"End of the Book" - 1 Peter 5:9-14

"9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect,confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen. 12 Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.  Peace be to you all who are in Christ." - 1 Peter 5:9-14 NASB 

     And here we are at the end of 1 Peter.  I started this blog in 2014, and though I had some large gaps in writing, I have been looking at mainly this book the entire time.  It's cool for it to be coming to a close and I am excited to delve deep into a new one.
     The "him" in verse 9 is Satan, as verse 8 was just talking about our adversary the devil.  We are to resist the devil, and not allow him power over us.  We are to not let him shake our faith.  We can feel alone, and like we are the only ones struggling, but Peter says here that our brethren, other believers, are experiencing the same struggles.
     After we struggle for a little while, Christ will work in us.  He will perfect us.  I believe that work begins the minute we surrender our life to Christ.  He slowly makes us more and more like Him, until He calls us home to be with Him and the process is completed.  He will also confirm, strengthen and establish us while we yet live.  He has our back.  He makes us better than we can be by ourselves.  Do not lose heart or faith because you are attacked by Satan, know that God is working within you.
     The last few verses here are Peter's closing personal remarks to specific people, and that's 1st Peter.  

"On Anxiety" - 1 Peter 5:6-8

"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. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." - 1 Peter 5:6-8 NASB

     We are to be humble, not seeking our own gain.  We should not seek to exalt ourselves, or elevate ourselves.  God will exalt us when He returns.  In addition to that, we should not be anxious.  Anxiety is something I struggle with.  I worry that I will end up in uncomfortable situations, or that bad things will happen, and I often try and do whatever possible to mitigate those things before they happen.  There are many things that I cannot control though, and God is in control of all.  I need to be reminded often to surrender my need to control things to God, and to give him my anxiety over the things I can't fix or prevent and trust Him and know that I will be taken care of.
     We need to be vigilant.   The devil is not sitting down in hell twiddling his thumbs.  He is actively waging war against us.  Since he cannot attack God directly, he attacks us.  He tries to take our focus off of God.  He tries to get us focused on our own problems, or better yet, to worry about future hypothetical problems!  He wants to consume our thoughts, to devour or attention, and rob God of our trust and our praise.  He wants to rob us of life, of peace of mind, and of security.  We need to remember that he has no power but the power we give him.  He doesn't hold a candle to God, and Christ has been given all authority over him and his minions so that all his work against us is rendered fruitless.  Hold on to that.  Trust in God and remember that anxiety is nothing but lies from the devil that God will not take care of you.

"To Elders" - 1 Peter 5:1-5

"5 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 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." - 1 Peter 5:1-5 NASB

     Peter's instructions here to elders are great.  I often find myself in a discipling position, so I am going to be speaking from a place of being an elder.  Peter tells elders to "exercise oversight not under compulsion."  This should not be a chore, or something we feel obligated to do.  We should eagerly desire to invest in those around us that God has equipped us to help.  We have experience and we have gained wisdom because of it and that wisdom is valuable to others who have not yet had the experiences we have had.  I feel like we need to have this attitude more in our churches, that we make it a point to take those younger than us under our wing and invest in the next generation.
     He also points out that elders should have the right motivations and attitudes, that you should not be an elder for gain, or to hold your position over others.  We are to adopt the same attitude as Christ and be servant leaders.  Christ did not lord his position over His disciples, He took the lowest place among them and washed their feet.  He was the ultimate example.  If we elders lead like this, then we will be rewarded with glory when Christ comes back.  Rather than pursuing glory in the eyes of men now for your station as a leader, covet the glory which Christ gives to those who are faithful.
     Peter also calls younger people to submit themselves to the wisdom of elders, and to be humble towards all.  I think it is extremely valuable to recognize how little you know and to adopt a teachable attitude.  God is opposed to the proud.  God is the only one who has it all together, and when we act like we do, it is an affront to truth.  The truth is, we are all incomplete and imperfect and we should look to God as glorious and not ourselves because any glory we can muster pales in comparison.

 

"Suffer for the Right Things" - 1 Peter 4:12-19

"12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; 16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? 19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right." - 1 Peter 4:12-19

     These last verses of chapter 4 are the conclusion of much of the book up to this point.  Again Peter reiterates about the concept of suffering for following Christ.  Do not be surprised when you suffer, Peter says. Suffering is something we should expect.  The Christian life is hard.  The will of God is not always the easiest thing to follow.  Sin is often the much easier choice.  Sin feels good in the moment, but leads to eternal and lasting suffering.  Often good might bring on immediate suffering, but we are promised that when all is said and done, suffering will cease forever.  "The revelation of His glory" that Peter talks about is the end of days.  It is the judgement of all men, the return of Christ, at which all men, evil and righteous, will see and acknowledge the glory of God.  If we suffer because of Christ we are blessed.  But if we suffer as a result of our sins, as a result of our murder, or our slander, or our greed, or our pride, or our lust... we get what we deserve.  The penalty for sin is suffering and death.  When judgement comes, we as Christians will be judged as members of the house of God.  And because we dwell with Him, we will receive grace.  But those who do not know Him, those who reject Him, will suffer because of their rebellion.  When we suffer now for the sake of God we can trust and know that no matter what the world brings against us, no matter what is done to our bodies, our souls are safe in Christ.  We will live with Him forever.

"Bring God Glory in Everything You Do" - 1 Peter 4:8-11

"8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint. 10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." - 1 Peter 4:8-11 NASB

     By beginning with "above all," Peter is placing the command that follows at peek priority.  He is saying that actively loving one another is more important than most anything else.  And by saying that "love covers a multitude of sins" He is saying that love is more powerful than sin.  Sin should be forgiven and forgotten, overcome by the love we show despite being harried by the sins of others.
     "Be hospitable to one another without complaint."  We are to open our homes to others, care for others, and do what we can to make other's lives easier.  In addition to that, we are to have a good attitude about it even when we sacrifice and are hospitable to others and they are thankless, or rude to us.  We are to allow ourselves to be taken advantage of for the sake of the cross.  I am not very good at this.  I may be good at the first step, the self sacrifice, but if it goes unrecognized, or flat out abused, I begin to get angry and resentful.  Lord, change my heart.
     Then, Peter goes on to talk about how each of us in the Lord's service have been granted a special gift.  God has a purpose for each one of us and He has gifted us all in different and unique ways.  As we begin to identify those gifts, we are able to use them to bring glory to God.  Peter emphasis an attitude of doing everything to the glory of God, so even if you don't know what your gift is, if you are doing everything as if unto God, than you can bring God glory in anything you do!
   

"Alive and Sober in Spirit" - 1 Peter 4:6-7

"6 For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God. 7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer."  - 1 Peter 4:6-7

     The purpose of the gospel is to bring life to those who are dead.  When the knowledge of Christ's saving work enters someone's life, and is embraced, a radical change happens.  Peter was just talking about how the wicked will give their account to God, and now he is talking about how the gospel is to prevent as many as possible from that fate.   Our flesh will pass away no matter what, but our spirit has the opportunity to defy death, if it is surrendered to God.
     Interpreting the "those who are dead" could be tricky at first, but given our interpretation of verse 3:19 earlier, we know he's not talking about preaching to the dead.  It's more saying that they had the opportunity to hear while they were alive.  Also, God is outside of time, so even as Jesus is preaching, God knew who would accept His message and who would not.  He preached His message to all, even to those who would one day die without accepting Him.
     Peter then warns us that the end is coming soon.  I always find this interesting, the sense of urgency they felt in the first years after Christ left earth.  They were so focused on His return.  They heeded His words about being ready, His parable of the ten virgins and their oil lamps was ever on their minds.  He would return to take His bride, and they would be ready.  I think we look at the story, and how 2,000 years have passed, and we forget that urgency.  I think they were right to be expectant, and I wish my attitude was more like that.
     Anyway, what Peter tells us to do in the meantime is to be wise (having sound judgement), and to pray.  He is contrasting the drunkenness of the flesh from earlier with sobriety of the spirit, that because we wait expectantly for Christ to return, we should have our wits about us when He arrives!  

"But All The Cool Kids Are Doing It..." - 1 Peter 4:3-5

"3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. 4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead." - 1 Peter 4:3-5

     I think this passage is pretty straight forward.  Before you came to Christ, you lived in your sin.  Peter says that that time before Christ was plenty of time to spend on that kind of lifestyle.  Lust, drunkenness... He is describing a life lived chasing pleasurable but ungodly things, which is a life of idolatry.  There is so much more than that, and we are called to be separate from that.
     Now, I definitely get the sense that he's specifically talking about overindulging in alcohol and not talking about having any alcohol at all.  "Drunkenness and drinking parties" go hand in hand.  A drinking party is an event where the main point is to drink and get drunk, like the ones they have at college frats.  He's not talking about an event where people have a beer or two and no one gets drunk.  I think that strays into legalism.  Anyway...
     Peter then talks about how some in the culture will look down on you for not engaging in the same sorts of things they do, and that they might harass you about it.  But he reminds us that they will all have to be judged by God and justice will be served in the end.  It is not our place to enforce God's law on others, God will do that himself.  We can take a little comfort from that; that as we submit ourselves to others, and they cause us harm, in the end God will repay them, unless they turn to Him.