The Lord’s Care for His People in Stressful Times (1 Peter 5:7)
Sermon Summary
Pastor David Yan
4 September 2022
Christians were under pressure from Roman oppression. There were concerns for safety, money, care for children, food supply—the very things that bring stress to people today. The world has not changed in 2000 years.
Peter exhorts his readers to cast their care on God. This required a conscious act of rolling all burdens off one’s shoulder and on to the Lord God. This casting off is in the past tense, which means believers are to roll off their burden once and for all. The Lord God will carry their load. Yet they must persist in prayer. Your burden is rolled off once; but you are to pray not once but many times.
Note Peter said cast “all” your care upon God. Roll off all your load; God will carry all of it. Why keep part when God has taken the whole?
Peter teaches that God is a caring God. He cares for those who cast all their care upon him. He neither fails nor forsakes his people.
Consider some examples of God’s care. Moses carried the care of leadership. At times it was too much for him to bear. He cast it upon the Lord God and God took the load off him (Exodus 5:22).
David carried the load of a guilty conscience. He committed adultery and murder and when confronted by the prophet Nathan he felt the pangs of conscience. But he unloaded everything upon the Lord and was liberated (Psalm 51).
Elijah was burdened with fear. He thought he was the only believer left but when he encountered the Lord he was restored and his load was taken away (1 Kings 19:9-10).
Paul was in prison and felt forsaken. But the Lord stood with him and Paul was strengthened (2 Cor.1:8-10; 2 Tim.4:16,17).
Why should the Lord care at all? It is because he cares for the soul. He created it and it has value. How is the soul valued? It is valued by what one is willing to pay for it. God gave that which was most precious to him—his Son, to save the soul. The coming of his Son to save the soul shows the value of the soul. As the carol says. "Long lay the world in sin and error pining until he appeared and the soul felt its worth.”
God cares for the soul because he cares for the honour of his Son. Jesus died to save the soul. It cannot be that God the Father allows the Son's work of redemption to fail. He will not dishonour the Son. Thus he cares for the soul—the soul that Christ died to save.
God cares for the soul because his people, (saved souls) bear testimony for him. Through them the world will hear the good news of God’s salvation and glorify God (2:12; 3:1,16; Matt.5:16). God cares for his church in the world that the world might in turn come to glorify him.
In the light of the fact that God cares for his people what must we do?
For the non Christian there is an opportunity to come into the fellowship of the church through faith in Christ. Come under the Lord’s care. Cast your burden upon him.
For the Christian—stop worrying! You have cast your load on to Jesus. He is carrying it. He will not fail you. Be free; be joyous; be zealous for the Lord who cares for you.