1 Peter 5, we'll begin reading with verse number five. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility. For God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Heavenly Father, we pray that we may be pleasing in your sight, that not only would our exterior lives be acceptable, but that you'd find our hearts acceptable as well. Show us our failings, strengthen us in your righteousness. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. In Acts chapter 7, Stephen was being called to defend his faith in Christ as he stood before Israel's high council. Someone had said, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Well, his blasphemy was in declaring that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. He must also have said that it's not through obedience to the law, it's not through obedience to Moses that we have fellowship with God. It is only through faith in the sacrifice that God has provided in his son, Christ Jesus. So toward the end of his defense, Deacon Stephen turned to the offense, declaring, ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost. As your fathers did, so do ye. That ignited the powder keg, and God's martyr died a horrible death, crushed under a rain of stones. Earlier in that chapter, it is said about many of the Jews, they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which Stephen spake. They couldn't resist, they couldn't answer what he was saying. So these people, even though they resisted the conviction of the Holy Spirit in their hearts, they could not resist the wisdom, the logic, and the scriptures which Stephen shared with them. Resisting the Holy Spirit is a subject which comes up from time to time in the Word of God. And we see it as we witness to others, we see it in the preaching of the Word, we see this resisting of the Holy Spirit. Don't struggle to deny, to put down, to resist the conviction of the Holy Spirit on your soul. Surrender to that conviction. Submit to the Lord and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 3 exhorts us today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as Israel did in the wilderness for all those years. Remember that those people died under God's judgment because they resisted the Lord. The Lord said, let's go into the promised land. And they said, oh, that sounds good, until they looked at it and saw the giants there. And then they resisted the will of God. And that whole generation, except two, died out there in the wilderness. If the burden of your sin is weighing heavily upon you, it is because the Holy Spirit is pushing on it. Don't fight back. Surrender. Behold to the lost. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Tomorrow may not be such a day. In all of this, I think that we can reasonably conclude that it is a dangerous thing to resist the omnipotent God. Pulling up your hand is not going to stop a murderer's bullet. Taking an umbrella is not going to hold back the avalanche as it sweeps down the mountain. Doesn't work that way. Probably 98% of the people who are mentioned in Acts chapter 7 who are attacking Stephen are now in hell because they resisted the conviction of the Holy Spirit which they felt through Stephen's preaching that day. They'd also heard the preaching of Peter, I'm sure. And John. Many of them heard the Lord Jesus. And they'd been fighting off this conviction that the Lord was laying upon them. They refused to humble themselves before the Holy God. Resisting God for even one moment is spiritually dangerous and eternally disastrous. But perhaps something even worse than resisting God is just the reverse. God's resisting us. In the course of Peter's instruction to the members of the churches there in Asia, he said, God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. James, while emphasizing God's blessings on humility, said almost the same thing. God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Many scholars think that both those New Testament preachers got their statement out of Proverbs chapter 3. The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked, but he blesseth the habitation of the just. And then there is, surely God scorneth the scorners, but he giveth grace unto the lowly. The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the promotion of fools. God scorneth the scorners. What is it to scorn? The definition is the feeling or belief that someone or something is worthless, despicable, contemptible. James and Peter probably were not as well educated as Paul. They didn't read the Old Testament in Hebrew. They read it in Greek. And the Greek translation of Proverbs chapter three translates scorneth as resist. God resisteth those that resist him. What will happen to the person whom God considers worthless? It's a terrible thing to say. What will happen to the person who God scorns? Let me just assure you that it will not be very good for that person. And here in chapter 5, Peter says, God resisteth the proud. He fights against the proud. Before returning to that, let's consider the exhortations that Peter gives to us here. We need to look at everything as we're going through this book. He says, likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility. Humble yourselves, therefore, unto the mighty hand of God. He begins with the word likewise. I think what Peter is saying is, just as I have given some instruction to the elders that are among you, likewise you younger, I've got some stuff for you as well. That's pretty simple, pretty easy to understand. And it is to the younger that he speaks. It appears to me that the younger, ye younger, simply refers to people who are not as mature as others within those churches. I could get some criticism for this, rightly so, because I see that among the commentators there's some division there. But I don't think that the elders of verse number five are exactly the same elders that we see in verses one, two, three, and four. The elders of verse five are not necessarily the pastors of the Asian churches. I think he's referring to more mature saints. You younger, you who haven't been living this Christian life very long, need to watch your more mature neighbors. Learn and grow from them. I think if this was referring to the elders or the bishops, the pastors of the church, Peter might have said something like, ye younger, submit yourselves unto your elders. I don't know that means anything, That's the way I understand it. There are some commentators who say that ye younger, they're really off track, are referring to deacons or other less important servants in the church. No, no. There's no reason to make that assumption. Logically speaking, and sometimes we're not supposed to be overly logical, we shouldn't overthink what the Word of God says, but logically speaking, ye younger refers to people who are not as mature as others within the church. Ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Submit and subject, in verse number five, are the same Greek word. and they mean put yourselves under. I looked up the Greek word and I started going through the New Testament, see other places where it was used, and I was astounded to see that in 1 Corinthians 15, two verses, 27 and 28, use that same word eight times in two verses. God hath put all things under Christ. under Christ's feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he, the father, is accepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things are, and when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the son also be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be high in all. Maybe that's not important, but. It was interesting to me. Peter's idea is something like a new Christian becoming an apprentice under an older Saint of God, as a mentor-student sort of situation. What right does an eight-year-old have in criticizing the grammar that his teacher uses? And should this eight-year-old be trying to correct the theology of her Christian parents or pastor? Just get a little more experience there, young lady. Grow a little bit, and then we'll listen. Ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Then Peter says, Deference, humble respect, and submission should be a part of all Christian lives. Ye all, all of you, be subject one to another. This includes those pastors, bishops, and elders that are referred to in the first part of the chapter. This takes us back to Peter's exhortation to those elders not to lord over God's heritage. To be a saint of God is to be a part of a chosen generation. He told us back there in chapter two. To be one of the children of God is to be a part of a royal priesthood. Every Christian is peculiar in the sense of being special to the Lord and therefore they should all be treated with respect. All of them. The Lord's instructions to every one of us from Peter and Paul down to Zacchaeus and other publicans that have recently been saved is Consider that person next to you as more important than you. Elevate him in your heart and in your mind. And when it comes to sitting down at the table, take one of the lower seats. Let everybody else have the upper seats to follow the words of the Lord Jesus. This world would be a better place if we all put others above ourselves, no matter what their public office might be. and the same is even more important within the Lord's Church. Next, Peter says, be clothed with humility. When a sinner is saved by the grace of God, he or she is clothed in the righteousness of the Savior. Figuratively speaking, God looks on us with our nakedness covered by the robe of Christ Jesus. Praise the Lord that each and every day of our earthly lives, Christians are enveloped in that wonderful, warm, soft robe of the Lord's righteousness. And when our life work is ended and we cross the swelling tide, God's saints will be wearing new heavenly bodies. 1 Corinthians 15, 1. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God and house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. If so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle, this temporary tent, do-grown, being burdened, not that we should be unclothed, on the contrary, clothed upon with that mortality, that mortality might be swallowed up by life. We're looking forward to that day we get the new body, that glorified body and the knee was hurting and that whole body stops aching and the back stops hurting and we don't need that steroid shot and things improve. We're looking forward to that day. God may see us today in the robe of Christ. He looks at us and sees us righteous in the Savior. But what does the world see? With respect to the lost world and our struggles here, Paul tells us that we need to put on the whole armor of God. We have work to do. After protecting our heads with the helmet of salvation, we need our loins girt about with truth. We need to protect our hearts with the breastplate of righteousness. We need the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, and we need to firmly grasp the shield of faith. But Peter adds something which Paul neglects there in the book of Hebrews. Under that panel plea of armor, we need to be clothed with humility. And when in the comfort of our ecclesiastical castle, we feel comfortable enough to take off our armor, Our fellow soldiers and family members should see us clothed with the soft and wonderful garments of humility. Peter may have been thinking back to those last few hours that he and the others had with the Lord Jesus in the upper room. John 13 describes Christ finishing the Last Supper by getting up and laying aside that seamless robe that he had, and then wrapping around him a towel. And then he went from disciple to disciple, washing their feet. This is the Son of God washing the feet of the disciples. Here is the servant of God being a servant of man in humility, absolute humility. Peter in our text, when he refers to being clothed with humility, may have been picturing the Savior as he was that day, clothed as a servant. serving and helping others. Be subject one to another and be clothed with humility, like servants. We are to be servants one to another. Humble yourselves, he says. It should be obvious that the Lord knows how to give us humility. He can do that. He knows how to humble us, and he can easily humiliate us. And I'm not sure exactly what the difference between that is, but I think one is a little more severe than the other. Remember what he did to Nebuchadnezzar. The king of Babylon, knocked into, what? I was gonna say the gutter, but it's not even there. He became an animal, a beast, turned from the king into a beast to teach him about the sin of pride. Oh, look at this Babylon that I have built. Wow, I must be something. God said, no, you're not. Brought him low. God can and does humble people. But rather than that, Peter exhorts us to humble ourselves. Don't force God to do it. Humble ourselves. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 1 Corinthians 11 31. Peter's exhortation is for us to humble ourselves. For those who are not experienced in such things, that may be a lot harder than we might imagine. I'm sure Mara has done this. Many of you have. I know that I have. Hiked to a really high mountain top, a peak somewhere. And going up is hard. The sweat may be pouring off. We have complaining muscles on the trip. Finally, we get to the top. It's not with a ski lift, Brother Terry. We've actually had to work up there. We get to the top, and we have that vista. We enjoy it for a few minutes, and then it's time to come down. Many times, more often than not, it is harder coming down than it is to go up. There's something about our bodies that are inclined to take the incline. Going down, our feet aren't pointed in the right direction, and muscles are entirely different, and it may be painful to go down. Well, our fallen natures are not really designed for descent either. It takes work. It takes the help of God to humble ourselves as we are encouraged to do. But it's important for several reasons. Within a church, when every saint wants to be in the first seat, so to speak, trouble will arise. Remember when Mrs. Zebedee came to Christ on behalf of her sons, James and John, asking that they be given seats on the right hand and on the left hand of Christ when he comes into his kingdom? That request would have caused problems within the church if the Lord did not handle it properly right then and there. Don't ask that question. Humility is an important part of the atmosphere in which we live. It should be a part of our lives. While trying to serve God and evangelize the lost, it's very helpful. But perhaps the most important reason to humble ourselves is explained by Peter. At least that's what he brings up right here. So we have these exhortations. Submit yourselves one to another. Humble yourselves. Then he reinforces his exhortation with a biblical explanation. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Ye, all of you, be subject one to another, be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, unto the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. God resisteth the proud. M.R. Vincent is one of the resources that I turn to from time to time. In his book, Word Studies, he says that this word resisteth is a particularly strong and graphic word which speaks about God setting himself in array the way an army presents itself to an opposing enemy army. This is the only time in the Word of God where this word is used, so I can't go to other scriptures and say, here are examples of its use. Nevertheless, we know that pride calls out God's armies. He's not very pleased with pride. Jehovah hates pride. It is detestable to him, Proverbs chapter 6. No wonder that pride goeth before destruction, because the Lord is ready to send his whole army in there to bring that proud soul down. Pride is something which God's people need to learn to fear. It is a weed which can grow up overnight and destroy a whole crop of good works and good desires. If we don't resist pride, the Lord will do it for us, and we may be cut down in the process. God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Giveth grace to the humble. There's a confusing thought entailed in there. What is grace? It is the undeserved, unmerited blessing of God. If that's the case, and it is, how can Peter tell us to humble ourselves in order to earn God's grace. You don't earn God's grace. It's gracious. You don't earn God's grace. Peter isn't telling us that. Yes, the more meek and humble we are, the more submissive and servant-like we are, the more the Lord may bless us. But the last part of verse number five is simply stating a fact. It's not a part of the exhortation. God giveth grace to the humble. In other words, even though we are to strive to be humble, if we are doing so in order that God bless us with his grace, we're not gonna have any grace. It may be a hard concept to grasp, but the harder we try to be humble, the less likely will be our success. Certainly, if we think we have succeeded in being humble, we have failed. There is such a thing as being proud of one's humility. Those things are mutually exclusive. I noticed something interesting in the text, which probably doesn't have any important significance whatsoever, but as you know, I like pointing this sort of thing out. The exhortation to be clothed with humility uses the word humility in the sense of a noun. Be clothed with humility. Then there's the simple statement that God giveth grace to people who are humble. In this particular case, the humble people, humble is an adjective describing the people. And finally, we have another exhortation to humble ourselves where the word is used as a verb. Noun, adjective, verb. If I can put it this way, Just as humility is found in nearly every part of speech in this particular verse, humility should be found in every part of us. Whether we're talking about our state of being or our service, we should be describable as humble. We should be working in a humble fashion and so on. It has to be a part of our worship and our service and our treatment of others. Humility should be a part of everything that we are and do. While, how can I put it? Humility should be woven in us and through us, throughout our lives. If that is the case, we will be better off for it. Peter adds one more thing. Why does he say, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God? Without thinking about it, Someone might answer that since God is holy, since God is sovereign, since God is almighty, we better be humble to keep him from squashing us like some sort of ugly vermin. He's got a mighty hand there. If we don't humble ourselves, he will humble us. While that may be true, That's not how the mighty hand of God is used in this particular verse. Peter says, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he might exalt you in due time. It is the mighty hand of God which can lift the most humble of objects and people to positions of exaltation. Look at the elevation that the prisoner Joseph received while in Egypt. That was the mighty hand of God, which took him out of a prison and set him on the second throne in Egypt. And it was the mighty hand of God which sent Nebuchadnezzar into oblivion and then raised him back. How was it that the throne was kept for Nebuchadnezzar during that time? It was the will of God. He was set down, he was lifted up. There we have the fishermen, the disciples of Christ. who became the most important men in the world after the death of the Savior. That's the mighty hand of God lifting up the humble for his use. It takes the mighty hand of God to do things like that. There's great profit in the sacrifice of our pride. Not only will our humility stay the mighty hand of God's chastisement, Turn aside God's resistance toward us, but at the same time, it'll cause the mighty hand to open up and offer to us all kinds of great blessings. Humber yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time, when it's his will, at the right time, in the day of judgment, and prior to that. What is the attitude of your heart. It's so easy to become proud. No one can be more proud of his religious position than the preacher. It just comes with this ministry. It's dangerous. What is the condition of your heart? How much pride is there in your day-to-day life? As James says in chapter four, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up. Please arise.