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Welcome back for day five of our look through 1 Peter chapter five, the last
chapter in 1 Peter. So congratulations, you have made it through a study of 1
Peter. In our last day in this look at this book, this book that talks to us
about how to live a cut above in this world below, we are going to be able to
look at how to find God's strength to do this on a daily basis.

Peter's talked to us about how to live a cut above in our character and the way
that we look at the future and our relationships and the way we face suffering
and our leadership. He ends this book by encouraging us with how we can stand
fast in God's grace through it all. And he's got three specific things to say to
you today about how to stand fast in God's grace.

First, he says there's three things you need to see in your life in order to
stand fast in God's grace. And first, he says the first thing you need to see is
you are in a battle. If you're going to stand fast in God's grace, you've got to
admit, you've got to be real about the fact that you are in a battle.

Verses 8 and 9 of chapter 5. 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. You're in a
battle. Sometimes we don't call for help because we don't realize what's really
happening.

Satan, the evil one, is trying to ruin your life. Now Satan is not all-powerful.
He is an evil one.

He's a great being, angelic being, but he is not all-powerful. God in fact
regulates the severity of temptation in our lives. The Bible is very clear about
that.

And as the Bible talks about Satan being a roaring lion here, someone has
pictured it, one author has pictured it, as if Satan were a lion that's tied to
a chain, a leash, and there's a stake that's in the ground that leash is
attached to. So he can only go in this circle as far as that leash goes. Now
sometimes the Christian can, if they want, intentionally walk within the circle.

And of course you're going to be devoured if that happens. Watch out. He's
wanting to devour you.

Satan has you in a battle. Now how does Satan wage this war? What are the shots
that are being fired at you?

If you look throughout the New Testament, the Bible tells us in John 13 that
he's the instigator of sin and betrayal. Matthew 4, he tempts the righteous. Job
2, he inflicts suffering on the innocent.

Matthew 13, he sows discord among brothers and sisters in Christ. Matthew 13
also says he removes the good seed of the gospel, keeps people from faith. 2
Corinthians 4 says that Satan blinds the eyes of unbelievers.

And here in 1 Peter 5, he prowls around, he devours believers like a roaring
lion. That's the battle. There's no doubt that you're facing the battle today.

It may have been obvious to you already or you may be seeing it right now. It's
good to admit that. I'm in a battle, but it's also good to see a second truth.

Second truth is you will win the battle. You will win the battle. Verses 10 and
11, "And the God of all grace, who called you into his eternal glory in Christ,
after you have suffered for a little while, will himself restore you and make
you strong, firm and steadfast.

To him be the power forever and ever, Amen. " Peter ends his letter with this
great word of assurance to all of us who want to live the life that Christ has
for us in this world. I know he says that you're going through suffering.

I know it's not always easy. I know you're going through struggles in your
relationships and I know that you're going through struggles because of
persecution. I know you're going through struggles in yourself as you seek to
grow in Christ.

But he says, instead of focusing on those struggles right now, which he reminds
us are going to be for a little while. In comparison to eternity, they're just
for a little while. Instead of focusing on those struggles, let's focus on God.

And he has this phrase, "He himself. " God himself will do this. Here's what God
himself will do.

Four things, restore you, confirm you, strengthen you, establish you. He'll
restore you. He'll bring you back to the strength that you need.

Peter certainly understood that. He'd been restored after denying Christ three
times. He understood what it meant to be restored.

He will confirm you. That's the idea of him standing beside you no matter what.
Being with you, strengthening the faith that you have, the heart that you have
to live in a certain way, he's going to confirm that in your life.

He will strengthen you. He will strengthen your hands to do what God has called
you to do. And he will establish you.

He will give you a place of foundation, a place of security in your life. So
often in this world we feel insecure because the circumstances of this world and
the relationships of this world, they are insecure. They're so quickly changing
and we can't control them like we would want to control them.

But God will secure you. He will establish you for eternity. That's what you can
count on.

However deeply you might be hurting right now, here is the end of the story for
you as a believer. Let me read this verse, 1 Peter 5-10 from the Living Bible.
Our God, who is full of kindness in Christ, will give you his eternal glory.

He personally will come and pick you up and set you firmly in place and make you
stronger than ever. That's the end of your story as a follower of Christ. You
will win the battle.

However much it feels like you're losing the battle right now, however much it
feels like you have caused the losses in the battle right now, that is not the
end of the story for you as a follower of Christ. So focus on him again and the
victory that he has for you. You're in a battle.

You will win the battle. And then Peter reminds us of a third truth. You do not
fight the battle alone.

Verses 12-14, the end of the letter. With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a
faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying
that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.

She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings. And so
does my son Mark. Greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ. And with those words, he ends the letter.
Those words that express the truth that we don't fight the battle alone.

He talks about Silas. If you read the book of Acts, you see how Paul and Silas
often work together, but Peter and Silas were also ministry partners and he says
he is a faithful brother. And with his help, I have written you, somehow he
helped in writing the letter and delivering the letter.

And then he goes on to say, she who is in Babylon sends you her greetings. Now
who is the she he is talking about here? It's likely the church in Rome.

Babylon is an expression for Rome. So it's likely the church that is in Rome. It
could be a woman that was in the church in Rome, but it's likely the church.

The church in Rome that loves you is facing some of the same struggles you're
facing. She sends you her greetings, he says. And then he says, my son Mark, I
love this because it's the expression of a restoration of a ministry.

The Mark that he's talking about here is John Mark. And you might remember from
the book of Acts, this is the John Mark who didn't do very well in ministry
partnership with Paul. We find out later that their relationship was restored
and John Mark served Paul in later years, but here Peter is talking about John
Mark.

And although Paul and Mark may not have always had a great partnership in
ministry, Peter and Mark always did. In fact, you may know that the Gospel of
Mark was penned by John Mark. But it's the recollections of Peter that were
written down, maybe when he was in prison, maybe when he didn't have the things
to write.

We don't know exactly why, but God chose Mark, listening to Peter, to write down
the Gospel of John Mark. John Mark, he says, my son, this relationship that they
had in ministry strengthened Peter. Throughout the days of his life, we face the
battle, but we don't face it alone.

When you face the battle, you face the battle in fellowship with God and in
fellowship with other believers. In fact, you are not meant to fight the battle
alone. If you've been fighting it all alone lately, who does God have in your
life that needs to come back into your life that you can fight the battle with?

As we close this look at the book of 1 Peter, I want you to imagine with me for
just a moment that you're in the place of Peter, sitting with Jesus at the Sea
of Galilee. The resurrected Christ has appeared. You might remember from the
book of Acts as the disciples saw him.

They came to him on the seashore. They had a breakfast with him. And then
afterwards, Peter and Jesus have this personal conversation.

Just envision yourself in the place of Peter for a moment, that moment when
Jesus looks Peter in the eye. He's looking you in the eye right now, and he
says, "Do you love me? " Peter's answer was, "Yes, Lord.

You know I love you. " "Feed my sheep," then Jesus said. Envision Jesus looking
at you right now.

"Do you love me? " "Yes," you say, "Lord, I love you. " Then what does he say
next?

What is he telling you to do? Grow in me. Face this suffering, this difficulty
in faith.

Look forward to the future with hope and not despair. Have a depth of humility
in your relationships. Shepherd the people that I've given you to lead.

Be like me, Jesus is saying, in every circumstance of life. Our Father, as we
end this study of 1 Peter, we pray, we come to you and we ask that you help us
to live like you in this world. We don't want to live like the world around us.

We want to live like you, Jesus, in the way that we hope, in the character that
we have, in the way that we love, in the way that we lead, in the way that we
even face the difficulties of life. We need your strength to do that. We ask for
it.

We need a relationship with you to do that. And if we haven't started one, we're
starting one right now by trusting you for forgiveness and for life. And Jesus,
our prayer is that you would strengthen us to live like you.

In your name we pray. Amen. Well, congratulations on ending this study of 1
Peter together.

This ends our study of 1 Peter. You might join us next week for a study of 2
Peter and how to have a fall-free faith. Or you can go to drivetimedevotions.

com and pick from many other books in the Old and New Testament. Whatever book
you want to study next, God is leading you to. I am just thrilled that you're
studying the Bible with us in Drive Time Devotions.