64. Final Exhortations to the Church Pt 2_Elders

Final Exhortations – The Elders Care Part 2

Last night, Connie and I attended a wedding of a young couple in Jackson. It reminded me again of what Paul said in Eph 5:25-32  Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,  (26)  that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,  (27)  so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.  (28)  In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  (29)  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,  (30)  because we are members of his body.  (31)  “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”  (32)  This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it (marriage) refers to Christ and the church.

Why did God ordain and institute marriage? Because it is a type of the relationship between Christ and the church. His relationship with the church is more than what He did at Calvary. It is every provision He has made for the church and that includes the gifts He has given to the church and its order and organization. He has made provision for His church in the ordination of elders.

1Pe 5:1-4  The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:  (2)  Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;  (3)  nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;  (4)  and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

The context in which these verses are written begins in (1Pe 4:12)  Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.

In light of this how do you think the congregations across Asia Minor might be feeling? Anxious? Fearful? A little uncertain? This is the context Peter makes his appeal to the elders of the church. An observation: In Peter’s addressing the elders of the church it is clear that they were a necessary, God ordained part of the structure of the church. It was not optional but mandatory. (Tit 1:5)  For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might set in order what remains, and appoint elders in every city as I directed you. In verse 4 we see the Chief Shepard named. He is the one to whom the elders are accountable to and it is He who ultimately oversees His flock. It is in His infinite wisdom and the absolute love of His people, the flock of God, He has set as under shepherds, elders, having ordained the requirements for office and the means of their appointment by the church. These are the stewards of the flock of God.

This phrase ‘flock of God’ is important to understand. 1) It speaks to what we are, sheep and 2) Whose we are – God’s. When someone is called a sheep it is not a compliment. Why? Because sheep are not the brightest bulb in the box. They wander off from the flock. Domestic sheep, unmanaged would eat their forage to the root, and trample underfoot their own refuse. When threatened by predators they run around in circles and are essentially defenseless. Naturally we are offended by being called sheep, but we are what we are. Is 53:6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall upon Him.

So your pride might be rising up a bit at this point, but let me remind you where you have placed yourself as sheep. You were lost, dead in your trespasses and sins, full of iniquity and transgression, working for the due wages of your sin, which is death, not death of the body, which IS a consequence of original sin, but spiritual death which is not annihilation but the eternal torment of your eternal soul at the righteous judgement of the Lord God forever separated from Him. There is no resting peace for the wicked.

But, and I hope you will indulge me I know I have spoken of this many times before. Those who are in Christ Jesus are God’s flock. His by right of creation and His by right of redemption. He chose us before the foundation of the world and predestined us to adoption as children of God. Though chosen sometime in eternity past, we sat under the same condemnation. The justice of God will not pass over the sins of His people. Also in eternity past God ordained salvation for His people through the eternal agreement in the Trinity in which the Son would become incarnate and fulfill all the righteous requirements of the Law in perfect obedience and suffering the wrath of God for our disobedience. He became a curse for us and was crucified. From 1 Peter 1 we see the God decreed salvation, the Son secures it for those whom God chose and the Holy Spirit applies it and seals it to the believer. And where do we sheep fit in? Nowhere except being the recipients of salvation by grace through faith and that not of yourselves.

We are still sheep and it is just as the hymn states, Prone to wander Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love. There is no safer place to be as sheep under the watch care of our God who spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all. So we are the flock of God and He has ordained the means of keeping the flock safe by placing over the church elders. This is the context Peter speaks to the elders of the churches in Asia Minor by means of exhortation, instructing them how to minister to the church in times of trial.

As we went over the last time there is no distinction in the office of elder/bishop/overseer/or pastor. There are one in the same. We also saw the appeal to the elders that Peter made. 1) He was a co-elder. He didn’t call himself head elder and he certainly didn’t call himself the Pope. It was an appeal to equals not subordinates. 2) He appeals to them as a witness of the sufferings of Christ. At this point in the history of these churches Christians were not being martyred but that would not be long in coming. He is saying two things here. You haven’t suffered like Christ and also that like Christ there suffering would be temporary. It has a beginning and it has an end. 3) the third appeal is his being a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. No matter how hard it gets there is glory that follows. Paul said this Rom 8:18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

The thrust of Peters exhortation is in two areas.

Shepherd the flock of God

Exercising oversight

Shepherd the flock of God

The verb to shepherd is translated as feed in the KJV translation. In John 21 when Jesus is asking Peter if he loves Him after each of Peter’s response Jesus says ‘Tend my lambs’ ‘Feed my sheep’ ‘Tend my sheep’. These are variations of the same Greek root word. But it is indicative of the broader meaning of shepherd. Shepherds feed, guide and they tend. They are careful to bring their sheep to pastures that are green, rich in nutrients for the health of the flock. The elders provide spiritual food, that food is the Word of God, the whole council of God. Teaching and preaching the great doctrines of God and preaching and teaching the great commands of God, equipping the saints for the works of service. They guard and protect the flock from predation. As a shepherd David spoke of snatching sheep from the jaws of the bear and lion in 2 Sam 17:34,35. Elders protect the congregation from spiritual predators, teachers of false doctrine and error from within and without the church. In Luke 2 the shepherds were watching over the flock at night. The elder is on call 24/7 ready to respond to the needs of the congregation.

Mat 18:12-13  "What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?  (13)  "And if it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.

The elder cares for each person and pursues the lost. Just as the shepherd cares for the sick and infirm of his flock, likewise the elder minsters to those in the congregation suffering physically and spiritually. They council the weak, the struggling, provide leadership in regard to the vision, mission, and ministry of the church.

Psalm 23 Speaks to the Lord as Shepherd. It is from this psalm that peace has been brought to many that suffer. My dad, after finding our he had Alzheimer’s read this Psalm every day and when he could not remember how to read had my mom read it to him. Elders are not this Shepherd, but they should always point us to this Shepherd.

Psa 23:1-6 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.  (2)  He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.  (3)  He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.  (4)  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.  (5)  Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.  (6)  Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Exercising Oversight

It is in the exercising oversight that Peter places his emphasis. Here he has given the manner in which oversight is to be performed.

a. voluntarily as opposed to under compulsion

-according to the will of God Why was Peter an apostle? Why was Paul an apostle? It was according to the will of God. Why are you an elder? It is in accordance with the will of God. And it is also the will of God in the manner in which you serve.

b. with eagerness as opposed to dishonest gain

c. proving to be examples as opposed to lording it over the flock.

a. Why does Peter lead off with exercising oversight not under compulsion but voluntarily? Apparently there were indications that some elders felt this way. That they would rather be doing something else What could provoke such an attitude? There are 3 reasons.

They would be targets because of their position of leadership in the church. When I was in the military, it was during the cold war and we were taught to target the Russians command structure first. Without their leaders it would be difficult for the privates to know what to do. The elders of the churches would be the focal point of persecution. It was the way of the early church. Stephen was martyred in Acts 7, the apostle James in Acts 12 and Peter himself only escaped the sword by a miracle of God. It is the nature of self-preservation that might cause elder-shepherds to look for something else to do.

They come under greater judgement by the Chief Shepherd. In verse four we see the result of their shepherding and oversight voluntarily, eagerly, and setting an example is reward, the unfading crown of glory, but if the explicit is true the implied is also true. There would be judgement, not in the loss of salvation, but in reward. And it is not that reward is our motivation for ultimately we will cast all our crowns at the feet of Him who is worthy. May we all have crowns to cast. There is also warning from other texts.

Jas 3:1  My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

You recall that 1 Peter 4:17 says God's judgment had begun with the house of God. There is a scary reference here to Ezekiel 9 for the elders. Ezekiel 9 is a description of the way God brought judgment on his people once before. He not only began at the house of God; he began with the elders.

Eze 9:4-6  And the LORD said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst."  (5)  But to the others He said in my hearing, "Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity, and do not spare.  (6)  "Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary." So they started with the elders who were before the temple.

**This means is that danger and difficulty is one test of the true elder-shepherd. Jesus said in John 10: "He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling and is not concerned about the sheep." In other words the presence of danger and difficulty tend to separate the hirelings from the shepherds.

Joh 10:12-13  "He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them.  (13)  "He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep.

The burden and labor that elder/shepherds bear for the church. All we have to do is consider the labor of Paul and the apostles.

2Ti 4:6  For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

b. With eagerness as opposed to dishonest gain.

Dishonest gain means seeing the ministry as a means of personal profit either finically, or the station of influence, or a nice retirement package or benefiting from the generosity of the congregation. The is the primary focus of the pursuit of sordid gain. It cares less for the soul and more about self.

1Ti 6:5  useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.

To serve eagerly is to exemplify the love of Christ for the souls that have been entrusted to their care. To see them grow in love to Christ and faith in Christ, growing into maturity as a man or woman of God. To labor in prayer and in the word with them and for them. The shepherd knows his sheep and his sheep know his voice. There is a familiarity and openness with one another that the elder/shepherd is able to discern when things are not right, a knowledge in how to minister peace and comfort or reproof and rebuke. As a father knows his children, their strengths and weaknesses, he tailors council and discipline to their needs. This comes only in eagerly serving, and in doing so shows his love for Christ in serving the people of God.

c. proving to be examples as opposed to lording it over the flock.

"Lording it over" implies that the elder-shepherd is driven by the love of power. He gets an ego high from flaunting his authority. He needs to be up front. He likes the best seats in the synagogue, as Jesus said. He likes to be addressed with titles. He craves the praise and the dependence of men. Again the focus is on self, rather than on the church.

Peter says: the test of such elder-shepherds is in their life—their whole life. Are they examples for the flock? Verse 3: Do not lord it over the flock, "but prove to be examples to the flock." Is their public oversight a show, or does their whole life prove their authenticity? Is there a public shepherd and a different private shepherd? What about his family and his finances and his hospitality and his discernment and reputation among spiritual people and those outside? In all of this we see the wisdom of God’s qualifications for the office of elder.

What sustain the elder/shepherd in all these things? It is the Chief Shepherd and His coming with reward. There is hardship and difficulty now but there is rest to come. To hear the words, ‘Well done My good and faithful servant, enter into your rest’. It is hard to fathom the reward. Any elder/shepherd who is honest with themselves say many, many times, who is equal to such a task? Who is worthy to take on such a work? And yet, we have the clear testimony of Scripture ‘according to the will of God’. And if it is in accordance with His will then He will also supply all that is needed for the accomplishment of the work. It is not only the assurance of His coming but it is also the Chief Shepherds example. Throughout His earthly ministry He did not flinch or turn His back on being the Chief Shepherd. When He desired to rest with His disciples He saw the crowds and felt compassion with them. In the early morning he rose to spend time in prayer. And seeing the prayer of John 17 we know He prayed earnestly for His disciples. Are we lacking in knowledge or wisdom. He is our teacher through His Spirit.

Application:

Elder – in many ways you stand as Peter in the boat on the sea as Jesus was walking on the water saying Lord if it is You command me to come to You on the water. And the Lord said Come and he got out of the boat and was walking on water toward Jesus. Remember, according to His will. The waves will crash, the winds will blow, at times you will be afraid and unsure of what to do next. But keep your eyes on the Chief Shepherd, your Shepherd who watches over you with eyes that never slumber or sleep. May this exhortation be to you to them. An exhortation to serve well and to judge yourselves rightly and often. This is also true on the congregation. Judge yourself rightly and often. Work out your salvation in fear and trembling.

To those who may aspire to the office – think carefully about what it is you want. To be an elder is to sacrifice and to serve not your own interests but for the benefit of the souls of others. You will feel the full weight of responsibility before the Lord and you must meet those qualifications and be objectively called by the church.

To the church, treasure that gift which God has given you for the good of your souls. As elders have been set to oversee your souls, so labor yourselves to make his burden light, praying often and intensely for divine protection of his soul that he may not be tempted and fall into the snare of the devil.