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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
April 23, 2023
The Necessity of Humility
1 Peter 5:5-7
Introduction
This morning we come to a passage which has a theme that I mention a lot in my sermons, The Necessity of Humility. Turn to 1 Peter 5:5-7. Humility is the opposite of pride and is essential in man’s battle against sin because it is both necessary for salvation and is indispensable to successfully living the Christian life. Humility is key to being able to respond to the suffering that comes with being persecuted for the sake of righteousness and Jesus’ name as Peter has explained in chapters 1-4. Peter gives three direct commands in these three verses plus one additional command by implication. All of them are tied to humility.
Last week we examined 1 Peter 5:1-4 in which Peter’s own example of humility is seen in his referring to himself as a “fellow elder” instead of an apostle as he did at the beginning of the letter. The commands and advice he gives to elders serving among the believers in the churches of Asia Minor to whom he was writing was from a position of a co-laborer who had the same position, responsibilities and work. He also has the same hope as a partaker of the glory that is to be revealed at Christ’s return and receiving an unfading crown of glory from Jesus, the Chief Shepherd.
Peter’s command to these fellow elders was to shepherd the flock of God entrusted to them by exercising oversight over them. They were to care for the people in their churches by leading, feeding, protecting and correcting them. This involves all the aspects of public ministries such as preaching and teaching as well as personal ones such as counseling and praying. It involves both the positive and negative ranging from encouragement and comfort to reproving and rebuking. Those in the position of an elder can bring great blessing if they are godly, or great harm if then are not, which is why Peter also addressed the desire, motive and manner of ministry elders were to have. Elders are to pursue their work voluntarily and eagerly instead of by compulsion from outside forces or for sordid material gain. They were to exercise their oversight by being examples to the flock instead of holding themselves to be superior and lord it over them.
The importance of that last instruction will become even more clear in verses 5-7 in which Peter emphasizes humility. An elder who is proud will fail to carry out his responsibilities in a godly manner for his example will be the opposite of what it is supposed to be. He could even find himself being opposed by God.
Follow along as I read 1 Peter 5:5–7, 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
In these three verses, Peter addresses the relationship of humility to submission, exaltation and anxiety. In relationship to submission, He gives a command to the younger men and then one to everyone and the reason for them. He explains the relationship between humility and God exalting you. On the basis of this humility he then directs what should be done with anxiety and worry because God cares for you.
1) Submission & Humility – 1 Peter 5:5
A) The Command to the Younger
5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders;
The verse begins in the Greek with the term translated as “likewise” or “in the same manner” (oJmoivwV / homoiōs) which refers back to the preceding exhortation to the elders. Just as the elders are to submit to the Chief Shepherd and be examples to the flock instead of being authoritarian, so Peter commands those who were younger in age to be in submission to the elders.
It is a general directive throughout the Scriptures that those who are younger are to show respect and honor to those who are older. Children are to obey and honor their parents (Eph. 6:1-3) and Leviticus 19:32 gives the command, “You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the Lord.” Peter’s command here would seem to fit with that general command, however, I do not believe that is what Peter is commanding here. First, the general command to honor and respect those who are older is not an equivalent of being in submission to them. Wisdom should be gained with age, but not everyone who is older is wiser. There are plenty of old fools around, and though you should still be respectful to them, you would not subject yourself, follow the orders of a fool just because he is older. This might make more sense if it was a general command restricted to just those within the church, but even then there would have to be caution since those who are not saved until they are older would not be spiritually wise.
Second, this command immediately follows a passage dealing with elders as those holding an office of church leadership. That would much better fit the context here instead of a general reference to younger people being in submission to older people.
Since the adjective for younger (nevoV / neos) is masculine, many versions translate this as “younger men.” However, since masculine terms are often used to encompass both genders, it can be translated as a reference to all who are younger as it is in many other versions. While I do think the command has a more universal application since all those under the elders of a church should submit to them (Hebrews 13:17), younger men may need some additional direction to submit since the normal drive of young men to become more independent needs to be held in check. Paul wrote in Titus 2:6–8, 6 “Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; 7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.” Paul told Timothy, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:12). Timothy needed the extra encouragement.
A certain amount of humility is needed in order to submit to someone else. Submission, uJpotavssw / hupatassō, is a military term meaning to arrange or place under according to rank. Even those who are otherwise proud within their own rank have to humble themselves to recognize those who have higher rank and submit to their orders.
B) The Command to All
The second command is to “all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.” Peter expands to encompass everyone to whom he is writing regardless of position within the church. This applies to those who older and well as younger, to men as well as women, to those in church leadership positions as well as those without such responsibilities. Everyone is to clothe themselves with humility toward one another.
The term clothe here, ejgkombovomai / egkomboomai, refers to dressing yourself with clothing that is tied on. William Barclay has an interesting discussion of this word group. The noun form refers to any garment tied on with a knot. Of special significance in this context is that a slave’s apron was described by this term. Kistemaker points out that either such an apron or a white scarf tied in this manner was used to distinguish slaves from freedmen. This immediately brings to mind Jesus’ actions described in John 13 when He and the disciples had gathered in the Upper Room for Passover and He got up and laid aside His garments and then took a towel and girded Himself. Jesus took the position and dress of a slave as He then proceeded to wash each of the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel. Jesus then went on to teach them that He did it as an example for them to follow in serving one another in His kingdom. It was also an example of the humility needed to serve one another. This was a contrast to the earlier arguing the disciples had been having among themselves about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. The greatest in the kingdom would be the slave of all. This was a lesson Peter understood and learned well.
Peter’s uses the term clothe here metaphorically. As the apron or scarf wrapped around a slave identified him, so the Christian is to have humility wrapped around him as a character quality that identifies him. It is a character quality that is to mark the Christian. Paul includes it in Ephesians 4:2 along with gentleness, patience and love as a quality that is part of walking worthy of your calling, and in Colossians 3:12-13 he adds to these compassion, kindness, bearing with and forgiving one another as qualities that should be present in those chosen by God.
Humility, tapeinoqrosuvnh / tapeinophrosunā, speaks of an inner attitude of lowliness of mind or even self-abasement. Jesus certainly demonstrated that when He took on the slave’s role in washing the disciples feet though He was their teacher. It is having a proper perspective of yourself reflecting God’s view and desire for you. Romans 12:3 is a good description of this aspect in the command not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think as to have sound judgment.
However, the greatest demonstration of humility in all of its aspects is described in Philippians 2:3–11. The passage begins with a command to Christians that includes humility. 3 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Those commands are contrary to what is natural to humans apart from God’s intervention. Glimpses of it may be seen in some husband-wife relationships and in parent-child relationships, but Paul’s command is given to people who are not blood relatives of each other.
The passage then continues on with Paul using Jesus as the most powerful example of what this means by explaining what Jesus gave up in order to accomplish the redemption of man from sin. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” In theology this passage is called the kenosis in reference to the Greek word here for emptying, or setting aside. It is not something we can fully comprehend because there is nothing in human experience that is actually comparable. Even a king giving up his throne to become a commoner in order to better identify with his people is nothing compared to Jesus setting aside some of the prerogatives of His deity to become a man, and a man in the lowest of classes, and then dying willingly on the cross according to His Father’s will as the price for man’s sin even while man was at enmity with Him. That is the ultimate example of humility, and the example we are to emulate in our own lives in selfless love for other believers. The passage does not stop there. It continues on with God’s response to Jesus’ obedience to Him, but I will come back to that when we get to verse 6.
C) The Reason
Peter concludes his thought in this verse by giving the reason for both submission and clothing yourself with humility toward one another, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” This quote appears to have been a common saying in the early church since it also occurs in James 4:6. It arises from Proverbs 3:34, “Though He scoffs at the scoffers, Yet He gives grace to the afflicted,” and repeats themes found in other Scriptures such as David in Psalm 138:6, “For though the Lord is exalted, Yet He regards the lowly, But the haughty He knows from afar,” Mary in Luke 1:52, “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble,” and Jesus in Luke 14:11, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
God’s opposition to the proud is well known. Opposition here, ajntitavssomai / antitassomai, means to “resist,” “set oneself against,” “to be hostile toward,” and even has a military application in “to range in battle against.” It is in the middle tense so it includes both an active and passive aspect. God’s active hostility is well documented in the Scriptures as I will point out with several examples in a moment, but it can also be passive as in Hosea 4:17, Ephraim is joined to idols; Let him alone.” This is also seen in Romans 1:18-32 for in each downward step into depravity God’s response is to “give them over” to their sinful desires. He reduces His hand of intervention and yields them to their base lusts and perverted minds that reject God’s ordinances and even obvious moral truths.
God’s active opposition to human pride is expressed in Proverbs 6:16-19 which includes haughty eyes, an outward expression of pride, in the list of seven things are abominations to the Lord that He hates. Here are some specific examples. Moses rebuked Pharaoh for his unwillingness to humble himself before the Lord and let the children of Israel go (Exodus 10:3), and it was that same pride that caused him to chase the Israelites into the Red Sea and meet his death by drowning (Exodus 15:9-10). Daniel warned Nebuchadnezzar about his pride (Daniel 4:25-27), but the king’s pride was lifted up and he behaved arrogantly anyway so God struck him with insanity for seven years until Nebuchadnezzar was humbled and blessed God as the sovereign one (Daniel 4:30-37). Daniel 5 records that it was worse for Belshazzar who did not heed the lesson given to his father, Nebuchadnezzar, and lost his kingdom and his life because he exalted himself against the Lord of heaven. It was even worse than that for Herod which Acts 12:21-23 records he accepted the excessive praise of the people for his speech who said, “It is the voice of a god and not of a man!” An angel of the Lord struck him down causing him to die by being eaten by worms because Herod did not give God the glory. Proverbs 16:5 is a good summary statement of this point, “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.”
At the same time, God’s grace toward the humble is also well known. In Exodus 34:6-7 God proclaims His glory to Moses saying, “Yahweh, Yahweh God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” 2 Chronicles 32:26 records that it was because of Hezekiah and the people humbling their pride that Yahweh turned away His wrath from them and instead destroyed the Assyrian army that was besieging Jerusalem. It was because king Josiah had a tender heart and humbled himself before God when the law of God was found and read to him that God promised He would not bring the prophesied destruction of Judah and Jerusalem during his reign (2 Chronicles 34:27-28). Even evil king Manasseh received grace from Yahweh when he humbled himself greatly before God (2 Chronicles 33:12-13). The Psalmist took comfort in the Lord’s response to the humble, Psalm 10:17, “O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear.” In Luke 18:9-14 Jesus points out that God heard and heeded the humble prayer of the tax collector who cried out, “Lord, be merciful to me the sinner,” and not the proud prayer of the Pharisee who “prayed thus to himself.”
Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with the characteristic of humility as a requisite characteristic of those that would be part of His kingdom, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:4). Jesus also pointed out the importance of humility in Matthew 18:4 saying, “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” The importance of the link between humility and God’s grace is magnified even more in verses such as Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 3:24. Salvation from sin and justification to be made righteous before God comes only as a gift of God’s grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus and received by faith in Him. “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” That brings us to the next command in verse 6.
2) Humility & Exaltation – 1 Peter 5:6
A) The Command
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.”
The “therefore” ties this command to God’s opposition to the proud and grace to the humble. The Hebrew scriptures often used references to the mighty hand of God as descriptive of His omnipotence and sovereignty. Moses used it that way describing God freeing Israel from bondage in Egypt through the plagues (Exodus 32:11) and the miracles during the wilderness wanderings including the defeat of king Og & king Sihon (Deut. 3:24). Ethan includes it in praising God in Psalm 89 saying, “You have a strong arm; Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted.” Jeremiah and Ezekiel use it in describing God’s actions in destroying pagan nations, chastening His own people, and the manner by which He will gather His people back from the lands in which they were scattered (Jeremiah 21:5; Ezekiel 20:33-34). To humble yourself under the mighty hand of God is to yield yourself to be under His power in directing your life. The verb here for humble is middle tense showing it is something that you are to be involved in though it is also something that happens to you. In fact, as we have already seen in the previous examples, if you do not humble yourself before God, then it is only a matter of time before He will humble you.
This is a very practical command to both believers and non-believers. For the non-believer it is the command that needs to be obeyed if they are to be saved as has already been pointed out. Though I believe the Scriptures clearly teach God’s sovereignty in salvation, I also believe it is wrong to tell people there is nothing they can do toward their salvation. Why? Because there are specific commands given to non-Christians which we should proclaim to them. Humbling yourself before God is one of them. There are also the commands to seek the Lord and call on His name (Isaiah 55:6-7; Jeremiah 29:12-14; Psalm 145:18; James 4:8; etc.) as well as to repent and believe (Ezekiel 18:30; Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38; 16: 30; 17:30-31; John 20:31; etc.). If someone will humble themselves to seek the Lord and repent, that is the evidence of the Holy Spirit at work because no one seeks the Lord on their own (Psalm 14:2-3; Romans 3:11-12), and true repentance requires the conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8-11; 2 Corinthians 7:10). While God is sovereign and the one that brings about the salvation of the sinner, the sinner is still called to be humble and obey these commands while trusting God to be merciful and gracious to save.
For the believer, obedience to this command brings him into alignment with God’s will and closer fellowship. Disobedience hinders the relationship as self-will instead of God’s will is pursued. In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul warns about the dangers of being carnal, fleshly, instead of being spiritual. Jealousy and strife are deeds of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21) and evidence of pride and selfishness (James 4:1-3). Good works supposedly done for God but done in pride are wood, hay and straw that will be burned up instead of gold, silver and precious stones that will withstand the test of fire to yield a reward.
B) The Result – that He may exalt you at the proper time,
Peter states an additional benefit in humbling yourself under the might hand of God. Not only does God give grace to the humble, but humility also allows Him to exalt you at the proper time. Trying to exalt yourself is an exercise in futility anyway. Proverbs 16:18 warns, “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.” Haman in the book of Esther is a good example of that. Just when he thought he was reaching the apex of power and prestige he was humiliated and then executed the next day. Proverbs 29:23 warns, A man’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.” Jesus gave a similar warning in Matthew 23:12, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”
Jesus’ own life is the supreme example of that last phrase. I read Philippians 2:6-8 earlier in which Paul describes Jesus’ great example of humility in becoming a man and dying on the cross for sinners. Paul continues in verses 9-11 to describe God’s response. 9 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Jesus humbled Himself and God highly exalted Him for it at the proper time.
In keeping with this, Barclay makes another observation about the word for clothe in 1 Peter 5:5. He notes that it was also used for “putting on a long, stole-like garment which was the sign of honor and pre-eminence.” Barclay continues on to describe the blending of both images together. “That very apron of humility will become the garment of honour for us, for it is he who is the servant of all who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” We can be confident that as we humble ourselves before God, He will exalt us at the proper time. But please note that there may not be any exaltation until heaven, which would be perfectly fine for anyone that is humble because our goal is the glory of God and not our own.
There is a story told of a missionary couple that had spent many decades in Africa and returned to New York on a steamship that happened to also have Theodore Roosevelt as a passenger. There were throngs of people to welcome the famous politician and explorer, but there was no one to even greet the missionary couple. The husband was beginning to be discouraged by that until his wife reminded him, “We are not yet home.” The Christian’s citizenship is in heaven, which Peter has pointed out back in chapter 1 of this letter is the location of our hope and glory.
3) Humility & Anxiety – 1 Peter 5:7
Peter concludes this section with the directive 7 “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” Though the verb here is a participle, it takes on the sense of a command because it is dependent on the previous command to humble yourself before the mighty hand of God. Those who are humble before God will find they can therefore cast their anxieties upon Him.
A) Casting Your Anxieties on God
The word for “anxieties” here, mevrimna / merimna, is also translated as worry and concern. It has a range of intensity, but in this context it describes the feelings of apprehension about possible negative things that could happen in the future that you cannot control. In the gospel accounts it is used to describe the “worries of the world” and “worries of life.” That is all the stuff people are normally concerned about from the mundane to the very serious: From what is for dinner to what to do about the overdue bill? From what to wear today to will you keep your job? From will people like you to whether you will get injured or even survive a riot or a war? From concern about rain spoiling your picnic to whether the tornado heading toward you will destroy your home and take your life. From passing a school exam to waiting for the results of a cancer test.
Concern about what is needed for physical life is a normal human reaction, and worry about whatever is thought to be important is also common to man. Peter tells believers here to cast all of them whether mundane or serious, whether personal or on behalf of others, whether rational or irrational, cast all of them on God. The imagery here is of taking a physical burden and throwing it upon God so that He carries it instead of you. It is taking the weight of the outcome of the future and giving it to God where it belongs anyway since He does control the future and you cannot. It is pride that makes us think we can control the future, so it takes humility to consciously yield that control of the future to God. That becomes much easier once you recognize that all you can actually do is strive to obey God and do His will.
Paul gives the same basic command in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Prayer is the means of casting your cares upon God is prayer. But notice the elements of humility that are part of this. Prayer and supplication are made from an inferior to a superior. The result, according to verse 7 is, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Peace comes when the burden is entrusted to God. So your level of peace verses your level of worry is a good indicator of how much you trust God. Why can you trust God with your worries? The end of the verse tells us, “because He cares for you.”
B) God’s Care for You
Care here, mevlei / melei, is to think about something in such a way as to make an appropriate response (Louw-Nida). God always has an appropriate response to the worries we cast upon Him. It is founded in His love for you proven by Christ at Calvary, and His attributes and character guarantee He can and will do what is right. Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 6:25-24 in His command not to be worried about the things of this life such as food, drink and clothing because God knows your needs before you even ask, and He promises to meet them if you will seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. God wants you to have the right priorities by having the purpose and focus of your life bound up in Him instead of the things of this world.
While this does not mean God will work things out the way you might like them to be, it does mean that He will work them out for what is best for you, and He does know what is best. That was Joseph’s conclusion in Genesis 50:20 about all the wrongs he has suffered do to his brother’s jealousy. They meant it for evil, but God worked it out for good. That too is a matter of humility, for if you are proud enough to think you know better than God what is best for you, you will not trust or obey Him and therefore be incapable of casting on Him your anxieties.
Conclusions
Humility is a foundational characteristic of the Christian. Humility is necessary for there to be repentance from sin and self to believe in Christ. It is also necessary for proper functioning of the Christian within the body of Christ which is why we are to be clothed in it. In humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God we acknowledge and yield to His sovereign hand over the future. Because God is sovereign and has proven His love for us in Jesus Christ, we can cast all of our worries on Him and experience peace that only He can give. I do not have to know or control my future because the God who created me and saved from my sin knows what is best for me and He will surely bring it to past. I humbly and joyfully yield to His will.
Sermon Notes – April 23, 2023
The Necessity of Humility – 1 Peter 5:5-7
Introduction
Humility is the opposite of pride & is ___________in salvation and successfully living the Christian life
Peter is an example of a _________man – even referring to himself as a fellow elder instead of an apostle (5:1)
Elders are to ____________the flock of God entrusted to them by exercising oversight over them
Elders are to pursue their work voluntarily and eagerly proving to be _____________of godliness
Elders are to be ____________for a proud elder would not be a godly example
1 Peter 5:5-7 – Peter addresses the relationship of _____________to submission, exaltation and anxiety
1) Submission & Humility – 1 Peter 5:5
A) The Command to the Younger – “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders;”
“Likewise” / in the same manner elders submit to the Chief Shepherd, the younger are to ___________to elders
The ___________command is for the younger to show respect & honor to those who are older (Leviticus 19:32)
Showing respect & honor is _______an equivalent of being in submission – not all who are older are _________
The immediate context is elders in __________to whom submission is due
The adjective is masculine resulting in some translating it as “younger men,” but it can encompass ______genders
Younger men may need some _____________direction (Titus 2:6-8), and encouragement (1 Timothy 4:12)
_______________is needed in order to submit to someone else
B) The Command to All – “all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.”
The term for clothe here signifies a garment tied on with a knot such as a __________ apron or scarf
Jesus tied on a ______ towel when He washed the feet of the disciples as an example of humble service (John 13)
Peter uses the term metaphorically for wrapping yourself in humility as an identifying _________________
Humility is an inner attitude of ____________ of mind or even self abasement.
Philippians 2:3-4 – Paul’s call for Christians to be humble __________
Philippians 2:5-8 – Jesus is the greatest __________of humility
C) The Reason – “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Also in James 4:6. Arises from Proverbs 3:34 and themes in Psalm 138:6; Luke 1:52; 14:11
God opposes, resists, is ______toward the proud – which includes letting sinners pursue sin (Hosea 4:17, Rom. 1)
Human pride is an _____________to God (Prov. 6:16-19), He actively opposes the proud:
__________(Exodus 10:3; 15:9-10), Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:25-37), Belshazzar (Daniel 5); Herod (Acts 12)
______________is a characteristic of God – Exodus 34:6-7. Examples: _____________(2 Chron. 32:26);
Josiah (2 Chron. 34:27-28); Manasseh (2 Chron. 33:12-13); The Psalmist (Psalm 10:17); tax collector (Luke 18)
Humility is a requisite to be in Christ’s kingdom (Matt. 5:4) and be ________ within it (Matt. 18:4)
Eph. 2:8-9; Romans 3:24 – salvation from sin comes only by God’s _________through faith in Christ Jesus
2) Humility & Exaltation – 1 Peter 5:6
A) The Command – “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God”
“The mighty hand of God” is descriptive of His omnipotence and _____________
Non-believers need to obey this command if they are to be saved for God gives grace to the ___________
Proclaim God’s commands to the _______- humble yourself, Seek the Lord & call on His name, repent & believe
Humbling yourself to seek the Lord & repent is ________of the Holy Spirit at work – Rom. 3:11-12; John 16:8-11
A believer’s disobedience to this command moves him toward _______and all the negative consequences of that
B) The Result – “that He may exalt you at the proper time”
Trying to exalt yourself is an exercise in ________- Proverbs 16:18; 29:23; Matt. 23:12 – The example of Haman
Philippians 2:9-11 – God the Father ___________ Jesus the Son
The word for clothe in 1 Peter 5:5 was also used for a stole like garment which was a sign of __________
God’s exaltation of the humble may not come until you are _________ in heaven
3) Humility & Anxiety – 1 Peter 5:7
A) Casting Your Anxieties on God
“Anxieties” / worries – the feelings of _________________about possible negative possibilities in the future
Worries of the world / life include all the normal concerns of life from the __________to the very serious
Humility allows you to _____the burden of worry onto God and then just focus on obeying Him & doing His will
Philippians 4:6-7 – you cast your anxieties upon God through ___________ and then leave them there
B) God’s Care for You
God always has an appropriate ____________to the worries we cast upon Him
God’s care & love were proven by Christ at _________, and His attributes & character guarantee He will do right
Things may not work out the way you would like, but God always works them out for what is best – __________
Conclusions
____________is a foundational characteristic of the Christian necessary for salvation and for walking with God
Worry for the future ___________when you humbly leave it in God’s loving hands – He is in control of it anyway
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help.
Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times words for humility are used. 2) Discuss with your parents the importance of being humble and why pride is so dangerous.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. How does Peter demonstrate his own humility? What are Peter’s commands to his fellow elders? Who are the elders to whom the younger are to submit? Are these younger people just men or also women? Explain. Why is humility needed in order to submit? What is the relationship between the word “clothe” in 1 Peter 5:5 and slavery? What is humility? What does Phil. 2:3-11 express about the nature of humility? In what ways is Jesus the greatest example of humility (Phil. 2:5-9)? Give examples of God opposing the proud and giving grace to the humble. Why is humility necessary for salvation? How can you humble yourself under the might hand of God? Give examples. What are the consequences for a non-Christian that does not humble himself? For a Christian? Give examples of God exalting someone who had been humble? Must that exaltation take place in this life? Explain. What is anxiety / worry? How do you cast them onto God? Why does that require humility? What is the result of doing so? How does God demonstrate His care for mankind and for those who are His people? How have you seen His care in your own life?
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