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Summary

Sermon Outline: “Until He Comes: First Things First!” - I Peter 5:6-12 “Don’t put the cart before the horse” - we shouldn’t reverse the accepted order of things. We often do that in the midst of our struggles in life. We want God’s help and blessing, while forgetting the call to humility and submission. But we must keep first things first. 2012 Theme: Until He Comes - looking for Jesus to come again & seeking to live according to that perspective. Until He comes, we must keep first things first. I Peter 5:6-12 - Peter’s continuing call to humility. Peter had exhorted the elders to “shepherd the flock of God among you,” and the “sheep” to “be subject to the elders.” For both, this requires humility - “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another.” “Clothe yourselves” - “knot or band by which two things are fastened together.” “This was the white scarf or apron of slaves, which was fastened to the belt of the vest and distinguished slaves from freemen. Therefore, I Peter 5:5 encourages Christians to show their subjection one to another by putting on humility” (Strong’s). No one wants God’s opposition, but pride brings it. Everyone wants God’s grace, and humility finds it. First things first! Humility first before God. I Peter 5:7 - one of the most beloved verses in the Bible. We love to know that we can cast our cares upon God, throw our anxieties at His feet, place our hurts and struggles on Him. And we can! How loving and kind God is! He is Father to those who come to Him by faith in the atoning work of His Son, Jesus Christ. He does care for us - “His heart is touched with our grief!” He is willing and able to carry our burdens and sorrows with us, even for us. II Chronicles 20:15 - “Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed…for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’” Psalm 55:22a, Matthew 11:28-30 - “O yes, He cares!” But let’s not get the cart before the horse! Verse 6 precedes verse 7. Humble - “make low, assign a lower rank or place” (Strong’s). We’re to humble ourselves, being “devoid of haughtiness.” 1)Humbly recognize our sin and need of a Savior. “Repent and be baptized…in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins…” (Acts 2:38). “For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). 2)Humbly recognize our utter dependence upon God. “…apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). “True humility is shown by our ability to cast our care upon God. It is proud presumption to take things into our own worry and care …that God has promised to take care of. Sometimes we need to call worry and inappropriate care exactly what it is - pride and unbelief, and a desire to usurp God’s place as our providing, caring Father.” (David Gudzik) Matthew 6:31-33 3)Humbly recognize the sovereign rule of Almighty God. We are in His hands, but also under His hand - He is over all. Revelation 1:8, I Corinthians 6:19-20, Matthew 16:24-25 Recognize and submit to the Lordship of Christ and the sovereignty of God. God’s promise is to exalt the humble “at the proper time.” “If God has us in a humble place at the present time, we must submit to God’s plan. He knows the due time to exalt us, though we often think we know that time better than God does.” “Though we wish we were on the ‘no suffering plan,’ God uses suffering to perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us.” (David Gudzik) When we exalt ourselves, we will be abased; when we humble ourselves, we will be exalted. And God knows how to exalt! So humble yourselves before God, then cast your cares upon Him, because He cares for you! Until Jesus comes, let us “humble [ourselves] under the mighty hand of God” and “clothe [ourselves]… with humility toward one another.”