I
Peter Chapter 5
Memory verses for this week:
Gen
6:8 But Noah found
grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Introduction:
In Chapter 4, Peter warned that as we live for Christ, we
would face trials and persecution.
But by God’s grace, we can face whatever comes our way.
Jesus paid a dear price for our salvation, and we found that
we are not greater than our Lord. If he suffered, we should not be surprised if the world turns
against us.
I.
Advice to the Elders (Preachers)
1 Pet
5:1 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:
1 Pet
5:2 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;
Peter
gives some directions as to how the shepherds should manage their
flock. This is of
course directions to the pastors, the under shepherds of Christ’s
churches. It is
the Holy Spirit is the one who sets the pastor over the flock, and
in so doing, guides the pastor in how to lead the church.
If you are in a church that follows the example of the church
Jesus setup in his personal ministry, then your headquarters is in
heaven itself. There
is one Great Shepherd, and that is Jesus Christ.
If Christ is not the head of your church, something is wrong.
Acts
20:28 Take heed
therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the
Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which
he hath purchased with his own blood.
Heb
13:7 Remember them
which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of
God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
The
pastor has the responsibility of watching over the souls of
believers. Those
in his particular church are his responsibility, and he will have to
give an answer to the Lord for how he dealed with each one.
Peter in verse 1 identifies himself with the elders of the
church. Peter was never called a pope, yet he was in charge of
a church. In today’s
world, man has added more offices and names than we have record of
in the Word of God. We
are not to look to man for design of the church, but to the Bible
and follow the example set there.
The
pastor is to take the oversight of the church.
If a man takes a church due to any other reason than being
led by the Holy Spirit, he is wrong.
Some do this because some man or board appointed them to the
position, others do it due to the money or the size of the
congregation. If
God is not in it, the man of God should not be the pastor of the
church. Both he and the
congregation should be in agreement that the Lord is leading them to
that position.
In
verse 2, the pastor is exhorted to feed the people (the flock) which
are among you. This
admonition is to feed the people by ministering the truth and purity
of God’s Holy Word. In
many pulpits today, you won’t hear the Word of God proclaimed.
There may be nice reviews of popular books, or an excellent
demonstration of psychology, but that is not the pastor’s job.
He is to proclaim the whole word of God.
Paul told those in Philippi that he had held forth the word
of life, and urged them to do likewise.
Phil
2:13 For it is God
which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Phil
2:14 Do all things
without murmurings and disputings:
Phil
2:15 That ye may be
blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the
midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as
lights in the world;
Phil
2:16 Holding forth the
word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have
not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
Phil
2:17 Yea, and if I be
offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and
rejoice with you all.
Phil
2:18 For the same cause
also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.
He
told young Timothy to preach the Word, and to know what he believed.
All of us should be able to defend the faith, and backup what
we believe based upon scripture.
2
Tim 4:1 I charge thee
therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the
quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2
Tim 4:2 Preach the
word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all longsuffering and doctrine.
2
Tim 4:3 For the time
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their
own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
ears;
2
Tim 4:4 And they shall
turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto
fables.
2
Tim 4:5 But watch thou
in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist,
make full proof of thy ministry.
When
Jesus was dealing with Simon Peter, he told him three times to feed
the lambs. Lambs have
reference to newly born Christians.
John
21:15 So when they had
dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou
me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that
I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
John
21:16 He saith to him
again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith
unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto
him, Feed my sheep.
John
21:17 He saith unto him
the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was
grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And
he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I
love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Those
who have been saved for a period of time and taught the word, are
more mature and they can begin to take on the meat of the word. We were watching our 4 month old granddaughter
Katherine yesterday, and Denise fed her some cereal for the first
time. She was happy at
first, and then she started to try and push it back out with her
tongue. All she had
ever had was milk, and this seemed strange.
But we have to grow spiritually just as that little girl is
growing physically. It
is a sad thing to see a 60
or 70 year old babe in Christ, particularly those who may have 40 or
more years in church after being saved.
God expects us to continue to grow in His Word.
Applied knowledge from God’s Word will result in wisdom.
Heb
5:12 For when for the
time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again
which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become
such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb
5:13 For every one that
useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a
babe.
Heb
5:14 But strong meat
belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of
use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
1 Pet
5:3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being
ensamples to the flock.
1 Pet
5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a
crown of glory that fadeth not away.
The
pastor is to take the oversight of the church.
He is not to be a lord or king of the church, but he is to
set an example that others can follow.
We have had a lot of people discouraged due to the actions of
some preachers who have went the way of the world rather than
staying with God’s plan.
And as we read last week, if we think we are strong, we had
best be careful, because the strongest can be toppled by sin if not
for God’s grace. TAKE
HEED was the admonition. Satan
knows our weaknesses, and if he can take down a pastor, he has
succeeded in disrupting God’s plan in the church.
The church is to follow the lead of the pastor, and he is to
follow the directions that God gives to him.
Only the pastor of the local church can know what the church
is in greatest need of, and can direct the studies and messages in
such a way as to build it up and strengthen it.
How can some board in a far off city know what your local
church needs. God
directs these decisions to be made by the pastor.
And it says in Verse 4, that when the chief Shepherd appears,
the pastor will receive a crown of glory that will not fade away.
In
I Timothy, we are told that the good minister is the one who puts
the brethren in remembrance of the things of God.
He is to preach and teach the Whole Word of God.
1
Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit
speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from
the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1
Tim 4:2 Speaking lies
in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
1
Tim 4:3 Forbidding to
marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created
to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the
truth.
1
Tim 4:4 For every
creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be
received with thanksgiving:
1
Tim 4:5 For it is
sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
1
Tim 4:6 If thou put the
brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good
minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of
good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
J.
Vernon McGee had some good points about the crown of glory promised
to the pastor.
An elder’s ministry should be done with the proper
awareness that he serves the Chief Shepherd to whom he is answerable
and who will Himself reward his service with rewards which are
eternal. Don’t get the impression that we are working for nothing.
We are not. Paul made it clear that a Christian is not to work for
nothing. You are to work for Him and look to Him for a reward some
day. That is the way we are to serve Him.
“Ye
shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” There are
many crowns mentioned in Scripture, including the crown of life and
the crown of righteousness. What is a crown of glory? I believe that
it means we are going to share some day in His glory.
In
a study I made many years ago, I found about a dozen different words
in the Old Testament which were translated by the word glory.
Glory is a word that is
often used today. What do you understand by the word glory?
How big is glory? What shape is it? What color it is? What is glory?
I suspect that the average Christian would have nothing but the
foggiest notion about the meaning of glory.
I
have found that glory does have shape and size. Listen to the Word
of God: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament
sheweth his handiwork” (Ps.19:1). The size of the universe, as
determined by our scientific measurements, is staggering yet is
probably only the front yard of God’s great universe. That is
glory—the greatness of our God.
What about the color of glory? Look up at
this vast universe at night; look up at the sky. And look at the
earth. In the fall, especially if you live in New England, take a
good look at the leaves on the trees. It is wonderful to be in that
part of the country and to see all the color. That’s glory—the
glory of God. I know a retired man who lives here in Southern
California, and he raises some of the most beautiful roses and
zinnias I have ever seen. Oh, are they colorful! One time while I
was visiting him in his garden, he reached down and lifted up the
head of one of those zinnias, and he said, “In the springtime I
simply put a little seed in the ground. Look at what has come up!
And then they try to tell me there is no God!” Glory has color, my
friend.
May
I say to you, God’s glory is something that is quite wonderful and
we are going to share in that some day. He calls it a crown
of glory.
Peter calls Him “the chief Shepherd” here. The Good
Shepherd gives His life for the sheep—that is seen in Psalm 22.
The Great Shepherd watches over the sheep—that is seen in Psalm
23. In Psalm 24 He is the Chief Shepherd who is coming again. Some
day our Chief Shepherd is going to appear, and He will still have
with Him His flock, and we will be members of that flock. How
wonderful this is! [1]
II.
Some Advice for All
1 Pet
5:5 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.
Not
many verses are as all encompassing as verse 5 when it says ALL OF
YOU, be subject one to another.
All are to be humble. God
wants the church to be of one mind, and that to be the mind of
Christ. Minor issues
should not deter us of our goal to put forth the Gospel.
Phil
2:5 Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Phil
2:6 Who, being in the
form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Phil
2:7 But made himself of
no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made
in the likeness of men:
Phil
2:8 And being found in
fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross.
Phil
2:9 Wherefore God also
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every
name:
Phil
2:10 That at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth;
Phil
2:11 And that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father.
In
verse 8 of the text there in Philippians Chapter 2, it speaks of
Christ humbling himself.
We are told to be humble one towards one another, because God
resists the proud. In
the parable about the Pharisee and the publican, we find that the
humble man is the one that God gives much grace.
Luke
18:9 And he spake this
parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were
righteous, and despised others:
Luke
18:10 Two men went up
into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a
publican.
Luke
18:11 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.
Luke
18:12 I fast twice in
the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luke
18:13 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.
Luke
18:14 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.
1 Pet
5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time:
1 Pet
5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
We
have a great promise in verse 6.
It say if we will humble ourselves to God, that he will exalt
us in due time. Man
may give us positions of responsibility, but I’d much rather be
exalted by God. Things
on earth are so temporal, but God is eternal and His Kingdom is
eternal. And we
are instructed to place all our cares on Christ, for he cares for
us. In our study
of Hebrews, we learned that Christ is touched by our infirmities,
because he suffered in an earthly body and understands all that we
go through. We have a High Priest that cares and will help us in our hour
of need.
Heb
4:14 Seeing then that
we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus
the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb
4:15 For we have not an
high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin.
Heb
4:16 Let us therefore
come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and
find grace to help in time of need.
I
was discussing some of the struggles that we have been going through
in my personal business with some of the bible study members.
And I told them all that I don’t know what tomorrow holds,
but I know who holds tomorrow.
Perhaps I won’t have all the wants in the upcoming years I
want, but I have a promise from God that he will meet our needs.
Mat
6:25 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?
Mat
6:26 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?
Mat
6:27 Which of you by
taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Mat
6:28 And why take ye
thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they
grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
Mat
6:29 And yet I say unto
you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of
these.
Mat
6:30 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?
Mat
6:31 Therefore take no
thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or,
Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat
6:32 (For after all
these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth
that ye have need of all these things.
Mat
6:33 But seek ye first
the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things
shall be added unto you.
Mat
6:34 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.
If
God takes care of the birds and makes the lilies grow, should we
doubt that God will take care of us?
Absolutely not. If
we put God first, do His will in our lives, be sure that He will
take perfect care of us. We
are much more valuable than birds and flowers.
Albert
Barnes made these comments about verse 6.
Humble yourselves therefore—Be willing to take a low place—a place such as
becomes you. Do not arrogate to yourselves what does not belong to
you; do not evince pride and haughtiness in your manner; do not
exalt yourselves above others.
Under the mighty hand of God—This refers probably to the calamities which he had
brought upon them, or was about to bring upon them; represented
here, as often elsewhere, as the infliction of his hand—the hand
being that by which we accomplish anything. When that hand was upon
them they were not to be lifted up with pride and with a spirit of
rebellion, but were to take a lowly place before him, and submit to
him wish a calm mind, believing that he would exalt them in due
time. There is no situation in which one will be more likely to feel
humility than in scenes of affliction.
That he may exalt you in due time—When he shall see it to be a proper time:
(1) They might be assured
that this would be done at some time. He would not always leave them
in this low and depressed condition. He would take off his heavy
hand, and raise them up from their state of sadness and suffering.
(2) this would be in due time; that is, in the proper time,
in the best time:
(a) It
might be in the present life.
(b) It
would certainly be in the world to come. There they would be exalted
to honors which will be more than an equivalent for all the
persecution, poverty, and contempt which are suffered in this world.
He may well afford to be humble here who is to be exalted to a
throne in heaven.
III. Warning
about our Adversary
1 Pet
5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1 Pet
5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same
afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
If
you miss everything else we say today, don’t miss verse 8.
Believe me, we have a serious enemy in Satan.
It says to be on guard because the devil walks about like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
He wants to destroy us, but our souls are secure when we know
Christ. However, he can
make this life a living nightmare here on earth. And he can ruin our testimony if we give him a foothold
in our lives.
2
Cor 2:11 Lest Satan
should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his
devices.
2
Cor 11:13 For such are
false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the
apostles of Christ.
2
Cor 11:14 And no
marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2
Cor 11:15 Therefore it
is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the
ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their
works.
We
are warned to not be ignorant of Satan’s devices or he will get an
advantage over us. And
in those second set of verse from chapter 11, we see that Satan
himself can be transformed into an angel of light.
Believe me, Satan has his men in some pulpits today.
Not everyone that says “Bless you brother and sister” are
true Christians. But we
are warned to be wary and to test all things.
Those ministers led by Satan are those who deny the
inspiration of God’s Word, those who preach works for salvation.
They deny the virgin birth of Christ.
Some deny that there is a hell.
Man’s philosophy is that there is some good in every
person, and if we will just fan that flame of good that all will
work out just right if we give people education and the right
environment. Without a
new birth, you have a cleaned up lost soul.
I heard a preacher point out that when Adam and Eve sinned in
the garden, they recognized they were naked and saw there undone
condition and made them clothing from the plants and hid from God.
It is interesting that when God came and called them out, he
took the skins of animals and made a proper covering for them.
He didn’t take the works they had done up to that point and
improve upon it. He
threw away their incomplete aprons that were not good enough, and
then God provided what they needed.
An animal had to die, there was a blood sacrifice before they
could be covered. The
typification is perfect and clear.
Nothing in man will justify us before God. Only the perfect sin offering will accomplish our salvation,
and that is to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
1 Pet
5:10 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, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
1 Pet
5:11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Peter’s
admonition is for us to resist the devil.
We are to grow in grace as we suffer.
Suffering and trials teach us patience.
We should never grow upset when we are in the valley.
There are reasons for us being there, and there’s a
mountaintop on both sides of a valley. We don’t have to stay in valley all that long
normally. And if
we do, God’s grace will sustain us.
Verse 11 says to Christ be glory and dominion for ever and
ever. In the end, the
victory will belong to Jesus Christ.
IV. The
Benediction
1 Pet
5:12 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.
Peter
mention the name of Silvanus who he regards as a faithful brother
both to those to whom he is writing and to himself.
It is good to have faithful brothers and sisters in the Lord
that we can depend upon.
Nothing great will be accomplished with people who are steady
and will endure hardness.
Prov
25:19 Confidence in an
unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot
out of joint.
1
Pet 5:13 The church
that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so
doth Marcus my son.
1 Pet
5:14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with
you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
The
church at Babylon joined Peter in their salutations to these
Christians. We see
Mark’s name mentioned in verse 13.
We are to treat one another with respect and be glad to see
one another. Our
customs today favor shaking hands over giving a holy kiss, but that
was the custom of the day.
Charity of course means love, and we are to greet one another
with love.
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Prov 4:18
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