Author: Athol Barnes

As we stand on the brink of a new year, I want to spend the next two weeks focusing on the prospect of changes that we all will be facing in the coming year.

Changes can be likened to doorways. Sometimes doors open to us, and we have the choice to step through them into a life change. It may be a new relationship or a job, or even a new home. Some people will graduate or receive a promotion. Others will retire. New doors can be stressful yet exciting, filled with potential. 

When we as believers face a new doorway, we must have faith to step into the unknown.

Jesus described himself as the door in John 10:1-13. From this passage, we see that Jesus is the only door to eternal life, Jesus is the key to abundant everyday life, and Jesus is our Good Shepherd when we face life-altering doors.

Jesus is the only Door to Eternal Life

In John 10, Jesus declares that he is the only way of salvation; he is the only door to a relationship with God, sadly this doctrine is not widely believed in many Christian circles. A recent survey of 3100 people who claim to be born again Christians found that only 25% believed in the exclusivity of Christ for salvation.

I want to categorically state today that as long as I am called by God to preach the Word of God, I will hold to the truth that Jesus is the only way of salvation. If Jesus was not the only way of salvation, there would be no point in proclaiming the Gospel; it would be irrelevant. Jesus makes the statement in John 10 verse 9 that he is the way of salvation. There are several other verses in the Bible that explicitly declare that Jesus is the only way of salvation (see John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1 Timothy 2:5).

No other religion has a god who did what Jesus did. Jesus is the only savior who stepped down from his throne in heaven and paid the price for our salvation by giving his life as a ransom for our sins. We don’t have to do anything to earn salvation, and we cannot add to our salvation.

Jesus is the Key to Abundant Life in the Daily Doors of Life 

Once we have established that Jesus is the only door to eternal life, how does this knowledge affect our day to day lives in 2025?

Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Jesus came not only to save us but that we may have abundant life. This abundant life begins when we are truly born again and begin our relationship with our Creator.

This abundant life is not exempt from the trials and pain of life; rather, it is a life of peace with God, a life that lives to glorify God and enjoy His presence even in the midst of suffering.

To live this abundant life, we have many daily choices to make. Little choices that either lead to life or produce a slow death in us. Every day we are faced with new doorways as decisions are presented to us.

Doorways of Distraction

There are doorways of distraction: spending hours on social media, online browsing, watching hours of TV, listening to unhelpful podcasts, or the distraction of pornography. These doorways lead to a slow death in us, not eternally speaking, but a numbing of the mind and soul. I challenge you this year to make a radical decision to change what you are feeding on. When you decide what to watch, read, listen to, and consume, ask yourself: is it producing life or death in your heart and mind?

Doorways to Transformation

We have the choice every day to open the doorway to things that are life giving and supernatural. This doorway is opening the Word of God and prayerfully allowing the power of the Word of God to transform our life.

Doorways to Relationship

Then there is the doorway to spending time with another believer, encouraging and being encouraged. There are many doorways of relationships within the Body of Christ that lead to life.

Doorways to Blessing

We are also daily presented with doorways to bless our neighbors. Simply being available to help someone in need as that doorway presents itself and we take a step of faith.

Every day we are faced with doorways that lead to life and other doorways that lead to death. Determine today to live to glorify God by your decisions.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd in the Big Doors of Life 

Every one of us will also face significant doors in 2025, doors that have life-altering implications. Some will have to make significant decisions regarding careers, relationships, relocation, and other life-changing choices.

For every life-changing door we face, we need to know the will of God for our lives. Jesus said in John 10:4, “When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

As followers of Jesus, we have the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives; He is our counselor. We also have the Word of God that speaks to us. The only way to know the voice of the Good Shepherd is to spend time in his presence, reading the Bible and waiting on him in prayer.

This is why those daily doorways are so important because when you are faced with the significant doorways, you will know the voice of the Good Shepherd. You will know what to do (see Isaiah 30:21).

Sometimes those doorways present themselves suddenly, and we must decide quickly. When that time comes, we need to know the voice of the Lord.

This is walking by faith, looking to Jesus and waiting on him (see Psalm 32:8). When we walk by faith, we’ll see every doorway in light of eternity, believing that the Lord has gone before us and that His plans for us will accomplish our good and for His glory.

There is no downside to going through a door by faith that the Lord has opened.

What doorways are you looking at in 2025? Determine today to begin preparing for that doorway that might present itself. Daily wait on the Lord, listening to his voice, so that when he speaks and opens a door, you will be able to respond in faith.

My wife, Debbie, will readily tell you that I am really bad at waiting. Just watch me at a checkout in the grocery store.

Waiting is seldom humorous. Some of the greatest pain we face in life is because we are waiting. Waiting for dreams to be fulfilled, waiting for God to break through and answer our prayers, waiting for healing or reconciliation.

But God is never in a rush, and we struggle with that at times, don’t we?

Two thousand years ago, the people of Israel were in a period of waiting. They had been promised a Messiah who would redeem them from their oppression and bondage. They had waited through the judges. Waited through the kings. Waited through the prophets. And now, they found themselves waiting through silence.

As hopeless as the situation seemed to be, God was at work. He was orchestrating all of human history to culminate in this one pivotal moment in time—the birth of Jesus.

As difficult as the process may be, there is purpose in waiting. In the space between our hopes and their fulfillment, we have the opportunity to encounter the presence and power of God.

Through Simeon’s Eyes 

In Luke 2:25, we meet an old man by the name of Simeon. Like Anna, Zacharias, and Elizabeth, he was part of a faithful Jewish remnant who were anxiously waiting for the long-prophesied Messiah.

Luke describes Simeon as a man who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (see verse 25). The “consolation of Israel” means the comfort of Israel or the fulfilment of the prophecies. Simeon longed to see God fulfill His promise of a Redeemer.

Simeon’s Solace

On one seemingly ordinary day at the temple, this old man’s prayers were suddenly answered, but not in the way he would have expected. There was no sweeping move of God, no mighty army from heaven, no victorious liberator. God answered his prayers with a weak baby. We must always remember that salvation is found in a person, not in words spoken or religious duty performed. Salvation will always be realized through a relationship with the person of Jesus. 

God had promised Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Lord Christ (see verse 26). It is crucial that each of us, like Simeon, meets the savior before we see death. 

Simeon’s Strength

Luke describes Simeon as a man who was righteous and devout (see verse 25). He was in right standing with God. From what we know, he was neither a priest nor a religious leader, but he was devout in his personal spiritual disciplines. God had favor on him and showed him the Christ child.

Verse 25 ends with a little glimpse of the source of Simeon’s righteousness, saying that “the Holy Spirit was upon him.”The Holy Spirit was Simeon’s source of strength to wait in righteous devotion. When we are waiting, we need the presence of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us.

Simeon’s Song

Simeon took this baby in his arms and began singing. Mary and Joseph must have been a little confused, maybe a little concerned, as a strange old man picked up their baby.

In verse 34, Simeon blesses Mary and Joseph but not Jesus. Jesus didn’t need the blessing of man; he came to be a blessing. Simeon knew exactly who Jesus was saying, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed” (Luke 2:34b).

The promised Messiah had come. Simeon had been waiting a long time, and finally, the light of the world had come. Simeon’s immediate response was to worship, declaring through song who Jesus is and what he had come to do. We are also waiting for Jesus to come again. In fact, all of creation is waiting for Jesus to return in glory (see Romans 8:22-23).

We are a waiting people, but we are not without hope. God is faithful to His promises. Just as He fulfilled His promises to Simeon, so He will fulfill His promises to us. We can wait because we trust in His promises.

Through Our Own Eyes 

What are you waiting for?

• Healing?
• A family member to come to Christ?
• Financial breakthrough?
• To be married?
• To have children?

Waiting is part of the human experience – we cannot avoid it. But God is in the waiting; there is not a moment of waiting that God doesn’t use for His glory and our good if we allow it. And there is not a waiting place where His presence cannot strengthen us.

Our nature is to yearn for things and people and situations so much that we make an idol out of them, thinking they will bring us what we need. We take our eyes off the Lord and betray our trust in Him, putting it in those things instead—that’s idolatry. But nothing outside of Jesus will never fully satisfy us. Sometimes God, in His mercy, makes us wait until the thing we are waiting for is no longer an idol.

God is in the waiting, preparing us, refining us, sanctifying us.

As we celebrate Christmas this week, the fulfillment of God’s promise of Salvation, I urge you to consider, what are you waiting on the Lord for? Are you leaning on His presence to strengthen and sustain you as you wait? Do you believe that He—and only He—can supply your needs according to His riches in glory (see Philippians 4:19)?

Through Eternity’s Eyes

The Bible is full of promises for waiting people.

Psalm 27 is a psalm about waiting. It ends with “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14).

At first reading, it sounds like waiting is passive, a sitting around. But the Hebrew word “EL” translated as “for”, can also be translated as “upon” or “on”. The KJV translation reads, “wait on the Lord…”

When you wait on the Lord, you wait actively in belief that He will come through. You wait on Him as your source and your strength in the waiting. 

Psalm 27:4 invites us to seek the Lord and know His presence as we wait.

“One thing have I asked of the Lord,
     that will I seek after:
 that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
     all the days of my life,
 to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
     and to inquire in his temple”.

David found the secret of waiting in the presence of the Lord, worshipping Him and praising Him. You and I are invited to wait on the Lord in prayer. God promises to meet us and comfort us in our waiting.

As believers, we do not wait without hope. No matter what we are waiting for—and what answer He gives—we can always wait with confident expectation that our heavenly Father will give us good and perfect gifts in His time. We can enter His throne room with that confident expectation because we know and trust Him.

If you do not know the Lord, you will not be able to wait on Him, and you will not experience the satisfaction found in Him when your earthly desires go unmet.

God’s Word promises both strength and a blessing for those who wait on the Lord (see Isaiah 40:31 and 1 Corinthians 2:9). Do you believe that?

In the everyday reality of life, waiting is hard. We can grow discouraged and become despondent. Breakthrough might seem far off; God might seem distant. Many of you know that season; you might be there today.

Here is something that I will hold on to and proclaim as long as I live: no one who waits on the Lord will be disappointed. He will always do what He has promised. He will always work for our good and His glory. And He will always supply our deepest needs.

What are you waiting on the Lord for today?

Imagine you were tasked with the greatest announcement in all of History. Imagine that God put you in charge of making the announcement of the birth of Jesus, the promised Messiah. How would you go about it?

Today you might launch a mass media campaign, or a viral video series, maybe spend a lot of money on TV commercials. Obviously, none of these methods were available in the first century, but God used a very unlikely method all the same.

First God used ancient prophets who wrote and taught about a coming messiah. Most of them were alive around seven-hundred years before Jesus was born.

But then God is silent for four-hundred years, until a small group of shepherds have an angelic encounter that announces the birth of the Christ child. The shepherds seemed to be unlikely candidates for a world-altering announcement.

The shepherds heard the angel’s pronouncement and saw the host of angels singing—and they believed. As they believed, they responded in four ways to the incredible news they had heard.

The angel of the Lord made the message personal for them, saying in Luke 2:11, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

This child who was born was for them, it wasn’t a child who would be disconnected from their lives. By visiting the shepherds, the angel revealed the grace of God toward all of mankind. Shepherds were really outcasts in Israel, In fact their work not only made them ceremonially unclean, and it probably kept them away from the temple for weeks at a time so that they could not be made clean. God does not always call the rich and mighty; frequently He calls the poor and the lowly (see Luke 1:51-53).  

The shepherds got it, and they responded in faith in four ways:

1: They Believed

Now it may seem obvious that they would believe. They had just had an incredible supernatural encounter the likes of which very few humans have ever witnessed. But they had to believe the word of the angel.  

But what about us? I am sure none of you have seen a mighty host of angels, but there is a promise when we believe by the power of the Holy Spirit (see John 20:29).

Do you believe?

Believing always requires a response. There is always an action or a step of faith that follows belief. The shepherds responded.

2: They Obeyed (Luke 2:15).

In verse 15a we read, “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go…”

Notice that in verse 11, the angel didn’t tell them what to do, but rather it was an invitation. When Jesus is presented, there is always an invitation. And their faith compelled them to go and see the Christ. Even as a baby, he changed lives, and he is still changing lives today.

Some people have suggested that these shepherds were some distance away, it was not a simple task to find someone to take care of their sheep. But they worked it out, they were not going to miss this opportunity.

How often we are given opportunities to encounter the Lord, but we find it too inconvenient. We know we really should go to that prayer meeting, or that life group, but we feel a bit tired. It is just a little inconvenient. And so, we miss out on what may be a special time with the Body of Christ. When the Lord gives you an invitation, always respond even if it is inconvenient, maybe, especially if it is inconvenient!

This leads to the third response:

3: They Worshipped God (Luke 2:20).

The angels praised God at the beginning of creation, now they were praising God for the new creation. The birth of God’s rescue plan of salvation.

We know from the Old Testament that God’s glory was in the tabernacle and then in the temple, but God left the temple because of the nation’s sin. But now, God’s glory had returned. Emmanuel, “God with us”. God was in that stable in the person of a little baby.

The lowly manger became the Holy of Holies because Jesus was there. And the shepherds worshipped, they glorified God.

You cannot truly worship someone or something you don’t know. The Shepherds met Jesus and bowed before him. To truly worship God, it must flow out of a personal relationship (see John 4:23-24)

If you struggle to worship the Lord, may I suggest that it is because you have never really met him. And to clarify, I am not talking about being able to sing some songs. To worship God is to give Him the place of preeminence in your life.

And then finally, the fourth response:

4: They Testified (Luke 2:17-18).

For some reason in the 1^st century Roman law, shepherds were not allowed to testify in court. They were considered unreliable witnesses.

Again, if we had an important announcement, we would never pick people who have a bad reputation or no credibility. But God sees the heart and called these shepherds to be preachers of the Gospel. They had the honor of announcing the good news of the Messiah.

Telling others about Jesus is a privilege an honor. People who encounter Jesus, are compelled by the spirit of God to tell.

But this isn’t a one-off event. By the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Word of God, we have the invitation to encounter Jesus every day.

When you meet with Jesus, like the shepherds, people around you should see and know that you had a private meeting with the King of Kings. How often do you take advantage of the privilege to meet with Jesus?

Take a moment today, do a quick inventory and see how the Holy Spirit might be asking you to respond. If we are truthful, we could all respond more readily in obedience, in worship, and in witnessing.

How will you respond in faith today?

What is God inviting you to believe?

Last week we talked about what it means to believe in Jesus for salvation. To illustrate my point, I professed that I believed the chair could hold me, but if I didn’t act on that belief by stepping on the chair, no one would believe that I actually believed that (see Romans 10:9). Believing always requires a response, an action or a step of faith that follows belief. 

In Matthew 2, we read about a group of wise men who simply believed—and acted in response to that belief. 

Who Were the Wise Men?

To understand why the wise men’s active belief is significant, we first need to understand who they were.Our cultural and traditional Christmas scenes get two things wrong about the wise men, which are also called magi: 

1. The wise men did not arrive along with the shepherds. When they visited Jesus in Bethlehem, he was not a newborn, and Mary and Joseph were not living in a stable. Their visit likely occurred six to eighteen months after the birth of Jesus. 
2. The number of wise men. Though tradition says three, we do not actually know how many magi there were. From the three gifts listed in Matthew 2:11, many people have assumed there were three kings from the Orient, but this is not certain. What we do know is that when their caravan arrived in Jerusalem, there were enough of them to trouble the whole city.

In addition to these common misconceptions, it’s also important to understand that these wise men were not Jewish. They were Gentiles, outside the covenant people of God. By bringing these wise men to the feet of Jesus, God was revealing right from his birth that Jesus was the Savior of the whole world (see John 4:42).

Romans 15:12 says, “…The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 

What Did the Wise Men Do?

The magi responded in faith—to the sight of a star in the sky. They traveled for months, crossing thousands of miles of desert and mountain and harsh conditions, to see the “king of the Jews”, though they themselves weren’t Jews (see Matthew 2:2). 

Just consider the journey that the magi took. It was a huge undertaking to travel great distances 2000 years ago. There was no air travel or trains, no Holiday Inn Express, no Quick trip to buy a snack on the run. They had to plan and carry all their provisions. Journeys were dangerous, not to mention expensive. These men had to spend a huge sum of money to travel to a small insignificant town in Israel. 

What did the Wise Men Bring?

The wise men didn’t come empty handed. They brought gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These seem like strange gifts for a one-year old. Why not a car seat or changing table or some other culturally appropriate baby gift?

The gifts, though strange to us, were actually symbolically significant and probably provided the money for Mary and Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod. The gifts are also prophetic. The wise men knew what many people celebrating Christmas today don’t know—the purpose and the mission of the life of Jesus. 

• Gold: the precious metal represents that Jesus is the King
• Frankincense: the strong smelling fragrance indicates that as Jesus lived, the fragrance of his life impacted many with miracles and teaching (see 2 Corinthians 2:15). 
• Myrrh: the embalming substance used at burials was a prophetic declaration that Jesus came to give his life as a ransom for many. He came with the purpose of being a sacrifice for our sins. 

Why Did the Wise Men Do It?

Why did they make such a remarkable journey? Because they believed.

They had read the ancient Hebrew manuscripts; they were astronomers and scholars, who saw the signs and believed. What they saw in the sky lined up with what they read in the ancient texts. Scripture doesn’t tell us how exactly they knew that the star was “his star”; it just says that they followed it to worship him. 

We don’t know exactly what they saw. It was not a naturally occurring phenomenon. It was a light in the heavens that they noted and caused them to believe. 

Could it be that “the star” which the Magi saw, and which led them to a specific house, was the Shekinah glory of God? That same glory had led the children of Israel through the wilderness for 40 years as a pillar of fire and cloud.

When almost everyone in Israel missed the signs, these men from the East recognized the signs and believed. In faith, they responded by embarking on an arduous journey. They read, they noted, they saw, they believed, and they responded by moving into action. 

How do we respond?

Today, when God speaks, He speaks in different ways, primarily through His word and by His Spirit. But the Lord’s voice will never contradict His word. 

When God asks you to do something, how do you respond? 

Are you quick to respond, give your yes to the Lord and do what He calls you to do? That takes believing in His word and in His promises.

Maybe you, like most people, are too busy with the day to day, and you miss the signs, the call of God. 

God is still calling, inviting people today. When God directs, we are invited to respond. But in order to respond, we have to believe. 

Do you believe that God is able to provide for you where He sends you and what He calls you to do? Believing is intensely practical, 

Maybe you have never given your life to Jesus. Take that first step of believing that he is your savior today. 

Maybe you are facing a significant decision and you are not sure what to do. Or perhaps you do know what to do, but your belief is weak. 

What is God inviting you to believe today? And what action do you need to take to respond to that belief?

Click on the camera to view the full message video.

What does the word “believe” mean? The dictionary answers, “To consider to be true or honest, to accept the word or evidence of someone or something.” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/believe)

No Work Needed

By definition, a Christian is someone who believes on Jesus for righteousness. Romans 10:6-7 says, “But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”

These verses sound a bit confusing, but what Paul is saying is that there is nothing we need to do to earn our salvation. We don’t need to go anywhere or do anything. This is righteousness based on faith in the risen Lord Jesus. Faith in the truth of God’s word and the Gospel.

Our salvation is through faith in Jesus alone (see Ephesians 2:8).

Confess and Believe

How do we place our faith in Jesus?

Romans 10:9 tell us, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”

We have established that it takes faith to be saved. From this verse we see that there are two things that we have do: confess and believe.

Confess

To confess Jesus as Lord, we must first acknowledge our need for a Savior, turning from our sins and repenting of them (see Matthew 4:17 and Acts 2:38). We confess Jesus’s saving Lordship privately to him and publicly to others.

A new believer’s baptism is a public confession, a testimony to others. Baptism doesn’t save you, but it is a public declaration of what Jesus has already done in your life. This is why, before someone is baptized, we always have them confess before the congregation what Jesus has done in their life. There is power in our confession.

Believe

But believing is more than simply saying a few words. Anyone can say a sentence without believing it. Faith on Jesus is believing that he can save me from my sin and then trusting him for my salvation. There is a difference between believing in something and believing on something.

One can believe in the historical Jesus, the fact that a man was born and lived in Israel 2000 years ago, without believing that he is the Christ and the only way of salvation.

Believing is more than declaring; it is evidenced in how you live. When we truly believe on Jesus for salvation, it changes the way we live so that our decisions and lifestyle flow from a Christian perspective—what we would call a Biblical worldview (see John 8:31-32). 

We must believe that Jesus died in our place, but we must go further and trust him with our lives now and in eternity. We must believe on him for salvation and for our transformation.

Belief That Saves

Salvation is not based on giving verbal ascent to certain truths. Our salvation is based on fully trusting on Jesus, leaning on him, resting on his completed work—believing that Jesus has saved you and that he will save you. This is belief that saves.

We, by nature, believe in things and people all the time, but sometimes our belief is unfounded. The person or thing we believe in lets us down.

• We believe in our strength, until it is gone.
• We believe in our wealth, only to find it fleeting.
• We believe in our medical professionals, until they have no answers.
• We believe in our friends and family, until they desert us in hard times.
• We believe in our political leaders, only to find that they don’t share our values.
• We believe in our military, until our nation, like every great nation one history, crumbles.
• We believe in our intellect and learning, until we encounter a problem we cannot solve.

Ultimately, everything we believe in is fleeting. Only Jesus remains. He is the only eternal God, who can handle all of our problems and our cares (see 1 Peter 5:7).

Does your belief match your confession?

The Role of the Church

We have the truth, and we have our belief, but what is our responsibility as the church? 

Romans 10:14-15a says, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?”

Every day we interact with people who do not believe on Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Our role as the church is to declare the Gospel, to tell others about him. There is tremendous importance in speaking the truth of God’s word.

But why don’t we share the Gospel?

The excuses are plentiful, “I am not an evangelist”, “I am too shy”, “They might reject me”, “I might lose my job”, and many more.

However, may I suggest that the real reason that we don’t share the Gospel is that we don’t believe it?

If we truly believe that we are all eternal beings, destined for either heaven or hell, and that the only way to be saved—from suffering in hell and eternal separation from God—is to confess and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, then we would take every opportunity the Holy Spirit gives us to share this truth with those around us.

Do You Believe?

Are you living like you believe? Or are you living like a practical atheist? Professing to be a Christian, but in the practical issues of life—finances, career decisions, relationships, etc.—relying on your instincts, your intellect or even Google!

Do you trust Jesus in everyday life, or do you live as if he doesn’t even exist?

Do you believe the truth of the gospel enough to want to share it with others?

If you don’t believe on the name of Jesus for the every day life issues, then he is not Lord of your life, and it is an indication that you may not be not saved. 

Being a Christian is not coming to church, carrying a Bible or attending meetings; it is believing on the name of Jesus for everything. It is having a personal relationship with him that governs your every decision. And it is believing the good news of the gospel is so good you want others to believe it, too.

Do you believe? Have you confessed that belief?

No one is immune to suffering, but Christians have the hope of glory to look forward to in and through their suffering. If you are experiencing extended periods of hardship, you might struggle to hope in that future glory, but the promises of God’s Word do not fail. The apostle Peter knew that the early church was going to experience trials of persecution, and he wanted them to be prepared. As he ended his letter, Peter gave the church family three important instructions to obey so that they could glorify God in the difficulties to come

Be Humble (1 Peter 5:5-7)

Submitting to Elders

Peter exhorted the young people to submit to their elders in humility. A healthy church honors the voice of all generations. Submission requires humility (see v. 6). As we submit to God, we are to humbly submit to and prefer one another in love.

Clothing in Humility

Peter exhorts all of us to clothe ourselves in humility, the same humility that Jesus displayed as he walked the earth (see Philippians 2:6-8).

Pride is the root of all sin; therefore, humility is the most powerful weapon in our arsenal. Humility is not thinking poorly of ourselves; it is simply thinking of ourselves less and preferring others first.

Treating Our Pride

Verse 6 begins with the following phrase, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God…”   When God begins to do a powerful work in our lives that brings Him glory, sometimes we feel God’s mighty hand as a heavy weight. God allows us to feel the heavy weight of suffering, which is naturally humbling. Suffering can serve as a remedy for pride. 

Learning Patience

The glorious hope we have is the promise of the rest of that verse, “…so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (see v. 6b). The key, of course, is the phrase “at the proper time.”

The hardest part of suffering is learning patience. Our impatience is a remnant of pride that God is working out through suffering.

Giving Over Our Worries

God doesn’t simply put us under His heavy hand like a cruel master; He gives a promise in verse 7, “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Giving God our anxieties must come from the realization that we cannot handle them ourselves. God does not forcefully take our worries and our anxieties; He invites us to hand them over to Him in humility.

Holding on to our anxieties is prideful, and the heavy hand of God lovingly gets heavier until we release our burdens to Him.

When we are suffering, we struggle to believe what Peter says in verse 7—that He cares for us. We don’t trust that He is good. These are lies from Satan.

As we give Him our concerns, God promises to minister to us in four ways: 

(a) He gives us the courage to face our cares honestly and not run          away (Isaiah. 41:10).

(b) He gives us the wisdom to understand the situation (James 1:5).

(c) He gives us the strength to do what He has called us to do (Philippians. 4:13).

(d) He gives us the faith to trust Him to do the rest (Psalm. 37:5)

Be Watchful (1 Peter 5:8-9)

We have an enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy (see John 10:10). Peter writes, “be sober minded”. In other words, he wants us to think rightly about the situation we face. This is hard when we are suffering, but it is crucial. To have right thinking is to have God’s perspective, keeping His promises and the scope of eternity in view.

We give the enemy a foothold when we are not watchful. Satan devours by bad thinking: discouragement, hopelessness, pridefulness, and arrogance. These are just some of the tools that Satan uses when we don’t adopt sober mindedness.

Whatever God designs for good, Satan produces a counterfeit, and the fruit of the counterfeit is death. Be watchful.

One of Satan’s most effective tools is twisting the Scriptures. He knows the Bible, and he is a master at twisting the Word to deceive. This is why we need to be people who know the Word (see Psalm 119:105).

We are to be watchful, and, at the same time, resist the enemy,standing firm on the promises of the Word of God (1 Peter 5:9). We see this in the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus (see Ephesians 6:10-11). When we stand on the Word of God, we can stand firm.

Peter reminds his readers at the end of the verse, “you are not alone in this”; many believers around the world are wrestling with the same struggles.

Be Hopeful (1 Peter 5:10-11)

Peter ends the letter with the powerful and glorious conclusion about suffering: no matter how difficult the trial, we always have hope of a certain victory. Verse 10 reads, “When you have suffered a little while…” For some people, the suffering feels like it has lasted their whole lives.  But when seen in the light of eternity, it is just for a “little while” (see 2 Corinthians 4:17).

The reality for many is that the burden doesn’t feel light, and it certainly doesn’t seem to be momentary. So, does God lie in His Word? Not at all; God sees all of eternity. Someday we will see it from His perspective(see Romans 8:18).

 The Christian’s Hope in Trial

Our Heavenly Father is incredibly invested in developing our character in this life. He is intent on preparing the church as a bride for Christ by constantly refining and equipping us. His methods of building Christian character in us often involve suffering.

Peter used four words to underline the promise of God to all believers in verse 10:

He will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish His children.

This is the Christian’s glorious hope in times of Suffering!

In the year 304, Emperor Diocletian declared that he had destroyed the Christian church. Today over two billion people identify as Christians, and few people remember the emperor.

Over 200 years before Diocletian’s Great Persecution, Peter wrote to the early church to prepare them for extraordinary persecution. He warned them that even though persecution was coming, they would benefit from it.  

Over 365 million believers face intense persecution everyday in 2024, and I don’t think it is a stretch to expect persecution to come on the Western Church soon.  

How are we to prepare for and even respond to persecution?

In 1 Peter 4:12-19, Peter gives the church four instructions to follow in preparation for the persecution that is to come.

1: Expect Suffering (1 Peter 4:12)

Throughout history, persecution has been normative for those who live for Jesus. In Genesis 3, God declared war on Satan, and as a result, Satan has been attacking those who worship the one true God.

Persecution is not a strange thing for believers; in fact, the absence of persecution should be strange. But when we do experience persecution, we must remember who our enemy is. The person persecuting us is not our enemy; our enemy is Satan and his demons. Jesus died for the persecuted and for the persecutor.

2: Rejoice in Suffering (1 Peter 4:13-14)

Peter writes that we should rejoice when we are insulted for the name of Jesus.

Peter lists several privileges that come with persecution; these are reasons why we can rejoice in the midst of it.

i: Our suffering is fellowship with Christ.

As we read in Isaiah 53, Jesus came as the suffering servant; he is not removed from or unfamiliar with pain and suffering (see Philippians 1:29). God uses the refining fire for our good, and when we do suffer, Christ is with us in the fire. It is in those times of intense persecution that many Christians testify to the incredible nearness and fellowship with Jesus, and that is  a reason to rejoice.

ii: Our suffering means future glory.

In our Western mindset, we tend to believe that suffering is to be avoided, and the absence of suffering is glorious. But for the Christian, hardship is the path to glory. God doesn’t remove the suffering; He transforms it into something glorious (see John 16:20-22)

We see this displayed on the cross—the pain and agony that Jesus went through was changed into something glorious and powerful. There is always a purpose and a glorious outcome to the suffering we endure as a result of persecution. Sometimes we don’t see the outcome in this life, but it is always glorious, and that is a reason to rejoice.

iii: Our suffering leads to the Holy Spirit’s ministry (1 Peter 4:14)

There are many testimonies of persecuted Christians who say things that no human would normally say, even while being put to death for the name of Jesus. By the power of the Holy Spirit, they are filled with courage and boldness (see Acts 7:55).

This has been the experience of many believers, boldly singing, and declaring the Gospel even while they are losing their lives in an excruciating way. This supernatural power is a reason to rejoice.

iv: Our suffering glorifies the name of Jesus (1 Peter 4:16)

In our modern context, we lose the impact this verse would have had on the original readers. In the 1st century, being called a Christian was a term of ridicule, a slur. It is becoming increasingly more so today. Do you boldly bear the name of Jesus? Are you willing to suffer ridicule for claiming his name? This verse promises there is glory in bearing his name, and that is a reason to rejoice.

3: Let Suffering Refine You (1 Peter 4:17)

When in the furnace of persecution, the frivolous things of this world melt away, and we see the reality of where we stand with regards to holiness. God uses persecution to refine the church. We saw a little glimpse of this during 2020. Many people left the church when the authorities told us we were not allowed to gather to worship. Sadly, there was a falling away, an exposing of the heart.

The persecution of the church is used as God’s judgment to refine the Bride of Christ.

Every loving parent knows that shaping your child in the right direction involves times of discomfort. God the Father loves us enough to allow discomfort to come upon the church for our holiness, for our refining. If we don’t experience some opposition, we should be concerned. If we proclaim the whole truth of God’s Word, we will offend and experience opposition in this world.

4: Commit Suffering to God (1 Peter 4:19)

When called upon to experience persecution, we can commit our souls to our Heavenly Father. That word “entrust” is a banking term meaning to deposit a treasure for safekeeping in a trusted place.

When you commit your life to the Lord, you can be absolutely certain that you have a guaranteed eternal inheritance. The great news is that you can continue to add to that deposit in heaven, storing up treasures for eternity. 

Are you living today with eternity in mind? This is difficult because the present temporal world is so loud. We so easily get caught up in its trappings that we forget we are living for so much more than what we see around us.

It has been said, “unsaved people have a present that is controlled by their past, but Christians have a present that is controlled by the future.”  

Are you living with an eternal perspective?

Healthy community is a goal for every church, but cultivating it is challenging. Even the first century church that the Apostle Peter wrote to in 1 Peter had to be encouraged to work towards a healthy community. 

Watch and Pray

In 1 Peter 4:7, Peter writes, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.”

The state of the world today indicates that we are rapidly getting closer to the day of Christ’s return. As we see “the day” approaching, we need to be mindful of how we live. Preparing for Christ’s return does not mean hiding in a cave and isolating from the world while stockpiling food.  Rather, it means focusing on living as the salt and light of the world, being self-controlled and sober minded. To be sober minded is to use right judgment, to have steady and clear thinking. If you are sober minded in this world, you will not be drawn to false teaching regarding the return of Christ. Instead, you will be focused on preparing for his return. 

If our minds are confused, we will have an unfocused prayer life. It is crucial that we are people of prayer, watchful, alert, and sober minded as we see the day of the Lord approaching. Peter wrote these words with his own painful memory in mind. Jesus asked him to watch and pray, but Peter fell asleep and couldn’t pray with Jesus as he fought the greatest battle in human history before going to the Cross (see Mark 14). 

There is no place for listless prayers in the Church; we need to be alert and energized in our prayer warfare. 

Love One Another

Peter continued in verse 8, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins”.

Within the body of Christ, we must prioritize loving one another earnestly and with intentionality. We can only love with the love that comes from God; it is a supernatural love by the Spirit of God. It is not an optional extra (see John 13:34). 

It is always humbling to realize how little grace we have for someone we don’t know and love, yet for someone we love, we are quick to overlook an offense. Out of relationship comes grace.

If someone is bothering you, take the time to learn about them. Get to know them and see how God has uniquely designed them to be a blessing to the church—including to you. 

Show Hospitality to One Another

In verse 9, Peter exhorts the church to be hospitable, which is a spiritual gift and essential for a healthy church community. This is not the sole function of a small team in the church; it is everyone’s responsibility. We cannot outsource this command. 

Serve One Another

In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul teaches about the spiritual gifts given to the church for the health of the church. Peter underlines the fact that these gifts are for us to steward within the church family (see 1 Peter 4:10). 

If you are not serving one another, you are missing out by not exercising the gift God has given you. Everyone is gifted differently, and we all have differing roles to play. 

Two Spiritual Gifts

In verse 11 Peter highlights two gifts, “Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies…”

• Teaching: This is more than simply information transfer; this is declaration of the truths of God’s word. This is the crucial declaration of the Bible in the church. 
• Serving: Serving one another in the Body of Christ. 

Why are these two so important?

In 1 Corinthians 12:31, Paul wrote, “…But earnestly desire the higher gifts.”

What are the higher gifts?

I would like to propose that the higher gifts are the servant gifts. The gifts done in secret, the “non-platform” gifts (see what Jesus said in Matthew 20:26). 

Prescription for a Healthy Church

In the context of the church, we value worship, prayer, missions, compassion and various forms of ministry, but what did the early church value?

In Acts 2 we see that the early church devoted themselves to a few things. 

Preaching of the Word

Acts 2:42, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

Recently, an increasingly loud group of voices say that we don’t need preaching in the church. They suggest that we simply gather, worship, and discuss the Bible together. 

But the Bible constantly shows us that preaching or declaring God’s Word has always been God’s method for equipping His people, even in the Old Testament. 

As the Apostle Paul trained and encouraged Timothy, his young church planter, he never focused on the worship band, the building aesthetics, the welcome team and the free coffee… no, he instructed Timothy to, “preach the word” (see 2 Timothy 4:1-2). 

Eric Spady preached on this text at my ordination in 2014, and it has always been my primary goal, to faithfully declare the truths of God’s Word by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

A church without declaration of the Word of God will starve to death. 

Sacrificial Community

Acts 2:44-45, “And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need”

This is not communism, rather it is how they voluntarily showed each other that they valued one another above earthly things. 

One of the most valued commodities in our culture is our time. We value “me time”; we want flexibility to do our own thing when we want to. But when we value community, we give of our time and serve one another. 

When you are serving the Lord, you have the promise of the Lord’s supply. You are tapping into a supernatural resource, and it brings glory to God (see 1 Peter 4:11). 

All for His Glory

This is what we were created for. This is our God ordained purpose, to declare the Gospel and to serve one another. 

And it is all for His glory. 

Everyone goes through suffering; no one is exempt. As Christians, we can be assured that God uses every moment of our suffering for a greater purpose. 

In Chapter 4, Peter encourages the believers to endure suffering because there is a purpose in it. He reminds them and us that while Jesus lived on the earth, he was a man of sorrows (see Isaiah 53:3-5). There was a purpose to Jesus’s suffering—our salvation—and there is a purpose to our suffering—our sanctification.

Armoring Up

Peter writes in verse 1, “…arm yourselves with the same way of thinking,”

To arm oneself is to prepare for battle. Arming ourselves with the knowledge of the Bible—the Sword of the Spirit—is the greatest way we can prepare for life’s battles. Peter wants us to arm ourselves with the same attitude Jesus had toward the world, sin, and suffering. 

If we face suffering without a biblical worldview, suffering will embitter rather than purify us. The Bible clearly says we will endure hardship in this world (John 16:33); we cannot dodge that bullet. If we want to live victoriously in the face of suffering, we must embrace a biblical worldview of the challenges we face. Restraining Sin Verse 1 ends with a somewhat confusing statement, “…for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.”

This doesn’t mean that the person who has suffered is no longer capable of sinning. Rather, it means that they are no longer enticed by temptations the way or to the degree that they once were. 

In Luke 15, the prodigal son came to his senses while in the literal pigpen of his sin. He realized that he was made for more; the slops and corn husks were not desirable to him. He left the pigpen and returned home to his father.

If you are a child of God, you will no longer enjoy living in the pigpen of your sin. Your tastes will have changed; sin will no longer hold the appeal it once did (see 1 Peter 4:2 & 1 Corinthians 5:17). When you find yourself tempted toward or back in the pigpen of your life before Christ, you will quickly run from it and return to the Father.

If, however, you live in willful sin without conviction, you are most likely not saved. You cannot be a child of God and enjoy living in the pigpen. 

Coming Judgment 

Peter looks to the future: our lives are short, and we must not waste time going back to play in the pigpen of sin and brokenness. 

He writes in verse 3, “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.”

Peter lists the specific sins that his audience saw all around them, the sins that enticed them. We can add to his list the sins we see all around us, the sins that entice us—gossip, lying on our tax returns, pornography, etc. 

The time is past for living in that pigpen. Walk in purity because life is short. The world is rapidly moving towards the judgment of God. 

Suffering Witness 

As you walk in purity, you will be countercultural, and that may attract attention, good or bad. “With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you,” 1 Peter 4:4 says.

When you live for Jesus, walking out the new life he has given you, your life will raise questions. Some people will be drawn to the peace of God in you by the power of the Holy Spirit. Never underestimate the example of your lifestyle.  

Other people will be offended by you. They will be convicted of their own sin, made aware of their own pigpen. As a result, they will try to pull you back. They will mock and scorn you. 

If you are a true follower of Jesus, you have a new nature—the nature of Christ, you have a higher calling to glorify the name of Jesus with your life. You have the Holy Spirit, who gives you the strength to live out that new nature regardless of what circumstances and opposition you face. 

Living for Eternity

Peter looks ahead with an eternal perspective, writing, “but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead” (1 Peter 4:5).

Every person must give an account before Jesus one day—even those who are in Christ for believers, this judgment will not determine salvation—that took place on the Cross—but it will determine our eternal rewards. In light of eternity and the day of judgment, what does it matter what someone thinks of you? They won’t stand next to you when you stand before Jesus.

Live for a higher purpose and r calling. 

Refining Purpose 

“For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does” (1 Peter 4:6). 

Peter was referring to the fact that the Gospel was preached to people while they were physically alive yet spiritually dead. Some responded and were saved. Others rejected Christ and are eternally separated from God, facing eternal suffering in hell—this is the second death that Revelation 20 speaks of. 

These are the stakes. This is why we need an eternal perspective on every moment and the life that we are called to live. Often, that calling includes suffering by the grace and purposes of God. Many reading this are very much aware of this; you can see in your own life how God has used your suffering for His purposes and your good. 

Sometimes God uses suffering to discipline His children. Sometimes we suffer because of our own poor choices. But Peter is writing about the suffering God intentionally allows for the purpose of refining us and realigning our lives with Him. 

If that is you today, I encourage you to embrace the purposes of God for your life. Turn towards God in your suffering, and don’t give into the temptation to become bitter. God loves you and will not abandon the good work He is doing in you.