The Roaring Lion

In the previous passage, Peter told us to cast all our worries upon the Lord. When we do so, we can focus our attention on the work that the Lord commands us to do. God’s people work hard. They are not lazy. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:10 that he worked the hardest of all the apostles. God does not like lazy people. He wants us to be rich in good works. So God’s people work hard as they are filled with the Holy Spirit and directed by the holy Scriptures.

Be Sober and Watchful (1 Pet. 5:8)

Peter begins this section with a warning: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (v. 8). We have to be self-controlled, which is to be Holy Spirit-controlled. We have to be vigilant, to be aware of all reality, so that we can respond correctly to every situation we face.

Why do we have to be vigilant? We must be self-controlled and alert because we have a mighty enemy, who himself has a spiritual army of demons at his command. Our enemy is the devil. He is the slanderer, and anyone who slanders a minister sent from God to proclaim the gospel is damned; such a person is filled with the devil.

Our enemy is the devil, the slanderer, the accuser of God’s people, Satan. He is the deceiver, the murderer, the liar and the father of all lies, the dragon, the ancient serpent. He is the enemy of God, the enemy of God’s people, and the enemy of elect angels. The whole world is under the control of this evil one (1 John 5:19).

Yet the devil is a fallen, finite creature, whom Jesus Christ defeated by his death and resurrection. And when we resist the devil in the name of Jesus Christ, who received all authority in heaven and on earth, the devil flees and we stand.

James writes, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7). In Christ, we can resist the devil, the roaring lion who prowls around God’s saints, to swallow them up, if possible. But it is impossible. The born-again, regenerate child of God is vitally united with Christ by the gift of saving faith and, therefore, he will persevere to the end. He is eternally secure. Nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The infinite lion of Judah is in us. Therefore, we are secure forever. And this Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ, is our defense. So we read:

• 1 John 2:1: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”
• Romans 5:10: “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
• Romans 8:34: “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”
• 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

The devil is always opposing God’s people. The devil opposed Job, but God saved Job. The devil opposed Joshua the high priest, but God saved Joshua (Zech. 3:1-4). The ultimate enemy behind all persecution of God’s people throughout the world is the devil and his army of demons. But Christ has defeated them. Jesus Christ is the victor. He is the Savior of his people and the Judge of the devil and demons and all unbelievers. We read about this throughout the Scriptures:

• Matthew 25:31: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.”
• Matthew 25:41: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’”
• Revelation 20:10: “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
• Revelation 20:15: “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
• John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

God’s people are saved, are being saved, and will be saved, and saved forever. Are you saved by Christ? That is the biggest question. Peter said, “Make your calling and election sure” (2 Pet. 1:10).

The Lord permits the devil to sift us like wheat. But he also prays for us, that our faith may not fail (Luke 22:31–32). It did not ultimately fail Peter. He was crucified for his faith in Jesus.

We are to be sober, not filled with passion and controlled by lust, anger, and ignorance. We are to be sober and watchful, so that we may be faithful to Jesus. We are to be Spirit-filled and word-filled to discern reality and to respond to temptations victoriously. So Paul writes, “Let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet” (1 Thess. 5:6–8). And Jesus said, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

We are to fast and pray and watch. We are not to give place for the devil by sinning. Paul writes, “Do not give the devil a foothold” (Eph. 4:27).

Judas was careless. He loved money more than Jesus. He was drunk with the lust of the world. The world and its lusts will pass away, but he who does the will of God will live forever (1 John 2:15–17).

A drunken man has no sense of reality. Paul writes, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). He also says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16).

So Judas gave place to the devil through his lusts. Let me tell you about lusts, especially the lust for money. Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). But Judas did not heed this counsel. We read that the devil prompted him, putting thoughts into his mind (John 13:2). Then the devil entered and controlled Judas (John 13:27). And, finally, Judas left the presence of Jesus, and it was night (John 13:30). Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. (PGM) Then he threw it away and went and hanged himself and went to hell. Jesus called him “the son of perdition.” He was not sober and watchful. He was careless. And because he was the son of perdition, the lion, the devil, devoured him. The psalmist says, “Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me” (Ps. 22:13). But God keeps us from being swallowed.

Be watchful. Earlier in this epistle Peter wrote, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.  As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” (1 Pet. 1:13–15).

Peter also says, “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” (1 Pet. 4:7). Paul writes,

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (2 Tim. 3:1–5)

Do not fellowship with wicked people. Do not be stupid; rather, discern whether a person is born again, whether the person loves God.

Paul says, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4). He also says, “For it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:  ‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Eph. 5:14–17).

We are to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We are to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. We are to hunger and thirst after righteousness, not after money (see Psalm 49 and Luke 16). Every day was a party for the careless rich man of Luke 16. He had good food and drink, dressed in purple. But when he died, he went to hell, where he was in fire, in torment, and in agony.

Instead, may what was true of Paul be true of us. When he was on trial for his faith in Christ, his friends deserted him. Yet he was not alone. He writes, “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth” (2 Tim. 4:17).

The devil desires to drink down every careless believer in one gulp as he did to Judas. Peter, probably quoting from Jeremiah 38:24 in the Septuagint, uses the word katapinô (“drink down”). The devil comes through false doctrine. That is why leaders must be discerning and understand who is coming and who is going. Your job is to fight for truth and against error.

The devil comes through false believers and false doctrines. Paul writes, “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough” (2 Cor. 11:3–4). He also says, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.” They are wolves in sheep’s clothing, false apostles. “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Cor. 11:13–15).  False teachers, especially bad pastors, deserve hell. They are damned, sent by the devil himself.

Paul told the Ephesian elders, “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard!” (Acts 20: 29–31).

So be sober and watchful. Pray. Study the word, worship, be holy, and fellowship regularly with God’s people. In Hebrews 10:24–25 we read, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Know for sure that we are in Christ, who has defeated forever this devil, this roaring lion. Jesus said, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31). He also said, “I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me” (John 14:30). He said that when the Holy Spirit came, he would convict the world of guilt “in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned” (John 16:11). The apostle John writes, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). The Hebrews writer says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Heb. 2:14–15). We are free at last, free forever, free in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Fight the Defeated Devil (1 Pet. 5:9)

Then Peter exhorts, “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (v. 9). How do we fight the defeated devil? Paul writes,

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then. (Eph. 6:10–14)

We must stand firm and put on the full armor of God. We must resist the devil in the power of the Holy Spirit. That power, our power, is nothing less than the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Paul speaks of “his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength” (Eph. 1:19). We died with Christ, were buried with Christ, and were raised with Christ to live a new life in the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Put on seven pieces of armor, so that we may wrestle in the power of the Holy Spirit. We do not flee from the devil. We wrestle and we stand, and he flees and he falls. What are the seven pieces of armor?

1. The belt of truth. Jesus prayed in the high priestly prayer, “Sanctify them by the truth; thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The belt of truth gives us strength. We speak truth and we do truth.
2. The breastplate of righteousness. This is speaking of the imputed righteousness of Christ and the imparted righteousness of our obedience. We submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from us.
3. The shoes of evangelism. We read, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” (Isa. 52:7). If we are saved, we will speak about Jesus Christ and his salvation. Of the early church we read, “Those who had been scattered [by persecution] preached the word wherever they went” (Acts 8:4). And Paul writes, “How can they call upon the name of the Lord unless they believe? How can they believe unless they hear the gospel? How can they hear unless someone preaches to them? And how can someone preach unless one is sent?” (see Rom. 10:14–15). We must open our mouths, as the early disciples did: “They were all filled with the Spirit and spoke” (Acts 2:4). Evangelism means we are filled with the Spirit.
4. The shield of faith. We need the shield of faith to extinguish the burning arrows designed to kill us. They come at us, but by faith, the arrows are killed, the flames are extinguished. Fides est fiducia. Faith is trust in Jesus Christ.
5. The helmet of salvation. Salvation has three tenses: we are saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved. There is justification, sanctification, and glorification. We are destined for glory.
6. The sword of the Spirit, the word of God. So we say, “God said it, I believe it, I obey it, and I use it against the devil.”
7. Prayer. This is the means by which we communicate with heaven. It is God’s battle. We are in the field, and we communicate with our leader. That is what prayer is all about.

Do not fear. Do not flee. Instead, fight against the defeated devil in the power of the word and the Spirit. And as we stand, the devil will flee, and we will praise God. In Revelation 12:11 we read, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink [even] from death.” Suffering is the lot of every believer. But Christ the victor is with every suffering believer to help him. So we say with Job, “Though he slay me, yet I will trust him.”

We fight, standing firm in our faith in Jesus, who resisted the devil and defeated him forever. Paul writes, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). He also says, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Rom 6:3–4). Christ saved us that we might live a new resurrection life.

Let us learn from Jesus how to defeat the devil. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit without measure (Matt. 3:16–17). When the devil came to test him and tempt him, Jesus resisted the devil’s temptation in the Spirit’s power and through the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. He said, “Gegraptai” (“It is written”). The devil is defeated by the sword of the Spirit, aimed at him, in the power of the Spirit (Matt. 4:1–11). This is our model to fight the devil, the roaring lion, and win.

Believe God’s Promises (1 Pet. 5:10)

Then Peter says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (v. 10). We must believe God’s promises.

God cannot lie (Tit. 1:2). Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He is the truth. When a person lies, he is declaring that he is not born of God. But God never lies. Paul writes, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 1:20). Paul also says, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (1 Thess. 5:23–24).

1. Peter says this faithful God is the God of all grace. Grace is divine power that saves elect sinners (2 Cor. 12:9–10). God is the source of all grace, the possessor of infinite grace. He is the giver of grace. He gives grace to the humble who pray to God (Heb. 4:16). And his grace is sufficient to meet every need we face in life. We will also finally die in grace. Peter was given grace to resist the devil, obey Jesus, and eventually be crucified.He is the God of all grace (1 Pet. 5:10). He is the God of peace (Rom. 15:33). He is the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles and sufferings (2 Cor. 1:3).

2. He is the God who called us. This God is not a lying man. He called us effectually, regenerated us, and we came to Christ to follow him. He called us to holiness (1 Pet. 1:15). He called us to walk in the light (1 Pet. 2:9). He called us to serve (1 Pet. 2:21; 3:9). He called us to obedience (1 Pet. 1:2, 14). And he is calling us to eternal glory (1 Pet. 5:10).

We are going to be like Jesus in glory. Why? Paul says, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Rom. 8:29). He also writes, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Phil. 3:20–21).

Suffering is now; glory is coming. First, the cross; then the crown. This is God’s order. We are called, justified, and glorified. And when we are glorified, then there will be no more sin, no more tears, no more death, and no more devil. In the new heaven and the new earth, we will live eternally in eternal glory with our triune God, elect angels, and all true believers for whom Christ died. We will live in eternal joy—joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Our present suffering lasts only a little while, but glory lasts forever. We are called to eternal glory. Our present suffering is purposeful, to make us holy and blameless, to make us radiant (Eph. 5:27). Paul writes, “Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Cor. 1:9). He also says, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Rom. 5:3–5). And Peter writes, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (1 Pet. 4:12–14). The Spirit of God is resting on every suffering believer.

Eternal glory is awaiting us. That is why we are not interested in this world and its power and its might and its lusts.

Moses desired glory and prayed for it: “Then Moses said, ‘Show me your glory’” (Exod. 33:18). Jesus revealed this glory to us: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Glory is our destiny. Paul writes, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16–18). We are called to eternal glory.

Jesus prayed for glory: “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world” (John 17:24). The God of all grace calls us to eternal glory. John writes, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

1. The God of all grace, this God who called us to eternal glory, this God who will help us in our sufferings, and form our godly character—this God himself will perfect us by completing our salvation. Paul says, “[We are] confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). Paul also says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:7–8).
2. This God himself will make us firm in the faith. So we read, “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen” (Jude 24–25).
3. This God will empower us in the Holy Spirit. Paul writes, “I can do all things through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13).
4. Finally, this God is our security. He is our foundation. We stand upon God. The psalmist said, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Ps. 40:2). In Isaiah 28:16 we read, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.’”

Doxology (1 Pet. 5:11)

All of these wonderful promises must cause us to praise God. So Peter concludes with a doxology, which I translate as follows: “to him belongs the power for ever and ever. Amen” (v. 11). To God belongs eternal power to do what he has promised. He is not some little fellow promising everything but not able to fulfill. He is not like a man who says, “I love you,” and then divorces his wife. Let God be true and all men liars.

In 1 Peter 4:11 we find another doxology: “To whom belongs glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.” To this God of all grace, to this God who called us to eternal glory, to this God who will complete our salvation, which he began, to this God who will make us firm in the faith and who will empower us by his Spirit and who will grant us eternal security by being our foundation—to this God alone belongs all power to accomplish our complete salvation forever and ever.

Why is he able to do this? Paul writes, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9–11).  Our God will do all these things because he is almighty for ever and ever. Amen.