1 Peter 5:6-14

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. 10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 11 All power to him forever! Amen. 12 I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace. 13 Your sister church here in Babylon sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet each other with a kiss of love. Peace be with all of you who are in Christ.”

D. Engage with God’s people – Vs 13-14

Peter closes by reminding us of our need for relationships, and the need to gather as God’s people. It’s also important as we go through adversity to remember that we are not alone. Satan wants to separate us from the herd because when he does we are helpless. This closing section is personal and I love how Peter gives props to Silas who is more than just a mailman he was the one who ministered with Paul on his second missionary journey. The one who sang hymns with Paul as they suffered in prison. We all need faithful servants like Silas that we can count on when we are going through suffering. He also wants those who have been scattered by suffering to know that there is another church cheering them on along with Mark my son. Yes this is the same Mark who had failed and bailed on Paul and Barnabas but is now restored and ready to serve. I want you to note how close these two men from different generations had grown.  Mark become like a son to Peter. Not only does Satan want to separate and single us out individually but he also wants to separate us generationally. But I need the diversity and differing strengths of the saints. I need the stamina of youthful saints, the security of middle aged ones but also the steadfastness of senior saints. I need that old buffalo that’s not going to back down, the one that reminds the herd not to run. There is protection in numbers God didn’t call us to be solo saints, we need to stick together, so let me ask you are you doing life’s with other Believers? Peter closes with a call us to connect, “Greet each other with a kiss of love.” This stands in sharp contrast to the kiss of betrayal Judas gave to Jesus. When I lived in the middle it was common in that culture to greeting others by giving a kiss on the cheeks. This seems strange to us in our estranged culture but Peter is reminding us that we are not only called to be faithful we are called to be friendly.

Conclusion

As we close I want to remind you that the devil deals in deception, he is the lying lion not the living lion. The real roaring lion is Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. In Revelation 5:5 the Apostle John is given a message: “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” But in Revelation 5:6 the image changes from a lion to a lamb: “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain…” These two images could not be more opposite, Lambs are weak while Lions are strong. But Jesus is both the supreme Lion and the sacrificial Lamb. And as the Lamb he is standing next to the throne because He is alive and the war has been won. He is a lamb-like lion and a lion-like lamb. When He cried out on the cross of Calvary, “It is finished,” it was a victorious lion-like roar that shook the very foundations of world. Peter close his book the same way he opened it, by penning the words “Peace to all who are in Christ Jesus.” Are you in Christ Jesus? Don’t settle for a counterfeit, come to Christ. The devil was defeated and de-fanged at the cross. You serve a conquering Savior and you can stand boldly because the battle has already been won by the blood of the Lamb.