Summary of my sermon, based on 1 Peter 5:1-11. Preached at Greenhills Christian Fellowship Toronto on March 1, 2026.
We are continuing our series on the “one another” commands. Today, we look at 1 Peter 5, which begins with a specific exhortation to leadership. Peter instructs the elders—the older men leading the first-century church—to shepherd the flock and exercise oversight without being domineering. While church hierarchies look different today, this remains a vital call for anyone in formal or informal leadership. But Peter does not stop with the leaders. He immediately broadens his instruction to the entire congregation: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5, ESV).
When we think of humility, we often think of it passively. We picture someone who is exceptional at something but chooses not to brag or boast about it. While that is true, Peter’s command to “clothe yourselves” with humility implies something much more active. Peter is likely conjuring up a very specific memory of Jesus. In John 13, during the Last Supper, Jesus laid aside His outer garments, tied a towel around His waist, and washed His disciples’ feet. He literally clothed Himself in the attire of a servant to perform a menial task. He even washed the feet of Judas, knowing full well that Judas had already agreed to betray Him. Active humility is not just the absence of pride; it is deliberately lowering yourself to sacrificially serve others, even your enemies.
Peter continues, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7, ESV). Humility before God leads to exaltation, ultimately at Christ’s return. But notice the connection to anxiety. For many of us, the hardest thing to submit to God is our worry. When we allow anxieties to fester, we betray a lack of conviction that God truly cares for us. We foolishly think we can control the situation ourselves, or we become so paralyzed by fear that we stop serving others entirely. Casting our cares on God is an act of active humility. It requires us to admit our limitations and lean on His strength, often through the support and fellowship of our local church community.
We must also remain vigilant against the things that distract us from this humble dependence. Peter warns, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8, ESV). While the first-century church faced brutal physical persecution, we face a different kind of danger in the West: prosperity. As C.S. Lewis illustrated in The Screwtape Letters, prosperity ties us to the world. It makes us feel so at home on earth that we stop looking toward heaven. Wealth and comfort can breed anxiety and distract us from prioritizing Christ. We must guard our hearts against the lie that our ultimate fulfillment is found in the fleeting success of this world.
After we have suffered a little while—whether through genuine hardship or the hollow anxieties of a consumeristic culture—the God of all grace will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. The struggles of this world cannot compare to the eternal glory we have in Christ. Jesus gave us the ultimate example of humility when He emptied Himself and became obedient to the point of death on a cross. As we reflect on His sacrifice, let us aspire to that same active, sacrificial humility toward one another.
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