Time Out with Pastor Ben Talley - 1 Peter 5 8 11

1 Peter 5:8-11 and the Call to Be Alert

Morning Facebook friends. This is pastor Ben again, I'm the associate pastor at Witten Memorial Baptist Church, and this is another timeout. Today's scripture is coming from first Peter chapter 5 verses 8 through 11 and It says Be Sober-minded be watchful.

Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Resist him firm in your faith knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world 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 To him be the dominion forever and ever.

Amen. So first I want to kind of point out that this is very similar to First Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13 and the beauty of that is That these are different authors, you know, Peter and Paul, but yet They they say similar things.

They say the same thing, you know. The the Bible is good morning the the Bible is Over Over over 40 authors and they they simply they say the same thing. You know, they they both touch on God they both touch on different teachings of God and and they all say the same thing they teach the same thing they they They Both agree.

They all agree and. And so I want you to notice it as we go along how similar it is to first Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13. So first of all, it says be sober minded be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

Spiritual Sobriety, Watchfulness, and the Devil’s Threat

So we should be sober minded we should be watchful. You know, we should not be caught up in. You know, I take this to mean drugs or anything altering the mind anything that would that would distort our thinking or You know Hinder the way we think or the way we operate or anything like that any Thing that would cause us to not be clear Clearheaded so to speak as far as the way we think.

So he says be sober minded. Don't be drunk be watchful be You know observant Your adversary this shows that we have an adversary things aren't just Flowers and candies and sunshine. We have an adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour so John Tintin says that You know the thief come to steal kill and destroy.

So that is the devil he has come to steal kill and destroy. But Jesus says he has come to give them life and that they may have it more abundantly so He's come to seek someone to devour. We need to watch out.

What's up, Vicki? How are you? So He has come to find someone to devour. He has come to destroy in Any way possible, so we need to be on guard. That shows and what's up, Lisa? That shows that uh that we we need to be on guard we need to be Ready, we need to be alert because the devil is seeking to destroy.

Not only us, but our brother our kins in the faith, you know, so so We need to we need to step it up. We need to fight. We need to be ready to exhort to instruct to stand on guard Against any of it. Any anything he throws at us, you know a lion when they when they stalk their prey.

They they get those who are lagging behind so we need to be ready to encourage those who are stumbling who are who are struggling in the faith. So he says Resist him firm in the faith resist him that does not mean ignore.

We don't ignore the devil. We don't just ignore him and wish that he'll go away. We resist him, you know when I dealt when I when a bee lands on your when a wasp lands on you. What do you do you resist you fight you struggle you you move you resist you turn you twist.

You know, that's the kind of thing. We need to do with the devil. We we we quote scripture. We resist we fight we turn we run sometimes we we flee from sexual immorality, you know, we. We we fight, you know, we resist so says resist firm in the faith.

Suffering, Shared Trials, and the God of All Grace

Knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. So there it is. 1st Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13. You're suffering your trials your temptations.

You know are not unique. Other people are experiencing to them too. You cannot say that, you know I'm the only one going through this. No other people are experiencing somewhat the same things as you are going through so.

And then it says after you have suffered for a little while. You know the God of all grace. The God of all grace men, that's beautiful. Who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ? Notice that phrase in Christ.

We are in Christ will himself. Restore. Check that out restore confirm Strengthen and establish you though you you suffer for a little while. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but he will restore confirm strengthen and establish you.

Amen. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen all glory and power and strength belong to him. So first of all. Just to recap we need to be alert. We need to stand on guard against the enemy. Especially during these times there are so many things going on in the world That Satan is just having a field day with and.

And we need to stand on guard. We need to resist him. We need to resist the lies of the enemy. We need to be discerning. We need to get into the Word of God and Resist the lies of the enemy. We need to be able to discern what those are and we need to resist them and we need to be alert and and and.

And Understanding that that our problems our suffering is not is not unique. I mean You know other people are experiencing suffering as well and they're going through the same thing. So we are not alone in this.

We can partner with them. We can know that we are not alone and suffering and we can lean on each other knowing that. Other people are going through struggles as well and we can encourage one another and we can Stand by one another in this and he has said and it says he will restore comfort or confirm Strengthen and establish you he will grow you he will he will Not only not only comfort you and strengthen you but he will establish you he will develop you he will Set you on a rock.

He will he will Lift you up and plant you on a firm foundation and to him to him Be all glory and might and strength forever. He had to him be the glory. We can't seek the glory in this. On our own we cannot seek glory for ourselves because all glory belongs to him all praise and honor glowing belong to him so Don't seek glory for yourselves in your trials.

Don't think I did this I got through this I I'm an overcomer in myself. You're not an overcomer in yourself. If it weren't that Jesus Christ if it weren't for God allowing you to get through it then You wouldn't have got through it at all.

So to him be the glory and dominion forever. So praise God praise God, so let me pray with you God, I pray for us. I pray God that you help us Just stand Resisting the enemy. Lord help us stand strong help us fight.

Help us stand against the lies of the enemy that come against us. Lord I pray for those who are watching who maybe don't know you Lord. I pray Lord that you help them come to the knowledge of the truth and bring them to repentance.

God Knowing your son died on the cross for their sins and and that he rose again from the grave and that he Conquered hell death in the grave and they could have a relationship with you through Jesus Christ.

And Lord, I pray that you make that aware to them. I pray that you make that real to them and help them know that they can they can have that. That reality that reality of a relationship with God Through Christ in Jesus name.

Amen. Love y 'all.