Series: 1 Peter Series
Title: The God of All Grace Shall
Text: 1 Peter 5: 10
Date: September 29, 2011
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
1 Peter 5: 10: But the God of all grace,
Grace originated with God. God is the fountain of all grace. Grace is as never-ending as God.
1 Peter 5: 10: But the God of all grace who hath called us unto his eternal glory
If you believe God it is because God hath called you. Each one who believes, he hath called. Notice, it is done—“he hath called us”. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Ro 11: 29)—God does not un-call those he has effectually called.
God hath called us unto his eternal glory-to his eternal, unchanging, unchangeable glory—all that I have needed God of all grace has provided
1 Peter 5: 10: But the God of all grace who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ
Who is Jesus Christ? He is God’s first elect—every elect child chosen of God is God’s choice child in Christ; Jesus Christ is God’s perfect servant. The righteousness of God is manifest by Christ Jesus. Christ has established the law on our behalf—justifying and making the believer righteous. Jesus Christ is God’s beloved Son in whom God is well-pleased. Likewise you who are called are perfect, righteous servants through faith in Christ;
Where is Jesus Christ? raised to newness of life—so are you who he has called; seated at the right hand of God and we in him. The point of this whole epistle has been to declare to us: the believer’s salvation is certain. Through faith we are assured and we know that our salvation is entirely of the Lord.
What is God doing now? Why hath he called us? God yet has some children in this world whom he chose, whom he has redeemed, whom he shall rebirth, who must hear the gospel that their salvation has been accomplished. He has assembles us together to sound out the good news.
God is teaching us—notice he says “ye”—not only individually, but “ye”—plural’—members together of the Lord’s one body. God is teaching this body—this newborn babe—how to eat, how to speak, how to walk.
· God is perfecting us--making us of one mind
· God is stablishing us—turning us from ourselves to Christ
· God is strengthening us—making himself our Strength
· God is settling us on the Rock
He has afore ordained the works that this body shall walk in—and he is training us how to walk—to know that our strength and sufficiency is of him. God does so through daily sufferings—personal individual sufferings, family sufferings in each of our families—but especially through sufferings together in his body the church. In the process—he calls out other sheep and does the same for them.
As believers, brethren together, we have been told many things to do in this epistle. Peter ends with this, “But”
Proposition: The same God of all grace who hath called us shall himself work these things in you.
It may take much suffering, but God teaches his children to believe him, and to conduct ourselves like we believe him, instead of acting like our doctrine is just a theory.
1 Peter 5: 10: But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
These words are joined together without conjunction. They are vitally connected. Even as the God of all grace has called us unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ, so too, the God of all grace “shall himself” do this work in this body. Each word will make up our divisions.
I. The God of all grace shall himself PERFECT you.
This is not the word which means “perfection” in the sense we usually think of, such as sinless perfection. The root word means “to fit” or “join together.” God will make “us”, here in his body, of one mind. (1 Peter 3: 8.) Let’s see how the same word is translated in other places.
1. Frame together
Hebrews 11:3: Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
2. To mend together what is divided in two
Matthew 4: 21: And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
3. Joined together in the same mind and judgment
1 Corinthians 1:10: Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Illustration: You have seen the games where everyone is tethered together by one rope. As long as they all try to go their own direction the whole group suffers. They stumble and fall and those of us watching laugh. But when they are together with one mind and one judgment then they all go in the same direction.
Now let each hear the good news and be instructed thereby: 1 Peter 5: 10: But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after that ye have suffered a while—
Perhaps after we each try for a while to go our own direction, perhaps try to “handle” each other to make the other go in our direction, after we have fallen and stumbled over each other for a while like children in a game, the same God, by the same grace, by Christ Jesus, will make you perfect—of one mind and of one judgment—then shall brethren “strive together” as one body, of one mind in one judgment! God alone shall receive the praise for making his people one. The dominion is his to make his people of one mind and one heart.
Hebrews 13: 20: Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21: Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
So what do we do if someone is not of the same mind? Same word is used in Galatians 6: 1:
Galatians 6:1: Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
To restore in the spirit of meekness is to do what Peter is doing here—to remind each other of what God has and is and shall do and to be ourselves assured that the God of all grace shall himself restore his own child. Those made one in heart don’t try to “handle” their brethren—but we cast all our care upon God for he careth for you.
II. The God of all grace shall himself STABLISH you—turn you resolutely in a fixed direction.
In this epistle, in our text, Peter is doing what Christ taught Peter by painful trial, after Peter suffered a while. (Luke 22) Before our Lord went to the cross, Peter and the rest began striving—not together of one mind and one judgment—but against each other. Boasting that they each were steadfast in the faith, their hearts were each turned toward self. They each turned the other toward self. Their word to each other suddenly became “Have faith in your faith.”
Application: Satan loves for a believer to have faith in our faith—it makes us look to self—to defend self—to think we are self-sufficient—to think we do not need the preaching of the word—that we do not need our brethren—that we can stand alone! Peter even said to the Lord:
Luke 22: 33: And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
Luke 22: 31: And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted,[turned from Peter the rock to Christ the Rock] strengthen [same word as “stablish” in our text] thy brethren. [point them in the same direction as I have pointed you]
After Peter suffered awhile the Lord turned Peter resolutely in a fixed direction—entirely upon Christ. What was the fruit? How did Peter obey the Lord? What is Peter doing in this epistle? He is telling what he knew by experience! Read verses 8-9: this word “stablish” has the same root as “stedfast” found just before our text. Peter exhorts us resist the devil stedfast in the faith—being stablished—turned resolutely toward Christ--but Peter knew, and aren’t we thankful that the word does not end there—read through v10—“But”, Peter assures us, “after you have suffered awhile, the God of all grace shall himself stablish you—turn you resolutely to trust Christ.” When we are turned resolutely—stablished—so as to know that God himself shall stablish us then we are useful to speak this word and wait on the Lord to turn his children.
1 Thessalonians 3: 11: Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. 12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: 13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
Review: God himself—shall perfect (make you of one mind, of one judgment), God himself shall stablish (turn you to stedfastly toward him alone)
III. God himself shall STRENGTHEN you.
This is the only place this word is found in the word of God. But the truth is taught throughout. It means God himself shall be our Life! Our strength—the vigor, the health, the life, the power the wisdom—all our strength—God himself shall be!
Illustration: Christ is the Bread
Made perfect is to be of one mind to come to the table. Stablished is to be turned resolutely to the Bread. Strengthened is to eat the Bread and be sustained thereby.
The strength of our faith, our hope, and love is God himself, Christ Jesus our Righteousness. Strength to withstand temptations—is Christ himself. Strength to oppose the corruptions within us is the God of all grace himself. Our strength to bear the cross, reproaches, and persecutions and to perform the work God has put into our hands is Christ Jesus the Power and Wisdom of God.
Our strength is not in our wisdom—God may take away the sound mind but God will still be our Wisdom. Our strength is not in our power—God may put us on our backs so we cannot move—but God will still be our Power. Our strength is not in money—God may break the bank but he will still be our Riches in glory (1 Peter 1: 18-19). Our strength is not any one man or in a host of men God may take them away but he will still be our Strength (1 Peter 2: 2-3.)
God is made our Strength the weaker we are! He must increase we must decrease.
Ephesians 3: 16: That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
God tells us through his gospel to eat his Word, to feed upon him, to live upon him—but here is the good news—the God of all grace himself, after that ye have suffered awhile—shall himself make you perfect (of one mind), shall stablish (turn you resolutely to him) and shall make himself your Strength (make us to live upon him) and lastly:
IV. God himself shall SETTLE you
God himself shall make us so that we cannot be moved! Settled in Christ the Solid Rock. Rooted and grounded in Love. Anchored in Christ within the Holiest of holies. No more tossed—running from this place to that place only to end up saying “I quit church”—o, brethren, quit church today and start trusting God!
What a privilege God has given us to be members of such a new family! O, let us not despise the day of small things. Let us not be entrusted with a little and be found unfaithful. But know what a blessing to suffer together that we might grow together! This work of grace God shall grow in our hearts, working that which is well-pleasing in us. This love of Christ passes all knowledge. How thankful that God shall perform it even as he has called us unto his eternal glory—by his grace, by Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3: 16: That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17: That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18: May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19: And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20: Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21: Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Peter ends this epistle like Christ ended the sermon on the mount:
Matthew 7: 24: Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Peter tells us throughout the epistle to do these things ourselves. Then he assures us who have been called by God’s grace: But the God of all grace, shall make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be the praise and dominion forever and ever! Amen!