Preached Sunday, October 6, 2013 from 1 Peter 5:5-7
Theme: We are to be clothed with humility in the household of faith.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
It might surprise you to hear this; but today, we’re going to look at a passage that tells us what we ought to be wearing to church.
Now; I know that some of you might be a little startled—and maybe a little worried about whether you have come to church dressed ‘biblically’. But I want to put you all at ease. We have a nice, comfortable, casual church atmosphere—and I’m very glad that we do. Everyone here is dressed just fine—in a physical sense, anyway.
But there’s a passage in the Bible that does tell us how we are to be dressed in a spiritual sense. And you’ll find that passage in the New Testament letter that we’ve been studying together—1 Peter. It’s found in the fifth chapter.
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Let me set the context. The apostle Peter had been writing to his brothers and sisters in Christ who were suffering persecution and hardship for their faith in Jesus. Much of his letter has been occupied with telling them about how to be faithful in their stand for Jesus Christ in a hostile world. And though there has been much in the letter that deals with some hard subjects, there’s also a great deal in it that has been very encouraging. One of the things that has been encouraging has been the important way that the church—the body of Christ—supports us and sustains us in those difficult times of trial.
Look at the beginning of Chapter 5. That’s where the apostle Peter urges that the pastors of the churches do their job faithfully. In the context of the call for believers to stand faithful in their times of trial, and to keep their eyes focused on the rich reward of their faithfulness at the time of the Lord’s return, he writes to pastors and says;
The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away (1 Peter 5:1-4).
I love that word of exhortation—and not just because it has good things to say to pastors. I love it because it reminds us that the role of pastoral leadership in the church is vital to the health and well-being of the church as a whole—particularly during times when it’s hard culturally to be a follower of Jesus.
So often, when times are hard, it’s tempting to back away from church life—and to begin to think that there are more urgent things to think about than our involvement in our church family. But the Bible teaches us that the exact opposite is true. Church life is always important to genuine followers of Jesus—but never so much so as when they are being called upon to live faithfully for Jesus in hostile times. And vital to the health and well-being of that church life is the role that the pastoral leaders play in it. They are the shepherds that God has appointed to lead His people, and teach them, and equip them, and protect them as they seek to stand faithful for the Lord Jesus. And the reason for the role of the shepherds is so that, when the Lord Jesus comes, He will be able to richly reward the faithfulness of His sheep. So, the role of pastors are vital.
But having said all that, Peter then turns his attention to the church family as a whole. And here’s where we find out what it is that all of us ought to be wearing when we come into the household of God. Peter goes on to say;
Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (vv. 5-7).
When Peter says “Likewise . . .”, he’s still talking about the way that the church family is to function in times of trial. He had called the pastors to be faithful in their conduct toward the people of God; and now he “likewise” calls the rest of the church family to be faithful in their conduct toward each other.
And do you notice the main thing he tells us in this passage? It’s that we’re to be “clothed with humility”. That’s what we’re to be wearing to church. This isn’t just important in times of trial and difficulty, but always. But it’s especially important—particularly strategic—that we be ‘clothed with humility’ toward one another during those difficult times in which it is culturally hard to be a follower of Jesus.
In other words, we are to be clothed with humility in the household of faith. ‘Humility’ is the proper attire for church life!
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What exactly do we mean by ‘humility’? I believe we should be careful not to think of it as ‘humiliation’. To ‘humiliate’ someone would be to shame them or belittle them—to rob them of their human dignity and make them less in everyone’s eyes. To ‘humiliate’ would be something that we would do to someone else—and it’s something that should never happen in the household of God.
But to practice ‘humility’ is different. It’s something that we do to ourselves—to ‘humble’ ourselves in the sight of others. I don’t believe it means that we ‘humiliate’ or somehow demean ourselves. I believe that we who are in Jesus ought to be careful how we speak of ourselves; because we’re talking about someone that Jesus loves and died for. Rather, to ‘humble’ ourselves means that we cease trying to elevate ourselves above each other, and willingly accept the position of service toward one another.
I would suggest that the greatest picture of ‘humility’ is our Lord Jesus. He never ‘demeaned’ Himself or ‘humiliated’ Himself. He had a true estimation of Himself always. But during His last supper with His disciples, He—the King of kings and Lord of lords—willingly rose from the table, tied around Himself the apron of service, and washed the feet of His disciples. He—who would have been absolutely within His rights to expect to be served by His followers—willingly and generously accepted the lower position of a servant, and served His followers.
That’s humility. It’s what each of us in the household of faith are to be clothed with toward one another. And it’s particularly important that we be clothed with humility during a time of hostility toward our faith. The world is watching us. It’s watching how we respond to the pressure. And it’s watching how we treat each other. When they see us, they need to see the kind of humility exhibited in us that was manifest in our Lord. That’s one way that they know we are His.
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So; how then do we become ‘clothed in humility’? One way that Peter urges us to be clothed in humility is by . . .
1. TAKING A HUMBLE POSITION TOWARD ONE ANOTHER (v. 5).
It’s interesting to me that, right after urging the elders of the church to do their job faithfully, Peter begins by saying, “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders.” And while Peter would, I’m sure, want all younger people to show due respect and regard to all those who are older and more mature in the faith, I believe he is particularly meaning to say that the position of the spiritual leaders in the church should be respected. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way:
Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct (Hebrews 13:7).
And in verse 17, he goes on to write;
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you (Hebrews 13:17).
So; one way that we are to be ‘clothed in humility’ is by taking a humble position toward those who are charged with spiritual leadership in the church. But more than that, all of us are to take the humble position toward each another. Peter writes; “Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'”
When Peter wrote that we are to be ‘clothed’ with humility, he used a word that basically describes the act of putting on a garment that needs to be ‘tied’. You might think of the idea of ‘tying on the garment’ of humility and being properly ‘bound’ with it in the spirit of a servant. Many scholars believe that when Peter said this, what he had in his mind was that wonderful image of the Lord Jesus rising from the table and wrapping Himself in the garment of a servant to wash His disciples feet.
I occasionally do some cooking; and I have a nice green-colored apron. It’s a manly-looking apron, by the way. It looks an awful lot like one that you would see a grocer wear at the local supermarket. I have often wondered what would happen if I put it on and went to the grocery store to pick up a few things while wearing it. I’m supposing that people would walk up to me and ask me were things were, or would tell me that there was a spill on Isle #3 that needed to be cleaned up. I would have the garment of service ‘tied on’ to myself; and it would be easy to think I worked there.
Well; maybe we don’t have to wear an actual, physical apron; but we are to ‘tie on’ the attitude of service toward one another. In Philippians 2:1-4, the apostle Paul wrote;
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others (Philippians 2:1-4).
And it’s essential that we be clothed in humility toward one another for God to grant His blessing upon us as a church family. The passage that Peter is quoting is from Proverbs 3:34—”Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.” And did you know that this same verse is also quoted by Pastor James in his New Testament letter? Without such a spirit of humility, we would fight and devour each other in God’s house; so, James wrote,
“But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:6-10).
So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s be clothed in humility in God’s house by—first of all—making sure that we are clothed with humility toward each other. Let’s come to church having tied on the apron of humble service toward one another—just as the Lord Jesus did toward us!
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Now; Peter had quoted that Old Testament proverb about how God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. That’s an inviolable law in God’s moral universe. Those who exalt themselves in pride will be humbled; and those who humble themselves out of a reverence toward God will be exalted.
And this leads us to another way that we are to be clothed in humility; and that’s by . . .
2. SUBMITTING OURSELVES TO THE SOVEREIGN WILL OF GOD (v. 6).
Peter writes; “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”
I read a great story the other day that illustrates this. It was about a young minister who had just been called to be the pastor of his very first church. He had just graduated from seminary—and since he had graduated with honors, he thought that he was pretty hot stuff. He thought that he was about to give the people the greatest sermon they had ever heard.
He strode up to the pulpit with a sense of self-importance and read the passage of Scripture he was going to preach from. And then, he completely forgot his sermon. The whole thing had somehow left his mind. He read the Scripture again—hoping that it would come back to him; but it didn’t. He read it a third time—but everything was a blank. And with great embarrassment, he told everyone, “I am sorry; but I can’t speak to you this morning.” Down he went—with a bowed head and a broken step.
And when the service was over, an old leader in the church came to him and said, “Laddie, if you had gone up the way you came down, you might have come down the way you went up!”1 That’s what Peter means when he says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you . . .” In God’s household, those who exalt themselves are humbled; but those who humble themselves are exalted. It’s like the law of gravity in two directions—what goes up must come down, and what goes down becomes lifted up. When we humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand, we make it easier for Him to lift us up with the other hand.
And do you notice that Peter says that God exalts us “in due time”? This may be because the people of God were—for a season—suffering persecution. It was as if, by God’s sovereign permission, they were being permitted to undergo hardship—trusting for God to exalt them later. As Peter puts it in 1 Peter 1:6; “In this “—that is, in the prospect of future glory and in the enjoyment of our rich eternal inheritance in Christ—”you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials . . .” (1 Peter 1:6). Isn’t that interesting?—”if needs be”? God knows what we need; and we can humble ourselves under His will and trust Him to exalt us “in due time”. Our loving Father knows what we need in order to be refined in our faith. As Peter writes in 1 Peter 3:13-17;
And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. ‘And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.’ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil (1 Peter 3:13-17).
We can confidently humble ourselves under His will and trust Him to exalt us “in due time”. As Peter said early on in this letter, our times of suffering for Christ are allowed by our Father to come upon us . . .
that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ . . . (1 Peter 1:7).
So; yet another way that we are to be ‘clothed with humility’ is by forsaking the whole idea of exalting ourselves. Instead, we are to humbling ourselves under God’s mighty hand, so that He can exalt us in due time.
And when He exalts someone, they’re really exalted!
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Now; Peter gives us one more way that we are to be clothed with humility in the household of God. And at first, it doesn’t seem to be a command about humility. But it truly is. It’s that we display humility by . . .
3. CASTING OUR EVERY CARE UPON THE GOD WHO CARES FOR US (v. 7).
He urges us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt us in due time; telling us “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
The word that Peter uses for “care” can also be translated “anxieties” or “anxious thoughts”. It’s the things we ‘worry’ about. And we might think that it’s more ‘humble’ to not care or worry about things at all—to have an attitude of complete unconcern about ourselves or our needs. But if our loving heavenly Father is there—caring very deeply for us Himself, and inviting us to cast our cares on Him—then a refusal to do so is, in reality, an act of pride. If we are truly being “humble”, then we will—in true humility of spirit—trust God to be what He promises to be to us. We will look upon every trial and every cause of anxious concern as a gift from Him that allows us to turn to Him in trust.
The word that Peter uses for “casting” is an interesting one. It basically means to “throw” something on to something else. It was used in the Bible when we are told that the disciples “threw” their own clothes onto the donkey for our Lord to ride into Jerusalem. What a picture that is! God invites us to bring our concerns to Him and “throw” them on to Him—as if that’s where they belong. And the way Peter says this doesn’t simply mean that we “throw our cares” on our Father in a general sort of once-for-all kind of way; but that we bring each one to Him, and cast them upon Him every time!
How do we do that? Paul wrote in Philippians 4;
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
We throw each anxious thought upon Him through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. We say, “Father; I have a concern. Here it is. I give it to You. I ask that you do what is needed. It’s off me, and on to You. And I thank You in advance for Your unending love and care for me.” And when we do that, we’re being truly humble.
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So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ; that’s how we come properly dressed in the household of God. We come ‘clothed with humility’. When it comes to each other, we make sure that we tie on the humble apron of service toward one another. When it comes to God, we make sure that we humble ourselves under His mighty hand. And when it comes to the trials of life, we humble ourselves by bringing each and every concern where it should go—upon the loving care of our heavenly Father.
May God help us to be properly dressed in His household of faith!
H. A. Ironside, Addresses on The Gospel of John (N.Y: Loizeaux Brothers, Inc., 1956), pp. 654-5.