Embracing Humility, Sobriety, and Resistance in Faith
Summary
### Summary
I am grateful to be here today and have thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of our worship experience. I want to extend my thanks to Elder Sherrod for allowing me to speak from his pulpit and to Sister Sherrod for the introduction. Let's also give a big hand to Sister McFarland for her contributions. The music today has been exceptional, almost reminiscent of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. It's good to be among the seniors, who often say that as you age, everything hurts, and what doesn't hurt doesn't work.
Let's bow our heads in prayer. Eternal Father, we ask for the anointing of Your Spirit and the power of the Holy Ghost to bless the preached word about the living word through the spoken word. Amen. Today, I will be reading from 1 Peter 5:5-11. These verses provide specific exhortations for church members who may soon face persecution. Persecution can either cause growth or bitterness in the Christian life, and our response to it determines the results. Both character and conduct are expected to be above reproach.
Peter's exhortations focus on three main issues: humility, sobriety, and resistance to the adversary. Our theme today is submission, and the sermon title is "Lead Me On to Be." The first matter Peter addresses is humility. Humility is crucial in our relationships with both fellow believers and with God. It means making oneself low, bringing oneself down, and submitting. Humility is the opposite of pride, which gets us nowhere. Total reliance on God with a humble spirit is our great need.
Pride manifests itself in at least four ways: pride of dress, pride of intellect, pride of prosperity, and spiritual pride. Pride of dress is seen in unhelpful, immodest, and expensive attire. Pride of intellect involves boasting about one's education and degrees. Pride of prosperity can mar one's character through wealth and success. Spiritual pride is the most offensive to God and dangerous to the human soul. Lucifer was evicted from heaven because of pride, not because of other sins like murder or adultery.
The second exhortation is to be sober. The original word for sober means to drink no wine, but it also implies being steady, calm, and of a sound mind. Intellectual and spiritual sobriety and balance are essential. Being sober means exercising self-control and making sound decisions.
The third exhortation is to resist the adversary, the devil. Satan has a long-range strategic plan to deceive us. He aims to trick us with worldliness, lust, indulgence of appetite, and base passions. In Atlanta, for example, sex trafficking is a significant issue. Satan also tries to convince ministers to tell people that they don't have to keep the commandments. He encourages people to keep their money in their pockets and cheat on their stewardship. He wants us to believe that the requirements of Christ are less strict now than when we first believed.
When we allow God to lead us to be humble, sober, and resist the adversary, He promises to establish, strengthen, confirm, and restore us. John 14 speaks of a place with many mansions that Jesus has prepared for us. Revelation 24 describes the New Jerusalem, a great city with 12 gates and 12 foundations. The city is 1,500 miles high, with 528,000 floors. Utilities are free, and there is no need for services like Xfinity or Verizon.
Heaven is a wonderful place filled with glory and grace. I want to see my Savior's face. Let us pray for the grace and power to internalize and experience what Peter mentioned: to be humble, to be sober, and to resist the adversary. In Jesus' name, Amen.
### Key Takeaways
1. Humility in Relationships: Humility is essential in our relationships with both fellow believers and with God. It means making oneself low, bringing oneself down, and submitting. This humility is based on recognizing God's unique power and greatness, who will reward the saints in due time. Pride, on the other hand, gets us nowhere and is not the solution to our challenges. Total reliance on God with a humble spirit is our great need. [08:05]
2. Manifestations of Pride: Pride manifests itself in at least four ways: pride of dress, pride of intellect, pride of prosperity, and spiritual pride. Each form of pride is detrimental to our spiritual growth and relationship with God. For instance, pride of dress can lead to immodesty and awaken base passions, while pride of intellect can make us boastful about our education and achievements. Spiritual pride is the most offensive to God and dangerous to the human soul. [12:18]
3. Sobriety and Self-Control: Being sober means more than just abstaining from wine; it involves being steady, calm, and of a sound mind. Intellectual and spiritual sobriety and balance are crucial. Being sober means exercising self-control and making sound decisions. It is about feeding our minds with present truth and our bodies with healthy, plant-based foods. [14:23]
4. Resisting the Adversary: Satan has a long-range strategic plan to deceive us. He aims to trick us with worldliness, lust, indulgence of appetite, and base passions. He also tries to convince ministers to tell people that they don't have to keep the commandments. He encourages people to keep their money in their pockets and cheat on their stewardship. We must resist these snares and remain firm in our faith. [18:52]
5. Heavenly Promises: When we allow God to lead us to be humble, sober, and resist the adversary, He promises to establish, strengthen, confirm, and restore us. John 14 speaks of a place with many mansions that Jesus has prepared for us. Revelation 24 describes the New Jerusalem, a great city with 12 gates and 12 foundations. Heaven is a wonderful place filled with glory and grace, and we should strive to be there. [23:50]
### Youtube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[02:55] - Opening Prayer
[04:22] - Scripture Reading
[07:00] - Three Exhortations
[08:05] - Be Humble
[12:18] - Manifestations of Pride
[13:28] - Be Sober
[14:23] - Intellectual and Spiritual Sobriety
[15:29] - Resist the Adversary
[18:52] - Satan's Strategic Plan
[20:08] - God's Promises
[21:24] - Description of Heaven
[23:50] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1 Peter 5:5-11 (KJV)
#### Observation Questions
1. What are the three main exhortations Peter gives to the church members in 1 Peter 5:5-11? ([07:00])
2. How does Peter describe humility in our relationships with fellow believers and with God? ([08:05])
3. What are the four manifestations of pride mentioned in the sermon? ([10:33])
4. According to the sermon, what does it mean to be sober, and why is it important? ([13:28])
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why does Peter emphasize humility as a crucial aspect of our relationship with God and others? How does this humility reflect our reliance on God? ([08:05])
2. How can the different forms of pride (dress, intellect, prosperity, spiritual) affect our spiritual growth and relationship with God? ([10:33])
3. What does it mean to resist the adversary, and what are some of the strategies Satan uses to deceive believers? ([15:29])
4. How do the promises of God in 1 Peter 5:10-11 provide hope and encouragement for believers facing persecution or trials? ([20:08])
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own life. Are there areas where pride might be affecting your relationship with God or others? How can you practice humility in those areas? ([08:05])
2. The sermon mentioned the importance of sobriety and self-control. What are some practical steps you can take to maintain intellectual and spiritual sobriety in your daily life? ([13:28])
3. Satan's strategies include worldliness, lust, and indulgence of appetite. Are there specific temptations you face that align with these strategies? How can you resist them? ([15:29])
4. The sermon highlighted the importance of stewardship and giving. How can you ensure that you are being faithful in your financial stewardship and not "cheating on your stewardship"? ([17:44])
5. The description of heaven in the sermon was vivid and inspiring. How does the promise of heaven motivate you to live a life of humility, sobriety, and resistance to the adversary? ([21:24])
6. Think about a recent situation where you faced a challenge or trial. How did you respond, and how might you apply the principles of humility, sobriety, and resistance to the adversary in similar future situations? ([20:08])
7. The sermon mentioned the importance of feeding our minds with present truth and our bodies with healthy, plant-based foods. What changes can you make in your diet and spiritual intake to align with this advice? ([14:23])
Devotional
Day 1: Humility in Relationships
Humility is essential in our relationships with both fellow believers and with God. It means making oneself low, bringing oneself down, and submitting. This humility is based on recognizing God's unique power and greatness, who will reward the saints in due time. Pride, on the other hand, gets us nowhere and is not the solution to our challenges. Total reliance on God with a humble spirit is our great need. [08:05]
1 Peter 5:5-6 (ESV): "Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you."
Reflection: Think of a relationship in your life where pride has created distance or conflict. How can you practice humility in that relationship today?
Day 2: Manifestations of Pride
Pride manifests itself in at least four ways: pride of dress, pride of intellect, pride of prosperity, and spiritual pride. Each form of pride is detrimental to our spiritual growth and relationship with God. For instance, pride of dress can lead to immodesty and awaken base passions, while pride of intellect can make us boastful about our education and achievements. Spiritual pride is the most offensive to God and dangerous to the human soul. [12:18]
Proverbs 16:18-19 (ESV): "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud."
Reflection: Identify one area in your life where pride has taken root. What steps can you take to replace that pride with humility?
Day 3: Sobriety and Self-Control
Being sober means more than just abstaining from wine; it involves being steady, calm, and of a sound mind. Intellectual and spiritual sobriety and balance are crucial. Being sober means exercising self-control and making sound decisions. It is about feeding our minds with present truth and our bodies with healthy, plant-based foods. [14:23]
1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 (ESV): "So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation."
Reflection: In what areas of your life do you struggle with self-control? How can you practice sobriety and balance in those areas today?
Day 4: Resisting the Adversary
Satan has a long-range strategic plan to deceive us. He aims to trick us with worldliness, lust, indulgence of appetite, and base passions. He also tries to convince ministers to tell people that they don't have to keep the commandments. He encourages people to keep their money in their pockets and cheat on their stewardship. We must resist these snares and remain firm in our faith. [18:52]
James 4:7-8 (ESV): "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
Reflection: What temptations are you currently facing that you need to resist? How can you draw near to God to find the strength to resist these temptations?
Day 5: Heavenly Promises
When we allow God to lead us to be humble, sober, and resist the adversary, He promises to establish, strengthen, confirm, and restore us. John 14 speaks of a place with many mansions that Jesus has prepared for us. Revelation 24 describes the New Jerusalem, a great city with 12 gates and 12 foundations. Heaven is a wonderful place filled with glory and grace, and we should strive to be there. [23:50]
Revelation 21:2-4 (ESV): "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'"
Reflection: How does the promise of heaven influence your daily life and decisions? What can you do today to live in a way that reflects your hope in God's promises?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "Be calm in your spirit. So intellectual and sober, spiritual sobriety and balance. Be of a sound mind. And exercise self-control. That's being sober. Lord, lead me to be sober, to think right, to reason well, to weigh issues correctly, to exercise free will in decision-making. I'm in with sober." [14:23]
2. "I did a little research, and I found out that Atlanta area, in one of the 14 most popular cities in the country, for base passions, sex trafficking. Right here in Atlanta. And the devil said, then he put on his psychological hat, he said, if we can get them with this, it will diminish their capacity to discern truth from evil. Base passions." [16:35]
3. "I remember my granddaughters singing in cyber school, heaven is a wonderful place filled with glory and grace. I want to see my Savior's face. Heaven is a wonderful place. I want to go there." [23:50]
4. "I'm glad to be here. I've thoroughly appreciated every aspect of my worship experience here. Elder Sherrod, thanks for allowing me to be in your pulpit today. Sister Sherrod, thank you for the introduction. let's give Sister McFarland a big hand for what she's done for us. And I love the music, all of the music. This group behind me sound almost like the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. They got something going on here." [02:55]
### Quotes for Members
1. "Humility is important in both situations. Humble in the original language means to make low, to bring down, to abase, to cast down, to submit. Don't feel like you are more important than you really are. This humility is based on the recognition of the unique power and greatness of God, who in due time will come to reward the saints. Humility is the opposite of pride. Pride gets you nowhere. It is not the solution to what we are facing in the 21st century. Total reliance, total reliance on God with the humble spirit is our great need." [08:05]
2. "According to the spirit of prophecy, pride manifests itself in at least four ways. You might want to write these down. The first is pride of dress. Pride of what? I'm not going to give you a sermon on dress reform, but dress pride is seen in the attire that is worn, but the attire is unhelpful. Unhelpful, immodest, and expensive. I'm quoting. It encourages lust in the heart of the wearer, and it awakens base passions in the heart of the onlooker. That's volume four, page 634. How we dress is an index to our character." [10:33]
3. "The second manifestation of pride is in pride of interest. Guide to your intellect. This should be entirely banished according to Acts of the Apostles, page 240. Where you went to school, how many degrees you have, is not nearly as important as being humble before the mighty hand of God. Thirdly, there is pride of prosperity. I was really shaken up when I read this. Sometimes the fine gold of character is dimmed. and marred by wealth and prosperity. In fact, prosperity is a peril to humanity and spirituality. You read that in Acts of the Apostles, page 240." [10:33]
4. "We have been reminded that there is nothing, nothing so offensive to God, all so dangerous to the human soul as pride. I'm further quoting. Of all sins, of all sins, That's Christ's Optic Lessons 154. I call it stinking thinking. Lucifer was evicted from heaven because of pride. Pride, not because of Sabbath violations, not because of homicide or murder, not because of adultery, not because of white-collar crime embezzling tithes and offerings up there, but pride." [12:18]
5. "When we allow him to lead us to be humble, when we allow him to lead us to be sober, when we allow him to lead us to resist the adversary, he has that waiting for us." [23:50]
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