Sermon #1545[1]                           Miscellaneous Sermons

 

     Title:           A Cure for Care

     Text:           1 Peter 5:6-7

     Reading:    Psalm 37:1-40

     Subject:      Casting Our Care Upon The Lord

     Introduction:

 

Now I see, whate’er betide,

All is well if Christ is mine;

He has promised to provide;

May He teach me to resign.

 

When a sense of sin and thrall

Forced me to the sinner’s Friend,

He engaged to manage all,

By the way and to the end.

 

“Cast,” He said, “on Me thy care;

‘Tis enough that I am nigh:

I will all thy burdens bear;

I will all thy needs supply.”

 

Lord, I would indeed submit;

Gladly yield my all to Thee;

What Thy wisdom sees most fit,

Must be surely best for me.

 

Only when the way is rough,

And the coward flesh would start,

Let Thy promise and Thy love

Cheer and animate my heart.

John Newton

 

(1 Pet 5:6-7)  "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: {7} Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

 

In the last sentence of verse five the Holy Spirit tells us that God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” We are all terribly proud creatures by nature. In our sinful, shameful pride, we stoutly resist God and God resists us. That is a battle we are sure to lose. The person who fights against God is a fool indeed. “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!” (Isa. 45:9). If the Almighty should lift so much as the finger of his wrath against you or me, it would crush us instantly and eternally into the lowest hell!

 

Yet, we are such proud, foolish creatures that by nature we all live with our fists shoved in the very face of God, defying his infinite holiness, justice, and wrath! Those who do so have this promise from him – God resisteth the proud.” If God resists you, you must be forever undone! If God almighty resists me, I am altogether without hope.

 

But notice the next part of the sentence. This same God, who resists the proud, giveth grace to the humble.” Notice the conjunction. It is not but, but “and.” The very same God who resists the proud gives grace to the humble. If God resists me, I am damned forever. If he gives me grace, I am forever blessed and saved.

 

But how can a proud rebel, a stout-hearted sinner, a stiff-necked rebel, a child of Adam ever hope for grace, if God only gives grace to the humble? Obviously, grace must do something for me before I can ever enjoy the experience of grace. I will not attempt to explain the mystery of God’s gracious operations in the souls of men; but this much I know...

 

1.    No sinner will ever be broken, humbled, and abased before God until God almighty himself breaks, humbles, and abases him by his grace. Grace operates on us and in us before grace is received by us. That which breaks the heart is the revelation of Christ in the heart (Isa. 6:1-6; Zech. 12:10; Acts 9:1-9).

2.    God gives grace to the humble (Ps. 34:18; 51:17; Isa. 66:1-2).

 

(Psa 34:18)  "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

 

(Psa 51:17)  "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

 

(Isa 66:1-2)  "Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? {2} For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word."

 

Find me a truly broken soul, a broken hearted sinner, one who weeps over his sin before God, and I will show you an object of God’s grace, one to whom God has promised salvation.

 

3.    All who are humbled by grace humble themselves before God and seek his grace, looking to Christ in faith; and all who seek the grace of God by faith in Christ, trusting his blood atonement obtain the grace they seek (Luke 18:9-14).

 

Proposition:  God gives grace to the humble: saving grace, sanctifying grace, sustaining grace, sufficient grace, and satisfying grace! God gives grace, all grace, to the humble.

 

Divisions: If God the Holy Spirit will help me to deliver it, I have a message for everyone here, saints and sinners, believers and unbelievers, the upright and the fallen, the strong and the weak. If you need grace, my message is for you. God help you to hear his Word. I want to call your attention to three things in 1 Peter 5:6-7.

 

1.    A Call to Contrition -”Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.”

2.    A Cure for Care - “Casting all your care upon him.”

3.    A Cause for Confidence - “For he careth for you.”

 

I.      A Call to Contrition—“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.”

 

Since God gives grace to the humble, we are here called to humble ourselves before him, that we might obtain his grace. As I said before, I know that no one will humble himself, until he has been humbled by God. Yet, it is our responsibility to humble ourselves before the Lord God. All who refuse to do so shall be forever destroyed by him. All who do humble themselves before the Lord shall be forever saved by him.

 

A. First, I take these words to be addressed to you who are yet without Christ, to you who are yet unbelievers, to you who are yet under the wrath of God.

 

When Hezikiah the king was justly threatened with death because of his transgression, he humbled himself and sought the Lord his God. Therefore, because he humbled himself, God spared his life (2 Chron. 32:26). It is written in the Scriptures: “He shall save the humble person...He forgetteth not the cry of the humble...He giveth grace to the humble...Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (Job 22:29; Ps. 9:12; James 4:6, 10).

 

(Isa 57:15)  "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

 

I hope someone is asking, “What is it to humble myself in the sight of God? How can I humble myself before the Lord? I do not pretend to be an expert on humility. But I do know this—If Moses was the meekest man who ever lived, then humility is not at all what men and women naturally assume it is.

 

If the hand of God lays heavily upon your heart, if you carry in your soul the sentence of death, if you are now under a sense of God’s justice, wrath, and judgment, and sense that you are rapidly slipping into hell, the Holy Spirit here calls you to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Are you interested in what is thus demanded of you?

 

The Publican

 

Look at the example given by our Lord himself in Luke 18:9-14.

 

(Luke 18:9-14)  "And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: {10} Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. {11} The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. {12} I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. {13} And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. {14} I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

 

If ever a man exemplified what humility is, it was the publican in the temple. Clearly, three things are involved in humbling yourself before God. If you would humble yourself before the holy Lord God, if you would abase yourself before him...

 

1.    You must acknowledge who the Lord God is in his infinite, unapproachable, sovereign holiness. “The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast.” This man knew that he was unworthy to approach the living, holy, Lord God. And he knew that the root of the problem was his own wicked, depraved, deceitful heart. Do you realize that?

2.    You must acknowledge and confess your utter sinfulness. Oh, God help you to cry out to him like this publican, “God, be merciful to me a (the) sinner!” You cannot be saved until you take your place in the dust before God as a sinner. Take the ground he gives you, and plead for mercy. If you can, if you will, you will obtain mercy (1 John 1:9).

3.    You must see, acknowledge, and confess that the only grounds upon which God can or will forgive your sin is the blood atonement, the propitiatory sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. The word translated “merciful” is actually propitious. The publican was saying, God, look on the blood of your Son, the Mercy-seat, the blood of the Lamb, and forgive me. If in your heart you thus humble yourself before God, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, his salvation is yours!

 

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” Such humiliation is the way to exaltation. As soon as you thus humble yourself, the “due time,” the appointed time of your exaltation has come. No sooner does a sinner cry, “God, be merciful to me a sinner,” than he is exalted to sit among the sons of God, crying from his heart by the witness of the Spirit, “Abba, Father!”

 

(1 John 3:1)  "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not."

 

B. But this call to contrition is also addressed to you and me as believers, as the sons and daughters of God.

 

Whenever the hand of God is upon us in loving chastisement, we are to humble ourselves under his hand. At all times, let us humble ourselves under his hand, knowing that in the hollow of his hand we are perfectly safe and secure. When trials, temptations, and troubles come, couch down in his omnipotent hand, and be at peace.

 

“Quietly submit to his will; patiently bear every affliction without murmuring, repining, or replying against him; be still under the rod, and despise not the chastening of the Lord; mourn over sin as the cause, acknowledge your vileness and unworthiness, and stand in awe of his Majesty, considering yourselves as under the mighty hand of God.”

              (John Gill)

 

If we can, by the grace of God obey this call to contrition, we will have little problem with the next part of our text, which is...

 

II.   A Cure for Care—“Casting all your care upon him.”

 

Let me tell you what got me started studying this text, which ultimately led me to prepare this message. Last week, a very dear friend and brother in the Lord, one who is going through some real struggles and trials (Some he knows are of his own making.), said to me – “Don, I’ve been singing that hymn to myself for weeks, Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. But no matter how I try, I just can’t leave it there. I wish I could, but I just can’t.”

 

Really, I do not know that any of us can leave our burdens with the Lord. We should. If we believed him as we ought, we could. But we simply do not believe him as we ought. Still, I will tell you what you can do. As often as a burden presses upon your heart, as often as a care arises in your soul to trouble you, you can cast it upon the Lord.

 

Will you please notice the tense of the word. It is not written in the past tense or in the future tense, but in the present tense, Casting all your care upon him.” It appears from the very tense of the verb that we are to be always casting all our care upon him.

 

I read a very good sermon on this text earlier in the week by Mr. Spurgeon. It was quite good. It was profitable and edifying. But in the introduction to his message, he said, “There are some cares which we must not cast upon God.” But Mr. Spurgeon was mistaken. The Holy Spirit clearly says, “Casting ALL your care upon him.”

 

Let me talk to you now for a little while about our cares and the cure for care.

 

A. First, we need to realize that all worry, fretfulness, and anxious care is sin.

 

I want to be very careful. I understand that there are many things that cause worry and anxiety. But the fretful care that disturbs our relationship with God, his people, and our families, and disrupts our lives is not to be indulged as though we are not responsible for our behavior. This is something more than a weakness of temperament, or a mental disorder. Its root and essence is rebellion and unbelief.

 

1.    It is an impertinent attempt to snatch from the hands of God the guardianship of providence.

2.    It is calling into question his love, his faithfulness, his veracity, his wisdom, and his very Word.

3.    Fretful, anxious care fills the life of the worrier with misery.

4.    Our cares are a great source of weakness, which cripple our usefulness in the cause of Christ.

 

Illustration: A Man Coming to Work Carrying his Coffee Table!

 

I want to be like Peter. He was in the fishing business. But when the Master needed a pulpit from which to preach to the multitudes, Peter gave him his boat for a pulpit. That was not very smart, as a business man. What would become of his fishing business? The Maser took care of that. As soon as the sermon was over, he went fishing with Peter. You know the rest of the story. The Lord said, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draught.” When he did, Peter caught more fish in ten minutes than he could normally catch in ten days! Children of God,...

“Make His service your delight.

Your wants shall be his care.”

·       1 Samuel 2:30

 

(1 Sam 2:30)  "Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed."

 

Our Lord does not mean for us to be slothful, negligent of duty, or careless in our responsibilities. But he does mean for us to trust him with all the affairs of our lives

·       Matthew 6:25-34

 

(Mat 6:25-34)  "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? {26} Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? {27} Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? {28} And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: {29} And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. {30} Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? {31} Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? {32} (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. {33} But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. {34} Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

 

B. Not only is it an evil thing, worrying, fretful care is a useless thing.

 

What good ever came from worrying? What mistake has ever been corrected by worrying? What evil has ever been prevented by worrying? What cares we make for ourselves! We try to anticipate the future. In doing so, we addle our brains with the terrible fears we anticipate, and refuse to believe God. How we dishonor our God by our worrying!

 

C. Therefore, our text calls for us to cast all our care upon him.

 

Do not think that I am being careless with the Word of God when I tell you that there is no limit, no boundary, no extremity, no line which you must not cross in “casting all your care upon him.” The Lord God would have us to cast upon him, and to cast upon him constantly, all our cares!

 

1. Cast upon him all your spiritual care.

·       Cast upon the Son of God the care of all your sins: past, present, and future (1 John 1:7).

·       Cast upon him the care of your personal weaknesses (Phil. 1:6; Isa. 43:1-5).

·       Cast upon him the care of your present temptations (1 Cor. 10:13).

·       Cast upon him the care of your future dangers (Rom. 8:35-39).

·       Cast upon the Lord Jesus Christ, your Savior, the God of glory, your heavenly Father, and the Spirit of sanctification, all the care of your immortal soul for all eternity (2 Tim. 1:12).

·       Do not be like Uzza, who rashly laid his hand upon the ark of the Lord.

·       Do not, like Uzziah, dare to offer sacrifice unto the Lord or usurp the office of God’s high Priest. That belongs to Christ alone!

What more can He say than to you He hath said,

You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

 

2. If we cast upon him, if we truly cast upon him all our spiritual and eternal care, we ought not find it difficult to cast upon him all our earthly, carnal care.

 

Again, let me say no more than I know to be true. But I must speak the truth. If I trust him with my corruptions, I ought to be able to trust him with my children. If I trust him with my transgressions, I ought to be able to trust him with my troubles. If I trust the Lord with my wickedness, I ought to be able to trust him with my welfare. If I trust him with my soul, I ought to be able to trust him with my body. If I trust him for all things in eternity, I ought to be able to trust him for all things in time. He bids us cast all our care upon him.

·       The Care for Daily Bread

·       The Care of All Earthly Needs for Ourselves and Our Families

·       The Care of Our Businesses

·       The Care of Our Children

·       The Care of His Church and Kingdom

 

In all things, let us be careful to do our duty, to do what we are responsible to do under God. But having done what we are responsible to do before him, if we would live in peace, we must cast our care upon him.

 

Now, I want us to look for just a moment at the last line of our text. Here is...

 

III.           A Cause for Confidence—“For he careth for you.”

 

Oh, what a word of grace this is! Children of God, we may confidently cast all our care upon the Lord our God, “for he careth for you!” It is good to know that he is strong, that his shoulders are broad, that he has the ability to carry the load of my care. But all that would be meaningless without these words, “he careth for you!”

 

(Zep 3:14-17)  "Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. {15} The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. {16} In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. {17} The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."

 

(Rom 8:28-39)  "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. {29} For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. {30} Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. {31} What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? {32} He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? {33} Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. {34} Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. {35} Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? {36} As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. {37} Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. {38} For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, {39} Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

 

“He careth for you!” Get hold of this if you can. It will help you through your rough waters. This is what those words mean...

 

A. The Lord God has a special love for you.

 

This is the very heart and essence of all our comfort (Heb. 13:5; Psalm 37:5; 55:22).

 

(Psa 37:5)  "Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."

 

(Psa 55:22)  "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."

 

(Heb 13:5)  "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

 

The Lord Jesus says, to every disciple, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” When he comes to you across the troubled waters, hear him speak, “It is I, be not afraid.

·       John 14:1

·       Psalm 23:1-6

 

(John 13:36-38)  "Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. {37} Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. {38} Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice."

 

(John 14:1-3)  "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. {2} In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

 

(Psa 23)  "A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. {2} He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. {3} He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. {4} Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. {5} Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. {6} Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

 

B. The affairs of this world are under the dispensation of God’s special providence.

 

God’s universal, general providence is directed by his special love for his own and his special designs of love for his elect. “He careth for you!’ He is the Savior of all men in providence, but he is especially the Savior of those that believe.

·       Romans 8:28

·       1 Corinthians 3:21

 

Application: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.”

 

(Prov 3:5-6)  "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. {6} In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

 

Humble yourselves before the Lord,

Bow to His sovereign will.

Children of God, the way to peace

Is bowing to His will.

 

Casting all your care upon Him,

You’ll find Him strong and true,

His shoulders broad to take the load

That now is crushing you.

 

Hear this inducement from the Lord,

Especially for you.

To help you cast your care on Him,

He says, “He cares for you!”

 

“He cares for you!” “He cares for you!”

Your Father cares for you!

“He cares for you!” “He cares for you!”

His grace will see you through!



[1] Sermon #1220 A Cure for Care (1 Pet. 5:6-7) Danville (AM 02/11/96)

   Tape # S-22

   Sermon # 1545 West Harpeth Grace Church, Franklin, TN (Wednesday PM 10/22/03)—Danville (Tuesday 11/04/03)—Fairmont Grace Church, Sylacauga, AL—(Wednesday PM 11/12/03)—Grace Baptist Church, Taylor, AR (PM 11/18/03)―

   Tape # X-85b