The Flock
Notes
Transcript
The Flock
The Flock
1 Peter 5:5–14 “In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you. Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. Resist him, strong in your faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering. And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him belongs the power forever. Amen. Through Silvanus, whom I know to be a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, in order to encourage you and testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. The church in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you, and so does Mark, my son. Greet one another with a loving kiss. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.”
Exordium.
A psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The Bible Talks a lot about the Role of the Shepherd
Genesis 49:24–25 “ the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,...who will help you,... who will bless you with blessings from the sky above, blessings from the deep that lies below.
Hebrews 13:20–21 “Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever.
God cares for his flock…
There’s no shortage of passages in Scripture that describe what a good shepherd looks like.
But what does a good sheep look like?
Narratio
The text, along with Relevant Background Information.
Chapter 5, Peter is discussing the role of the Elders/Shepherds, and reminds them that they are the flock of the Cheif Shepherd, head Pastor Jesus.
As Peter rounds out the letter, he continues using this shepherd/flock language, very subtly, to turn to the church, and give them their final instructions.
Partitio
And the reminder is for the sheep to watch out to the two greatest enemies of the flock.
One of the Biggest Enemies are the sheep themselves.
[Expand, describe sheep, describe how it is like our Spiritual lives]
Confirmatio
As the Flock, we need to be on guard against ourselves. And how do we counter that?
Humility
In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
we counter it through humility.
Explanation
Word Studies, starting with Peter, moving out to Non-Christian Writings:
The word Humble wasn’t a compliment in the first century.
Christians Took the word and not only said “be humble” But “Clothe yourselves with humility
Illustration: When you clothe yourself with something it becomes your new identity.
Clothe ourselves with Christ, etc.
Application. 1 Peter 5:6-7
And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand
by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you.
The Word for “cares” is the same word used to describe how a shepherd cares for the flock. In John chapter 10 for example, where Jesus compares himself, as the good shepherd, to the hired hand who does not care for the sheep.
The First Step in Humility is recognizing we don’t have it all figured out. Instead of trying to fix ourselves on our own, we give it all over to God.
Because the first enemy of the sheep is the sheep themselves.
2nd biggest danger to the sheep are threats from the outside.
We have to be ever vigilant, as the flock. And recognize that even though Christ has won the war, satan would love to pick off a few strays here and there on his way out the door.
2. Be alert
Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour.
Explanation: For the scattered churches, the threat to the flock from the outside was persecution.
Something interesting that happens when the persecution isn’t full blown martyrdom yet.
Historically, It wouldn’t be for a couple of years after the letter that the church was persecuted violently. Here, it’s little minor persecutions.
Cancel your business, rules, laws, extra taxes. Little annoyances.
Those can be even more dangerous.
Illustration
Resist him, strong in your faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering.
Safety in Numbers.
[Expand]
Application
And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
To him belongs the power forever. Amen.
We don’t face the enemy on our own. We remain vigilant, and then we rely on God.
That’s the culmination of Peter’s entire letter to the scattered churches.
He was writing to churches that were suffering.
Peroratio
Through Silvanus, whom I know to be a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, in order to encourage you and testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.
A lot of times when we think of Grace we think in terms of our salvation.
But here in Peter, He rounds out his letter be describing the grace of God in a way that is much more right now, much more pertinent to their lives right now.
The Scattered Church.
Remain holy
Be model citizens in the world
Remain true through persecution
By Relying on the Shepherd.
And if we do that, if we remain faithful through the sufferings of this world, while we are scattered in the world, God will lift us up.
This is the grace of God according to Peter.
This fallen broken world is not our home.
The church in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you, and so does Mark, my son.
Babylon is a stand in for the world. [Explain]
Babylon stands in for the forces of the world that are keeping God’s people away from their true home.
Babylon, Persia, Greeks, Romans. They were all Babylon’s.
The scattered church exists in Babylon.
But if we follow our shepherd he will lead us to victory
Greet one another with a loving kiss. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
