A Daily Walk

Guest (Male): Clothing ourselves with humility. Next on A Daily Walk.

John Randall: Pride calls out God's armies. God sets Himself in battle array against the person who walks in pride. You're on the opposite side of God if you're walking in pride today.

So if you struggle with pride or you find yourself just giving in to it from time to time, just remind yourself I'm on the opposite side of God right now. I need to get back over and walk in humility.

Guest (Male): In Proverbs 8:13, we read "To fear the Lord is to hate evil. I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech." This is just one of many places in scripture where God makes it clear what He thinks of pride. He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

We're going to take notice of that today on A Daily Walk through a study of First Peter Chapter Five. You're about to hear an exhortation from Peter to a group of suffering saints to be clothed with humility. Here is Pastor John Randall.

John Randall: Have your Bibles? If you'd open with me now to First Peter Chapter Five this morning, beginning in verse five. As we consider together, standing fast in suffering. First Peter Chapter Five, beginning in verse five.

If you'd follow along with me: 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 season, 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.

As we come to the end of his letter, the Apostle Peter gives some final words of encouragement and exhortation to the believers that were suffering. 21 times in this letter, Peter referred to the subject of suffering. And the Bible has much to say on this particular subject.

For one thing, suffering may be a form of discipline from time to time. I say that because in Hebrews Chapter 12 and verse five, it says "And have you forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons? My son, don't despise the chastening of the Lord. Don't be discouraged when you are rebuked by him. For whom the Lord loves he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives."

God loves us so much that he will at times use his rod and his staff as a comfort to us to make sure that we're staying on the right track. And because of his love, he will chasten us and discipline those whom he loves. If someone says, "Well, I don't ever experience any kind of chastening. What are you talking about?" My question to you is: are you a child of God? Because if you're a child of God, he loves you enough that he will allow these things to happen.

Another reason sometimes for suffering is suffering enables Christians to identify with and encourage others who are suffering. In Second Corinthians Chapter 1 verse 3, the Apostle Paul declared "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Father of all mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

Have you ever gone through something personally that God has taken you through? A dark season, a difficult valley in your walk with the Lord, only to come out the other side and to come across someone who is in the exact same set of circumstances and you were able to give to them the comfort that you received from the Lord when you were in that same place?

So sometimes God allows that. He encourages us to be compassionate toward others through what he allows us to go through. But I also think at times suffering reminds us that the earth is not our ultimate home. That this is just a temporary dwelling place. Friends, listen. We don't get too comfortable here.

We're on our way to somewhere much better. We're on our way to glory where the former things have passed away. There's no more sorrow, there's no more suffering, there's no more pain. We're going to be in the presence of the Lord for eternity. And there are moments when you get to this place of suffering physically, and I've watched it, I've seen it happen in the lives of people I've loved where they have so desired in the moment "I just want to be with Jesus."

And the suffering was that final thing which weaned them from this world and just said "I'm ready Lord, take me now. I'm ready to be with you." Well, for those in the first-century church, they were suffering. The persecution was very real and the trials were extremely painful at times, even costing them their lives.

And when Peter opened this fifth chapter, you remember, he first of all exhorted the pastors, the elders, to faithfully care for the sheep that had been entrusted to them. And if they would serve and protect and direct and minister, they were promised that they would be rewarded by the Chief Shepherd when he appears.

But now Peter turns his attention to the rest of the members of the body of Christ and he provides them with four specific exhortations to see them through their season of suffering. And within these exhortations, this is something I discovered as I was studying this once again, is that the areas in which he exhorts them are the very areas that we actually struggle and battle with when we are suffering.

And I think you'll see it as we go on. The first thing that he mentions, number one, is be clothed with humility. Be clothed with humility. Look at what it says in verse five: Likewise, you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility.

Peter had exhorted the church leaders to submit to the Chief Shepherd, and now he's asking the congregation to submit to the elders who were to humbly serve and care for them. The writer of Hebrews says something similar in Hebrews Chapter 13 verse 17. He said "Obey those who rule over you and be submissive for they watch out for your souls as those who must give an account. And let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."

Now for some reason, Peter here singles out the younger people. He talked about the elders, now he talks about the younger people. Why do you suppose he does that? Perhaps because when we are younger, we think we know everything. I don't know if you have children or if you have raised them or are raising them.

We have the tendency when we are younger to have everything figured out and rebel. That's just naturally what we do. And the old saying: "When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."

Peter says, "Hey, you younger people, learn from those who have been around a little bit longer." The word that he uses for submit here was actually a military term that was used to keep order in ranks. In a non-military sense, it describes a voluntary attitude of cooperation. I think of being teachable, assuming responsibility, carrying a burden. Younger men, listen to the older men. Younger ladies, listen to the older ladies. Learn from one another.

You know for me, it is a blessing that I've had the privilege of sitting down with older men in the ministry and hearing their stories and what they've gone through and how they've pastored. And now I find that I'm becoming that older man to younger men and sharing with them what God has taken me through over the last three decades of serving Jesus.

But Moses had Joshua, Paul had Timothy, and Barnabas had John Mark. Paul exhorted the older women, you remember in Titus 2, to disciple the younger women. Teach them. Show them by example. I personally again love to sit down with the older but I also love to sit down with the younger, and I get to do that on a regular basis and hear their heart for serving the Lord and be inspired.

And so there is to be mutual submission in the body of Christ. To be clothed with humility. And this is something that I think it's important to understand this: that we can learn from one another in this room. Everybody in here, in this room, knows more about something than you do. I mean, don't get proud but that's just a fact.

We can all learn from one another. We can all glean from one another and grow together. But in order for that to happen, especially when you're going through a difficult time, is to be, as it says here, clothed with humility. Clothed with humility. This is a word that is used only here in the New Testament and it is the word that describes an apron that a servant would wear while working.

And it literally means to tie something on oneself with a knot. So you would take this apron and you would tie it on yourself. You literally were being clothed with the apron of a servant. You were tying it on. It was a part of you. No doubt that Peter was remembering the night of the Last Supper when Jesus, it says, girded himself with a servant's towel and he began to wash all of the disciples' feet, leaving them an example, a model for them and to encourage them.

"As I have done for you, so you also ought to serve one another." This was an example he left for them, clothed himself with absolute humility. I'm sure that today I can tell by looking at you that you gave some thought as to what you would put on before you came. The guys, we just roll with it.

Sometimes I get out before my wife wakes up and I thought that it looked good until I got home. And she said "Why did you wear that?" I just went for it. I don't know, I just sent it. I wasn't sure. But when you're getting your ensemble together, guys, when you're getting your outfit on, your drip going, listen to you younger people.

If you don't know what the drip is, just ask them. They're over here, they'll tell you. Here's the thing: you want to put something on. Here's what you need to put on: be clothed with humility. Put on the garment of humility. It's not one that we always want to take up. It was John Wesley that observed neither the Romans nor the Greeks had a word for humility.

In fact, the very concept was so foreign and abhorrent to them and their way of thinking they did not have a term to describe it. But for the child of God, for the Christian observing humility in the life of Christ, it wasn't a pitiable weakness, but rather it was a gem in the casket of virtues that was valuable and seen as something that was pleasing in the sight of the Lord.

In Micah Chapter 6 and verse 8, Micah said it well: "He has shown you, O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Humility is not thinking poorly of yourself. There is such a thing as false humility which is pride masked as being humble. "Oh, I'm nothing. Oh, I'm terrible." "No, you're amazing." "I'm not, tell me again." That is false humility, which is also pride.

But humility is not having a poor view of oneself, but it's having a proper estimate of oneself in the will of God. The person with humility thinks of others often before themselves. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God." In his ministry, Jesus personified humility. There is a great difference when you read through the Gospels and you observe the ministry of Jesus versus the ministry of the Pharisees.

The Pharisees loved to have the best seats in the synagogue. They loved the adoration of the people. They loved to be applauded, to be recognized. And Jesus encouraged his disciples to do the opposite of that. To walk in humility. The Apostle Paul knew this well and in writing to the Philippians in Chapter 2, he said in verse 3: "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each one esteem others better than himself. And let each of you look out not only for his own interest but for the interest of others."

This lowliness of mind speaks of humility. It's a mentality. It's a mindset of being humble. Why should we clothe ourselves in humility? Reason number one: it's a command. You'll notice that Peter is not suggesting this as if it's something to think about if you're a Christian. You don't have to do it, but if you want to, maybe try it on once.

No, it's clothe yourselves in humility. This is a prerequisite to Christianity. Walking humbly before the Lord. That's the first reason. The second reason, and equally important, is this: God resists the proud. God resists the proud. Peter here quotes from Psalm 55 verse 22 out of the Old Testament and the word resist is a strong word.

Again, a military term used as of an army drawing up for battle. Pride calls out God's armies. God sets himself in battle array against the person who walks in pride. You're on the opposite side of God if you're walking in pride today. So if you struggle with pride or you find yourself just giving in to it from time to time, just remind yourself "I'm on the opposite side of God right now. I need to get back over and walk in humility."

In Proverbs Chapter 6, the writer of Proverbs said this in verse 16. He said "These six things the Lord hates. So you probably want to make a note of them. Yes, seven are an abomination to me." You know what the first one is? Well, there it is on the board. What he hates most, the first thing: a proud look. That's the first thing. Pride. God says, "I hate that. I hate pride."

There is a story found in the Old Testament there in the book of Daniel. And Daniel served underneath the king of Babylon whose name was Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar, oh, he struggled with pride. Made a huge statue of himself, made everybody bow down to it. I mean, he had some issues there. And he just, it was all about him.

But as the story goes on, he had this dream and Daniel finds out about it. He says, "King, listen." I'm paraphrasing, you can read in Daniel Chapter 4. But basically what he told him was: "Hey, king, this is about you. You need to humble yourself." And the king was like, "Thanks, Dan. I'll see you later."

So he goes out and he walks through his palatial garden that he made. And one day just out of the blue, he's looking at all the stuff he built and, again, I'm paraphrasing. But in essence he was saying, "I am incredible. Look what I built. I'm amazing. Look at all of this that I—Wow, I am really something."

And when he did that, the Bible says immediately his heart was changed. The Lord turned him into, well, like an animal. It says his hair grew extremely long, his nails grew long, and for seven years he was out there eating grass like an ox. And just, you know, just became an animal.

And at the very end of that season of being humbled, this is what he when he was back in his right mind, this is what he said. There's the conclusion in Daniel Chapter 4 verse 37: "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down."

It is far better to humble oneself than to be humbled. Better to be broken before the Lord than to be smashed. I mean, it's just better to just take that lower spot. Just humble yourself. You know, there was a young man that came to his pastor and he confessed that he struggled with pride. And he said, "Pastor, I really struggle with pride."

He said, "I get up and I look in the mirror in the morning for quite a while. And I can't help but admire how handsome I am." And the minister said, "Son, you don't struggle with pride. Your struggle is with imagination." Pride is blinding. It doesn't see its need. It doesn't recognize its own sin.

In fact, pride is one of the original sins. The devil is what he is because of pride. Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden because they gave in to that temptation of pride. When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that had a rather inflated view of their spirituality because of all of the spiritual gifts, by the way, they were using out of order, he wrote to them in First Corinthians Chapter 4 and verse 7, and he said this: "Who makes you differ from another? What do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?"

In other words, if everything you have is from the Lord, how is it that you are taking bows for him as if it was because of you? How is it that you've allowed yourself to become so arrogant to think that the gifts that you have or the ability that you've been given is somehow just something you came up with on your own and not the God who holds your breath in His very hand?

Pride is also something that God says in His word, again, that He hates because it leads to destruction. It is the root cause—did you know it's the root cause of so many problems? Pride. For example, why won't a married couple work through their marital issues? One reason: pride. Why won't we at times admit that we are wrong? Because we're proud.

We don't want to be wrong. And pride, you know what pride does? It hinders the work of the Spirit in and through our life. It really does. I was thinking of that Scottish minister who walked proudly into the pulpit to preach his first sermon. And he had a brilliant mind and a good education and he was confident in himself as he faced his first congregation.

But the longer that he preached, the more conscious everyone was in that room that the Lord was not in the wind. He finished his message quickly, he came down from the pulpit with his head bowed and his pride now gone. And afterwards, one of the members said to him, "Son, if you had gone into the pulpit the way you came down from the pulpit, you might have come down from the pulpit the way you went up." Oh, stay humble.

Pride invites the resistance of the Lord. But a third reason why it is important to be clothed in humility is because God gives grace to the humble. Humility invites the grace of God. The Lord grants us His grace as we humble ourselves. The Prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah Chapter 57 and verse 15: "For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

When you're suffering, when you're hurting, it isn't always easy to remain humble. But another reason why we are to be clothed in humility is the Lord will exalt us in due time. Therefore, verse six: Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

The word "due time" means in the proper time or in the appropriate season. God will cause us to rise up spiritually. Jesus said this in Matthew Chapter 23 and verse 12. He said, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." The humble person realizes that all they have comes from God, that He is the one that is to increase while we are to decrease. So, Peter encourages these believers who were suffering: be clothed with humility.

Guest (Male): Well, there are three more exhortations we want to look at with you before we close out our study of First Peter. We'll have that for you next time on A Daily Walk with Pastor John Randall. Be sure to visit us at adailywalk.org where you can listen to these programs anytime you'd like, or download the Calvary South OC app so you can start receiving biblical encouragement on your mobile device on a regular basis.

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Again, you'll find it at adailywalk.org. Next time on A Daily Walk, Pastor John Randall will finish up our study of First Peter. So come back for that as we put the finishing touches on this wonderful series here on A Daily Walk.