 Well, today we're in chapter 5 here in 1 Peter. We're going to look at verses 5 through 7. I originally was going to take you to the end of the chapter and just conclude our study. But I decided to stop at verse 7 and we'll pick up next time we're together at verse 8. But I wanted to share with you something that the Apostle Peter speaks of here in 1 Peter chapter 5. And we'll be looking at the subject of being clothed with humility. Because we'll see that in just a moment as he speaks concerning that. So let's begin reading in 1 Peter chapter 5 at verse 5. I'll read to verse 7 and we'll look at the subject today being clothed with humility. The Apostle Peter writes, 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. And so we're going to be looking at being clothed with humility. There are really a variety of things that we'll be looking at as we go through these few verses. But one of the things that we'll be looking at is going to be that subject of being clothed with humility. And that's what the Apostle is speaking about. It's been said that the way up always comes by first going down. So that's another way of simply saying that exaltation normally will follow humility. As it says in Proverbs 18-12, Before destruction the heart of man is haughty and before honor is humility. And so the Apostle is going to speak to them in just a moment concerning being clothed with humility because what they're really looking for is the honor that comes from the Lord and the Lord alone. And they need to remember that the things that they're going through, the sufferings and the variety of afflictions that they're enduring actually are going to produce something in their life that is really worth going through all of those things for. We'll see that in verse 10 when he says here in chapter 5, the God of all greats who called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you have suffered a while perfect, established, strengthened and settled you. And so he's pointing out that there are things that they're enduring but in reality what happens is by going through those things and doing so as unto the Lord there's really an exaltation process that's taking place where they're going to receive glory and that comes through the way of the suffering that they've been enduring. You see what he's been doing in 1 Peter is encouraging them and instructing them concerning their life in Christ and we were just looking at a few things that relate to that the last time we were together and he's teaching them what their daily life in the body of Christ ought to be. And so he's speaking concerning their attitude and that's why in verse 5 of 1 Peter 5 he says likewise you younger people submit yourselves to your elders. Now he's already been speaking about church elders and the way that the churches run and how things are done in an orderly fashion. And so when you look at verse 5 you can see it as one of two things or maybe both one is a continuation of what he's been sharing when he was speaking concerning just having an attitude of submission to church leadership but it also could be a general command that if we're going to have harmony within the body of Christ there needs to be an attitude of proper submission to those that honor is due to. You'll see that kind of attitude in 1 Timothy chapter 5 verses 1 and 2 when the apostle Paul is writing there and he's speaking concerning the daily life in the church and the attitude that the body of Christ really ought to have towards one another and that's why he said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5, 1 and 2 do not rebuke an older man. Don't chastise an older man but exhort him he says as a father. The younger man as brothers, the older women as mothers and the younger women as sisters with all purity. And so he is speaking concerning the way that we are to deal with one another and our common daily exercises as we come into contact with one another out in the world and as we gather together as the church and congregate and have fellowship and he's basically saying what you need to do is you need to show respect, a mutual respect for one another and therefore your younger people continue to show respect for those who are older. Now why would he specifically begin with the younger? Well in every society, those who are younger are often the most headstrong in any group. That's why the military is made up of young people and not old people. You tell a young person to get up and do this and chances are they're going to do it. You tell an older person get up and do this and they'll say take a hike, I'm not getting up, I'm tired, I'm old, you can't make me get out a bit. There's an attitude that's different. And so younger people are usually more headstrong. They're usually more the kind of persons who go out and do things and they're usually the younger ones are usually the ones who do that in any group. Unfortunately though can often refuse to follow wise counsel especially from those who are more experienced in life. That's a general rule. That's not always true. There are some young people who have a real good understanding of following the rule and leadership of somebody else who's been there before them. And I've met more than one young person who's very capable of taking an order and following the directive because they respect that older person who's on the job. So a rookie police officer is on the job with somebody who's experienced and it's wise for him to that experienced officer because it may save his life someday, her life someday and therefore it's wise to do that. And there are young people who have an awareness of that and then again there are others who are simply headstrong and they're going to do what they want. It doesn't really matter what you say, you're old, you're out of touch with this generation, you don't understand how we think and therefore we can do things better than you. There was a man in the Old Testament, a man who was the son of a king by the name of Solomon. And his name was Rehoboam. And Rehoboam ascended the throne after his father Solomon died. And so there was another man who was an influential leader at that time whose name was Jeroboam. And Jeroboam had been exiled to Egypt while Solomon ruled and reigned. But when Solomon died, word came to Jeroboam in Egypt that Rehoboam ascended the throne of Israel. And so word had come to him and he was asked to come back and he met with some of the elders and all that he knew from previous experience and together they went and they spoke to the new king and they wanted to speak to him and basically make a demand on him. It's recorded in 1 Kings chapter 12 verse 4 where it says that they said to Rehoboam, your father made our yoke heavy, now therefore lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us and we will serve you. And so what they did with Jeroboam present is they said, listen, just lighten the load that your father placed on us. We're not asking for much, we're just asking for some respect. We don't want to be carrying the burdens the way that we have in the past. And if you lighten it for us, then it will follow you and it will serve you. Well, the king went to his older advisors, his counselors and he said, this is what's being said to me. Jeroboam and some of his men have approached me and have said that they want me to lighten the burden. If I lighten the burden on them, they have said that they will serve me. Now what advice do you give me concerning this? And so it says in 1 Kings 12 verse 7, as they gave him wise advice, they said to him, if you'll be a servant to these people today and serve them and answer them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever. And so why don't you give in? Have a little slack. Their demands aren't that heavy. And if you for one day listen to them and show them respect, they're going to follow you for the rest of their lives. Well, he didn't like that advice. He'd be in a young man, so what did he do? He went to the young man he had grown up with and he asked them for advice, which is very typical of young people. Young people, myself when I was young included, had a tendency of going to those of their own pair, their own age group and asking them, well, what would you do about this? Even if my parents or an older person would say to me, that's not wise and this is why, I would listen to the younger person. That's what I did and that was typical of my age and it's typical during the time of Rehoboam. Because instead of listening, he consulted the young men he'd grown up with and he listened to their advice and they told him, treat the people harshly, show them how strong you are. Which is what he did. In 1 Kings 12, 11 he says, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with the whips. I will chastise you with scourges. In 1 Kings 12, 13 the king answered, the people roughly rejected the advice which the elders had given him. At that time the nation of Israel was made up of 12 tribes that were united. But when he came and spoke to these people who were followers of Rehoboam, the 10 northern tribes separated from the two southern tribes and that's when Israel was split into two sections, Israel and Judah. And it all came because a young man was not willing to follow the advice of the older. And so that happened then, it can happen now. And so the apostle Peter, according to the young people in his church, is basically saying, or the church is saying, listen, you younger ones, heed the counsel of the elders. That's one of the reasons why in church services, in church organization, young people are not normally placed in the role of eldership because they just haven't got the emotional or spiritual maturity to be placed in such an office. And during the time of the writing of the New Testament, the Greeks and the Jews considered a man to be young who was 40 years of age or younger. And so for that reason, Peter would exhort the younger to show respect to those who have experience. Now notice what he says. He says in verse 5, not only has he stated that the younger people should submit themselves to the elders, but he continues and says, 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. So submission is not just to those who are older. An attitude of submission ought to be common to the life of the church because it produces something called harmony and it destroys the strife within the body of Christ. Mutual submission makes it possible for churches to live without constant strife in the membership. If we just learn to care for one another and love one another and show respect to one another, it works in the church, it works in the house, it works in the home. If you have an attitude of mutual submission where you're not dominating and pushing in and always trying to get your way, if you have a respectful attitude to those who are living in the home, whether it be a wife or a husband or children or whomever, if you have that attitude of respectfulness and a willingness to listen and understand somebody else's position, you can have harmony, it's possible. But if you try and rule it with an iron fist and you say my rules, and that's the way it is, it normally doesn't really work very well. And so what we need to have is an attitude of mutual submission and that's what the apostle Peter's talking about. It makes it possible for society to get along, it makes it possible for families to get along, it makes it possible for a church to get along. In Philippians 1.27 the apostle Paul said only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or am absent I may hear of your affairs I stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. In Philippians 2.2-4 he said fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interest but also for the interests of others. In Ephesians 5.21 it says submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God and so there's this attitude that if we want to get along that we need to be able to submit to one another. But somebody says how is that made possible? How can I learn to do that? Well he tells us. He says be clothed with humility that's how it's going to take place. Now when he says be clothed with humility that word clothed is speaking of an apron that actually distinguished them in society as a slave in comparison to those who were free. So a slave actually would wear a particular apron so whenever they were walking outside people would see them being clothed with this particular apron and that's what Peter is saying that the body of Christ is to do were to cloth ourselves with humility. We're supposed to have humility as our work clothes and the way that humility will be demonstrated is our willingness to submit to one another to not be pushing ourselves our own agenda but to actually listen to one another and show respect. On one occasion the mother of two of Jesus' men James and John who were his apostles the mother of James and John approached the Lord Jesus Christ and she had a request she said I want to ask you for something and he said what do you want? She says I want that you would grant my sons one to be seated at your right hand and the other to be at your left hand in your kingdom and the Lord looking at her slapped her twice no as he was looking at her one for John and one for James as he was looking at her he says you don't and he looks to the boys that I'm going to be drinking are you able to drink of it? Oh yes their answer came we are able no you're not you're ultimately going to have a cup that you will drink of that is true but when it comes to handing out that position in the kingdom of God that isn't something that I give that's going to be handed out by my father well as this is taking place the other boys who were more than likely cousins to Jesus and their mother was Jesus' aunt they heard that this nepotism was taking place and they got upset and they began to get angry at James and John over what took place how dare you use your position to try and get a place of honor in the kingdom of God how could you do that and they were very upset and it came to Jesus' attention and Matthew tells us in chapter 20 verses 25 through 28 but Jesus called them to himself and said you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them and those who are great exercise authority over them yet it shall not be so among you but whoever desires to become great among you let them be your servant and whoever desires to be first among you let him be your slave just as a son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many how are we going to be able to do that how are we going to be able to submit to one another by not trying to exalt ourselves and learning to submit to one another and that's what the apostle Peter is speaking about and he's using Jesus as an example because all you need to do is remember Jesus back in John 13 in John 13 the night that Jesus was betrayed the supper having already been ended the devil already placing into heart of Judas to betray him after the supper being concluded Jesus rose from the table and the Bible says that he wrapped a towel around himself he girded himself with a towel and he took a basin of water and he began to kneel at the feet of the disciples and began to wash their feet and what he was doing was acting out the role of a household servant and as he began to wash the feet of his disciples his apostles are watching him do this and the apostle Peter when Jesus comes to him can't contain himself and he says Lord are you washing my feet you shall never wash my feet and Jesus looks at him and says if you don't allow me to wash your feet you'll have no part of me and the apostle begins to think for a moment he says then give me a complete bath I don't want you to cut me off I don't want to have any relationship with you Jesus said listen if your feet have been washed the only thing that needs to be washed will be your feet because you're walking in the dusty roads and you need to have a cleansing and all of that and begins to minister to them and he says this you call me master and you call me lord and that's right because that's what I am if I then being your lord and master have washed your feet then you ought to wash the feet and Jesus says as an example unto you I've done it as an example to you you're to wash one another's feet now it's not like he was setting up a ritual for us I mean if I said to you you know guess what guys next Sunday we're going to have feet washing and when you show up I'll be up here to wash your feet most of you would not show up you just wouldn't be here and if you did show up you'd make sure your nails were clipped clean that's not what he's talking about like let's start the ritual of washing feet he was speaking of something much deeper what is the motive of persons who wash other people's feet and that is an attitude of servitude it's a servant's heart it's an attitude of service and he said if I've done this as an example you ought to be serving each other because listen if the gospel is going to leave this small room and reach a world it will be done so by those who have the proper attitudes of service to other people and you need to understand that that Jesus Christ himself said that he came not to be the overlord over people he said I didn't come to be served but to serve and to give my life a ransom for many that's why he said in Matthew 2311 he who is greatest among you shall be your servant and that's what the apostle Peter is speaking about in a time where there is so much going on so much affliction so much suffering the church can fragment through self-interest and so instead of becoming all about me we need to be all about we we need to be all about us and that's how it's going to work because if I get caught up trying to have things done my way my time then I'm not going to serve other people because I'm too busy wanting to be served by them why is it important to have an attitude of service because the apostle says in verse 5 because God resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble God constantly opposes and is unceasingly at war with the proud Proverbs 29-23 says a man's pride shall bring him low but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit so he says God is going to actually lift you up if you place yourself down you see he says humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time now mighty hand the hand of God in a variety of ways in Scripture when it speaks of the hand of God sometimes it speaks of his hand as he brings discipline into a person's life like it says in Psalm 32 verse 4 for day and night your hand was heavy upon me my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer there are times that God's hand will be on a person and it's actually bringing a discipline he's disciplining them and then there are times that God's hand is spoken of as being there to deliver in Psalm 29-26 I prayed to the Lord and he said oh sovereign Lord and said oh sovereign Lord do not destroy your people your own inheritance that you redeemed by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand and so whether being disciplined or whether being delivered God's purposes are being worked out in our lives and therefore we're to humble ourselves that he may exalt us and he exalts us in with humility accept your present circumstances because these things are allowed by God they're a trial that will produce rejoicing on your part you see in verse 6 the fruit of voluntary humbling he's going to exalt you in due time the word exalt means to raise to dignity or honor and happiness and it will occur in his perfect timing like Jesus again said in Matthew 23 verse 12 whoever exalts himself will be humbled whoever humbles himself will be exalted so through all of this submitting and humbling ourselves what else are we to do notice verse 7 casting all your care upon him for he cares for you casting is a strong word in the Greek language the original language of the New Testament Koine Greek it speaks of actually violently throwing something off of yourself he's saying you're to take these anxieties casting your cares you're to take these anxieties off of yourself and cast them on the one who can do something about it one of the things that causes us to worry is we have encountered something that is greater than our resources or abilities to deal with that's why you worry but Jesus said worry is the most useless energy it's a waste of energy because you're worried about something you can do nothing about think about what is causing you anxiety right now and every person in this room has something that's causing you anxiety what is it that you're dealing with it's something that you can't handle yourself that's why you're anxious you don't get anxious for things you can handle you get anxious over things that you can't handle and when you get anxious about those things the reason you're anxious is because they're beyond your power so rather than me worrying about it Jesus said and Peter is echoing this in his words Jesus said I'm supposed to trust the Lord the apostle Peter said you cast your cares on him my father had a very strong work ethic my dad was raised he was born in 1927 was raised during the depression here in California and at an early age like his generation, many in his generation perhaps even most of his generation my dad had to work with a family in order for the kids to be able to survive my dad had 12 brothers and sisters one of my uncles died at an early age but they were at one time 13 but 12 of them grew up in the same home and the same home was probably about 850 square feet maximum so you had 12 kids you had grandma and grandpa and my dad used to with his brothers as a young boy go out and work the fields that's what he did produce an income when my dad went into the service as a young man went into the US Navy during World War II at the age of 17 my dad would send his check home for his mother so his mother and family could have food my grandmother didn't spend the money and my dad sent she put it in an envelope and when he came home out of the service she gave him the envelope with all of his money she wouldn't use it and my dad eventually used it to buy a car but my dad was one of these men who worked all of his life at the age of 20 he got a job he used to give his parents his paycheck to support his parents and when he met my mom and my mom was 16 at the time my mom said to him for me she wanted him to marry her and she basically asked him to get married my dad says well I've got to I've got to give my check to my parents and my mom says I don't eat that much and so they got married after meeting each other three months earlier my dad had a job from the time my mom knew him and he worked all of his life then one day and I was in my early 20s I was about 23-24 so right in that area my dad came home on a Friday and was very quiet unusually quiet and he went into his room and I approached my mother and I said what's wrong with dad he said his company that he's worked for all of his life basically was just sold to another organization my dad worked for a trucking firm called Davies Warehouse to think that they named Davies Warehouse after me and he drove a truck that's what dad did but Davies sold out to an organization called Weber's Trucking and my dad who had all of his young life into his mid 40s late 40s worked at this one company came home on a Friday for the first time after 20 some years of working for this one organization and that Friday my dad had no job the bills don't stop just because you don't have a job we all know that kids still need to eat they still need clothing my dad went to his room now my dad was a believer my dad had committed his heart to Christ already a young believer and I remember his concern to come out of the room and here I am 23-24 years old at the oldest and he comes walking out of the room and he comes into the den and as I was there I looked at my dad and I said dad I want to pray for you I said but I want you to know something I said I want you to know that my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in Christ Jesus that we have a God that we can speak to and my dad's an older man looking at his snotty nosed kid if you will what do you know about work what do you know about supplying you're unmarried what do you know about carrying the bills of mortgage and car payment and my dad's looking at me but I knew what I was saying is what God would have me to say to my father and I said daddy God will supply we need to trust him what do you mean we so I prayed for my dad I remember it was Friday and on Monday my dad got a phone call from Weber's and he had been hired to work for Weber's my dad didn't miss a day of work he went through a weekend concern but on Monday he started working not only he but his two brothers who worked alongside of him for so many years and he worked at Weber's until his retirement at 65 the Lord shall supply all my need according to his riches through Christ Jesus we need to understand that why should I cast my cares on him because he cares for me that's why because the Bible teaches that he cares for me he loves us that's why in Psalm 2714 wait on the Lord be of good courage he shall strengthen your heart wait I say on the Lord Psalm 37.5 commit your way into the Lord trust also in him he shall bring it to pass Psalm 55.22 cast your burden upon the Lord he shall sustain you he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved those are promises that you can bank on those are promises that you can take and say God you love me he cares on you because I know that you care for me you're not indifferent to my suffering you are greatly concerned for me it's like it says in Matthew 6 28 through 30 where Jesus says why do you worry about clothes see how the lilies of the field grow they do not labor or spin yet I tell you that not even Solomon and all his blender was dressed like one of these and that is how God closed the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow the fire will he not much more clothe you oh you of little faith in Hebrews 13.5 and 6 let your conduct be without covetousness be content with such things as you have for he himself has said I will never leave you nor forsake you so we may boldly say the Lord is my helper I will not fear what can man do to me or Psalm 34.15 the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous his ears are open to their cry why should I cast my care on you Jesus and Jesus's answer is because I care for you because my ears open to you because my eyes upon you and my heart is for you and I have power to be able to deliver you one of the things I know about God as I read the scripture is my God is omniscient he knows all things another thing I know about my God he is omnipotent he is all powerful and another thing I know about my God is my God is love and my God who is all knowing and all powerful is also all loving and because he is all knowing and is all powerful and is motivated by his love he will not suffer my foot to be moved he will deliver me and he will do so because he cares for me and he cares for you too that's why we trust him because he cares he does no matter what you go through no matter how deep it may be always remember one thing no matter how deep it is he is deeper still he is always there and we rest underneath in his powerful hand and we are resting in the arms that are underneath us holding us up and we understand that because some of you today I'm sure are going through things you've heard a medical report or your children aren't doing well or your family's not doing well or you're concerned about your job my God shall supply all your need I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me without him I can do nothing but with him I can do all things I can pass through the valley of the shadow of death with me he will never leave me nor will he ever forsake me because he loves me and he loves you too trust in him hold fast to him and ultimately you will reach that place where you rejoice in him and you'll say isn't God amazing what a good God we serve he loves us and keeps us in his mighty grip and he never releases us hold him hold him