1 PETER 5 MORE SURVIVAL TIPS FOR SUFFERING SAINTS2020 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 1 Peter 5 More Survival Tips For Suffering Saints

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2020. Well, on Sunday, we began 1 Peter. We were looking at 1 Peter chapter 1. And as we looked at the message on Sunday, I titled it, Survival Tips for Suffering Saints.

Survival Tips for Suffering Saints.

It's more survival tips that Peter is giving us tonight. Continuing on the encouragement and the exhortation to those who are going through difficulty, those who are facing challenges, those who are experiencing attacks spiritually, physically, emotionally, all arenas of life.

And it's appropriate for us to be encouraged by these things as we encounter the trials and difficulties of our day as well. And so here's some more survival tips for suffering saints. Four tips that Peter will give us tonight as we work our way through. Here in verses one through four, we get the first tip. Here's the first survival tip for tonight. Be a good example to those entrusted to you.

In the midst of suffering, Peter says, you know, even when you're going through difficulty, even when things are challenging, you need to be mindful of

of those that God has entrusted to you. And it's for their benefit, but it's also for your benefit to keep them in mind that you might be a good example to them. Looking again, jumping into verse two and three, it says, "'Shepherd the flock of God, which is among you, "'serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly, "'not for dishonest gain, but eagerly, "'nor as being lords over those entrusted to you,'

but being examples to the flock. Here, Peter addresses the leaders within their midst. As he's writing this letter, he says, all right, there's some leaders among you. And in the midst of these times, there's some instruction for you as well. And you need to be faithful to shepherd the flock of God. Now, of course, we can look at these things. And many of you here tonight or watching this, listening to this, are leaders within the church. And there's some direct application for us.

But I would zero in on that part in verse 3 where he refers to those entrusted to you. And I would like to remind you once again that all of us as believers really are called to be leaders. As we are called to make disciples and to have an impact and be an influence on others around us, there are people in your life that God has entrusted to you.

And I would encourage you to think about that and consider who are those who are entrusted to you. I would even encourage you to go so far as to write their names down. Because, listen, if God has entrusted people to you, then when you stand before God, you are going to give an account for those people that he entrusted to you.

if he entrusted them to you, that you would be an influence in their lives, that you would make a difference and help them to walk with the Lord and know God's plan for them, then you're going to stand before God one day and God's going to say, hey, I entrusted this person to you. How did you do with the opportunities and that responsibility that I provided for you? I would encourage you, it's appropriate. Write their names down.

These are the people that God has entrusted to me. Pray for them. Pray for them consistently and regularly. Think carefully about how you can influence and minister to them. And that is within the church. That's within the home. That's within the workplace or within the community. In various contexts of life, God has placed you next to others for the purpose of your influence upon them.

And so as we consider these things and the idea of being an example, this is not just for, you know, a few people, but really this is for all of us. God is calling you to be an example to somebody. And how are you doing with that? Well, here Peter tells them to serve as overseers.

And so they're to be shepherds, that is to care for them like a flock. They're to oversee. And so that's in contrast, I'll say not lording over, right? But to have oversight of, to have responsibility to care for. But a couple of things I want to highlight here. There's a lot of, you know, details and leadership lessons we could learn. But I just want to pick out a few things that I think are important here that Peter is talking about.

Here in verse 2, he talks about serving willingly. He says, not by compulsion, but instead willingly.

And for you as leaders, I would like to just take a moment and speak to you as a fellow elder. Even as Peter said, I'm a fellow elder and so I'm encouraging you. And I would just like to encourage you as well in a similar way and say, listen, there needs to be a willingness in our hearts to be the example and to serve the people that God has entrusted to us.

to us. And there's a little bit of a balance that we play in different leadership roles and positions. There is a danger, of course, of running too far ahead and being too aggressive in our leadership and doing more than God has asked. But there is also the danger of us falling too far behind and being too slow to act and waiting to be asked for invitations that God doesn't want us to be waiting for.

When it comes to areas of leadership and opportunities, there is many times a struggle with pride within us. And because of that struggle with pride, we hold back and are more reserved as a result. And we're afraid of pride. And so we don't step forward. But at the same time, there's balance to this because let me remind you that it is not pride to be obedient to God. It's not pride to be obedient to God.

And when God has entrusted people to you, you need to be obedient and you need to be faithful and you need to be willing. This word willing, it really speaks about going forward. The Greek scholar, Vincent, he says it this way, willing, he says, is not strong enough. It means a ready mind, a forward spirit. It demotes not mere willingness, but zeal.

zeal. In your service, in your leadership, in entrusting people to you, God says, be zealous about fulfilling your role in their life. Be willing to serve. Be eager to serve. Be ready to serve. Moving forward. I think this really speaks to us about something important that there should be no more reluctant leaders.

No more like just, you know, God kind of has to like drag us, you know, into the service and into our responsibilities. But it's about really stepping in boldly, zealously, not in a matter of pride, but in a willingness to be obedient to God. Every November, I get a chance to kind of revisit in my mind some important moments in my life when God spoke to me

about his calling in my life. Many of you guys know Dave and Jackie Burnt, and it was the death of their daughter, Donnell, where God really grabbed hold of me and brought me to a place where I was able to say, you know, God has called me to be a pastor. Prior to that, I'd always kind of known it, but run from it, you know, kind of been reluctant, not willing to

as opportunities came up, but ministering to them, walking through that experience with them, God used that significantly in my life. Later on, when Pastor Tom told me that he was leaving and heading to Okinawa, I was terrified, absolutely terrified.

But I was willing because God had brought me to that place and I had to be willing. And then, you know, he schedules my first wedding and I'm not even married yet, but here I am, you know, preparing to do my first wedding. And I remember Tom sitting me down in the office one time and he said, you know, I'm really surprised. Like, you're not, you're not like fighting me on this. You're not trying to run from it. And I was like, yeah, I want to, everything in me wants to, but well,

What am I going to do? Run for the rest of my life? And so I kind of had to face, and this is the reality. God has entrusted people to me, so I need to, in spite of my fears, in spite of my feelings, in spite of, you know, the danger of pride in that way, I need to accept the role that God has given and be willing to serve, be willing to fulfill my role. We saw a couple weeks ago in James, let not many become teachers, right?

And yet, become a teacher as God calls you. There's the balance there. We need to be willing. I always like to give the example of King Saul. And many times we see the beginning of King Saul life and oftentimes it's communicated like he started off well and then, you know, kind of went sideways down the line. But I see it a little bit differently. I don't think he started well at all. I think he's a bad example from the beginning. When he's hiding amongst the stuff, that's not humility, right?

When it's time for him to be crowned king, that's not humility for him to be hiding from the role that God had clearly told him he was to have. No, that's disobedience. That's not humility. It's not humility to run from what God has called you to. Don't be hiding amongst the stuff. Peter says, be willing. And in the times of suffering, in times of difficulty, like his readers are going through,

there would be extra reason for them to kind of hold back. There's persecution. Being a leader in the church has extra dangers. And Peter is saying, no, no, don't step back. Don't hold back. Don't fall back, but be willing and be zealous and fulfill your role and serve as overseers.

Now he goes on in verse three to say, not being lords over those entrusted to them. And this is an important part of those who are entrusted to you. God has entrusted people to you that you would be lords in their life, that you would be their master, that you would be the one who tells them what God wants for them. Sometimes people want to lead because they like to lord. And there is that danger. But Peter reminds us we're not to be lords.

A leader's job is not to make decisions for people. A leader's job is not to tell people what to do. A leader's job is to help people connect with God and follow him. And so we are not to speak on behalf of the Lord where the Lord has not spoken. We have limited opportunity in that regard. Even notice how Peter says in verse one, "'I exhort you who am a fellow elder.'"

Peter doesn't say, I'm an apostle and I demand that you behave this way, right? He's, look, I can exhort you in this. Now, the apostles many times could be forceful, but it was very particular where it was clearly, this is what God has said. There's some, you know, clear boundaries that God has said and there's great room for, you know, fierceness, ferociousness, and thus saith the Lord in those regards. But

At the same time, we got to be careful that we give exhortation and not try to take the place of the Lord in other people's life, where you come to me and I'll tell you what to do. I'll tell you what the Lord wants for you. Now, let me teach you how to walk with the Lord and you hear from the Lord what he wants for you. That is our role. So not being lords, but instead being examples.

And this is important. What if every Christian was exactly like you or more specific? Again, those who are entrusted to you, perhaps you wrote down their names. What if they turn out exactly like you?

What if their spiritual life is exactly like your spiritual life? What if their prayer life is exactly like your prayer life? What if their devotional time is exactly like yours? Or their service to the Lord is exactly like yours? What if their faith and their love for God is exactly like yours? Peter says, you got to model for them what it looks like to be a believer. And it's appropriate for us on the other side too, as we're

you know, looking at and considering leaders in our own lives for us to look at the example that is being set. The author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 13, 7, he says, remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow considering the outcome of their conduct. You see, the way that God has designed leadership within the body of Christ is not, you know, do what I say, but don't look at my example.

Like we all know what to say, right? We all know the right things to say, but what is my life like? What is your life like? And the Lord instructs us, don't let just, you know, anybody lead you in that way. Consider the outcome of their conduct. Look at

Not just their doctrine, but how does that doctrine play out in their life? How does that doctrine, you know, impact their life? And what's the result? And if it's the result that matches with what God wants, then great. That's a good leader. And you can allow that leader to be an example for you. But we on this side need to be examples for others to follow. That people could watch our conduct. That they could watch our life. That they could watch what we do.

and live in a similar pattern. Just like Paul often said, imitate me as I imitate Christ. That is to continually be the chain, that you imitate me as I imitate Christ. And you, to those who entrusted to you, you say, hey, imitate me as I imitate Christ. We are to step in willingly, boldly, and be examples. He says in verse four,

When the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. It's a scary thing. It's a big responsibility, but there's a great reward. When the chief shepherd comes, again, you're not the Lord. When the Lord comes, there's reward for you to be faithful to

with those that God has entrusted to you. And so that's the first thing to consider, the first survival tip. We need to be steadfast as a good example to those who are entrusted to us. All right, moving on to verse five through seven, we get the second survival tip this evening, and that is be humble and trust that God cares for you. Verse five.

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. Here as Peter goes on, he talks about humility. And I kind of like the way he starts here.

He says, likewise, you younger people. And then in my head anyways, he says, no, you know what? Actually, everybody, everybody needs to hear this, not just the young people. Likewise, you younger people submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility. So younger people, especially, yes, be submitted to

and be clothed with humility, but it's not just for younger people that we can kind of, you know, well, I don't have to be submitted to others or clothed with humility because I'm older. No, this is for all of us. Be submitted to one another and be clothed with humility. The phrase here to be clothed with humility, it means to put on the servant's clothes or the servant's apron. It speaks of a deliberate action.

A deliberate, okay, I'm taking the form of a servant, as Paul talks about Jesus doing in Philippians chapter 2. Or the picture of Jesus serving the disciples and washing their feet in the upper room in John chapter 13. He clothed himself with humility. Now, as Peter talks about humility, there's two parts I want to focus on. The first part is fellowship with the body.

And then secondly, he'll go on to say humility involves trusting in God. But in regards to fellowship within the body, he says, look, we're to be submissive to one another, submissive to elders, to those that were the ones who have been entrusted to others, right? And so we have those leaders in our lives and we're to be submissive to them, right?

but also to one another. And there is to be this mutual submission between us, this mutual ministry and service, this teachability that we would be open and receptive to people around us. I like the way Matthew Henry describes this. He says, the rule is that they should all be subject to one another so far as to receive the reproofs and counsels of one another.

and be ready to bear one another's burdens and perform all the offices of friendship and charity one to another. It speaks of this fellowship, not just of correction and counsel, but sharing one another's burdens, encouraging each other, helping each other through life's challenges and the things that we face, being a friend.

and being loving to one another. This is what Peter is addressing here. We are to be submissive to one another in that way. Be humble. And this submission and this relationship with each other requires humility. We have to get down off our high horse, realize I'm not better than you, that I would be open and vulnerable with others as well, and that we would be able to share our challenges and struggles together and receive from one another that humility

that humility is required for us to have fellowship together. So be clothed with humility. But another aspect of humility is trusting God. In verse 6, he says, Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Now,

A lot of times these are familiar verses, so we know them and we refer to them, but we forget the context. And so just backing up for a moment, remember the context is Peter writing to those who are suffering. And there's a strong attachment or a tie between the idea of humility and suffering.

Here is Peter is saying, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. He's talking about submitting to and accepting the reality of the suffering that they're going through and recognizing it's just for a time and then God will exalt you. So humble yourselves now under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Peter is saying, look, you're going to go through this. You're going to make it through this.

Suffering is very humbling, but this is not a total obliteration of you. God is still working in your life and he's bringing you through this to exaltation. He will see you through all the way to the other side, all the way to the end. He goes on to say, "'Casting your care upon him, for he cares for you.'" Again, it's a verse we often just kind of hold onto all by itself, but it's attached to humility, right?

It requires humility to cast your cares upon him, to trust that he cares for you, to trust God that he knows what he's doing and that he's able to work out good in your life, to trust God that he's in control and on the throne. You're able to cast your care upon him because he cares for you. We need to cast our cares upon him.

One commentator describes that this way. He says, cast means to throw something upon someone or something else. This word suggests a deliberate decision of trust. We are to trust God with our anxiety, the things that we worry about. Casting all of your care upon him. It's attached to humbling yourself under the mighty hand of God. Humble yourself before God and entrust yourself completely to him.

It's again a deliberate decision to trust God. God, I'm anxious about this. This is overwhelming. I don't understand it. I don't see good coming from it, but I'm going to trust you through it. Be humble and trust that God cares for you. We can look at some important examples to consider like Joseph in the Old Testament, right? How he went through this whole journey and it was proved throughout time

God cared for him. He could cast all his cares upon the Lord. The Lord was with him. In a similar way, you and I, we can trust the Lord. No matter what the journey is and how difficult it may be, we can cast our cares upon him, knowing for sure he cares for me. He knows what's best for me. He wants what's best for me. I'm gonna humble myself before him and he will exalt me in due time. We'll see the other end of this suffering, this trial, if I humble myself.

and trust that God cares. Verses eight and nine now give us the third survival tip for the night, and that is be on guard against your adversary, the devil. Be on guard against your adversary, the devil. Verse eight and nine says this, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

Here again, Peter's making sure it's clear for us. He's writing to people who are suffering. He's helping them to deal with and address the difficulties that they're facing. And so now as he continues to give them some tips for survival, he's writing to them.

He says, all right, now you need to be on guard against your adversary. He says, be sober, be vigilant. You know, it's a good reminder because we sometimes forget how high the stakes are. In the midst of this life, we kind of get blinded by pleasures. We get blinded by comfort. We get blinded by, you know, the things that we're pursuing and chasing and we forget about eternity.

And we forget how high the stakes are in regards to eternity. And Peter says, look, you need to be mindful of this. In the midst of suffering, in the midst of difficulty, be mindful that you have a real enemy. There is a real adversary. And his goal is to drag you down into hell with him. That's his goal. That would bring him great pleasure.

He's ruthless. He's not gentle. He's not polite. His ideal would be to damn you to hell without ever giving you an opportunity to realize it or a chance to resist. That's his ideal. He wants to take you out. He wants your soul to be lost. And so Peter says, be sober, be vigilant. This is serious. This is life and death, not just life and death. This is eternity. So be sober.

Be clear-minded about this and be vigilant. Be on high alert. Not that we're to be panicked because the enemy is just a pawn in God's plan. But at the same time, we're not to be so laxed that we're not ready for the enemy's attacks. Be sober. And I would encourage you, let's just take that literally for a moment. Be sober. Listen, if you are intoxicated, if you're under the influence of

you're not ready for the enemy's attacks. You're prey. You're not in a position to resist the enemy and his attacks. If you're engaging with things that overtake you in that way, drugs or alcohol, whether they be prescribed, there's a balance of, hey, there's an appropriate time to take different kinds of medication, but

But when you're living in a way that you're not sober, you are vulnerable. You are so vulnerable and you're so blind to it. The enemy who wants to take you out and drag you down to hell has a great advantage against you. Be sober. Be vigilant. It means to be on guard, to be on high alert. He says, your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

Again, it's a very visual picture of this lion who wants to take you out and he's looking for opportunity. Again, the context here is those who are suffering. And in the midst of suffering, you need to be watchful and aware that you have this adversary because the things that go through your mind many times are from the enemy who wants to take you out and destroy you.

And the feelings that you struggle with, the enemy wants to take advantage of those feelings and manipulate you to turn away from God. I would make this recommendation, and it may sound kind of weird, but try to think like the devil. Try to like when you're going through times of suffering and difficulty and you're wrestling with things, try to take a moment and think, okay, if I was the devil trying to take me out in the midst of this situation, what would I do?

How would I manipulate, you know, emotions? And what kind of thoughts would I give? And how would I work? And what things would I try to accomplish? Like, be thinking about the reality of spiritual war, the reality of an enemy that wants to destroy you. Paul told the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 2 to forgive the brother that had caused the harm.

But he goes on to say, lest Satan should take advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices. He says, in this situation, we need to forgive, not just because it's the right thing to do, but you also need to understand the devices of the enemy, the tactics of the enemy. And if he can, you know, put a wedge of bitterness in this situation, it's going to be really effective. And so let's fight against, let's, you know, hedge off that weakness because we're not ignorant of his devices.

We have some great insights in the word as we look at examples like Job. And again, see the enemy's tactics and see what he's trying to do. Satan's goal is not so much to make you suffer here and now, but if he can use suffering to get you to curse God, that's a great opportunity for him. His goal is to get you to turn away from God. His goal in Job's life was to get him to walk away, to renounce God, to turn away from God.

And so Peter says, be aware, be on high alert. This is a reality. There is this battle. There is this enemy. He says in verse nine, resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. Again, the context is suffering. And so he says with this enemy, here's how you resist him. First of all, trust God, be steadfast in the faith.

Don't be moved. Hold fast to your faith. Remind yourself of how faithful God is and that you can trust him. But then also remind yourself that you're not alone. You're not the only one facing these kinds of battles. You're not the only one going through struggles like this. You're not the only one, you know, with those kinds of temptations and with those kinds of thoughts and emotions. You're not the only one. Your brethren all around the world are experiencing similar trials and difficulties and challenges.

You're not in this alone. So be on guard against your adversary, the devil. Well, we're going to finish it up in verse 10 and 11 for the fourth survival tip. And that is be confident of God's finished work in you. Be confident of God's finished work in you. Verse 10 and 11 says this.

But 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 the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Peter finishes this really with a prayer for those who are reading it. A prayer for you. May the God of all grace...

The prayer is rooted in the grace of God, the goodness of God that we do not deserve, who called you in his eternal glory. And so it causes us to lift our eyes up and look at eternity, which is where our eyes need to be, especially as we go through times of difficulty. He's called you to his eternal glory by Jesus Christ after you have suffered a while, and

Again, addressing our sufferings, addressing the difficulties that we face, but also reminding us it's a short time. It's a while. And whenever we're suffering, it feels like forever. But it's not forever. Eternity is forever. This life is a while. This life is a vapor. It's incredibly short when you compare it to eternity.

And so there will be times of suffering. There will be, you know, a lifetime of challenges and difficulties that we will face. But it's just a while. And in the midst of it, God is doing a work to perfect, to establish, to strengthen, and to settle us. He's bringing us to completion. Like Paul said in Philippians 1.6, God is faithful to complete the work that he began in us.

In 1 Peter chapter 1 on Sunday, we saw Peter say, you know, if need be, for now you have suffered for a little bit. If need be. Christians never suffer needlessly. We never suffer without purpose, without meaning, without value. We always can trust and rest that God is working in the midst of it.

He's working to perfect and establish and strengthen and settle us. Commentator F.B. Meyer puts it this way, "'The path of suffering and that path alone leads to the world where suffering is unknown. The suffering is only for a little while. The path of suffering and that path alone leads to the world where suffering is unknown.'"

That's the world we want to go to. That's the world we want to be in. It's the world of eternity, the next life. But in the midst of this life, we do face difficulties and hardship. But in the midst of it, we can be confident, absolutely certain of God's finished work in us. God will complete the work. He will perfect and establish and settle us in his plans, in his purposes, in all that is good for us.

And so here, Peter wraps up his letter with these survival tips for suffering saints. Be a good example to those entrusted to you. It's for your good, it's for their good. Be willing and zealous and step forward boldly in the calling that God has for you and the responsibility that he's given to you. At the same time, be humble and trust that God cares for you.

Stop fighting against the difficulties and the things that you don't like and the ways that you wish life could be. Stop fighting against and trying to live in an alternate reality. Humble yourself and accept the reality that God has given to you. Trust that God cares for you in the midst of all that you're going through. Be on guard against your adversary, the devil. Don't forget, it's a serious battle. The stakes are high.

Be on high alert. Be watching. Be sober. Prepare yourself for the attacks of the enemy. And finally, be confident. Again, we don't get overrun by the enemy so much and we're so panicked and terrified that we get unshaken in our faith. No, we can come with a great confidence of God's finished work. I'm not done. And often as I fail, you know, as often as I fall short, as often as I don't measure up, I can come back to this promise and be confident. I'm not done yet.

I'm not finished yet, but God will finish his work. He will perfect and establish and settle us in his glory. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for the great encouragement that you've given us through the Apostle Peter. I pray that you would help us, Lord, to be putting these tips into effect, Lord, and maybe be active in our lives. Move us forward, Lord, and as we go through times of difficulty and experience occasions of suffering, Lord,

Lord, I pray that you would comfort our hearts. I pray that you would establish a peace within. Lord, as we come to you, trusting you and believing what you say in your word. And so, Lord, I pray that you'd pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, that we could know you and walk with you no matter what we experience in this life. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

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