Final Exhortation (2) - 05/15/2022

First Baptist Church Leominster

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Now for a New Testament reading, if you care to turn with me to Ephesians 6, so we read this together.

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I was thinking now we talked about wives and husbands, we're going to talk today or this morning about children.

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Ephesians 6, children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

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Honor your father and mother, this is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you, that you may live long in the land.

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Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the

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Lord. Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart as you would

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Christ, not by the way of eye service as people pleasers, but as servants of Christ.

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Doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a goodwill as to the

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Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the

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Lord, whether he is a slave or free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their master and yours in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

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Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

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For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

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Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

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Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as for shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given to the gospel of peace.

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In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the spirit, with all power and supplication.

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To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me, and opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which

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I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak.

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So that you also may know how I am and what I'm doing, Tychius, the beloved brother and faithful minister of the

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Lord, will tell you everything. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.

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Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the

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Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with you all, who love our

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Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. Let us pray.

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Father, we thank you for these words which we just heard and read. We pray,

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Father, these would have great meaning to us as we think about family, we think about how we ought to treat our wives, how wives are to treat their husbands, how children should obey, and Lord, we're just thankful for this teaching.

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We're thankful, Father, for your many blessings upon this church. It's amazing, as we sit and bow our heads in prayer, to reflect upon all that God has done and is doing for this church, how he has blessed it so richly.

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He's brought the finest people in the world into this congregation, and we love them all,

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Lord. And we pray, Father, that you would bless now Jason as he comes forth with the word.

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May the Holy Spirit bless him and feed him and speak through him, for Christ's sake, amen.

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Well, this morning, we conclude our sermon series on the book of 1

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Peter. So, please turn with me to the last chapter of 1 Peter. Our text this morning is 1

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Peter 5, verses 8 to 14. In order for the church to accomplish and fulfill the purposes of the

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Lord God, we must be adorned with the attitudes of submission, humility, and trust.

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In addition to these, we are also exhorted to be sober -minded and watchful.

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1 Peter 5, verse 8. Be sober -minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

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To be sober -minded describes someone who is free from drunkenness or someone who is free from the effects of any other intoxicant.

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It describes someone who has clarity of mind and discipline of thought. It refers to someone who is self -controlled and circumspect, someone who controls his disposition and who walks wisely in this world.

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To be watchful describes those who live in a constant state of readiness. It describes someone who is always on the alert, someone who pays close attention and is vigilant against all forms of spiritual attack and danger.

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It refers to someone who is perceptive and ready to respond to outside influences.

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The reason why Peter gives such special attention to these exhortations is that your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

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Peter uses striking and vivid imagery to warn the church of a very real and a very deadly danger.

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I think this imagery is somewhat lost on us today. A roaring lion.

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The first thing that comes to my mind is the MGM lion that roars right before a movie. Or Simba from the cartoon

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The Lion King, or one of the many lions that we see in nature documentaries. I grew up right across the street from the

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Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington, and every once in a while I would hear a lion roar.

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But I knew that lion was safely tucked away in an enclosure. Behind a moat and behind multiple walls and fences.

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In our cultural setting, lions do not present us with much risk or danger.

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There are probably very few New Englanders who fear the lion. The recipients of Peter's letter would have had a very different thought on the matter.

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A roaring lion, as in the Coliseum or a Roman amphitheater.

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Some of these recipients may even have seen the blood of their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ trickling down the chops of a violent and ferocious lion.

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And this potential end probably struck great fear in the hearts of those who lived during this time.

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Our adversary, your adversary, is a ferocious, ravenous, and roaring lion.

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He is prowling for you. He is seeking to devour you. Charles Spurgeon remarked,

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Satan can never be content until he sees the believer utterly destroyed.

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He would rend him in pieces and breaks his bones and utterly destroy him if he could.

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Do not therefore indulge the thought that the main purpose of Satan is to make you miserable.

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He is pleased with that, but that is not his ultimate end. Sometimes he may even make you happy, for he hath dainty poison sweet to the taste, which he administers to God's people.

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If he feels that our destruction can be more readily achieved by sweets than by bitters, he certainly would prefer that which would best affect this end.

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Beloved, always remember the ultimate end of the adversary is your destruction.

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Our adversary is indeed a destructive and deceitful charlatan. If one of his temptations fails, then he will simply try another and another and another until you are ensnared, until you are enslaved, until you are caught fast in the clutches of sin and treachery.

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If he cannot tempt you to covet, then he will tempt you to extravagance. If he cannot tempt you to anxiety, then he will tempt you to indifference.

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If he cannot tempt you to lust, then he will tempt you to pride. If he cannot tempt you to sin, then he will merely wait for the moment of your greatest vulnerability, and then he will pounce upon you.

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Your adversary prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour you.

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This was his strategy against the Lord Jesus Christ. In the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was led by the

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Spirit in the wilderness, and for 40 days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were ended, he was hungry.

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Temptation number one, Luke 4, 3, the devil said to him, if you're the son of God, command this stone to become bread.

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Temptation number two, Luke 4, verses 5 to 7, the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

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And he said to him, to you, I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me and I give it to whom

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I will. If you then will worship me, it will all be yours. Temptation number three,

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Luke 4, verses 9 to 11, and he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, if you're the son of God, throw yourself down from here.

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He will command his angels concerning you to guard you, and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

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Luke 4, 13, and when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

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Beloved, our adversary is single minded in his purpose. He will not grow tired.

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He will not give up and his attacks will not stop. He will never retire.

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He will never take a break. He will never go away. Satan is our greatest foe.

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He is our greatest enemy, and he is working hard for your destruction. He opposed the

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Lord Jesus Christ all throughout his life in ministry, and he will oppose you all throughout yours.

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Therefore, you must be sober minded and watchful. A sober mind and a watchful eye will greatly assist you in your preparation for his attack.

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Do not be caught drunk. Do not be caught asleep. Do not be caught unaware.

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Be sober minded. Be watchful. Well, what about the attack itself?

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What are we to do when the roaring lion pounces upon us? What are we to do when the fiery darts violently assault us?

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What are we to do when the adversary launches a full scale attack that meets us on every front?

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1 Peter 5 verses 8 to 14. Let's read the text together. 1

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Peter 5 verses 8 through 11. Be sober minded. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

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Verse 9. Resist him. Firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

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And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

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To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. By Silvanus, a faithful brother, as I regard him,

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I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God.

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Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings.

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And so does Mark, my son. Greet one another with a kiss of love. When you are attacked by your adversary, you must resist him.

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Verse 9. You must hope in the God of all grace. Verse 10. And you must stand firm in the true grace of God.

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Verse 12. Let's take a look at each one of these exhortations in detail. When you are attacked by your adversary, you must resist him.

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Resist him firm in your faith, knowing that the same kind of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

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The Greek word translated resist means to stand, or it means to set against.

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It means to set oneself against, to oppose, or withstand. The term was commonly used to describe face -to -face confrontation, such as an army that was arranged in battle formation against an opposing army.

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Resist is a defensive term. It is not an offensive term. In other words, you are not commanded to attack your adversary.

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You are not commanded to bind your adversary, nor are you commanded to flee from him.

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As you are commanded to flee from other evils and temptations. Rather, you are commanded to resist.

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To resist the adversary is to take an opposing stand against him. This means that you will arrange yourself in opposition to him.

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It means that you will withstand him. You will actively oppose him. You will defy him.

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Well, practically speaking, what does that mean? In everyday terms, what does it mean to resist, oppose, and defy our adversary?

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We'll look again at the second phrase in verse nine, and note four very important words.

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Firm in your faith. To resist the adversary, to be set against him, to withstand him, to oppose him, to defy him, you must stand firm in your faith.

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The Greek word translated firm is stereos, from which the English word stereo is derived, which means to be balanced at both ends.

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It means to be solid. This word was often used to describe something firm and steadfast, something that is sturdy, something that is immovable.

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To resist our adversary, our faith must be steadfast. Our faith must be immovable.

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It must be balanced at both ends. It must be unflinching, unwavering, unfaltering, unshakable.

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To resist your adversary, your faith must be a firm and a settled faith.

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The term faith here is describing our personal confidence in the Lord God. It's describing our personal confidence in the

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Lord Jesus Christ, in his person, in his work. It's describing our personal confidence in the authority and the sufficiency of the scripture.

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It's describing our personal confidence in the truth of the gospel message. Jesus is

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Lord. Faith is not an end in and of itself.

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Faith is merely a means to an end. Faith looks to and hopes in something.

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Faith rests upon something. And whatever it is that your faith is looking to, hoping in, or resting upon, your faith will only be as immovable as the object upon which it rests.

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This is the nature of faith. Peter desires that our faith look to the

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Lord Jesus Christ. Peter desires that our faith hopes in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Peter desires that our faith rests upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved, if your faith looks to, hopes in, and rests upon the

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Lord Jesus Christ, then it will be as immovable as the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Your faith will be as solid as a rock, as the rock, the cornerstone,

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Jesus Christ. The call to stand firm in your faith is simply a call to believe and to trust in the

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Lord Jesus Christ. It's a call to believe and to trust in the truth of scripture. Faith, the confidence, is the confidence that the things promised by the

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Lord God, which are yet future and yet unseen, will happen just as the

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Lord God has revealed they will. And Peter is saying, if this is your attitude, then you will most assuredly stand firm.

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Beloved, the only way to resist and oppose the adversary is to know and believe the truth.

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To resist and oppose the adversary, you must have both feet firmly planted, rooted, and soundly established upon the truth of the scriptures.

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2 Corinthians 10 verses 3 through 5. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.

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For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

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We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised up against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey

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Christ. Our walk in this world is a walk in the flesh.

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In other words, we are physical and material beings and we live in a physical and material world.

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But while we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war in the flesh.

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We do not wage war against the adversary with fleshly devices, but with spiritual devices.

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The weapons of our warfare have the divine power of the Lord God. And it is this power, the divine power of God, that destroys strongholds, that destroys arguments and lofty opinions.

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Anything and everything that is raised up against the knowledge of God. So every thought must be taken captive.

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It must be interrogated. It must be examined in light of the scriptures.

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For example, are these thoughts that I'm thinking from the Lord God or are they from the adversary?

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Do these thoughts agree with the scriptures? Do they line up with the scriptures or do they conflict and contradict the scriptures?

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Will these thoughts make me more like Christ or will they make me more like the adversary? Will these thoughts spiritually build me up and edify me or will they tear me down?

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Is this thought in line with Philippians 4 .8? Is it true? Is it honorable?

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Is it just? Is it pure? Is it lovely? Is it commendable? Is it excellent? Is this thought worthy of praise?

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If the answer is yes, then you must dwell upon this truth. If the answer is no, then you must reject this thought and you must rid yourself of it completely.

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Recognizing that it is not from the Lord God but it is from your enemy.

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Beloved, you must, must be disciplined in your thinking. Line up your thinking to the truth of the scriptures.

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Be solid and balanced at both ends. Be firm in your faith.

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The attack of your adversary may be fierce, it may be violent, it may be relentless but it will become your captive as you dig in and line it up with the truth of the scriptures.

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Today there are many Christians who have drastically failed at discerning and evaluating temptation, ungodly philosophies and worldly opinions.

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And rather than taking these things captive, rather than raising them up against the knowledge of God and rejecting them, many

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Christians have instead been taken captive. And these folks have infiltrated the church with these ungodly and worldly ideals.

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The reason being, there are many Christians who are not biblically literate.

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Simply put, the Bible is not known. The Bible is not really read. The Bible is not really studied.

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Doctrine no longer really matters. And when the Bible ceases to be the standard by which all things are judged, then spiritual chaos, ignorance and darkness will resume.

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This is one of the main reasons we place such a high priority on the word of God. The hearing the word of God, the reading the word of God, the studying the word of God, the memorizing the word of God, the meditating upon the word of God, the praying the word of God, the singing the word of God.

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Beloved, our desire is to see the truth of God hidden in your heart and manifest in your life.

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Our desire is to see the truth of God filling your mind, saturating your thinking and clearly manifest in your living.

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Our desire is that you know, that you truly know the God of truth and that you be firmly established, that you be firm in your faith so that you will be able and equipped to resist the adversary and to push back his advancing attacks.

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This is so important. There may come a time when your church leadership fails you.

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There may come a time when the message of the love and grace of God is proclaimed to the exclusion of the holiness and justice of God.

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There may come a time when you, when strange doctrines are being welcomed by your loved ones. Paul warned the elders at Ephesus that after his departure, fierce wolves would come in from among them, not sparing the flock and men would arise speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples of Christ.

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Let me ask you a question. Do you know the truth of God well enough to fend off these attacks?

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Will you be ready to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints? Will you be able to take these attacks captive and line them up to the word of God?

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Or will you be taken captive? Will you be drawn away from the

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Lord Jesus Christ? In the book of 1 Timothy, Paul charged Timothy to wage the good warfare by holding on to two things.

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1 Timothy 1, 18 and 19. This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies according previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and good conscience.

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By rejecting this, some have made a shipwreck of their faith. According to this passage, how is it that Timothy is to wage the good warfare?

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He is to wage the good warfare by holding faith and a good conscience.

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The phrase holding faith simply means to hold on tightly to the word of God. It means to keep the word of God.

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It means to guard the truth of God. It means to cherish the truth of God.

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He needs to be utterly devoted to the truth of God. This means to stand firm in the faith.

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The phrase holding a good conscience means to obey the truth of God. Remember what it is the conscience refers to.

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It refers to the soul of a man reflecting upon itself. It refers to our self -awareness.

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It refers to the knowledge of ourselves. The Lord God has planted within every man a conscience.

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And it will either affirm right behavior or it will condemn wrong behavior.

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It will either act as a source of affirmation or it will act as a source of conviction.

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If you have a good conscience, a clear conscience, it will be telling you that all is well.

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If you have an evil conscience, it will be reminding you that all is not well because there is sin in your life.

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So holding faith in a good conscience means that you are holding on tight to the word of God and you are holding on tight to obedience to the truth of God.

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Faith and a good conscience go hand in hand. Purity of doctrine must always be accompanied with purity of life.

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Orthodoxy, right doctrine, must always lead to orthopraxy, right action.

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Beloved, do not be conceived. You do not be deceived. You cannot resist your adversary without standing firm in your faith.

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And you cannot stand firm in your faith without knowing and obeying the truth of God.

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Ignorance and disobedience to the truth of God are powerful weapons in the hands of the adversary.

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So do not allow him to wield them against you. When you're attacked by your adversary, you must resist him.

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You must resist him by standing firm in the faith. Every attack and every temptation that you face is to be met head on with the word of truth.

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Do you know what I find really encouraging about this passage? Even though we're in a battle and even though we're in constant danger, even though our adversary prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, we're not alone in this battle.

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1 Peter 5, 9. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

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As motivation and encouragement to persevere in the midst of hostility,

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Peter reminds us that the same kind of suffering are being experienced by other Christians all throughout the world.

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No matter how singled out you may feel, no matter how isolated you may feel, you are not alone in this fight.

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You are not alone in your resistance and you are not alone in your struggles.

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All who follow the Lord Jesus Christ are on the same dangerous pilgrimage and we are all experiencing the same types of suffering.

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There is nothing new under the sun. 1 Corinthians 10, 13. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.

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God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it.

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Temptation and difficulty in this life are common to man. Temptation and difficulty in this life are the lots of every man.

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Temptation and difficulty are the universal marks of a true Christian. It is through many trials and many tribulations that we enter the kingdom of heaven.

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The cross must precede the crown. Suffering must precede glory.

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Remember what the Lord Jesus Christ told his disciples in John 15, 18. If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

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If you are of the world, the world would not love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

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Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

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If they have kept my word, they will keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name because they do not know him who sent me.

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Persecution and fiery trials are inevitable. Persecution and fiery trials are inescapable.

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They are a stark reality for those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ. All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

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So at the very first sight of the adversary's attack, you must resist him.

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You must stand firm in your faith, knowing that the same kind of suffering are being experienced by the rest of God's people all throughout the world.

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But not only are we to resist him, not only are we to remember our brothers and sisters who share the same struggle, we must also place our hope in the

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God of all grace. First Peter 5 .10 In contrast to the attack of our adversary, whose purpose is to devastate, to discourage and destroy, the

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Lord God providentially uses his attack and he uses our suffering.

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He uses our persecution to bring about his gracious work in our lives.

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The Lord God redeems all of these things. Peter uses four near synonyms to describe this work.

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This work of the God of all grace. In our lives, he himself will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish.

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To restore means to fit or to join together and so to mend or repair.

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And this term carries with it the idea of putting something together into its appropriate condition so that it will function well.

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Peter is saying that the Lord God promises to repair the damage that sin and suffering have inflicted.

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He will make us what we ought to be. He will restore us for our intended purpose which is to glorify and enjoy him forever.

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To confirm means to make solid or establish or to set fast.

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And it means to firmly fix in place. And the basic idea is stabilizing something by providing support so that it will not topple, so that it will not totter.

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Peter is saying that the Lord God promises to support and stabilize us. There is no attack.

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There is no affliction. There is no temptation that is able to bring us down. For the

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Lord God has made solid. He has set fast. He has firmly fixed us in place.

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To strengthen means to cause someone to become capable or to cause someone to become more able.

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It means to be filled with bodily might. The strength that the Lord God provides is given to meet the demands of our lives.

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God gives us the strength to bear all manner of unpleasantness without wavering in our faith.

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To establish describes that which lies beneath. It refers to our base, to our core, to our very foundation.

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It means to groundly secure. Peter is saying that it is the

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Lord God who places us upon a firm foundation so that we will not be swept away.

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These terms taken together describe someone who is not moving. This describes someone who is firmly planted, steadfast, and immovable.

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God's gracious work in our lives cannot be broken. It cannot be toppled. It cannot be weakened.

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It cannot be swept away. In John Bunyan's book,

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The Pilgrim's Progress, which is an allegory of our spiritual journey through this world, Christian, the main character of the book, arrives at the interpreter's house.

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And the interpreter shows Christian many excellent things that will assist him on his journey to the celestial city.

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So the interpreter takes Christian by the hand and he leads him into a room where there was a large fireplace with a roaring fire.

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And near the fireplace was a man who was desperately trying to quench the fire. He was continually throwing buckets and buckets of water on the fire in an attempt to put it out.

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But no matter how hard he tried, the flames of the fire continued to grow higher and higher.

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So Christian asked the interpreter, what does this mean? The interpreter explained, this fire is the work of grace that is wrought in the heart.

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He that casts water upon it to extinguish and put it out is the devil. But in that thou seest the fire notwithstanding burn higher and hotter, thou shalt also see the reason for that.

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So he had him about to the backside of the wall where he saw a man with a vessel of oil in his hand of which he did also continually cast but secretly into the fire.

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Christian again asked the interpreter, what does this mean? The interpreter answered, this is

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Christ who continually with the oil of his grace maintains the work already begun in the heart by means of which notwithstanding what the devil can do, the souls of his people prove gracious still.

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And in that thou sawest that the man stood behind the wall to maintain this fire, this is to teach thee that it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of grace is maintained in the soul.

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This is one of my favorite sections of this book. What a beautiful picture. Two people, one trying to put the fire out, the other throwing oil on the fire causing it to burn higher and hotter.

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Beloved, no matter what the adversary may try to do, no matter the intensity of the persecution, no matter the severity of the suffering, no matter the pull of the temptation, the gracious work of the

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Lord Jesus Christ, the gracious work that the God of all grace is doing in your soul will only ever increase.

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It will only ever increase. God's oil of grace will forever be funneled into the fire and the flames will only continue to rise.

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God's oil of grace will maintain the initial work of his grace in your life. But it's also important to remember that in the midst of temptation and suffering and difficulty, you may not see how this work of grace is being maintained.

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In the midst of your suffering, you may not immediately see the work of God in your life, but nevertheless, he is there.

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Do not despair. He is continually casting oil onto the fire and he will never let your fire be extinguished.

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The grace of God, though oftentimes hidden and out of sight, will always overcome the assaults and the attack of our adversary.

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Amen. It's a beautiful picture. The God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

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And Peter, being overwhelmed by these magnificent and matchless promises, bursts forth in great adoration, exaltation, and praise.

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Look at verse 11. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Beloved, do you realize that the only appropriate response to attack, suffering, temptation, and hardship is to adore and to worship the

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Lord God? To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. You know,

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Job was a man who knew all about temptation and trial and suffering. In one day, he lost all of his sons.

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He lost all of his daughters. He lost all of his servants. He lost all of his livestock. And then the next day, he lost his health.

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He was struck with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. His life was reduced to sackcloth and ashes.

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And his grief and his affliction were so great that by sight, Job was unrecognizable.

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And the only thing that was left in his life was a nagging wife and three self -righteous friends who instead of comforting him, ended up verbally assaulting him.

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And do you remember his response to all of this? Job 13, 15.

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Though he slay me, I will hope in him. You see, regardless of the difficulty of your situation, the heart of a

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Christian is to be filled with adoration. The heart of a Christian is to be filled with praise.

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The heart of a Christian is to be filled with hope. And this hope should spill over and overflow into everything that you do, say, and think.

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Even in the midst of our darkest days, the Lord God has dominion. The Lord God has the power.

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The Lord God has the sovereignty. He is over all things. The God of grace is worthy of our praise forever and ever and ever.

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At the first sight of the adversary's attack, you must resist him. By standing firm in your faith, by reminding yourself that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by all of God's people all throughout the world, and you must look to rest upon and place your hope in the

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God of all grace. Lastly, we must also stand firm in the true grace of God.

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1 Peter 5, 12 through 14. By Silvanus, a faithful brother, as I regard him,

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I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God.

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Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does

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Mark, my son. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peter concludes his letter with a brief postscript.

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He mentions the name of his faithful assistant, Silvanus, extends the greeting of fellow Christians, and pronounces a closing benediction.

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But he also states the intended purpose of why he had written this letter. Peter's reason for writing was to encourage, exhort, and declare the true grace of God to the scattered people of God.

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The elect exiles of the dispersion should expect fiery trials. And Peter points them to assure and steadfast hope, the

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Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout the entirety of this short book, from the beginning to the end, Peter has been proclaiming the true grace of God.

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And the true grace of God is manifest in Christ Jesus, in his life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, who suffered on the cross, but was exalted to glory.

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1 Peter 2 .21, For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

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He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.

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When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

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He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

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By his wounds, you have been healed. Beloved, this is the grace in which we must stand.

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We must stand firm, not in what we have done for the Lord Jesus Christ, but in what the

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Lord God has done for us through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In order to wage the good warfare, in order to fight the good fight of faith, at the very first sight of the adversary's attack, we must resist him by standing firm in the faith, firm in our confidence of the

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Lord God, firm in our confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, firm in our confidence of the authority and the sufficiency of the scriptures, firm in our confidence in the gospel, hold fast to the truth of the scriptures and have a good conscience.

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We must hope in the God of all grace. The Lord God has called you to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus and he himself will restore.

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He will confirm, he will strengthen and he will establish you. The Lord God will deliver everything that he has promised.

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The Lord God is faithful. And lastly, we must stand firm in the true grace of God.

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We must stand firm on the foundational work of the Lord Jesus Christ and we must place our trust in him completely.

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To him be the dominion forever and ever. To him alone is all praise due.

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Let's pray. Our father, we thank you for such an encouraging passage.

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Lord, you are the God of all grace and your grace is sufficient. And Lord, when we are struggling and when we're feeling down, this is when your grace is poured out upon us.

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So Lord, help us to see your work in our lives. Help us to not be blinded by the truth of the scriptures, but help us to see it, help us to live it.

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We pray that it would be manifest in all that we do, in our thinking, in how we view our circumstances and how we view temptation and trials.

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We pray, Lord, that every thought would be taken captive and raised up against the scriptures.

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Lord, this is a discipline and we often don't do this. We often think with our flesh.

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We think in an unbiblical manner. And so, Lord, we pray that you would line us up to what your word says.

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To you be the glory. To you is all dominion. Thank you, Lord, that we belong to you. And thank you for your truth.