The Way to True Prosperity

Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 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. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5:5-11

What is the destiny of a Christian? Eternal glory. True prosperity is not found in this world with its riches and glory, but in the unfading eternal glory that is ours in Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Yet through Jesus Christ we are able to come into the glory of God.

In this study we want to examine the way to this abiding reality. First, though, we must note that the way to true prosperity is not the way of arrogance. Wanting to be wise and powerful like God, Adam and Eve took this wrong way. But here in this passage, we learn that the way of exaltation is through submission.

When we are asked who is a successful man, we usually say it is the man with the most money. According to this Western definition, Jesus and his apostles were not successful. Even Christians are tempted to embrace this false definition. To such people, belief in the gospel is seen as the way of coming into lots of money.

But 1 Peter gives us a different view of the life of Christians in the world. Christians are seen as strangers and aliens who will experience fiery trials designed to purify our faith. We are told not only that the world is against us, but also that we have an adversary, the devil, who desires to swallow us up. This letter tells us that we are not to hope in this world but in Jesus Christ, who will come again to give us an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.

The destiny of the Christian is not the riches of this world. We are promised suffering in this life, but eternal glory in the life to come, and the apostle Peter shows us the way to this true prosperity and glory in 1 Peter 5. The way to glory and abiding prosperity is not the way of autonomy and self-exaltation; rather, it is the way of submission to the kingdom of God, the rule of God. First, therefore, we want to look at submission to the elders; second, submission to one another; third, submission to God under his mighty hand; fourth, submission of all our anxieties to Christ; and, fifth, non-submission to the devil.

Submission to Elders

First Peter 5:1-4 speaks about elders and their responsibilities in the church. Verse 5 begins addressing neôteroi, which is translated “young men.” Some scholars look upon a local church as consisting, first, of elders and then of everyone else, who would come under the category of neôteroi, or younger ones. The picture, then, is of elders shepherding the little flock of God, the neôteroi. These elders are to do so willingly, with enthusiasm, and as examples to the flock.

In verse 3 we read that elders are not to lord it over the flock. What does it mean to lord over the flock of God? In the history of the church, those who tyrannized God’s people have been those who did not submit to the principle of sola Scriptura, Scripture alone, as God’s authority. For example, the Roman Catholic church does not accept that principle. It accepts the Scripture as an authority, but it does not accept Scripture alone as authority. Therefore, through the years it has persecuted and tyrannized God’s people. The theologically liberal churches who have rejected the Bible as the word of God also have tyrannized the church.

But God-ordained authorities who submit to the principle that Scripture is the very word of God will stand under the word of God and proclaim it. They will govern properly, enforcing the rule of God in the Holy Scriptures. They can do nothing else, for they know that the church is the flock of God, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. They know that they as elders are accountable to the Chief Shepherd, elsewhere called the Good Shepherd or Great Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. They know Jesus is coming again to reward them with an unfading crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4). So the elders are to govern by enforcing the rule of Christ revealed in the Holy Scriptures, being directly accountable to the Chief Shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep.

We find reference to this idea also in Hebrews 13:17, where we find an injunction to the members of the church: “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.” Church leaders must give an account to the Chief Shepherd who entrusted the sheep to their care. “Obey them, so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” So the elders are to rule and those under them are to submit to their rule, which itself is governed by the Bible.

Thus, in 1 Peter 5:5 we find the word neôteroi, which here is translated as “young men,” but which is seen by many as meaning the rest of the people, those who are not elders. The neôteroi are to submit to the elders. So the way of true prosperity, eternal prosperity, eternal glory, is the way of submission to Christ’s rule through the elders

In the Greek Peter uses the word hupotagête, which is an imperative meaning “submit” or “be submissive.” It comes from the Greek verb, <emhupotassô, which means “under order.” This word should not be watered down, although Western man, because he hates the idea of submission, will try to reduce its meaning. In his commentary on 1 Peter, Wayne Grudem says that some people prefer to translate this word to mean something like, “act in love toward one another” (Wayne Grudem,1 Peter, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988, 2000] 136, 192).

But that is not the meaning of the word. Hupotassô speaks about a relationship of submission/obedience to an authority established by God. For instance, this word is used in Luke 2:51, which speaks about the submission of Jesus to his parents. It is also used in 1 Peter 2:13 with reference to a citizen’s obedience to the government. It is used in 1 Peter 3:1, 5-6 with reference to the wife’s submission to the husband. In 1 Peter 3:1 we read, “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your own husbands,” and in verses 5 and 6 we are told what this submission means: “For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.” This word is also used in reference to Christ’s submission to his Father in 1 Corinthians 15:28 and in with reference to demons’ submission to the apostles in Luke 10:17.

In 1 Corinthians 16:15-16 we find hupotassô used with reference to believers’ submission to the church leaders. There we read, “You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it.”

Finally, hupotassô is used in reference to the submission of the universe to Jesus Christ, the Lord of the universe, in 1 Corinthians 15:27.

We must embrace the biblical idea of submission. As we said, the way of true prosperity is not self-exaltation; it is the way of submission. The church of God is an aspect of the kingdom of God, which is the rule of God; thus, we cannot talk about the church of God unless there is rule of God. The church is not characterized by anarchy. In fact, Paul writes that everything should be done decently and in order. There is a divine order in the church, in the family, and in the state.

Submission to One Another

Second, the way of prosperity is in submission to one another. In 1 Peter 5:5 we read, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.” The idea of humility and meekness was totally despised and considered weakness in the Greek world. But when we turn to the New Testament literature, we see that humility was prized and valued in the church. Jesus Christ himself was meek.

Thus, unlike the world, the way of the kingdom of God is the way of humility and believers are to clothe themselves with humility toward one another. The Greek word is egkombóomai, an interesting word which means “to tie something to oneself.” It is speaking about a slave tying an apron to himself before he begins his work.

We see this clothing of oneself with humility demonstrated by Jesus Christ himself in John 13 as a means of training his disciples. Jesus, the master, and his twelve apostles were in the upper room. There was water, a towel, a bowl to pour the water into, food, and a table. What was the one thing lacking? A slave to do the work. According to Jewish custom, Jesus and his disciples could not eat until their feet were washed, but there was no one to do the washing. None of the disciples volunteered to do that job.

In John 13:3-5 we read, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with a towel that was wrapped around him.” Then in verses 12-17 we read

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

This is what Peter means when he says, “Clothe yourselves with humility.” Humility should be the apron we wear all of our life-an attitude which will be visible to others.

True Humility

When Peter said we should be clothed with humility, he was speaking about true, not false, humility. The Bible speaks about false, pretended humility. We find reference to such false humility in Colossians 2:18 where we read, “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize,” meaning the prize of eternal life. In Colossians 2:23 we read, “Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” But Peter is speaking about authentic humility, the kind that comes to us only when we see God. No one will be humble until he sees God.

In Philippians 2:3 we read, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Here again we learn that we are to love God with all our heart, and our neighbor as ourselves. True humility puts God first; others second; and ourselves last.

In Romans 15:2-3 we read, “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written, ‘The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.'” Here Paul tells us we must please our neighbor to build him up.

So God is first and others are second. But what about us? That is a good question, isn’t it? Who is going to take care of me? The truth is, throughout his word God promises to take care of those who are his children. We are told God opposes the proud but he gives grace to the humble. “My grace is sufficient for you,” we read in 2 Corinthians 12:9.

In 1 Peter 5:10 we find an interesting phrase, “The God of all grace.” If we love God with all our heart and put the others above ourselves, God will take care of us. He is the God of all grace who gives grace for every need.

Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:6, “God gives grace to the humble,” and in the Greek it means he is continually giving this grace. He continually opposes the proud and he continually gives grace to the humble. Without grace we can do nothing; but with God’s grace we can do all things. So in 1 Peter 4:10 we read, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” God’s grace is seen as a diamond with many facets. It is with that grace that we serve, we live, we preach, we cook, and so on, for God’s glory.

Who, then, is going to take care of us? The world tells us, “Look out for number one. Forget about God and everybody else. No one is going to care for you; you have to look after yourself.” But the way of God is different. The Lord is our shepherd; we shall lack nothing as we serve and obey him.

Submission to God’s Mighty Hand

Third, the way of true prosperity is the way of submission to God under his mighty hand. Peter writes in verse 6, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” In the light of this entire letter, this verse should be understood this way, that the way of success is the way of submitting to the divine dealings in our lives. What is the major topic of 1 Peter? Sufferings, persecutions, and fiery trials that come upon God’s people in divine providence. But there is a purpose for this type of suffering in this life for God’s people. All things work together for good, we read in Romans 8:28. It is God who ordains our sufferings.

What is the purpose of Christian suffering? To purify us. In 1 Peter 4:17 we read that judgment must begin in the family of God. Then in verse 19 Peter writes, “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” There is a suffering that is according to God’s will, and people who experience this type of suffering are told to “commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”

This word “commit” is interesting in the Greek. It means to deposit ourselves into God’s hand. God is to be trusted to take care of us, even in suffering. It is like in olden times when there were no banks. When people set off on a journey, they would call their neighbors and say, “Please take care of this while I am gone. When I come back, I expect you will give it back to me.” If that person is not faithful, he will take your money for himself. But the idea here is that we can deposit our lives with God because he is faithful.

As we suffer, we should submit ourselves under God’s mighty hand. Beyond that, we can also rejoice with inexpressible joy, as we are told in 1 Peter 1:8-9, because we are “receiving the goal of [our] faith, the salvation of [our] souls.” In Romans 5:5-6 Paul tells us to rejoice in suffering “because we know suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope,” which is hope of the glory of God. Do you see the connection? There is suffering and there is glory. For Christians, then, the way of true prosperity, the way to eternal glory, is through submission to God’s will. In God’s providence, that includes suffering.

Therefore we should not murmur or complain when we are suffer and go through fiery trials in divine providence. Instead, we should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, which stands for God’s sovereign power and dominion, and which delivered God’s people from Pharaoh’s control. This God who delivered his people from Egypt by his mighty hand will, in due time, use his mighty hand to lift us up and lead us into everlasting glory. He is a trustworthy Savior. PGM The mighty hand that was crucified is able to lift us in due time.

When we go through pain, troubles, and problems, we should submit to God’s dealings and receive the variegated grace offered to us by God. We must persevere by this grace, knowing all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose, and that in due time he will reach down and lift us up, as he did to Joseph. Joseph suffered for years, and every one forgot about him. But God didn’t forget. In due time, in the course of a single day, Joseph was lifted up from his dungeon and placed on the throne of Egypt, to be second only to Pharaoh himself.

According to this first epistle of Peter, “due time” is the time of the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am not saying that in this life God will not lift us up. He may do that, but that is not what the text is speaking about. The text says that the “due time” is the time of the revelation of Jesus Christ, at which time he will bring us to glory.

Submission of Our Cares to Christ

Fourth, we must submit all our cares to Christ. When Peter wrote, “Cast all your anxiety on him,” he was quoting Psalm 54:22 (Septuagint), which says, “Epirripson epi Kurion tên merimnan sou, kai autos se diathrepsei,” or “Cast upon the Lord your care and he will sustain you.”

But here Peter says, “Cast all your anxiety,” not just part of it, but all of it, “upon the Lord.” From the Greek text we understand that this casting of our cares is dependent upon our humbling before God. A proud, self-sufficient, autonomous person cannot go to God in true prayer. In fact, God refuses to hear such prayers. The context of true prayer is our submission to God and his rule.

In this life we have cares, burdens, concerns, problems, and pain. How do we deal with these things? Peter uses an interesting word here: cast, or epirriptô. The meaning of that word is to throw something to someone else. Once you have done that, the something is not with you anymore. “Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away; all the burden of my heart rolled away,” the song goes.

The Privilege of Prayer

How do we cast our cares on God? We do so through prayer. As we come to our mighty God, we can roll not part, but all of our cares onto his mighty shoulders. What a privilege it is to pray! Jesus Christ said, “Come unto me.” Who are invited? The weary and heavy-laden. The idea is to roll our problems, troubles, burdens, and pains onto Christ, who will bear them for us. “He who knew no sin became sin for us.” He took our sin, our guilt, our hell, our punishment and now he tells us he will take all our burdens. The mighty hand of our mighty Savior will do this. That is the idea in the phrase, “Come unto me; I will give you rest.”

Epirriptô is also used in Luke 19, where we read that Jesus Christ went into Jerusalem on a donkey. There was no saddle, so Jesus’ friends threw their outer clothing on the donkey to serve as a saddle for Jesus Christ. In Luke 19:35 we read, “They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.” That is the idea of rolling something onto something else. They didn’t have their outer clothing anymore; it was on the donkey and Jesus was sitting on it.

That is what Jesus means when he tells us, “Come unto me, all those who are weary and heavy laden. Cast your cares upon me, and I will bear them. And in exchange, I will give you my Sabbath rest.” He is the mighty God, the mighty Savior, who will bear all our burdens, whatever they are. I pray we won’t be miserly, but give to him all our burdens, even this day. These burdens will crush us, but our very able Savior can take them and bear them. On the cross he bore all our burdens. Give them to him in believing prayer.

In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus spoke also about our anxieties and cares. There we find the refrain, “Be not anxious, be not anxious, be not anxious.” What is the reason not to be anxious? “Your heavenly Father feeds the birds. Your heavenly Father clothes the grass. Your heavenly Father knows what you need.” And then Jesus tells us, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” Do you know what that means? It means we must come under God’s rule in our lives. That is the way of success. Then he adds, “And all these things will be given to you as well.” This divine passive means that God himself will give these things to us.

This is speaking about the great privilege we have of prayer. But very few Christians take advantage of this privilege. Somehow we are masochists who want to bear our own burdens. We think about our problems and even lose sleep over them, but still do not know what to do about them. Yet God has given us this wonderful provision: “Cast all your cares upon him.” May God help us to take advantage of the great privilege of prayer!

In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul also speaks about what to do with our problems: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Paul is speaking about our anxieties, using the same word we find in 1 Peter. How do we deal with them? “By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.” Prayer and petition are the means whereby we cast our anxieties away from us and roll them onto the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is the reason Peter says we should cast our anxiety on the Lord? “Because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). We asked the question: “If I am going to seek God first and seek the interest of others second, who is going to take care of me?” Here is the answer: “because he cares for you.” In the Greek it means “he continually cares for you.” We have an expression nowadays: 24/7 to speak of places being open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. In the same way, our God is continually involved in the task of caring for us.

Submit Not to the Devil

Fifth, although we have said much about submission, there is one being to whom we should not submit. When the Bible tells us, “Resist the devil,” this is a counsel of non-submission. We must actively and constantly resist the devil and his temptation.

In verse 8 we read, “Be self-controlled and alert.” In order to resist the devil, we cannot be drunk with worldliness; rather, we must be watchful. When our lives are totally engrossed in this world, with its buying and selling, eating and drinking, planting and harvesting, marrying and giving in marriage, we are drunk with worldliness. When we are drunk, we are not aware of reality. That is why Peter tells us “be self-controlled and alert.” We must watch and pray that we will be aware of the true reality that we are aliens and strangers here and the fashion of this world is passing away.

Remember Mrs. Lot? She didn’t believe in reality. She wanted to buy more real estate in Sodom, even though God said, “It is going to be destroyed.” Drunk with worldliness, she was unaware of what was going on in the divine plan and paid for it with her life. In the same way, you will be a fool if you trust in this world and its glories, and pursue them with all your heart.

Here, then, Peter counsels us to be alert, self-controlled, watchful, and prayerful. To do this we must be in the word of God. We must understand that here we have no enduring city, but are citizens of the kingdom that is coming. Not only that, we must also understand that there is an enemy of our souls, the devil, who is against us and who desires to swallow us up in one gulp. Peter says he is “like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” The Greek word is drink down, katapinô, as the great fish gulped Jonah. In one gulp our enemy wants to swallow us up by his temptation.

Therefore, we must never submit to the devil; rather, we must actively resist him by coming under Christ’s rule. Yes, the world will be against us because the devil is behind the world. The government will be against us because the devil is behind the government. Our parents may be against us if they are ruled by the devil. In fact, there may be people in the church who are against us, who will become instruments of Satan, as Mrs. Job did. When Mrs. Job said, “Curse God and die,” she was acting as a spokesperson for the devil. When Peter himself told Jesus, “Do not go to the cross,” he also was speaking for Satan. That is why Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Depart from me, Satan! You do not delight in the things of God.” We must not be drunk with worldliness-drunk with the glitter, glamour, and seduction of the world. The devil is always tempting us and trying to seduce us. Do not submit to him; resist him.

If you want to keep your sanity, get into the word of God. It is the very truth which tells us like it is. As we read God’s word, we will realize that Christ has defeated this enemy and so we can resist him in the name of Jesus. When we do so, James says, he shall flee from us (James 5:7).

How do we resist the devil? By putting on the whole armor of God. We resist the devil by using the shield of faith, which is trust in Jesus Christ. We resist the devil by the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We resist the devil by watching and praying faithfully. Peter was told by Jesus Christ that Satan asked permission to sift him like wheat. But self-confident Peter refused to watch and pray. What happened? He denied Jesus Christ three times.

Therefore, we must submit to God, but not to the devil. Be alert. Be watchful. The roaring lion is targeting the lazy, the careless, and the worldly. Whether in the high school or at the university or in the workplace-it doesn’t matter-Satan will target God’s people. Although he is very powerful, we must resist him, just as Jesus resisted him through prayer and the word. When he told Satan, “It is written,” and submitted himself to God his Father, the devil left him.

The Way of True Prosperity

The way of exaltation, the way of true prosperity, is the way of humiliation. It is the new and living way that Jesus Christ himself pioneered. He was God, but he humbled himself, became a man, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God highly exalted him, as we read in Philippians 2:6-11.

The way of exaltation is the way of humiliation. That is why we do not get upset when people speak evil of us. When the world speaks ill of us, we can rejoice, knowing that we must be doing something right in God’s eyes. If people are not speaking evil of us, we must question whether we are doing anything right. Persecution, suffering, and slander are promised for the people of God.

The way of exaltation is the way of humiliation. It is the way of submission to the elders, submission to one another, and submission to God under his mighty hand. It is the way of casting our cares on him by submitting our prayers to him. It is the way of non-submission to the devil.

What is the destiny of those who walk in this way? We read about it in 1 Peter 5:10: “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.” Think about it. Our destiny is eternal, unfading glory in Christ. In this world, the glory comes and goes. But the glory promised to us through Jesus Christ is eternal. In verse 4 Peter spoke of receiving an unfading crown of glory. God has it, he is making it, and he is going to bring it to us, as Jesus himself states in Revelation 22:12: “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”

God cared for us from all eternity and chose us in Christ before the creation of the world. He called us effectually and will bring us to this crown of glory. He can do so because Christ himself wore a crown of thorns and shame. That is the way of humiliation. Jesus Christ humbled himself for our sakes. He was exalted also for our sakes. In him we are chosen, called, and justified. In him, Paul tells us, we shall be glorified.

If we are God’s people, God has a plan for us. It is not a plan to harm us but to prosper us. The Bible tells us promotion doesn’t come from the east or from the west or from the south, but from God. In fact, we are promoted even now, for we read in in 1 Peter 4:14 that “the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” As we are suffering and experiencing pain, something is resting on us: the Spirit of glory and of God. Our destination is glory.

May God help us to choose the way of humiliation, the way his Son chose, that we may come to the true prosperity of eternal glory which is God’s wonderful plan for our lives. We were those who sinned and come short of the glory of God; yet through God’s Son we will come into the glory of God. May we be drawn away from this temporal world with its riches, allurements, and glory, and be drawn upward to the heavenly city where we will behold God and see what true prosperity is-the eternal glory of God. Amen.