Humble Yourselves Under the Mighty Hand of God

In one paragraph

The pastor walked through 1 Peter 5:6-11, tracing the connection between humility and what God promises to do for those who submit to Him. The passage carries four commands for believers and four things God does in response, and the sermon held those two halves in tension throughout. The passage opens with a "therefore" that points back to everything Peter has already said about suffering and...

Read together

1. 1 Peter 5:6-11 the primary passage of the sermon, read and expounded throughout
2. Philippians 2 Jesus humbled himself unto obedience, even to death on a cross, therefore God exalted him above every name
3. Psalm one of three places cited where scripture says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble
4. James 4:7 submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you
5. James 2 mentioned as the topic of an upcoming Monday night message on faith and deeds
6. 1 Corinthians 10 no temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; God will provide a way of escape
7. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 spoken as the benediction, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word

Talk about it

1. The pastor talked about the command to humble yourself, and said that if you don't humble yourself you can be humiliated, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Where in your life right now is it hardest to choose humility over pride, and what makes it so difficult?
2. The pastor described casting your anxieties on God using several everyday images, like casting a vote or casting a fishing line, and said that a lot of us cast our cares and then keep trying to mend the line. What does it look like practically for you to cast something on God and actually leave it there?
3. The pastor said that being of sober spirit and staying on the alert are commands God would not give us if He were not also willing to empower us to obey them. What things in your life, whether habits, influences or attitudes, tend to dull that alertness or make it harder to stay watchful?
4. The pastor described the devil as an adversary acting like a prosecuting attorney who reminds you of your past sin and twists scripture to make you doubt God's forgiveness. Have you experienced that kind of accusation? How does the truth of what Christ has done change how you respond to it?
5. The pastor said that God will perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish us, but that we cannot hurry that process or do it ourselves, and that pride is what pulls us backward while humility is what lets us move forward. What would it look like for you this week to stop trying to speed or manage your own spiritual growth and simply submit to what God is doing?