Lesson 79
Study of First Peter Chapter
5
1 Peter 5:9
Resist him, steadfast by means of faith
- your unbending related to the
Word of God, inflexible with the essentials of truth therefore your confident,
unyielding in the face of the roaring lion, that test your facing
knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished
by your brethren who are in the world.
- no matter how tough or dark
your situation seems at the moment know that your not alone, others have faced
and are facing the same kinds of tests
The bottom line Peter is
emphasizing that the suffering and tests that we endure in life have a purpose
in bringing us to the goal of maturity & producing divine good that will be
rewarded at the JSC.
What Peter is saying is look other believers in the other
churches in the 5 provinces who also live in the kosmos, the devil's world are
experiencing these same kinds of tests and suffering.
Point he is making is that your situation is not unique
and when he says knowing this should be an encouragement to them to faith-rest
the situation and not to soul faint rejecting truth.
5:9 Resist him,
steadfast by means of faith knowing from experience that the same sufferings
are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
Summary
1. Resisting the
onslaught of the roaring lion, our adversary, is only accomplished by using the
spiritual weapons provided. 2 Cor 10:3-4
2. Our mental
attitude while facing the attack of Satan, his opposition, is to not panic or fall apart
but to with firm resistance. Jas 4:7;
Eph 6:11-13
3. If we have
followed the commands of the flow of the context we will be prepared to resist,
to stand against whatever he should throw our way in
an attempt to neutralize our use of divine viewpoint.
4. Satan's victory
comes when we panic and react in the face of the suffering and tests of life.
5. The advancing
believer who applies BD in his/her life is in effect limiting Satan's impact
and influence not only in their life but also in the world.
6. The challenge
of f2 living for the advancing believer is to convert the DOA's provided by grace into capitol gains, that is
blessing in time and eternity that results from application of those DOA's.
7. An important
morale and confidence booster is the knowledge that other believers are also
facing the same kinds of tests, types of tough situations as you and are
passing them!
- What we find here with Peter as we
have in other studies is that God has by His grace provided what is needed to
deal with and face the toughest of tests in life if we will use them.
And after you have suffered
for a little while, Peter
sets up the circumstances surrounding the promises coming up
- for
a little while = an adverb of time (ovli,goj) same use as in 1:6b; what Peter is saying is that the suffering
faced in life is short compared to f3.
the God of
all grace, all grace = genitive of description; Says
that God is a God of every grace in His dealing with man
- from saving, living,
dying, and for f3
who called you the means of calling is through the gospel
message, we as were those addressed here persuaded by that message of its
truthfulness and believed in Christ becoming a part of the family of God, sons!
to His eternal glory in Christ, prep (eivj) + accusative puts the emphasis on purpose; that He
called you is for the purpose of His glory!
Peter is
saying that our motivation when facing the suffering or tests of life that we
should do so with the view that our
decisions in dealing with them has an impact on the future that is at the
revelation of His glory which brings
us to a reference to the rapture and the subsequent JSC.
His point here is that all this is available to us because
we are in Christ
Now the promise: will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
- These 4 verbs (main verbs) describe God's promise to
the advancing believer
who patiently endures under the suffering and testing your facing.
- Subject of these verbs is (auvto,j) 3rd masc. sg. pronoun He, Himself = God will
Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
#1. perfect (katarti,zw) to put in
order, to restore, to equip
Its
uses: 1) to mend fishing nets - Mat 4:21; Mark
2)
to aid others in spiritual restoration - Gal 6:1
3) 1 Ths 1:10 - Paul's desire
to be face to face so that he might complete what is lacking, the deficiencies
in their faith
4) Heb 3:21 - that the believer be equipped for every
good work
The
emphasis of katartidzo here as well as in Heb 13:21 is on the process of equipping and preparing the believer to
attain the goal of life set before us.
So the sense of perfect is
to equip, fully prepared for the exigencies of life!
#2. confirm, (sthri,zw) to fix firmly, to establish
securely, to support as a buttress of a wall
Uses:
1) That the believer would be fortified, established firmly in truth of the
word - Jas 5:8; 1 Ths 3:2; 2 Ths
2:17; 2 Pet
2) 1 Ths 3:13; having a solid f/o/r being established
firmly with truth is the means being blameless, irreprehensible at His coming.
3) 2 Ths 3:3 used in regard to the promise of
support to withstand "the evil one" - Satan
Instead
of confirm would translate here to establish firmly; the idea being that the
God of all grace will provide via consistent intake of truth the DVPT needed
for support in the devil's world.
#3. strengthen (sqeno,w) only used here; to strengthen or make strong
#4. establish (qemelio,w) to make a
foundation, to ground firmly, securely
Found
in Matt 7:25 in the parable of the man who built his house on the rock instead
of sand, so that he had a solid foundation also Luke 6:48
Corrected Translation following the Greek word order:
5:10 Moreover, the
God of all grace who has called you in Christ for the purpose of His eternal
glory after you have suffered for a short time He Himself will equip you
completely, will establish you firmly, will strengthen you, will ground you
firmly, securely.