So, I have a great affection for the way that Peter ends his letter. It really does tell me that somewhere between the denial of even a relationship with Jesus, and the renewal that Jesus brought to him by His grace, and the writing of this epistle, Peter has become a tender pastor and a good teacher because what he does is he ends his letter with five directives. These directives really do define for us what living looks like that is shaped by the gospel of Jesus Christ. And in that way, it provides a wonderful summary for everything he has said so far. And it's going to take two of these Bible studies for us to work through these five directors. So, this is a "Final Directives - Part 1."
Here's the first one, there is a king, and He is not you. 1 Peter 5:6, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so at the proper time he may exalt you." That mighty hand of God is nomenclature that has to do with royalty and authority and power. It's saying there is a powerful, authoritative, sovereign King on the throne. And there are writers who think that mighty hand is actually getting people to think back in early biblical history, to the display of power when God was delivering Israel from Egypt, just how God unleashed His power to create these awesome mind-bending plagues.
So here's the lifestyle. There are only really two lifestyles you and I can live. There's one of submission to a greater authority than ours, His wisdom, His call, His will, His way; or some degree of self-exultation, my will, my way, my rules, what I want, when I want it, where I want it, who I want it from. And we're always feeling the tension, the war between those two things. And actually, what Peter is saying to us right now, and I think it's so important to hear, is that the gospel is the death of self-exultation. The Gospel is a death of self-exultation!
Here's the second directive, rest in your Savior's care, "...Casting all your anxieties on Him, because he cares for you." You and I, because we're in Christ, inherit the covenant blessing made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; that's the argument of Galatians. So, rest for us is not found in our understanding because we won't understand everything, rest is not found in our control because it's impossible for us to control all the things that we'd like to control, rest is not found in our wisdom because our wisdom has limits, rest is not found in our righteousness because our righteousness has limits, rest is not found in our money or our power or our position. Rest is found in this one thing, by awesome activity of grace, we are now the objects of God's care!
The King of kings, the Lord of lords, the One who sits on the throne and rules everything, cares for us. And so, Peter says, "Don't be anxious, don't be afraid, bring your cares to Him." Before the foundation of the world, He chose us to be sons and daughters of Him. And because of that, to be the object of His constant love, His constant care. Do you rest in your Savior's care or is your life one of fear and anxiety, desire for control?
