Submission, Part 4

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem.

This series on 1 Peter is titled, Live as People Who are Free. Today, Rich looks at 1 Peter 5, 5-6, pointing out our need for humility and submission within the community of believers. What does true humility really look like?

And how can freedom come from surrender? What are the blessings that come from Christ-like humility? Let's listen in as Pastor Rich answers these questions using today's text. This is the fourth part of a message titled submission.

It was first preached March 5, 2023. I could tell right up front that Larry was suspicious and he asserted himself. I had a choice. I could either push back and tell him how great I was, how good of a worker I was, but I chose not to go that route by the grace of God. I chose instead to submit to his authority because he was over me, and he would tell me things that I knew very well, reminded me of things that I knew very well, but I submitted to his authority and I engaged, I purposefully, intentionally engaged in conversation with him.

And as it turned out, we became good friends. In the work environment, what? You can have friends?

Yeah, you can. There's a lot of pride that goes on and a lot of competition that goes on in the corporate work environment, isn't there? Let's not participate in that. Harmony and friendship have to be intentional. They have to be led by the Spirit. And Christ-like humility clears a path to meaningful community.

And if that, listen, if that exists anywhere, it will exist in the church, in the body of Christ, the church that is being the church. Number two, Christ-like humility moves you in a God-ward direction. The end of verse five says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. He's quoting Proverbs here, Proverbs chapter three, but Christ-like humility moves you in a God-ward direction because God opposes the proud. Pride insists, I can do this, I don't need you to help me out or tell me what to do.

And you know what happens? Because the verse here says God opposes the proud and He does, it's clear He does that, right? But let me tell you a subtle way that God may oppose you in your pride.

When you insist, I can do that, I'm good, I don't need your help. God can very easily second the motion and get out of the way and then watch you fall from it. And then watch you fall flat on your face. I mean, Lucifer, at the beginning of time, he was preoccupied with his beauty and a preoccupation with his beauty led him to be preoccupied with his limits. And then he had this crazy outrageous notion, I will ascend to the throne of God. As a created being, he will ascend to the throne of an infinite creator.

You see how irrational pride is? But that was his ambition and he fell flat on his face. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, they were tempted to think that they could find greater satisfaction apart from God.

Well, they tried that and how'd that work out for them? The very one who writes this letter, three times recorded in the gospel, Jesus tells the disciples, you're all going to abandon me. And what did Peter say? I will never. He said it just like that.

Even if it means going to prison or even death, I will not abandon you. Well, we know the rest of the story, don't we? You see, that was his flesh speaking.

He was focused on what he could do. That's what pride can do. But humility, Christ-like humility moves you in a God-ward direction. Remember the story of the religious leader and the tax collector, right? They go to the temple and they both pray.

What does the tax collector say? God what? Be merciful to me. What did Jesus say?

That man went to his house. What? Justified. You know what that means? That means acceptable before God. Isaiah 66 2 teaches us what humility is required of us.

To this, this is the one to whom I will look. He who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. Christ-like humility moves you in a God-ward direction. Instead of God being opposed to you, it moves you in a God-ward direction. Number three, Christ-like humility opens the floodgates to God's goodness. God gives grace to the humble.

He opposes the proud. He gives grace to the humble. And this Christ-like humility opens the floodgates to God's goodness. He gives forgiving and cleansing grace. He gives transforming grace. He gives helping and equipping grace. He gives hope-filled grace.

Two statements here. Your posture of Christ-like humility opens the floodgates for God to lavish His goodness on you and through you. Secondly, your satisfaction in Him will melt the pride of your self-preoccupation. Christ-like humility. Fourthly, and lastly, and thirdly, fourthly, and lastly, Christ-like humility frees you to live with the end in view. It frees you to live with the end in view. That end being when you indeed are fully alive, which is the glory of God. Irenaeus say that the glory of God is man fully alive. In other words, when you are everything God designed you to be. That moment will come when you and I stand face to face with Jesus Christ.

It is not yet, but it will come. And Christ-like humility frees you to live with that end in view. That end being your highest good and your deepest satisfaction. That's what he's referring to in chapter 1 verse 7.

Remember he's talking to a persecuted, disdained people in the empire. That the genuineness of your faith being more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at what? The revelation of Jesus Christ. He says in verse 6, humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.

At the proper time. 1st John 3 verses 2 and 3. We know these verses well. We know that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is and everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

So that's the proper time when he appears. And in chapter 1 and verse 13 Peter states very clearly set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Set your hope fully on that grace. This promise that God has made to you recognizing that we're not there yet. I cannot on this side of eternity, I cannot realize and experience full and complete satisfaction.

So stop trying. You can't experience a satisfaction in Christ but not full and complete. That moment comes when you are with him and perfectly like him. Then you will be fully satisfied. But until then it requires our humility. Our Christ-like humility to live with the end in view.

And living with the end in view is remembering the promise that he has made as it says in Ecclesiastes. He has made everything what? Beautiful in his time.

That word beautiful means everything fits together properly. He has made everything beautiful, last three words, in his time. That requires your humility.

Not in your time, not in your demands, not in your time frame, in his time. And what we need to do loved ones is to humbly rest in that promise of God. That we live with the end in view. Christ-like humility moves us towards meaningful community. It moves you in a God-ward direction.

It opens the floodgates to God's goodness and it frees you to live with the end in view. And in that freedom then, we are free in that humility to be the church. And when the church is being the church, she is beautiful and you are. Let's keep that up.

Let's do that. Father, we are so grateful for the supreme example of humility that we have in Jesus, our Creator, our Redeemer, who humbled himself, who set all his glory aside to invest in us so that we could be reconciled to you. Father, we resolve this morning and commit to, as followers of Jesus, to follow in that same pattern. To follow with humility. Rescue us, Father, from our self-preoccupations. And may that rescue come through following Christ in the steps of Christ and investing in others and loving the brotherhood. Loving the family of God. Father, we acknowledge and we confess this morning that every one of us still struggles with the remnants of self-preeminence.

We're all recovering control addicts. But Father, Your grace in Jesus has made that possible for us. And so, Lord, find us cooperating with you as we are in the process of purifying ourselves in view of the revelation of Jesus Christ. We recognize, Father, that it is only done in and by Your grace. So, Father, we look to walk in the steps of Jesus.

In passionate pursuit of Him. And we do so together in community as the Church, the body of Christ. Thank you, Father, for this exhortation and the beautiful picture that it presents. Pray in Jesus' name.

Amen. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's Word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m.