Standing Firm in the Faith

God’s Word comes to us from Peter’s first letter, the fifth chapter, beginning at verse 6: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 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.”

It’s been suggested that 1 Peter is actually a sermon manuscript; a message from the apostle Peter to a group of newly baptized Christians. It’s an interesting theory. Peter certainly takes a strong stand regarding baptism in the third chapter when he writes, “baptism now saves you.” And so we turn to the apostle’s baptismal sermon today for some practical advice. That’s especially appropriate this weekend as five of our young people confirm they are living in their baptismal faith. And of course, the apostolic advice we receive here is good for all of us. May the Spirit of the living God help us take these words to heart.
Right away, Peter says: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” Humility, being humble, is kind of confusing. On one extreme, we aren’t built to be humble. We are built to crave the spotlight. We are built to want to be “The Man.” (Or “The Woman,” I guess.) We are built to win and to take the credit. There is an old Mac Davis song that says, “O Lord, it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way.” But obviously, me-first pride is a mistake and is sin. At the other extreme, though, there is this idea that being humble means that I shouldn’t like myself—that I have no self-worth—that there’s no reason why anyone should value me. But that can’t be how God wants me live, either. The fact that Jesus died for me is proof that he values me. The truth is, in Jesus we see what humility really is.
When Jesus came into our world, He didn’t come with a me-first attitude. Nor did he come saying, “I’m no good and I can’t do anything right, but I’m going to be your Savior.” Being humble for Jesus meant that here was the Son of God; the second person of the eternal, Almighty Trinity, obediently willing to serve us; indeed, to give his life away for us. Paul writes in Philippians that Jesus took on the “nature of a servant.” The way Jesus saved us from eternal death shows us that being humble means being willing to serve. It has nothing to do with deflecting praise or putting ourselves down. Being humble is being happy to set our own needs aside for the moment to help someone else. As baptized Christians we will look for opportunities to serve others. This is not normal behavior. The voices around us tell us that you’ve made it when there are people serving you. Being humble in a Christ-like way flips that around; it means you are looking for people to serve.
The next bit of advice Peter shares is this: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” At first, this sounds like one of those “easier said than done” Biblical truths. Stress, anxiety, worry—this is what we are used to. You may have learned to accept anxiety and worry as just part of the grind of living. God’s Word holds out another way. And it’s not just an empty, “don’t worry about it.” Peter writes: Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Throw your worries on the broad shoulders of the Lord. He has your best interests in mind! Trust Him to manage things. Trust Him to work things out. I love the story of the little boy who was mindlessly stepping off the curb of a busy intersection. He would step up, and then lose his balance, step down, not paying attention to anything. The boy’s father finally had to snatch him by the arm and yank him out of the path of an oncoming bus. The boy’s response? “Dad, why’d you hurt my arm?” There are plenty of painful times in our lives, and sometimes we lash out at the Father who just yanked us out of harm’s way. But he didn’t do it to hurt you. He cares for you. He knows what’s best for you. A baptized Christian trusts that God always makes the right call, even when there’s pain.
With concern for each of us, Peter then writes: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The fact that you are a baptized Christian makes you a target. We need to be aware of this. We need to be alert. That doesn’t mean we live in constant paranoid fear of the devil—however, we have to realize that Satan would love for you to lose your faith. And here’s how that predator works—in the animal world, a predator approaches as quietly as possible, trying not to be detected. The predator selects the weakest and most defenseless prey he can find, selects just the right angle, and strikes. The devil is not going to charge straight at you like some big dragony demon, bellowing, “Worship me!” He’s going to come at you silently, in a friend’s suggestion that religion is stupid; He’s going to sneak up on you in a teacher’s insistence that evolution is fact; He’s going to quietly suggest to you that missing church is no big deal and that there are better things to do than studying the Bible. He’s going to slink up behind you with the quiet thought that the hard time you’re having is proof that God doesn’t love you after all, and when you are weak in the Word and wandering from the pack, then he’s got you.
But can the devil just grab you like a lion grabs its prey? Not if you’re standing strong in God’s promises! Not if you’re standing strong in your baptismal identity! Peter says of the devil: “Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” Now please take note: Peter does not say “standing firm in your faith”; he says “standing firm in the faith”. Sometimes the way we say things makes it sound like we have faith in our faith! Let’s be clear: baptized Christians have faith in Jesus; not faith in their own faith! Having faith in my own faith is self-centered, and leads to ideas such as: if I just believe enough, my wish will come true; if I would’ve just prayed for the right thing the right way, then it would’ve happened for me. In the end, we just end up looking back at ourselves. True faith is not self-centered, it is Christ-centered. True faith relies on what Jesus has done and on what Jesus is currently doing. So when Peter says “Resist him, standing firm in the faith,” he means firmly believe in Jesus Christ to give you protection against Satan’s attack. With the focus on Jesus, we are reminded that He made Satan a lame duck by dying and rising again. With the focus on Jesus, we are reminded that he descended into hell for the same reason a conquering army rides into their enemy’s vanquished capital city: to announce victory--to demonstrate power. This is who is on your side when Satan is stalking you. Standing firm in the faith is really just a matter of remembering who it is that is on your side. It’s Jesus. Do all that you can to know Him well—that happens through worship, studying his teachings, and humbling yourself to serve those in need.
Peter finishes this portion of his baptismal sermon by saying: “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.” This is an important promise. Please pay attention to it. Peter is saying that after those attacks come, after the hard times rock your life, the God of all grace will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast, steadfast meaning “determined” or “committed”. After the storms come, and even during the storms, He is sending you his strength—sending you his forgiveness—sending you new life, new attitudes, new hope. That’s the God and Father you have. We don’t deserve this treatment at all, if we think about our sins, our lack of trust, and so on. But that’s why Peter calls him the God of all grace. Grace is receiving kindness we don’t deserve. Much more than merely kindness, you are loved by God. You are his prized possession. When you were baptized, He wrote his name on you to prove it. May each of us live our lives in a way that brings honor to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.