waist so we did that and the people did revolt and the kingdom split north and south and never recovered from that.

So submission is necessary. Wayne Mackie said the error of youth is to believe that intelligence is a substitute for experience all of society is built on submission right there are laws that you must keep and if you don't keep them there are policemen out there who will reinforce and enforce those laws to help you remember not only is there government.

There's submission at home to parents. You go to work you have to submit to rules and regulations of the company or the vision and instruction of the boss in virtually every part of life. There is a structure, a chain of command for anything to work. So it is in the church.

In Hebrews 13 verse 17 the writer says, obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say their work is to watch over your souls, and they know that they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this joyfully and not with sorrow that would certainly not be for your benefit not to bring any of this up in some self-serving way hoping that you will respond to my authority is simply part of the biblical sexy addresses elders and the addresses those who are younger in response to those who are older and then he addresses all people in the congregation. After that but here's what I want you to know about submission. Submission to any authority on earth is an act of faith. Yes, your submitting to a human. And that's a little scary because they may take advantage of and I say it's an act of faith because when you submit to a person as a believer you are trusting that there is God behind them, who is sovereign and in control in spite of what boss you have or what the issues are, or what the leaders are. It's an act of faith. I have a couple dogs at home.

I had one, but now we got another one and am there two different sizes, but the little one is very full of himself and that big one could take it in its sleep, but they they tussle and they rumbled and they look like they're fighting with the displaying I watch this when they play and I've also seen it when dogs are really fighting, there is a signal that a dog gives when it submits it'll get on its back and expose the most vulnerable part the neck to the dog who has the neck and its teeth and anytime I want to when they're playing a thick man that dog is and it's over. So that position of submission could destroy that dog. But in effect, in reality, that signal is how the dog is spared and any organization in any group in any structure at all. People are spared the unit is spared when there is submission to the principal is responding to authority helps leadership is the second living in humility enhances fellowship living in humility enhances fellowship continuing verse five second sentence. Yes, says Peter all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility for any quotes Proverbs now God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Peter was addressing the elders chapter 5 verse one and following. We looked at the last week. Then he addresses the youngers. Now he's addressing Ahlers everyone all y'all. They would say in the South. Everyone in the flock. Everyone in the fellowship. He speaks about the action of submission. Now the attitude of humility.

This is the attitude that lubricates relationships submission and humility. Those of the lubricant sets the oil when the gears get tight, they keep it flowing smoothly. Notice what he writes be submissive to one another member, the word for submission. We looked at it several times and the study over the week scuba tonsil miso lineup under a military term to line up under the ideas that you lineup under somebody's authority you get in line under their authority. You relinquish her rights. So here he says be submissive to one another that we offer a re-translation voluntarily adapt to ourselves to each other or land with one another. Be willing to surrender your rights, you can always be the dog on top with the teeth growling. Sometimes you have to assume the lower position.

Humility choices clothe yourselves with humility. Humility means to get low or low-lying. The word is sometimes translated lowliness of mind. Paul says with lowliness of mind. Philippians chapter 2 let each of you esteem others better than himself.

So minded person here's what's interesting to me. The culture in which this was written to Greco-Roman culture, especially the Greek culture despised the quality of humility. Did you know that they despised much like today. Our society despises you know you're a wimp you show weakness. The Greeks believed that only two types of people in the world Greeks and everybody else and everybody else there term. They were barbarians. So the Greeks said self confidence, self aggressiveness, those are good qualities.

The only people that were the humble people or their conquered enemies when they would conquer someone they would turn them into slaves they would become the low minded person or the humble person because they saw themselves as number one were superior. I was reading an article about personalized license plates.

It seems that when personalized license plates were first introduced to the state of Illinois that the Department of Motor Vehicles have thousands of requests for the license plate that said number one, number 1007 there were so many of them that the official at the Department of Motor Vehicles, whose job was to make the assignment said I'm not can you assign this to someone and disappoint thousands of people so resolve the problem in he took the number one for his life. Number one, be submissive to one another rights. Peter and be clothed with humility into the Bible always sees humility is a virtue not a vice. Doesn't say it's a wimpy weak person but a strong person and you know why is Jesus was humble.

One of the chief characteristics of the Savior we follow his humility. According to the apostle Paul.

These words let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, he made himself of no reputation. He took on the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross so taking Christ as our model. He says now be closed to do with humility is an interesting term.

I think he's borrowing that from the slave market.

There was an apron that slaves would tied around her waist when he says, clothe yourselves with humility. It's literally put on the clothing of a slave. JB Phillips translates it put the overalls of humility on the attitude that humility is a tricky kind of a virtue is a not. I say it's tricky because it's a virtue that if you think you have it shows that you don't have right at me think okay I think I'm humble well you to show you're not humble. It's one of those slippery kind of virtues light on Moody used to pray Lord make me humble but don't let me know what like the preacher who said he had a great sermon on humility, but he also said he was waiting for a much bigger crowd so we could preach like the church to want to find the most humble person in their congregation so they formed the committee and names were given and they were voted on and one little guy who was always behind the scenes and never got any accolades and nobody ever paid much attention to him. He never took credit for anything, he was voted most humble and they gave him a little pin most humble. They had to take away the next week as we were at church low minded now. Perhaps it will help if I define humility a little bit. Humility isn't thinking badly about yourself now.

Humility is simply not thinking of yourself at all. You know, we spent so much of our time thinking about ourselves. I think most people do we need somebody whether they think of me. How do I look at it I present myself so humility is in thinking badly about yourself is not thinking about yourself. I want you to notice what he says, clothe yourselves with humility put on that apron that the overalls of humility and he said he says why for notice the quote he's quoting Proverbs chapter 3 verse 34 God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Just chew on that for a minute God resists the proud, quickest way to pick a fight with God is to be proud. You want resistance from God. Be proud.

God hates pride. We are proud.

It's like choosing God off it sets you against him and it sets him against you.

Jesus said, everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

There were two brothers who grew up on a farm on the middle of the country as a grew one of the boys decided he would stay on the farm and take over for his dad as a simple farmer. The other one left the farm and went to school and became highly educated, got in the politics became very wealthy grew in prominence in an importance.

He was well known and one day he came back and visited his brother on the farm and after supper. They took a walk out in the fields in the educated, wealthy politician brother put his arm around the farmer brother and he said you know you think about leaving this farm and making something of your life and do something important you can hold your head up high, get off this farm so the farmer brother put his arm around his prominent brother and he said look out of that.

We feel brother you know it well and he said notice. Only the empty head stand and you let that sink in.

As I am letting it sink into your only the empty head stand up and he continued those that are filled always bow low. Another way of saying that is the branch that bears the most fruit is the one that has been lowest to the ground, clothe yourselves with the very virtue that people of this world despise humility lowliness of mind, put on the garment of a slave, serve one another that concludes Skip Heitzig six message from the series rock so now you Skip to tell you about how you can keep encouraging messages like this. Coming away as you help connect others to God's truths. Simply put God's Word has the power to change lot. That's why together were taking these Bible teachings to more people around the world because we want to see lives transformed. If you've been encouraged by these teachings and grown closer to Christ through his word that I want to ask you to give a gift today to help make these teachings available in more places, and through more outlets.

Your generous gift will help others experience the power of God's life changing word. Here's how you can do that today. We should connectwithskip.com/donate to give a gift that's connectwithskip.com/donate or call 800-922-1888, 800-922-1888 and come back tomorrow as Skip Heitzig six years how you can engage the devil's attacks and win the victory.

This is your enemy cannot know Lord Cloister yourself often a church is what he wanted to just some people think too much about granting you have to engage him. The devil is never too busy to rot cradle of a sleeping St. you dislike you my lady Christians to know you must Skip presentation of connection communication changing truth