65. Final Exhortations to the Church Pt 3_Congr

Final Exhortations to the Church

Introduction: Our world has changed since Covid. Permanently? That remains to be seen. But as I was watching a video of a well-known commentator, he made this primary point.

In this midst of this the government has stripped us of our constitutional rights. The saddest aspect of this is that there are relatively few people who oppose it.

In MS a church held services outside and in their cars and each person was given a $500 dollar fine for being there. There are other instances of churches being threatened for practicing the very thing the Constitution guarantees us.

So now, maybe more than ever, we feel some of the same pressure those churches to whom this letter was written at the time of their suffering and persecution. Who would have thought that 5 years ago when we began preaching through 1 Peter we would be where we are today.

But this sermon is not about the government, federal, state, and local abusing their power and stripping away our Constitutional rights from us. They allowed liquor stores to remain open but closed the doors of churches and threatened those who attend with fines or jail.

Rather this is a continuation of the theme of Peter on living a godly life in an ungodly world, suffering at the hands of ungodly people who are doing the bidding of their ungodly father, the devil, who was and is a murderer and a liar.

For the sake of context we will read verses 1-11 but will be focusing our attention on v5-7.

1Pe 5:1-11  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.  (5)  Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."  (6)  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,  (7)  casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.  (8)  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  (9)  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.  (10)  But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.  (11)  To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Observation: Even though Peter commends them in chapter one for their love for one another in verse 22, yet we see that the church was not free from the need for exhortation in that area. Elders and congregants alike. This points to the fact that no matter how mature we may be in the faith we are not perfect.

Exegetical issues:

Word order –

Likewise in the Greek comes first. The reason it is important is that it is a continuation of the previous thought and an explanation for the command that is given. This is the same word that is used in chapter 3:1, 7 talking, in context, about submission Likewise points to the implication that elders of the church are to submit or subject themselves to the Chief Shepherd. They are the under-shepherds of the flock of God and Christ is their head.

Some versions insert the word ‘men’ because the word younger in the Greek is a masculine. It is not necessary to insert the word here and because they do it could be construed in several ways. 1) There is a native problem with younger men and submission to authority. And while practically speaking I may not argue that point the text does not support it. 2) This is a specific command to a specific group and therefore does not apply to anyone else. The greater context does not support this but given people’s proclivity to take verses out of context for their own purposes it is important to clarify. It is better understood as younger in the faith or less mature, rather than younger in age.

What constitutes being mature in the faith versus being immature or young in the faith? It isn’t a matter of age or how long one has been a Christian necessarily. The word of God + the Spirit of God + application = growth in maturity. It is possible to remain immature in the faith for 20 years for lack pursuing the things of God. Verses a person who has sought Christ for 20 years. It never ceases to amaze me how people with deny what is in the Bible when it is written in black and white.

There are two groups of people being addressed. Elders in verses 1-4, congregants in beginning phrase of verse 5 and finally all together as a whole through verse 7.

There is one Point with three sub points.

Clothe yourselves with humility.

Toward elders – subject or submit

Toward one another – clothe yourselves with humility

Toward God – humble ourselves

Toward Elders – subject or submit yourselves.

Having admonished the shepherds, the Apostle now turns to the flock, and his words recall the exhortations, which he has given several times before. In 1Pe_2:13 he taught believers the duty of submission, even under pagan rulers. A few verses further on in the same chapter he repeated this teaching to Christian slaves with heathen masters, and the third chapter opens with advice of the same character to the wives who were married to husbands either not in the faith or not walking according to the Word. And now once more, with his favorite verb "be subject," he opens his counsel to the Churches on their duty to those set over them. The relation between the elders and their flock should not be as strained, or not strained after the same manner, as between Christians and non-Christians in the other cases, but the same principle is to govern the behavior of the congregation toward the elder(s). The duly appointed teachers are to be accepted as ordained by God, and their rule and guidance followed with submission. We see the proof of this in the previous verses, in the flock of God and in the Chief Shepherd. As Biblical Christians we often say we believe in the sovereignty of God and yet at times practically speaking we don’t work that out very well. If Christ is head of the church, if He is sovereignly in control and He is the Chief Shepherd will He not see to the care of His church by preparing men to be duly appointed by the church?

In regard to submission or lack thereof I see the same principle here as in the 5th commandment. Exo 20:12  "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

That principle is God sovereignly placed our parents over us and we are to honor and obey them. You cannot obey your Father in Heaven, whom you do not see, if you will not obey your parents on earth who you do see. God has sovereignly placed elder(s) over you for the purpose of instruction, discipline, and leadership. Commands are not optional. What does subjecting or submitting mean? There are three aspects to submission:

1. It is willing. In our culture submission is the result of some external force applied. It is the end of struggle and the onset of passivity. It is a subjugation. This word in the Greek is one of unforced, voluntary submission; more of a term of enlistment as in enlisting in the military. It is willingly moving ourselves under the God’s banner, His stated order for the church. We are willingly placing ourselves under those to whom God has gifted for the benefit of His church.

2.It is sincere. Hypocrites do what they must to satisfy other motives. Sincerity does not take into account the reward, and has no other motive that to be pleasing to God. Josh. 24:14 Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

3.It is complete. It is not a buffet line where we pick and choose that which we want and discard the rest. We are not those who are loyal just because our ears are tickled and are comfortable with just enough Jesus preached as not to be convicted of sin.

Do you trust the Lord’s sovereign watch care over this visible expression of the body of Christ or not? If so trust that He has just the right elder(s) for you at the right time. Ultimately it is not about you as the congregation and submitting to the elder but you and submitting to the Lord.

Toward one another – all of you clothe yourselves with humility.

This phrase erases the boundary between elder and congregant and binds all without exception to have the same attitude toward one another. The word clothe literally means to gird around or tie up. The imagery is that of putting on an apron to work. It is a servant’s garment. That garment is humility. But make no mistake it is not passive, but actively working toward one another. Peter goes from a general group address ‘all of you’ command to pointing each individual in the group ‘one another’.

The Greeks and the Romans had no word for humility. It was a despised notion and was used derogatorily of Christians in the beginning. But Christian humility is nothing of the notion the Greeks and Romans had associated with it. William Barclay describes it in this way: First, on the divine side, it is based on the awareness of the creatureliness of humanity. God is the Creator, man the creature, and in the presence of the Creator the creature cannot feel anything else but humility. Second, on the human side, it is based on the belief that all of the faith are the sons of God; and there is no room for arrogance when we are living among men and women who are all of royal lineage.

Being clothed in humility we realize the true idea of the Christian body, where each member should help all, and be helped by all. As we have all been gifted, those gifts are used for the benefit of one another. The rest, eye and hand, head and feet, each having their office, and each ministering to one another as parts of the one body.

1Co 12:18-25  But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.  (19)  And if they were all one member, where would the body be?  (20)  But now there are many members, but one body.  (21)  And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."  (22)  On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;  (23)  and those members of the body, which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly members come to have more abundant seemliness,  (24)  whereas our seemly members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked,  (25)  that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

The underlying issue of not subjecting ourselves to the elders and not clothing ourselves with humility is pride. We see this stated in God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. How is it that in the midst of suffering and persecution that pride would still exist? But it is quite clear that it does. In the letter of James, there was the same issue of pride. Both use the Septuagint translation from Prov. 3:34. The Hebrew translation says ‘He scoffs at the scoffers, yet He gives grace to the afflicted. The Septuagint version says opposed to the proud. The Greek word opposed means to set up against in battle array. Meaning God is not only opposed to the proud but at war with them. God continually sets Himself against the proud.

In his commentary on Proverbs, Charles Bridge’s says this: On no point is the mind of God more fully declared than against pride - the spirit of scorning. It displaces man, and would, if possible, displace God himself. Jealous therefore of His own glory, He sets Himself in battle array, as against the usurper of His prerogative, the rebel against His dominion. Witness the Babel-builders (Ge 11:1-9); Pharaoh (Ex 14:13); Sennacherib (Isa 37.33-38); the proud opposers of his Gospel (Ps 2:1-4)--all the objects of His scorn. But most hateful to him is the sinner, that will not submit to His righteousness, that scorns the Corner-stone of salvation. How fearfully does it then become "a rock of offence," of eternal ruin! (Ro. 10:3, with Ro 9:32, 33. Mt 21:41-44.) Surely without doubt, without way of escape from His frown, He scorns the scorners.

God will not abide pride in His people. But in the warning there is also sweet encouragement. He gives grace to the humble. It should break our hearts to know that our pride stands as the supreme sin in the eyes of our God.

But fear not. Our God, who is holy and who has commanded us to be holy will not leave you in your sin. Just as He disciplined David for his adultery and murder, the bottom line being his pride. He will also discipline you. But would it not be much better to clothe ourselves in humility toward one another than to be humbled by God.

The principle of Matt 25 is clear. Mat 25:41-45  "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;  (42)  for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;  (43)  I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'  (44)  "Then they themselves also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'  (45)  "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'

By way of application I would ask, what is the measure of our clothing ourselves in humility? Our service to one another. I will end with this familiar passage from Php 2:3-8  Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;  (4)  do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.  (5)  Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,  (6)  who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,  (7)  but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  (8)  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Mar 10:45  "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."