All right, well good morning to everyone. Beautiful day. We're coming to the end today of our study of 1 Peter, this wonderful epistle. In our text this morning, we come to Peter's closing remarks at the end of this letter. The words are really a summary of all that Peter's been teaching us throughout this letter. He comes back to all the major themes that he's been expounding and encouraging the believers to persevere through suffering, knowing that God has a great purpose in making us like Christ through these things.

You know, we never know what's going to come. We never know the next day. I remember we left here last Sunday, and on Monday we had some issues on the farm. Some cows got loose. They were loose all week. We kind of fought that battle, and you know, you just don't know that on Sunday afternoon when you go home and everything's fine and it's working. It's that way for everyone. Everyone has suffering in this life. That's what Peter's been teaching us. Paul tells us that all who desire to live godly in this ungodly age will suffer persecution, and the people to who Peter's writing were suffering. They were experiencing persecution. So his intent in this letter has been to teach us how to persevere and trust God.

One of the most important messages of this letter is an exhortation to holy living as a part of our witness for Jesus Christ in this world. We saw that right away in chapter 1 after Peter explained to us who we are in Christ, what we have, and the great salvation God has given to us, the saving work that he has performed in us. Look back to 1 Peter 1 at verse 13. Those first 12 verses he's expounded, we'll look at that later, how great our salvation is and what we have, who we are in Christ. 

In verse 13 he says, "Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind." Remember that speaks of loose ends. Pull it all together in your mind. Be sober and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts as in your ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. For it is written, "Be holy for I am holy." 

If you go down to verse 22, he says, "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit and sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible through the Word of God which lives and abides forever." 

In chapter 2, Peter continues this theme at verse 11. He said, "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works which they observe glorify God in the day of visitation." 

We know that the major reason that God has left us in this world, according to Jesus' prayer in John 17, is that the world may know that Jesus is the Christ. We are here to be witnesses, to preach the saving message of the gospel to every creature, in order that men might hear and believe and be saved. This is God's will and purpose for His people on this earth in this time. 

And Peter explains that as we preach the gospel, the very power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, we also must live a life worthy of our calling. We must live such a good life among the pagans, he says, that they will see the saving transforming power of the gospel, that Jesus is truth, He is genuine, He is the only Savior. So a major message of this letter is holy living, coupled with the preaching of the gospel, as a witness in this world. 

And we see that the holy living is Christlikeness. This is why Peter gives us the greatest example of submission to the will of the Father, of suffering unjustly to accomplish the greatest good in the person and work of Jesus on the cross. He is our example of how to suffer, how to persevere, how to endure and trust God through unjust suffering and persecution, knowing that God is working out His perfect will. 

It really boils down to entrusting ourselves to God, no matter what trouble befalls us, no matter what trials we fall into, as James says, various many trials, we must entrust ourselves to God, knowing and believing that He does what is best for us and knows what we need. That is why in referring to suffering, we see Peter say again and again, "if need be, for a little while," "if it is the will of God," "if it is necessary," we trust that God knows when we need trials and struggles in our lives and how long these things must last in order to draw us to Him, to cause us to trust and believe Him, to depend on Him, that He might work in our lives to conform us to the likeness of Jesus and make us powerful witnesses in this world for His glory. 

Peter's going to come back to this great truth, this exhortation in our text today, in his closing comments. He's going to talk about suffering, he's going to talk about having an attitude of submission, about humbling ourselves, clothing ourselves in humility, he's going to encourage us to entrust ourselves to God, to cast all of our cares on Him because He cares for us, he's going to warn us, remind us of our adversary, a true and real threat, a formidable foe, and that it is only Jesus who can handle the devil. 

We must put on the Lord Jesus Christ, we must let the Lord rebuke our enemy. All of Peter's words point to trust, faith, dependence on God, an abiding relationship with Christ, and my friends, this is the way to a holy life, to live in consistency with who we are in Christ so that we might be witnesses and that we might bring glory to God, and again we will see that this is accomplished through sufferings, in the midst of sufferings. 

Let's look at our text, 1st Peter 5.5. Peter says, "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, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 

By Silvanus, 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, greet 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.

I've given you five points on your outline this morning. First, an attitude of submission. Second, humble yourselves. Third, He cares for you. Fourth, a formidable foe. And fifth, sanctification through suffering. 

Well, first, we see in our text an attitude of submission, and this is so important in such a major thrust of Peter's teaching in this letter. He's just exhorted the elders of the church to shepherd the flock of God. We talked about this last week. The primary role of the elders, the pastors of the church, is to oversee, to feed, to tend, to care for the flock. And the main way that the preacher can do this is by teaching the Word of God. This is the food that brings growth and nourishment to the flock. 

Now, in our text today, Peter says, "likewise, you younger people submit yourselves to your elders." It seems to me that in the context here, Peter is referring by the word elders to the overseers again, the office of elder or pastor. It may be that he's highlighting the younger people in their need to lay aside pride or self-will and submit themselves to the older ones in the fellowship, but I think he has in mind here with the word elder the same meaning as the use of the same word in the last verse, elders of the church. 

So first we see that it's necessary that we all have an attitude of submission toward the leadership of the church, and that really means hearing and obeying the Word of God. This authority exists in the framework of the Word of God only. This is a consistent message throughout the New Testament. Hebrews 13:7 says, "Remember those who rule over you who have spoken the Word of God to you, whose faith follow considering the outcome of their conduct." In verse 17, he says, "Obey those who rule over you and be submissive, listen to this, for they watch out for your souls as those who must give an account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you." 

In 1st Thess 5:12, Paul says, "We urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake, not for my ego or not to make me feel better or not for my salary, esteem them highly for their work's sake, because they're working, they're laboring in the Word and preaching and teaching and giving themselves in service for your sake, for your growth. Be at peace," he says, "among yourselves." 

Be submissive to the elders, for they watch out for your souls. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Whenever I look at that passage, it makes me think of that pastor I knew in Indiana who was having a division in his church over doctrine, and he had an office with a glass window there, and after he got done preaching, he went in that office and there were three men beating on the glass yelling at him. That's grief, right? Let him do so with joy. Let the man of God preach the Word and oversee the church with joy. 

This joy comes when the flock of God is eager and willing to hear and obey the truth of the Word of God. This is what Peter means when he says to be submissive, to come eagerly, to study, prepare, to seek to live a life worthy of your calling and be a witness, to listen attentively and receive the Word with gladness and to have a great desire by the grace of God to obey and entrust yourselves to God the Father. This is the desire of the pastor-teacher, if he's worth his salt, a growing, flourishing church being built up and strengthened, how? By the Word of God. And this comes by an attitude of submission. 

We've seen this message throughout the epistle. Go back to chapter 2 at verse 1. 1st Peter 2:1, "Therefore laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the Word that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 

Coming to him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men but chosen by God and precious, you also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame." 

Therefore to you who believe he is precious, but to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble being disobedient to the Word to which they also were appointed, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, who were once not a people but now are the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works which they observe glorify God in the day of visitation. You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people. Why? That you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, that you may be witnesses and bring God glory. And then Peter says this in verse 13, "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether as to the King Supreme or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good, for this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." 

Do you want to live out who you are, fulfill God's calling for your life? Do you want to be like Christ, holy, righteous, a witness to the world, evidence of the power of the gospel? Peter says submit yourselves. And then he spends the bulk of the rest of the book instructing us on an attitude of submission in society, in the workplace, in the home, and in the church. In every relationship we have in this world we are to be submissive to those in authority over us as Jesus gave us example, being submissive even to the point of death on the cross to accomplish the will of God, the salvation of our souls. 

An attitude of submission is key to a life of holiness and witness. And remember that an attitude of submission in the world is really an act of entrusting oneself to God. So Peter instructs the believers to have an attitude of submission in the church to those who oversee the flock and to have an attitude of submission toward one another. Look at what he says, "All of you be submissive to one another in the body." This is important. It seems so contrary to who we are, especially those of us who live in the UP, right? There's an attitude of rebellion. 

That's fine in some instances, especially if those in authority are telling you to do something to violate the word of God. But there are bigger issues at hand here. We are here to be witnesses. We are here to show the power of the gospel. We are to tell people about Jesus and we are to live a life that bolsters up and shows the genuine nature of our faith and of Christ's work in our lives. And submission to authority is the way to persevere through suffering. 

Next in our text, we see humble yourselves. Going along with this, verse 5, "likewise, you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. 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." 

Humility is the opposite of pride. The Bible says God hates pride because it is, in its essence, independence from Him. It is the thought that we can do it ourselves. Stand on our own two feet. I always think of Pastor Krenz's illustration, some of you remember that, about a man he'd been witnessing to and he was in the hospital and he was dying of cancer and he couldn't even lift his head anymore and he was laying in his bed and Pastor went to tell him about Jesus and the opportunity to believe him and be saved in this last hour. And the man said, "I can stand on my own two feet." That's the pride of man. How ironic. 

The essence of the Christian life is this, "without Him, I can do nothing." Again, the context of this letter is enduring, persevering through suffering in this life, a subject we all need to understand and master. The essence of the message is that we can persevere through trusting God and entrusting ourselves to Him. And this means being submissive to His will, His authority, His goodness, and His purpose. 

And this is manifest through submission to those in authority in my life and relationships in this world. It does not always feel right to submit myself. It is not always pleasant to submit to authority, but remember the example is Christ on the cross. That didn't seem right, that didn't feel right. It was the most horrific and excruciating injustice of all time, but God worked the greatest good through it. And in order for that to happen, there had to be trust, faith, submission to His will and purpose, and humility. 

This is the essence of humility. I do not know what is best. God knows what is best. I don't have any power to accomplish anything. Only by the grace of God can I do anything good and that only through faith, trust, entrusting myself, submitting myself to His will and His word, and fully depending on Him and His power in my life. This is the battle of the Christian life. It's not with sin per se, it's not being holy in the sense of living up to a set of rules or religious exercises. The battle of the Christian life is trusting God. 

The battle of the Christian life is depending on God, believing Him and His word, and fully committing my life and my will to His. Sometimes I don't know what's going on. Sometimes I don't understand what's happening in my life, in the world. But I have a promise, Mark read it this morning in Romans 8:28, God works all things together for the good of those who are the called, those who love Him. He's working all things together for our good. That doesn't mean that all things are good. Some things are very bad. But He works them for our good to grow us, to make us like Christ. 

We see this described by Jesus in John 15, turn to John 15 where Jesus teaches us about the Christian life and humility and submission and faith, John 15:1. Jesus says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing." 

If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples. 

We want to be fruit bearers. We want to bear fruit for His glory and as a witness in this world. This is why He made us His disciples. This is why He saved us and recreated us and empowered us and lives in us so that we might bear much fruit. So how does God intend to do this? Jesus gives us the illustration here. I've been noticing lately that the apple trees up by Ironwood and Bessemer are loaded this year. Little apples and the limbs are already hanging down, lots of fruit. 

How did that fruit come about? Did the branches go to work mustering up their best effort to make tasty, juicy apples? No, the branches were busy abiding in the vine, the tree. And when things thawed out in May this year and then it got hot as Texas there for a while, the life-giving nutrients began to flow up through the trunk of that tree and out through those branches. And they pushed out the buds and leaves came and flowers and day by day, moment by moment, those branches remained attached to the vine and the fruit was formed and began to grow. 

So many times, Christianity is a bunch of people running out and trying to tie apples on a tree. That's not how it works. This fall, you can go pick some of that fruit and have a tasty snack or you can fill a sack and give your dear friends a tasty snack. All that time, the branch abiding in the vine and slowly, surely, growth and fruit by the power and provision of the vine. 

If the branch did not remain in the vine, if it were somehow removed from the vine, then there would be no fruit for apart from the vine, the branch can do nothing but wither and die. Jesus says our life in Him is like this. He's the vine. We are the branches. We remain in Him. We stay attached to Him as we pray, as we study His Word to know Him more and grow in the grace and knowledge of God. As we need Him, as we seek Him, as we look to Him, He by His life and power provides abundance and fruit out and through us. 

Humility doesn't mean weakness. Philippians 2 says that Jesus humbled Himself, laid aside His divine prerogative, became a man, subjected Himself to the will of God to accomplish our salvation. Jesus also was meek. This does not mean weak, but power under control. The idea here of humility is a right estimation of oneself and a willingness to place yourself under the will and Word of God. 

Jesus said, "Without me, you can do nothing." This is just a fact. I'm helpless, impotent to do good, to glorify God, to be a witness. Without Jesus I am wholly dependent on the grace of God and the life of Christ in me to produce righteousness and fruit to make me like Him. We live by God's grace through faith. 

Look at Galatians 2 as Paul describes the Christ’s life, Galatians 2 at verse 18. He makes it pretty clear here, and you remember what was going on in Galatia. You had false teachers, Judaizers come in to tell them, yes, they needed to believe in Jesus, they needed to have faith, but they also needed to keep the law of Moses. They also needed to be circumcised. They also needed to participate in religious exercises in order to live the Christ’s life. We have the same thing in our mainline denominations today, a false gospel. 

Galatians 2:18, Paul says that he died to the law and he says in verse 18, "If I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor for I through the law died to the law in order that I might live to God." Here's how he describes the Christian life. "I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." 

"I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." The life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God. Christ lives in me. Paul goes on in chapter 3 to remind the Galatians who were falling into legalism that they had begun in the Spirit, they had begun by grace through faith and justification. Were they now being made perfect by the flesh? By keeping the law, by their own power, by their own works apart from Christ? 

Humility means I seek to make a right estimation of myself. That is my weakness, my inability apart from Christ and the grace of God. My need for fellowship, abiding, walking by faith. This right estimation is based on what God says in His Word. It also means that I'm dead to sin, that I'm dead to the law, that I'm alive to God and have the very power that raised Jesus from the dead working in me. I should expect to live a holy life because it is consistent with who I am because of what God has done in me. 

I seek to live in humility. I cast all my cares on God because He cares for me. I give them over to Him. Sometimes I try to take them back, but then I give them back to Him because I trust Him. I can trust Him as my Abba, Father. 

Verse 6 of our text, "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." This is so practical in our lives. All I can do is trust Him. All I can do is believe Him. Hebrews 10 says it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. That's God's hand of judgment. But I love it that I'm under the mighty hand of God, the hand of protection and provision and promise. 

I can come to Him on His throne and seek help in time of need. I can cast my cares upon Him, give them over to Him because I know He cares for me. He's my ever-present, faithful Father who always does what is right and has unlimited resources to accomplish His will. All-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, this is my Father. 

When things go wrong in this life, and they do every day it seems, and when God deems it necessary for a little while that I endure hardships to make me grow and be like Christ, I can trust Him. I can cast my cares upon Him. I can know that He will bring me through and accomplish His will as I abide in Him. This is the relationship that I have with my Papa God. What a joy and a solace and a privilege it is to know Him and to know His Son, Jesus Christ. 

And you know what else? He can handle my formidable foe as well. 

Verse 8, "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, establish, strengthen, and settle you." 

Because the Christian life is no cakewalk. It's not a let go and let God situation. It's what Paul calls agonizing, striving. We must be sober, vigilant. There's a battle. The struggle is real. But we must wage the war in the right place in the right way. And here's where our foe leads us astray, takes us captive with false teaching, false promises, false hope. 

So many today in Christianity have lost their way. They're out trying to fight the devil and bind the demons, and Satan has them all wrapped up in him, fearful of him. Sometimes I think that people are more frightened of the devil than they are of God. Our friend Satan is nothing for God. He created him. And when it's time, he'll say the word and cast him into the eternal lake of fire. 

We should know his ways. We should know the wiles of the devil. We should understand what a formidable foe he is, but we should let the Lord take care of Satan. He's not our business. Again I should be humble, I should make a right estimation of myself and my inability to deal with the devil. Michael the archangel thought that. And I'm no Michael the archangel, I'm fairly sure. 

What does the Bible say? Put on the full armor of God. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord rebuke you. And fast in the faith, Peter says, according to the truth, the word of God. I need to focus on Christ. Be serious, sober, vigilant, to know the truth, to abide in Christ, to watch out for the schemes of Satan and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ according to His Word. This is the way to deal with Him, to resist Him, to stand fast, only in the power of the Lord and His might. 

Notice verse 10 again in our text, "may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you." Because God has called us to what? To His eternal glory. 

I want you to remember how Peter started this epistle, look back in chapter 1 at verse 3. This is where our fellowship here gets its name, 1 Peter 1:3, listen to Peter's words describing our salvation, what God has called us to and how He will bring that to fruition. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 

This is for you, my brother and sister, if you believe Jesus, "to an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time." 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 that perishes though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love, though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

Peter says the same thing here at the end, God has called us, He keeps us, He sanctifies us, He will bring us to glory by His grace. Rejoice again through sufferings, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you. After you've suffered for a little while, it's through sufferings that these great truths become realities in our lives. 

And all of these words here in this verse are in the future tense. The words make you perfect are not the translation of the Greek word for "in," teleo, which means to perfect in the sense of to make spiritually mature and complete, but from a word meaning to fit or join together. The idea in the verb is adjustment, of putting of parts into right relationship and connection with one another. It's the same word translated perfecting in Ephesians 4:12 where it says the gifted servants of the Lord are given to the church for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry. 

The word was used of James and John, mending their nets, thus equipping them for service. God is working through sufferings to put all the necessary parts together to mend and equip us for service. He says He's going to establish us through sufferings. The word speaks of a solid foundation. Bingle comments on these two words. He says, "shall perfect that no defect remain in you, shall establish that nothing may shake you, shall strengthen that you may overcome every adverse force." 

This is God's work by His grace. The word "settle" is interesting. Wouldn't you like to be settled? You seen people settled in our world lately? Not so much settled, right? It has the idea also of setting on a firm foundation, but particularly that we would not be moved. 

All the things of this life can move us, shake us, unsettle us, but it's God's work, particularly through the means of suffering, to settle us in the midst of all these things. In the chaos of the world, in the questions and trials and tribulations, in the downright hopelessness of this world, we shall not be moved. 

Psalm 1, he says, "blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper." 

The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away, therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous, for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Like a tree planted by the waters, we shall not be moved. 

God is at work to settle, to establish, to strengthen us as He teaches us to trust Him, believe Him, abide in Him, whatever comes at us in this world. And Peter says, "to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." 

And we see his closing remarks. My friends, the message of this letter, the message of this letter is to entrust ourselves to God, to cast all of our cares upon Him knowing that He cares for us, to know that through sufferings, when it is necessary, God is conforming us to the likeness of Christ, making us like Him, bringing men to faith and glory to Himself. And this is the greatest good. This is the greatest desire of our hearts and the greatest privilege of our lives. 

We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. I can tell you pretty sure my head equipment is going to break, probably tomorrow, pretty sure of that. But we don't know what trouble is coming, it doesn't matter. What matters is that we learn to trust Him, that we set our hope fully on His grace and trust Him. Trust Him, my brothers and sisters. He's in control, He's working it out, He's drawing you close to Himself, even through sufferings. He's making you like Christ so that you might be holy, that you might be effective as His witness in this world. Let's close in prayer.

Father, we thank You for this great letter from Peter, and we know that he had a life of ups and downs and sufferings and even was crucified for his faith. Help us to heed his words, to entrust ourselves to You, to know what it is to abide in You, to love You, to love men, to be faithful. We know that this is only by Your grace and power. Help us to look to You. We love You, in Jesus' name. Amen.