We turn in Holy Scripture this evening to 1 Peter 5. 1 Peter 5, the concluding chapter of Peter's first epistle. The elders which are among you, I exhort, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed, feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint but willingly, not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind, neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being in samples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. 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. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you, and so doth Marcus my son. Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with all, with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen. The text to which I call your attention in this prayer day service is 1 Peter 5, verses 6 and 7. 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. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, the theme of the text we consider this evening is found in verse 7, casting all your cares upon God. But the humility of which the text speaks is an essential part of that calling. The fact is, without the humility required in verse 6, There's no way possible for you to cast your cares upon Jehovah. The proud man might have many needs, but he refuses to show his dependence upon God. If you and I would cast our cares upon God, then we first must humble ourselves before him. The apostle in the context quite obviously recalls the teaching of Jesus during his earthly sojourn as the Lord walked with Peter and the other disciples. In those days, Peter didn't understand the humility as a matter of his own experience, nor did the other disciples. There were little quarrels, you remember, as to who would be the greatest in the kingdom of God. Even the mother of James and John came to Jesus seeking the chief place in the kingdom for her son. And at the last supper, the disciples had disputed with Jesus over who should have the place of honor. They were not good examples of humility. Over against their pride came Jesus in the foot washing when he who was their Lord got on his knees with a basin of water at their feet and washed their feet. The apostle Peter only later learned what it was to be clothed with humility. He had first to learn the reality of the kingdom of God and of the way in which Christ would bring salvation. But once he did, once the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured upon him and the other disciples, Peter learned that the greatness of the kingdom of God is not to rule in pride, it's to serve in humility. And in that understanding, Peter began to understand what it is to serve Jesus Christ in gratitude for who He is and what He has done for us. It's in that understanding that Peter wrote the words of this text, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to be sure, but he wrote also as a matter of his own experience, knowing that while humility is a requisite for the admonition of verse 7, we have here Scripture's solution to all the problems of life, and in its light, I ask you to view the reality of all things, casting your cares upon Him, for He careth for you. Do you hear that, beloved? He cares for you. God cares for you. He cares so much that he who is the Lord of glory came in Jesus Christ and humbled himself even unto the death of the cross for you. Shall anything then separate you from his love? Impossible." So we consider this text under the theme, Casting Our Cares Upon God, And we have here, first of all, a significant admonition. Secondly, a humiliating admonition. And finally, a well-grounded admonition, casting our cares upon God. A significant admonition, a humiliating admonition, and a well-grounded admonition. that this is a significant admonition is evident from the fact that it hits so close to our own hearts and lives. We speak oftentimes of frustration and stress. The Bible speaks of cares. And the cares referred to are are not your everyday cares that the Lord himself has laid upon us and which must be our cares. As we stand with God's people in his covenant of grace, God has laid upon each one of us a calling, what in the baptism form is referred to as our part in the covenant. And as we consider our lives that way, We will also understand that there are certain cares which must be our cares and which we may not neglect and avoid. A husband and father, for example, should care for his wife and family, working to provide for them as he is able, but even more especially, caring for their spiritual needs. A mother must care for her husband. and children. According to Titus 2 and other scriptures, being sober, loving her husband, loving her children, being discreet, chaste, a keeper at home, good, obedient to her own husband, that the Word of God be not blasphemy. That must be your care. As parents, together, you have the calling to watch over the spiritual nurture and instruction of the children God gives you, speaking to them daily and frequently about what they learned and did in school, for example, supporting those teachers to whom you have committed the spiritual care of your children for some seven hours each day. It must be your care as to what the teachers teach your children, as well as how your children behave and learn and show honor to those in authority. You men have a peculiar calling with regard to your job, and so on and so forth. We all have callings within the realm of the church in relationship to our brothers and sisters in Christ. And that calling takes on a manifold expression as Scripture exhorts us, for example, to teach and admonish one another, to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, to pray one for another, and so on and so forth. And with all these things, people of God, we may not be careless. we may not have a careless attitude. In addition, Scripture would teach us in many places, and that's our own experience too, that with regard to our various callings, and most of us have multiple callings, we receive our strength only from God through Jesus Christ and by His Holy Spirit. But when the Apostle Peter speaks here of cares, he's thinking not of our obligations, not of our calling before the face of God, though those cares also must constantly be carried to God in prayer, but the Apostle is speaking here of God's way with us. And the word he uses could be translated anxiety. Literally, the idea expressed by that term is that we are torn apart inside by the things or events of our life, the way in which God leads us, and those cares begin where our obligation and work ceases. That is, where we cannot control the outcome of things, nor the way. There are thousands of things over which we have no control. A minister might be ever so faithful, might proclaim the Word in truth and boldness, but he has no control over the outcome of the harvest. He might desire the salvation of a particular sinner with whom he labors and who has departed from the teachings of the Word of God, but he has no control over that sinner's conversion. A godly pastor or elders might labor with prayer and tears with one who is desperately in need of help. But unless the Spirit changes the heart, there will be no change. We can't affect that change. And now, I'm speaking from the viewpoint of my own experience, but there are multitudes of other examples. The businessman has no control over the broader economy. also as that affects his business. The farmer might be ever so diligent in the care of his fields and the sowing of his crops, but he cannot make it rain. And he cannot control the measure of rain that falls upon his fields. He cannot prevent the hail storms that come. and therefore he has really no control over the outcome of the harvest. Then there is our physical health. Although there are ways in which we might wrongfully contribute to the deterioration of our health in violation of the sixth commandment, generally speaking, we have no control over our health or sickness are living or are dying. A common cold or a flu virus might affect us no matter what precautions we take. The cancer cells loose in our bodies might begin to replicate and multiply, and we can't control it. There are any number of things and events that touch our lives over which we have no control. Now, care arises when the way of God in our lives, the way He leads us, is contrary to our own desires, and we pass judgment over against God that His way is not acceptable. His way is no good. When we don't humble ourselves before God's absolute sovereignty and trust His wisdom as those who belong to Jesus Christ, we're filled with care, full of anxiety. And in our case, as Christians, that care are being drawn in different directions comes from the struggle between the old man and the new man. The old man fighting against God, and the new man knowing full well that God's way with us is only good. We're torn apart inside. You know that we are inclined to dispute God's ways when His ways are not those that we would choose. We actually feel that His way is no good. We might not be bold enough to say it. We know our thinking isn't right. But we're no different from Jacob. Jacob had many cares in life. He had lost his son Joseph, he thought, to death. Then he suffered famine in that time when famine ravaged the land of Canaan. And when he sent his sons to Egypt to bring back food, Simeon was taken captive, and the request came back through his sons They must not come back for more food unless they bring their younger brother Benjamin with them. Jacob had as many cares as do you and I. And when Jacob said in Genesis 42, verse 36, all these things are against me. He might just as well have said, God doesn't know what he's doing. because that's just what He meant. And if we examine ourselves, we often have the same attitude. We never do that when things are going our way, of course. But when we cannot see or understand God's ways with us, when we feel we can't handle it, then we begin to complain in our souls. say, things shouldn't be this way. Why is everybody stomping on me? And we play the victim card before God. We don't want the pathway He's given us. We don't trust His power to help us. We question His wisdom. We even question God's goodness and mercy over us. And then we try to take the matter in our own hands. We think we're going to solve the problem. We wrestle with our problems even though the load is too big for us, too much for us to bear, and we justify our own way even though that way might be totally wrong and even destructive for us. And if we continue to walk that way of sinful anxiety and the sinful reaction to God's ways with us, the joy of salvation withers in our souls and darkness settles over us. And all the while, there is this turmoil of soul as we're pulled in two directions by that old man and that new man in Christ, which writes upon our conscience that we're doing wrong. Those are the cares that we are admonished to cast upon our Heavenly Father. To cast our care upon him means that we submit to God's will and God's way. Now, the language here is strongly figurative. These cares and anxieties are presented as an oppressively heavy burden. The sinking sufferer is presented as throwing them off his own shoulders and onto God. The text is reminiscent of the song of the psalmist in Psalm 55, verse 22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Furthermore, the figurative expression which speaks of Casting announces to us that there's effort involved here. To get rid of those cares that plague us is not simply a matter of laying them aside as if they're not there. To drop something requires little effort. To throw something especially of great weight. That requires a great deal of effort. Our experience confirms that it's no easy matter to throw off the burden of our cares. We are not to expect that in some miraculous way and without the use of any means, God is going to relieve us from these burdensome cares and give us happiness. The apostle would not encourage us in laziness and a foolish self-help philosophy. In order to cast those cares upon Jehovah, you must be continually strengthened, especially by the chief means of grace which is the preaching of the Word. Through the preaching of the Word, He comes to you with the voice of Christ and reveals to you the secrets of His love and His will for you." I shouldn't have to expand upon that, beloved. Most of you know the importance of preaching for your daily life and cares, but let us all stand reminded. It's the powerful Word Christ that must work in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. To neglect God's appointed means of grace is to ask him to make our cares and burdens all the heavier and all the more unbearable. We may not neglect the means of grace. when we understand what it is to cast all our cares upon Him. There is no other place to cast those burdensome cares. We must know our Father's presence. We must know His care for us in Jesus Christ. But this use of the God-appointed means of grace does not preclude the use of other means. There are times, for example, when we need the specific help of other people, pastors and elders, other brothers and sisters in Christ, who have been down the same pathway. And occasionally, we might even need medical help or counseling, But even in the latter case, we must remember, if we are truly to be helped, then we must seek not merely to cast our cares upon a doctor and the medicine that he might prescribe, but we must be led to the reality of things before the face of God and cast our cares upon Him. All other helps will fail us. Don't put off seeking that help. When you are carrying a burden that God calls you to give to Him, and you ignore Him, and are constantly carrying it and meddling with it, you shouldn't find it a surprise when it crushes you. God says, give me your cares. If you disobey Him, should you not feel the full weight of them? cast all your cares upon Him. And when you need help beyond the preaching, help for a specific care or problem, seek that help. But seek that help of God as much as possible within the realm of the church. Do not underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit in the gifts of the office bearers, the elders, as well as others within the church. Finally, and especially, do we cast our cares upon Him through prayer. And especially on this prayer day, we are reminded of this. That's the emphasis of Philippians 4, verse 6. Be careful for nothing. Don't be full of anxiety. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Through his means of grace and prayer, he feeds his flock like a shepherd. Lean upon him who would have you pray to him. He gives his promise. In Psalm 145, verses 18 and 19, the Lord is nigh unto all that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him. He also will hear their cry and will save them. Through the prayer of faith, in conjunction with the faithful use of the means of grace, you will most assuredly hear Him say, I will bring the blind in a way that they knew not. I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness light before them and crooked things straight." Isaiah 42, verse 16. Or Psalm 32, verse 8. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shouldst go." Isaiah 43, verse 2, when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, and neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. You see, in every circumstance of life, There are appropriate promises to you who would cast your cares upon God. Receive this admonition, beloved. Not as my word, as the word of God to us. A word which is significant, a word which is also powerful. But I think you also understand this admonition. is humiliating, we never like to acknowledge that we are unable to handle things on our own. A prayer day in which we are to express our dependence upon God for everything, that goes contrary to our nature. in spite of the fact that God has created us totally dependent creatures. Ever since the fall, we've tried to live as independent. When God commands us to cast our cares upon Him, He really humiliates us. Are you ready for that? Or do you resist? to confess that we are dependent upon God is humbling. No question about it. It's totally contrary to our sinful pride. But let's not forget, as the Bible teaches us, humility is a beautiful Christian virtue. It's not merely a matter of outward show and appearance. Humility is a state of the heart and mind. And that's why, too, the Apostle writes in the last part of verse 5, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. God alone is great. God alone is greatly to be praised. To God alone must be all glory, solte Deo gloria. He resists the proud. His face is always against those who walk in pride. He will bring them low, but He gives grace to the humble. You understand, of course, the grace of God is always first. And true humility is a gift of God's grace in Christ Jesus. And the point is, once God has has softened that hard heart of the proud sinner and given him the grace of humility, God continues to bestow grace upon grace. In humility, giving God the glory, we shall receive grace upon grace until God exalts us in due time. That's the testimony of this scripture. To humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God implies nothing less than that we acknowledge Him as God alone. Making the connection once again to the main thought of the text, if we are to cast our cares upon God, we must first be humbled before Him. And that means that we know our sin, that we are brokenhearted over how we've treated this sovereign friend. Our faithful Heavenly Father, to humble ourselves before Him is to acknowledge that we are worthy of all the chastisements He could possibly throw at us, and we are unworthy of any of the blessings that He bestows upon us. Humility recognizes that our salvation, our life, is only in Christ Jesus. Will you cast your cares upon Him? True humility is to seek God's glory in everything. It's to acknowledge that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts than our thoughts. He doesn't answer to us. We answer to Him. His glory reaches unto the ends of the earth. Yes, He accomplishes His will in the sunshine and rain, in the planting and harvest, or even in the destruction of the hailstorms that prevent the harvest. God will be glorified in giving us the jobs by which we serve Him and maintaining a strong economy or bringing it to ruins to remind us of our dependence upon Him. God will be glorified when He gives us health enabling us to employ our talents in the callings that He has given us, but He will also be glorified by us in times of sickness, and when He removes our health, compelling us to rely upon Him, and reminding us that our home is not here but in heaven. When we are looking to God's glory, we will also be casting our cares upon Him. Humble yourselves, therefore, casting all your cares upon Him. This admonition is well grounded. And the ground for the admonition to cast all our care upon the Lord is expressed by the apostle when he writes, for he careth for you. People of God, there are many beautiful statements in the Bible, precious statements to the believer, but none is more precious than this. He cares for you. He is God. He has no need of us. He's entirely self-sufficient Independent. And yet He cares for you. This is no human being who cares for you. Your loved ones care for you too. But there are times, many times, when they are powerless to help. you see your little one in the hospital, you know you're powerless to help. God is almighty. God is powerful to provide for you in every situation. He will never say to you, I don't have time for you now. Can't help you now. He's powerful and able to help you at all times. He never sleeps, never slumbers, never snoozes, takes a nap. He's there always. And not only is He able, He's willing because He loves you. Oh, I grant you there have been times and there will be times ahead when you might not be so aware of that love. And especially when you dig yourself a hole by your own sin, you will experience that he's far from you. But he loves you in Jesus Christ. And He has shown that to you. And He shows it again every time He brings you to repentance. He sent His Son to Calvary's tree because He cares for you. He didn't do that for everybody. He did that for those whom He chose in Christ before the foundation of the world. And the work that He has once begun in you, He shall fully accomplish. He has arranged every detail of your way, and He has done so for your good. That's what you must believe, beloved. That's what you must see with the eyes of faith. He has cared for you through all the trials in the past. He cares for you in sickness and in health. He cares for you in childhood and youth and throughout all your life, maybe even especially in the years of our old age. He says to you, the members of His church, even to the widows in Israel, In Isaiah 54, verses 4 and 5, fear not. Thou shalt not be ashamed, neither shalt thou be confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame, for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more, for thy maker is thine husband. The Lord of hosts is his name, Jehovah of hosts, is his name, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth shall he be called. He careth for you in life and in death. So that what Asaph sang in Psalm 73, he sang with respect to you personally. Thou shalt guide me by thy counsel, afterward to receive me to glory. He's God, who knows exactly what you need and when you need it. He cares for you. Cast all your care upon Him. But of course, you're only able to do that by the grace with which you receive the truth that He cares for you. This isn't a word for the wicked. The Apostle doesn't write this to the world. God doesn't care for the world as He does for His people. The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked. Proverbs 3, verse 33. having seen the ways of the Lord, says, Surely thou did set them in slippery places, thou castest them down into destruction. He resisted the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. And because there is nothing in this text for the wicked, we can only cast our cares upon Jehovah by faith in Jesus Christ, faith which is the gift of God's grace. We cast our cares upon Him because by faith we have been given to see and each to confess that He has always cared for me. He has always loved me. And by the grace through which we receive that truth, we begin by casting upon Him our greatest care, our sin, and our sinfulness. Casting that burdensome care upon Him, we rejoice and say, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That, first of all, But secondly, if we are to cast our care upon Him realizing the well-grounded admonition which He gives us here, we shall also walk in the way in which He leads us. When you stand in Christ Jesus, God comes to you by this word and says, I will work in you. so that you will walk in my ways, and I want the glory. And you, hearing his voice, walk faithfully in his way, and also receive the testimony, I care for you. So you cast your cares upon him every day anew, Do that, beloved. Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. Amen. Thou, O Lord, art God alone. We humbly bow before Thee, confessing our sinfulness and pride. Forgive us. Upon Thee only can we rely. Deliver us from evil also in the days ahead. Save us by Thy almighty power. Hold us by Thy hand and guide us by Thy counsel. Afterward to receive us to glory. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.