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So we come to our final message of this camp, and today we are at 1st Peter chapter 5. Now, this is, if you like, right, the summary, a summary in the sense that as Peter concludes his epistle, he would like to have a take away for the readers, for each one of us, for you and for me. And tonight, our meditation is entitled, Holding Fast in the Shifting World, being able to resist the shift from the expectancy and the faith which is taught to us in the scriptures. Now, if you want to read that in detail, let it read as the shift in the spiritual excitement of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the faith upon which we look to our gloatification and its appearance. A bit of a long sentence, isn't it? But that's what it means. The devil would like to shift us, and remove that spirit of expectation from us, and to shake our faith. And when he does that, he takes away a very vital element of our faith and belief in our salvation. He takes away the hope of glorification. And this is what he's attempting to do, to the Christians in the 1st century, to persecute them, to force them into the corner where they will forget about their need for godliness in their life, their need for holiness in their life, to forget about the glory of God, that have brought upon them salvation which is so rich and free. And when that is moved and shaken, he will also shake their conduct, their ability to serve and to minister to one another. And the expectancy in their life, the hope that will carry them through the hard times and adversity. So let us read today, 1st Peter chapter 5, and I would like to read verses one to 11, right? 1st Peter chapter 5 verses 111. Let us read this in a responsive manner. I shall begin with chapter 5 of 1st Peter verse one and the congregation will respond. Verse one of chapter 5. The elders which are among you are exhort, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. Neither has been lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, he shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder, yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud, and give us grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore, under the mighty hand of God. that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, has a roaring lion, walkers about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resists steadfast in the face, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But a god of all grace, who have called us unto eternal glory by Christ Jesus after that, you have suffered a while. Make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. Verse 11 together, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. We thank God for the reading of his precious word. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we praise and thank you for thy precious word, and we pray, Lord, as we come to the conclusion of the epistle of 1st Peter. We may learn the vital lessons that Peter have the apostle have written, for thy people, that they may remember of their everlasting hope, and also the hope of the glorification and the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Lord, may this expectation be, in our hearts, always, that we may live with excitement and expectancy awaiting the return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In his name, we pray. Amen. Amen. No, as you progress through life, right, whatever phase of life you're in, say you're a student. What do you look forward to? If you're a student at uni. Right, and you're spending hours going to lectures and doing assignments and doing all the things necessary that a student ought to do. You have a certain expectancy, isn't it? You want to finish your course of study and you want to graduate. Isn't that true? Right? Unless you're one of those who want to be a perennial student, an evergreen student, right? Hopping from a course to another, right? And spending your time in study. Eventually, you will still want to complete your course of study. There's a certain expectancy. And same it is, if you are a man or a woman in mid career, that's what you would like to do. You hope to be able to progress within your job, or at least within the corporation. And you hope and you aspire towards developing yourself to a point where you attain those goals that you want to achieve. Those goals may be promotion. All those goals may be a matter of self development, right? Building your career and building your knowledge based in order that you become more valuable in the corporation or in the industry. True. There's a sense of expectancy. And in our spiritual life, we, too, have been given that expectancy in the scripture. And that expectancy is seen in knowing the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I just want to quickly point your attention to verse 4, right? We shall read the preceding verses in a while. Verse forces, and when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. That expectancy must not be taken away from us, or allow to fade and diminish. So then, the title for tonight's meditation is to shift from expectancy and faith, expectancy for the Lord's return, and excitement that our glorification will finally come to fruition. And our faith will finally become sight as we sing in the lyrics of a hymn, when faith shall be sight. We have that expectation. Now, in the preceding sermons that we have taught, right, when we talk about the devil trying to shift us from a position that the scripture exhorts us to be in. For instance, look at number two, the shift from holiness and morality. We know what the devil is trying to push us towards taking us away from holiness, to unholiness, fleshliness, worldliness, isn't it? From morality, a position that the word of God teaches us, to a position of immorality and filthiness and sin. So we know that. And for instance, in number five, right, the shift from sanctified living, there will be a shift towards, well, an unsanctified and a worldly form of life. But what does it mean when you are shifted or the devil tries to shift you from that position of expectancy of the Lord's return and faith? Into what kind of position is that? And that position is something that we must take. Good care and be aware that we do not, do not fall into. And what is that position? The position of apathy. And indifference? Someone may say the Lord shall return, but to you it means nothing. You read that in the Bible verse 4, for instance, when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory. And it has no impact in your heart. That's apathy. That's indifference. It doesn't mean anything to you. And, in fact, there is, right, a false teaching that is going on, right, in churches, in very liberal churches, and some of the churches that borders, right, towards, almost, I would say, atheism, which is in itself a paradox, isn't it? How can the church be atheistic in his belief? And they can teach, for instance, the false teaching, that there is no such thing as the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a symbolic reference to the fact that the world, through the effort of man, and all the humanist effort that is put into climate change, into cleaning up the pollution that are in the seas, in improving the social conditions of man and women, in bringing education and all the amenities that are required to life, for clean living, for good living, for hygiene, and sanitation, and the world will get better and better. That's all it means. There's no return of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that's a false teaching. But when those kinds of teaching is imbibed, and you take that upon yourself, those people are deceived, and a very vital important element of their faith, hope is taken away. Now in today's exhortation, as we go through this passage, we will learn 3 very important takeaways that Peter have written in this chapter that we can learn. The 1st that we want to learn about here is this. With the expectation of the return of our Lord, we must learn to live the example that Christ has given us. We must learn to live that example in our lives. And we live that example for a reason. If you're an elder in the church, if you're a leader in the church, the members in the church will follow the example that you display in your life. Your conduct. Now, just in case you're thinking, well, I'm not an elder in the church, I'm not in any kind of a position of leadership, though, this is not talking about me. Well, think again. You may be a parent. In that case, you're a leader in your family. You may be a grandparent. Isn't it, grandfather, Grandma? You are a leader. At least your children and grandchildren look up to you as a Christian. You're a leader. You may be a Sunday school teacher to the little kids. You're the leader. You may be in a choir. And members in the church look to you. And they will think and assume that you are spiritually mature. And you become a leader in their eyes. So think carefully about that, because the first 4 verses we know, Peter specifically addresses elders. So there is a certain pattern that elders have to live by in order that others can imitate, and that pattern has to be based on the pattern they learn from Christ, our example. And that applies eventually to every one of us as Christians as well. The pattern of our life, very important. And when we maintain that pattern of our life, knowing with expectancy, the Lord will return, we will continue. To persevere and to be steadfast in living out the pattern that Christ has shown us. The 2nd thing we want to be very mindful of is this, and this is an cautionary instruction given by Peter. Beware of the predator. Another P, the 1st piece, a pattern that we are to live by. The 2nd piece to beware of the predator, because the devil will not stop at letting you carry on your life in a way that will edify others, or in a way that will continue for you to live a life that is mature and glorifying to God. And you'll find a way to get at you. He's like a roaring lion. Beware the predator. And all the qualities of a predator are being described in this final chapter. So beware. First of all, there's a pattern of life that we must live by. And that pattern is important. Not only for our own spiritual well being, but also for others who look upon us. Secondly, there is a predator that we must watch out for. Our adversary, and he's very wily and his cunning. And it's far, outstrip us in intelligence and cunning and every deviousness that you can think about. We have to be careful. We have to beware. And then finally, we must rely upon this, and this is the faith upon which our life and salvation is based upon. We know that it is God who preserves us, our preservation, the final P, the pattern of life we live by, the predator that we must look out for, because he's dangerous, and finally, our God, in all his power, will preserve us. You'll find that this is actually a conclusion that Peter has written in, and it will bring us all the way back to the very beginning of this epistle. So this is a reminder and a wrap up. So let's begin with the first three verses. Now, what did Peter write? He says, the elders, which are among you, I exhort. So he's talking to the leadership of the church. Whom am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a particular of the glory that shall be revealed. Peter is very specific about his qualification. He is an elder, but he's humble enough to admit, I'm an elder like every one of the elders in the church, and this is the reason why we're called Bible Presbyterians. Presbyterians means elders. And our form of governance is government by the Board of Elders. The pastor and the elders together as a board, governs the church. And Peter hears his, I'm among you. I am one of you. And in a ball of elders, of course, there is, right, equality and consensus indoctrinal matters. And this is how they make decisions. But Peter, the apostle, is a little different from all the other elders, because verse one says, a witness of the sufferings of Christ. We know what he was like, isn't it? He denied the Lord, but he was there when the Lord was taken and betrayed. So he knew it, and he saw it. And also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Peter was of the 3 in the inner circle who saw the transfiguration of Christ. Not every elder in every church in the 1st century can claim that as a qualification. Now, mind you, he's writing to churches that are spread out all over Asia, right? Galatia, Cappadocia, Busania, Busania, and all these places. So some of these elders were pointed, right, post the ascension of Christ. So they may not have seen the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. But nonetheless, by faith, they believe in the Lord, for the salvation and forgiveness of sins. And Peter says, I'm one of you, I'm one of you. And his exhortation to them is simply this, verse two. Feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind. Someone who is able to think about the welfare of the church, and someone who's willing to see to it that the flock is fed. is given nutrition, spiritually. is given the necessary nourishment that they will grow and mature in the faith. You know, we have care givers and people who watch over us, right, in almost every aspect of our life, isn't it? Right? If you work in a corporation, there are people who train you and develop you in your career to ensure that you grow and you mature in whatever job you're doing. If you're a sportsman, for instance, there will be nutritionists and trainers who will make sure that you're developed to achieve the kind of goals, right? Whether you're an athlete or a sportsman, that you can achieve. And so it is in many areas of our lives. But in the church, Peter makes it very clear. The leadership of the church, the elders, must have this as their prime purpose in their life. I want, and I pray, and I desire before God, that every church member is well fed. Well nourished by the word of God. And growing in spiritual maturity day by day, moment by moment. In order that they never lose that excitement and expectancy that the Lord will return. And they will live their lives in a glorifying manner to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, is that an assumption? Not exactly it's an induction. Why do I say it's an induction? It comes from within the text. The preceding chapters, Peter was already talking about that. Develop a life of godliness, develop a life of holiness because it is a commandment by Christ. And what is the leadership, the elder of the church, the pastor and the elders? What are they to do to help, to grow that quality, those spiritual qualities within the church? It's a very weighty burden, isn't it? And it takes a man who's willing. That's why verse 2 says, right? Taking the oversight thereof, overseeing it, looking in every aspect of it. Like a shepherd protecting the flock from false teachings. Making sure that a weaker sheep are given perhaps better care and nourishment in order that they can keep up with the rest of the flock. That's giving the oversight. And doing it with what kind of a mind was to willingly, not fulfilty, Luca. There's no personal agenda in wanting to grow the church spiritually. So Peter is actually giving himself as an example. He, as we know, eventually gave his life for the sake of the gospel. Ready to teach, ready to grow others, ready to edify the life of others, not for filthy lucre, verse 2 ends with, but of a ready mind. Of a ready mind. Now, someone spoke to me yesterday about calling from God. One of the elements, and not the tests, of whether a calling is indeed coming upon you, is the readiness of your mind. You will know it, within yourself. Throughout the years of my life, sometimes, I fell an urge. I want to serve the Lord. Maybe I should serve the Lord. But maybe, and I want to, and if I want to, and, you know, if things are right, that means I'm not ready. But there came a point in my time, and I'll leave it for tomorrow when I share my testimony on my calling. This is one of the Q and A question posed to me. Is the sense that you are ready and you have that sense of urgency to serve the Lord? And an elder in the church ought to have that kind of an urging. And the same goes to any person who's about to take on service within the church, whether it's a service that involves taking an office, like a deacon, for instance, or perhaps a teaching role in a Sunday school, or perhaps a service role in a choir, or in some other area of church service, and maybe hospitality. It may be some other areas, Sunday school, for instance, teaching the youth, whatever that may be. The Lord will move your heart to give that willingness and readiness. That's very important. You know why? You don't want a church where people are serving. and grudging and murmuring all the time. There always, there must be this sense of joy in wanting to do it. And I've seen that time and again, I mean the joy in service. I've seen men and women who serve joyfully. They'll put in hours, after hours, after their work, after they put in their 10 or 12 hour work day, they'll open up their computers and do work for the church, whatever that might be. Maybe creating a PowerPoint presentation, it may be drafting a lesson outline. It may be planning, for instance, an activity for you, whatever. They do it with joy. Because they know that is what the Lord wants them to do. Now, what was that all about? Is it because I love to do that kind of work? No, no. The simple reason is this, the expectancy in their heart. The Lord will return. And everything that I can do that will help to grow the spiritual lives of the flock and those that are in my charge, I will do it gladly and lovingly. So this is what verse 3 and 4 is about. Neither has been lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. That hope and excitement that the Lord will return. And while we await his return, while the Lord tarries, I will do everything I can to glorify the name of God. The name of our Lord Jesus Christ, by teaching, by preaching, by doing things that will edify the church and build up the spiritual lives of the people within the church. Now specifically, we know verses one, 2, 3, and 4 applies to elders. But I will extend it also to apply that same attitude of service to every member in the church, because every member in the church is meant to be a serving member, isn't it? You don't want sleepy members? Well, there will be sleepy members for whatever reason, right? Maybe because of inability, maybe because of, right? No readiness within their heart to commit themselves to service. And perhaps they need some encouragement. They need some exhortation, to encourage them to move forward. But there must always be that readiness. And that readiness is based upon the expectancy that the Lord will return. Now, the 1st point we want to remember here is, and you find that in verse three, right? Not neither has been lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock and samples. how King James would spell it, but we know that word means example. You live a certain pattern of life, that the flock can see and learn from. And it's the same in any level of leadership. You're a parent, a father or mother. You're an example to your flop. Your flock will be the 2 or 3 little ones that you call your children. If you're a grandparent, you should be an example to your children and your grandchildren. That's a slightly bigger flop. But where do you draw that example from? Who will be your example from which you can pattern your life that others may learn from? Remember what Paul says one? Follow me as I, follow Christ. So throughout the epistle of Peter, we find that theme being repeated. Christ suffered for us as an example. He gave us a pattern of life, of humility, of submission, of duty towards God, of service, of self sacrificial love. That's our pattern. And as a leader, that ought to be our pattern for others to see. And the text is very clear to us, and we pray, and I pray daily. First for myself, and then for others, that together we know and understand that we are a pattern for others to live their lives as Christlike as possible. And you know we will fail sometimes, we will disappoint ourselves. Sometimes you walk away shaking your head. How can I fail so badly? How can I fail my lord? I'm supposed to be an example to my children. I'm supposed to be example to the cell group that I'm taking care of. I'm supposed to be an example of those who are in my charge or in my area of service, but I'm not. I'm a man of ill temper. I'm a woman who's envious, and perhaps, right, nasty in speech, and I'm not loving and kind and compassionate as I ought to be. And then you look to yourself and you say, Lord, forgive me. Lord, forgive me. Let me pick myself up. And continue in that journey looking towards the return of our Lord. And while I look to that journey, and that return, and that expectation of the return of the Lord Jesus, help me to start afresh anew, to live my life a pattern, in accordance to the pattern that Christ has shown me. That I may be an example to others. A pattern to live by. The devil wants you to move from that. And living that pattern isn't easy. That pattern in your life can only be lived out. If your hope and your expectancy of the Lord's return remains strong. Remain vital within you. The devil will do everything he can to rob that from you, to take that away from you. That is hope. Now, to the 1st century church, that is all the more important. They're gonna be slaughtered wholesale, massacred. There's gonna be bloodshed. What is it that keeps their faith alive? The excitement and expectancy of the Lord's return. And the leaders of the church, they better know that. Because when the persecution comes upon the church, guess who will be taken first? The leaders, the elders, right? The apostles were the one. In fact, if you read church history, you'll find that all the apostles, bar one, John himself, John, was imprisoned on the island of Patmos, but every one of the other epistles of the 12, besides John, suffered a violent and a very violent death in the hands of persecutors. True, we know that. So this is a very stark reminder that Peter gives to the church. And to that, they must know and understand that the Lord will return. And our way, the Lord's return. And when the Lord return verse 4, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. And then now, Peter, in the next 2 verses, 3 verses turns towards the flock. This is why verse 5 says, likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. The flock must be obedient and submissive to the leadership of the church. He says, yea, all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt it in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. So to the younger in the church, perhaps you may be looking at those who are within the church, they are members in the church, they have professed faith in the Lord, Jesus, they may be serving in different capacity, not taking an office like an elder. Paul Peter exhorts them. Submit yourselves. To the authority of the church leadership. Submit yourself, because that's important. In times of persecution and adversity, If there is discontent, And the feeling of the church and the sentiment of the members is disjointed or disconnected from the leadership. Guess what happens to the church? It becomes weak and disunited, isn't it? And that will make it all the more easier for persecutors to come and scuttle that church, however big or small it may be. Unity. Unity by submission, one to another. And Peter makes that point very clearly, right? And he makes that point clearly, with reference to the theological understanding that God resisteth the proud. God resisteth the proud. If you are that proud person who thinks that your way is the only way, and you refuse to follow or abide by a decision by the leadership of the church. Well think again. Because exhortation is true, B, subject, verse 5, one to another. And be close with humidity. Now, this idea of being subject one to another work both ways. He's speaking to the elders as well as to the younger. Be subject one to another. Be ready to be of one mind. Is this what Christ wants for me and for the church? And if it is, then I will subscribe to it. I will support it, and I will give it my wholehearted devotion to do. Because that will grow the church. And if I know the Lord is returning all the more, I will put in my resource and effort and urgency into the matter, isn't it? Expectancy. And the devil would like to remove that from us. You know, it is said, and some of you may know this, right? I mean, we're surrounded by all these, you know, outdoor areas, and if you've done a survival course, for instance, you may know this. An average human can last about one. Three weeks, three weeks without food, right? Roughly, right, 21 days, some more, some less, but thereabouts. An average human can last about three days without water, isn't it? About three days. If you're in a very cold environment, and you don't have the proper garments on you, maybe three hours. This is called a rule of three in survival. Some of you know it, right? You're a Boy Scout or a girl guy, you might have heard this before. Three hours in extreme cold, and you die of, you probably succumb to hypothermia. Three days without water, you will succumb to dehydration. But you know what it is said, and there is nothing to do with survival, but it is so true. No man or woman will last three seconds without hope. If you take away that hope from that person, this man or this woman? might as well end his life, and that's the feeling people who are deep in depression feels like, I have no more hope in this life. And all the more for a Christian, I have no more hope that Christ will return. It's all a lie. That's a terrible thing, isn't it? But there are those who will teach that false doctrine. And that is of the devil. Don't let that be taken away from us. So when Peter exhorts the younger, as well as the elders, he specifically point towards this, when the chief shepherd shall appear. He used the word appear. It is a sudden manifestation. He's talking about the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, a wonderful thing. And I want to read a portion which Paul the apostle wrote, And this is a very, uh, uh, a portion of the scripture that gives a very deep impression of what it is like when the Lord returns. When I read for you and I love to read this portion, it comes from 1st Corinthians chapter 15. I will read for you from verse 51, right, up to 56. It says, behold, I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound. And the dead in Christ shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this incorruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality. So when the corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to you the past, the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grief? Where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. Remembering that, there is a resurrection of the dead, and there is also the coming of Christ to look forward to. Wonderful promises given to us in scripture. At the return of our Lord Jesus. Never lose sight of that. Never lose sight of that. And the next thing we want to learn from, and be very weary of, is the predator. The adversary, the enemy, that will find ways to hinder you, to distract you, and to stall you from achieving that final glorification. And what is it we read in verses 8 and 9? It says be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, is a roaring lion. Walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resists steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. Verse 8 begins with 2 cautionary words of alertness. There are two different words. And there's a slight difference in the nuens to help us understand how we ought to watch out and beware of this predator. It's this be sober. That's one. The next word, be vigilant. Two states of mind. What's it like to be sober? Well, we think of someone whose mind is alert, isn't it? So, if you're sleepy, and I look around, and none of you are, thankfully, it's the 3rd day, and it's the evening or the 3rd day, and everyone's still awake, and that's great. Right? You are sober. You are awake. Of course, in the Greek language, this word refers to someone who's, you know, well, someone who's drunk, but the opposite would be someone who's sober. His mind is clear. That what it means. All your minds are clear. I see that. Uncle Peter is smiling at me, right? He's wide awake, huh? And then the next word is vigilant, watching out. In Greek, that word is... Greg Goriyou, right? From which we get the English name Gregory. I don't come across this name often in reformed churches. I've never asked why. I don't know why, maybe because there were popes that were named after this name, and so, therefore, it's not so popular in him. But it is, no doubt, a Christian name, Gregory. Vigilant. And vigilance has that sense of actively watching out. Right? My eyes are scanning my surrounding. So there are two states of mind, the Christian must be in spiritually. Spiritually, he is awake and sober, not slumbering. That's one aspect of it. right? We do not slack off in our spiritual discipline and our spiritual practises, the practises of devotion, of prayer, of communion with God. We do not slack off on that. So we are constantly in a state of awareness, right? Of a weakness. And then there's another injunction or another exhortation, to be vigilant, to constantly watch out. Areas of your life that you need to look at. Is there an area of life that the devil may find as a weakness and take that away from you or use that to draw you further away from the Lord? Be very careful. For some it may be your career. And that may preoccupy you. You know, and I speak sadly, for many years in my life, decades, I invested almost all of my time and my life and my work. Which is a bad thing to me. Because whatever I have gained, right, I count it, but lost. Truly. Sometimes in my very quiet moments, I wish I could turn the clock back. But time is water under the bridge, isn't it? You can't do anything about it. For some, that may be a hobby. For others. It may be a potential life partner. Can be a distraction, too. And yet for others, it may even be, you won't guess it, your own children. Distractions, be very vigilant against those things. That draw your heart away from the Lord. Be sober, be vigilant. Why? Well, for one reason we're weak, but for another reason, because our adversary is very strong and wily. And this is why verse it says, Your adversary, the devil, the abolos, is as a roaring lion walking about, walkers about seeking whom he may devour. Now, a roaring lion is a lion that makes a lot of noise, isn't it? But here the sense is, you know, when lion hunts is very quiet, right? Those of you grew up on a healthy diet of national geographic, you would know that, isn't it? Right, how the lion would creep up, you know, to the gazelle. And then in the last 50 or 17 metres, there'll be, like, quick dash, all in stealth, a lion doesn't grow when he's hunting. Now, this sense of roaring is what, someone that's aggressive and out to do harm. That's what our devil, that's what the devil's like, ready to do harm to the Christian. And he does that harm to those who are slumbering. Those who have lost sight of the return of the Lord Jesus. It doesn't matter anymore. I just live my life, day to day. I go to church on Sunday, that's fine. I give God my view an hour, hour, and half or whatever I need to do. That's it. Duty done for the week. Check the box. And then you do that for enough weeks. Slowly you slip into slumber. Right? He's an adversary. He's as a roaring lion. He walking about seeking whom he may devow, and he will devour the weaker ones. The ones who are not vigilant, the ones who are not actively looking out for him. Now, what does it mean as a Christian that we must be vigilant against the devil? All the things that have been taught in the epistle by Peter, about maintaining holiness in our life because it is commandment by God. About living a life of godliness and service, about looking to God and understanding the glory of God and pointing our lives, orienting our life towards service and devotion to the Lord. All of that. can easily be hindered by the devil, our adversary. And I mentioned this before. He doesn't have to paint it with a big stroke of a brush. He will take it away a little by little. Sometimes without you and me noticing it. You know, sometimes, and you might have come across this, so and so used to be in a church, right? Maybe a BP church or whatever. And then later, you know, some months down the road, you ask, oh, you know how, so and so, yeah, we don't see him often, but we don't see her often, it maybe him or her. But he does come by once in a while. And then yet a few more months or a year later, oh, have you seen so-and-so late? No, actually, he hasn't been to church for the last couple of months. We not seen him yet. And habits like this are examples of how our adversary, the devil, chip away at our lives. Beware the predator. Beware the predator, but the word of God gives us the way to counter that, and this is the example given to us. This is the exhortation given to us in verse 9, right? Seeking whom he may devour, meaning the victim. right? That's him looking at us, hoping that one of us will be a victim, and verse 9 says, whom resists steadfast in the faith? Whom resists steadfast in the faith? So the ones that he cannot devour are those who are steadfast in the faith. And that's exactly what our theme is, holding fast. You will not change. You know that God demands of you holiness, and therefore you maintain that. You know, God demands of us the understanding of his glory and Christ's preeminence in our life, and you maintain that you hold fast to that. And you know that God demands of us love for the brethren. Fervent charity one to another, and you maintain that, and you maintain your service and ministry to edify others. And you hold fast to that. Resisting steadfast in the face. That's what verse 9 is about. Whom resists that fast in the feet? And to resist takes effort. Right? It takes will. It takes an active mental motivation to do that. Where does that come from? Remember the earlier message today? The mind of Christ. A mind that understands Christ is our example, and therefore, we want to be like him. And I'm motivated because I know my Lord and my Saviour wants me to conduct myself in this way. And thus I hold fast to the faith. And by doing that, you resist the devil. You see, the spiritual warfare that we fight has nothing to do with stirring drums or loud clashing swords. They sound like lyrics from a hymn. It does, doesn't it? It comes from a hymn, right? Not with stirring down drums, or with clashing swords. It's none of that. It is up here in your mind, and it's down here in your heart. It's about your motivation and love and your mind towards Christ. That's where the battle is. And that's how you resisted the devil. And the way you carry on that warfare is by fervent prayer. And the knowledge of the word of God. Because without that, we don't have a leg to stand on. We must have that. Look at verse 9 and the 2nd part. Knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. You're not the only one fighting that battle. Everyone's going through it. Everyone would experience the same sense of weakness. And everyone who has failed or fallen now and then would understand exactly what you're going through. So this is Peter exhorting the eldest in the church, the members in the church. Two very important things he's teaching. Number one, you must have a pattern of life, starting with the elders in the church, you must have that pattern. And then to the younger ones, you must submit yourselves to the elders and submit to their authority, but at the same time, submitting to one another because God resisted the proud. And by that, you have a pattern of life that others may also live by because you pattern your life after Christ. And the next thing that Peter wants to exhort, his readers is this, watch out for that predator. He out to get you. Don't think that there is a neutral gear in your spiritual walk or spiritual drive. There's no neutral gear. You're either going ahead or going behind. You either going forward or reverse. And you were going reverse, that's the devil, the roaring lion pulling you backwards. And to move ahead and to move forward means resisting the effort of the anniversary, and putting on the mind of Christ, and living the example that Christ has shown us. Verse 9 ends with knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren. that are in the world. All of us are the same. So what does it mean? Brothers and sisters pray for one another. Pray for one another. And have that sense of pity and sympathy for those who have fallen. Really? All those who are weak spiritually have a sense of pity for them. That's how Christ look upon us. We're not perfect. Are we? We fail in many ways. But how does Christ look upon me? Or you when we have fallen, or when we have failed him? With love and mercy and grace, isn't it? Have that sense for one another, and pray for one another. Live a pattern of life that others can follow, a pattern that we learn from Christ. Secondly, be weary of that predator. Now, let's go on to the last 3 verses, and this is very important, verse 10 and 11. But the God of all Greece, verse 10, who hath called you unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. After that, ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. That's verse 11. The god of grace will called you, have called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. You see, our expectation is not bound by time. What does it mean it's not bound by time? The Bible tells us our average lifespan is 3 scoring 10, right? It's about 70 years, by reason of strength, 4 score years. Within those 70 or 80 years, if you do not see the return of Christ, what then? Well, for us, our remains will lie buried in a grave, right? And our body, being corruptible, will decay and go away. But the God, who have called us, and this is what you read in verse 10, the God of all grace who have called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. That expectancy must never change throughout our lives. Whether in weakness, in sickness, in health, to the very last breath that we breathe, we must continue to have that excitement and expectancy that we shall see God. Remember who said that? Job, isn't it? You probably read that during the last Easter, or some churches would have read that, right? Though my body shall corrupt, though the worms, right, shall take my body. That's what Job says in the book of Job. Yet, in my flesh shall I see God. Expectancy, that hope. It never goes away. And how is that hope kept alive? By self motivation, by chanting, by constant repetition that we have that hope? No. By the power of God. And this is what verse 10, the 2nd part of verse 10 is about, who have called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus. After that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect. Stablish. Strengthen. Settle you. You know what I mean, right? Exactly. Repetition for emphasis. Not only does God call us for that eternal hope, He's going to make you perfect. He is going to establish you. Make your foundation firm. He's going to strengthen you. To keep you going forward and never fail. And settle you. so that there will be calm and peace in your heart. How are we kept and preserved by the power of God? Kept and preserved by the power of God. So 3 things we have learned from today's conclusion in the epistle of Peter is this, number one, we live a certain pattern that we learn from Christ, especially the church leaders, the eldest, but also for every Christian. And that pattern ought to be a pattern that others can look up to and glorify God in our lives. Number two, there's a predator. We got to watch out for. He's very wily. Look out for him. And then finally, it is God by his power who preserves us until we see him again. And actually, in reality, we've come a full circle. From the end of the epistle of Peter, we actually come back to the beginning where he wrote this. If you turn with me to 1st Peter, chapter one. Verses 7 and 8. lets read those 2 verses together and we'll see how Peter, right, makes a full circle that we have accomplishhensive idea of how we hold fast in this shifting world. First Peter chapter one, verses 7 and 8, reading in unison. Let's begin. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, and appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, ye love, in whom though now, you see him not, yet believing, he rejoice with joy, unspeakable, and full of glory. He began his epistle, reminding us of our expectation of the return of Christ, the appearing of Jesus Christ, and how wonderful that will be to us. And how that expectation will give us joy unspeakable every day, even though we see him not. That's how it ought to be. And he ends his epistle by telling us, God will establish you, strengthen you, make you perfect, and settle you. How comforting, indeed, is the word of God. Not only does it give us and point us the way, it tells us that God cares and looks after every aspect of our spiritual life till we see Jesus again. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank thee for thy precious word, for indeed thy word is life giving, and it is wisdom for all of us. May I will strengthen thy people and cause them to live lives that is glorifying to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In his name we pray. Amen. Amen