Staying Right with Fellow Christians
Book of 1 Peter
Chapter 5:1-14
You know for a
simple fisherman the Apostle Peter had come a long way toward
perfection by this time in his life. Peter dealt with the persecution
of the Church in words given to him by the Holy Spirit, for in the
end this is all we have to offer.
The world we live in
today will not cease in its persecution of God's people, until God
removes His people and then evil will persecute evil to see which is
the more-evil, of those left behind!
Peter closed out
this first book included in the 66 books of the Bible, by speaking to
the elders of the Church.
The title elder is
plainly the origin of the titles priest and pastor.
An elder could be
the old man of the family much like the grandfather.
An elder could be
the man with the most experience on the job site.
An elder could be
the leader of a group of people.
In the church an
Elder would be the chief Priest, the chief Preacher, the chief
Pastor.
In the New Testament
the title Bishop is also used as an elder.
In my church we have
the Pastor and the Youth Pastor, and the elders include the old
saints of God who have been doing the work God has given us all to do
for many years and possess a great knowledge of the Scriptures.
In fact a new babe
in Christ should pick out an elder saint of God to be his or her
example until they get off the "milk of the Word" and can
absorb the "meat of the Word of God without doubting its truth!
The Apostle Peter
knew everything about Jesus was the complete truth!
Let's begin:
*****1Pe 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:
The persecuted
church is in great need, of elders who have committed themselves to
the work of the Lord!
In fact, the church
of today is in a great need of church elders who stick to the truth
of the Scriptures, unyielding to those who would distort the truth of
the Scriptures.
We need elders today
who will seal the Church against the influence of the world and the
interfering hands of government!
Peter stresses that
he was not only an Apostle, hand-picked by the Lord Jesus Christ, but
just as important a church elder, who had witnessed the sufferings of
Christ Jesus.
Jesus suffered at
the cross, but He also suffered all the days of His ministry.
Jesus had to go to
work to support His family at a very young age, after the death of
His adopted father, therefore he was known as the Carpenter.
Jesus suffered every
day of His life because He knew what was in His future.
When Jesus walked
away from His adopted earthly family and pursued the work His
heavenly Father gave Him to do, He no longer had a place to lay His
head.
We are foolish if we
believe that our Lord does not have firsthand experience of suffering
just because He is the Almighty God!
Peter was a
firsthand witness of all the things of Jesus for 3 and 1/2 years.
Peter had all his
days since, carried the truth of God to wherever God had led him, and
he encouraged all the elders of the church then and now to do the
same.
Peter said "forget
that I am an Apostle, consider me to be an elder just as you are to
be" a workman building onto the house of God.
2Ti 2:15 Study to
shew thyself approved unto God, "a workman" that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We can almost ask
where have all the true elders of the Church gone today?
We can ask, why do
not all the Elders of the Church stand up and give account of
themselves before God?
Peter also reminds
all Elders that if they cannot suffer for the truth, what makes them
think they will take part in the "Glory" that will be
revealed in the presence of the Lord?
When we do not glory
in the work of the Lord, why do we continue to believe we will be
glorified when the Lord returns?
What is the job of
our church elders?
*****1Pe 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;
The Pastor or Chief
Elder has one job. He is to feed the flock that has been given to
him, he has no greater job than this and this must be first in his
calling all his days!
What is this
heavenly manna?
It is the true
"Doctrine" of the Scriptures!
It is the true
"Discipline" that comes from the Scriptures!
1Ti 3:16 And
without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up
into glory.
We must understand
that God has chosen to speak to us of His own will!
Heb 1:1 God, who at
sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the
fathers "by the prophets",
Heb 1:2 Hath in
these last days spoken unto us "by his Son", whom he hath
appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being
the brightness of his glory, "and the express image of his
person", and upholding all things by the word of his power, when
he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4 Being made
so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a
more excellent name than they.
This must be the
message for every generation because the Word of God is unchanging in
its "Doctrine"!
Every generation
must listen to the Word of God, rather than the message passed down
through the church!
The Word of God
never changes, and no single person nor group of persons, have the
right to change the meaning of what God has said nor have some new
interpretation of what God has said!
This Elder must do
this in the place God has called him to be located!
This flock is the
flock of God and not the flock of some person or some denomination!
This Elder is do
these things willingly.
God does not accept
the message of someone who is forced to say it!
Only God can
constrain this Elder with His message!
2Co 5:14 For the
love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one
died for all, then were all dead:
2Co 5:15 And that
he died for all, that they which live "should not henceforth
live unto themselves", but unto him which died for them, and
rose again.
This is big today as
here in America we have a state government trying to dictate the
message of God from the pulpits in that state.
In fact we have many
in government trying to dictate the truth of God without even knowing
what God says themselves.
In reality this
Elder is to remain at his location unless it is God that moves him.
He is never to leave
to tend another flock just because the pay is better or the benefits
are better, because it will reflect in his message, in his witness
and in his God given blessings which are far greater than anything
man can provide!
The Apostle Paul is
a great example of these things.
1Co 9:14 Even so
hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live
of the gospel.
1Co 9:15 But I have
used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that
it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than
that any man should make my glorying void.
1Co 9:16 For though
I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is
laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
1Co 9:17 For if I
do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a
dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
Paul did add that he
preached the Gospel without charge.
Paul was a church
planter and by the Word of God that Church was to provide for the
Elder of the Church that was established.
Every Elder must
submit to the will of God for their lives just as every other
Christian.
God has a place for
every member of the Church, Elder down through that '"Babe in
Christ"!
Every Elder must
realize that they are only the under-shepherd with the Lord Jesus
Christ being the Chief Shepherd!
*****1Pe 5:3
Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to
the flock.
1Pe 5:4 And when
the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory
that fadeth not away.
What is the "Body
of Christ"? The Body of Christ is God's heritage. Heritage in
short means the "Body of Christ" belongs to God, we are
God's possession!
We once gave
ourselves to Satan for nothing, and Satan has given us nothing but
trouble then and now.
Therefore we could
not be purchased with money, it took the blood of Jesus Christ to buy
us back from the slave market of sin.
We belong to the
Lord! We are the Lord's possession! We are to obey all the Words of
the Lord from Genesis to Revelation!
Act 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 13:20 Now the
God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that
great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant,
Heb 13:21 Make you
perfect in every good work "to do his will", working in you
that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to
whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
It is only by the
Chief Shepherd(The Lord Jesus Christ) that we can be made perfect in
the eyes of God!
God the Father has
given His entire creation to the Lord Jesus Christ. (Go get My
children)
God the Son(The Lord
Jesus Christ) paid the ransom, which He paid by His blood.
The Chief Shepherd
lives now to gather all those who have wandered from the fold(the
lost)!
Mat 18:12 How think
ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray,
doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains,
and seeketh that which is gone astray?
We should notice
that the job of the Elder is to be like Jesus Christ in all His ways
and to have the same message that Jesus had all His days and the same
message given to the Apostles.
Think about the work
of Jesus besides the cross:
1) As Chief Prophet,
He teaches His Church and shares His divine wisdom.
2) As Highest of
High Priest, He made atonement for the sins of His "Bride".
3) As King, He will
rule this world with mercy and grace but also judge His people.
4) As Chief Shepherd
we see all these things wrapped up in one. We see the power and the
authority but also the gentleness in the ways He handles His sheep.
Joh 10:14 I am the
good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Joh 10:15 As the
Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life
for the sheep.
There is the reward
for being that true Elder. A crown of glory that will never fade
away!
We see another
promise that the Lord Jesus will return to get His Bride and He will
reward all those that have been true shepherds to the Church.
This also means the
only reward for the false shepherd will be the same as Satan. They
will be tossed into the "Burning Lake of Fire".
If that Elder is an
example of the "grace" of Christ Jesus, then we need to
follow him!
*****1Pe 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.
One of the greatest
traits of the true Elder is humility. Humility is the first duty of
every believer as we submit ourselves to the Lord to receive His gift
of salvation. This trait is to never leave us!
When the world
thinks of humility, they see a shy, weak, unimpressive man or woman,
but the opposite is the actual truth.
The Lord Jesus
Christ was the most-humble person in His flesh of all those who have
followed Him. Yet He made such an impression upon this world that
almost the entire world knows Him by His earthly name!
The truth is, a
humble Christian depends on God who has unlimited power and strength!
The young man
seeking to be an elder must not only humble himself to God, they need
to humble themselves before that true Elder. That Pastor, that
Preacher, that Evangelist, that Bishop are all called of God to be
the Elders of the Church. They are easily spotted because they speak
the Word of God in their voice and in their being! They have the mind
of Christ and it shows!
They are not like
the charlatans of this world making merchandise of God's people!
Then Peter takes
this thing a step further and the Holy Ghost says, we are all to be
subject to one another.
Remember there is
only Lord in the Church and He is Jesus Christ!
If you stand up with
pride in the Church thinking you are God's gift to this world, your
first enemy will be the Lord Jesus Christ, the Almighty God!
You can go boldly
into the throne-room of God, but you better be humble when you get
there!
We may get away with
reminding the Lord of His promises, but we will never get away with
making demands of Jehovah God!
It is in our best
interest to just cast all our cares upon Him, and then get out of His
way!
The Lord will do as
He says!
*****1Pe 5:6 Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt
you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all
your care upon him; for he careth for you.
That word "under"
means we are to take the inferior position with God at all times.
There is a whole lot of truth in that song "where He leads me, I
will follow".
The world we live in
today has forgotten that it is Jehovah God who sits on the throne of
this world.
Mankind is not in
charge of this world especially not the elements of this world.
Do we as humans have
the power to destroy this world? No!
We do as humans have
the power to make life miserable with nuclear bombs, and other such
weapons of destruction. With diseases unleashed upon this world. With
the complete abuse of our Eco system, but even these things must be
allowed by the Lord.
You see God will
take care of His Church and He will remove the Church before He will
allow any of these things to become a serious problem to His people.
We had better humble
ourselves "under" the mighty hand of God.
God will exalt those
who have done so!
We sometimes forget
just how much the Lord does care for us!
Psa 34:15 The eyes
of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their
cry.
Psa 34:16 The face
of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance
of them from the earth.
Psa 34:17 The
righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all
their troubles.
Where does our pride
get us in the most trouble? When we think we can take care of
ourselves!
We must confess the
weakness of our own hands and the Almighty strength in the hand of
God!
There is not one
facet of our lives that the Lord is not concerned with!
The greatest example
of this is when the Jews were run out of Egypt, they only had time to
gather the bare necessities but for 40 years they never lacked while
they traveled in circles in the wilderness.
Deu 2:7 For the
LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he
knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years
the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.
Even when we are
chastened by the Lord, He will still care for us!
Deu 8:2 And thou
shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these
forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to
know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his
commandments, or no.
Deu 8:3 And he
humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna,
which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might
make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Deu 8:4 Thy raiment
waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty
years.
Deu 8:5 Thou shalt
also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so
the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.
God is no respecter
of persons, what He did for His people the Jews, He will do for His
people the Gentiles!
We had better cast
our cares upon the Lord, because we have an adversary lingering in
the background just abiding his time until we reject the truth of God
and rest upon our own strength.
*****1Pe 5:8 Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
We should understand
Peter has been teaching us about our conscience and having the mind
of Christ, so here he is talking about being sober minded. Having
self-control according to the Word of God. Making sound moral
judgments according to the Word of God.
To be sober is to be
in your right mind not influenced by outside sources remembering we
are already filled with the Holy Spirit. Depend upon Him!
To be vigilant is to
be aware of your surroundings and the things that are going on in
your environment plus what is going on in the world.
To avoid danger and
to avoid danger we must be aware of our adversary.
Here he is called
the devil, diabolos, the fallen angel called Lucifer. He is the
archenemy of God's children, always standing against us.
He will never have
anything good to say about God's people.
Reminds us of the
world of today that has that hatred for the people of God. We must be
aware of Him!
Why does the lion
roar? The purpose of a lion’s roar is to transfix and actually
paralyze its prey, which is why they roar just before they attack. A
lion’s roar is so forceful that it is enough to raise a cloud of
dust, and can be heard from 5 miles!
The methods the
devil uses can be just as effective as that roaring lion, in
unnerving us, causing the Word of God to be ineffective.
For instance a
tornado touches down in a community and for a time, this community is
paralyzed at what happened and lost to reality.
What did the Lord
Jesus say to Peter?
Luk 22:31 And the
Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that
he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32 But I
have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art
converted, strengthen thy brethren.
To be sifted is to
pass through a strainer to separate the coarse from the refined.
Satan, The Devil, will try to separate the refined mind of Christ
from that old sinful body of flesh so he can regain his control.
This is the effect
the Bible is speaking of here when it said, "as a roaring lion".
The effects of the
devil are devastating, and we have only one defense!
It is our "faith"!
*****1Pe 5:9 Whom
resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are
accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
The bottom line is
when we think like Christ Jesus and keep the faith of His promises,
follow the lead of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, the devil
cannot touch us!
Think of it this
way. The devil and his demon helpers tremble at the thoughts of the
work of the Lord.
Jas 2:19 Thou
believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also
believe, and tremble.
If you are a true
"Born Again" child of God, you are filled with the Holy
Spirit.
Though we need to
ask for a refilling every day, the Holy Spirit will never leave us.
Joh 14:16 And I
will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that
he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the
Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him
not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you,
and shall be in you.
We must never fear
the devil ever again!
2Ti_1:7 For God
hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and
of a sound mind.
When our faith is
sufficient you can resist the devil and it is he, who will have to
flee, because he cannot stand on the same ground as the Holy Spirit
because we are the Temple of God!
Jas_4:7 Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.
That old saying,
"the devil made me do it is impossible" because the devil
cannot make the child of God do anything!
You can only allow
yourself to be used of the devil because you do not have faith in
these words!
Anything else we
lack are the grace gifts of God, which He gives freely!
*****1Pe 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.
1Pe 5:11 To him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Most every Christian
has realized these truths of Christianity. Some Christians, somewhere
every day, suffer just because they have claimed the Lord Jesus
Christ as their personal Savior. It is unreal how this faith causes
so much hatred to occur to people for the most part who are not
guilty of any crime at all.
The truth is, while
all this suffering and persecution is going on, the God of all
"grace" shall Himself, perfect, stablish, and strengthen
us, as we go about the work of the Lord.
Our Holy God loves
us so much and He takes a personal interest in all the things going
on in our lives, especially our suffering.
In most cases we
complain about the things that affect us, but we have not gotten on
our knees and explained to God what we are going through.
Sure He knows. Sure
He already intervenes in some things we may not even know about, but
He still wants to hear from us individually.
You never know what
will happen when you move the heart of God!
God's grace means
every resource in Heaven is available to God's people if God so
desires. After all He is our Heavenly Father!
Rom 8:14 For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye
have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of
God:
Rom 8:17 And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if
so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together.
Rom 8:18 For I
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
If our Heavenly
Father had not known all these things would happen, why would He have
written all these things down to make us aware of them?
God knows the
temptations and the trials of life are severe and they are terrible.
This is because of the influence the devil has had upon this world
since he was tossed out of Heaven.
Satan's days are
numbered, and he knows his ending and he will do his best to ruin the
testimony of God's children so even more of the lost will ignore and
reject the truth of the Scriptures.
To God be the glory!
We know that it was
the Holy Spirit who inspired these words of the Apostle Peter, but
God always made sure there were other godly men around His Apostles.
*****1Pe 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.
Silvanus was the
proper name of a godly man known as Silas.
The Holy Spirit did
not call on Silas to write a book of the Bible, but Silas would take
those written words of God to other Churches so they could have the
written Word of God, much like those that carry Bible to foreign
countries today.
He did this for the
written words of the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul.
Silas was also a
preacher we could say evangelist.
Act 15:32 And Judas
and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with
many words, and confirmed them.
Silas was also a
witness to the Council of the Church in Jerusalem to discuss the
matter of the Jews and Gentiles if the Gentiles would have to follow
the laws given to the Jews.
Act 15:22 Then
pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send
chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas;
namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the
brethren:
Act 15:23 And they
wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and
brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in
Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
What can be said is,
that without godly men like Silas, the Word of God would not have
been known to every one of the early churches.
Each of us have our
particular job to perform in the army of God!
If there were ever
any proof that the Apostle Peter was in Rome in may be the fact that
when he mentioned the Church of Babylon, he was referring to Rome.
Peter was saying
that at this time the seat of evil in the Church was Rome, and many
believe that this is still true today.
Many believe the
seat of evil is still in Rome.
*****1Pe 5:13 The
church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you;
and so doth Marcus my son.
1Pe 5:14 Greet ye
one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in
Christ Jesus. Amen.
This Marcus is of
course Mark of the "Gospel" of Mark who was led to the Lord
by the Apostle Peter and who had so grown in the Lord that even the
Apostle Paul now knew he was a valuable man of God in the beginning
of the early Church.
2Ti 4:11 Only Luke
is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable
to me for the ministry.
What is a "kiss
of charity"?
This is that act of
unity and brotherhood that seems to be lacking in the church of
today.
The greatest weapon
of the Church today, besides the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of
God is when we all stand together on the truth of the Bible.
When we are together
in one mind, we are a force to be reckoned with in this world.
If we would quit
bickering and fighting with each other the Word of God would go to
where it needs to go and we all would soon be going home.
Mat 24:13 But he
that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Mat 24:14 And this
gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
We need to quit
being each other's enemy and get busy about the work of the Lord.
Amen
Let's Pray
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