In this last portion of his letter, peter addresses the different groups of people in the suffering church - we saw last week how he addresses the leaders and the young people (basically, the leaders to be good examples and the young people to submit).
In the second part of v 5, he instructs all to have humility. After all, in difficult times, we can be proud and look down on others - eg those who are not coping as well as we are, those who suffer more.
We can see how Peter is emphasising the importance for the church to be united in difficult times - together, we shall stand!
Let us be one voice that glorifies his name, then the world will know that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Finally, we looked at who is the Christian's ultimate enemy. He is none other than the devil.
First, we noted that he is not the source of our suffering - God is! Suffering is good for us (see James 1:2-4) and God only wants what is good for us (Heb 12:5-11). Secondly, we noted that the devil's modus operandi is more of a subtle approach - think back what happened at the Garden of Eden. He plants doubts and wrong ideas in our minds. So we must be careful - especially in times of suffering and difficulty, we are most vulnarable to his attacks.
Peter teaches us 3 ways to overcome the devil:-
1. "Concentration" - Verse 8: be self-controlled and alert
Basically, we are to be prepared. How? We are to understand suffering, know its purpose. That way, we will not doubt God's will and God's love for us.
2. "Conviction" - Verse 9: stand firm
Do not doubt. Carry on serving the Lord.
3. "Consciousness" - Verse 9: know that you are not alone
There are others who are going thru the same thing as you are. What you are experiencing is not uncommon.
Suffering is to be expected - we can see it in the lives of the godly men and women in the past. We agreed that it should not be feared too. God will enable us to persevere thru it - and at the end of the day, it will be for our own good, that we may be "mature and complete, not lacking anything".
Hallelujah!
