"THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER" Peter's Exhortation To The Young (5:5-9) INTRODUCTION 1. In this fifth and final chapter, we find Peter concluding with a series of exhortations... a. In our last lesson, we saw that he first directed his remarks toward "elders" - 1Pe 5:1-4 b. Now, in 1Pe 5:5-9, the exhortation is geared toward "younger people", though much of it certainly applies to all Christians 2. The gist of his remarks reflect themes mentioned previously in his epistle, but Peter was one who understood the value of repetition and reminding - cf. 2Pe 1:12-15 [The first exhortation, therefore, is one we have seen stressed throughout 1st Peter...] I. SUBMIT YOURSELVES (5) A. PETER HAD ALREADY ENJOINED SUBMISSION UPON... 1. Christians in general, to government authorities - 1Pe 2: 13-14 2. Christian slaves, to their masters - 1Pe 2:18 3. Christian wives, to their husbands - 1Pe 3:1 B. NOW HE ENJOINS SUBMISSION UPON... 1. Younger Christians, to their elders - 1Pe 5:5a a. This may be a reference to those "elders" described in verses 1-4 b. Or it may refer to all older Christians 2. Christians in general, to one another - 1Pe 5:5b; cf. Ep 5:21 C. DEFINING SUBMISSION... 1. The word in Greek is hupotasso {hoop-ot-as'-so} 2. Various shades of meaning include: a. to arrange under, to subordinate b. to subject, put in subjection c. to subject one's self, obey d. to submit to one's control e. to yield to one's admonition or advice f. to obey, be subject 3. It was also a Greek military term meaning "to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader" 4. In non-military use, it is "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden" [The quality of submission goes a long way towards preserving unity and peace in churches, especially when all are submissive to one another. Yet true submission comes only if we heed Peter's next exhortation...] II. BE CLOTHED WITH HUMILITY (5-7) A. DEFINING HUMILITY... 1. The word Peter uses is tapeinophrosune {tap-i-nof-ros-oo'-nay} 2. It means to have a humble opinion of one's self; lowliness of mind 3. It is an important quality of that which makes up "the mind of Christ" - cf. Php 2:3-5 B. THE NEED FOR HUMILITY... 1. Not only to preserve peace and unity in our relationships with one another 2. But also to preserve a proper relationship with God... a. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" b. A quotation based upon Pr 3:34, and quoted also by James in Jm 4:6 c. A person with a humble spirit is highly esteemed by God - cf. Isa 57:15; 66:1-2 3. Understanding God's high estimation of a humble and contrite spirit... C. PETER'S CHARGE IS TO... 1. "humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God" - 1Pe 5:6 a. That is, to submit to His providential workings in our lives b. Even if it means enduring persecution, as was the case in Peter's day! 2. "cast all your care upon Him" - 1Pe 5:7 a. Don't fret or worry about things over which you have no control b. Let your Heavenly Father worry about such things c. Even as Jesus taught in Mt 6:31-34 D. THE REWARDS OF HUMBLE SERVICE... 1. God will give grace (show unmerited favor) to the humble - 1Pe 5:5 2. He will exalt the humble in due time - 1Pe 5:6 [When the time is right, then, God will exalt His people who place their faith and trust in Him, by humbly submitting to His Will and to one another. In the meantime, lest Satan cheat us of our reward, Peter enjoins us to...] III. WATCH OUT FOR THE DEVIL! (8-9) A. WE HAVE AN "ADVERSARY"... 1. He is called the "devil" a. The Greek word is diabolos {dee-ab'-ol-os} b. Meaning "one prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely" 2. Peter's describes him as a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" a. What bearing does this verse have on the doctrine of "once saved, always saved"? b. If such a doctrine is true... 1) Why does Peter bother to warn Christians who cannot be "devoured"? 2) Why does Satan bother to seek out those whom he cannot "devour"? 3) Indeed, why ANY warnings (and they are legion) to Christians? - e.g., He 3:12-15 c. Because there IS a very real danger of apostasy, we have such warnings! B. TO DEFEAT THE "ADVERSARY"... 1. We need to be serious ("be sober"), and watchful ("be vigilant") - 1Pe 5:8a; cf. Lk 21:34-36 2. We need to resist the devil - 1Pe 5:9a; cf. Jm 4:7 3. We need to remain steadfast in the faith - 1Pe 5:b; cf. Col 1:21-23 4. It helps to realize that we are not alone in our struggle - 1Pe 5:9c; cf. 1Co 10:13 CONCLUSION 1. Why God allows such struggle will be more apparent when we consider Peter's "benediction" in verse 10, but we will save that for the next and final lesson in this series 2. While Peter's exhortations in verses 5-9 certainly apply to all Christians, they have special value to those who are "younger" a. They are often the most tested by our adversary, the devil b. They have not had the time or experience to learn the value of such virtues as "submission", "humility", and "watchfulness" 3. But for those who are willing to listen, both young and old, heeding the exhortations of Peter can ensure that we will... a. Receive the grace we need to withstand and overcome the devil b. In due time be exalted by God Himself!Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011
