May 7, 2017

All Scripture from NIV unless otherwise documented.

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers–not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.” 1 Peter 5: 1 – 14

Today we come to the end of our study in 1 Peter. Chapter five of Peter’s letter is primarily directed to the leaders of the churches Peter wrote to. He began chapter five with the words, “To the elders among you.” This was a word that referred to the “forefathers in Israel” but became a word denoting the heads or leaders of the tribes and families of Israel. Peter used this word to refer to the leaders who had been entrusted with the leadership of the churches. In verse two Peter instructed these elders to “shepherd” those whom God had put under their care.

John MacArthur wrote extensively about the relationship of shepherds to sheep based on what he learned on a trip to a sheep farm in Australia. I must admit that if you read all that he had to say about sheep and how dependent they are on the shepherd to find them food and water and to clean their coats and protect them, you might be insulted that Jesus spoke of people as sheep. I kind of got the impression that sheep are one of the dumbest animals in the world, and Jesus called the people of God sheep. God calls some people out of the flock to become shepherds. I don’t know who is dumber, the sheep or the shepherd that takes on the responsibility for the sheep. (Me)

But seriously. Peter in chapter five addressed those who had been called to be shepherds of God’s flock. Keep in mind that he had previously been talking about persecution and suffering. Now Peter reminded those who had been called to serve as leaders, how to serve God’s people through this persecution. First, Peter said, serve others, not because you must, but because you are willing. I think this is true not just for the pastors and elders in the church, but for everyone who is called to serve in the church, regardless of the job you are called to do. Have you ever thought about how many tasks are required each week just to prepare for Sunday morning worship?

The church must be cleaned. The trash must be emptied. The fingerprints on glass doors must be washed. The bulletins need to be created, typed printed and folded. The communion must be prepared for two services. The thermostats need to be adjusted. The lights need to be turned on. The music must be practiced. The refreshments for the coffee hour must be fixed. The video presentation must be created. The church must be opened. The sermon must be prepared. The servants must serve. . . ad infinitum. And anyone who is doing any of these things because they feel they must and not because they are willing, is serving for the wrong reason. And that is especially true if you are serving in a position of leadership.

I must admit, when I first became a pastor, for a very long time I felt like I was serving because I must. My call to ministry I believed came because of a bargain with God. And so, I silently fought my ministry for many years, struggling especially with sermon preparation for Sunday mornings. There were many, many times when I went into the pulpit feeling unprepared. And yet, God was faithful to work through me to accomplish His purpose.
But it wasn’t until I became “willing” as a pastor that things began to come easier for me. God doesn’t want you and me to serve Him out of a sense of duty. God wants us to serve Him because we love Him and we want to do His will. You will never find fulfillment in a position of leadership in the church if you serve God for any other reason.

Peter then said that those who serve Him as leaders should not be greedy for money, but eager to serve. Anyone who enters ministry thinking that they are going to make a lot of money should really consider a different field. While some ministers do have relatively high salaries, most do not. And ministry isn’t strictly an 8 – 5 job like most people have. A minister is on call 24/7, 365 days a year, even when they are on vacation. And there are added stresses that you deal with as you take on the anxieties and stresses of the members of your church and often their extended families.

So those who have been called by God to serve as ministers and elders and leaders in the church, don’t do it because they are greedy for material wealth, and they don’t do it because they thrive on the stresses generated by the church, and they don’t do it because they seek the attention and the praise of men. They do it because they have been called. They do it because they are willing to do what God has called them to do.
In verse 3 Peter gives us an indication as to how leaders are to serve the people of God. He said, “Not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” Church leaders are not supposed to the Lord or dictator of their flock, they are supposed to be examples after the pattern of Christ.

Do you remember Jesus words to His disciples after He washed their feet at the last supper? He said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” John 13: 15 – 17 If you have been called to lead, whether as a pastor or an elder or as a leader in another capacity in the church, you have been called to lead by the example of Christ. You might not receive what one would consider to be a great reward here on earth, but Peter said that when Jesus appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. Let that promise of future reward by Christ be the motivation for all that you do as you serve the people of God.

Peter then addressed the younger men in the church. I tend to believe that he was addressing the younger men who were recently called into leadership roles or maybe those who were elders in training. Either way, Peter told them to be submissive to those who are older. Why? Not simply because of their age, but because of the wisdom they had acquired as leaders. I firmly believe that older men and women should mentor younger men and women. Sometimes younger people don’t want to be given advice, they want to “learn it for themselves”. But Peter seems to imply that submitting to an older person who is more experienced is a good thing. Even so, he told all of them, young and old alike to clothe themselves with humility because God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.

In verse 8 Peter said to be self-controlled and alert because the enemy, who is the devil is looking to devour anyone he can. Peter said to resist him and stand firm in the faith. James said something similar in James 4: 7 when he said “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

It isn’t enough to simply resist the devil or to resist temptation, you must also submit to God, standing firm in your faith. When you live a life of submission to God, the devil will flee from you. Those of you who are younger can learn a lot about submission to God by submitting to those who are older and more experienced in leadership than you are. If you read Ephesians 6: 10 – 12 you will come to understand that serving Christ means that you have entered an eternal struggle between good and evil. Paul wrote: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” I think this goes double for those who serves as leaders in Christ’s church.

So, Peter closed out this first letter to the churches scattered throughout the middle east, in what would be modern day Turkey, by addressing the elders among them, the leaders of the church. And he concluded with these words: “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power forever and ever. Amen.”

As we close this study in 1 Peter, let me simply remind you that as a believer you will endure some degree of persecution and suffering because of your faith. Rejoice that you have the opportunity to participate in Christ’s suffering. And for those of you who have been called to be elders and leaders in the church, you may find that you face even more persecution because of your calling to lead and to serve. Stand firm and yet humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.