In his sermon titled 'A Final Exhortation,' Trent Moody explores 1 Peter chapter 5, emphasizing Peter's message to persecuted believers. Moody highlights the humility Peter exemplifies by aligning himself with the elders, rather than asserting his apostleship. This humility extends as an exhortation to the younger members of the church to submit to their elders, mirroring the elders' humility. The sermon underscores the importance of humility in the Christian life, contrasting it with the destructive nature of pride. Moody explains that humility is essential for receiving God's grace, while pride invites resistance from God. The sermon also discusses the role of faith in resisting the devil, who is described as a roaring lion seeking to devour. Believers are encouraged to resist steadfastly in faith, understanding that sufferings and trials serve to purify and test their faith. Moody stresses the importance of casting all anxieties on God, who cares deeply for His people. The sermon concludes with a reminder of the eternal glory and reward awaiting those who persevere, encouraging believers to remain steadfast in their faith despite challenges.

Alright, hopefully you have your Bibles with you. Turn to the book of 1 Peter and chapter 5. We'll be finishing up Lord Willing this chapter and this book, 1 Peter, and then picking up next time in 2 Peter and working through that epistle as well. Let's take just a moment and stand in reverence of the reading of God's Word. 1st Peter chapter 5 we'll be picking up with verse 5 and through the end of the chapter.

1st Peter 5 and verse 5. Peter writes, Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility, For God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him for he cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

Resist him steadfast in the faith knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, established, strengthen, and settle you. To him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. By Sylvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

She who is in Babylon elect together with you, greets you, and so does Mark my son. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen. Let us pray.

Our gracious Father, we again thank you. Lord, we come to your throne of grace continually because that is our need. We continually need you. And so Father, we ask you at this moment that you would open to us the words of life Lord that you would bring exhortation to us and great encouragement to us and even warning to us and help us Lord help us to walk in the light as you are in the light and Lord I pray that you would edify this body now and Lord shepherd your people through your word we pray in Jesus name Amen. These really are some final exhortations for a persecuted people.

First Peter as you know was written to these persecuted believers these these believers who were scattered because of their faith, and they were experiencing the difficulties and the trials that those who were scattered from their normalcy find, those who have been scattered because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And last time I spoke we were in the beginnings of chapter 5 regarding the elders and really their roles and their responsibilities to shepherd the Church of God, and how Peter was really working with these elders in such a tender way. So we pick up this passage really in the middle of a plea of the Apostle Peter to the church. His first plea, as I said, was to the elders of the churches, or the elders which are among you. He says, I exhort.

I really believe that Peter is really leaning down and leaning in with these elders, and in a sense, putting his spiritual arms around them to encourage them and to help them. You know we see this in the title that he mentions of himself. He says, the elders who are among you I exhort who am an elder, fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ. What we don't see is Peter coming to them saying, to the elders who are among you I exhort who am an apostle. It had more weight with it.

We know that he introduces the epistle with Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, but here in a really, I believe, an intimate way and in a loving way, and putting his arms around these men and helping them to see that he likewise feels the responsibility that they feel. He is a fellow elder with them and he feels the responsibility that they feel and he wanted to encourage them in this great work as he's coming to the end of this epistle, this epistle to people who were experiencing difficulties and persecutions because of their faith and to these men who were to shepherd this precious flock of God. Now there are three things that I see here that I believe will help us in our understanding of the rest of this from verse 5 and following that Peter does here in this first part, which I preached last time that I just want to use as an introductory remarks for that. But what we see here is Peter's humility. Peter did not pull rank, if you will, but he said, rather, an elder who am your fellow elder.

I'm with you in this work, in this work together that we are doing. He puts his arms around them and he exhorts them as co-laborers, brothers, let us lean into this work together. So this first idea of Peter's humility is something that will help us tremendously as we look at these next verses. Secondly, we see that Peter speaks regarding the sufferings of Christ. Peter here is letting these dear suffering saints know that not only does he understand that they are suffering, but As he says in verse 1, he says, I'm a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ.

One, this does establish, in a sense, his apostleship that he was with Christ, but also it establishes his understanding of what they are going through. He was a witness of the sufferings of Christ. He knows what it means to suffer for the cause of Christ. One, he watched his Lord and Savior do it and then two, Peter himself also suffered in many ways and would suffer in the future. And thirdly, the reward.

Peter saw the sufferings of Christ and he rightly understood the reward. Throughout this epistle, Peter gives these exhortations, if you will, and then he always brings it back to this great reward or an inheritance that will be ours. And so he uses this in the sense of a great motivation to help us to see that It's not just suffering, it's not just the difficulties, it's not just the trials, but God is a great rewarder of those who love him. And that's what I want to do for each of us this morning. So he places himself in that reward notice with me just for a moment here in verse 1 He says and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed He speaks of it as if he has already received it, but yet he says it will be revealed.

He points to the reward. He's encouraging these elders. He's showing them what was to come. And then he goes on in verse 4, and he says, and when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. So there's this interesting correlation here between encouraging these brothers as elders to endure and to really to humble themselves before the mighty hand of God as Peter says here just a few moments but regarding shepherding the flock of God which is among you as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly, not as being lords over those entrusted to you but being examples to the flock.

And then he gives this encouragement, you will receive the crown of glory. And we see the same type thing played out in verses 5 through 14. He gives this exhortation, He speaks about some of the struggles of that. We know these compulsions that we have of being an overseer and being elder. There's difficulties there.

There's temptations there. But then there's also reward. And so that's how I want to look at these last few verses. You know Christ did this same thing, Christ himself regarding himself, regarding this idea of understanding, enduring something difficult, and also looking to the reward. So in the elders working for and shepherding the flock of God, they had an eye to the reward which motivated their service to the church of God.

Now you could say, well that sounds kind of selfish. Are you serving us for the reward? Yes and no. We are also in Christ for the reward, right? We long to see that heavenly inheritance that is ours.

And So it's not sinful though, and I'll show you in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2, you can look there. You may know this verse by heart, very familiar passage of scripture. Hebrews 12 2 says, Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." You see that same thing right there with Christ himself. For the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, that reward that was his. And so it's not wrong when God motivates his people to service and to love and to good works and then says, there's a crown of righteousness that shall be yours.

There's a reward, there's an inheritance that will not pass away that will be yours. And so with great shepherding, Peter speaks to these persecuted believers, These final exhortations. And the first one is what I've already mentioned. I've kind of prefaced what I'm getting ready to say and I'm going to say what I'm going to say and then I may say what I said you just never know. So Peter's exhortation is to humility.

Notice what he says in verse 5, likewise you younger people submit yourselves to your elders. Likewise. It's interesting. Likewise as what? Likewise like the elders are doing.

Likewise he says you younger submit yourselves to your elders. So there's this connection here between this passage and this verse that they are to do, the younger people are to do in the same way what the elders are doing. Likewise, you do this. Well, he gives the command which helps us really understand what Peter was calling elders to do. Likewise, you younger people submit yourselves to your elders.

So Peter's exhortation is to humility and it begins with the elders. Notice again what he says to the elders. He says, shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers. And we think well wow that's a position of leadership. You're overseeing things.

You're kind of in charge of things. But notice what he says. He says not by compulsion but willingly. And then he says not for dishonest gain but eagerly. Not as being lords over those entrusted to you but being examples to the flock.

There's the difference between a cowboy and a shepherd. Do you know what the difference is? On our way up to Virginia yesterday, one of my sons and I went up there to get some meat, farm fresh meat. On our way up there, as we're driving, we look over in the field and there's some cows grazing on this pasture. It's just a beautiful picture in the mountains there.

Right behind these cows, there was a cowboy, if you will. It was a man on a horse and he was driving them. The difference between that and a shepherd is the shepherd will be in front leading them. Christ did that and he calls elders to do that. You be examples to the flock.

This is a humility that Peter is calling them to and he says to the youngers you be like that. Likewise you younger people submit yourselves to your elders. Why? Because they are leading by example. They should be.

So you do likewise. So here, exhorting these younger people within the church. They are noticing how the elders handle themselves, how the elders live, how the elders use their lives as an example and we would say as elders, follow me as I follow Christ. Imitate me as I imitate Christ. None of us will do that perfectly.

But then he says this, yes all of you be submissive to one another. So the Christian life is a life of submission. In every area of your life, if you're an elder you're submitting yourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you're a husband you're submitting yourselves in multiple areas. One to the Lord Jesus Christ, you're submitting yourselves to the authority of the local church, you're submitting yourselves to the civil authority, you're maybe submitting yourselves to your boss at work, you're submitting yourselves constantly in these areas.

If you're a wife you're submitting yourselves to your husbands, if you're children. It's all about submission to the authority, God's authority, and what God has stated for us clearly in His Word. So this idea of submission is not a bad word, It's a willingness to place yourself under the authority of another. And this is ultimately because our Lord Jesus Christ example this and commanded this. He submitted to the will of the Father.

Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. That's submission. We are also to be submissive as he says here one to another and let me just say this that relates within the proper jurisdictions. In one sense parents submit to children in that they give up a lot to provide for them, to care for them, to love them. But parents don't submit to children.

It doesn't work in that direction. But there is a type of submission in which a husband submits to his wife in a type but not in the same way that God calls wives to submit to their husbands. So in that we need to understand as all Christians we are to be submissive ultimately to God and then submissive to whatever authority God has placed in our lives. That's one of the things that really pushes against us. This leads into my mind the Philippians chapter 2 verses 3 & 4.

He says, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself let each of you look out not only for your own interests but also for the interest of others." Boy how different our lives would be if we did that. I like that verse, I've quoted that verse, I've exhorted that verse. Now if I could live that verse, how different our church would be, how different my family would be if we could live that in a life of submission. So he says all of you submit one to another and it's very important that we live a life of submission. Now I want to go into an area here that may be uncomfortable.

I really want to talk to you all about clothing. You think what is this about? Let's talk about clothing. God is very interested in how we clothe ourselves. This may seem obvious to some and not to others, but it can be a real problem when we are not properly clothed.

You see our clothing can be a stumbling block to other believers. So stop just for a minute. I want you to think about what you're wearing right now. When you clothed yourself this morning, what was your main consideration in what you put on? Was it for the benefit back to Philippians 2, was it for the benefit of others or for your own?

We must start living, we must live in such a way that we are always, as Philippians says, considering others more important than ourselves. Our clothing speaks to others about what we believe about ourselves And here Peter exhorts us to be clothed with humility. Now many of you may have thought I was speaking about the material that you were putting upon your body, and I did want to play upon that thought because really the two are related but the most important point is that he says here and be clothed with humility. When we get up in the mornings, we all clothe ourselves. We all consider what we're putting on.

We consider it for different reasons. But here, Peter pulls upon this very idea of clothing as something that we should do with humility. Have you ever considered when you got up in the morning how to clothe yourself with humility? In regard maybe to your husband or to your wife or to your children or children to your parents or even the sibling relationships or those at work that you would clothe yourselves with humility. You see one of the most destructive attitudes in any church and in any relationship is pride.

Humility should be our covering. Pride is to flip Philippians 2, 3, and 4 on its head. You see, pride is the great destroyer of the unity of the church. Pride destroys marriages, pride destroys families, it destroys businesses and friendships, and it destroys everything it touches. It is the primary reason that Satan fell was because of pride.

And as Christians we are here called and commanded to be clothed with humility. And so what is seen by others more than our physical clothing should be our clothing of humility that we would consider others as more important than ourselves. It should be the attitude of our hearts. It's one of the most difficult things to battle against is pride. It comes to you in so many different faces and in so many different ways.

If you've never read the, I believe it's a Lamplighter book named Giant Killer. If you've never read that you need to. Giant Pride. It comes in softly and encouragingly and then at the least expected moment raises up to destroy Christian. Pride will like you in a thousand different ways.

Pride will even make you think you're humble. But In fact, pride is there to destroy you and all that is around you, and it will if you do not clothe yourself with humility. One great motivating factor regarding humility is this. Look at what the next portion of the verse says. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

I don't know about you but the one person that I do not want resisting me is God. Let all the demons of hell resist me. Let the devil himself resist me, but don't let God resist me. And pride puts you in that position of enmity with God. God resists the proud and yet pride is something that is so close to our nature that we don't even realize it.

Matthew Henry notes this he says let your minds behavior garb whole frame be adorned with humility as the most beautiful habit you can wear. This will render obedience and duty easy and pleasant, but if you be disobedient and proud, God will set himself to oppose and crush you, for he resisteth the proud when he giveth grace unto the humble." So, with what did you clothe yourself this morning? Remember, pride is tricky. For the young men, I have been a young man and for some would consider me still a young man. Pride is ever there.

It is just like sin that is crouching at the door waiting to rule you. If you battle anything in your life right now battle pride because pride and the temptations of the devil go hand in hand. Humble yourself before the mighty hand of God." That's what he commands us. Therefore, because God resists the proud and he gives grace to the humble, therefore, Peter says, Because of this great reason, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. You don't want God's hand of a resistance against you.

Humble yourself under that mighty hand of God. Because let me tell you something, God is more than able to humble you. I know this from personal experience. And I know this because God's Word says it. You see, this good reason that Peter gives regarding the humbling of ourselves, isn't it interesting that humbling ourselves is actually the best attitude for blessing ourselves?

Notice what he says, for God resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble. Who in here does not want more grace? Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. And notice He says that He may exalt you in due time. He keeps telling you, giving you exhortations with the benefits that follow from this.

He's a loving father. He encourages, just like a good father encourages his children. There are good rewards for those who love the Lord, those who humble themselves before the Lord. But be warned God is not fooled by false humility, nor should we understand this being exalted by God as something that we will one day lord over others. See that's how tricky pride is.

I'll humble myself and then one day the first shall be last and the last shall be first. And we tell ourselves that that hey when I'm in heaven I'll be able to tell everybody I was more humble than you were. No, that will not be in heaven. There will be no false humility in heaven. We will all fall before the throne of God and give Him glory.

You see, the greatest act of humility ever displayed was the act of Jesus Christ being born upon this earth and living a life and dying. In other words, we will not pride ourselves in heaven at how humble we were on earth. I believe the exalting here is to heaven itself. He will exalt us in due time. In God's due time we will be exalted to experience the reward and the eternal blessing that God has for all those who love him.

God will set all things right. We need not worry about being in the business of exonerating ourselves and our reputations. Leave your reputation to God. That's what Jesus did. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return, but he committed himself unto him who judges righteously.

That's how we should live. Leave your reputation to God. You be clothed with humility and leave the exalting to God's time and in God's place. And then he says this very importantly and very interestingly in verse 7, casting all your care upon him for he cares for you. Now Peter realizes whom he is writing to.

He's realizing the difficulties that these believers were experiencing and the persecutions that they had felt and he wanted them to understand that he understood that they would be in a sense careful And I don't mean that in a safety sense, but let me rearrange that word. Casting all your care, casting all of your anxieties. Persecutions, tribulations, difficulties can cause anxieties. Even in this church, I think in the last two and a half years, some of us may have experienced some anxieties. We may be experiencing anxieties right now, looking at the temperature of the culture around us and looking at the craziness that is going on around us.

I keep pinching myself thinking this is some sort of weird dream that I'm having. It could cause you to have anxieties and Peter wanted them to know that he understood that they would have them that's why he said casting all your cares upon him he knows were people who are who are tempted with anxiety we're tempted to not trust God we're tempted to in our flesh think that somehow or another we've got to figure this thing out. Cast all of your care upon Him. Peter does not assume that they were exempt from these feelings. They weren't super spiritual Christians that say, you know, anxiety.

No, he understood this. I find myself with anxieties from time to time considering the things that I've just discussed. And so we can think about the state of our nation, we can think about the economy, we can think about the workers of evil who are striving to destroy any remnant of Christianity in our nation and the heritage that we have. But I want to be like the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming.

Listen to the news. See all the craziness. See all the insanity that is taking place. It is insanity. And Peter understands this.

And he wants them to understand that he knows that they can experience anxieties. If we are experiencing anxiety from what we have in our culture, imagine what these believers were experiencing. They didn't have all the social securities that we have. These people were left casting all of their cares upon the Lord. And sometimes that's the best place you can be.

That is always the best place you can be casting all of your anxieties and all of your cares on the Lord. You see this first one describes something that means anxiety, but then he says this next one, for he cares for you. God's not anxious for you. God has never been anxious. He doesn't worry about anything.

But we are. But this type of care here that he is describing is something of the object of care, especially the care and forethought and interest of another who is loved. For God cares for you. Do you understand this? Do you listen?

Do you know that God cares for you? Every one of us in here have different experiences and different circumstances, different trials, different difficulties, different pain, different things that we have experienced, have experienced, will experience, God cares for you. And He is telling us to cast all of our cares upon Him because he is more than able to deal with all of those things. He is all powerful, he's all knowing, he's all loving, he can handle anything that you throw on him. You're not going to shock him and you're not going to overwhelm him.

He is more than able to deal with all of these things that you have upon your heart. Think about it. We can do as Paul commands in Philippians 4, 6, and 7, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, Let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. He cares for you. Secondly, Peter gives us an exhortation to watchfulness.

He's laying out like Peter often does. He gives us this grand picture of what God requires of us. He tells us how wonderful God is, how powerful God is, how God cares for you. And then he gives us this exhortation. He says in verse 8, be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

Now how does this relate to our passage this morning from the former text? I don't think these things are contrary to one another. This shows you the limitations of that binding that Satan is under, But also it shows you that he's not a quiet devil even in bonds. He's like a roaring lion. Why is he roaring?

I believe there's some connections here that I hope to make very quickly. But I want to say this. Even though he is bound and even though we cast all of our cares upon him, this is not an exhortation for us to be lackadaisical. It's not an exhortation for us to let go and let God, as some Preachers have said in the past that I've heard and maybe you've heard too that you just kind of lay back and figure Hey, God will take care of it God will take care of it, but there is something called the sovereignty of God and there's something called the responsibility of man If I told you this morning that I'm just gonna cast all my care upon him and I'm going to trust God to feed my family and I don't go to work tomorrow. Would you call that faith or foolish?

Because faith without works is dead, right? That would be foolishness. Is God able to do that? Sure, but God says you are to be a responsible man and in fact if I did neglect my duty to provide for my family, the Bible says I'd be worse than an unbeliever. How do you get worse than that?

I'm just curious. Worse than an unbeliever because I would testify with my mouth that I am and I'm acting like I'm not. I guess that's how it's worse. So we see this, this picture of the devil, this adversary. He describes him in a few different ways.

We're told to be sober and to be vigilant. As one man says, strong confidence in God's sovereignty and in his sovereign care does not mean that the believer may live carelessly. The outside evil forces which come against the Christian demand that the Christian stay alert. He says this one right after another, cast all your care upon him for he cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant." You see both of these things right together and therefore you need to realize, you need to understand this is an exhortation to watchfulness, to know the enemy and his devices.

He's described in a few ways. I think Scott had five names for the devil in his passage and I've got three. He has said here, he says, your adversary, This is a legal term, someone who comes against you in a court of law who is accusing you. And then he is called the devil and then he is described as a lion, a roaring lion. And so this adversary, this devil who was against you, and remember what Christ said.

He didn't look at Peter and say, Peter just cast all your cares upon the Lord, you're in good shape. But he said to Peter in Luke, which was actually quoted I think by Scott this morning in Luke 22 31 and 32 and the Lord said Simon Simon indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat listen to what he says but I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail and when you have returned to me, strengthen the brethren. You see the devil, which means a slanderer, a malicious enemy who is looking for this opportunity to overwhelm the believer with the temptations, persecutions, discouragements and cares of this life, He is the one that is roaring like a lion and it's interesting to see that this roaring like a lion seeking whom he may devour, he says in verse 9, resist him steadfast in the faith knowing that the same sufferings, Now here he brings in suffering. He's not mentioned that in this whole chapter yet. I believe this relation here between the roaring of the lion and the suffering of the believers go hand-in-hand.

Here's the deal, As Scott described him this morning, the devil is like one of those lions in Pilgrim's Progress who is chained and they're roaring, but by faith, Christian walked right through them, by faith he walked through them and was unharmed. But here's the deal, A chained lion facing a faithless or an unbelieving person can be killed by a chained lion. We walk by faith and not by sight. So I'm not contradicting what was said this morning. I'm building this whole fuller picture up of what's taking place.

This devil is roaring at you. He wants you to be overwhelmed with your situation. He wants you to be overwhelmed with the cares and anxieties. He wants you to be overwhelmed with the cares and anxieties. He wants you to be overwhelmed with your pain or with your suffering or with your temptations.

He wants you to feel overwhelmed when He's roaring at you. He's looking for that weakness that He may devour you. But notice what he says, resist him steadfast in the faith. How do you resist the devil? You don't resist the devil by going up to him and saying bring it on devil.

You don't go up to the devil and resist him by actually taking a physical stance against him, he tells us clearly how to do it. Resist him, steadfast in the faith. That's how Christian could walk right through that pathway with the lions roaring on either side of him. How do you resist the devil steadfast in the faith? Think about this just for a moment of the of the abilities that the devil does still have to cause pain and troubles.

God can give permission and does give permission to the devil to harm you in some form or fashion. Job's boils still hurt though the devil was bound or restrained. He lost all of his children though Satan was restrained. He lost all of his possessions though Satan was restrained. He had the delightful experience of sitting down with three friends that were not so encouraging even though Satan was restrained.

But what did God tell Satan? You cannot touch his life. He can do all kinds of things, but he's bound and restrained in that area. The devil has no control over your life because you're a believer and by faith the steadfastness of our faith is how we resist the devil and his temptations. Think about what Peter or what Jesus said to Peter again.

Indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. He can sift you. But notice this great encouraging news. But I have prayed for you. But I have prayed for you.

Think about what Peter says earlier in chapter 1. He says, In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials that the genuineness of your faith being much more precious than gold. God allows the devil to do these things so that it will work out the genuineness of your faith Because it's more precious than gold. What's precious to us is an easy life. We like comfort.

We like the ease of things. What God is concerned about is the genuineness of your faith. The purity of your faith is more precious than gold. The proving, the purifying, and the preserving of your faith is no small matter with the Lord. And he can use the devil to bring that about.

He did it in Job's life. Because Job at the end of the book, as you all know, he says, Job says, I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear but now my eyes see you that's where God wants to bring you he wants you to see the Lord he the devil wants to terrify you by the sufferings and the threats but God just wants to test your fate to make it pure. In closing out, he encourages them to know that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. You're not alone in this. And then he says this, somewhat of a prayer or benediction.

Peter says in verse 10, but may the God of all grace who called us by his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you have suffered a while perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Never forget that this God who holds the devil's leash is the same God who cares for you and who is the God of all grace. All that he does in your life is for your eternal good.

I know that you've doubted the goodness of God before. Perhaps you've doubted the wisdom of God. Your circumstances seem so chaotic you think, how could God be doing anything in this? There are things that you must settle in your heart. No matter what storms may blow, God is good.

God cares for you. God is faithful. These things you must establish in your heart and it won't matter what winds blow. You will find that God is always faithful. You must know that whatever God brings and uses in my life, no matter the difficulty, that it is for my eternal good.

Listen to how he describes him, but may the God of all grace who called us to his eternal glory he has called us to his eternal glory he who did not spare his own son how will he not also with him freely give us all things know those things establish them in your heart and the end will be this, you will receive the grace of God. You will be, he says, perfected, established, strengthened, and settled and through that to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Amen. Let's pray.

Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your Word. It instructs us. It helps us Lord. It recalibrates our wayward thinking. When we experience difficulties Lord your Word brings us right back to center.

Oh God there are those here right now who I know are experiencing difficulties and struggles and temptations. And Lord, they may be doubting your goodness, they may be doubting your wisdom, they may even doubt your ability. But Lord, I pray, oh God, I pray that through this you will perfect and establish and strengthen and settle them that they will stand steadfast in the faith and not allow that chained roaring lion to devour them. Oh God give us the grace to believe what you have said. In Jesus name, amen.

You are dismissed.