A Different Kind of Strength | 1 Peter 5:5-11
Peter presents four commitments of a radically different kind of strength: (1) submission, (2) dependence, (3) resistance, and (4) endurance. This sermon is part 12 of “A Fisherman's Passion”, Bryan Craddock's series on 1 Peter 2:11-5:14.
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Benjamin Franklin once suggested that the rattlesnake be adopted as an emblem of the American spirit. During the Revolutionary War, he had seen Marines using it with the slogan “Don’t tread on me,” and he liked it. So, he argued that rattlesnakes represent vigilance, assertiveness, individualism, and liberty.
That seems a stretch to find those qualities in a snake, but those are defining American values, and they were distinct from those of powerful European nations. They were not new ideas, of course, but they expressed a kind of personal strength that is now popular with many people around the world. They shape not only our view of government but relationships, success, and personal satisfaction. We have a complete “Don’t Tread on Me” outlook.
But is that mindset compatible with biblical Christianity? Many people try to marry the two, but the whole point of 1 Peter is to prepare Christians to be stepped on without biting back. As a tough fisherman, Peter had been a “Don’t Tread on Me” kind-of-guy in his early days, but Jesus’ willingness to suffer and die changed him. Peter became convinced that the gospel is worth suffering for, and he shares that passion in his letter.
For us to embrace that passion, we need a fundamentally different concept of power. So, in 1 Peter 3:18-22, Peter explained the power of Jesus’ suffering. He was not a helpless victim or a disappointed loser. He accomplished great things through his suffering. He secured our relationship with God, proclaimed his inevitable victory, rescued our consciences from guilt, and demonstrated his authority over all.
At the beginning of chapter 4, Peter calls us to adopt the same mindset that Jesus had, preparing ourselves to endure suffering. He asserts that we are living in the end times. He speaks of responding to suffering with joy, glory, and faith. He talks about the spiritual leadership that we need. Then he winds down the letter, with a series of commands. In 1 Peter 5:5-11, he presents four commitments of a radically different kind of strength.
From the “Don’t Tread on Me” mindset, these commitments don’t make any sense. They all seem foolish, weak, and demeaning. So, you might feel reluctant to accept them. You might look for some way to push them aside and say that they do not apply to you in your situation. But these are all rooted in the gospel and demonstrated by Jesus. These commitments are part of following him.
Submission
Sometimes we talk about there being a “pecking order.” The phrase originated around a hundred years ago with a zoologist who was observing the behavior of chickens. He noted that they have a social hierarchy. Birds assert themselves by pecking those lower in rank to keep them in line.
People often behave the same way. We all have ways of pecking at each other. Some strut around boasting about their status, wealth, or accomplishments. Those who don’t measure up in those areas assert themselves by criticizing them or mocking them. Everyone grasps for some kind of dominance.
Peter and the other disciples behaved this way. The gospels tell us that they argued about which of them was greatest (Mt 18:1; Mk 9:33-34; Lu 9:46). But as he writes 1 Peter around three decades later, he calls Christians to approach life in a radically different way. They must commit themselves to submission. In 1 Peter 5:5, he says,
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Is this a spiritual way of establishing a pecking order? Is Peter just exalting himself and the other elders by keeping young people in line? I don’t think so. Back in verse 1, he spoke of himself and the other elders in common terms with other believers, as witnesses to Christ’s sufferings and partakers of glory. Rather than being domineering or dictatorial, he called elders to care for the flock and lead by example (vv. 2-3). Plus, he asserts here in verse 5 that everyone in the church should clothe themselves with humility toward one another. That includes elders.
But why does Peter single out young people here? Perhaps he was reflecting on his own life. In his youthful zeal, he thought that he had everything figured out. He even tried to correct Jesus. His pride kept tripping him up. Time and again he was forced to see that he had more to learn.
One of those eye-opening experiences was on the night before Jesus was crucified. John 13:4 tells us that Jesus laid aside his garments and tied a towel around his waist. He then washed the disciples’ feet and dried them with that towel. He was setting an example for them, and I suspect that Peter has that lesson in mind here as he tells us to clothe ourselves with humility.
So, there is no weakness in submission or humble service. Even though Jesus is the Son of God and the promised Messiah, he submitted to his earthly parents (Lu 2:51) and to rulers (Mt 17:24-27). In Philippians 2, Paul argues that becoming human was humbling for him. He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and becoming obedient to the point of death. So, in verses 3 and 4 of that chapter, Paul tells believers,
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
This attitude of humble concern is the strength in the practice of submission. Leaders are human. They have weaknesses and blind spots. They face trials and temptations. They make mistakes and commit sins. Some can be overlooked. Others must be addressed. The immature response is to peck at them by insistently complaining to them or by criticizing them behind their back. This shows no concern for them and will certainly not help them grow.
Spiritually strong believers maintain a humble attitude of respect for leaders and speak the truth to them with wisdom, gentleness, and love. They don’t just unload on them. They pray. They listen. They support. If there is a disagreement over some nonessential matter, they accept that. If a leader is engaging in overt sinful behavior and is unwilling to repent, then they follow the biblical guidelines for handling that situation.
Earlier in his letter, Peter stressed the importance of submitting to unbelieving authorities for the sake of witness: people to their rulers, slaves to their masters, and a Christian wife to an unbelieving husband. How much more should humility and submission characterize our relationships within the church? It is not so much about who is in charge as it is about our attitudes. We see this in Ephesians 5:21, where Paul tells us to submit to one another. So, commit yourself to the mature strength of humble submission. That leads us to a second commitment.
Dependence
We often think of strength in terms of how much weight someone can lift. People exercise hard, pressing themselves to their limit. But when they go too far, they are liable to injure themselves, and it can be very hard to recover from the damage. So, even in a physical sense, there is a kind of strength in humbly acknowledging your limits.
From a spiritual standpoint, the afflictions and burdens of life are more than we can bear in our own strength. Some people try to tough it out and be independent, but Peter calls us to commit ourselves to dependence upon God. In 1 Peter 5:6-7, he says,
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
A lot of people want God’s help with life. They pray for him to fix their problems and fulfill their dreams. But they have not really humbled themselves. They just want to use him for their own purposes. It is all about them.
Difficult circumstances often drive people to the Lord, but humility begins with recognizing our need for his grace. At the end of verse 5, Peter said that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. In our arrogance, we refuse to submit to God. He writes his law upon our consciences and reveals it in his Word, yet we ignore his authority as our Creator and disobey his commands. We must recognize that such independence is a blatant act of rebellion that provokes his opposition and wrath. To humble ourselves, we must confess our sins, submitting to God’s will and depending upon his grace to save us. Thankfully, Jesus died in our place bearing God’s wrath on the cross so that all who believe in him can be forgiven.
Depending upon God for salvation then leads us to humbly depend upon him in life. We can trust that our circumstances are ultimately under the control of his mighty hand. As Paul says in Romans 8:28, “For those who love God all things work together for good.” He will exalt us at the proper time. But that exaltation does not necessarily mean that we will experience some kind of earthly success. Throughout the letter, Peter looks to the return of Christ as the time when believers will share in his glory.
So, how do we handle the overwhelming circumstances of life here and now? We persevere by casting our cares and anxieties upon him. We pray and depend upon him. We humbly let him carry the weight. He might change our circumstances. But he may have reasons for them that we cannot see or even understand. It may serve his purpose best for us to persevere.
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul speaks of a trial he faced that was brought on by what he calls a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass him. He explains that he pleaded with the Lord to remove it. Then in verses 9 and 10, he tells us,
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, perse-cutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Are you content with weakness? Are you humbly relying upon the Lord to bear your burdens and give you strength? We find true strength in dependence upon him. A third commitment highlights our need for that.
Resistance
My family recently visited Yellowstone National Park. When we got out of the car at our first stop, we spotted a lone bison less than a hundred feet away. They seem like cuddly, docile creatures, but they are powerful and can be aggressive. Park rangers tell people to keep their distance, and we did. But there are stories all the time about tourists who foolishly ignore that advice and end up getting hurt. If you should be cautious with a bison, how much more so with a predatory animal like a bear or a lion? You shouldn’t get near, but neither should you run away.
Peter uses that idea here in 1 Peter 5:8-9 in regard to Satan. Some people play around with temptation, foolishly assuming that they will not end up getting hurt. Others try to run away and hide. But Peter advises us to commit ourselves to resistance. He says,
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
You could argue that Satan is the original “Don’t Tread on Me” snake. Ezekiel 28:13-15 describes him as an anointed guardian cherub. But Isaiah 14:12-14 says that rather than submitting to God, he sought to make himself like the Most High. Genesis 3 tells us that he then appears in the garden of Eden as a serpent, enticing Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden tree.
Since that time, he has been blinding the minds of unbelievers, holding them captive to do his will (2 Cor 4:4; 2 Tim 2:26). He has also been attacking believers to lead them into sin and away from faith in God. So, Peter calls him our adversary. He also calls him the devil, which means accuser or slanderer. We find him doing that in Job 1. After going to and fro on the earth, he seeks God’s permission to afflict Job, arguing that Job will curse him.
Hebrews 2:14 tells us that one of the reasons Jesus became flesh and blood and died was so that he might destroy the devil and deliver people. As Genesis 3:15 predicted, the serpent’s head will be crushed. Some interpretations of prophecy lead people to say that Satan has already been bound in some sense. But I do not think that will happen until Christ returns. According to Peter, his prowling continues.
He tells us to be sober-minded and watchful just like you would be when a lion is nearby. We should not fear the devil, but neither should we underestimate him. We should not be careless or overly confident. He will attack us with temptation, deception, affliction, or some combination of them. He attacks all believers, but with God’s help we can resist. We can stand firm in our faith, and James 4:7 gives us a promise. It says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
There is strength in submission, dependence, and resistance. But there is one more commitment required of us.
Endurance
How do you respond when the “Check Engine” light comes on in your car? You never know how serious it is. Should you pull over right away? Can you wait for a convenient time to see a mechanic? Or do you just keep driving? Should you even be like those off-road endurance racers, who keep going with a smoking engine, blown tires, and dragging parts? Of course, they have a whole pit crew waiting for them that will make the necessary repairs when they finish that leg of the race.
A lot of people today are inclined to be cautious, not just with cars but with everything in life. They try to avoid stress for the sake of self-care and emotional well-being. That is not wrong, but it is impossible to escape the rough and tumble reality of living in a fallen world. We will get battered and worn down. Our warning lights are always flashing. If you wait for everything to be just right, you might end up paralyzed.
Throughout his letter, Peter has argued that the gospel is worth suffering for. But we will never live that way if we are overly cautious. We need to commit ourselves to an endurance mindset, and Peter gives us good reasons to do so in 1 Peter 5:10-11. He says,
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
We must remember that our suffering in this world is temporary. It only lasts a little while. Peter introduced that idea in verse 6 of chapter 1, and he returns to it now as he concludes. If you are a Christian, then you have been called to eternal glory in Christ. Our suffering is brief in comparison.
Plus, we have been called by the God of all grace. We did not seek him or deserve his attention, but he chose us, as Peter mentioned in the first verse of the letter. God sent his Son to die for our sins and rise again. He softened our hard hearts and opened our blind eyes to the truth of the gospel, so that we would be born again. He guards us and keeps us secure as we travel on this rocky road. He even gives us gifts so that we can build up one another.
But when Peter speaks of grace, he often has its future implications in mind. In verse 13 of chapter 1, he spoke of the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Here in verse 10 of chapter 5 he describes what will happen to us. Jesus will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. He is like a pit crew at the end of our race. He will put us back together and repair all the physical, emotional, and spiritual damage. He will make us like new, better than we have ever been.
So, trust his sovereign power and dominion. Don't hold back in living for Christ. Hebrews 12:1-3 tells us,
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Commit yourself to a life of spiritual endurance.
__________
Peter calls us to pursue a different kind of strength. It starts with a commitment of humble submission to God, to other authority figures, and to one another in the church. It requires dependence upon God and resistance to Satan, so that we can live with spiritual endurance as we wait for Christ’s return.
Do you have that strength at work in your life? Perhaps you have been living life on your own terms in your own strength. If so, I encourage you to start trusting God. Accept his Word as true. Confess your sins. Believe in Christ and receive the gift of eternal life. Then start casting your anxieties and cares upon him. If you would like to learn more about the life of faith, James 1 would be a good chapter to read.
Perhaps you’re a believer, but you have adopted the world’s ideas about strength. They applaud the “Don’t Tread on Me” types who are defiant, independent, indulgent, and impulsive. If that is how you think, would you change your view? Would you align your values with what we have seen in 1 Peter 5?
We all need to grow in spiritual strength. Is there one of these commitments on which you need to focus? Learn more about it in God’s Word. Pray for his help to grow and change.
May we be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might!
Reflect
How might a wrong view of strength distort your spiritual life?
Which of these commitments are most difficult for you? Why? What steps could you take to grow in that area?
How should this view of strength shape our witness to the lost?