WATCH OUT FOR THE LION

1 Peter 5:8-9

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   There are two types of figurative languages that involve comparisons.

 

B.   One is a metaphor.

1.    It is a comparison that does not use the words “like” or “as” to make the comparison.

2.    Matthew 5:13, 14

 

Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world…

 

3.    This comparison is the stronger of the two used in the Bible.

 

C.   The other is a simile.

1.    This comparison uses either the words “like” or “as” to make the comparison.

2.    We find a simile in 1 Peter 5:8-9.  It will be the subject of our lesson.

 

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.

 

3.    Notice the words, “as a roaring lion.” 

a.    It is the devil, our adversary, who is compared to this “king of the animal world.” 

b.    We have entitled our lesson just as is stated by the simile:  “Watch Out for the Lion.”

 

I.             THE ADMONITION (1 Pet. 5:8a)

 

Be sober, be vigilant…

 

A.   Sober:

1.    Definition:

a.    Strong (3525):  to abstain from wine (keep sober)

b.    Thayer:  to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect

1.    Temperate:  self-controlled

2.    Dispassionate:  calm, objective, free from the influence of emotion

3.    Circumspect:  watchful, prudent, discreet, cautious

c.    Vine:  to be free from the influence of intoxicants

d.    Roberson:  it comes from the root word meaning:  “to be watchful”

e.    Vincent:  to be sound of mind

2.    As Christians we cannot allow our minds to be so preoccupied other things or overwhelmed with emotions that we are not aware of the enemy who is stalking us.

 

B.   Vigilant

1.    Definition:

a.    Strong (1127):  to keep awake, watch

b.    Thayer:  to watch, give strong attention to, be cautious

c.    Vine:  to watch, keep awake, to be spiritually alert

2.    The devil is around.  He is lurking in secret places.  His eyes are watching for the right moment to pounce.  Thus, we must keep awake.

 

C.   NOTE:  We have a part to play in protecting ourselves against our enemy.

 

II.           THE ADVERSARY (1 Pet. 5:8b)

 

A.   The Labels

1.    Adversary:

a.    Strong (476):  opponent, the arch enemy

b.    Thayer:  opponent, enemy, adversary

c.    Vine:  enemy

2.    The devil

a.    Strong (1228):  “diabolos”, traducer, slanderer

b.    Thayer:  prone to slander, false accuser

c.    Vine:  accuser, slanderer, from the word meaning to malign

 

B.   The Likenesses:  “as a roaring lion”

1.    Recently, I was in Gatlinburg.  When I checked into my hotel, I was told that I needed to make sure all of the sweets were taken out of my car.  They were having a problem with the black bears in the area.

2.    In like manner, in Palestine, one of the animals that lurked nearby was the lion.  At night, he could be heard roaring, reminding the people that their enemy was nearby.

3.    The comparison between Satan and the lion

a.    Both are real.  Satan is not a mythical creature.

b.    Both go on the prowl seeking their prey (See Job 1:7)

 

And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou?  Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

 

c.    Both seek all prey, but especially the weak. 

1)    NOTE:  Satan had not attacked Job because he believed he was too well fortified (Job 1:10).

2)    Satan attacked the Christ after He had fasted forty days and forty nights (Matt. 4:2-3)

 

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward a hungered.  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

 

3)    Be extremely cautious when you are lonely, depressed, or angry.  In those times we are vulnerable to the attacks of the evil one.

d.    Both are crafty in their approaches.

1)    They sneak up on their victims.

2)    They lie in wait until the perfect time to attack.

3)    Genesis 3:1a; 2 Cor. 11:3

 

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made…But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

 

e.    Both are very powerful adversaries.

1)    Lions can bite with 1,000 PSI, run at 80 km/h, jump more than 10 feet, and lift up to 2,300 pounds.

2)    Satan’s power lies in his ability to entice and deceive humanity.

a)    He is an expert at tantalizing man’s lusts.

b)    He knows how to frame a lie in such a way to think it is for man’s good (Gen. 3:5).

 

For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

 

f.     Both take no pity on their victims.

1)    Lions do not care about the size, innocence, or the cries of their prey.  Once they have their death hold on the victim, they refuse to give it up.

2)    Satan preys on the elderly, the man with a family, an only child of a mother or father.  He has no pity once he finds his prey.

g.    Both are aggressive once the attack begins.

h.    Both seek to devour their victims. 

1)    They are both killers.

2)    Life means nothing to either of these predators.

 

III.         THE ANSWER (1 Pet. 5:9)

 

A.   Resist (1 Pet. 5:9a)

 

Whom resist steadfast in the faith…

 

1.    The key word is resist.

a.    Definitions:

1)    Strong (436):  to stand against, that is, oppose

2)    Thayer:  to set one’s self against, withstand, resist, oppose

3)    Vine:  to stand against

b.    James agrees with Peter.  He also combines his admonition with a promise (James 4:7b).

 

…Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

 

c.    NOTE:  Resisting the devil also means resisting self.  The devil entices our lusts, our wants.  Thus, to resist, we must stand against the things for which we long.

d.    Two other words are connected to the resistance.

1)    Steadfast: 

a)    Strong, firm, immoveable, solid

b)    When the devil comes against you, he knows that he has run up against a brick wall. 

2)    In the faith

a.    “The faith” refers to the “system of faith.”  It refers to the precious New Testament of Jesus Christ, the Word of God.

b.    By using the Word of God, we can stand firmly against the temptations of Satan that are designed to bring us to destruction.

c.    Example:  Jesus in the wilderness, Matt. 4:1-11).

 

B.   Remember (1 Pet. 5:9b)

 

…knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

 

1.    We often feel alone in our struggles, but we must remember that others are fighting the same battles we are fighting.

2.    They, too, are resisting Satan steadfastly in the faith.

3.    They, too, are seeking to become overcomers just as you are.

4.    The knowledge that others are battling encourages us to fight hard along side of them.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   When we think of a lion, we often think of him in the wild. 

1.    There, he is the king of the jungle.

2.    There, he is strong, powerful, and ferocious.

 

B.   Yet, there is another picture we should remember of a lion.  He can be tamed and brought under control.

1.    This cannot be done by yielding to him.

2.    It can only be done by resisting him solidly and appealing to God’s Word for our help.

 

C.   Will you allow him to conquer you?  Or, will you resist him and bring him under your control?