Closing Words (Part A)

How many professed believers are resisted by God and don't know because it to crowd and self-centered to admit that they're doing wrong and then wondering why God's blessing the life of their work.

How can God's not sending people to them just to share Christ with fusing the blame themselves for the lack of blessings in their life.

Spiritual blessings. I'm talking about nonmaterial blessing you get material blessing without Jesus Christ. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston.

Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Peter, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of first Peter chapter 5 as he begins his message closing words.

Please turn to first Peter chapter 5 verse Peter chapter 5, we will read verses five through 14. 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, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. May the God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. After you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

To him be glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen by savanna's our faithful brother as I consider him. I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. She who is in Babylon elect together with you, greets you and so does Mark. My son greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Quite beautiful.

Reading is quite a pleasure to read it.

I know many of you moms read aloud to your children very good practice and hopefully you you yourself as you read Scripture to them out loud. You are blessed and ministered to of these are closing words of Peter having encouraged in the first part of this fifth chapter, the pastors to be pastors mindful that they are under the great and cheap shepherd the Lord Jesus, and that their reward is coming, and then he moves right into likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another. I'm reading from verse five, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble solution to useful era which will offer up many solutions is indeed submission. Some Christians seem to live to make ministry difficult for others. That's not submission. So he says likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders, not overseers is expanded and the earlier part of this chapter. The elders were restricted to the pastors but here is expanding at a little bit to include all spiritual authority not senior citizens. The senior citizens per se. We function poorly, otherwise, as a church as a home is any unit in any organization where there is no submission there is struggle. There's conflict. It's a fundamental attitude is found throughout Scripture. It's not hard to find in Scripture Jesus, we know when he was in the upper room, heading toward the cross. John 13.

After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. This is the Lord of the universe kneeling down, washing the feet of his disciples giving us an example of what service involves sometimes it's easy to serve. Sometimes it's very difficult sometimes it's easy to be submitted. Sometimes it is very difficult but it is our principle that holds us what we believe and why we're doing it.

That is, that is the motivation without submission to God. They can be no mission for God, not effective. Insubordination was something that characterize Israel's first King King Saul. He was insubordinate to God. He did not obey did not submit one must be committed to be submitted committed to what they believe, knowing that it is not a waste. When it often appears to be in yet leaders themselves have a responsibility not to be abusive or incompetent to effectively lead you, you have to win people to some degree. Some are unwinnable someone winnable for a season or so but authority to abuse it it it is an abyss. It's a pit to to be under the leadership of someone who is just shouldn't be there. And may we be very sensitive to these things because they are about people. That's what this is about not submitted to a wooden fence it's it's too the systems that God has before us.

One of the great examples of submission is found, the story of King David leaving Jerusalem because of courses insubordinate son Absalom is after him and there was this one warrior. It's AI who was likely not even a Jew, not by birth and it's picked up in second Samuel, but it's AI answered the king and Senate is when David said what are you doing this is not your fight, you stay in Jerusalem and it's AI responds as the as Yahweh lives in is my lord the king live surely whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death alive even there. Also, your servant will be have got your back.

I love you. I am with you.

What a picture of submission but but David one that in spite of David's false is much more to the man than his faults. Jesus doesn't let us lose sight of that in the Scriptures. Peter says yes all of you be submissive to one another that Ms. work together for each other's interests in the Lord.

Some get this without even trying. Effortlessly they they just arrive there others is pushing them up a hill. Others don't seem to try and therefore they never get it and this is the thing about Christianity when it comes to the precepts, the rules of how we are supposed to behave. You have to practice it to develop it. If you don't have it you have to go get it and once you start going to get it. You gotta work it. Jesus said this but go and learn what this means, I desire mercy, not sacrifice you catch that go learn what this means.

This was to those who thought they knew everything and so he, our Lord understood, of course, now we understand that he understands that there are just some things about the faith that don't come easy to us and we have to develop them as a craftsman, any of you ever try to cut a straight line with her with an acetylene torch. No one gets that route. The starting gate takes a long time to develop that kind of skill.

But if you don't work it, you won't get it.

You don't need another profound saying on humility. We need to learn what it means by doing it.

I have never had never needed to try to be humble so much of my life till I became a pastor because then I was say okay sure bozo, but now it's a whole another again. The Lord is tearing this is his people in. I've been taken to the woodshed and learning to just just let it state stick with the Lord, let him take care of it so he said to says as consequence God resists the proud James adds, but gives grace to the humble. So there is a consequence or a reward. It's up to the individual.

How many professed believers are resisted by God and don't know it because there to proud and self-centered to admit that they're doing wrong and then wondering why God's blessing their life for their work. How can God's not sending people to them to to share Christ with refusing to blame themselves for the lack of blessings in their life. Spiritual blessings. I'm talking about nonmaterial blessing you get material blessings without Jesus Christ world proves that to us. Stubborn pride. It is not resolved is stubborn and it is self-serving.

It's not always easy to point out but sometimes it very easy to point out in verse six he continues.

Therefore, because of all these things. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Now remember you saying these things to Christians that are being persecuted by the government physically persecuted and as I've been saying through this study is escalating is not yet peaked. It will get worse therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that will help us avoid God siding against us in resisting us. If you are self-important. Jesus gave a parable you. He said if you're self-important, you're setting yourself up to be embarrassed and ashamed by those who are more honorable than usually told a parable about the person that goes to the wedding and sits right up front in the best seats than the host comes along and says excuse me, can you move to the back. This is reserved for someone more honorable and so the parable of courses to help cause us to pay attention to how we behave and how we think of ourselves sinful heart has a surplus here it comes of self esteem back in the 80s and 90s.

This false teaching infiltrated the church so many church leaders, writing books on self-esteem. Self-esteem is not our problem. We have a surplus of self esteem.

The opposite of self esteem is God esteem under self-control. It's not self-hatred, but to esteem oneself. That is, John the Baptist said Jesus was increase. I must decrease.

He had a wonderful opportunity to save esteem myself. You may say list of what it means. Don't know. That's why we don't hear too much of it today. It failed. Have you noticed how many books are not being written oneself.

This esteem as they were in the 80s and 90s because they begin to realize that people having to hire opinion of themselves, are a menace to others.

This is illustrative for us in Isaiah where Satan we have that that Scylla query up that speech of Satan. I will be like the most high, I will exalt my throne. I me I and we listen to his language there in Isaiah 14 and we say Lord may me. May I not and not conduct myself that way. So humility is to just be conscious of who you are, your shortcomings, even your strengths. We all have strengths. Incidentally, not to show offered to bully it some again as I asked this question from time to tell of time whereas you want to hear these things but within the confines of Christian teachings. This is what God is looking for. We don't have to puff ourselves. We don't have to promote ourselves. We don't know what we don't have to think more how we already think highly of ourselves.

It's just veiled in many sophisticated ways. Sometimes because of our frustrations. So with all Scripture that has to say about this. I'm surprised that it never took hold of. But anyway, are many of you I'm sure follow that because you you want to submit to your leaders and the Christian leaders are teaching us things we we want to follow and get it right. The problem arises when were not very versed on on on the Scripture. And it's a process, not trying to be too hard or too light that would undo everything I just said is is that he may exalt you in due time, there it is, God will lift you up.

God will give us what we need.

I mean how does a person say I feel a calling to the ministry knowing they are completely in adequate ill-equipped not qualified regardless of how much edging location. They may think they have a notes education, I should say that because is probably someone would anyway, that he may exalt you. So you I can speak for myself coming into ministry. I just trusting God to fill in the blanks to help out, and he has sometimes not fast enough. Sometimes these let me fall flat on my face, at least in my perception. My thinking so that I can hit so that he can get the problems you said that too harshly. No one cares about your opinion on that got me this is my trip home after when you when you leave the sermon here you you I know you got that was the best sermon ever you have to go to the sermon on the Mount to beat that one may I'm going to teach you to believe you said that.

Okay, maybe you can clean it up next week know that would be Patty Eddie. So that's welcome to my world were you so quiet so in due time he may exalt you in due time, God will take care of these things. Humility accepts the truth about ourselves.

Not an easy place to get to. I'm in my position okay I am not eloquent, what are you going to do that will search for what I have instead and and and just use that and that is for all of us in verse seven he says, casting all your care on him, for he cares for you again persecuted Christians. He's writing to you fully aware I got I've been reading this and this will come up towards the end of this letter is I've been reading through first Peter.

This session, I get the feeling Peter is not in the trouble zone is not in the hot zone was getting the persecution yet and this is in no way disqualifies him from addressing it because he has been persecuted already and he knows he is life will end violently through persecution, so when he says cast your care upon him. He knows that there are those that are hurting the people of God that hate the people of God.

Now here we are. Only when a relatively peaceful environment. We are surrounded by mostly Jesus lovers but outside these walls.

There are many people that hate that you love Christ, they hate what he stands for.

They will don't mind letting you know this and this is something that is to say us to be concerned about lost souls that our testimony would be good enough to be perfect. We have to try to make it perfect. Good enough to draw people to us. I mentioned earlier leaders, good leaders. I think they stir a desire to follow them. I know when I find a manner of speaking in my mind. I think back in my military days I can remember the men that I admired and did not mind their orders what they wanted to do. In fact, if they were going along I was jolly about the whole thing. This is a good thing.

It is something that we also want to use in preaching the gospel were people want to hear from us they want what our opinion on a particular matter, whether it is political or domestic, or spiritual or to us. Everything is spiritual.

Of course, and so we tend to cast some of our cares on Christ. I know I do. I try to cast them all. This Greek word for cast is the same Greek word only found one other place in the New Testament by the writers of the New Testament, who wrote in Greek is when Jesus they put their clothes on the donkey for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem on what we know is Palm Sunday, they cast their clothes onto the donkey and so you're saddling Jesus with your problems. That's that's of a picture that comes out of this. So when you cast your cares on him you give it to him and the word for care is forecasting your care is anxiety. The translators could've used that word track anxiety here. They didn't Philippians chapter 4 where Paul says be anxious for nothing in the new King James that same word anxious translated therein. Philippians is the word used here for your care, your anxieties, things that spoke you in there no shortage of this affect the line goes around the corner does not give them to Christ led him you fight your own battles and given to God and that the does not mean that you will be ejected from your problem, these Christians, as I mentioned, will suffer escalating persecution, but the words that were written to them on no less true, accurate and necessary. So, may I never may I never have self courage enough to try to overcome my problems without Jesus Christ, or contrary to Jesus Christ. We matter to God even if we are being persecuted.

Now there's a warning that goes with this beautiful verse casting all your care for he cares for you. I know as a Christian, a young Christian ice to write verses down what I want to memorize on index cards and this of course was one of them, but we cannot walk according to the course of this world and claim such promises you get that you cannot argue something extreme and a little absurd.

You cannot be actively robbing banks and while you're doing that saying I'm casting all my care on the Lord because he cares for me.

You cannot claim that promise.

So that leaves you and I to fill in the blanks. Is there any course of this world that were not getting out in the open before the Lord. I mean, you know we we struggle with things that we take it to the Lord, you know, I have this problem and I'm I'm I hated you Aiden.

I'm working as hard as I can and just these help while that person can cast all their cares on the Lord. But the one who is ignoring what they're doing and they know it's wrong and still want to come claim Christ is you got issue. Well, let's get back to some of the teaching part of this as giving application. I hope in verse seven we have what the good Shepherd does, cares for us, cast our care upon him. In verse eight we have what the enemy does in verse nine we have what the disciples do, and then in verse 10 we have what God will do and that's something that Peter arrived at without even trying. See when you do a book you outline.

Think it through. But when you do a U we tend to just let it flow. Sometimes we may schedule enforcement dualism at that. This is a letter that he is dictating to savannas the amendment is source of the letter you meant one writing the letter to Tori about that eloquent stuff is so here he is just speaking, just saying it you might be pacing back and forth.

He might be lying on a cot he might be having a yo-yo in his hand bellowing out. Not likely, but is so they I think the will and the reason why pointed out is because scholars come along and they find it discover these look at that God is speaking in verse seven, the enemy is doing in verse eight, then his genius wall was the author and finisher of our faith was the author of these things in the Scripture. The Holy Spirit, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Be sober or be something else. What is what. If you do not sober what are you doesn't take. Intelligent person to figure that one out. We all know the answer to that the enemy is going to be sober in his attacks on you. We better be sober in response. Otherwise we destabilized and he will take advantage of that. We get to the second letter of Peter, and he deals with these false teachers in the church will find that they take advantage of destabilized Christians. They make merchandise of them. They exploit them.

Gobble them up a professed believer who has not matured over time becomes a delicacy for horses that are harmful spiritually. If not, to them through them.

We don't want to be that person. So he says be vigilant.

Stay away that's the Greek word meaning stairway move. We are so glad you tuned in today to study the book of first Peter on cross reference radio cross reference radio is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and we are blessed to bring you God's word with each broadcast. If you'd like more information about this program or want to listen to additional teachings from Pastor Rick please visit our website cross reference radio.com. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast so you'll never have to miss a program. Just search for cross reference radio iTunes Google play music or your favorite podcast. We hope you tuned in again next time to join us as we continue our study through the Scriptures like here on cross reference radio