A.      In order for us to carry out the instructions of Peter, we will have to trust God completely and submit to His will completely.  This will require great selflessness and humility.

B.      In this final lesson of our study from 1Peter, we are instructed to have the humility that is necessary to be successful in submission and suffering for the cause of Christ (1Pet. 5:1-14).

II.      INSTRUCTIONS FOR ELDERS

A.      Elders are to selflessly shepherd the flock of God (1Pet. 5:1-3).

                                                             1.      Elders receive a special instruction because of their role of leadership.  In order for the church to succeed in implementing Peter’s instructions, the elders must lead the way.

                                                             2.      Peter identified himself with the elders in three terms:

a.       “Your fellow elder” – Peter shared the burdens of eldership along with these other men.

b.       “Witness of the sufferings of Christ” – When Peter spoke of Christ’s sufferings (1Pet. 1:11; 2:21-24; 3:18; 4:1, 13), he knew of what he spoke by eyewitness experience.

c.        “Partaker of the glory that is to be revealed” – Just as Peter had instructed all Christians to wait for their future reward and glory, so also he waited for it.

                                                             3.      Notice the specific instructions given to elders.

a.       “Shepherd the flock of God among you…”

i.         The figure of a shepherd or pastor is one of the terms used to describe an elder in the church (Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11).  It signifies the responsibilities of oversight, protection, and sustenance for the church.

ii.        Notice that the limitation of the shepherd’s oversight is the “flock of God among you.”  This indicates that an elder can only oversee the congregation to which he belongs.

b.       “Exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily…”

i.         This corresponds to the qualification for elders given in 1Timothy 3:1 – “If any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work that he desires to do.”  An elder must want to do the job and volunteer for it.

ii.        An elder who is compelled to serve cannot possible serve in a selfless way.  To be selfless, he must choose for himself to put others’ needs before his own.

c.        “Not for sordid gain, but with eagerness…”

i.         It is possible for a man to desire the office of elder for the wrong reasons.  He may serve voluntarily in order to abuse the office for his own profit.

ii.        Instead, an elder should serve “with eagerness” (“of a ready mind” – ASV).  The idea here seems to be for an elder to be eager to serve for the right reasons.

d.       “Nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock”

i.         Although elders have authority in the church, their authority is not given for their own exaltation.  Instead, they are to use it in service to the flock.

ii.        An elder must be an example to the congregation by conforming himself to everything that he expects from the members of the church.

e.        Note that these and all other instructions regarding elders in the Scriptures indicate that each church is to be overseen by a plurality of elders.  No man can serve as an elder of a congregation by himself (see Acts 11:30; 14:23; 20:17; 15:2; Tit. 1:5; Heb. 13:17; Jas. 5:14).

B.      This service will result in a reward from the Chief Shepherd (1Pet. 5:4).

                                                             1.      The “Chief Shepherd” is Jesus Christ who will appear at the end of time for the resurrection and judgment.  Just as shepherds must give account for their flocks to a chief shepherd, so also elders must account for their congregations to Christ.

                                                             2.      The reward for elders who serve well is “the unfading crown of glory” given by the Lord Christ.

III.   HUMBLE YOURSELVES

A.      All Christians are to be clothed in humility (1Pet. 5:5).

                                                             1.      This instruction begins with a commandment to younger men to be subject to elders with the same selfless manner as elders are to have in shepherding the flock (note the word “likewise”).

                                                             2.      All Christians are instructed to be clothed with humility toward one another.

a.       We are to wrap ourselves in a cloak of humility that adorns everything that we say or do in our interactions with one another (see Phil. 2:3-5).

b.       The motivation for such humility is given from an apparent reference to Proverbs 3:34, saying, “For God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

B.      Humility before God leads to exaltation from Him (1Pet. 5:6-7).

                                                             1.      To incur the grace and favor of God, we all must humble ourselves under His mighty hand.

a.       Pride is a self-defeating exercise.  We cannot win in a battle of wills if our opponent is God, for He is infinitely more powerful that we are.

b.       Instead of being proud, we must submit to God in order to receive the benefits of His mighty hand and be exalted by Him (compare to Jas. 4:10).

c.        Notice that Peter kept with his theme of a future reward when he wrote that God may exalt us “at the proper time.”  Our exaltation is not to be realized in this present time, for the “proper time” of our exaltation is at the end of time, i.e., the judgment.

                                                             2.      While we humbly await our exaltation by God, we can cast our anxieties upon God.

a.       Although we must wait for our reward, God has not abandoned us without any help.  We are assured that He cares for us now.

b.       We may cast our cares upon God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Notice Hebrews 4:16 – “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

C.      Christians must be aware and ready for the adversity of the devil (1Pet. 5:8-9).

                                                             1.      Satan is an ever-present, real threat to all of us, so we must be on guard at all times.

a.       Satan is compared to a lion that is always seeking a victim to devour.

b.       Note: our adversary is the devil, and his name Satan means adversary.

                                                             2.      Knowing this, we must resist the devil.

a.       To resist Satan, we must be firm in our faith.  Compare this to Ephesians 6:10-17 (the armor of God used to resist the schemes of the devil).

b.       As we resist the devil, we should find comfort in knowing that our brethren around the world are likewise suffering.

c.        In James 4:7, we are given this assurance: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

IV.    BENEDICTION

A.      Peter concluded his letter with a summary of his message to these suffering Christians (1Pet. 5:10).

                                                             1.      In Lesson 1 of this series, we noted this verse as the basic theme of 1Peter.

                                                             2.      This message is designed to motivate Christians to look beyond any temporary suffering that results from serving Christ and see the eternal rewards that will be given by the Lord.

B.      Consider a few points from Peter’s closing remarks (1Pet. 5:11-14).

                                                             1.      Verse 11 is a declaration of praise for Christ Jesus.

                                                             2.      Verse 12 is a final exhortation from Peter and Silvanus (Silas) to stand firm in the grace of God.

                                                             3.      Verse 13 is a greeting from other Christians (including Mark) who were with Peter in Babylon (either literal Babylon or figurative Babylon, i.e., Rome – see Lesson 1 in this series).

                                                             4.      Verse 14 is a final message of love and peace.

a.       The “kiss of love” appears to be the same as the “holy kiss” mentioned by Paul in the closing of several of his letters (Rom. 16:16; 1Cor. 16:20; 2Cor. 13:12; 1Thess. 5:26).

b.       The closing words of this letter are fitting for the whole letter’s message, for Peter’s words through the Holy Spirit should bring spiritual peace to Christians who may find no peace in this world.

V.      CONCLUSION

A.      Let us close our study of 1Peter with the same thought as when we began.  Trials can cause a Christian to become either discouraged and bitter or strengthened and joyful.  How a Christian responds to trials will determine which of these outcomes will result.

B.      Through this book, we see that we can obtain victory through submission and suffering.  If we will heed God’s directions and encouragement in this book, then we can realize the best outcome when we encounter the trials of our faith.