Keys of the Kingdom 16 – A Final Exhortation

As Peter finishes out his letter, his final exhortations to the church in 1 Peter have to do with humility and submission as God transforms us more and more into what He desires us to be. Let's go to 1 Peter chapter 5 and follow along as we consider those topics together.

Amen. Good morning. While you're standing, would you open your Bibles with me to 1 Peter chapter 5? If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one. 1 Peter 5 is right near the end of your Bible. Open to the very last book, Revelation, and turn to the left. You'll pass Jude, 1, 2, and 3 John, 2 Peter, and then 1 Peter chapter 5. Hopefully, we will finish this book this week.

1 Peter 5, beginning at verse 5, states, "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. But may the God of all grace who called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

By Silvanus, a 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.

Father, I pray that the peace that you have won for us through the cross would...

Be the experience in our lives this week that we would know Your peace, Lord. Help us to experience Your perfect work in us, that You would establish, strengthen, and settle us by Your grace. Assist us in walking in a way that is glorifying to You, knowing, Lord, that that which is ultimately glorifying to You is going to be the very thing that is the most satisfying for us. Speak to us this morning and teach us by Your Spirit and through Your Word, that You would transform us more and more into the likeness of Your children. God, work in us. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who agreed said, Amen. You can be seated.

At the end of January this year, we began this series in First Peter. My goal at that time was to teach through First Peter in six studies. We've gone a little bit beyond that; in fact, this is our 17th study in First Peter. We are not exactly on schedule, but that's okay. I believe the Lord has had something He has wanted to teach me and hopefully teach you as well through this letter that Peter wrote 2,000 years ago.

As we've gone through this, I called this series "Keys of the Kingdom" because this book contains a number of important keys that we need to learn. If you're a follower of Jesus today, that means you are a citizen. As the New Testament says in Philippians chapter three, you are a citizen of heaven. This means you have citizenship in another kingdom, and you are a part of His kingdom.

So, what are some of the important truths or keys to live by as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven? Even though we find ourselves here in the world as representatives or ambassadors of His kingdom, what are some of those important keys? Some of them, as we've gone through this, include sanctification, which we'll talk a little bit more about today, and submission—everyone's favorite topic. I know it's your favorite topic because when we were looking at it a few months ago in First Peter chapters two and three, everyone let me know that was their favorite topic.

Then there is suffering, another topic we love to speak about, and eternal salvation, along with our witness in a world that is contrary to Christ and His kingdom. These are some of the important things we've been looking at. Today, as we finish up this section of Scripture, Peter returns to the issue of sanctification.

Returns to the issue of submission. Our goal in going through the Bible here at Cross Connection is to explore the Scriptures book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. In doing so, my hope is that we are fulfilling what the Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to do in Second Timothy when he said that we are to rightly divide the word of truth. By rightly dividing the word of truth, we aim to present the whole counsel of God, which is what Paul communicated to a group of church leaders in Ephesus 2,000 years ago. He stated that during his time ministering there, he had not shunned to declare to them the whole counsel of God.

In covering the whole counsel of God, we address difficult topics—sometimes subjects we might otherwise avoid, such as issues of suffering, submission, and sanctification. These are important concepts that we need to comprehend and understand. I will admit, I am not a fan of the idea of suffering. I don't like to suffer; I like to suffer about as much as anyone else does. Submission is not easy for any of us. None of us find it easy to yield, to be meek, or to submit to those in authority over us. Yet, if we are to be transformed into what God desires us to be and to live the life that God intends for us, both here and in eternity, we must understand these concepts of suffering and submission, as well as the process called sanctification.

Sanctification is a cleansing process. The more I read and study the Scriptures, the more I recognize my need for sanctification. It is essential, though not always enjoyable. The process of becoming what God wants us to be and experiencing the life that He desires for us can be challenging.

If you are a parent, and I know many of you are, you have experienced firsthand the reality of the need for sanctification as it relates to your children—the transformation that must occur in them. Much to the dismay and shock of many first-time parents, children do not come out perfect. They really don’t. There is a segment of our population that believes that all human beings are born...

Children are inherently good, and some people believe that they are born good. However, I think that those who hold this view either have never been parents or did not raise their own kids. They simply did not spend enough time with children, because children are not born perfect.

A number of years ago, a Christian author named Charles Swindoll published a book called Your Child and You. In it, he quoted what he referred to as the Minnesota Crime Commission. Their summary statement said this: "Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it—his bottle, his mother's attention, his playmate's toy, his uncle's watch. Deny him these, and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness, which would be murderous were it not for his helpless state. He has no morals, no knowledge, no skills. This means that all children, not just certain children, are born delinquent. If permitted to continue in the self-centered world of his infancy, given free reign to every impulse of action to satisfy his wants, every child would grow up a criminal, a thief, a killer, a rapist."

When I read that, I realized it was not written in the 21st century in America. It was written some time ago because this perspective is totally politically incorrect in 21st century American culture. Yet, if you're a parent and if you're honest, when you hear those words, you recognize the truth in them. We see it, sadly, in our children.

I have four wonderful children, and my youngest son will be three at the end of this month. He is exceptionally cute and just a wonderful specimen of a child. There was so much about him that was incredibly awesome until about eight months ago. A transition takes place, and you're laughing because you've been there. Your heart goes out to that parent when you walk through the store and see the two-year-old having a meltdown. If you have kids, or even if you don’t, you might think, "Gosh, can't that parent get a hold of their child?"

Of that child? And what's wrong with that child? Right? But if you're a parent, you go, "Oh, that poor parent." You've been there many times, and so you experience it. There is this transformation that takes place, and of course, we call it the terrible twos. In my experience, and my wife's experience, the terrible twos is meaningless because it just keeps going on into threes and fours.

There is a reality to this. The Scriptures say there is foolishness in the heart of a child. This is a reality. The heart of man is desperately wicked. As precious as our little son, Elliot, can be, and all of our children, when we get right down to it, there is this foolishness in the heart of a child. He is completely selfish, as the crime commission said, self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it. Deny him these things, and he is seized with rage and aggressiveness, which would be murderous if he were not so helpless.

It is a wonderful thing that he is very small and does not have the strength that I do. Let me tell you, there have been some times, especially recently, where he puts his fists together and just punches right into my chest. A couple of times, he'll grab my face, and it's just like, if he were bigger, I would be scared to death. I literally would be scared to death.

Now, listen, understand. There are people who use this little term, PKs—preacher's kids, pastor's kids. Listen, they're just kids, okay? There is nothing preachy or preacher-like about them. They just happen to be my kids, and I happen to be a pastor. That doesn't mean anything. They're just children, just as delinquent as any other child. So don't expect, when you see them out here, that there's some amazing perfection going on. It's not through osmosis, and I'm not perfect either, so I'm being sanctified.

Here's the thing: in this sanctification, yes, thank you, Rich. My good friend, Rich Gary, knows. We spend time together, and he knows. Recently, I want to give you a little story, but you can't hold this against my kids. I don't know, one of the other siblings did something that our youngest didn't like, and he said, "You little jerk." Both Andrea and I were going, "Where on earth did he get this?"

It wasn't until we were watching Home Alone again—anybody ever seen Home Alone? He had watched it like a million times at Christmas time, and there's a scene where somebody calls someone a little jerk. Now he's taking it and just calls everybody a little jerk. There is foolishness in the heart of a child, and he needs to be sanctified.

He needs to be sanctified, and there needs to be this transformation so that he will experience the life that I, his father, and my wife, his mother, envisioned for him to live—a life that will be filled with good things and joy. However, he needs to be refined. There needs to be a sanctification that takes place in his life. This sanctifying process is not always fun. It's not enjoyable for our children, and it's not always fun for us as parents as we go through this process, but it is essential. It is necessary.

The author of the book of Hebrews, in Hebrews chapter 12, writes in verse 11 that no chastening or discipline seems to be joyful in the moment; rather, it is painful. How many of you remember back to being a child and knowing that no chastening or discipline is enjoyable in the moment? If you had parents that loved you—like I had parents who loved me—they did not spare the rod, let me tell you. No chastening is enjoyable in the moment, but it is painful. Nevertheless, afterward, it yields a peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. The King James Version says those who have been exercised by it. And let me tell you, some of us needed some exercising, right?

So, there needs to be that sanctifying process, even though it's not enjoyable. It's not enjoyable for the one giving that discipline, and that chastening is not fun for the one receiving it. However, we can apply the anecdote of parents rearing children to the reality that every single one of us is a child of our Father God. He needs to sanctify us. He has a vision for your future and for my future that is far better than anything we can comprehend or imagine.

For us to experience the fullness of the joy of that future, there needs to be this sanctification process in our lives. We need to undergo this sanctifying, refining, transforming process. Sometimes, that process involves something that feels quite akin to suffering. It is very hard for us as we go through these sorts of things. Almost certainly, this refining process that God is taking us through needs to bring us to a place where we yield to authority. We must respond in a proper, submissive way to those who are over us. There is really no way for us to experience the life that God desires for us without this process.

Suffering and submissive sanctification are essential in our lives. There's no way for us to be a witness of His glory in this world without this taking place. He is preparing me and preparing you for the future that He envisions for us as our Father in heaven. Therefore, we need to go through this sanctifying process and learn the important truth of yielding, meekness, and submission to those who are over us.

Peter returns at the end of this letter to the topic of submission, which we spent quite a bit of time on back in late February and early March. In 1 Peter chapters 2 and 3, we discussed submission to government, submission to employers, and wives submitting to husbands. I know everyone loved that passage because you told me how much it was awesome to talk about submission.

However, here Peter addresses it again in 1 Peter chapter 5, verse 5: "Likewise, you younger people submit yourselves to your elders." Prior to this, in 1 Peter chapter 5, verses 1 through 4, which we studied last time, Peter gave an exhortation to leaders—elders and those in the church who are overseers of the body of Christ, sometimes referred to as the flock. God uses the metaphor of us being sheep, and we are part of His flock. He is the chief shepherd, and He has placed under-shepherds over His people—leaders within the church who are referred to by various titles in Scripture. They are sometimes called bishops, elders, pastors, or overseers. Regardless of the title, there is a hierarchy of leadership that God has ordained.

In the previous passage, Peter provided an exhortation to elders in 1 Peter chapter 5, verses 1 through 4. Some of the key points we observed there include the need for leaders to maintain humility and the reminder that leaders are not to be lords over those they oversee. Instead, they are to be servants, leading and serving with genuine love.

Now, Peter brings an exhortation not to the leaders, but to those who are under the leaders—specifically, those who are younger or part of the group called elders. Peter refers to them as "the youngers." The word "younger" is interesting; it is the Greek word "neos," which is translated as "new" in many other places in the Bible.

This word could literally be translated as "newbies." It doesn't necessarily mean, or have to mean, someone who is younger by age. It can simply refer to someone who is new within the church. They are newly born again; they are newly a Christian. Some of you became Christians later in your life, perhaps in your fifties or sixties. When you come into the church, the body of Christ, there is an established structure and God-ordained hierarchy, and you are a part of the body. You might be older in age than those who are in leadership positions, but you are still a newbie. You are still younger in that context.

Peter says, "Likewise, you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders." If leaders are to exercise the authority that God has given them in the church, then those who are being led are exhorted to yield to or submit to that authority structure. This authority structure does not mean that you are less than in dignity, ability, or even intellect. You might very well be greater in intellect or ability than those within the leadership structure. However, the exhortation still stands: you are to be yielded to and meekly submissive to those in leadership.

The author of the Book of Hebrews expresses it like this in Hebrews 13:17: "Obey those who rule over you and be submissive." Why should I do this? Because they watch out for your souls as those who must give an account. An account to whom? An account to the Chief Shepherd. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable to you. This is a great verse; I think it's a wonderful passage in Hebrews 13:17. Let those who lead, lead with joy and not with grief.

How will you increase their joy in leading? By yielding to their leadership and understanding that they will answer to God for how they have led you.

So, point number one on your outline: it is proper to respect the authority of leaders. This respect and honor for leaders within the church and the authority they have is evidence of meekness in your life.

It's evidence in your life of submission to God and then to the leadership structure that He has ordained. None of us like to submit, especially in American culture, which emphasizes our individual nature, authority, and will from the very earliest stages of life. We are constantly encouraged by our culture to be assertive, demanding, and to stand up for ourselves and our rights. This mindset is so ingrained in us that there's a part of us that just goes, "Yes, yes, yes!"

When we read passages like this, however, we often respond with a "No," because it goes against our American values. One of the things we find as we go through the Scriptures is that the biblical culture, the kingdom of God culture, is quite contrary to American values. Here is one example: we need to be submissive to those who are in positions of leadership in the church. In Christ, it is proper and right for us to respect the authority of our leaders.

Just in case you don't fully grasp what Peter is saying, and in case you assume that he is not speaking to you because you've been around for a long time and you may be older than the person on stage, let me clarify. Peter says in 1 Peter 5, verse 5, "Likewise, you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders." He continues, "Yes, and all of you be submissive to one another."

So, if you think this doesn't apply to you, Peter broadens the exhortation and command: all of you be submissive to one another in this way. This exhortation is given to the whole body of Christ, not just a small segment that you can find a loophole to escape from. It is an exhortation of propriety; it teaches us how we ought to live in the kingdom of God and in His church. It is proper to respect the position of eldership.

I can speak from firsthand experience as a leader within the church. It has been the regular case for me, although this is changing.

It has been frequently my experience that I have been put in positions of leadership over people who are older than me, which presents an interesting conundrum or dilemma. It increases the difficulty for someone to yield, to be meek, or to submit because inherently they think, "Wait a minute, this person is younger than me." So, we have this struggle.

I can speak with great praise about the leadership team of our church. As the elders go, I am the youngest guy on the board of elders. Until recently, I was the youngest pastor on staff at the church. We just ordained Nick as a pastor, and he is younger than me. However, our executive pastor, Mark, is older than me, and our family ministries pastor, Jason, is also older than me. I have nothing but praise for our elder team and our pastoral team because, even though they are older than me in age, they follow the Scriptures and respect the authority of the eldership that God has given. I greatly appreciate that they do this.

Now, how is that possible? How exactly does that happen? Well, again, look at verse five: "Likewise, you younger people submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, and all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with what?" Here is another value of the Kingdom of God that is not exactly valued by American culture: be clothed with humility. The culture that I grew up in, and most of you grew up in here, really amplifies or exalts the idea of assertiveness and even the concept of pride.

I can remember in junior high, I was a band geek. I played the trumpet in the marching band. Is anyone else a band geek? Come on, own it! Let's see it! Good, awesome! I remember being a part of the marching band at Hidden Valley Middle School here in Escondido. Our band director was a taskmaster, and one of the things he drilled into us from the day I started there was to memorize the definition of the word "pride." Now, many years later, I don’t play the trumpet very well anymore.

I remember that pride is a justifiable appreciation of one's worth, abilities, and high ideals because it was drilled into our minds. I remember very little from those three years in band, but I remember the definition of pride. When I went to Orange Glen High School and played football there, we had the big "Pride" on the side of the building, on the side of the gym. It was just drilled into us. It's as American as apple pie, right? Pride.

Then we come to passages like this: "Be clothed with humility." Point number two on your outline is that proper respect is an indication of a humble heart. In fact, submissive respect is impossible without humility. To add to it, you will never be worthy of respect and honor as a leader within the church without humility in your life. One of my points from last week in 1 Peter chapter five, verses one through four, was that leaders are to maintain humility.

Now, there is an interesting idea about that word "maintain." You can't maintain something you don't have. So, if leaders are to maintain humility, that means they will never achieve the position of leaders without it. Once you get the title of leader, that's where the difficulty comes in. In fact, Paul, when he talks about ordaining elders and laying hands on people, says, "Do not lay hands on someone too quickly, not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride, he fall to the same condemnation as the devil."

There is a danger in putting a person in a position of leadership who has not first learned the lesson of humility because they are subject to the realities of pride. If you are going to be worthy of a position or the respect and honor that comes with being a leader, then you need to learn the lesson of humility. The only way we can submit, as the Scriptures exhort, is to walk in humility as Christ did. This is the example of Jesus.

In Philippians chapter two, Paul says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ, who, being in the same position as God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made..."

Himself of no reputation, Jesus took upon Himself the form of a servant and humbled Himself. That's the example of Jesus, which is pictured for us in John chapter 13. In this passage, Jesus, the one in the honored position, places Himself in the position of shame by washing His disciples' feet. Has anybody ever read that passage? The Master, the Lord, humbling Himself and washing His disciples' feet.

What was His application at the end of it? He says to His disciples in John chapter 13, "You are to do as I have done. I've given you an example." Now, He is not saying that we should have foot-washing parties; He is saying that we should live humbly. We are to walk in humility. This is the example that He has given to us. You will never rise as a leader without first learning the lessons of humility.

The Proverbs, the book of wisdom, contain this teaching. King Solomon writes in Proverbs 15:33, "Before honor is humility." He writes it again in Proverbs 18:12, "Before honor is humility." Then in Proverbs 22:4, he says, "By humility are riches and honor and life." I think there's a theme there: by humility, we will come into the experience of these blessings.

So, we need to learn this very important lesson. You will never ascend the ladder of leadership within the Kingdom of God without first learning the lesson of humility. This is not what our world tells us. Our culture suggests that the way to climb to positions of authority and honor is through assertiveness and demanding behavior.

Listen, that's my two-and-a-half-year-old—assertiveness and demanding, and that's going to get him nowhere in life. But humility will. Now, I still don't want him to be a pushover or just take everything that happens in his life. I want him to have a humble respect for authority. Our Father in Heaven wants us to understand humility.

What was it that brought about the fall of Satan, of Lucifer? If you read through Isaiah chapter 14, you get a peek behind the veil of the spiritual realm, and you see there the "I wills" of Lucifer: "I will ascend to the mountain of God. I will be seated above the congregation." His assertiveness led to his downfall.

We need to learn these lessons well. Even if your aim is not to become a leader within the church or the kingdom of God, be careful to take very good heed of Peter's next word in the same verse. In First Peter five, five, he says, "Be clothed with humility." Why? For God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.

Why should I seek humility? Let's amplify the impact of this. Point number three: God hates pride, but He rewards humility. You do realize that there are things that God, who is the personification of love, hates. Proverbs six, verse 16 states, "These six things the Lord hates." The very first one is a proud look. Number one on God's list of things that He detests, that He is repulsed by, and that He absolutely hates, is pride.

Since this is the case, there is a very simple application. Look at Peter's application in the next verse. In First Peter chapter five, verse six, it says, "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." There is very little commentary that needs to be added there in verses six and seven. God resists the proud.

What's the simple application? Therefore, humble yourself. Here’s a very important truth that I've learned, and perhaps you've experienced this as well: If you refuse to humble yourself, God will allow you to be humbled, and that's never a fun thing.

I think of the author of this book, Peter. Jesus gives him a word of prophecy that is recorded in the Gospels: "Peter, this night you will deny me. All of you will deny me. All of you will be offended because of me this night." Peter says, "I will never! Though all of them deny you, I would die with you. I'll never deny you." And Jesus says, "Peter, you don't even know your own heart. Before the sun comes up tomorrow, before the rooster crows, you're going to deny me three times."

I will never do that. By the end of the night, when morning came, he wept bitterly. This brings us to the exhortation of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 12: "Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall." You don't have to raise your hand, but have any of you ever experienced a fall because you thought you had this? "I got this." Here lies the exhortation to humility: be clothed with humility, because God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.

Peter continues in verse eight: "Be sober. Be vigilant." 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.

I believe there is no accident or coincidence in God's inspiration through the Apostle Peter. Peter moves from humility and the discussion of pride in verses five through seven to sobriety and vigilance regarding the devil in verses eight and nine. Why this transition? Because we need to be wary and on guard as followers of Jesus concerning our adversary.

In looking at these verses, there are four important things to consider in verses eight and nine. First, we need to recognize that there is an adversary. There is a growing group of people, both in the church and outside of it, who disregard the reality of evil and the personification of evil in the form of an adversary we refer to as the devil.

Fewer people are willing to say there is a devil. In fact, about 80% of Americans will say they believe there is a God, yet only about 50% will affirm the existence of a devil. People are more likely to acknowledge the existence of God than that of the devil. There is a movie from the mid-90s that I do not recommend, but it contains a great quote: the lead character said, "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn't exist." Sadly, I think many Christians in churches have come to a point where they are convinced by the enemy that there is no enemy. If you find yourself in that position, believing there is no enemy, then you will not be standing.

Fast against him, and you'll be an easy target for him. First, we need to recognize that there is an adversary. Secondly, we need to understand that the devil is dangerous and cunning. Peter says that he prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. We need to recognize that the enemy is cunning and deceptive. The Scriptures say that he sometimes appears as an angel of light. He deceives; he is the father of lies. Therefore, we must acknowledge not only that he exists, but that he is dangerous and cunning.

Third, we need to be ready, serious, and alert when dealing with the enemy. Peter advises that we need to be sober, which means clear-headed, and we need to be vigilant, that is, on guard. We must have a clear mind and be on guard as it relates to the enemy. When does the lion tamer get maimed? It's when he arrogantly lets down his guard, thinking, "I've got this; I can handle this." That is when he finds that he is prey to the one he thought he had mastered. Thus, we must maintain humility and meekness in regard to this enemy, the adversary, the devil, in this spiritual battle.

Not only do we need to recognize that there is a devil, understand that he is dangerous and cunning, and be serious and alert in facing him, but fourth, we need to stand strong in faith against him. We must understand that though he is dangerous, cunning, and real, he is weak before God. He may not be weak before you or me, but he is weak before God. The Scriptures say in 1 John 4:4, "He who is in you, as a follower of God, is greater than he who is in the world." Who is it that is in you? If you are a follower of Jesus today, Christ dwells in you by His Holy Spirit. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit of God. Who is he that is in the world? It is the enemy, the adversary, the devil. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in this world.

Therefore, you can stand fast in the faith. You can resist him and should resist him. Just as it says here, be sober, be vigilant. Know that your adversary, the devil, goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him steadfast in the faith.

Stand against him. Paul writes in Ephesians chapter six, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places."

Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand in the wicked day. Paul goes on to speak about the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, and shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Take up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, with which you will be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. Pray always. With these things, we can resist the enemy, and we should resist the enemy.

Point number four on your outline: Be unsubmissive in your dealings with evil. As Winston Churchill said, "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never give in." Be unsubmissive in your dealings with evil.

Peter continues in verse 10, "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 glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

At the end of the day, when confronted with the realities of suffering, submission, sanctification, and spiritual attack that may come against you and me, we are exhorted by Peter to trust in God, who by His grace has called us. He will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us forever and ever for His glory.

Point number five on your outline: In all things, God's grace is sufficient. In everything that we will face in this life, God's grace is sufficient. When called upon to submit to authorities, you may feel more apt to handle the tasks they are facing, or you may think yourself stronger or more intelligent.

Whatever it may be, God's grace is sufficient in that moment. When you're faced with suffering, God's grace is sufficient. When you're faced with spiritual attack, God's grace is sufficient. When you're faced with all these things that God uses for our sanctification to prepare us for what He has prepared for us, God's grace is sufficient.

As a great reminder of the sufficiency of God's grace, we're going to finish our service today by partaking of communion. Communion is where we take a little cracker, a piece of bread, to remind us of the body of Christ that was broken for us. We take a little cup with juice to remind us of His blood that was shed for us for the removal of our sins. In this, we see a picture of God's grace. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might receive His righteousness. He has given us all things, more than we could ever imagine or comprehend.

I’m going to ask the worship team to come up and lead us in a song as the ushers distribute the bread and the cup. Please hold on to them until we partake together in just a moment.

Let's pray. Father God, I ask that You would meet us here now. We invite You to come and to minister by Your Spirit, reminding us of Your great grace and Your love for us. Lord, I thank You that You are a loving Father and that Your desire is to transform us more and more into the likeness of Your children, that we would bring glory to You. Not only to bring glory to You, but to experience the satisfaction of Your glory.

Jesus, we thank You that You laid down Your life for us. Your body was broken, and Your blood was shed so that we could know and experience Your forgiving grace. We could know and experience Your presence continually. As we prepare our hearts now for communion, Lord, remind us of the goodness of Your grace. It's in Your name we pray. Amen.