“Seeing Beyond Troubles” – “Stand Firm in the Faith” – 1 Peter 5:8-11

When we were children, our parents would tell us stories that began, “Once upon a time” and always ended with, “And they lived happily ever after.”

How a story ends—whether it’s a fairy tale, a mystery or a news story—has to have a good ending. The ending summarizes all that has gone before and brings it to a certain conclusion.

Today’s text is Peter’s ending for his brief letter. In his conclusion, Peter reminds us of why we have troubles and how we are able to overcome them in Christ.

Background

Troubles can come in a variety of ways, sometimes coming in a multitude of things. They can be caused by our own actions, and sometimes by the actions of others. Some troubles come as a force of nature or things beyond our control. Hopefully, few of us have endured long-term suffering, but even if we have, we know that God will see us through it.

The reason God inspired Peter to write this letter is to remind us that troubles and persecutions and setbacks can seem catastrophic at the time, but we need to remember that God is better than circumstances, that He is a source of strength and continued blessings. God is the Deliverer and can deliver us from trials and tribulations.

But when we are experiencing trials and tribulations, we need to remember the testimony of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They stood before Nebuchadnezzar, who was threatening to throw them into a fire if did not bow down to his idol. Their entire message to him was: “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-17, italics added).

Sometimes, God does deliver us from hard times, but other times He allows us to see them to their conclusion, even if the conclusion is the death of our bodies. Through it all, God is there and God will always be with us (cf. Matthew 28:20b). If we turn our eyes on Jesus, we can see above the trials and see the assurance of our deliverance.

This is why God inspired the apostle to write this letter and why it has become such an important part of our Bible today. Peter distills all the evils in our world—disease, war, persecution, suffering—at the feet of the devil. His words in these verses show us how to overcome trials and tribulations by confronting Satan with the power of God as we stand firm in the faith.

Central Truth: God gives us ample reasons to stand firm in the faith.

We stand firm because:

1. The devil is prowling (8)

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

The classic example used to define optimism and pessimism is a glass with a water level at the half way mark. Optimists say that the glass is half-full, while pessimists say it is half-empty. Snarky people say the glass is full, half with water and the remainder with air. People who embrace conspiracies claim either the glass itself is not there or the water is not there, but both are an illusion designed by the dark state to confuse us and to distract us from their true nefarious plans.

Regardless of how you see the glass of water, though, is really the way we determine to see it. Our observation of a glass is an expression of our will, of our attitude. God knows this and that’s why Peter has spent so much of the letter reminding us that we determine who we deal with circumstances. The apostle’s solution is for us to practice the self-control that is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Hence his first words of his summary: “Be self-controlled and alert.”

One of the things that Satan uses to defeat us is to convince us that we can always be in control of our world. That was the emphasis on his wooing Eve to eat from the forbidden tree. He wants us to think that we can become “like God, knowing good and evil.” What he fails to tell us is that while we may be able to know the difference between good and evil, we are largely incapable of controlling anything beyond ourselves. He fails to tell us that God is always in control, and that we are wise to trust Him in trying times.

That’s why the Spirit enables us and tells us to practice self-control and be alert. We need to keep our eyes open and focused on God. We need to be aware of Satan’s efforts to distract and dissuade us. Peter wrote that the devil is “prowling around like a roaring lion.” It’s an interesting description.

The roar of a lion can be a frightening thing, particularly when we are in the wild and know that lions are about. Even if the lion’s roar can make us paralyzed with fear, though, we need to remember that a hunting lion never roars. Watch nature shows, and when a lioness (seldom the lion) is stalking and hunting her prey, she moves silently and stealthily. The idea is to surprise the prey. Roaring will only alert the prey that the lions are around and on the prowl.

We should neglect the last part of the verse, that tells us the devil is looking for someone to devour. It is true that Satan is constantly on the prowl to destroy us, and he is very clever. Even the strongest Christian can fall for his lies during a period of personal spiritual weakness.

But if we will remember that the devil is a roaring lion, then we can be alert to the fact that he is around and trying to destroy us in trying times. He can seek to lure us into blaming God for the devastating flood or the loss of income or health, of the dissolution of a relationship. If we are alert, though, if we are self-controlled, we will hear his roar and be on our guard as we go through trying circumstances and can keep our focus on the only One who can see us through things safely.

In this way, we can stand firm in our faith. When Satan roars, we need to listen to the voice of Christ (cf. John 10:14-18).

2. We are not alone (9)

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering.

When Paul wrote Ephesians, he concluded the letter with an urging for us to put on the armor of God. As he listed the various armaments then worn by a Roman soldier, it became obvious that the majority of the armor was designed to thwart the enemy’s darts. The only part of the armament Paul mentioned—the sword, representing the Scripture—was to be used in the offensive manner. A shield could also be used to attack an enemy, but it’s primary purpose was to deflect the blows of the enemy.

Peter has the same idea in mind when he writes this verse. There are two things we need to realize from this verse.

The first thing we need to realize is that we have it within our power to actively resist the devil. God never asks us to do something we are incapable of doing, as long as we rely on His strength and power through the Holy Spirit. As we stand firm in the faith, we are empowered to resist Satan, to thwart his efforts to derail us in our walk with God. To resist is a defensive position, just as Paul wrote in Ephesians 6, but resisting also gives us the ability to go on the offensive against the devil. Jesus is our example of one of the ways we can resist Satan when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. Every temptation Satan threw at Jesus was resisted and countered with a verse of Scripture. To put it in terms of swordplay, Jesus used a parry and thrust method of defeating the devil.

Again, it is important to remember that we must rely on God’s power through the Holy Spirit in our efforts to resist the devil. Trying to fight the devil on our own is an invitation to defeat. Just as we need to be armed with the armor of God, so we need to place ourselves under His protection by standing firmly in the faith He gives us through His Spirit.

The second thing we need to realize is that we are never alone in our fight against evil and the devil. First, we are always present with the Lord (cf. Matthew 28:20b; John 14:20; Colossians 3:1-4). But we are also accompanied by our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Bible tells us that the temptations we endure are common to man (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:13). We can take comfort in knowing that we are not unique in our sufferings—whatever suffering we are enduring—because fellow believers are also suffering and not giving up. They are standing firm in their faith, and their example is an encouragement for us to do the same.

By standing firmly in the faith, trusting God to empower us through the Spirit, we are able to resist the devil and be united in our suffering with fellow believers and Christ.

3. God enables us (10-11)

And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Throughout the letter, Peter wrote that we have it within our ability to look beyond our current circumstances and see God’s work in our lives. As we surrender ourselves to Him, trusting in God to lead us through the valley of death, we are also told that God enables us to make the wise choice.

When we trust in Jesus to see us through difficult times, we learn to trust Him more and we are able to give Him the praise and glory. These last two verses remind us that our relationship with God was initiated by Him and secured by Him through Christ, is never through with us. He is constantly at work in us, “to will and act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13; cf. Romans 12:2). It is that relationship that allows us to successfully navigate the troubled waters of suffering and trials, and Peter built on the idea of 5:7. It is because God cares for us that He will restore us and make us strong, firm and steadfast. James wrote that the testing of our faith develops perseverance which allows us to become mature and complete (cf. James 1:3-4). Perseverance is another way of saying what Peter wrote in this letter. Peter also expanded this idea in 2 Peter 1:5-8: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul, writing to the Romans, wrote, “[W]e also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us” (Romans 5:3-5).

All of this confirms what Peter wrote: In due time, God will lift us up and enable us to stand firm in His power and might. For this we give Him praise and thanksgiving for all times.

Conclusion

If we think of life as a book, then we know our story has not reached its end. We may be near the end of the book, even on the final chapter, but the final paragraph has yet to be written. When we stand firm in our faith, we can know that even if the book comes to an end, the story will go on in Christ for all eternity.

Stand firm, my brothers and sisters, and know the victory that comes in trusting Jesus.