Know Your Enemy

Pastor Don Carpenter / General

Not From Around Here: The Complicated Life of a Sojourner / Satan; Spiritual Warfare / 1 Peter 5:8

Warren Wiersbe tells this story:

 Since I have no mechanical ability, I admire people who can build and repair things. During a church building program, I was watching an electrician install a complex control panel. I said to the man, “It just amazes me how you fellows can calmly work on those lines with all of that power there. How do you do it?” The electrician smiled and said, “Well, the first thing you have to do is respect it. Then you can handle it.”

Satan is a dangerous enemy. He is a serpent who can bite us when we least expect it. He is a destroyer (Abaddon and Apollyon both mean “destruction”) and an accuser (Zech. 3:1–5; Rev. 12:9–11). He has great power and intelligence, and a host of demons who assist him in his attacks against God’s people (Eph. 6:10ff). He is a formidable enemy; we must never joke about him, ignore him, or underestimate his ability. We must “be sober” and have our minds under control when it comes to our conflict with Satan.1

1 Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 432.

Tonight we are going to look at a familiar and powerful verse. We are going to be reminded that we cannot be lulled into a false sense of safety. Our foe, an evil predator, is lurking in the shadows. It is important that you know your enemy.

Be Sober!

1 Peter 5:8 KJV

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

30.25 ????a: (a figurative extension of meaning of ???? ‘to be sober, to not be drunk,’ probably not occurring in the NT; see 88.86) to be in control of one’s thought processes and thus not be in danger of irrational thinking—‘to be sober-minded, to be well composed in mind.’ ???? ?????????? ??? ??????? ‘but we should be awake and sober-minded’ 1 Th 5:6. It is also possible to understand ???? in 1 Th 5:6 as meaning ‘self-control,’ as a characteristic of moral behavior (see 88.86).1

1 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 352.

nepho (????, 3525) signifies “to be free from the influence of intoxicants”; in the NT, metaphorically, it does not in itself imply watchfulness, but is used in association with it, 1 Thess. 5:6, 8; 2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Pet. 1:13; 4:7, rv (kjv, “watch”); 5:8.¶ Cf. eknepho and ananepho, under AWAKE, No. 3 and Note.1

1 W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 583.

Matthew 24:42–43 KJV

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 

But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

1 Thessalonians 5:6 KJV

Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Be Vigilant

1 Peter 5:8 KJV

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

27.56 ????????b: (a figurative extension of meaning of ????????a ‘to stay awake,’ 23.72) to be in continuous readiness and alertness to learn—‘to be alert, to be watchful, to be vigilant.’ ??????????, ??????? ?? ?? ?????? ‘be alert, stand fast in the faith’ 1 Cor 16:13.1

1 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 332.

The words “be vigilant” in the Greek present the idea of “be awake and watchful.”1

1 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 129.

1 Corinthians 16:13 KJV

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

Be Aware

1 Peter 5:8 KJV

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Of Who Your Enemy Is

Our adversary

Enemy (compare Matt 5:25) is literally “plaintiff” or “opponent in a lawsuit” (compare Prov 18:7), but in an extended sense is used to mean an enemy (compare Est 8:11). Devil also carries the same meaning (that is, “accuser”), but with the implication that the charge is false. It is possible, however, that Devil has already become a title or a name, and the TEV indicates this understanding by capitalizing the word (also Brc).1

1 Daniel C. Arichea and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the First Letter from Peter, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1980), 167.

39.9 ?????????b, ?? m: one who is actively and continuously hostile toward someone—‘adversary, enemy.’ ? ????????? ???? ???????? ?? ???? ????????? ????????? ‘your adversary, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion’ 1 Pe 5:8.1

1 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 492.

The Devil

The word “devil” is the word used in the English translation for diabolos (????????) which comes from a word diaballo (????????) which means literally, “to throw over or across, to send over.” It was used in classical Greek with the meanings, “to traduce, calumniate, slander, accuse, defame,” and was used not only of those who bring a false charge against one, but also of those who disseminate the truth concerning a man and do so maliciously, insidiously, with hostility.1

1 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 129.

 The nt uses both “Satan” and “devil” as terms for the chief figure of evil in the Bible. The Hebrew term satan used in the ot means “adversary” (e.g., Job 1:6, 12; 2:1; Zech 3:1–2).

Satan in the Old Testament and the Serpent of Genesis 3

a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour Peter alerts his audience to the devil’s constant threat to the people of God (compare 2 Cor 2:11).1

1 John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), 1 Pe 5:8.

This spiritual adversary, shadowy in the OT, was developed in the Intertestamental period and with that background appears in the NT as a well-known image, either as Satan (i.e., a transliterated form of the Hebrew; e.g., Mark 1:13 and Mark 8:33 and their parallels; 1 Cor. 5:5; 7:5) or as “the devil,” as here (i.e., a translation of the Hebrew term, meaning “slanderer”; e.g., Matt. 4:1, 8, 11; Eph. 4:27; 6:11; cf. 1 Tim. 3:11; 2 Tim. 3:3; Tit. 2:3 for the general use of the word). Our author further describes him as an “adversary,” a term that originally meant “opponent in a lawsuit” (Matt. 5:25; Luke 12:58; 18:3) and may mean that here (should Peter be thinking of the picture in Job or Zechariah, or the scene in Rev. 12:10, in which Satan accuses the righteous before God) but is more likely used in the general sense of “adversary” or “enemy,” which use is also found in the Greek OT (1 Kings 2:10; Isa. 41:11; Sir. 36:6), since no reference to a court scene appears in this passage. 1

1 Peter H. Davids, The First Epistle of Peter, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 189–190.

Roaring Lion

Psalm 22:13 KJV

They gaped upon me with their mouths, As a ravening and a roaring lion.

Lions were viewed as the most ferocious and mighty beasts, and from Psalm 22:13 (probably the background here) they came to be used as figures for enemies of God’s people. In the time of Nero, Christians were fed to some literal lions as well. The small, isolated Christian communities could take heart that their other spiritual siblings—starting with the churches Peter knew in Rome—were experiencing the same trials (1 Pet 5:9), until the end (v. 10).1

1 Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 1 Pe 5:8–11.

In a vivid image Peter warns the church of deadly danger. Our image of a roaring lion may come from visits to the zoo, or from the zoom lens of a television nature series. Some who received Peter’s letter would have a stronger horror. They had seen human blood dripping from the chops of lions in the gory spectacles of a Roman amphitheatre. The time was approaching when Ignatius would anticipate his death in the Roman Colosseum:1

1 Edmund P. Clowney, The Message of 1 Peter: The Way of the Cross, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 213.

Of What Your Enemy Is Up To

Walketh about

Walketh about (?????????). Compare Job 1:7; 2:2. This word gave name to that sect of Greek philosophers known as Peripatetics, because they walked about while teaching or disputing. “St. Peter calls Satan the Peripatetic” (Cox, on Job). The Arabs call him the Busy One. It was to Peter that Christ said, “Satan hath desired to have you,” etc. (Luke 22:31).1

1 Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 1 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 669–670.

Job 1:7 KJV

And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Job 2:2 KJV

And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Luke 22:31 KJV

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

Seeking whom he may devour.

Looking for someone to devour describes the typical activity of the lion. That the intended victims are the Christians is clear from someone. Devour is literally “swallow” or “drink down,” “eat up”; in the present context, it refers to the activity of the Devil in trying to destroy believers, particularly their faith, and lead them into apostasy, that is, to deny their faith in Jesus Christ. Implied in all these is the thought that the sufferings experienced by Christians are not simply the work of people, but are instigated by the Devil himself.

Rarely can one translate literally looking for someone to devour, since a term which relates to “eating” may not suggest the process of “destroying.” Therefore, one can sometimes better render looking for someone to devour as “looking for someone to destroy” or “… to ruin.”1

1 Daniel C. Arichea and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the First Letter from Peter, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1980), 168.

__________________

The devil has a plan for your life: Doubt – To make you question God’s word and His goodness; Discouragement – To make you look at your problems rather than at God; Diversion – To make the wrong things seems attractive so that you will want them more than the right things; Defeat – To make you feel like a failure so that you don’t even try; Delay – To make you put off doing something so that it never gets done.

So Be Sober- free from mind distractions

Be vigilant – aware and awake

Be aware – the Devil is like a lurking Lion… and he is furiously hungry… know your enemy.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 1:45 PM November 25, 2020.

Everybody Wins!

Pastor Don Carpenter / General

Not From Around Here: The Strange and Complicated Life of a Sojourner / Humility; Submission; Submission of the Clergy / 1 Peter 5:5–7

Robert Roberts writes about a fourth grade class in which the teacher introduced a game called “balloon stomp.” A balloon was tied to every child’s leg, and the object of the game was to pop everyone else’s balloon while protecting one’s own. The last person with an intact balloon would win.

The fourth graders in Roberts’ story entered into the spirit of the game with vigor. Balloons were relentlessly targeted and destroyed. A few of the children clung to the sidelines like wallflowers at a middle school dance, but their balloons were doomed just the same. The entire battle was over in a matter of seconds, leaving only one balloon inflated. Its owner was, of course, the most disliked kid in the class. It’s hard to really win at a game like balloon stomp. In order to complete your mission, you have to be pushy, rude and offensive.

Roberts goes on to write that a second class was introduced to the same game. Only this time it was a class of mentally handicapped children. They were given the same explanation as the first class, and the signal to begin was given. But the game proceeded very differently. Perhaps the instructions were given too quickly for children with learning disabilities to grasp them. The one idea that got through was that the balloons were supposed to be popped. So it was the balloons, not the other players, that were viewed as enemies. Instead of fighting each other, they began helping each other pop balloons. One little girl knelt down and held her balloon carefully in place, like a holder for a field goal kicker. A little boy stomped it flat. Then he knelt down and held his balloon for her. It went on like this for several minutes until all the balloons were vanquished, and everybody cheered. Everybody won.

Who got the game right, and who got the game wrong? In our world, we tend to think of another person’s success as one less opportunity for us to succeed. There can only be one top dog, one top banana, one big kahuna. If we ever find ourselves in that enviable position, we will fight like mad to maintain our hold on it. A lot of companies fail to enjoy prolonged success because the people in charge have this “balloon stomp” mentality. In the church, the rules change. Jesus Christ gets top billing. We’re just here to serve his purposes, and we do that most effectively by elevating others and humbling ourselves.

We humans can be prideful, competitive and selfishly independent. “You are not the boss of me!” is a phrase uttered from the youngest among us. We do not do well as a community of believers if we all function like that. We were designed to function within a body all with different roles that complement not compete with each other.

As the Apostle Peter draws his first letter to scattered pilgrims in the first century, he focuses on preparing them for the ongoing battle with the forces of darkness by working together. Last week we learned the role and function of the Elder/Pastor/Bishop in the local church. Tonight we will discover the role and attitude we all must take on in order to ensure that in this game of the Christian life, everybody wins.

Everybody Wins When We Follow The Leader

1 Peter 5:5 KJV

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.

New Testament 5:1–5—Faithful Caretakers of the Flock

Respect for parents, elders and, in Judaism, those more knowledgeable in the law was socially obligatory in antiquity; some Jewish traditions regarded it as an expression of one’s respect for God. Such respect included deferring to the wisdom of older men and allowing them to speak first. Peter advocates submission to the ruling elders (5:1), but he also urges—against Greco-Roman society’s ideals—mutual humility, based on the teaching of the Old Testament (Prov 3:34).

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words Subject, Subjection

hupotasso (????????, 5293), primarily a military term, “to rank under” 

Hebrews 13:17 KJV

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Everybody Wins When We Clothe Ourselves With Humility

1 Peter 5:5 KJV

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.

Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament 18. Christian Humility, a Safeguard against Satan and a Source of Strength in Suffering (5:5b-14)

THE subject of humility begins with the second sentence of verse five. The words “be subject to” are not in the best Greek texts. We have left them out of the fuller translation. “Be clothed with” is the translation of a word which speaks of the act of tying or tucking up the long outer garments of the oriental around the waist as a roll or band or girth. It refers to the same action as Peter mentions in 1:13 where he says, “Gird up the loins of your mind.” The word in its noun form referred to a slave’s apron under which the loose outer garments were gathered. The exhortation is to put on humility as a working virtue which would make all the other virtues what they should be, thus workable in the Christian scheme of things. The other virtues such as kindness, generosity, justice, goodness, longsuffering, when saturated with humility, are most acceptable and praiseworthy, but when seen in a proud person, are like clanging brass or a tinkling cymbal.

John 13:4–5 KJV

He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 

After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

The word he uses for to clothe oneself is very unusual; it is egkombousthai, which is derived from kombos, and describes anything tied on with a knot. Connected with it is egkomb?ma, a garment tied on with a knot. It was commonly used for protective clothing; it was used for a pair of sleeves drawn over the sleeves of a robe and tied behind the neck. And it was used for a slave’s apron. There was a time when Jesus had put upon himself just such an apron. At the Last Supper, John says of him that he tied a towel around himself, and took water and began to wash his disciples’ feet (John 13:4–5). Jesus put on the apron of humility, and so must his followers.

It so happens that egkombousthai is used of another kind of garment. It is also used of putting on a long, stole-like garment which was the sign of honour and prestige.

To complete the picture, we must put both images together. Jesus once put on the slave’s apron and undertook the humblest of all duties, washing his disciples’ feet; so we must in all things put on the apron of humility in the service of Christ and of other people; but that very apron of humility will become the garment of honour for us, for it is the one who is the servant of all who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.1

1 William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated., The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), 312–313.

Proverbs 3:34 KJV

Surely he scorneth the scorners: But he giveth grace unto the lowly.

James 4:6 KJV

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament 18. Christian Humility, a Safeguard against Satan and a Source of Strength in Suffering (5:5b-14)

The word “resisteth” in the Greek is a military term, used of an army drawn up for battle. Pride calls out God’s armies. God sets Himself in array against the proud person. The word “proud” is the translation of a Greek word which means literally “to show above,” and thus describes the proud person as one who shows himself above others. The word “humble” is the translation of the Greek word rendered “lowly” in Matthew 11:29, where it describes our Lord’s character. The word is found in an early secular document where it speaks of the Nile River in its low stage in the words, “It runs low.” The word means “not rising far from the ground.” It describes the Christian who follows in the humble and lowly steps of his Lord.

…gives grace to the humble Speaking now to all believers, Peter draws on the Septuagint (ancient Greek ot) version of Prov 3:34 to stress the importance of humility in the Christian community. The nt frequently exhorts believers to cultivate an attitude of humility (e.g., Eph 4:2; Phil 2:3; Col 3:12; 1 Pet 3:8).1

1 John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), 1 Pe 5:5.

Everybody Wins When We Allow Ourselves to be Humbled By God.

1 Peter 5:6 KJV

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

The verb translated “humble yourselves” is not in the aorist middle but the passive voice, which means that the subject of the verb is passive in the hands of God and is acted upon by Him. The exhortation is, “Be humbled,” or “Suffer yourselves to be humbled.” The humbling process which God was using was the persecution and suffering through which these Christians were passing. Peter exhorts these believers to react towards these in a God-honoring way, to be submissive to the discipline which God was using to make them more humble. But with this exhortation comes also a note of comfort and hope in that the presence of humility in the life of a Christian is the prerequisite that God demands before He will exalt that Christian to a high place of privilege and honor in His service. As someone has said, “He must take a low place before God, who would take a high place before men.”1

1 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 128.

James 4:10 KJV

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Everybody Wins When We Cast Our Care On God.

1 Peter 5:7 KJV

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Then comes an exhortation to cast all our care upon Him. The command is directly and vitally related to the context. These Christians were undergoing such persecution that the circumstances in which they found themselves gave abundant opportunity for that sin called worry. The apostle exhorts them that while this humbling process is going on, they should cast all their care upon God. The word “care” is the translation of a Greek word which means “anxiety” or “worry.” The word “all” in the Greek text has the idea, not of every worry that comes along, but the whole of their worries. They are to cast upon God the whole of their worries, that is, come to the place where they resolve to cast the whole of their future worries upon Him, and the result will be that when those things that would otherwise worry them come up, they will not worry. The word “cast” is the translation of a word that means “having deposited with.” It refers here to a direct and once-for-all committal to God of all that would give us concern

1 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 128–129.

The words “for he careth for you” can be translated literally, “for it is a care to Him concerning you,” or “for you are His concern.” Anxiety is a self-contradiction to true humility. Unbelief is, in a sense, an exalting of self against God in that one is depending upon self and failing to trust God. Why worry therefore, if we are His concern. He is more concerned about our welfare than we could possibly be. Furthermore, since the humbling process has been allowed to come to us in the permissive will of God, and He is using it to accomplish His purpose in our lives, He has it under His control and us in His care. In it all He is concerned about us, therefore, again, why worry?1

1 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 129.

A doctor had to give a painful shot to a four-year-old girl. When she learned what the doctor was about to do, her face showed her anxiety and her body tensed. As the doctor picked up what looked to the little girl to be a needle large enough to kill an elephant, she turned her eyes to her father, who then took her hand and fixed his eyes on hers. An expression of confidence and calmness came on her face. She knew she was not alone and found comfort, not in her father’s spoken answer, but in his presence with her in her time of trial.1

1 Michael P. Green, ed., Illustrations for Biblical Preaching: Over 1500 Sermon Illustrations Arranged by Topic and Indexed Exhaustively, Revised edition of: The expositor’s illustration file. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989).

God has given us exactly what we need to navigate these difficult times. We have Under-Shepherds to guide us. We have Humility to redirect us. We have Prayer to unburden us. We all win when we work the plan and when we work it together.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 2:57 PM November 18, 2020.

Happy Trials

Pastor Don Carpenter / General

Not From Around Here: The Complicated Life of a Sojourner / Trial / 1 Peter 4:14–19

I think that you are all at least familiar with the TV show “Survivor,” whether you have watched it or not. It is what they call now a “reality” game show. 16 people are put into an environment like an island, and the goal is to be the winner of a $1 million prize. Fortunately for the participants, they are voted off by the other participants, not burned at the stake of sacrificed to a volcano. After they are voted off about the worst thing that happens is they might be humiliated on the internet. In fact, they are flown from the hostile environment in which they have been living, and taken to a posh resort. Many of them make TV appearances and some even are able to launch a new career afterward.

The modern day game show “Survivor” pales in comparison to the high stakes game of life that Martin Luther became involved in when he opposed the established authorities in the Church. For Martin Luther spiritual survival was of foremost importance, and he understood how important that was for every person. No matter what may happen in life, no matter how bad circumstances may get, spiritual survival comes first. Martin Luther had it straight. He knew that spiritual survival in a hostile spiritual environment dictates a firm confession of faith.

For us in our spiritual environment it has not really gotten any easier. The Bible tells us to expect trials and troubles as we struggle to survive the hostile wilderness of this world.

The Apostle Peter also knew what it was like to suffer for Jesus, to make a stand with no turning back. In our passage this evening we will discover that when we are square in the middle of God’s perfect will, our trials can in a way be happy trials… we can know the joy of sweetly suffering for our Savior.

When The Spirit of Glory Rests Upon You.

1 Peter 4:14 KJV

If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

Matthew 5:11 KJV

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Peter again referred to Jesus’ teaching (Matt. 5:11). If a Christian was insulted (cf. 1 Peter 3:9) because of the name of Christ, he should be considered blessed (makarioi; cf. 3:14). Anything that we suffer for the sake of Christ is a privilege, not a penalty1

1 Roger M. Raymer, “1 Peter,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 854.

Happy are ye

The apostle says that in view of the fact that they are being reproached, they are happy. The word “happy” is the translation of a Greek word which means “prosperous.” It is used in Matthew 5:3–11, where it is translated “blessed.” It refers in these contexts to a spiritually prosperous state or condition of the believer. That is, if the world persecutes a Christian, that is an indication of the spiritual prosperity of his life. The world does not persecute a worldly Christian, only a spiritual one. It is spirituality that rubs its fur the wrong way.1

1 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 120.

Matthew 11:28 KJV

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

But not only is the fact of persecution an indication of a spiritually prosperous life, but also of the fact that the Holy Spirit is resting upon the Christian. The words “rest upon” are the translation of a Greek word used in a manuscript of 103 b.c. as a technical term in agriculture. The writer speaks of a farmer resting his land by sowing light crops upon it. He relieved the land of the necessity of producing heavy crops, and thus gave it an opportunity to recuperate its strength. The word is used in Matthew 11:28 where our Lord says, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” literally, “and I will rest you.” Here our Lord causes the sinner who comes to Him to cease from his own efforts at carrying his load of guilt and suffering, taking it upon Himself, allowing the believer in his new life powers to function as a child of God. In our First Peter passage, the Holy Spirit rests and refreshes the believer in the sense that He takes over the saint’s battle with sin and the heretofore futile effort at living a life pleasing to God, by giving him victory over the evil nature whose power was broken the moment God saved him, and by producing in his life His own fruit. The Spirit of the Glory, even the Spirit of God, is resting with refreshing power upon the child of God, causing him to live a life which pleases God and toward which the world hurls its venom and hate. The words “on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified,” while true, do not appear in the best Greek texts, and are not therefore thought to be part of the original manuscript that left the hands of Peter. We have therefore not included them in the translation.1

1 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 120–121.

When You Do Not Suffer For Your Own Sin

1 Peter 4:15 KJV

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.

Peter stressed that persecution was no excuse for lawlessness. Christians were not to retaliate (3:9). Physical violence was not to be met by murder. Confiscation of property was not to be compensated for by theft. No matter what their trials, Christians were to do nothing that would justify punishing them as criminals (cf. 2:19; 3:17). They were not to suffer as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. Even interfering in other people’s affairs is out of place for Christians (cf. 1 Tim. 5:13).1

1 Roger M. Raymer, “1 Peter,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 

1 Timothy 5:13 KJV

And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

The word “busybody” means in the Greek, “a self-appointed overseer in other men’s matters.”1

1 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 121.

When You Are Not Ashamed

1 Peter 4:16–18 KJV

Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 

And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

There is no shame if one suffer(s) as a Christian rather than as a V 2, p 855 criminal. On the contrary, that name should be a source of praise to God for it identifies the bearer with the blessings of salvation (cf. v. 11). The term “Christian” (Christianos) occurs only three times in the Bible (here and Acts 11:26; 26:28). It may have been used derisively by unbelievers, as an insult.1

1 Roger M. Raymer, “1 Peter,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 854–855.

The context in First Peter speaks of the persecutions which were allowed to come by God as a disciplinary judgment, the purpose of which was to purify their lives. They were being saved with difficulty in the sense that if it was necessary for God to purify the lives of saints by these drastic means, namely, persecution and suffering, what can one say as to the position of the unsaved in relation to God? If the righteous need disciplinary judgments, how much more will the unrighteous merit the wrath of God whose offer of righteousness they have rejected.1

1 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 122–123.

When You Commit Your Soul to God for Safekeeping

1 Peter 4:19 KJV

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

The Greek word “commit” is a banking term meaning “to give in charge as a deposit.” Peter exhorts believers who are undergoing persecutions, that in view of the fact that these are allowed to come by God and are designed to purify their lives, they have every reason to trust Him to take care of them through all of their sufferings.1

1 Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 123.

That word for “commit” is actually a banking term. It means to deposit something for safekeeping. Well, that’s what we’re to do with our lives when we go through times of suffering. Deposit your life in God’s bank (so to speak) for safe-keeping. Trust Him to preserve you in the fire. Give yourself to the Lord by continuing to do good.

That’s what Bethany Hamilton did. At one time, Bethany was ranked as the #1 amateur teen surfer in Hawaii. Then she lost an arm to a tiger shark in October 2003, but she never lost her faith.

Soon after the attack, she began to raise money to restore a man’s eyesight. While visiting New York City, she gave her ski coat to homeless girl. When asked about the gift, she said she had more than she needed in life.

At the time, Steve Thompson, her pastor, said, “She’s looking forward to the future. She’s asking herself, ‘How can I show the world I still have a life, that I enjoy my life, and that my life is filled with joy?’ She has an underlying trust that God is taking care of her.”

(Jill Lieber, “Teen Surfer Riding Wave of Amazing Grace,” USA Today, 3-19-04; www.PreachingToday.com)

Bethany Hamilton entrusted herself to her faithful Creator. She didn’t quit living when she lost her arm. No! She gave her life to God. She deposited her life for safekeeping into His hands; and now, God has given her an international platform from which to share her story and bring Him glory. Bethany Hamilton returned to surfing; and just over a year after the shark attack, she took 1st place in the Explorer Women’s division of the 2005 NSSA National Championships — winning her first National Title. Since then, she has turned pro, and a major motion picture about her life was just released this last April (2011). It’s called Soul Surfer, and God is using it to bring hope to people all over the world. (www.BethanyHamilton.com)

(From a sermon by C. Philip Green, In the Fire! 7/30/2011)

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 1:26 PM November 4, 2020.