Humble Yourselves Under the Mighty Hand of God

In one paragraph

Pastor Nathan opened the second Sunday service with announcements, including a memorial service for Grant and Marilyn Larson and a send-off prayer for Ray and Suzanne, a couple beloved to the congregation who were moving away. He then preached from 1 Peter 5, a passage he described as one he would choose above almost anything else if asked to teach something genuinely useful for daily life. The...

Read together

1. Habakkuk 2:4 quoted as 'the righteous shall live by faith' or 'the just shall live by faith'
2. 1 Peter 5:1-11 the main passage of the sermon, covering humility, sobriety, vigilance, resisting the devil, and God's restoring work
3. James 4:6-10 quoted as parallel to 1 Peter on God opposing the proud, giving grace to the humble, submitting to God, and resisting the devil
4. Ephesians 5 referenced for 'wake up, oh sleeper, and let Christ shine upon you' and the generation being evil
5. John 8:7 the woman caught in adultery, 'let him who is without sin cast the first stone'
6. Ecclesiastes 11:1 quoted as 'cast your bread upon the waters and it will return to you in many days'
7. 1 Corinthians 10:13 no temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to mankind, God provides a way of escape
8. Romans 8:31 quoted as 'if Christ is for us, who can be against us'
9. Zechariah 4:6 quoted as 'not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord'
10. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 used as a closing benediction about God giving eternal comfort and good hope
11. Ephesians 6:10-11 closing benediction, 'be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, put on the full armor of God'
12. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 words of institution for communion, the night Jesus was betrayed he took bread and the cup

Talk about it

1. Pastor Carl talked about humbling yourself versus being humbled by circumstance, and pointed to Peter as someone who learned the hard way. Where have you seen that difference play out in your own life?
2. The sermon described casting anxiety on God the way you cast a vote or cast lots: once it is thrown, you do not monkey with it. What makes it so hard to leave something with God after you have handed it over, and what has helped you resist pulling it back?
3. Pastor Carl said your example is more important than your opinion, and followed that with the idea that if people hate Jesus because you are a jerk, that is on you. How does that land with you, and where do you feel the tension between those two thoughts in everyday life?
4. The sermon pointed out that knowing others share the same experiences of suffering is part of how God helps us endure, and drew a parallel to why groups of people working through hard things together are more effective than going it alone. Where have you experienced that kind of shared burden in your own walk?
5. Pastor Carl presented four things we are responsible for, humble yourselves, be sober, be on the alert, resist the devil, alongside four things God does in response: perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish. Which of the four things on our side feels most difficult for you right now, and why?