Our Spooky Enemy - Pt 3

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. (1 Peter 5:9-14 ESV).

Peter goes on to say, “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” (v. 10). What this verse promises is this: if God called you to his glory, he's going to get you to his glory. A little suffering in between is not going to stop him. In fact, I would argue that his little “suffering is not worth comparing” to the glory we have waiting for us (cf. Romans 8:18). The meaning of being a Christian is that we have been effectually called to eternal glory (cf. 1:15; 2:9). This is Peter's way of saying what Paul said, “Whom God calls he also justifies, and whom he justifies he also glorifies” (Romans 830). Peter simply says, “The One who called you to his glory will get you to his glory: he will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” It's a promise. You can take it for yourself if you will have it and believe it and bank on it this morning. And I urge you to take it. When Peter says that "the God of all grace" makes this promise, he wants to help you believe that it's for you. You may say. It can't be for me. I'm not qualified. I'm not spiritual. Peter says, you don't start with being qualified. You start with the God of all grace. Grace precedes qualification. You may have this promise freely, if you will believe in this God of all grace. And he gives one last encouragement to believe it in verse 11: "To Him—to the God of all grace—be dominion forever and ever. Amen." Dominion means superior strength. God has dominion over the devil. He is stronger than Satan. Therefore when he promises to successfully get us through the jungle of this world and bring us to glory, he can do it and will do it. Dominion belongs to the Lord. So when Satan roars with his suffering in your face and threatens to devour you, don't say, "O, I'm eternally secure, this is no real threat." Rather say, "The God of all grace has called me to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, and after I have suffered a little while from your claws and fangs, he will perfect and confirm and strengthen and establish me. He is a God of all grace. He is a God of absolute dominion. You can maul me. And you can even kill me. But you cannot devour me. He has called me to glory and he will get me to glory." That's how to resist him firm in your faith. Take this promise this advent season. Believe it. Be saved by it. Rest in it. Fight with it. Persevere with it. It's yours free from the God of all grace.