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Lion Crossing (1 Peter 5:8-11)
17 Plays11 days ago
Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to 'Growing in Grace'
00:00:08
Speaker
Welcome to Growing in Grace with Pastor Victor Morrison. This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas. We are praying that God will bless you as you listen to this message.
00:00:22
Speaker
If you would like additional information on worship times and ministries at FBC Columbus, you can find out more at our website, fbccolumbustx.org. And now, take your copy of God's timeless Word as Pastor Victor gives today's message.
00:00:43
Speaker
Welcome back to Growing in Grace. I'm so glad you're listening today. I pray that this message will be a blessing to you.
Metaphor: Lion as Spiritual Adversary
00:00:49
Speaker
You know, if one compares the Christian life to a journey, then along this discipleship roadside, one might find a sign with an emblem of a lion.
00:01:02
Speaker
Warning, lion crossing. That's what I'd like to call the message from 1 Peter 5, verses 8 through 11. I think you might be ah fascinated by what the Lord reveals to us in this passage. When it comes to lions, lions are native to Africa and India.
00:01:21
Speaker
So we only see them in enclosed areas such as zoos and so forth here in the United States. So most likely, you don't have to worry about seeing a lion crossing path ah along your roadside.
Lion Statistics and Conservation Efforts
00:01:36
Speaker
According to World Population Review, actually, Tanzania in eastern Africa has the highest number of wild lions worldwide. with approximately 14,500 lions.
00:01:50
Speaker
That's according to World Population Review. China Global Television Network published a statement on April 21st, 2026, that now Tanzania's lion population has reached 17,000, about that amount.
00:02:07
Speaker
It's really hard to tell. i don't think anybody can really get them all together to count them. But the lion population of India, they've been taking some measures to sort of protect the lion population. And so it's growing.
00:02:20
Speaker
And so the big cats now over in India are numbering about 674. That's based on 2020 statistic, 674, excuse that's ah based on a twenty twenty statistic six hundred and six hundred and seventy four excuse me But ah back in it was way down to 523. to go from 523 to 674 is quite an increase.
1 Peter 5:8-11: Spiritual Vigilance
00:02:44
Speaker
But here in this passage, Peter warns globally dispersed followers of Christ through this epistle, 1 Peter 5, 8 through 11, of God's adversary, the devil.
00:02:59
Speaker
The apostle compares this spiritual foe to a roaring lion who prowls around seeking someone to devour. Listen, as a pastor, I see this.
00:03:12
Speaker
I see individuals who allow dark forces to destroy their lives or destroy their their marriages, to you know destroy their careers and so forth.
00:03:23
Speaker
But along with this passage, there are other passages like the one found in Ephesians 6. verses 10 through 20, where the Lord is trying to prepare us.
00:03:34
Speaker
He's trying to equip us. So if we don't pay close attention to what is written, we might not be ready for what is going to take place when we encounter spiritual warfare.
00:03:47
Speaker
So don't dismiss biblical warnings of the dangers involved in spiritual attacks from our enemy. Now, this passage today will inform contemporary disciples how to avoid becoming prey this roaring lion.
00:04:06
Speaker
Let's see what God's word says.
Three Exhortations: Watch, War, Win
00:04:08
Speaker
Here's what it says in 1 Peter 5, verse 8, down through verse 11. Be sober-minded. Be watchful.
00:04:17
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Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
00:04:38
Speaker
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
00:04:52
Speaker
To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Well, let's look at these ah verses closely. And I think what you'll observe here is that there's three different um exhortations that are included in this passage. The first one, watching for the roaring lion.
00:05:13
Speaker
That's in verse eight. The second one, warring with the roaring lion. That's ah verse nine. I wouldn't wanna be in a fight with a lion, would you? Well, spiritually, whether we like it or not, he's out there. So we got to be watching for him. We got to be ready whenever we must fight him.
00:05:33
Speaker
But then the last one, it's the best one. Winning. Winning against the roaring lion. I do believe that through Christ, it is very possible for us to win, to have the victory in Christ.
Awareness and Defense Against Spiritual Attacks
00:05:49
Speaker
So we'll talk about that as we close up today. But let's ah start ah our ah time together with verse 8.
00:05:57
Speaker
You know, earlier in his Christian life, Peter did not see Satan coming. Twice, Jesus tried to warn Peter that the enemy was stalking him.
00:06:09
Speaker
He was out there prowling. And so he was trying to wake Peter up so that he could be vigilant, so that he would stand guard. Here's what he said in Luke 22, verses 31 to he says, Simon, Simon,
00:06:25
Speaker
jesus is warning him and he says simon simon Indeed, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail.
00:06:40
Speaker
And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren. Do you remember when that happened? Well, in Matthew 26, verses 40 to 41, here's another place where Jesus once again is trying to warn him. Then he said to Peter,
00:06:58
Speaker
What? Could you not watch it with me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
00:07:12
Speaker
Wow. He's trying to say, we need to watch for this roaring lion that is out there prowling around. And so I really encourage you to listen closely as we go through these verses together. We're in verse eight now. So let me just break it down into three three ways we can watch for the enemy at work around us.
00:07:37
Speaker
The first thing we need to do is be awake, in prayer. You know, Matthew 26 verses 40 to 41 is when they were in the garden of Gethsemane and Jesus was trying to tell them, you need to watch and pray lest you enter into temptation.
00:07:55
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And so he knew that they needed to be what it calls here in 1 Peter 8, 1 Peter 5, 8,
00:08:03
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Be sober-minded. Be sober-minded. It means the idea of being awake. You know, I believe that prayer keeps us spiritually awake.
00:08:15
Speaker
But on the other side, i believe that prayerlessness keeps us spiritually awake. puts us to sleep spiritually. I'm always joking in our congregation ah about people sleeping during the worship service.
00:08:28
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You know, sometimes it's just so funny when you're standing up there on the podium and you can see maybe three, two or three that have already dozed off for for a nap. And it's just, ah I don't know, it's kind of amusing.
00:08:42
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But we don't need to do that spiritually in our daily walk. in our discipleship. And what will help us avoid dozing off like the disciples did in the Garden of Gethsemane is to pray.
00:08:59
Speaker
So first thing we're gonna do is stay awake in prayer. Second thing he says he wants us to do is he says ah to be sober-minded, be watchful, be watchful.
00:09:14
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The idea there is vigilance. So it means look out, be alert. You're on a guard post. You're supposed to be watching over your family. You're supposed to be watching over your own life. And so I think this is where maybe a prayer partner, an accountability partner could really help.
00:09:33
Speaker
And so I would just recommend that you ah make sure that you have good Christian friends in your life who will help you to stay alert to temptation. And when you're facing temptation, talk it over with your friends and tell them, pray for me because I feel that temptation is trying to get a hold of me. Let's say, for example, depression or discouragement. Tell your friends if you feel that you're being tempted to be discouraged or to doubt or those kinds of things.
00:10:04
Speaker
So we're going to be alert in prayer. We're going to be ah alert in ah to temptation. We're also going to be aware that there is an enemy. So awareness of the adversary.
00:10:17
Speaker
It's almost like what we have here in verse eight is an intelligence briefing on tactics used by the enemy. So let's kind of break it down and see what we can learn from this one verse.
00:10:30
Speaker
Well, first of all, he says, be sober-minded, be watchful, your adversary. you know, it's interesting. He says, your adversary, the devil.
00:10:42
Speaker
The devil actually means slanderer. Accusations are in his arsenal. So we have to be careful that we we try to get down to the truth and not just allow Satan to tear down other people.
00:10:59
Speaker
I wonder sometimes if people walk away from Christians or walk away from a church based on an accusation that that the devil is planted in their mind. Maybe I've had people tell me before, you know, so-and-so didn't even speak to me in the hallway.
00:11:16
Speaker
But what if that person had something on their mind and they weren't trying to be a snob? They were just simply, you know, ah in their own world, so to speak, in their mind.
00:11:26
Speaker
But the person that was ah not spoken to, wasn't greeted, thinks to themselves, I don't think they'd like me. I don't think they even want me here. Those are the kind of things that the slanderer, the accuser of the brethren, he likes to do. That's in his arsenal.
00:11:42
Speaker
But another thing he says here is that he prowls around. He walks about. I think that it's referring to how if the enemy cannot get you, ah let's say, get you to use profanity, or let's go down and ah get you to steal something, or get you to lie, then he's going to come in through another door and try to make you feel proud and arrogant, or to try to get you to be selfish.
00:12:13
Speaker
You see what I'm saying? It's He prowls around looking for the best way to attack us. Where are we not looking? What is it that we're overlooking?
00:12:24
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That might be exactly where this enemy is gonna try to
Resisting Satan's Intimidation and Accusations
00:12:28
Speaker
strike. So that's one thing I would say is be careful in the location, be careful about his accusations, but also be very careful about his intimidation.
00:12:38
Speaker
He does call him a roaring lion, a roaring lion? It's like definitely he's trying to bluff us. Now, I'm not going to say that a lion doesn't have a fierce sounding roar.
00:12:52
Speaker
As a matter of fact, I read one time where A lion's ah roar is 114 decibels. It's 25 times louder than a gas lawnmower.
00:13:04
Speaker
So if a lion is beside you and he roars, there is no way you're going to be able to tune it out. I mean, it's going to definitely, you'll feel it all the way down to your bone. And so all I'm saying is, please, you know, don't let his roaring intimidate you where you give in to fear.
00:13:23
Speaker
The other thing would be devour. You know, Satan does want to kill, to steal, and to destroy. That's what what Jesus said in John 10, 10.
00:13:35
Speaker
He said that he came to give us life and to give it more abundantly. But the thief, on the other hand, he comes to kill, steal, and destroy. I think he's referring to the enemy here.
00:13:48
Speaker
And just be aware that a real lion, like once the lion rushes at someone and does that final leap, and let's say he gets the deer or the wildebeest or the elephant, whatever it is, once he gets it down, he will consume, they say on average, about 65 pounds of meat before he ever even gets up and lets go of the animal.
00:14:12
Speaker
So just know that this is a fierce metaphor to pick from the animal kingdom to compare Satan to a roaring lion. It's not the only one.
00:14:22
Speaker
Sometimes he's compared to, well, a serpent. Sometimes he's compared to a dragon. All of these are very dangerous and very ah fearsome enemies.
00:14:33
Speaker
So just be on the lookout, okay? So that's the first thing. But what about if we actually are involved in an attack? Do you know that there are many people who survive attacks? I think one time I read where there were like 22 attacks in a given year in the United States, lion attacks, I mean.
00:14:51
Speaker
and But yet there were 22 fatalities from lion attacks, and yet 221 assaults or attacks. So just think, how many people died was not all the people who were attacked.
00:15:09
Speaker
So I'm telling you, it is possible to survive it. Just don't run away. Never turn your back. ah Be aware they may do a mock charge and act like they're going to come come against you, but it's really they're testing the threat level.
00:15:23
Speaker
And if you see one, wave your hands, shout, clap your hands as loudly as possible, possible because what we want to try to do is bluff him, to bluff him.
00:15:35
Speaker
But what do we do with this spiritual foe? Well, I think we can resist the foe is one thing. He definitely tells us that in verse nine. Resist him, resist him.
00:15:46
Speaker
Sometimes I feel like we don't even put up a fight. James chapter 4 verse 7 says the same thing. To resist the devil, he will flee from you. But what does it say before that?
00:15:58
Speaker
It says that we must submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. In Ephesians 6 verses 10 through 13, there are three different times he uses the word against.
00:16:12
Speaker
Stand against, wrestle against, withstand. So we need to say, Lord, help me to do what I can to push back, not to give in, to push back and say, no, I will not allow Satan to bully me around.
00:16:28
Speaker
If we're gonna have that kind of attitude, the next thing we need to do when we're warring against the enemy is not only resist him, but also reinforce your faith.
00:16:41
Speaker
He says, resist him firm in your faith. Firm in your faith. Do you know what Satan's number one goal is in your life?
00:16:51
Speaker
When he attacks you, it's not about you. It's not really about you. You know what he wants to do? He wants to discredit God. He wants to discredit God in your faith.
00:17:04
Speaker
In other words, he makes he wants to make you, well's let's say, doubt God's love for you. Doubt God's power and ability to help you. Doubt God's providence that he's got you where he wants you to be.
00:17:18
Speaker
you know, all of these things are just some of his ways. That's why one of my favorite passages for knowing how to face the enemy is found in 2 Corinthians 10, verses 3, 4, and 5.
00:17:30
Speaker
But in that passage, he says, "...the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful." for the destruction of fortresses, for we're destroying speculations in every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. And we're taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. You see, that's what he really doesn't like.
00:17:54
Speaker
He wants to be in control of the way we think. And the only reason he wants to be there, he wants us to doubt the goodness of God, the greatness of God, the faithfulness of God, all of those kinds things. He's trying to discredit God in your mind, but don't let him.
00:18:13
Speaker
Be steadfast. That's why I think Jesus modeled using the word in spiritual combat.
Victory Through Christ: Power of Faith and Prayer
00:18:20
Speaker
You know, in Matthew 4, verses one through 11, Jesus was tempted three different times. But what did he always say each time that a temptation came to him?
00:18:32
Speaker
He always said that it is written, it is written, it is written. You see, Jesus knows that the way we will move forward and reinforce our faith is by letting our faith rest upon the revealed word of God.
00:18:49
Speaker
So definitely use God's word whenever you want to reinforce your faith. And then also push back, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
00:19:01
Speaker
But let's also remember how he finishes this verse nine. Resist him. firm in your faith, but listen to what he says next. Knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
00:19:19
Speaker
I think we need to remember our forefathers, in the faith I mean. You see, Satan will try to isolate you. He will try to make you feel marginalized, like you're the only one going through hard times, going through suffering like this.
00:19:37
Speaker
I think that's what he wants us to do. But what we need to remember is what the Bible tells us so many others have suffered. I mean, we're when you look at the scriptures, you'll learn, oh my goodness, there were people thrown into a lion's den.
00:19:53
Speaker
There were people who ah faced all kind of battles and so forth. So we need to say, okay, I'm gonna remember the Alamo, so to speak.
00:20:03
Speaker
Wasn't that what Sam Houston said? whenever they were going to fight in the Battle of San Jacinto. I mean, that was the whole idea, was we're not gonna forget the sacrifices and the and the heroics of those who have been before us, those who have fought before we fought.
00:20:21
Speaker
And so we need to say, Lord, when it's my time to fight that old roaring lion, Help me to remember others have fought against him. And so help us, oh Lord, to win this battle against the enemy. And I do believe that our winning is only possible through Jesus Christ.
00:20:40
Speaker
You know, I think that's why he ends with verses 10 through 11. Let me read these again. And after you have suffered a little while, The God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. The dominion.
00:21:06
Speaker
You know, Jesus already has the victory, and that's why so many verses tell us, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, yeah.
00:21:18
Speaker
That's why Revelation 5.5 tells us, yeah, there is a roaring lion out there, a roaring lion. Got that? That's the enemy, right? That's Satan, the roaring lion.
00:21:30
Speaker
But Revelation 5.5 introduces us to the reigning lion, the reigning lion, way more than just a roar. Nope. It says in Revelation 5.5, but one of the elders said to me, do not weep.
00:21:48
Speaker
Why? Why should I weep? Behold, the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.
00:22:00
Speaker
Wow, man, I'm telling you. the The last book in the Bible assures us that in the end, we win. We win over all the roaring lion has to accomplish out there. We're gonna win over him because of Christ's victory upon the cross. And so it's just so wonderful that we have victory in the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:22:24
Speaker
You know, when I was looking at this passage, I thought, okay, so how is it that we win? What is it that we should remember in terms of winning?
00:22:34
Speaker
What does winning look like? And so forth. So let me give you three closing thoughts about winning against the roaring lion. First off, I would say we win not by our strength.
00:22:48
Speaker
No, get this, we win by his grace. We win by his grace. Do you know that our best shot at winning over the devil has never been our strength?
00:23:01
Speaker
It's always been God's grace. Paul describes a few rounds that he went in the ring of life with his opponent, the devil, in 2 Corinthians 12, verses seven through 10.
00:23:15
Speaker
And what he learned was, that the victory is not based upon his muscles. The victory is based upon God's grace. So even when he feels weak, he said, that's okay because God's grace is sufficient for me.
00:23:32
Speaker
I also couldn't help but notice some things that were listed here in this verse that I thought, what does all that mean when it says ah that he he who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you?
00:23:50
Speaker
What does all that mean? I think what he's talking about there is not just his grace, his goals. You know what? Growth. Growth is what the Lord is wanting. So even though it may sound strange that he allows the enemy to come and to fight against us, the Lord is saying there's no other way for you to grow up other than to be out there in that arena and to face the fight and to know that I can win the fight.
00:24:17
Speaker
You know, you've probably heard this before, but I remember reading where the way they used to initiate braves in the Native American Indian tribes was they would put them out in the in the forest all by themselves.
00:24:30
Speaker
put them right out in the middle where they were surrounded by trees, but they were out there in the open. And they said, you know, the dad would say to the young young brave that was getting ready to be initiated, I want you to stand here and I want you to use your bow and arrow and you be ready. If something happens, you take it on. But you also need to remember you will get sleepy and you will be tired.
00:24:55
Speaker
So they said that the the initiate would stand there shaking because as the night went on, the sounds of the forest got really scary. He would hear growls and different sounds that he didn't even know what it was, a twig breaking and so forth. So he all night he would be so scared.
00:25:13
Speaker
But in the morning, whenever the sun began to come up, And it was just beginning to dawn. He would look around and do a 360. And when he turned behind him, guess what he saw?
00:25:26
Speaker
His father. His father and some of the other men had been in the trees and they had their bows full drawn and they were ready at any moment to protect that boy if anything came running at him.
00:25:39
Speaker
And they would tell him, We wanted you to grow and to know that you never fight alone. God's going to use all you're going through to help restore you, confirm you, strengthen you, establish you.
00:25:53
Speaker
So don't give up. God's still working in your life. The last thing is his glory, his grace, his goals, his glory.
Conclusion and Prayer for Strength
00:26:01
Speaker
Right now, you're in the midst of the battles. We may think the enemy is going to win,
00:26:06
Speaker
but trust the promises of God's word. At the end will be eternal glory and dominion forever and ever for the Lion of Judah.
00:26:17
Speaker
So God's gonna win this. Jesus is gonna be glorified. So you can just say, Lord, thank you for the honor of being on the winning side. Well, let's close with a word of prayer.
00:26:29
Speaker
Lord, I thank you for my friends that listened today. I pray that you would use these verses to encourage them, to strengthen them, help them, Lord, to lay aside their fears and to trust you, to know that you've got this. You've got their back. You're there. You're helping them to grow and that there's no other way than to have to fight fight that enemy. But as we fight, we do not fight alone.
00:26:54
Speaker
We fight with brothers and sisters, yes, but also we have the Lord Jesus Christ on our side who will help us. And your word says, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, the triumph, the victory, it's a gift.
00:27:14
Speaker
And it's a gift that comes to each one of us through Christ. So help all of my friends that are listening to make sure that they have trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
00:27:26
Speaker
It's in his mighty name we pray. Amen. Well, thanks again for listening today. I pray that God has blessed you.
00:27:46
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.