Sermon Tone Analysis

! I. CONTEXT

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*      *The book of 1 Peter attests internally that it was written by Peter (1:1).

According to Jensen, as far as the genuineness of Peter as the author, "the epistle is one of the best attested books of the New Testament" (Irving Jensen, /Jensen's Survey of the New Testament, /444).

The book also attests to whom it was sent: "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen" (1 Pet.

1:1).

These Christians were most likely a mix of Gentiles and Jews with the former making up the majority (e.g.

1:14,18; 2:9,10; 4:3) [/The/ /MacArthur// Study Bible, /NKJV (1997), 1936; Donald Guthrie, /New Testament Introduction,/ 786).

According to Jensen 1 Peter was written around 64 A.D. by Peter when he was an aged man (Ibid.).

The MacArthur Study Bible dates the epistle shortly after July, a.d.

64 when the city of Rome was burned (1937).

It makes good sense the use of the name Babylon in 5:13 as the place from which Peter wrote is symbolic of Rome in light of what had just happened in Rome.

Nero was on a rampage against Christians as his scapegoats for the burning of the city.

Guthrie seems to favor this view and says that this view is favored by the majority of scholars (Guthrie, /New Testament Introduction,/ 794).

Nero was a psycho emperor who was totally unpredictable.

Much like the leader of North Korea today, and the fire in Rome only stirred up his psycho imagination.

The fire in Rome burned for 9 days and burned up most of the city, taking thousands of lives (Gayla Visalli, ed., /After Jesus, The Triumph of Christianity, /68.

Tacitus states that after the burning there was suspicion that Nero had been involved so he used the Christians as scapegoats.

Tacitus writes that Nero "punished with every refinement the notoriously depraved Christians (as they were popularly called)" [quoted in ibid.].

Tacitus states that the Christians were convicted "not so much for incendiarism as for their antisocial tendencies" (ibid.).

This may have mirrored the Greeks /misanthropia// /("hatred of mankind") label, which had been originally attached to the Jews (See ibid.).

The MacArthur Study Bible says, "According to tradition, Peter had to watch as his wife was crucified, but encouraged her with the words, 'Remember the Lord.'

When it came time for him to be crucified, he reportedly pled that he was not worthy to be crucified like his Lord, but rather should be crucified upside down (ca.

a.d.

67–68), which tradition says he was" (1937).

The purpose of the book, according to Guthrie, is living with hope: "Peter wishes to exhort these Christians to live in accordance with the hope they have received through Christ . . .

[and] to endure suffering in a joyful manner for Christ's sake" (/NTI/., 794).

Others such as our own Professor McDougall have called this "eschatological living."

Hiebert points out that the book itself states its purpose: "'I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God.

Stand fast in it'(5:12)" [D.

Edmond Hiebert, /1 Peter, /28].

This is to be done all the more in the midst of sufferings.

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/Near Context/

The paragraph immediately preceding Peter's "therefore" in 5:1 (4:12-19) discusses doing good in the midst of suffering because of God's sovereign hand over the refining judgment that isbeing worked out through suffering and because of the glory that will be revealed when Christ returns.

In light of God being sovereign over all difficult times that His flock goes through, Peter makes a special plea to the elder shepherds to properly tend the flock of God.

This is because of the difficult times in which they live and because judgment begins with the house of God (4:17).

This means that the elders are accountable for tending the flock of God.

 

!! Immediate Context

            Peter has just spent a paragraph instructing the elders of the churches in Asia Minor to be servant leaders to their flocks who have been troubled by religious persecution.

This persecution has consisted mostly of verbal abuse, although this could change for the worse at any time with Nero as emperor over the Roman empire.

Beginning at verse 5 he turns to the younger members of the church and instructs them on how they should act.

Then he gives instructions for all the church members on how to treat each other and how to approach their trying times ahead.

*II.

SYNTHESIS*

            5.

After instructing the elder leaders of the churches in Asia Minor, Peter instructed the younger members of the congregation to arrange themselves under these older leaders in the same way that the elder leaders submitted themselves to Christ.

[He had already told them in 3:22 that all things are submitted to the power of Jesus].

Then he told all of the members in their relation to each other to do something that was frowned upon in their society as a sign of weakness, to have an attitude toward one another as that of a humble servant.

Peter then explained that the reason why they should be this way was because it was a general principle that God arrays himself in battle against the high minded man who shows himself above his fellows and even above God.

But just the opposite is true of the one who is humble.

Peter told them that God would exalt those kind of people up.

            6.

Since that was the way it was Peter affirmed again that they should not waste any time about seeing to their responsibility of humbling themselves.

This humbling he said was beneath the mighty hand of God [a phrase that most knew was used to describe the ways in which God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt].

The results he said would be that at an appointed time they would be exalted.

7.

This was not to be a passive thing for the believers.

Peter told them that the way to humble themselves before God was by heaving every single one of their distracting cares onto Him.

Again Peter gave them the grounds for his command telling them to do this because God has a watchful care of interest over them.

8 Then Peter shifted gears and gave urgent orders to begin to see things differently by being circumspect and alert.

Peter emphasized the urgency by shortening his explanation simply by saying that their adversary the devil (Satan himself) was continually walking about like one of the roaring lions [which they had seen in the arenas] seeking someone to devour.

9.

The attacks of this one, he told them, they must withstand by being firmly united as regards the true doctrines of salvation in Christ.

He then reminded them that their brothers elsewhere were going through the same kinds of trials which was accomplishing a purpose.

A purpose which Peter has stated before is part of God's sovereign plan.

*            *10.

Peter went on to explain, in contrast to the Devil, that the God of all grace, the same One that called them to their eternal destiny in glory with Christ, would after their short time of suffering, perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish them.

11 Peter then assured them that this same One would have power and dominion forever and ever.

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! III.

EXEGETICAL PROPOSITION

Peter calls the believers of Asia Minor to have a humble servant spirit amongst themselves and to be circumspect in the midst of their trials, recognizing that Satan wants them to fall, but that their almighty God will keep them and bring them to a glorious eternal destiny with Him.

*            *

*IV.

GRAMMATICAL INSIGHTS*

 

*5*

Ὁμοίως – "likewise" – here speaking to the way in which the elders submit themselves as undershepherds to the Chief Shepherd.

Likewise the rest of the congregation is to submit to the elders (McDougall, "A Commitment to Servanthood,"  part 3 (1 Peter 5:1-11) @ Community Bible Church, November, 24, 2002.

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πρεσβυτέροις*/ – "Unto the elder/* (/presbuterois/).

Dative case.

Here the antithesis between younger and elder shows that the word refers to age, not to office as in 1 Peter 5:1.

See a like change in meaning in 1 Tim.

5:1, 17" (Archibald Thomas Robertson, /Word Pictures/, 132).

Kelly makes a similar remark saying that the transition from the elders (officials) to the elders (older men) "is nothing so hard as alleged, for the leaders were naturally chosen from the older age-group of the community, and the term /presbuteros// /had not yet acquired a fixed technical sense" (/The Epistles of Peter and of Jude, /205).

πάντες - The “/all /of you” that follows, refers to the /congregation /generally; and it is likely that, like Paul, Peter should notice, previous to the general congregation, the /subordinate ministers /as well as the /presbyters, /writing as he did to the same region

(Ephesus), and to confirm the teaching of the apostle of the Gentiles (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown, "The First Epistle of Peter," Vol. 2, on /Ages Master Christian Library, Version 7/, p. 1313).

ἀλλήλοις – dative of relation constructed with "all of you" and the verbal phrase that follows (Kelly, 205).

Hiebert comments, "The mutual character of the humility enjoined is stressed by the forward position of the reciprocal dative pronoun /allelois//, /'in relation to one another'" (D.

Edmond Hiebert, /1 Peter, /310).

ὑποτάγητε – from ὑποτασσw – when used as a military term it meant to /place / or /rank under /.

Otherwise it is to /subject /or /put into subjection /(Abbott-Smith, 463).

The same word is used of the Lord being subject to His parents in Luke 2:51.

In Romans 13:1 Paul used to word to speak of being subject to the higher governing powers which are all in God's control.

In 1 Peter 3:22 the same word is used to speak of all things being subject to the power of Jesus.

ταπεινοφροσύνην – "lowliness of mind, humility" (Abbott-Smith, 439).

According to Trench "the very word . . . is itself a fruit of the Gospel; no Greek writer employed it before the Christian aera (sic), nor, apart from the influence of Christian writers, after" (/Synonyms of the New Testament, /148).

The Greek saw humility as a despised thing.

Trench writes further: "the use by heathen writers of [words in this family]. . .

shows plainly how they would have employed /tapeinofrosuvnh/, had they thought good to allow it.

The instances are few and exceptional in which /tapeinov//"/ signifies anything for them which is not grovelling (sic), slavish, and mean-spirited" (Ibid.).

[Trench's observation mentioned by Trevor Craigen in his sermon, "How God Calls the Players"].

Spurgeon said, "The higher a man is in grace, the lower he will be in his own esteem" - Charles Hadden Spurgeon, /Gleanings Among the Sheaves).

/"After crosses and losses men grow humbler and wiser."

— Benjamin Franklin

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ταπεινοφροσύνην ἐγκομβώσασθε  - "gird on humility" – According to Davids humility "is a cardinal Christian virtue (Acts 20:19; Eph.

4:2; Phil.

2:3; Col. 3:12 . .

.), indicating a servant's attitude toward others.

It is something the NT values highly, in contrast to either Judaism or Hellenistic culture, due to the example of Jesus.