Together We Overcome

Finance Summit life with Jamie Greer. Casting your hearing Jesus as a form of humility to the office of casting his worried expression of pride worries of pride because because it carries concerns upon oneself instead of entrusting his concerns to God to casting our cares on him as an expression of Bar Harbor humility Monday and welcome to Senate life after an author, Jamie Greer and Molly Benedict's today we come to the end of our teaching in first Peter and his band together we endure together we progress through tough times. Peter talks a lot about suffering, frustration, and patience with clear why this book is still relevant to us right now. The last few verses are about how to not simply survive in a hostile, cruel, chaotic world right. Be sure to stick around the end of the show today for special word for pastor JD. But for now let's learn how to overcome the first Peter has been together together as a church we press through a really tough time. Peter writes this letter of first Peter to a church in exile literally annex off persecution and hardship had driven them from their homelands so Peter talks a lot about suffering and frustration, and patience. I think it's been pretty clear why this book is so relevant to us. We come now to Peter's final instructions in chapter 5 the whole chapter is great but what will really focus on on verses five through 11 because because that's his wrap up to the entire book was this might be the most encouraging message that you did not want to hear the Christian life is hard. It is far better. Of course, than the alternatives but but is not necessarily easier. In fact, following Jesus, sometimes intensifies the hardship that you live with talk about that these last verses are about about how not to simply survive in this area in a hostile, cruel, chaotic world, but how to thrive over, I do not know about you but I am tired of just surviving these days. My talking anybody out there. I don't want to just make it I will look back on this season. The some of the best days of my life. Even if even if they been some of the hardest� Reversal spot verse five.

All of you close yourselves with humility toward one another because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble of a quote from Proverbs 3. Humble yourselves. Verse six. Therefore under the mighty hand of God so that he may exalt you at the proper time casting all your cares on him because he cares about you, be sober minded. Be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for anybody that he can devour. Resist firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

We all just read these last two verses out loud together altogether out loud with the verse did the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen and support you after you have suffered a little while to him be dominion forever.

Amen.

Amen. Here's the first principle for how to overcome number one got to embrace that waiting is normal. Let me make one the most important statements that some of you will ever have hurt waiting on God is a normal part of the Christian life. Every word in these verses points to it to to what to do when you're in a situation you don't like and that you and that you want God to change your suffering.

You are the victim of injustice something you want.

Got a chance situation and you're not quite sure why he done. That's the backdrop for for every single one of the rest of these commands in these verses, verse five.

Humble yourself before God. In other words, don't try to get ahead of him. I'm verse seven cast your cares on him while you wait. You know help is right around the corner.

You might be able to hang on and cure the Lord yourself, but it is going to be a while you need you need him to help you shelter the load I my kids any time that that there holding something that weighs more than 3 ounces for any length of time. They asked me to hold onto it we go to Disney World and I say don't be all that stuff in your backpack, sunglasses and binoculars. It was metal water bottles and complete collectors edition set of Harry Potter books and and I what you will need all that. But they bring them anyway. Mother walking to the parking lot.

They're all excited and there found some of the stuff in your backpack but you know this bears just to get to get asked three minutes inside the gate to carry the backpack, the rest of the day right knee. They just came into her very low. What Jesus said when it's going to be a long day when it feels like it's going to be a long day.

Let me carry that load. I'll take it.

I'm verse six he says, at the proper time. That is, that is his proper time, not yours.

He's going to exalt you when he decides the time is his right and his purposes have been accomplished that he will restore, establish, strengthen and support you after you have suffered verse 10 and a little while will restore establish you as well. How long is a little while we don't know that's that's the point you're waiting you're waiting the whole passage has you in a posture of waiting to let me say it again waiting on God is a normal part of the Christian life. I cannot just be honest with you I don't like waiting on God. But if our Bible shows me anything. It shows me that waiting is the normal experience of God's children. A lot of them or confuse us with some of us are confused when you read the profits and songs your your your struck with how much of their lives are spent in a posture of waiting, the prophet Jeremiah who spent many years unjustly imprisoned in a dungeon just for speaking truth to the king on this whole book called Lamentations where he basically just laments cries out to God and says why God where are you have you forsaken me throughout the Psalms.

King David says things like like I'm in a pit my enemies of overwhelming my friends betrayed me, darkness is my only friend.

Why do you feel so far from me God before God performed the Exodus, Israel waited for 400 years of slavery. That's what 10 generations twice as long as our country is even been in existence.

By the way, this was a like a punishment for their sins. Either it was just a God where are you kind of taught him. He had not had Israel wait again for 400 years between the last prophet of the Old Testament and the birth of Jesus. 400 years of God, where are you if you have you forgotten us to silence Isaiah describes that time is like like sitting in darkness. Other Bible heroes, like Joseph sat in prison for years waiting on God or Joe who waited for years before God restored his fortunes. The hearing first Peter C Peter expects these believers he expects expects us to define ourselves and and a posture like this. Also, waiting, here's something you don't want to hear.

I but you really need to hear.

Waiting on God is a normal part of the Christian experience.

The prophet Jeremiah.

What we would say this way. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord is good. You say you say why. While on a sale and all the answer so that I do know from experience of there are things you can learn in a time of waiting that you just won't learn any other way out say that Lamentations 326 is a versa. God is been using in my life lately is good for me to sit quietly and wait for God's salvation. It's good for me to find myself in a posture of helplessness as I wait on God. Enter Murray enumerate 19th-century Christian pastor EEE call waiting on God the most essential part of the Christian life. He called waiting on God, the highest expression of salvation, the only true expression of Christianity. So waiting is is normal what you're experiencing. Questions ago. Without it, it's normal and here's the good news just like your first Peter God promises good things to those who wait, Jeremiah, Lamentations 3 verse 25 says the Lord is good to those who wait for him. Here Peter says God will exalt, he will restore he will establish, strengthen and support you. Cannot tell you no one.

No one who is waited on God has ever been let down ever. You will not be the first EEE always comes through.

And he will for you so let me just ask where you waiting on the goodness of God right now. Maybe it's it's in regards to the kid that you really want to see come back to God and you pray you pray and you praying stand with the father. The story of the prodigal son uses his weight. It's good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Maybe you're being treated unfairly by your spouse.

Maybe you're being slandered at work. Maybe for like EE in some situation.

You just can't get justice. It's good it's good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Maybe you're in financial duress are you just need guidance and support in the situation. It's good for you that you should wait quietly for the salvation of, or maybe it's just in regards to tentative took over 19 once again in one's life to go back to normal. It's good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord, the Lord is good to those who wait for him he will he will Peter says, exalt, restore, establish, strengthen and support you. By the way, Peter is not only talking about this. This help in this restoration is if you don't talk about heaven. Of course he's talking about Abby's peers expecting earthly fulfillment of of God's goodness he's expecting God to show up in their lives. Sometimes Christians will think like well I know it all be better when we all get to heaven. What a glorious wonderful day that will be but they don't expect anything good down here Peter. Peter expects it to happen on earth in the Psalms, David says pretty bluntly, are dead people able to praise you to condemn people proclaim your unfailing goodness, can they stand up and testify to other people about how how good you abandoned and put on display the goodness of God know he said, but I I'm convinced that I will be able to look on the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. In other words, before I die and get the evidence that I can tell other people about Joseph and Job and David all got to see God's goodness break out in the land of the living in their lifetimes and Peter expects that to happen for us also.

If we don't get resolution until heaven. That's okay, but we are eagerly waiting for it now. Jesus was not resurrected in the body on earth so that we as followers could manage a slow retreated and just make it to heaven by the skin of our teeth. Jesus overcame the powers of death on earth so that we could see the out workings of that power on in our lives that we could see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living in an hour days number two Peter says you should humble yourselves us in verse six. This is is part of effective waiting in context that's going to mean a couple of things versus simply you to receive this waiting is a is a good purpose of God receive it as a part of God's goodness in your life. Don't rage against this time of waiting at the second aspect of humility is just admit you need help. Pride says I don't need help I can get through this.

I'll make it. It's not really an addiction. It's not really a crisis I can fix all my own problems everything to be fine this command. Humility is an invitation for you just to admit you need help and I love this commandment is not really like a command like a be humble it's it's topic 10. You don't need help and just admit it, friend. The only thing you need to access God's help is need. All you need is need Luke 18 Jesus tells the story of two men to go to the temple. Pray one man was religiously and professionally accomplished at sense of self-sufficiency. It filled his heart as he prayed Jesus into God did not even listen to that man by contrast, you got a man in the back of the of the worship area. I despise sinner with a messed up life you so ashamed to be there among God's people that they didn't want to space to be seen. He sits in the back so that nobody can can recognize them and in the aegis he cannot bemoans how unworthy he is, but that man Jesus says left with the help from God that he needed.

All you need is need, without need you never get God's help. Number three, number three, Peter says you should cast all your cares on him for 7.I love this verse. Also, literally, in Greek it means how little Early on to God and leave it. He is not just telling you to pray about.

A lot of times will pray about our worries and then when were done praying we pick him right back up and put them back on her shoulders. When Jesus is saying is how it on to me actually making me responsible for that problem set it on my shoulders out. By the way doesn't mean that you will never do anything about the problem, just that the burden of the problem the responsibility of making it work out that's no longer on you you you put it on him. You casted on the him it's his problem now, not yours.

And he may get you to do some things with it, but the weight of solving the problem is not on you. It's on him, he bears a way to responsibility for solving it. You just bear the responsibility to to obey her lid on me. He says make me the owner of it. I I will take responsibility for it. I made to one of the thing here this interesting about this work. Broadcasting Greek is a participle that modifies the verb, the verb is humble yourselves cast your care is a participle. Maybe it's a way that you humble yourself casting your care and Jesus is a form of humility is the opposite of casting his worry, that's an expression of pride, worry is a form of pride because because it carries concerns upon oneself instead of entrusting those concerns to God to casting our cares on him as an expression of our Arbor humility hears and before the voices be sober minded. That's verse eight. See the world clearly you say how so Peter what he says because see this your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for anybody that he can devours verse eight there is an enemy in this world whose goal is to kill to still want to destroy. He wants to destroy the church. He wants to destroy the work of God in your life you want to destroy you and your family. Friend mean can't you see him roaring today and problems that are plaguing our society and in the church in the world last month over 300 Christians were killed for following Jesus. That's pretty much the average every month over 200 churches destroyed by vandalism every week for some kind of persecution turned out over 800 Christians enough space of up of the week will be beaten and tortured or imprisoned due to their faith.

Places like Iran, Iraq and Somalia and Sudan, Libya and Yemen, Eritrea and China, North Korea, Morocco, even places like Malaysia, we should not forget about her brothers and sisters over there. We should also realize that Satan has his own plans for the church in the West and you gotta be sober about that. I can see him at work in AAA and how much he is attacked marriages and families in this season. Make no mistake about it, he wants your complete destruction. He is coming for you, but away before I go on to the next. The next commander that works sober met then what it means today means don't get drunk. That's the third time Peter uses the word sober in this book amass nonaccidental because most people and stress in hard times.

Do what you drown the problems in alcohol or some kind of distraction. As you can afford to drown your troubles and alcohol because there's an enemy at work prowling around is trying to destroy you gotta be sober and open-minded number five is is gotta be alert you to be alert notice. Notice he says that Satan roars lines only war when a collective one lives of two modes right stealth and more stealth when they're hunting their prey war when they got there. Pray Peter says we can hear we can hear Satan roaring in various parts of the world you can hear more in your life. It's it's because he's in stealth mode.

He still Connie still there be alert my burden is that some of you are totally unaware you compromise or send give Satan a foothold in your life you will pray much. You don't stay very close to God, you just act like the enemy is not there. He is number six. He says, resist the devil verse nine.

I wasn't sale that you may feel pretty overwhelmed, like what's discouraging decision only to be discouraged as you can overcome why because you're stronger, smarter than Satan, but because Jesus is already defeated him on the cross, Jesus said it is finished talking about Satan's work Revelation 20 verse nine tells us about that final battle between Satan and Jesus and spoiler K. It's not really a big fight. In fact, is a little anti-climatic. To be totally honest.

It takes about a second, Jesus speaks and pretty much over.

The point is I can bring that kind of confidence into this fight as I resist Satan.

I remember Robert in the story of Henry Stanley. You went searching for David Livingstone, the missionary Explorer in Africa and there's a lot of warring tribes a lot of hostile groups that he had to press through Henry Stanley learned of customer that part of Africa where when two people want to make a peace treaty to chiefs they would they would make a cut on their arm. Both of them would have the same shape and the cut in then they would bleed in together that symbolized that that we are now one. And what happens to you, what happens to me and I will bring my forces to support you. By the time that Henry Stanley got to David Livingstone. They said that he had cuts all up and down his arm of all these protections that had been given to him by by these various tribal leaders so that when some hostile force could do, he would just raise his arm and that arm would show that he was protected by forces much stronger than him. What Peter is saying is when your enemy calms you pretty much as raising your arm and your saying that I have the protection of Jesus Christ because he shed his blood to overcome Satan when he said it is finished. He was talking about Satan's work against you. The point is you don't need to fear it going to fear, but you should also not ignore you have to fight MS away.

God is appointed and you don't fight with weapons of the flesh is not your personality that overcomes of your wisdom, your resolve your family as I bring a knife to a gunfight you the weapons of the Spirit. Gotta be frequent in prayer.

You stay close to God you repent and confess your sin often so that he has no foothold to work from you to memorize his word yet I keep faithfully doing the right thing. You don't just give in and go along. You fight my ears want you to stay in community. Peter writes this letter tells him to resist the devil, he tells us what community I remember hearing a story about that. The famous Maasai warriors in Kenya. I'm there walking around with her with her she put all the sheep start acting skittish Mr. Sansom grass it isn't swaying with the rest of the wind right they know what that means that there's alliance or they do they run at it. No, you don't run a line to get together. They say with the other warriors start making noise to agitate them in the line attached to band together one warrior should one of our missionaries some scars on his chest. Reliant had attacked him right in to discuss it with a lie fell on me. My fellow warriors formulae in the lime skill but this man and and brothers were not rights. Resist the devil number seven last one embrace graces verse 10 I love this verse to the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, he will himself restore, establish, strengthen, support you after you suffer just a little while, the God of all grace, what freight note the end.chances are right you have a way to perfectly you probably like, I'm like me, you pretty much fail your times waiting you have a fully humbled yourself you haven't trusted God, you have a been sober and awake and alert when it comes to Satan you ever resisted Satan fully.

The great news of Peter hands-on is it's okay because Jesus did all those things for you in the greatest hour of temptation and trial ever to occur on earth by the garden of Gethsemane, the disciples slept, they weren't sober and alert right. Jesus had to wake him up three times. Jesus still went and died for them and defeated Satan said it is finish he still secure the victory. When you sleep when you sleep spiritually when you mess up, he still got you at any point to matter how bad you messed it up you can turn and say I need you, I died. I messed it up.

I'm ready to do it your way, the God of all grace stands ready to receive you and offer his protection and his victory was a living for God's heart. Peter will tell you that not living for God is ultimately even harder Jesus he says has dominion.

He overcame the world you go along fully to him, you belong fully to the world is no middle ground you choose one of the other day why not bow your head right here at the University.

First, just give yourself fully to him, I am feckless. Everybody was power has together and and and this is in your heart you could pray this prayer with me right now God, I surrender all my life to you right now and I receive Jesus as my Savior. Amen. Together we endure.

And Peter says peace to all of you who are in Christ for this together. We don't want to simply survive the JD Davis seven incredible ways that we can actually overcome your listening to Pastor JD Greer and Summit life. So tomorrow is an international holiday known as giving Tuesday a really cool opportunity here on Summit life to make an impact on church cleaning in Southwest Germany. If you been with us for very long.

You know the value that we placed on church Molly. I did not know that was an international holiday. Had I heard the giving Tuesday, but I did note was internationally recognized but I guess it majorly appropriate that our gift is international in one of the things we want to do is be able to support a family living on mission the church planting family that I know personally I love very much.

Rich and Julia Rudolph, their three children in a very un-evangelize part of Germany where the gospel is is hardly known. They been a part of a church more than 10 years and they been at Southwest Germany for the best seven others. 10 in the city of St. when Dale I was a great work of had a chance to visit personally and it's really exciting thing for a church to be a part of and I want to give our Summit life listeners just be a part part of it as well. There were within regional German church planting network that facilitates leadership training church restoration work in is involved in an church planting in an area that yes Germany has a Christian past. But if you know anything about your were talking about wide open places in Germany were lots of people were there are no gospel preaching churches. What's special about this giving Tuesday is that every gift tomorrow is gonna be matched up to $10,000. All funds are to be given to their to their afterschool programs that represent people present young German teenagers with the gospel to refugee outreach is there and and and a lot of summer camps that are just very effective in their ministry strategy. They had a great need for sports field facility that get they can be used all your long. All this giving is gonna go to help be able to give them some of those tools were praying that God would supply the support necessary to help turn part of their part of their parking lots into a field so that the kid used more effectively for outreach program so so that you think stirs your heart and your excited about what God is doing in Germany. Let me ask you to get to go to JD Greer.com anytime tomorrow. Make a gift donation and again will work in the match and everything receive up to $10,000. We are thrilled to have the Rudolph family is a part of a church body and excited to be able to give you a chance to be able to dissipate in their incredible ministry as well. This is pretty exciting. Every gift given tomorrow@jdgreer.com or call us at 866-3528 665-5220 Molly that if it's ready for a challenging eating here on the train began to take her hand off and everything love interest in venture into the unknown. Be sure to join us Tuesday night and