Welcome to the Weekend Sermon which is appearing one day early. The library where I go to work on the computer is going to be closed both Friday and Saturday for the Independence Day holiday. So, in order to get a sermon in this week, I am posting today.
I talked to my brother yesterday, and my nephew is doing very well. He is home from the hospital, and the doctors think that this operation is going to help his situation considerable. Thank you for your prayers on his behalf. Thank you Jesus.
In your prayers this week would you all please pray about my job situation? The Mid-Year Review is Friday, and I'm not looking forward to this. Everything was going very well with my former supervisor, but I'm not so sure about what is going on right now.
Let us all continue to pray for the places in the world experiencing war and violence. Let us also pray for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.
In last week's message, I focused on the casting our cares upon the Lord Jesus because He cares for us, and He is the only one who has the power necessary to help us through our times of difficulty and turmoil.
Today, we bring our study of I Peter to a close by studying two themes found in this epistle's closing verses. In verses 8 and 9 of chapter 5, Peter urges his readers to resist the devil who is walking about like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour.
Resisting the devil and the temptation to do what is wrong is of vital importance in the Christian life. The forces of evil are always attempting to get believers sidetracked and off course. If a Christian's testimony for the Lord can be damaged, it will cause many who are considering the Christian faith to no longer seek the path towards the Lord Jesus.
How are we to resist the temptations of the evil one and his forces? First of all, we must recognize that we face a real foe. Many try to deny the existence of the devil. The Bible makes it quite clear that the devil is real. However, he is not equal to God. The devil is not omniscient nor is he omnipresent. Those forces allied with him to do his bidding, assist him in his attempts to thwart the message of the Lord Jesus.
We can resist the temptations of the forces of evil by imitating the example of Jesus Christ. While He was on this earth, the Lord was tempted by the devil in the desert. The devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness three different times. On each occasion, Jesus resisted the devil's temptation by quoting the Scriptures.
In this same manner, we can resist temptation by relying on the power of the Word of God. In order to be able to do this, we must be students of God's Word. We must know what the Bible says so that we can obey its instructions. We must know the truth, so that when a lie comes against us, we can use the power of the truth to resist the forces of falsehood.
We also resist the powers of evil by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. When we face temptation we must ask the Holy Spirit to embolden us to resist. We can be confident knowing that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
We also resist the power of evil by doing good. If our thoughts and our actions are focused on the holy and doing what the Lord requires of us, there will be no place in our hearts nor in our thoughts for evil to take root and lead us astray.
Let me say one word here before we move on. Many Christians attribute every temptation in their lives to the devil or demons. In most instances, this is not the case. The Bible is clear in the book of James that on most occasions of sin, we are drawn away by our own lusts and sin. As a general rule, humans don't need any help getting in a mess. For this reason, we must rely on the power of the Lord Jesus to help us throughout the course of our lives.
Finally, I would like to look at verse 10. I find this verse encouraging. After all of the strife and suffering that accompanies us in this earthly life, one day, this life will be over. Those of us who are in Christ can have the assurance that this life is not all that there is. When this life is over, we will be with Jesus for all of eternity. This is possible through the death and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ our Savior and King.
It has been great fun going verse by verse through the epistle of I Peter. I have many different series of sermons planned for the upcoming weeks. Next week, I will give a message on an individual topic. By the end of this month, it is my plan, Lord willing, to begin a series of messages on the divinity of Jesus focusing on the Gospel of John. We will first focus on the signs John gives of who Jesus is, and then we will focus on the statements that Jesus made revealing Himself. I am really looking forward to these messages.
Next week, I will post the verses on Monday and a review on Wednesday. The sermon will appear on Friday. May God bless you all. Thank you for journeying with me through I Peter. Thank you Lord for this opportunity. Amen.
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